The Skinny June 2012

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Issue 81 June 2012

W H AT E V E R G E T S Y O U THROUGH THE NIGHT T H E AT R E A N D M U S I C UNITE IN THE ARCHES

T H E AT R E BIG DANCE ART DUNDEE DEGREE SHOW L E I T H L AT E FASHION SCOTL AND RE:DESIGNED

MUSIC LIARS H O LY E S Q U E HECTOR BIZERK HAPPY PA R TICLES DILLINGER VS MASTODON FILM E D I N B U R G H I N T E R N A T I O N A L F I L M F E S T I VA L : KILLER JOE, SHINJI SOMAI B E R T R A N D TAV E R N I E R O N D E A T H WA T C H TI WEST ON THE INNKEEPERS

MUSIC | FILM | CLUBS | THEATRE | TECH | ART | BOOKS | COMEDY | FASHION | TRAVEL | FOOD | DEVIANCE | LISTINGS

Willowman Festival The Summer Solstice Celebration 21st - 24th June 2012 Real Ale Bar - Chill Out Cafe Vintage Market - Childrens Area International Food Stalls - Trade Stalls Acoustic Stage - Axis Reggae Sound System Tent

Adult weekend Tickets from £70 Young Person's Weekend ticket £35 Children under 12yrs go free!

available online now

Friday Neville Staple Vintage Trouble DJ Derek Little Barrie The Rythmites The White Negroes

Saturday

Sunday

Benjamin Francis Leftwich Utah Saints Clint Boon Hugh Cornwell Jah Wobble's Hyde & Beast Metal Box in Dub John Otway - B>E>A>K 3 Daft Monkeys - Akahum Chased by Wolves New York All Stars Subgiant - Zubzub

Hillside Rural Activities Park | Thirsk | YO7 4AL www.willowmanfestival.co.uk Ticket hotline 01609 780190 info@willowmanfestival.co.uk

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Xile Clothing: The Only Game In Town Xile Casual: Princes Mall, Edinburgh. 0131 557 6912 Xile Heritage: Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh. 0131 555 3088 Xile Fashion: Princes Mall, Edinburgh. 0131 556 6508 Xile Denim: Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh. 0131 561 4496 Xile Glasgow: New St Enoch Walkway. 0141 221 3664

£85

CONTENTS

photo: Kevin Winter

IN CONCERT

FRIDAY 12 OCTOBER

0141 353 8000

GLASGOW CONCERT HALL

Nanci

Griffith

PHOTO: NICK MILLIGAN

BILLY BRAGG & KT TUNSTALL CELEBRATE WOODY GUTHRIE’S CENTENARY

EDINBURGH QUEEN’S HALL

FRI 14TH SEPT

02ABC GLASGOW

MONDAY 30TH JULY 0131 668 2019

PHOTO: FRASER DOUGLAS

In association with Coda Music Agency

P.14 HAPPY PARTICLES

P.22 DUNCAN OF JORDONSTONE DEGREE SHOW (PICTURED: LAUREN PEEBLES)

karine polwart Wed 19 Sept Glasgow Oran Mor Thur 29 Nov Innerleithen Memorial Hall Friday 30 Nov Edinburgh Queen’s Hall

WEDNESDAY 4 JULY ThE

CRAY BanD

Thur 28th June

o2 ABC

GLASGOW

PHOTO: FRANKIE ANDERSON

RoBERT

june tabor & oysterband

PHOTO: ROSS MCLEAN

GLASGOW BARROWLAND

P.34 SCOTLAND RE:DESIGNED

P.29 COACHELLA

Wed 5th Dec EDINBURGH Queens Hall 0131 668 2019

J U N E 2 012

The Civil Wars uests

plus g

FRI 29 JUNE

plus special guests

EDINBURGH

THE LIQUID ROOMS

Friday 2nd Nov

O2 Academy Glasgow

JOHN HIATT

+ SPECIAL GUEST

DEAN OWENS

WED 18TH JULY EDINBURGH

Friday 20th July

EDINBURGH

QUEEN’S HALL

Voodoo Rooms

Photography: Steven Sebring

by arrangement with Primary Talent International

PATTI SMITH WED 5TH SEPT

AND HER BAND

0 2 ABC GLASGOW

New Album ‘Banga’ Out Monday 4th June

www.ticketmaster.co.uk www.regularmusic.com 0844 844 0444 or in person from Ticket Scotland:

Argyle Street Glasgow, Rose St Edinburgh & Ripping Records and all usual outlets 4

THE SKINNY

JUNE 2012

Issue 81, June 2012 © Radge Media Ltd.

EDITORIAL

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

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Publisher

Sophie Kyle

Contents

FRONT

DF CONCERTS & EVENTS PRESENTS… DF CONCERTS & EVENTS PRESENTS…

6: The Skinny takes a tour to an island republic; Shot of the Month; Swimmer One's

Andrew Eaton-Lewis salutes a musical hero; Gareth, Ana and Jamie get some gripes off their chests; Stop the Presses.

8: It's a 35-day month. That's day, not week. It's not a 35-week month. That's not a real thing.

FEATURES

10: Vital Sparks commission Whatever Gets You Through The Night arrives at the

Arches with an ultra-collaborative, multi-disciplinary interpretation on the hours between midnight and 4am.

12: Twelve years into a career characterised by restless experimentation, Liars' frontman Angus Andrew explains how his band came to to boot up their laptops, forget about songwriting and make one of their most singular LPs thus far.

14: Happy Particles' magnificent debut Under Sleeping Waves was nominated for the inaugural Scottish Album of the Year award. We caught up with the band to talk about their musical heritage, the nomination, and Christmas on the internet.

15: Some horror directors like to gross out an audience. Ti West, the man behind House of the Devil, prefers to freak them out using good ol' fashioned suspense. West speaks to The Skinny about his latest bloodcurdler, The Innkeepers.

17: The Scottish Government have challenged the nation to get fit by dancing; Dance Base have responded with the mini-festival Big Dance Edinburgh.

18: Death Watch, a lyrical science fiction film made in Glasgow in the late 70s, died on its initial release. Ahead of its resurrection by film distributors Park Circus, The Skinny spoke to the film's charming director, Bertrand Tavernier.

19: The 66th Edinburgh International Film Festival will open with a punch to the gut on 20 Jun with Killer Joe, William Friedkin's blackly comic slice of American gothic. We spoke to the New Hollywood firecracker ahead of his trip to Auld Reekie 20: The EIFF also includes a full retrospective of Shinji Somai, whose films have been almost unseen on these shores. EIFF director Chris Fujiwara speaks to us about this overlooked filmmaker.

22: What caught our eye during The Skinny's annual tour round the Duncan of Jordanstone degree show up in Dundee.

25: Leith Late opens up the doors of Leith Walk's shops, pubs and creative spaces for one night only. Here's the full programme.

26: Hector Bizerk talk to us about bridging the gap between Scottish hip-hop and the wider musical culture with their unique brand of stripped-down rap.

LIFESTYLE

29: Travel takes a trip to the glamorous campsites of Coachella, and looks forward to a

few of the further-flung festivals you could be heading to this summer.

31: Deviance takes an academic look at the implications of testosterone for the facial structure of the female-to-male transsexual.

32: Showcase: Steven James Herd is our pick of the Dundee degree show 2012.

34: Fashion: Scotland RE:Designed presents exquisite garments by some of the country's most exciting designers.

36: Food & Drink: Lovecrumbs interview, Food News, Around the World in 20 drinks takes on Belgium, and Phagomania gets far too excited about an Austrian vegetable orchestra.

GLASGOW BARROWLAND NEW DATE ADDED DUE TO PHENOMENAL DEMAND

FRIDAY 26TH OCTOBER OUT OCTOBER SATURDAY SOLD27TH

EDINBURGH HMV PICTURE HOUSE TUESDAY 30TH OCTOBER

T W I N AT L A N T I C . C O M | FA C E B O O K . C O M / T W I N AT L A N T I C | R E D B U L L R E C O R D S . C O M

NEW ALBUM

RIZE OF THE FENIX OUT NOW

MARC ALMOND POP TROUBADOUR, HITS & MORE O2 ABC GLASGOW

SUNDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER MARCALMOND.CO.UK

tive look at the world of Mexican soap opera. Plus the month's film events.

49: DVD: Highlights include Coriolanus and classic film noir You Only Live Once.

50: Art: This month you should go to Edinburgh's grassroots art fest the Annuale, plus Teresa Margolles at GSS and an interview with Rabiya Choudhry.

51: Books: Including Oliver Burkeman's The Antidote, and Mark Millar's CliNT 2.1 comic.

Tech: Weegie science looks forward to the Glasgow Science Festival.

52: Theatre: Performance highlights of June include Chairs and Edinburgh International Magic Festival.

53: Comedy: Comedian Teddy tells us what to watch in Euro 2012. Obviously.

BACK

54: Competitions: WIN!!!!! Famous Grouse swag and tickets to Kelburn Garden Party.

55: Listings: A complete guide to entertainment in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee throughout the month of June.

63: Dillinger Escape Plan's Ben Weinman quizzes Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher on

how to keep a band together and alternative occupations; Crystal Baws predicts a joyous month of June. JOKES. It's peril as usual.

THETINGTINGS.COM

gigsinscotland.com ticketmaster.co.uk ticketsoup.com 24 hour ticket hotlines: 0844 499 9990 | 0844 395 4000 www.tenaciousd.com

@RealTenaciousD

LIGHTS_ON TOUR GLASGOW THE ARCHES Wednesday 4th July NEW ALBUM SIBERIA OUT OCT. 4

A DF Concerts & Events presentation by arrangement with CAA

TOOTS A

N

D

T

H

E

MAYTALS

O2 ABC GLASGOW

FRIDAY 10TH AUGUST

TOOTSANDTHEMAYTALS.COM

GLASGOW ORAN MOR TUESDAY 10TH JULY

OFMONSTERSANDMEN.IS

PART OF THE WEST END FESTIVAL

GLASGOW CAPTAINS REST

SUNDAY 3RD JUNE

GLASGOW Oran Mor

Monday 4th June

39: Music: Mummy Short Arms take a collective approach to the Dozen, some words with

New Blood Holy Esque plus live highlights for June, the Metal Column and album reviews.

GLASGOW QMU TUES

TUESDAY 12TH JUNE

REVIEW

46: Clubs: Gets aff its nut at Vitamins, plus previews and Clubbing Highlights.

48: Films: June's releases include Killer Joe and Casa de mi Padre – Will Ferrell's sensi-

DAY 26TH JUNE

Glasgow SECC

BREATHIN' AIR WITH

Edinburgh HMV Picture House

HOWARD MARKS & JOHN SINCLAIR

Wednesday 27th June

Album 'Hurry Up, We're Dreaming' out now ilovem83.com

ALL SEATED

GLASGOW ORAN MOR TUESDAY 5TH JUNE

AZEALIA BANKS O2 ABC GLASGOW

SAT 29TH SEPT www.azealiabanksforever.com

+

GLASGOW ORAN MOR SUNDAY 10TH JUNE

For tickets call: 08444 999 990 or online: www.gigsinscotland.com www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Follow gigsinscotland on twitter @gigscot June 2012

THE SKINNY

5

CHAT

E d itori a l

H ero W orshi p Canadian singer Jane Siberry has never had much of a profile in the UK, but her witty, cinematic music is an absolutely vital part of Andrew-Eaton Lewis of Swimmer One’s life

Multi-arts projects seem to be the order of the day in Scotland this June, as we eschew the traditional orthodoxy of summer music festivals to focus on events that bring together some music, some performance and some visual art. Our cover reveals a few of the team behind Whatever Gets You Through The Night, a vast and ambitious collaborative project that offers a snapshot of the country’s creative communities in music and theatre, and will be presented in the Arches at the end of the month. We speak to a few of those involved, including mastermind Cora Bissett, in our lead feature.

Over in Edinburgh, the multi-arts theme is represented by Leith Late, returning for a second year with a one-night-only programme of events on 28 June weaving together the different creative and commercial spaces of Leith Walk to celebrate the local community and show visitors exactly why the area is the best place in Edinburgh for emergent art. We’ve got a full run down of the night’s events as well as a handy (and beautifully designed) map on p25.

In Film, June is the month of Edinburgh International Film Festival, back with another new director and plans for rejuvenation following last year’s critical mauling. We eagerly anticipate 2012’s programme with a closer look at bold opening film Killer Joe, and the work of overlooked (in the west at least) auteur Shinji Somai who enjoys a retrospective as part of the festival.

In Music, we have some words with Liars ahead of the release of new album WIXIW. We also have a long-overdue chat with Glasgow’s Happy

Particles, whose gem of an album Under Sleeping Waves is on the shortlist for the Scottish Album of the Year award. They didn’t mean to slag us on Facebook, thankfully. Other musical highlights include interviews with Holy Esque, Hektor Berserk and an unholy ruckus of a Dirty Dozen as the seven-strong Mummy Short Arms take on the June singles.

Other issue highlights include a beautiful shoot in Fashion for Scotland Re:Designed, and a Showcase celebrating the first of the year’s degree shows, as Dundee’s Steven James Herd reveals what he’s got to show for his years at art school.

In Comedy, we – somewhat inexplicably – look forward to Euro 2012. I guess we had to fit it in somewhere. [Rosamund West]

THIS MONTH’S COVER Sally Jubb is an Edinburgh-based photographer. She graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2011. See more of her work at www.sallyjubbphotography.com/

SHOT OF THE MONTH

Grimes, The Berkeley Suite, Glasgow, 7 May

By Gemma Burke for more original photography go to www.Theskinny.co.uk

6

THE SKINNY

June 2012

Jane Siberry was once a big star in Canada but she’s never been that famous here, so I often have to explain who the hell my favourite singersongwriter in the world is.

Usually I say she’s like a funnier Kate Bush, or a more feminine Laurie Anderson. But that doesn’t sum her up. Her first album, from 1981, sounds like a more playful take on Joni Mitchell’s Blue. By 1983 she was making synthpop, sort of. If you ever wondered what a cross between the Associates and The Go Go’s would sound like, here’s your answer.

Then the songs got longer, multi-layered and cinematic. One of my favourites from that time is The Bird in the Gravel, in which she plays a heartbroken maid, a truck driver, a servant and a kitchen full of noisy cooks (The Fakester Resurrection, a 12 minute, three part song from my band Swimmer One’s second album, was very much inspired by it). Then she made country music for a while.

When I first saw her live, in Edinburgh in 2006, she sang a 12-minute musical poem about a surreal forest journey, a 30-second version of What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor, and I Know My Redeemer Liveth

by Handel. She was very funny too. “Did you know Britney Spears is an anagram of presbyterians?” is a

typical piece of Siberry stage chat.

What’s consistent through all this very different music is a style of delivery that is somehow whimsical, knowing, flippant, and heartwrenching at the same time. Her songs recognise that you can feel all kinds of emotions simultaneously.

A couple of years ago Jane played a gig in a flat in Portobello, and I got to introduce her, which was quite a thrill. Jane was (and still is) touring the world playing gigs in small, unusual venues, all organised by fans. She had, not long before this, sold all her possessions and taken to wandering the world trying to ‘follow the natural lines of energy flow.’

This will sound bonkers to some people, and possibly is. Certainly, her Portobello show was more performance art than gig. She told dreamlike stories, one fragment at a time, stopped songs half way through to go off on rambling tangents about temples, and had conversations with an imaginary dog. But it was one of the loveliest gigs I’ve ever attended. Afterwards everyone ate cheese and biscuits in the kitchen.

Andrew Eaton-Lewis is one third of the band Swimmer One. This month he will be appearing in Whatever Gets You Through The Night in The Arches. You can read all about the vast collaborative project on p10

SKINNY ON TOUR

Music editor Dave is currently on his honeymoon but thinks he just found a typo in last month’s issue. Gutted. Nevermind, ‘off and enjoy yourself.

Can you guess where he is?

Enter your guess www.theskinny.co.uk/competitions and you might win a bottle of wine courtesy of our expert friends at VINO WINES. Closing date: Fri 29 June

Winners will be notified on the day of closing and will be required to respond within one week or the prize will be offered to another entrant. For full terms and conditions, go to www.theskinny.co.uk/ terms and www.drinkaware.co.uk for the facts.

Going somewhere nice this summer? Why not take a copy of The Skinny and perhaps you can be in next month’s Skinny on Tour. Submit your entries to competitions@theskinny.co.uk

CHAT

Reel Talk

To Tweet, Or Not To Tweet Jamie Dunn The headline movie for June is Prometheus. I’ve been cool on the prospect of the Alien prequel, primarily because the last time Ridley Scott made a great film Michael Jackson was still alive. And at number 1 in the charts. And black. Sorry, that’s a bad (and very old) joke. Here’s a good one though: “Heard a rumour that Ridley Scott’s holding back 30 seconds of Prometheus footage for the theatrical release. Not sure I believe it though...”

It’s from Tom Sutcliff (aka @tds15), presenter of Radio 4’s Saturday Review. It popped up on my twitter timeline a few months ago and it pithily summarises everything I hate about Prometheus’s marketing campaign, and movie marketing in general.

Twitter’s great for stuff like this. 140 characters seems the perfect length for an acerbic epigram aimed at pop culture. The problem is, Twitter also has a habit, like the viral marketing machines, of making you feel you’ve seen a movie months before it’s come out.

For the last two weeks I’ve desperately tried

to shun spoilers from Cannes as critics bombard Twitter with tweet reviews as they scurry along la Croisette. It’s a bit like being in an online version of that episode of Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? where Bob and Terry try (and fail) to avoid hearing the England score before it’s shown on telly later that evening.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t sour grapes because I’m not there myself. It’s just that I resent the fact that I now know the rough critical consensus on the next twelve months of art-house releases through social networking osmosis. If I’m going to be forced to live the festival vicariously in my living room at least let me get changed into my tux before you tell me that “On the Road is a masterpiece” or that “the new Michael Haneke sucks ass.”

This is why I’m cherishing the start of the 66th Edinburgh International Film Festival on 20 June.

In this digital age, attending a world premiere at a film festival might be the only way to truly see a film mint fresh before fanboys, critics and the marketeers reveal every last plot point online.

Then again, maybe I’m just an old fart who needs to get with the times – I did just make a reference to Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, after all.

B o d i ly T h i n k i n g ( W h y I M ay b e S h o u l d B e A V e g e ta r i a n ) Vegetarianism and feminism might be more intrinsically link than they first appear...

Deviance Editor Ana Hine explains her thinking The other day I came across an interesting connection. As a woman who likes other women (and men, and others on the spectrum) people often assume I’m a vegetarian. I’ve always been a little surprised at the logic of this – surely human sexual orientation has nothing to do with animal rights.

Turns out these people were less mistaken than I’d originally assumed. It’s as a woman, as a feminist, that I should be vegetarian.

Let me explain. At first I was sceptical, but I’ve started to come around to the simplicity of the argument. In brief it goes; human beings are afraid of death and thus they (and particularly men) come to associate bodily functions with death. For instance, we talk about the “little death” of orgasm and ejaculation. Traditionally, men were able to detach themselves more from their bodies than women were – they could ignore their bodies in a way that women, historically, were unable to. Women were treated as virtual slaves (forced to work unpaid doing household tasks, unable to own property or earn a living etc) because of their bodies.

What makes a woman? The ownership of a vagina? The ownership of a working womb? Or is it more societal – long hair and breasts maybe? Certain mannerisms? A high voice? A short stature?

These are all bodily things. Animal things. Signifiers that mark women out as homo sapiens. Maybe being a woman is more than just a bodily experience. If I

woke up tomorrow as a small blue cube would I still be female? Is my MIND female? Who knows. I don’t have a PhD in gender studies (yet) so I can’t attempt to give you a definite answer to that question. I’m not sure I believe that anyone can.

Society classes me as female because I have certain bodily signifiers, and other people behave in a certain way towards me because they read me as female. That, as much as anything, makes me a woman. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

How this links to vegetarianism is that, as a woman, my animalism, my bodiliness, has a profound determining effect on my life. Less so than it would in other cultures, or at other times in history, but still more than it would if I were male. Of course that is subjective, but ask yourself – would you have made exactly the same choices, been in exactly the same relationships, taken exactly the same courses, jobs, friends, if you had been a different sex/gender? Is your life true to you, or is it biologically determined according to your gender identity and sexed body?

So in coming to terms with the bodily nature of my identity I do feel a sliver of sympathy for the other bodies around me. If I am an animal, then maybe I shouldn’t be eating other animals. Maybe they’re as trapped in their physicality as I am. I’m not going to stop eating bacon, but I am going to feel a bit more guilty about it. Thanks feminism.

LAST CHANCE TO SEE: Edinburgh Napier Arts & Creative Industries Degree show runs on their Merchiston Campus until 1 June. Head along to see work by more than 150 bright young things from the fields of design, photography, and film.

Full info here: www.napier.ac.uk/sci/degreeshow-2012/Pages/home.aspx

Somewhereto_ are calling on 16 - 24 year old visual artists across the UK to take part in a touring Somewhereto_ exhibition later this year, starting at the Edinburgh fringe. For more info email rebecca.thompson@somewhereto.com and find out how to get involved.

The Skinny Showcase Shop in Urban Outfitters, Glasgow – you can see some of the exquisite limited-edition prints from our Culture Label in the flesh in the menswear department until 30 June.

Cryptic Nights presents Colour Deaf, a cross-disciplinary collective, offering audiences an alternative experience in visual art and live music through installation and sonic design.

Made up of Kayus Bankole (Boko), Sisi Lu (ftjelly) and Steven Morrison (Dandy Riots/ COME collective), Colour Deaf take inspiration from music genres including electro, moombahton and hip-hop: the event at the CCA, Glasgow on Thu 7 & Fri 8 June, will include an installation/ performance, a fashion show (with designs from Ciorstaidh Monk) followed by an after party with a DJ set from Dandy Riots (Not sure who added this, but it is already in Heads Up - Anna)

Exposed12 offers the annual survey of bright new photography talent with the Stevenson College & Abertay University Photography Graduate Show – including the stunning portfolio of the supremely talented Solen Collet (who also works as The Skinny’s accounts lady). Exposed12, The Drill Hall, 13-22 June, 10am-5pm (closed Sunday), free. www.exposed12.com/

West End Summer Solstice, Fri 22-Sat 23 Jun, West End, Edinburgh, FREE Edinburgh will celebrate the longest day of the year with a two-day event with a variety of day-time activities, including an art, design & crafts market on Stafford Street in the day and live music, comedy, fashion showcases and late-night shopping in the evening http://www. facebook.com/westendedinburgh

Photo: Sally Jubb

Even a brief visit to the south of England is a reminder of how culturally distinct the nations of the United Kingdom have become: while Scotland is only slowly warming up for the Commonwealth Games, and small-scale companies and productions are flourishing in the face of the economic downturn deception, England is abuzz with the Olympic Torch Procession and, surprisingly, the Queen’s Jubilee.

Aside from the political debate over independence – the rhetoric of both sides seems to have ignored the possibilities of contemporary theatre practice for a reliance on the classic script blue-print – the theatrical infrastructures of Albion and Caledonia seem increasingly distinct.

If the Olympics encouraged centralised funding, and produced the interesting and diverse Cultural Olympiad, Scotland’s artists are perhaps becoming more preoccupied with small, renegade

Photo: Solen Collet

Gareth K Vile

Illustration: Tower By Jamie Johnson

Scotland Vs England

productions, that leap across platforms (visual artists using choreographers, Live Artists designing free festivals, 85a ignoring any boundaries).

The Big Dance is a UK-wide event, but Edinburgh’s entry captures the flavour of the Scottish community: inclusive, democratic, preferring lots of little happenings over large, iconic productions.

Michael Clark’s project for September links community dancers to professionals: even the year’s big show-stopper, Alan Cumming as Macbeth in Tramway, is designed to encourage an intimacy between performer and audience. A strict Marxist interpretation insists that the actual art works are the product of the economic system: yet even a more generous reading of art’s influences reveals that Scotland’s theatre is heavily influenced by the political and social atmosphere.

Neither the Scottish nor English models are parochial: rather they are responsive to local conditions. This is a sign of vitality – the diversity is a bonus, as long as the flow between the nations can continue and the artists listen to voices beyond their own community.

Illustration: www.Alvvino.org

Critical Roles

The EIF INsider scheme is going strong – to get involved and bag discounts on tickets at the Edinburgh International Festival, backstage access and invites to other exclusive events sign up at http://www.eif.co.uk/INsider

Shit-Hot DESIGNER Needed The Skinny needs a new designer as Lewis is tragically leaving us. You’ll find full details, at www.theskinny.co.uk/ about/jobs

The Festival of the Erotic Arts arrives in Edinburgh this month, with a programme of multi-disciplinary events aimed at offering a ‘sleaze-free, sex-positive celebration of a thriving artform.’ Events include a Torture Garden in the Caves, an exhibition of erotic visual art in Whitespace, and something called Artwank!

Various venues, Edinburgh, 22-24 Jun, full info at www.erotic-arts.co.uk

June 2012

THE SKINNY

7

HEADS UP

WED 30 MAY

THU 31 MAY

Post their boat party on the Clyde, and but a few weeks into their Edinburgh launch at Cabaret Voltaire, those hardworking lads at I AM pull out a bit of a double whammy over the next few days, with Barrientos playing their regular Glasgow night at Sub Club (29 Apr), before they welcome the percussive maestro that is Blawan to Cab Vol two days later (31 Apr). See listings for full details on both nights

Vic Galloway returns for his regular monthly showcase slot at Electric Circus, for which he's pulled together a cross-section of Scotland in live musical form, taking in doom'n'roll Glasgow trio Holy Mountain, Edinburgh moshers A Fight You Can't Win, and Dundee's Fat Goth (aka Ex-Alamos members in a new alternative guise).

Electric Circus, Edinburgh, 7pm, £tbc

Fence stalwart James Yorkston unites his backing band, The Athletes, for a 10th Anniversary performance of debut album Moving Up Country, which they'll perform live and in its entirety. Support comes from new light Seamus Fogarty, plus Fence DJs playing into drunken wee hours, as per. The Caves, Glasgow, 8pm, £12. Also playing Glasgow's Òran Mór on 3 Jun

Yes, so it’s another 35-day ‘month’ in the land of Heads Up. We’ve 4 jun tue 5 jun amassed a monster-load Mon The Japanese total rock'n'roll experience that is Guitar For the first time in front of a live audience, political bring the mayhem to Mono, which seems a pretty activist and former manager of MC5, John Sinclair, of things for you to see Wolf fitting way to (not) celebrate the Queen's Diamond joins infamous author and former Most Wanted Upping the ruccus will be Holy Mountain, and Man in Britian, Howard Marks, to talk about their and do, kicking off June Jubilee.

Ultimate Thrush doing live battle with Blue Sabbath respective colourful lives... Sure to be more that a little illuminating. Òran Mór, Glasgow, 7pm, £16.50. Also at in suitably drunken style Black Fiji. Mono, Glasgow, 8pm, £13 (£11) Edinburgh's Electric Circus the following evening with The Revel’s annual art school piss up...

Holy Mountain

Photo: Sol Nicol

Photo: Jonny Burke

HE A D S UP

Photo: Euan Robertson

TUE 29 MAY

WED 6 JUN Sneaky's resident bass spectacular of all things garage, dubstep and bassline house, Witness, goes supersized for the evening, welcoming the towering tech-house king that is Claude VonStroke to the decks – who'll in turn be upping the ante with his big'n'bouncy house offerings, pre his set at RockNess in July. Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh, 11pm, £5

COMPILED BY: ANNA DOCHERTY

TUE 12 JUN

WED 13 JUN

THU 14 JUN

Glasgow prepare thyself, as a certain Mr Jack Black and regular Tenacious D partner in crime Kyle Glass make their merry way to the city to tour their latest album, Rize Of The Fenix, for which they'll be letting the usual comedy folk-metal hell loose on the unsuspecting, such is their way. SECC, Glasgow, 6.30pm, £35

Local music blogger Song, by Toad curates a mighty four band bill headered by Glasgow up-and-comers of the tropical thrash variety, PAWS, playing alongside Dolfinz, Sex Hands, and Waiters in support of their new split 12-inch to be released on Song, By Toad Records.

Get your mitts on a copy on the night. Henry's Cellar, Edinburgh, 7pm, £5

Tramway plays home to National Theatre of Scotland's bold re-imagining of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, in which Scottish actor Alan Cumming will assume each and every role in the classic Scottish tradgedy, before it dons wings and tours to New York for an exclusive run.

Tramway, Glasgow 13-30 Jun, various times, From £10 (previews, 13 & 14 Jun)

Photo: Albert Watson

paws

Photo: Martin Senyszak

MON 11 JUN With the weighty moniker of LA's own 'Ambassador of Boogie Funk', producer Dam Funk brings his love of boogie, modern soul and electro-funk to Glasgow's CCA, where he'll be showcasing his expertise for retro done good – cultivating his own early 80s musical renaissance. CCA, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £12

TUE 19 JUN

WED 20 JUN

THU 21 JUN

Refugee Week Scotland kicks off with Fence head honcho King Creosote headlining a special Fence Records' label showcase to mark the festivities, playing solo alongside a few (still secret) guests. Support comes from Creosote's right hand man, Johnny Lynch, playing under his The Pictish Trail guise, and new signings Randolph's Leap. The Old Fruitmarker, Glasgow, 8pm, £15

Inspired by real-life events, Scottish director Cora Bissett's Glasgow Girls: The Musical brings to the stage the story of seven teenage girls who became known collectively as The Glasgow Girls, following their campaign to bring back their friend who'd been forcibly removed from her home in a dawn raid. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, 19 & 20 Jun, 7.45pm, £8 (£6). Showing as part of Refugee Week Scotland

Edinburgh International Film Festival kicks off what will be its 66th year, and the first under new Artistic Director Chris Fujiwara. For it, he's boldly chosen to open with New Hollywood firecracker William Friedkin's Killer Joe, a stylish comic noir thriller with Matthew McConaughey at the helm. EIFF, 20 Jun-1 Jul. See edfilmfest. org.uk for full programme details being revealed

In a time when even your average beatdown-heavy 'hardcore' band sounds all-too polished, pristine and conventional, OFF! bring the actual noise to King Tut's as they tour their self-titled debut LP – a glorious and unabashed crash course in four-chord weaponry chiming in at just 17 minutes, but oh what a rollercoaster of angsty bursts it is. King Tut's, Glasgow, 8pm, £14.50

Killer Joe

WED 27 JUN

Aye, The Fringe is apparently already nigh. The Stand get in the mood with a special preview double-billing, in which comics Jarred Christmas (he of the sideburns and glasses) and Lloyd Langford (he of the circumcision jokes) will preview material from their respective new shows, prior to their Fringe 2012 run. The Stand, Edinburgh, 8.30pm, £10

A talented batch of Scottish creatives combine forces for Whatever Gets You Through The Night, a unique storytelling project featuring words and music from over 20 Scottish poets, musicians, novelists, and playwrights – including Errors, Withered Hand, Alan Bissett, and Eugene Kelly – each capturing a moment that happened between the hours of midnight and 4am. The Arches, Glasgow, 27-29 Jun (preview 26 Jun), £12/£18 with accompanying book and album

Jarred Christmas

8

THE SKINNY

June 2012

THU 28 JUN

Leith's annual late night multi-arts event, LeithLate, returns – forming a veritable art trail down various venues on Leith Walk.

This year it extends to three-hours, and takes in seven extra venues, alongside the addition of a roaming white van. It then culmintates in the usual glorious (read: drunken) after-bash, headlined by Remember Remember. Various venues, Leith (Edinburgh), 6pm-9pm, Free

Such and Such, Lieth Late 2011

Photo: Ross McLean

TUE 26 JUN

Photo: Sally Jubb

King Creosote

Photo: Alex Woodward

Mon 18 Jun

HEADS UP

FRI 1 JUN

SAT 2 JUN

SUN 3 JUN

The first outdoor festival of our month is Knockengorroch World Ceilidh, mixing music from the Celtic diaspora with an eclectic bunch of others, as is their merry way. Highlights include Auntie Flo, Hector Bizerk, The Pictish Trail, Stanley Odd, and the ever-reliable high octane folkathon that is the Peatbog Faeries. Galloway, 31 May-3 Jun, £89 (four-day pass)

What would June be without the annual art school piss-up? This year The Revel takes on an apocalyptic theme, with dancing tunes in the marquee provided

by The Machine Room, Blank Canvas, and Magic Eye, amongst others, plus live DJs, karaoke, and a whole host of radge costumes. ECA, Edinburgh, 10pm, £12. The ECA Degree Show 2012 opens the following day, 2-11 May

Kids of the 80s unite as The Goonies gets an airing on the big screen – in the plush surrounds of The Scotsman Hotel's luxury screening room, no less. Complimentary popcorn and ice-cream, plus the joys of Josh Brolin's inspired gym-shorts-over-joggers ensemble, makes this nigh-on unmissable in our eyes. Scotsman Hotel, Edinburgh, 8pm, £10

The MAchine Room

FRI 8 JUN

SAT 9 JUN

SUN 10 JUN

Embassy gallery's festival of independent and grassroots artistic activity, Annuale, kicks off across various venues, with highlights including part two of Unimaginable Wealth, a film based on a series of 411 email scams (Superclub, until 28 Jun), and Avalanche Records' exploration of visual images connected to music – all in 12-inch format, naturally. See listings for details

Glasgow School of Art comes to colourful life for the annual Degree Show graduate round-up, taking place across Garnethill Campus and Skypark Campus (with the Masters of Fine Art students showcasing their wares at The Glue Factory), offering folk the chance to catch the fruits of a new crop of budding artists' endeavours.

Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, until 16 Jun, Free

Cheshire-born artist Simon Martin continues his line of subtle moving-image pieces, this time with Louis Ghost Chair – a 17-minute wonder which lays its focus on the classic design of the Louis XV armchair, and its contemporary afterlife in the form of Philippe Starck’s updated version. Collective, Edinburgh, until 22 Jul, Free

Sam De Santis, Catalogue image, Hand Compacted Sphere

Ruined (Video Installation) Sheena Leach 2

SUN 17 JUN

SAT 16 JUN

Pop-up tea lady par excellence, Queen of Tarts hosts a weekend of indulgence (16 & 17 Jun), with a multicourse selection of treats being served up in a secret parlour location down't Leith. We're currently enjoying her experimentation with polenta cake. One word: yum.

Secret location, Edinburgh, 2pm, £20. Booking info and menu at Facebook/QueenofTartsEdinburgh

Stanley Odd

Photo: Kenny McColl

Photo: Eoin Carey

Insider Festival scores extra points for doing the ol' Olympian-themed thing, sans the actual serious sports. Over the weekend the sleepy mountainous surrounds of Aviemore play host to the likes of Meursault, Stanley Odd, Three Blind Wolves, Remember Remember, plus the delights of a woodland Optimo DJs takeover on the Friday. Inshriach House, Aviemore, 15-17 Jun, £80 (weekend)

Photo: Sarah Chappell www.pictorialphotography.co.uk

FRI 15 JUN Malcolm Middleton dons his semi-instrumental alter ego, Human Don’t Be Angry, taking his new album under said moniker on the road proper, with full band in tow – his trademark, verse-style lyrics taking a sparser turn, acting the backdrop to bassy, guitar-based extended instrumentals. Electric Circus, Edinburgh, 7pm, £14. Also playing Glasgow's King Tut's the following night

Simon Martin, Louis Ghost Chair, 2011

Production still by David Pearson

THU 7 JUN Cross-disciplinary artist collective Colour Deaf stage a two-night takeover of Cryptic Nights. They'll be bringing their audio-visual pyramid installation with 'em; the interactive wonder of a thing which allows the audience to conduct their environment through live visual feeds and trigger pads, combining art installation and live music in one all-encompassing sensory whole.

CCA, Glasgow, 7 & 8 Jun, 8pm, £5

SUN 24 JUN

MON 25 JUN

West End Festival draws to an epic finale with a live-band showcase of Scottish talent taking over Oran Mor, headered by the rolling drums, big guitars, and massive effing finales of We Were Promised Jetpacks, alongside Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells, RM Hubbert, Remember Remember, Errors, Withered Hand, and more – all blasting out via a 5.1 Surround System. Òran Mór, Glasgow, 3pm, £12

Art hub par excellence, DCA present their lastest exhibition, Infinite Jest, where a trio of exciting international artists – Cinthia Marcelle, Rob Pruitt, and William Mackrell – will showcase their collective work, each inspired by themes of circular narration, infinity loops, and mobius strips. DCA, Dundee, until 26 Aug, Free

We were promised Jetpacks

Photo: Sol Nicol

SAT 23 JUN The mighty 50-odd piece ensemble that is Tinderbox Orchestra teams up with a duo of special guest bands – Broken Records, and North Atlantic Oscillation – and Hidden Door arts collective for a bit of an orchestral riot in the tranquil Queen's Hall. Add to that a new 30-piece choir and you're close to imagining just what a tour de force this'll be. Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 7.30pm, £10 (£8)

Photo: Peter Marsden

FRI 22 JUN Director Janice Parker brings her performance of Private Dancer to the CCA, a unique piece that reinvents itself for each location it visits. But, rest assured, the life-sized luminous house remains, with each of the five rooms peopled with bespoke choreography by some of Scotland's best disabled dancers. CCA, Glasgow, 21-23 Jun, 7pm (and 4pm, 22 & 23 Jun), £9 (£7)

William Mackrell, 1000 Candles, 2010, Lambda C-type Print, 133 x 116 cm

SAT 30 JUN

SUN 1 JUL

MON 2 JUL

We're making our way out to Musselburgh's Brunton Theatre for the rather exciting sounding Ornithology, a charged comedy performance playing around the chance encounter of two eccentric characters, which employs silent disco technology to offer two contrasting soundtracks for the audience. Brunton Theatre, Edinburgh, 7.30pm, £10.75 (£8.75)

The weekend danceathon that is the inagural Big Dance Edinburgh takes to the city centre for a packed schedule of free dance events, taking in an outdoor tea party (Grassmarket, 1 Jul), and a dance-along screening of Dirty-bloody-Dancing in St Andrew Square Gardens, amongst a whole lot more. Various venues, Edinburgh, 30 Jun-1 Jul, Free

One of the more lavish music festival offerings (they've got a castle, c'mon) Kelburn Garden Party invites the likes of The Phantom Band, Miaoux Miaoux, and Hidden Masters to the grounds of said colourful castle for another edition of the much-loved soiree, with the added bonus of a cinema, late night forest jams, and a bit o' live art from the Too Much Fun Club. Kelburn Country Park, Ayreshire, 30 Jun-1 Jul, £55 (weekend)

We end as all good months really should – with a dose of comedy goodness. In the capable hands of Ayr'shire Billy Kirkwood, Improv Wars serves up mprovised comedy games and sketches with an anything-goes attitude.

He'll be joined by Gary Dobson, Stu Murphy, and some special guests all battling for the big laughs. The Stand, Glasgow, 8.30pm, £4 (£2)

Dirty Dancing

Photo: Robbie Dickson

FRI 29 JUN

June 2012

THE SKINNY

9

theatre

FEATURES

Bl ack Magic This month, a stellar array of authors, musicians, actors and playwrights bring a uniquely collaborative project to the Arches. Some of those involved give us a peek at the intricate structure of Whatever Gets You Through The Night Words: Gareth K Vile & Rosamund West

10 THE SKINNY

June 2012

Photos: Sally Jubb

FEATURES

The Film The project is to become a documentary film, courtesy of director Daniel Warren interview: Jamie Dunn From an initial vision by Cora Bissett, developed into a collaboration with Swimmer One, which grew into a play, and an album, and a film, Whatever Gets You Through The Night is a uniquely amibtious, multi-arts project that brings together a cast which forms a snapshot of Scotland’s creative life today. Words and music come from, amongst others, Errors, Withered Hand, David Greig, Alan Bissett, Wounded Knee, Meursault, Eugene Kelly, Rachel Sermanni and Ricky Ross. The production will feature visuals by Kim Beveridge, aerial work, and a follow-up film by Daniel Warren to be screened in August. There’s even a rumour that they’re going to turf the floor of the Arches – we’ll have to wait and see for that one.

Having established herself as one of Scotland’s most dynamic and versatile actors, Cora Bissett has become an award-winning director and creator – Roadkill captured both the Olivier and CATS awards for best production: not only a scathing sermon on the horrors of human traffic, it was an intensely personal project, emerging from Bissett’s research and relationships with the victims of this vile trade.

Whatever Gets You Through the Night may be no less of a labour of love – Bissett is a musician as well as an actor – but has a very different focus.

Gathering together ten musicians, ten writers, two actors, a dancer and an aerialist, the Vital Sparks commission offers an exploration of the difficult hours of the night.

“We knew that we wanted to do something about late night,” Bissett remembers. “There was research done and they found that 4am is the hour where the brain is most lucid. That can be a bonus or a torment.” The performance, which Bissett describes as less of a traditional play than “A panoply of moments, an overall landscape throughout the night,” covers midnight until four (although not in real time) and matches music to script to film and back again. This idea of a series of collaborative vignettes is reflected in the reference points cited by Swimmer One’s Andrew Eaton-Lewis – Ballads of the Book (the Chemikal Underground album uniting Scottish writers and musicians from 2007) and the film Paris Je T’aime.

Swimmer One, Bissett explains, are both a band and a record label, Biphonic. She claims, selfdeprecatingly, that they “are way more plugged in than I am,” and, alongside playwright David Greig, have been part of the core team behind the project. The cross-platform ambitions are typical of a Vital Sparks commission: previous projects have included Rob Drummond’s Wrestling, a mash-up of sports entertainment and personal history, and Pass The Spoon, a fusion of David Shrigley’s humour, David Fennessy’s composition and a singing shit. By the end of the process, Whatever Gets You Through the Night will include the performances, a film (to be shown during the

Fringe at Summerhall), a book and a CD. Both Bissett and Eaton-Lewis have connections to the musical and theatre scenes – Bisset was in a band before hitting the headlines as an actor, while Eaton-Lewis is also a singer-songwriter. “We wanted to create a picture of the diverse wealth of musical and writing talent in the country right now,” Bisset adds. “People in theatre want to bring more live music into theatre but it is quite hard to match those things together. And one of the driving features for me was to put the song at the centre of the piece.”

Far from being incidental accompaniment, Bissett insists that “It’s about really listening to music as stories. We have funny, witty and smart songwriters – sometimes we are just giving the song space to be. What the songs are not is an

4am is the hour where the brain is most lucid. That can be a bonus or a torment Cora Bissett

afterthought!”

The line up is consciously eclectic – “we wanted emerging and established artists” – and represents each artist’s unique and personal response to the basic remit: “We wanted them to make a work – be that a song, a scene or a text – based somewhere specific in Scotland at a time between midnight and four in the morning.” The resulting pieces are “peppered through the night. It’s like looking in on little windows of people up and down the country,” and go beyond the predictable central belt locations.

Bissett and Swimmer One were interested in more than a cabaret evening of disconnected routines: hence the single cast of four working on all the episodes and David Greig’s role as dramaturg. “He’s just an incredibly wise man,” laughs Bissett. “He has been helping us look through and assemble different material. He knows, as a writer, that it is about structure. Although this is by no

means a naturalistic story, you still want a journey.

A bit like listening to a really good album!”

At the heart of the project is collaboration. Both Dan Willson (aka Withered Hand) and Swimmer One’s Hamish Brown mention their awe at witnessing the process of actors during the initial workshopping week last April. Brown describes it as a uniquely mesmerising experience: “As a musician it’s very rare that you get to work with actors, and there’s still an element of black magic in what they do. You can watch another musician play something, even if it’s an instrument you don’t play, you can appreciate the mechanics. But with an actor, there’s an element of – how did they do that? That was really good fun, waching the two artforms collide and watching them feed off each other.” Says Willson, “It was a really different process for me. I was coming home so excited about it – working with actors, being so close to actors performing was a completely new to me. It was really magical. I was reduced to tears on more than one occasion.”

The songwriting process has also been affected by interdisciplinary dialogue – Willson describes a back, forth and back again with the performers, with his initial compositions being transformed during the workshop stage, then honed again afterwards. “It was really interesting how the process of improvising, the actors improvising, fed into my writing.” The genesis of the songs was apparently particularly harrowing for a musician who describes himself as “not the most prolific songwriter.”

“It was kind of my idea of hell. After I’d been sitting with the directors, quite comfortably giving my input on what was happening on the stage – suddenly the tables were turned, they asked me to write a song over a coffee break. And I had to go into a cupboard and write it in about fifteen minutes. And I did – I surprised myself! It wasn’t a finished song by any means, but over the next few months I honed it, there were two songs in fact, I honed them both, so now I feel… They’re my songs.”

Apart from the ambitious scope and the individual talents on display, Whatever Gets You Through the Night echoes one of Scotland’s greatest artistic strengths: the enthusiasm of artists to collaborate, to challenge the simple boundaries between forms. Like Cryptic’s adventures into sound, 85a’s examination of film or Vanishing Point’s rock version of The Beggar’s Opera, Whatever Gets You Through The Night affirms the sympathy between artists whatever their art form, and pushes theatre towards something immersive and complete.

Whatever Gets You Through The Night runs from Tue 26 - Fri 29 Jun at The Arches, 8pm (Preview: Tues 26th at 6pm).

Tue 26: £15 (incl. book & album), Wed 27 - Fri 29: £18 (incl. book & album) / £12 (show only) www.thearches.co.uk/events/arts/whatevergets-you-through-the-night

The moving picture element of the Whatever Gets You Through The Night collaboration was born out of necessity. “Because there are so many musicians, there’s like ten or eleven songs being made, ten or eleven pieces of writing, it was becoming quite a monster to tour,” says Daniel Warren, the filmmaker tasked with documenting Bissett and co.’s mammoth multidisciplinary arts project. “So the idea that they came up with was to make a film and at each screening there could be a few performances from some of the musicians involved or maybe some of the actors – much more manageable.”

With such a wide range of artists, where did he begin? “I kind of worried that making a film with some of the more dramatic elements might turn into a bad Play for Today – something that’s been written for the stage doesn’t necessarily translate to the screen – so I decided to focus on the musicians.” Rather than a straightforward documentary, the film will follow a similar nighttime narrative to the stage production, and riff on the nocturnal atmosphere and rhythms within the music.

Scenes already filmed include one that pulls back the curtain on Eugene Kelly’s creative process, which shows him at the Green Door Studio writing and recording a vocal that, according to Kelly, “sounds like a rainbow doing a shit,” and a short film with Wounded Knee hanging out on the banks of Loch Lomond and performing his song that was inspired by that same bonnie body of water. The section featuring Withered Hand, meanwhile, takes the form of that quintessential cinematic genre: the road movie. “We wanted to get out of the Central Belt, so we drove to Orkney and he played a gig up there, and on the way up I recorded him in different locations to sort of see what Scotland was like during the nighttime. It’s interesting how playing in a location or a landscape that was unfamiliar seemed to changed the song and performance.”

The filming process also gave some of the artists a chance to recreate the narratives that their respective songs represent. Bigg Taj and Wounded Knee (again), for example, performed their collaboration in front of a crowd of half-cut ravers at the Bongo Club. “It’s meant to be a club scene in the play, but they hadn’t performed it in a nightclub so it was just a case of trying to recreate that situation to see how it played out.”

Warren is currently in the process of filming the final performers and editing the footage he’s already amassed but he says “a definite structure’s beginning to form and some of the performances are knitting together nicely.”

The complete film will premiere 23 Aug at Summerhall.

June 2012

THE SKINNY 11

music

FEATURES

Computer World Twelve years into a career characterised by restless experimentation, Liars’ frontman Angus Andrew explains how his band came to boot up their laptops, forget about songwriting and make one of their most singular LPs thus far

Photo: Zen Sekizawa

Interview: Mark Shukla

Ever since they trundled off into the woods to write an album about witches (2004’s They Were Wrong, So We Drowned) we’ve held an abiding concern about the safety of Liars’ immortal souls. Whilst the pagan mantras of 2006’s Drum’s Not Dead didn’t exactly put our minds at rest, it wasn’t until we viewed the trailer for their forthcoming album WIXIW that our disquiet really started to froth.

Featuring the album’s esoteric title (pronounced ‘wish you’) inscribed obsessively into various public and private spaces, it seemed that the band had jumped head first into the world of sigil magic – a visual method of accelerating the manifestation of one’s deepest desires much popularised by Genesis P.Orridge’s Psychic TV and his donghanded acolytes Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth in the early 80s. With the fear in our hearts that Angus and the boys were but one catastrophic wankingritual away from eternal damnation, we calibrated our vocal cords to ‘Daily Mail’ and proffered our sophomoric concerns: So, have you boys been dabbling with occult forces or what?

“Mmm, that’s interesting,” replies Andrew. “I hear what you’re saying, like, somehow superstitious... (WIXIW) did seem to embody this kind of power in that particular spelling. No matter how much we tried to get away from it – and we did try – it kept coming back and resonating with us as this kind of really strong, visual thing. The nature of a palindrome is that it starts in the same place that it finishes and I think that in general that might be seen as a negative thing – but I think it’s interesting to go through this long process and come out on the other side even more into the idea you started with in the first place. I think the idea of wishing for something is seen as this kind of positive thing but in reality it puts you in a position where you’re not really going for the thing you want, you’re just... wishing for it. The sentiment is a universal, straightforward idea but in the nature and the

12 THE SKINNY

June 2012

context of how we work it’s never that simple. I like the duality of it: wish you were here or wish you were dead – could be the same sort of thing.”

If all that sounds a little ambiguous then the music of WIXIW is even more so; a seductive Möbius loop of obsession and entropy that finds Liars breaking away from the rock historical canon, embracing electronic composition and creating what is arguably their most suggestive work to date. If 2010’s Sisterworld was the band’s attempt

I’m still in the process of trying to figure out how we made these sounds, let alone how to recreate them on the stage!

Angus Andrew

to delineate a series of discrete, but still comprehensible parallel worlds, then WIXIW is their very own twilight zone – a liminal space which, once entered, is almost impossible to leave.

“With this one we wanted to let the process dictate the way the subject matter came out and the result of that is this kind of almost a contradictory way of working,” explains Andrew. “You think one thing but keep going back to this other thing. On this record the biggest goal for me was to spend a lot of time experimenting with sound as opposed to trying to refine our songwriting craft. Two records ago we were really into this idea of, well, how do you write a real song, you know? And now that feels completely irrelevant to me. We gave ourselves a massive amount of time to fuck around and experiment and that’s really great because we ended up with hundreds of really good sounds which we catalogued. But at some point we realised, shit, we’ve gotta actually make songs out of these things, and so we literally, physically, had to tell ourselves to stop experimenting with sounds and to concentrate on some of the ones we had to try and figure out how to use them.

“The process did influence the feel of the record, which I think has a lot to do with this kind of doubt and uncertainty. We put ourselves in a position were we weren’t comfortable and in a lot of ways that was difficult. A big part of the process that we took on this time was that for the first time in ages Aaron [Hemphill] and I wanted to collaborate from a really early stage. Normally we just write full songs and bring them to each other after we’ve developed some kind of confidence about what we’ve done. [This time] we were showing each other stuff in really raw forms where we really didn’t have that confidence developed yet. It’s pretty unnerving... I found it a lot different but very rewarding.”

WIXIW is particularly notable for its heavy reliance on digital audio software as a primary

creative tool and attentive listeners will have no problem discerning influences ranging from dub and minimal techno to drone and experimental synth music. Talking about his experience at the Short Circuit Electronic Music Festival in 2011 (which included performances by artists such as The Residents, Mira Calix and Thomas Fehlmann) Andrew recalls that his conversion to the cause, whilst not exactly Damascene, was at least somewhat epiphanic: “[I just came around to] the idea that playing music with this kind of electronic basis was really fluid and more interesting than I had previously thought it was. The kind of sounds that were being produced were really inspiring.

The sounds weren’t generic like, ‘oh this is a bass guitar this is a drum kit,’ the sounds were much more experimental, and to me that really resonated and when we played I felt kinda boring.

“There’s this sort of natural progression we have where it feels like each record we need to find some new way of challenging ourselves; and we had never really full-on gone into working within the computer and using computer programs and so we felt that we would be naive children going into that and that’s really how it felt. It was frustrating in a way; it’s kind of a big change to be, ‘well today I’m gonna write songs’ and then actually what you end up doing is reading manuals.”

While the technology involved resulted in a steep learning curve for the band, Liars didn’t have to look far for expert guidance: “We’ve been on this label, Mute, our whole lives now and [label founder] Daniel Miller, who we have a lot of contact with, is primarily an electronic kind of guy and it just felt like at some point we needed to take advantage of his knowledge. The idea that I had the most trouble with is, when you’re using these electronic sounds and creating things within the computer, it’s not like you’ve hit a kick drum and made that sound – you sort of find a cool kick drum sound and effect it or whatever but it left me really uncertain. Almost like, well, if electronic people hear this snare are they gonna be like ‘oh that’s the snare from Daft Punk’s whatever,’ you know?

So in a lot of ways it was important for me to play him things early on and gauge his reaction to what I felt were these standard electronic tropes.”

Although the band circumvented most of such pitfalls through the use of avant-garde sampling techniques (visit their blog at amateurgore.tumblr. com for extensive documentation) the tracks created for WIXIW have necessitated a re-evaluation of their live setup: “The past couple of records we’ve employed other musicians to tour with us but it’s just gonna be the three of us this time, which in and of itself is pretty challenging with this music. It’s brought up some pretty interesting topics. It seems that nowadays, more than before, it’s sort of OK for people to play their CD and sing along to it. It seems like a normal thing to do now.

So it’s interesting to have that within the play of things. You know, shall we just do that? But no, we’re still working on it and trying to figure it out.

It’s definitely more of a challenge working with this kind of electronic based music in terms of the instruments you’ve gotta use and stuff. Especially with some of the sounds we used on the record – I’m still in the process of trying to figure out how we made those sounds, let alone how to recreate them on the stage!”

From anyone else those words might seem like cause for concern, but coming from Liars you get the feeling that such technical dilemmas are as a red rag to their bullish creativity; just another dynamic variable to a band for whom complacency simply does not compute.

WIXIW is released via Mute on 4 Jun liarsliarsliars.com

WHISKEY FIT FOR A QUEEN. Jack Daniel was so proud of the whiskey he created that he wanted to share it with the world.

That’s why, in 1892, he sent Queen Victoria a barrel as a gift, confident his charcoal mellowed whiskey would be appreciated by a woman accustomed to the finer things. He never heard back, but Jack was certain someone, somewhere was very appreciative.

J A C K D A N I E L’ S

TENNESSEE WHISKEY

Your friends at Jack Daniel’s remind you to drink responsibly. ©2012 Jack Daniel’s. All rights reserved. JACK DANIEL’S and OLD NO. 7 are registered trademarks.

music

FEATURES

The Science of Sleep Happy Particles’ magnificent debut Under Sleeping Waves was nominated for the inaugural Scottish Album of the Year award. We caught up with the band to talk about their musical heritage, the nomination, and Christmas on the internet Interview: Chris Buckle

Doctor Who and candy canes; tinsel and tantrums; boozy chocolates and just straightforward booze: we had a lovely Christmas Day 2011, since you asked. Yet amidst this hectic schedule of sitting around and rummaging through tins of Quality Street, something slipped our mind. See, while children across the land were nestled snug in their beds dreaming of dancing sugar-plums/ Ben 10 merchandise, something special was slinking its way online. Flying insouciantly in the face of convention, Steven Kane, Graeme Ronald, Al Doherty, Gordon Farquhar, Ricky Egan and James Swinburne – collectively, Happy Particles – decided that rather than hold out indefinitely for a label to step up and put out debut Under Sleeping Waves, they’d cut to the chase and do it themselves. And what better date to unwrap such a gift than 25 December?

Its beauty and mystery was lovingly received, with dreamy slowcore-influenced melodies setting hearts aquiver. The meticulous clarity of tracks like Come Home All Dead Ones and AM Sky twinkle like brilliant baubles, emotive and evocative, with lead Particle Steven’s vocals a heavenly nucleus around which other elements orbit: scintillating guitar lines, glockenspiel, strings. At a time of year when ‘best of’ lists were already long-committed to print, the pesky Particles had blundered in and forced a re-think.

Five months on, we catch up with the band for an overdue chat. After introductions, we decide to tackle the conversation’s potential elephant headon. In April, a post on the band’s Facebook read thus: ‘Our album came out in December last year.

The Skinny who document Scottish culture and music haven’t touched it. Seriously ‘The Skinny’, don’t even bother now we are nominated.’ Ouch.

We read the quote back to see if we can clear the air, and get about four syllables in before the penny drops and the band burst into laughter.

“Busted!” cries Ricky as Steven shifts uncomfortably. Does the fact we’re doing this interview indicate forgiveness? “No,” Steven instantly deadpans.

Darn – how can we make amends? There’s a long pause; thankfully, it’s for comic rather than malicious effect. “It’s fine,” he eventually replies. “Youse are forgiven. It was just a wee joke, but then people got a bit nasty. I don’t advocate nastiness.”

Cheered by the clemency, we move on to less self-centred lines of enquiry. Like: why Christmas?

Weren’t they concerned that Saint Nick would overshadow their efforts? Not really, it turns out: as the band matter-of-factly point out, “People at Christmas are on the internet now.” Why wouldn’t an interested punter take time out from overeating to add a file to their download queue? “Nobody cares about Christmas anymore, and we can buy into that,” grins Ricky. Graeme goes one better: “We single-handedly saved Christmas!”

The band talk sarcastically of market research and analytics when we ask what expectations they had for on-the-day downloads. “Basically we’re clueless,” say Steven. “We didn’t even approach that mentality. It seemed to snowball, but we had no idea it was going to do that.” So you weren’t surreptitiously checking its progress throughout lunch? “None of us had access to it!” says Ricky – only Gordon had log-in details, and he “didn’t check for days.” Not that the album was entirely absent from dinner table conversation. “I was at my dad’s house for Christmas and I was like ‘Dad, the band I’m in have released an album,’” shares Ricky. “I let him hear a song, and he was like ‘Is that a girl singing?’ And I was like, ‘He’s proud of me!’

Well, he was proud of him…” He gestures towards the owner of said seraphim tones. “He was just proud that you knew a girl,” suggests Steven.

The album was recorded over the course of

14 THE SKINNY

June 2012

We single-handedly saved Christmas!

Graeme Ronald

a year with producer Robin Sutherland – once a month, for one day at a time. “We just had to break it down to fit whatever days we had,” says Graeme. “I mean, as a band we’re not exactly rich, so we were just recording as and when we could, and when Robin was able to make time, so it had to be that kind of slightly piecemeal approach.”

“I think we were all mentally ill” muses Steven.

“To just keep something going in the back of your mind for that long, you start to go a bit mental.”

Graeme warns of more specific dangers. “I think when you’ve been working on something that long, it’s no longer fresh to you, so you start doubting it. You start thinking, ‘Oh, I need to change this, I need to change that,’ when actually it’s perfect.”

Photo: Nick Milligan

Others evidently agree with the ‘perfect’ tag, including members of the panel for fledgling initiative the Scottish Album of the Year Award. A hundred nominators from across Scotland’s music scene were asked to submit their five favourite albums of 2011; from this a long list of twenty was drawn.

“The fact that an album that was self-released on the internet was even considered is amazing,” says Steven. “Most awards say that it’s not about a competition, and they’re kind of talking shit because it usually is. But this one doesn’t seem to be, because, well, if it was they wouldn’t give the bands distribution deals and all that stuff.”

He’s referring to the organisers’ decision to turn benefactor, and fund the pressing of a limited run of CDs (a similar arrangement was made with Muscles of Joy, whose self-titled debut was previously only available on vinyl). “It’s insane – I’ve never heard of something like that happening before,” Steven continues. “I think it was partly that Stewart [Henderson – former Delgado, current Chemikal Underground boss, and the man behind SAY] wanted bands who didn’t have physical stock to be able to get something in all the displays in HMV and stuff. Having something there means people might take a chance on our record, find out about it just by walking in… so for him, as well as us, that was a big important thing, to have it set up so we could have stock available.”

Is it purely about consumer availability, or is having a material version of the album important to them in other ways? “We wanted a physical release for the album regardless,” says Graeme.

“We still ultimately want to release it on vinyl,

and it basically just comes down to, personally speaking, the fact that it’s really nice to have made something that you can hold in your hands, something tangible to look at. I mean we all grew up buying CDs, and buying records and stuff, so it’s not like we’re totally used to this idea of downloading music… [Online] was a way for us to get it out there, but it’s great to be able to look at your record and say, ‘Yeah I made that.’”

Happy Particles are joined on the SAY long list

by Remember Remember, with whom there’s overlapping membership (Steven, Graeme and James play in both – “It just increases the odds a bit for some of us,” smiles Graeme; “If The Quickening wins, you can take us out to dinner,” jokes Al).

And that barely touches upon the matrix of affiliate acts: past and present projects include Tangles (Ricky), Neighbourhood Gout (Ricky again), Tesla Birds (Steven), Prayer Rug (Al – “doesn’t exist anymore” though), Teenage Ricky (take a guess), Stapleton (Gordon)… Does having all been around the block, so to speak, affect your expectations for Happy Particles? ”Yes, but just so that we don’t make the same mistakes that loads of wee guys make in other bands,” says Steven. “We don’t care that much about the industry to be honest; we’re just making music together. [But] we’ve all been in bands and so we know all the kind of shite that goes on, so in that way it changes it.”

When you’ve got a large group of experienced musicians with different interests, how do ideas develop? We ask Steven how far he develops songs before bringing the band in to collaborate.

“It totally depends – it’s different for every song really. Some songs can be quite far down the line before they get them, and then they start morphing a wee bit, but each one’s different.” Will he vary the approach further in future – for instance, does he expect initial song ideas to originate from other band members on subsequent releases, or does he have ownership of Happy Particles’ musical direction? “Yeah, I think we’ll probably start doing that more. I don’t want to make the same thing again, so it would be good to fragment it a wee bit so other people get more involved maybe.”

Graeme’s got ideas already. “Ricky and Gordon get some wicked jams going in the studio, so we definitely need to start building them into songs…”

Ricky smiles. “We do, we really do.”

A few days later, SAY announce the ten albums that have made the leap from long to short list.

Both Happy Particles and Remember Remember made the cut – impressive when bands of the calibre of FOUND and Muscles of Joy were left behind. We caught up with Steven again via email to offer our congratulations. “The three of us involved in both albums – me, James and Graeme – spent a whole year doing those two records, living in those two worlds at the same time [so] they’re kind of inseparable to me in a memoryrelated way… Honestly, the fact that they are both there is too bizarre to dwell on without losing your perspective.” The winners are announced later this month; we know that the competition element isn’t the award’s priority, but do you have a hunch as to who’ll scoop the top prize? Say, if we gave you cash and asked you to place a wager on our behalf? “I honestly don’t care who wins,” comes the reply. “Everyone has won – the publicity, the celebration of great art and music,” (though he did put in a personal vote for Aidan Moffat and Bill Well’s Everything’s Getting Older). And the wager?

“I’d take the money for the bet,” he writes, “and buy some of the albums with it instead.”

Under Sleeping Waves is out now, The winner of the Scottish Album of the year Award 2011 will be announced on 19 Jun, click on www.sayaward.com for the results on the day happyparticles.bandcamp.com

F E A TURE S

film

West’s World Some horror directors like to gross out an audience. Ti West, the man behind House of the Devil, prefers to freak them out using good ol’ fashioned suspense.

West speaks to The Skinny about his latest bloodcurdler, The Innkeepers Interview: Alan Bett

“They’re always trying to outsmart you, so I feel that I have to put an effort in to outsmart them first, so we can get on a level playing field again.”

He is Ti West, the 32-year-old horror director whose new film, The Innkeepers, hits cinemas this month. ‘They’ are the horror aficionados, and here he is toying with an audience both educated and fanatical, who scan the horizon of expectation with accuracy and vigour. In short, horror fans know their shit. “People become so hip and postmodern to horror movie techniques... so many movies now wink at the audience so much or do the same derivative things over and over again that most audiences know what’s going to happen way before it does.” West has been keen throughout his filmmaking career to subvert these genre norms while many others seem content to churn out the same tropes of gratuitous gore for a morally numbed audience. It would seem that you can in fact get blood from a stone, if of course you’re willing to smash somebody’s brains in with it.

Ah, brains; that matter so liberally sprayed onto the horror lens yet now so rarely evident behind it. This is no truism where The Innkeepers or West’s earlier House of the Devil (2009) are concerned. As a director he is untroubled by including scenes of outright horror and depravity, but is equally unafraid to make the audience wait for it. This is a brave tactic and one which has earned him both plaudits and derision.

It is far more disturbing to watch the torments of a friend over a stranger, so this slow burn character development pays obvious dividends. “To me it’s like, well you gotta spend time with them to care about them, so you gotta spend time before it’s scary.”

And spend time we do, especially with lead Sara Paxton, who delivers a warm, goofy and humane performance before a sharp descent into peril. Her awkward humour is engaging and deliberate (for all its monsters, horror’s true bête noir must be uninvited chuckles). With this strong female character West avoids the bloody misogyny in vogue within a certain strand of modern horror. In Hostel 2 (depending upon your tastes, the pinnacle or nadir of this trend) director Eli Roth overstepped metaphor and literally hung a naked girl upside down from a hook. Fresh meat to be ogled then butchered.

The Innkeeper’s motives are very different.

When executed well, horror writes a devastating social commentary. For parents in the 1960s, The Exorcist’s scenes of demonic possession held a horrific mirror to their own kid’s mutation into longhaired dope-smoking slackers. West’s own dreaded reflection is the coma reality of dead-end jobs. The Innkeepers premise has two staff on duty

at a rundown hotel, which itself awaits a date with death, this being its final weekend of business.

Their paranormal investigations into the Inn’s dark past are a rare escape from the actuality that they and it are going nowhere. “Most of what was influencing me to make the movie was what it’s like having a part-time job and having not a lot of aspirations or abilities to go beyond that...to me a good juxtaposition for a ghost story was being stuck in the jobs just as the ghosts were stuck.”

I’m interested in making the most outrageously graphic, disgusting horror movie ever, I’ve just never had the money to do it properly Ti West

He tells me that subtlety suits his tastes, but “I’m interested in making the most outrageously graphic, disgusting horror movie ever, I’ve just never had the money to do it properly.” Paddling in shallow budget pools has restricted his storytelling but also provided a certain freedom in decision making – something he lost when signing on to direct Cabin Fever 2.

The film was cut against his wishes, causing him to disown the project and request the fictional Alan Smithee moniker take his place in the end credits.

For those who argue that it’s still his film he retorts, “it’s like Seinfeld telling Dane Cook jokes. The material might be OK, but the delivery is all fucking weird and messed up.” But he is admittedly an aspirational director with larger works in mind, and to play with Hollywood’s bigger boys involves the negotiation of control. Is this something he could accept? “I’d be happy to give up control in exchange for a really cool house with a pool. Until somebody offers me that I’m going to keep doing things my way.”

The Innkeepers is released 8 Jun by Metrodome metrodomegroup.com

June 2012

THE SKINNY 15

theatre

FEATURES

Dance Dance Revolution The Scottish Government have challenged the nation to get fit by dancing; Dance Base have responded with the mini-festival Big Dance Edinburgh

Sport is unhealthy. Research unearthed by Live Art gadfly Richard Dedominici has demonstrated that the Olympics encorages more pizza consumption than physical activity, and the popularity of football does as much for sustaining primitive tribalism as healthy lifestyles. When the Scottish Government decided to address the nation’s health problems, it developed a policy to “get Scotland dancing,” building on the wealth of classes, workshops and professional communities across the country. Big Dance Edinburgh, produced by the indefatigible Dance Base, links this policy to the British Big Dance Week for two full days of free events over the last weekend of June, bringing together everything from bellydance through burlesque to breakdancing.

The programme for Edinburgh’s weekend reveals, even to insiders, that there is more dance happening around Scotland than imagined. With seven different locations around the city – even Arthur’s Seat has been booked for some early morning yoga sessions – and around one hundred different groups putting on a show or tell, Big Dance is an opportunity for everyone to get involved, whether in a free workshop, a world record attempt or just to watch a musical.

Morag Deyes, artistic director of Dance Base, notes that the weekend “is a fantastic job of co-ordination: a real eye-opener! We heard from groups that we didn’t know existed.” Having made an appeal for participants, Dance Base found itself inundated with applications. Like the August Fringe Festival, Big Dance Edinburgh is open and inclusive. “The whole weekend is a testamant,” adds Deyes, “to ‘let’s do the show right here!’”

Castle Street will be transformed into the main stage area: it is here that the sheer range of Scotland’s dance communities is most in evidence.

Alongside a surprisingly large number of bellydance displays, local ballet schools, jazz companies and ceilidh callers will share their talents: St Andrews Square hosts the b-boys for battles and displays of their street skills. Even the National Museum of Scotland offers tasters and a couple of lectures - from Scottish Ballet and the everwonderful Agnes Ness, who will be introducing the dance coming to the 2012 Edinburgh Festivals.

Like the Fringe, Big Dance Edinburgh is best enjoyed as a selection box: while there is a timetable of events, the sheer scale of the event makes it possible to drift around the city, discovering surprises. The aim of the weekend seems not so much to be a statement about the professional work being made in Scotland - many of the participants are amateurs or students - but to allow audiences to get involved and realise how accessible dance can be.

“Spontaneity is really important,” Deyes continues. In Rose Street, she has programmed a secret timetable, that does include professional, site-specific performances. She also promises Flashmob - The Musical! and a very long line of ballet dancers, inspired by the La Bayadere and “random acts of contemporary dance.”

“There’s no stage,” she explains. “Things will just happen. It’s all about pop-up events, a complete surprise for the people in Rose Street!”

Meanwhile, on the Saturday evening, there will be a clash of attractions. On Castle Street, the MGA Academy of Performing Arts presents Steps in Time, a history of dance on stage and screen over the past century. Just up the road, the Castle Rocks Park Jam throws down in St Andrews around the same time: an open session for anyone fancying their chances to battle or just dance alongside the cream of Scotland’s crews.

Emphasising that dance is for all ages and all body types, the Grassmarket is a family area. At the end of the weekend, it becomes the venue for

Words: Gareth K Vile

The Big Tea Dance. When the national Big Dance was launched on May 18th, there was an attempt to break the Guiness World Record for Largest Dance Routine (Multi-Venue): as an appropriate end to Edinburgh’s weekend, Edinburgh is trying to wrest the record for biggest tea dance from Glasgow. Starting at 5pm, the session begins with a quick lesson on the foxtrot - beginners are more than welcome to join in - and includes a free cup of tea. The target is three hundred and ten couples.

Aviatrix

Big Dance is an opportunity for everyone to get involved, whether in a free workshop, a world record attempt or just to watch a musical Tea Dance

Big Dance is invading parts of the city that are usually immune to performance: shoppers at Harvey Nicks are promised a selection of displays throughout the weekend. The National Museum has classes in ballet, and a selection of dance films. And community participation takes to the screen on the Saturday night, when Chris Stuart-Wilson leads a “dance along” to the movie Dirty Dancing. With Wilson’s special class leading the fun, this outdoors showing of the classic film is a reminder that dance can be a block-busting success.

Unlike the Olympics, or Euro 2012, Big Dance encourages engagement and participation: if the Edinburgh events share the scale and the free-forall atmosphere of the Fringe, it further stresses inclusivity and diversity. If the “get Scotland dancing” policy is a rare example of a government thinking intelligently about how best to help its citizens get active and creative, Big Dance Edinburgh celebrates the democracy of dance itself.

Big Dance Edinburgh takes place at various locations throughout the city on Sat 30 Jun and Sun 1 Jul www.bigdance2012.com/news.php?id=342

castle rocks

Top Tips:

Castle Street, Saturday Absolutely Legless: Irish dance performance with live musicians, Contains a warning that this will “leave the audience breathless” Bollylicious: Dance Base’s Bollywood class brings Indian panache and colour Castle Street, Sunday Flamenco Fury: early morning kick off from the Edinburgh based Spanish company.

Kick the Cat Cloggers: Tap dance performance

Bellydance Barbie, Twisted Tales and Katra, Helwa Hurdies: there really is a great deal of belly dance.

St Andrews Square, Saturday Jack In The Box: watch and join in with this award winning b-girl crew Edinburgh Hoop Jam: high energy hula-hoop hilarity: bring your own and wiggle along Big Dance Along Movie: Chris Wilson leads the fun: join in with Dirty Dancing’s cinematic choreography

June 2012

THE SKINNY 17

film

FEATURES

Cinema R e s u s c i tat i o n Death Watch, a lyrical science fiction film made in Glasgow in the late 70s, died on its initial release. Ahead of its resurrection by film distributors Park Circus, The Skinny spoke to the film’s charming director, Bertrand Tavernier

KARLA BLACK Gallery of Modern Art Exhibition ends 24 June 2012 For further information:

www.glasgowmuseums.com 0141 287 3850

Karla Black I Installation view I Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow I Photo: Ruth Clark Courtesy the artist and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne

Interview: Jamie Dunn

What’s the best Scottish film you’ve never heard of? Death Watch is the answer.

Almost unseen since its release in 1980, this Glasgow-set science fiction film has attained a mythical status among UK film fans too young to remember its tiny theatrical run or its single BBC broadcast. It concerns Roddy (played by Harvey Keitel), a naive cameraman for the sleazy TV snuff-show of the title, who has a camera surgically implanted in his eye so he can surreptitiously document the last days of Katherine (Romy Schneider), a beautiful young writer who’s terminally ill. Rejoice, though: this prescient tale about death and reality television is being resurrected from cult obscurity by Glasgow distribution company Park Circus.

As is often the case with acute depictions of cities, this paean to Glasgow was not made by a local, but by the askance eye of French film-maker Bertrand Tavernier. “I fell in love with the city, I think it was the end of a morning in 1977,” the 71-year-old tells me by phone from his home in Lyon. Listening to his ardour for my own home town, I’m reminded of the opening monologue from Manhattan. You know the one: 'He adored New York City. He idolised it all out of proportion...' For Tavernier, nowhere else would do for his heartbreaking sci-fi. “I wanted a certain kind of urban destruction, an urban beauty,” he rhapsodises. “The tremendous beauty of some of those streets, the atmosphere: you had a feeling of what it had been like twenty years, forty years, a century ago. It was a city of the working class, and that leaves scars, that leaves memories, which are very strong and it’s why I wanted to set the film there.”

This romantic attachment to Glasgow is there for all to see in Death Watch. Shot wide on CinemaScope and peppered with melodramatic camera flourishes, the city has never looked so majestic. Tavernier describes re-watching the film recently and being caught off guard by its passion for its settings. “The fact I did so many camera movements with the crane to describe the different nuances of green in the countryside and the stone of those great red and black buildings: you clearly

18 THE SKINNY

June 2012

see it’s a declaration of love. I was falling in love with Scotland – its landscapes, its sky.”

Expressive direction isn’t the only reason to welcome this re-release. The raw, tender performances from Death Watch’s leads are also to be cherished. “Romy,” sighs Tavernier affectionately, “we wrote the film for her.” Schneider, who died of a heart attack, aged 43, only a few years after Death Watch’s release, is at her tremulous best as Katherine, a writer frustrated by a world where bestselling novels are authored by computer programs. “She was such an immense actress and she was always right about emotion. She came to me before the shoot and she wrote a simple note, which said, ‘I will be your Katherine without self pity,’ and this is the character.” Casting Keitel opposite Schneider – over the studio’s favoured Richard Gere – was also a no-brainer.

The Mean Streets actor’s star was on the wane at the fag end of the 70s, but Tavernier recognised his qualities. “I never considered anybody else, I immediately wanted Harvey because he has that great capacity to mix charm and guilt; [his character] Roddy is somebody who is immature but knows deep inside himself that what he does is not completely right.”

To call Tavernier’s vision ahead of its time would be an understatement. Take your TV remote and start flipping through channels and you’ll see a voyeuristic mosaic of the kind of human misery that Roddy’s scurrilous boss (played with devilish charm by Harry Dean Stanton) peddles to the baying masses. “I feel that a lot of things in Death Watch are right, but I am a bit sad to be right,” he tells me. “There is a line which I love in the film written by David Rayfiel [co-screenwriter with Tavernier]: when Romy says to Harry Dean, the TV mogul, she says, ‘For you, everything is of importance and nothing matters.’ I think this is the definition of what I see on TV: some things matter for one day and will be forgotten the next. He was pointing at something which was not only true, but alas, so very depressing.”

Death Watch is released in key cities from 1 Jun www.parkcircus.com

film

Killer Opener The 66th Edinburgh International Film Festival will open with a punch to the gut on 20 Jun with Killer Joe, William Friedkin’s blackly comic slice of American gothic.

We spoke to the New Hollywood firecracker ahead of his trip to Auld Reekie Interview: John Nugent

“This is not a film to be enjoyed, John!”

I’m barely into my first question to William Friedkin, and already the veteran director is calling the shots. In opening our hour-long conversation, I explain how much I enjoyed Killer Joe, his new unsettlingly funny thriller set in the American Deep South, before being appropriately admonished.

“You’re not supposed to enjoy the film, it’s supposed to stir you up!”

Touché. Friedkin, an unconventional director who never yells ‘cut’ or ‘action’ on set, nor uses storyboards, has never been one to make easily digestible slices of simple entertainment. Even now, at 76, he maintains a resolutely provocative approach to his work; throughout a lengthy and largely illustrious career the American director has been keen to challenge, rile, and often disturb his audience, and to hell with the consequences.

He is something of an enfant terrible of American cinema and shows no indication of operating otherwise.

Born in Chicago in 1936, it was an early viewing of Citizen Kane that ignited the young Friedkin’s passion for film. His career began in television, jobbing at local stations and on live broadcasts.

This period included a stint directing on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, where the famously dapper British luminary rebuked him for not wearing a tie. (Friedkin carried a bow-tie with him for years afterwards, in case he ever ran into Hitchcock again.)

But it was with The French Connection (1971) that the world first came to know the name William Friedkin. A furious, skittish depiction of crime and policing in the dirty back streets of New York, it won Friedkin a directing Oscar and international praise. He followed it up with The Exorcist (1973), perhaps the most notorious and admired horror film ever made. Together they came to define Friedkin’s career and helped establish the new wave of angry, politically conscious, cine-literate American film-makers who invigorated Hollywood in the 70s. (Friedkin pinpoints Easy Rider as the film that galvanised his generation – “It changed the zeitgeist in this country tremendously.”)

His success lagged in the following two decades, accumulating a string of box office flops, most notably the controversial leather-bound gay serial killer thriller Cruising (1980). But the advent of home video and the benefit of retrospect have allowed for favourable reappraisals, and today his body of work is justifiably revered. A recent returnto-form, in particular the acclaimed Bug (2006), has helped his critical rehabilitation.

Time and age have not dulled his work rate or extinguished the fire in his belly, and Killer Joe, a sweaty, claustrophobic tale of violence, sex and betrayal, is as dark and provocative as anything he’s made before. Omnipresent in a Friedkin film, it seems, is this exploration of the thin line between good and evil – is this, I ask, a fair assessment?

“Yeah,” he agrees. “Well, I believe that that’s true of all of us, not just fictional characters. I know for example that I have a good and an evil side that are constantly at war with one another.

The characters that interest me are, in that way, ambiguous. I just don’t believe in superheroes, and American film has fed people a steady diet of that since the beginning of cinema. And I think it’s kind of a false premise.”

Such ambiguous characters can be tough to love. Killer Joe features a hick drug dealer Chris (Emile Hirsch), who, with his trailer-dwelling father and adulterous stepmother (Thomas Haden Church and Gina Gershon, respectively), hires detective/contract killer Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) to murder Chris’s estranged mother.

Illustration: Peter locke

I just don’t believe in superheroes, and American film has fed people a steady diet of that since the beginning of cinema William Friedkin

Is it hard to balance audience empathy with such amoral characters? “Amoral is okay,” Friedkin retorts. “I mean, most people are amoral.

In every walk of life. You see people step on their own grandmothers to succeed, if they have to.

And morality often depends on the situation that you are in. Very often, what we see in public life and private life is situational ethics.”

The morality question triggers a lengthy denunciation of American foreign policy over the last forty years, with Friedkin lambasting the ethically dubious conflicts in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. “What is the moral justification for Iraq?” he asks at one point, and I momentarily wonder how rhetorical the question is.

But he is not being tangential. His anger and frustration at these amoral, or indeed, immoral wars, feeds into his craft; his characters’ errant motivations are, he hopes, reflective of contemporary political motivations. “I don’t want to lead people to believe that Killer Joe is a direct metaphor [for the recent wars]. But the actions of those characters are pretty much about the power-plays that exist in the broader reaches of society.”

His longstanding suspicion for authority endures. Just as Gene Hackman in The French Connection portrayed a distinctly ungallant brand of law enforcement, so Killer Joe – the cop who moonlights as a killer – works as sultry warning against trusting “those that we elect to high public office.” And he doesn’t view the premise as far-fetched: “You can read about it all the time!

This is going on in the streets of LA right now. We in the US live in a very casually violent society.”

The graphic depictions of violence and sex in Killer Joe led American censors to demand cuts or bestow an NC-17 rating (the most restrictive rating possible). Friedkin took the rating. “I would have to cut it up into guitar picks to satisfy the ratings board!” He recalls back in 1973, when the founder of the MPAA’s rating board, Aaron Stern, gave The Exorcist an R rating with no cuts, “because he thought it was an important film and should be seen...Today, the culture is more conservative.” He bemoans the “arbitrary” system in place.“ Borat is one of the dirtiest films I’ve ever seen and it got an R! How do you give that an R and Killer Joe an NC-17?”

He claims ignorance and a certain detachment from current Hollywood output. “The young filmmakers of my generation were largely influenced by classic literature and their own life experiences.

Today’s film-makers are largely influenced by comic books, videogames and television sitcoms, it seems.” He laments the current obsession with sequels and remakes, especially those of his own films. There have been two sequels and two prequels to The Exorcist. Friedkin has never seen any of them and has never made a sequel, despite considerable interest. Even today, people write to him asking to remake his 1985 thriller To Live And Die In L.A. He cites a “paucity of ideas” in Hollywood for the trend.

Having worked in the business for close to fifty years, has the enfant terrible any plans to retire? “No! No. I’m in God’s hands.” The late cinematographer Jack Cardiff, who worked until his early 90s, once said: “With any luck, I’ll drop dead one day on a film set.” Would he wish for a similar fate? “No, I’d rather die peacefully in bed!

But frankly, I’d rather not die at all. To those of my enemies who might wish otherwise: I have no plans to die.”

Killer Joe will open the 66th Edinburgh International Film Festival on 20 Jun and opens nationwide 29 Jun

June 2012

THE SKINNY 19

FEATURES

film

FORGOT TEN MAN Attendees at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival have an opportunity to view a full retrospective of SHINJI SOMAI, whose films have been almost unseen on these shores. EIFF director CHRIS FUJIWARA speaks to us about this overlooked filmmaker INTERVIEW: JAMIE DUNN

ILLUSTRATION: PETER LOCKE

EVEN BEFORE the dust had settled on last year’s disappointing Edinburgh International Film Festival, critics of all stripes were weighing in to examine the wreckage. The lack of red carpet glamour, the temporary retirement of the Michael Powell award and a whole host of programming and management disasters too numerous to go into here were all offered as reasons for the festival’s dysfunction.

In my eyes, however, the biggest hole in last year’s event was the absence of its beating heart: a meaty retrospective. This was one of the first things to be put right by EIFF’s new artistic director Chris Fujiwara, who will celebrate the career of Japanese filmmaker Shinji Somai in his inaugural programme with a full retrospective.

A prolific and popular director in his home country, making 13 films between 1980 and 2000 before his death in 2001, aged 53, Somai is almost unknown in the west, and many of the films being shown at EIFF will be UK and European premieres.

“Somai is a director who made some very great films, who had a very definite style, and who was a truly individual talent,” Fujiwara tells me by phone from his office in the Scottish capital. “In Japan he’s very well known, and he’s regarded

as an influence on some of the most important contemporary Japanese directors. He’s never been recognised as an auteur and yet he clearly is one – he’s somebody whose work needs to be discussed.”

When this retrospective was announced back in April my first thought was to seek out some of Somai’s work. This proved difficult, however. Log on to amazon.co.uk and search his name. Results are slim: three books on Japanese cinema and (curiously) a compendium of academic writing on Japanese pornography; turns out not everything is available online. To illustrate the insanity and inequality of the DVD market, try searching ‘citizen kane’ on the same tax-dodging online store. On the first page of results you’ll find at least a dozen versions of Orson Welles’ debut feature in a myriad of forms – vanilla DVDs, special editions, Blu-rays and as part of Welles box-sets. As far as the home entertainment providers are concerned, the public get what the public want, and that appears to be multiple formats of films we’ve already seen and most likely own.

The world of repertory cinema isn’t any more imaginative. For every ignored masterpiece that

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He’s never been recognised as an auteur and yet he clearly is one – he’s somebody whose work needs to be discussed CHRIS FUJIWARA

KAZA-HANA

the constraints of what kids are supposed to be like in movies, where they are generally seen from the point-of-view of the adults or some stereotype of how teenagers are supposed to be.”

Bringing all this teen turmoil and pent-up frustration together is Somai’s distinctive narrative style and dexterous cutting. “The editing is very striking.

He doesn’t lead the audience by the hand to a linear narrative the way a conventional narrative film does. I mean, he has flashbacks where you can’t even tell that they’re flashbacks till they’re almost over.” Past, present and future align in a manner reminiscent of the films of Alain Resnais or Atom Egoyan, to the point where the narrative becomes littered with ellipses which conceal elements of the story from the audience, leaving us to ask, what happened between there and there?

It’s like a form of cinematic consciousness.“ I think that that’s very striking about him and it shows that he had, from the beginning of his career, a real aspiration to break out of the conventions of how to tell a story on film.”

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22–24 june

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When I ask Fujiwara if there are any filmmakers in the west who share Somai’s sensibilities, two spring to mind: Nicholas Ray and Jean Vigo because, like Somai, “They both have a very special feeling for adolescence and look at that time in life in a very poetic way.” As for artists who have been influenced by Somai, Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse, Cure) is the clearest example.“ It’s not a direct stylistic influence but I think that Kurosawa found an example of a freedom within narrative filmmaking in Somai; there’s a certain shared sense of risk in their work.”

It’s tempting to read Fujiwara’s choice of Somai, a Japanese filmmaker with a very American sensibility, as a deeply personal one. The New Yorker has lived and worked in Japan for many years and a glance at his eclectic film writing on his personal website (insanemute.com, a reference to Shock Corridor, the great B movie from Sam Fuller, who, coincidentally, received his first serious retrospective at EIFF in the late 60s) reveals a passion for the cinema of both nations.

Will we see a similar authorial stamp throughout the rest of his curation? “That would be inevitable to some extent, since the selection is mine, so it does represent something about me, but I don’t think that’s what it should be about,” he tells me.

“I’m trying to do something that’s larger than my own tastes and inclinations: something that does legitimately represent the state of world cinema now – not all world cinema but the most interesting parts. Included in the programme are films that I love very much, films that I like and films that I’m simply interested in and respect.”

This might sound like a concession to commercial demands, but Fujiwara assures me that’s not the case: “It is a balancing act in a way, but I think at least for this year I’m quite happy with what we’ve done. There’s not a single film in there that I feel is a compromise, that doesn’t belong or I can’t justify in some way.”

SEE EDFILMFEST.ORG.UK FOR FULL DETAILS OF THE SHINJI SOMAI RETROSPECTIVE EDFILMFEST.ORG.UK

Richard Wright, No Title 2009 © Richard Wright, courtesy of Gagosian Gallery

claws its way back onto the big screen, such as Bertrand Tavernier’s Death Watch (re-released 1 Jun), there are a dozen re-releases like The Apartment (back in cinemas 15 Jun), movies so familiar from bank holiday re-watches you could perform them as a one man/woman show. (Okay, I take it back, I’m excited to see Wilder’s masterpiece on the big screen again too, but I wish it wasn’t at the expense of films more deserving of revival.)

The retrospective slots at festivals like Edinburgh, therefore, provide platforms for lesser-spotted filmmakers whose works need a leg up if the general public are to have any chance of embracing them.

Fujiwara is very clear when it comes to what he believes a film retrospective should aspire to do, saying “[It] needs to situate a cinema of the past within a context where it becomes possible to talk about it and explore it in new ways in the present.”

To put it another way, you don’t just show some older films for the sake of appealing to some kind of nostalgia. “You programme films that haven’t been understood yet. They have to still be waiting to be discovered by people and they have to speak to the cinema of today in some way.”

Somai certainly fits this bill. Of the three films of his that I’ve been able to track down (Typhoon Club (1985), Moving (1993) and his swansong Kaza-hana (2000) there’s a sense of a filmmaker with a compassionate understanding of loneliness and alienation, a universal theme that certainly has the potential to connect with an audience beyond his homeland. Typhoon Club and Moving are particularly good at articulating the rage and frustration of adolescence and can easily stand shoulder-to-shoulder with cinema’s most acute depictions of youth in revolt. Fujiwara suggests this quality comes from Somai’s refreshing attitude towards his young characters. “He puts himself at the level of these kids and tries to get inside their heads and tries not to approach them with any preconceptions from an adult point-of-view,” explains Fujiwara. “That’s why these films are so honest to me, and also sometimes very brutal and surprising, because the kids don’t correspond to

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F E A TURES

art

A Degree of Promise Here’s what caught our eye during The Skinny’s annual tour round the Duncan of Jordanstone degree show up in Dundee

22 THE SKINNY

June 2012

photo: fraser douglas

Kirsty McKeown

photo: fraser douglas

Hayley Fisher

Miriam Mallalieu

photo: fraser douglas

This year’s Scottish degree show season opens with an impressive performance by students at Duncan of Jordanstone College in Dundee.

With alumni such as Louise Wilson, Luke Fowler and Turner Prize winner Susan Philipsz, not to mention a staff body that includes Louise Scullion, Matthew Dalziel and Graham Fagan, the college is a world-class contender, producing some of the best artists in Scotland – with this year’s degree show testament to such a claim.

Hayley Fisher’s large, impactful prints show a nude woman interacting with projections of Gustave Doré’s 19th century illustrations for Dante’s Inferno. The addition of a young, contemporary woman to Doré’s interpretation of the Renaissance original reminds us how remote we are from our, pre-modern, mythopoeic past, and like a true Gothicist, Fisher highlights the contemporary absence of allegory and fable – the lack of which makes human existence seem a starkly lonely affair.

It seems someone forgot to turn on the lights at Liam Mclaughlin’s installation. After wandering down a darkly uninviting corridor you reach a blinking monitor suspended from the ceiling. It flickers like a defunct fluorescent tube, showing images of grubby surfaces – perhaps made from stone or concrete.

Around the corner, things get darker before you enter a room with two video projections. One shows an empty corridor – the kind of shot that only ever signifies the absence of people – while the other lets you see a high-rise block of flats through the net curtains of an adjacent block of high-rise flats. The whole thing is shockingly eerie and shows to what extent an artist can exert power over the viewer.

Miriam Mallalieu’s coolly considered sculpture is no less effective for being well-lit. Tiers of curved, wooden battens that reach up nearly to the ceiling are host to rows of evenly spaced pins.

Skewered on each pin are tiny fragments of paper from magazines, novels, sheet music, beer bottle labels, etc. And despite being in many ways small and delicate, Mallalieu’s sculpture reminds us how pitifully infinitesimal we are in this abundant cosmos of things.

Kirsty McKeown has been producing a visual language all of her own. Using an array of materials on a variety of surfaces, including badges, mannequins and glass, she draws on memories to produce her text works and assemblages. At her best she has a great feel for composition and materials, particularly when working with glass.

Less compelling are the quirkier slogans used – ‘Cracked wrists/Splintered shins’ is far more alluring than ‘There are no chinchillas in the Bible’, for instance.

A similarly good use of materials is found in the work of Isla Macleod. Utilising substances from the earthier end of the spectrum, such as wood and clay, as well as video projection, she turns to nature to help come to terms with mortality. Without directly addressing death, she evokes a sense of human finitude in comparison to boundless geological processes and the enduring substances that surround us.

Lastly, Matthew Cordon, despite his inexplicable fascination with the myth of Elvis, has made a funny video dedicated to Martin Creed’s Work No. 1059 at the Scotsman Steps in Edinburgh. The film shows a bagpipe player making the most obscene racket by simply blowing out all the air in the pipes, making one big discordant noise, at the top of the staircase-artwork.

And on that tuneless note we come to the end of another Dundee degree show – one full of future Turner Prize nominees? Let’s hope next year proves as darkly enjoyably as this one.

photo: fraser douglas

Words: Andrew Cattanach

Matthew cordon

Isla MacLeod

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National Museum of Scotland 10:30 – 17:00 Taster classes, talks & dance films 14:30 – 15:45 Scottish Ballet Tasters

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Rose Street 11:00 – 17:00 Pop-up dance and Broadway Mania – the Flashmob Musical!

National Museum of Scotland 10:30 – 17:00 Taster classes, talks & dance films

Dance Base 10:00 – 17:00 Open day with free tasters 10:00 – 17:00 Professional Dance Open Audition 12:00 – 15:10 All or Nothing Aerial Dance Extravaganza

FEATURES

art

The Ar tists’ Tr ail

Leith Late is back on 28 June, uniting the creative spaces of Leith for a one-night-only festival of the arts. We spoke to some of the folk involved to get an idea of what treats lie in store interview: Rosamund West

We were first introduced to Leith Late last year, with shops, galleries and bars up and down the top half of Leith Walk organising events and opening their doors to the public late into the evening.

The night drew together some of Leith’s many creative spaces, to showcase the art and music that is being made there, and to attract outsiders to come and sample the heady delights of an area formerly defined by Trainspotting, now increasingly known for its wide array of arts and music studios, venues and practitioners. Last year’s event was a huge success, with crowds meandering between galleries, gigs and bars, all culminating in a sell-out gig in Pilrig Church.

On 28 June, Leith Late returns, more expansive than last year, with added venues (bringing the total up to 16), taking in more of the Walk, and a three-hour time span ending in an afterparty in Henderson Halls headlined by Remember Remember. New developments this year include the launch of a shutter project in which a local artist will be commissioned each month to create a permanent or semi-permanent artwork on the shutter of a Leith business. The scheme kicks off with Jamie Johnson redecorating the doors of Games Master at 187 Leith Walk.

Event programmer Morvern Cunningham has been developing this year’s project for several months, keen to make sure 2012 is even bigger and better than 2011. “There are a few exciting developments this year, including three site-specific exhibitions in three local businesses that include a tailor’s, a barber, and a fitness studio, a mobile venue in the shape of a ‘white-van gallery’ moving between some of the places on the map, and the launch of the shutter-art project in collaboration

with iloveleith, a City of Edinburgh Council initiative. So there’s a lot going on! I haven’t mucked around with the format of the event this time round, apart from making it longer, but next year, who knows?”

At the top of the Walk, and a possible start point for most routes, lies Superclub. Resident and founder Ross Christie provides a bit of background for the uninititated: “We’ve been open as a studio space since October 2010 – we started off with about six resident artists and now we have seventeen. We’ve put on lots of exhibitions, events, gigs, zine launches, screenings – all sorts of things. We’re really focussed on providing a supporting platform for emerging artists in Scotland and engaging international contributors as well.”

For Leith Late, Superclub are opening their doors to the public with an open studios evening, as well as the last night of their Creative Services of Hugo de Verteuil and Ian Rothwell exhibition (which opens on 2 June). “We felt it was a good time to open them up and let the artists exhibit their work to people from outside. Some people are going to have their studios as working spaces as they normally are, and some are going to take down their equipment and put up their artwork. So it should be quite a diverse, interesting show.”

What makes being part of the night particularly exciting for creative ventures is the mix of venues that get involved. Says Christie, “I think Leith Late’s really good at bringing everyone together, not just art spaces but shops and businesses as well, which is really important. It’s really good to be a part of that.”

Next door, Kevin Harman is showing in

Illustration: David Lemm

Whitespace, but wasn’t ready to divulge his plans at the time of going to print. “It’s a one night event so I think it can be quite experimental. I think that’s a good avenue to go down – one night only, carnage.

A high energy, high-octane sort of thing. I’ll probably incorporate some sort of live aspect to it. There are a couple of things that I wouldn’t mind messing around with – it’ll be a good opportunity to put something that isn’t quite resolved yet on display.

There’s a couple of [new works] that I can’t quite get my heid round at the minute so it would be quite nice to open it up to discussion on the night.”

Halfway down the Walk, in Word of Mouth café, will be a night of film and spoken word, courtesy of Inky Fingers. Rachel McCrum, one of the organisers of Inky’s, gave us a wee taster of what to expect. “Inky’s has been running for two years in Edinburgh. We’re a collective who get together and organise poetry and spoken word events.

For this we’re presenting an evening with Lowdef Films. The plan is for that to be quite a chilled bit of the evening because with Leith Late there are so many venues, and so much wandering around seeing stuff, so we’re providing a sort of pit stop – sit down, have some cake, have some tea and coffee and refuel a bit, watch some films, hear some stories and poems. We’re going to intersperse eight performers with showings of Lowdef films, which are described as sort of pixelated and scratchy and low-definition films.”

You can use the handy map below to help navigate your way between all the projects. Plan your route wisely though – as Rachel warns, “That trail is such fun for an evening. Three hours is ambitious to get round it all though!”

Listings Venues

1 Whitespace Gallery, 11 Gayfield Square: Kevin Harman, new work 2 Superclub, 11a Gayfield Square: Open Studios 3 Windsor Buffet, 45 Elm Row: Live music showcase featuring Boy Up A Tree 4 The Old Ambulance Depot, 77 Brunswick Street: The Making of It, work

by Joseph Calleja, Martin Campbell, Irfan Donmez, Deniz Guvensoy, Dominik Lipp, Scott McCracken, Eilidh McPherson, Roz McKenzie, Nikos Mantzios, Allan J. Robertson, Andrew Smith, and Augustus Veinoglou.

5 Word of Mouth Café, 3A Albert Street: Inky Fingers & Lowedef films hosted by Rachel McCrum and Paul Maguire 6 Brass Monkey Leith, 362 Leith Walk: Superclub exhibition + Black Diamond Express acoustic set 7 Elvis Shakespeare, 347 Leith Walk: Exhibition of Leith-based artists, plus the showcase of a new collection by JRF Rouge Milliner, interspersed by live performances from The Last Battle, Blueflint and Edinburgh School for the Deaf 8 Rhubaba Gallery and Studios, 25 Arthur Street: Its Hard to Find a Good Lamp, featuring Jennifer Bailey, Emily Fogarty, Sadie Murdoch, Method Furniture, Alex Pollard and Oliver Smith 9 The Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street: QMU Art Therapy final year graduate exhibition, plus a night of ping pong shenanigans with special guest DJ 10 Victoria, 265 Leith Walk: Open exhibition plus music from Piece of Cake 11 Boda, 229 Leith Walk: Exhibition by Steven Collier, plus music from folk duo Julias’ Daughters and Blues n’ Two’s 12 Silverhub Studios, 130/7 Leith Walk: Residents’ exhibition plus acoustic set from Proclaimers’ favourites Blueflint 13 Leith Circle of Friends, 115 Leith Walk: Live music from rapper Zeba, singersongwriter Jennifer Davidson, and live African music performance

REELSONWHEELS

A At various locations, Leith Walk: A white van gallery, showing unseen video work by emerging Edinburgh artists courtesy of the AND AND collective

Site Specific EXHIBITIONS

B Oscar’s Alterations, 371 Leith Walk: Katie Orton’s latest work with clothing, associated with the Dressing for Facebook project C Leith Walk Barber’s Salon, 280 Leith Walk: Male portraits by photographer Ross Fraser McLean D Griffen Fitness Studio, 3 Balfour Street: Photographer Eoin Carey’s Feet Up

THE SHUTTER PROJECT

E Games Master, 287-291 Leith Walk

AFTER PARTY

X Henderson Halls, 6 Henderson Street: 9pm-midnight, Zed Penguin, Mars 2030, Paul Vickers and The Leg and Remember Remember. A licensed bar will be available. Entrance is £6; all proceeds go directly into making this event happen and to ensure its return in years to come. www.wegottickets.com/event/170557

June 2012

THE SKINNY 25

F EATURES

music

D r u m s . R a p. Y e s .

Hector Bizerk are bridging the gap between Scottish hip-hop and the wider musical culture with their unique brand of stripped-down rap Words: Bram E. Gieben Formed eighteen months ago by rapper Louie, aka Louie Bhoy/Louie Deadlife (who had already made a significant contribution to the Scottish hip-hop scene with his album Paranoise, a collaboration with beatboxer and scene legend Bigg Taj), and drummer Audrey Tait, who also plays in several other Glasgow bands, Hector Bizerk quickly garnered attention from fans, DJs and music critics with their unique, stripped-down approach to rap music.

Their sound is perhaps best described by their oft-repeated catchphrase, also the title of their new album: DRUMS. RAP. YES. As Tait knocks out complex polyrhythms, switching and changing tempo and style, Louie provides the melody and vocals in his densely literate, complex, sing-song flow. The result is powerful, immediate, and unlike anything else in Scottish hip-hop, and has gained them high-profile support slots with US rap legends such as MF Doom and GZA. The new album was recorded at Paulshalls, a recording studio in Cumbernauld, by the band themselves, and they are planning to release it digitally through iTunes and Amazon, and on limited-edition CD and vinyl. There’s even a planned cassette release: “We’re getting a bit retro on it!” laughs Tait. As an independent band, with no label to hide behind, the group have raised all of the funds for recording and are releasing the new album themselves: “The money from the merchandise and the CDs and the gigs all goes back into the band,” Tait explains. “We run the

Photos: Nick Milligan Loosely Speaking battles, too. The first couple of those we ran, we put all of the profits into Hector Bizerk.”

Louie is an old hand when it comes to promotion: “When I first started putting on events in Glasgow, most venues wouldn’t let hip-hop in,” he recalls. “So we had to try to bridge a gap between the music scene in Scotland, and the hip-hop community. They were just two separate entities.”

Has that changed? “I think that after six or seven years of really working towards that, Hector Bizerk kind of epitomises being able to pull people from different backgrounds, who would maybe not necessarily go to a hip-hop gig... but perhaps if they saw us, or someone else on the bill, they might go,” says Louie.

The duo first got together via one of Tait’s other bands, Rio Callahan. “We were forced to work together,” jokes Louie. They started jamming tracks together using djembe drums, and liked the drums-rap method of writing so much that they decided to carry on: “We brought a full drum kit in, and started writing songs – Burst Love was the first song we wrote together,” explains Tait.

“It was important for us, at the time, to try and do something quite different,” says Louie. “I was in a crew before with a bunch of other emcees, and played with guitarists and so on. Audrey’s played in soul bands, acoustic stuff... so for both of us, it was a real challenge. We wanted to push ourselves, to really develop. There’s ways that I rap in Hector Bizerk that I would never have

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26 THE SKINNY

June 2012

FEATURES

If you’re not talking about things that matter, then what are you talking about?

You’re just talking shit, really Louie

thought that I could pull off, or thought that I would. We’ve really pushed ourselves to explore the birth of our talents.”

On the new album, Louie has worked hard to bring more of a dynamic sound on his verses: “Tone is a massive thing, which is often overlooked by a lot of rappers and emcees,” he says. “If you’ve sampled, say, a piano ballad, you’ve got to soften up a bit... that’s the platform you’re on, you can’t just become someone snarling punchlines, you know what I mean? You have to make a song, as opposed to just rapping over a backing track. We really talked about making dynamic songs, and just trying to be as open-minded about it as possible.”

The fact that they use live instruments has helped them get gigs beyond the scope of traditional hip-hop artists: “See the amount of people that have opened a sentence, talking to us, by saying: ‘I hate hip-hop, but...’ Or, ‘I’m not into hip-hop, but...’ We’ve had three sound guys say that to us before our gigs,” laughs Tait. “In Glasgow, when you’re playing a gig, you’re often

playing for other musicians; to other bands. So I think, because we’ve got the drums, that counts with other musicians. They know that there’s a bit of musicality to it, which they might overlook with a regular hip-hop act.”

Louie has always been into hip-hop, even before he knew what it was: “I’ve always been a keen writer, ever since I was wee,” he says. “I didn’t know necessarily that it was rap. It was writing.

It was all on paper, I wouldn’t recite them or anything. And then in school, in second or third year, there were a few of us who were quite into the whole ‘gangsta rap’ thing. Gangsta’s Paradise, you know what I mean. 2Pac and all that, all your kind of traditional, clichéd rap, got us hooked. Years later I discovered UK stuff, that was all getting quite big at the time – not really commercially, but there was kind of a presence there.”

Eventually he found his way into the burgeoning Glasgow hip-hop scene, encountering the nights run by Major Threat and Krash Slaughta, for their label Criminal Records: “I was only sixteen,

seventeen at the time, so sometimes they’d let me in, other times I wouldn’t get in,” he remembers.

“That’s when I came across guys really spitting in a Scottish accent... and I thought ‘Wow man, this is... this is heavy. This is the real deal, right here.’”

It was a while before he felt confident enough to spit some rhymes: “There was an open mic at the end every time, and I would never get on it, because I thought everybody was freestyling. I thought that was the point of an open mic,” Louie explains. “They weren’t. The quality was there, and I thought, ‘I could never freestyle like that, wow.’ I’ve always been quite into freestyling, and the standard was just so good that I didn’t want to get up. In hindsight, I realise people do written thirty-twos or sixteens at open mics, all the time. I was just naïve I suppose.”

Louie’s rhymes are sometimes political, often personal, and he is an accomplished storyteller: “In one song you might have that kind of braggadocio style, and a real storytelling style in another. There’s a bit of both going on,” he explains. “We’re trying

to write songs that people can sing along with, that they can follow, and decide for themselves what it means.” Has that ever backfired? “We played a gig in Fort William and there was this woman who says to us: ‘Oh, that song that you did which was about divorce and that... I really liked that!’ I was just like, what the fuck are you talking about, man?

But I just said: ‘Thanks!’”

And the political element? ”I suppose in terms of ‘conscious’ lyricism, if you’re not talking about things that matter, then what are you talking about?” asks Louie. “You’re just talking shit, really.

See in a city where you can have politics thrust into football... I mean, those things are worlds apart, but somehow, in this city, they sit together.

When you throw in pseudo-religion as well, you just have this big melting pot of madness. I think in Glasgow in particular, when it comes to politics, everybody wants to moan about things. Nobody wants to actually get off their arse and do anything. I do have a keen interest in following things, but I wouldn’t want to overly thrust my opinion into people’s faces... I don’t think that’s what music should be about.”

The band are expanding to fill out their sound for the Festival circuit: “We’ve brought in a bass player, Frazer Sneddon, also from Rio Callahan, and our good friend Jen Muir, she’s in a band called The Miss’s, which I’m also in,” says Tait.

“Jen’s doing some synth-y stuff on Korg, and some percussion as well. It’s to enhance what we’re already doing, but just make it a wee bit of a bigger sound. Something we always say is that a great song should stand alone, whether it’s a vocal and a guitar, or a vocal and a piano. With hip-hop, with what we do, the song should stand alone with just drums and rap. That’s the core of it. That’s the heart of the sound.”

Hector Bizerk launch their album Drums. Rap. Yes. at King Tut’s Wah-Wah Hut on 13 Jul. Also playing Knockengorroch Festival, 31 May-3 Jun and Wickerman Festival, 20-21 Jul To read more about Louie’s rise through the ranks of Scottish hip-hop, and Audrey’s influences as a drummer, check out the expanded full feature online at www.theskinny.co.uk/music www.facebook.com/hectorbizerk

June 2012

THE SKINNY 27

travel

LIFESTYLE

Field of Gl amorous Dreams A pasty Scot heads for the glamour-packed fields of Indio, California, for a Coachella festival that smells of roses, not piss...

Words: Kate ball photos: Frankie Anderson

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Coachella, here on in) enjoys an almost mythical reputation as the world’s most glamorous music festival.

Since its inception in 1999, the three day event in the Californian desert has become synonymous with sun, celebrity and style. Every April photos of beautiful people enjoying cocktails in the Indio sun filter their way back to the UK, perhaps to remind us that we are a pasty nation of pie lovers destined to enjoy our native festivals in a soggy field that smells of piss.

Enjoying as exclusive a reputation as it does, the idea of three Edinburgh ladies heading to said fashion parade seemed like a drunken pipe dream. But as it turned out, and despite selling out in record time, getting tickets somehow seemed easy, or fortuitous, but it happened. And so it came to be that we found ourselves planning a ten day road trip from San Francisco down Route 101, before heading inland for Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley.

With no set itinerary we took to the freeway in our hired convertible Mustang (what else, when on an American roadtrip?) and headed south.

Santa Cruz was the first place we rolled into. The boardwalk, immortalised in 80s vampire classic The Lost Boys, held little appeal in the pouring rain, so after a night in a less than salubrious motel we cut our losses and once more hit the road, albeit with the roof still up. Any fantasies we’d had about cruising down the rugged coast around Big Sur and its deserted beaches were dashed by the weather.

Fog and torrential rain made for a dramatic backdrop, but significantly lessened the appeal of dipping our toes in the Pacific.

Travelling thousands of miles to endure the same sort of weather as back home may sound disheartening, but that’s because in Scotland you don’t have the option of retreating to the Madonna Inn. For the uninitiated, the Madonna Inn is quite probably the tackiest, weirdest and most fabulous motel in all the world. If Barbara Cartland and Walt Disney were to produce a bastard love child, the ensuing pink, glittery and downright creepy result would probably live in the Madonna Inn. There are few adjectives that can do this place justice – it really does have to be seen to be believed. The accommodation consists of themed bedrooms that range from the absurd – red leather walls in the aptly named Tack Room, to the bizarre – like the caveman suite featuring a waterfall, bedrock walls and leopard print furnishings.

We opted for the Old Mill – which the hotel describes as ‘an ideal family room right out of a storybook. A thatched roof and stone façade replicate a quaint mill

with creek and water wheel. The water wheel dances in merriment propelling animated figurines in and out of the mill structure.’ What it fails to mention are the lime green lamé walls, equally sparkly ceiling and Wendy house shaped wardrobe. The figures dancing in merriment actually just noisily rotate around a fixed track, and the water wheel soaks the surrounding area, including your pillows. Whatever, this is still the best hotel room I have stayed in. Ever!

But the fun doesn’t stop there. In-house dining comes courtesy of The Gold Rush Steak House. This 500 seat restaurant is amazing and terrifying in equal measure.

The massive space is perpetually pink, aside from gilt cherubs brandishing light bulbs and a two-storey gold tree that dominates the centre of the room. We began to wonder if we’d fallen down the rabbit hole, a theory helped along by the menacing six foot Easter bunny decoration that had inexplicably been placed next to an unseasonal Santa Claus. Despite the website promising live music, the place was deserted, allowing us to run amok amongst the cherubs, taking inappropriate photos and drinking copious amounts of Madonna-branded Cava as we went.

From the snow capped mountains on the horizon to the miles of palm trees that line the site to the installation art dotted around the grounds, everything about the Coachella experience is really quite magical

Leaving the madness behind we were once more heading south, skipping through Santa Barbara, Beverly Hills and Indio on the way. We said goodbye to our Mustang in Palm Springs, and now had Coachella firmly in our sights. The tone of things to come was revealed in our taxi ride – our cab driver asked if we like to party, turned up the radio and encouraged us to dance on the back seat. It was more innocent than it sounds – he just wanted us to enjoy ourselves. It was a theme that prevailed over the next three days.

Ever been high fived by a security guard on the way into a festival? Me neither, but as we headed through the first of many, many security checks to enter the fabled Empire Polo Fields, they just kept coming. Along with compliments on our outfits, smiles and repeated instructions to make sure we had “The best time ever.”

And once inside, it was the same story. Everyone at Coachella is nice. Really, really nice. From the people selling you pizza slices and frozen lemonade to the overworked bar staff to fellow festival goers, everyone is just so friendly. Despite our initial cynicism, it was actually refreshing to hang out at a festival without witnessing a single fight and only the minimum of vomit.

In fact, the only dissent we witnessed was on Friday, when the Californian crowd got a little upset by the weather. Girls incapable of looking out of the window before choosing their outfit scuttled about in bikinis looking miserable, and most of the talk in the bar focused on the lack of sun. To clarify, the day that some

dubbed ‘Coldchella’ was actually about 15 degrees, with a bit of wind and approximately half an hour of drizzle.

It really wasn’t that bad. Although at this point I should confess that in the spirit of Coachella, we opted to stay in a luxury four star hotel nearby rather than slumming it in a tent. Perhaps we’d have cared more if we were some of the people whose only shelter for the weekend had been blown down, rather than taking a luxury coach back to our king sized beds and choice of seven swimming pools. The rest of the weekend was blazing sunshine and soaring heat, so said pools were cherished.

Musically, the 2012 line-up was the strongest for a while. Snoop, Dre, Tupac (more on him later), Florence and the Machine, Justice, The Black Keys, Radiohead etc, etc. But here’s the thing about Coachella (and hipsters look away now): the music is almost incidental.

Before we left I had drawn up lists of who I wanted to see with military precision – and was lucky to see half. And it really didn’t matter, because the whole experience is far more than the sum of its parts. From the snow-capped mountains on the horizon to the miles of palm trees that line the site to the installation art dotted around the grounds, everything about the Coachella experience is really quite magical.

Things happen at Coachella that just don’t happen at other festivals. Never did I think I would pass up the opportunity to see Mazzy Star because I was enjoying being squished and sweated on dancing to the EC Twins (remember them Edinburgh?) in a swarming crowd of house fans. Or that Florence and the Machine would blow the Black Keys out of the water performance-wise.

And I especially didn’t expect to witness the greatest comeback since Jesus Christ in the form of hologram Tupac Shakur™. The reception they got during their hour long set was the most enthusiastic I’ve ever seen.

It’s hard to convey what makes Coachella so special, but it really is. Yes, there are miles of tanned and lithe limbs on display, and yes you might find yourself sitting next to supermodels in the bar [‘swrong with that? - Travel Ed.], but somehow it still doesn’t feel as pretentious and try-hard as other less glamorous UK festivals. Maybe it’s the sunshine, maybe it’s the palm tress or the abundance of shooting stars in the desert sky each night, but there is definitely something extraordinary about Coachella. It’s difficult to explain but definitely worth exploring for yourself – we’ve already pre-registered for 2013. Quite simply, after Coachella, no other festival will do. www.coachella.com

June 2012

THE SKINNY 29

travel

LIFESTYLE

GET OUT OF TOWN As summer approaches, we recommend five fantastic music festivals we strongly feel you should frequent Words: Paul Mitchell

Benicassim, Spain – your chance to see AT THE DRIVE-IN (above) AND DYLAN? AWH JEAH!

Knockengorroch 31 May-3 Jun, Galloway Here at The Skinny Travel, we like to head out and about, taking in, well, the world. But at times, it’s kinda cool when the world pitches up on our back door, which is what’s going down at the Knockengorroch World Ceilidh (the clue etc. etc...).

We can’t think of a finer place to put our guests than the Dumfries and Galloway hills beside the Water of Deugh; beautifully picturesque, and, conveniently for a music festival, also a ‘natural amphitheatre.’ Celebrating Scotland’s ancient Celtic roots, the festival takes in the music from that diaspora worldwide by dealing in tradition, but also by looking at how that music has transformed itself into the latest cutting-edge sounds. So, observe Jamaican dancehall legends The Skatalites and Senegalese jack-of-all-genres Samba Sene rub shoulders with some of the best and most diverse of Scottish scene, including Stanley Odd, The Banana Sessions, Pumajaw and Morphamish. [£87 for four day pass] Kelburn Garden Party: 30 Jun-1 Jul, Kelburn Castle near Largs In the words of previews and reviews past, KGC features 'a fucking painted castle!!!' specifically and surreally designed, it would appear, to optimise your festival frolics. Not that you’ll require much coaxing, with party-starters from the Scottish scene in abundance. Phantom Band headline, but make time too for Miaoux Miaoux, Washington Irving, The Mike Kearney Ka-Tet, DJ Food, Samba Ya Bamba and the Tinderbox Orchestra. [£65 weekend pass] Benicassim: 12-15 Jul, Spain Of course, if you’re checking out the travel pages, we’ll assume at least a modicum of interest in the vagaries of wandering from A to B in distances greater than the local Tesco, so we’ve found a festival for you on the sunny east coast of Spain (between Valencia and Barcelona). Those mad, mouldy Mancs The Stone Roses have been

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June 2012

assigned headliner status (along with Bob Dylan and New Order – next year we’re expecting Bill Haley and The Comets) alongside a host of other familiar setlists from the likes of The Horrors, Florence and The Machine, Bat For Lashes, Kurt Vile, Zola Jesus, and At the Drive-In. [£155 for four days] Hebridean Celtic Festival (HebCelt) 11-14 Jul, The Hebrides Stornoway provides yet another idyllic Scottish setting to drool over while you take in the folk and traditional-flavoured craic – and there will indeed be craic to be had at HebCelt 2012. Kassidy, The Proclaimers and The Waterboys take top billing in the Outer Hebrides, but be sure you take the opportunity to see the wonderful song and music craft on offer from the likes of Roddy Woomble, Admiral Fallow, Sketch, and the wonderful Ross Ainslie and Jarlath Henderson Band. [£70 weekend pass, no booking fee] Thistly Fest 28 Jul, Dunbar The makers of this fine brew and the crew at Skinny HQ go back a long way (sometimes down a deep, dark hole, but that’s our fault, not theirs) so it’s nice to see a festival dedicated to all that’s Thistly and Crossy. A one day only event (we couldn’t handle any more, tbh) this independent music festival takes place in the shed at Belhaven Fruit Farm ‘where it all began’ (we assume they mean the cider, and not the Big Bang, but stand to be corrected). The mighty Meursault headline along with a barrage of quality settage from Woodenbox with a Recent Truncation. Remember Remember, FOUND, Bwani Junction and others to be announced but with some slots still open for local bands to get involved. Check the website for deets. [£28] For further info on line ups, ticket bookings and travel arrangments, see the websites below: www.knockengorroch.org.uk fiberfib.com/ www.kelburngardenparty.com www.hebceltfest.com www.thistlycrosscider.co.uk/thistly-fest-2012

deviance

LIFESTYLE

Faces Tr ansforming Research on female-to-male transsexuals Words: Stenton Mackenzie

Illustration: PEDRO MARTINEZ

How Not To Be A R a p i s t 10 1 – Wh at i s R a p e ?

Taking a look at some of the myths and misinformation around the issue of sexual consent Words: Matthew Bobbu

As I study the photographic images before me, the boy’s face radiates innocence and boldness.

He looks like a bit of an imp. I look at his adult face, and can still see the impishness in his expression. He is middle aged now, balding, with ruddy, coarse skin and beard shadow. This is rather astounding – because this person started out life as female.

He is one of a growing number of transsexuals in Scotland and, as such, is one of my research subjects. In the Centre for Anatomy & Human Identification (CAHId) at the University of Dundee, my PhD project is documenting for the first time the changes that take place in the faces of FTMs (female-to-male transsexuals) when they take testosterone.

I too am a female-to-male transsexual – I am an ‘embedded’ researcher. A late starter, I began my transition at age 37 in Canada. My background is in social, and more recently, forensic anthropology.

Female-to-male and male-to-female (MTF) transsexuals are commonly grouped under the Transgender ‘Umbrella.’ The trans in transgender means to 'cross over.' Transgendered individuals may express a gender presentation and behaviour that does not match their ‘assigned sex,’ or the norms of culturally conventional roles. Having said this, categories of gender, sex and sexuality are frequently controversial. More often than not, the most vociferous arguments over labels take place among those on the transgender continuum. This loose collation may embrace a range of identities that resist the male/female binary, such as transvestites, drag Queens and Kings, cross-dressers, and the genderqueer.

At some point or another in their lives, often as young as two or three years, but also as late as their 50s and 60s, transsexuals experience overwhelming feelings of dysphoria – a profound sense of disconnection between the sex of the body and a self-perception of gender. Depending on their geographical location and the entrenched concepts and bureaucracy of their society, they may change their bodies hormonally and surgically to reflect the gender identity which defines them.

Sex and gender, it is argued, are different from one another and arise from different origins. Our sense of self (and others) as gendered beings is attributed to the psychosocial realm. Our sex is

My hope is that this project, in some way, offers FTMs access to a shared humanity that comes with being known

the result of biological, genetic templates. Sex and gender as concepts have suffered from a slavish devotion to the binary model. Many now disagree with the reductionist view of gender as existing on a spectrum, with masculine and feminine as opposite terminal bookends. Human sexual dimorphism is regarded in much the same light, but without the benefit of any space for a spectrum between biological male and female – or at least, one that is not pathologised. Fortunately, a rising number of intersex voices have begun to put this institutionalized over-simplification of human variance to the test.

Analysing the dramatic facial transformations in FTMs requires the use of some high tech imaging hardware/software. To capture their post-transition facial image their faces are scanned with a portable infrared laser scanner that produces a very accurate 3D model. This model can then be manipulated in a computer generated virtual reality environment. Six degrees of freedom in the virtual field allows the 3D face model to be superimposed with a photograph of their face before they started taking testosterone. The 3D model is posed to match the pre-transition facial photograph and superimposed using a combination of 3D modeling software and Photoshop. Differences in the proportional distances between features, and the size and contours of the features themselves can then be assessed.

In Scotland, female-to-male transsexuals are presenting to clinicians for assistance with transition in record numbers: about 35-40% of individuals at one Scottish gender clinic are FTM. In addition, the increase in the total number of transsexuals (FTM & MTF) applying for hormonal and surgical assistance with gender transition is increasing by 15% per year in the UK. 1,500 people a year are referred to specialist gender clinics, and it is estimated that about 1,200 transitions a year occur. The fastest growing age group of those requesting gender reassignment is among the young – those who are under 18.

So… why is studying the masculinizing effects of testosterone on transsexuals important? Firstly, very little research exists on FTMs. The need for information on how testosterone works in the bodies of FTM transsexuals is significant to their welfare generally – not much is understood about how testosterone affects their health in the long term.

In a broader sense, such research also serves the needs of the larger human population. Transsexuals are walking, talking experiments. They afford access to concrete, tangible evidence of the ontogenetic effects of hormones on the living body, often unavailable for study. Information gained from research on them may, for instance, add to knowledge about skeletal changes in menopausal women and the influence of androgens (of which testosterone is one) in the development of osteoporosis in males.

Increased visibility, particularly in science and medicine, emphasises disagreement among transsexuals on what that visibility offers, either to them individually, or to the transsexual community as a whole. My hope is that this project, in some way, offers FTMs access to a shared humanity that comes with being known. Transsexuality can be a very big closet, especially for FTMs who, because of the nature of the changes that occur in their bodies during transition, pass unequivocally as men, especially in Western societies. In this research, they can choose between complete or partial anonymity as participants. Whatever their choice, they are contributing to a groundbreaking endeavour generating original data in the larger scientific arena.

I woke up last weekend with a young lady in my bed, who I recalled meeting and getting on with very well the previous night. Then before I knew it my memories descended into the blurred uncertainty that follows one too many whiskeys. The hazy recollection of sex was confirmed by the discovery of used condoms, some of which had actually made it all the way to the bin.

At this point, as unusual as it might sound, I started to worry – at least until I gently woke her, and we pieced together the events of the night before. I worry in these kinds of situation because consent is such a tricky issue, and put quite simply – I don’t want to be a rapist.

When is something a one night stand and when is it date rape? When is a kink scene consensual non-consent, and when is it sexual assault? Sometimes it can be far from simple to figure out. So how do we figure out how not to be rapists?

Let’s start with something that should be common sense; no means no. That is not something up for debate, it is a simple matter of fact. If you have sex with someone when they’ve said they don’t want to, then that is rape and you have become a rapist.

Why do I have to make it clear that a nonconsensual sex act is rape? Well, unfortunately, the meaning of the word is frequently clouded and we often seem reluctant to even use the term. You yourself might have had some kind of negative response to my use of the word – I’ve seen people physically leap at the mention of rape, as though I’d just shouted abuse at them.

It has a great deal of power, and there are so many people who refuse to call it what it is out of fear of that power.

Some people actually believe that if you have consented to sex in the relationship then anything that goes on after that first consent is fine. That’s just the kind of logic used by rapists. Consent for sex can be withdrawn, just like consent for anything else. So if you take someone home from a night out and they say they don’t want to have sex, that’s absolutely within their rights, and you have to respect that.

Even if you get into bed, have some fun, and they ask you to stop at a certain point – then you must. I can’t stress that enough.

We have this idea that rape is exclusively something a stranger does to a scantily clad woman in a dark alleyway. This can make it difficult for survivors to call out rapists for what they’ve done. It’s hard to admit that your partner, family member or trusted friend has done this horrendous thing to you.

Rapes should always be reported, but before things get to that stage – just don’t be a rapist.

For more information on the project and to see how you can get involved visit: www. lifesci.dundee.ac.uk/projects/ftm-faces/

June 2012

THE SKINNY 31

showcase

LIFESTYLE

David Foster Wallace wrote 'What goes on inside is just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of at most one tiny little part of it at any given instant.'

Inspired by this as well as a passion for record culture, books and the handmade, I created a composite of text, craft and construction that trends towards the celebration of ‘analogue’ in the form of a complete installation.

Distinctive features like the offcut wording of ‘STOKED’, vacant bird boxes, and worn sheet metal bring a warmth and familiarity to the show.

The hung pieces of work were sourced and created from second-hand materials in and around the site of Duncan of Jordanstone. This ethos transcends the individual hand-painted signs into the space itself through the exploration and use of prominent, permanent features which typifies both the aesthetic and sentiment of the work.

Steven Herd graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in May.

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photo: Fraser Douglas

TEMPOR AL GES TUR ES: S te v e n J ames H er d

photo: Fraser Douglas

LIFESTYLE

June 2012

THE SKINNY 33

LIFESTYLE

fashion

Scotl and Re:Designed The aim of Scotland Re:Designed is to promote the work of Scottish fashion designers, manufacturers and producers to an international audience in a creative and contemporary way, while also remaining respectful to our rich textile heritage.

Chosen by a panel of fashion industry experts, this year's talented 12 exhibitors include: Beberoque, Henrietta Ludgate, Timorous Beasties and Euan McWhirter. After an extremely successful jaunt to New York as part of Scotland Week, the designers will be bringing their work home from 27 June - 1 July, where The Lighthouse will play host to a Glasgow Showcase, with a Pop Up Shop and a series of exciting events. These include the Vauxhall Fashion Scout Mentor Session, which is free and open to the public, as well as a Scotland Re:Designed fashion show which will include a section from the Scottish Academy of Fashion Students. For more information please visit scotlandredesigned.com

Photographer Ross Fraser McLean / Studio RoRo www.rossfrasermclean.com www.facebook.com/StudioRoRo Styling Alexandra Fiddes Make Up/Hair Styling - Sarah Baldwin @SBaldwinMUA www.facebook.com/SEBmakeupartist  Model Lauren H at Model Team www.modelteam.co.uk Location Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh www.rbge.org.uk  Garments Below: Pink and White Nirvana Dress by Henrietta Ludgate Opposite: Anastaysia Full Circle Black Dress by Bebaroque Opening reception 6-9pm 27 Jun 27 Jun - 1 Jul Glasgow Showcase Scotland Re:Designed The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow, G1 3NU Additionally, from 10am - 6pm on the 1 & 2 Jun Bebaroque will be taking over an empty shop at 25A Thistle Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1DX to hold a sample sale www.scotlandredesigned.com

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LIFESTYLE

June 2012

THE SKINNY 35

food & drink

LIFESTYLE

C a k e I t Away Lovecrumbs are the latest and greatest additions to Edinburgh’s cafe scene. Their secret weapons – incredible cakes, constant hilarity, and commemorative plates interview: Peter Simpson

Phag oman ia With Lewis MacDonald This month we have some pretty sound vegetables. These mad hatters have taken their bad table manners to a new level. In previous months we have looked at some wonderous food-based creations: sustenance completely stripped of its true function. This month we have some interesting achievements as they do indeed have a function – sound. The vegetable orchestra started in Vienna in 1998 and have recorded and toured some pretty interesting stuff since, through a variety of genres, but carving out mean basslines has always been at the root of their sound.

aubergine-reco

Photo: Anna Stoecher

www.vegetableorchestra.org

radish flute

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June 2012

With every mouthful there’s a faint worry you’ll hear ‘You’re a fraud who’s opened a cake business entirely on a whim!’ It hasn’t happened yet, though

Lovecrumbs, 155 West Port, Edinburgh www.lovecrumbs.co.uk

cucumber phone

bada boom-

pumpkin drum

french bean tip pickup

Photo: Anna Stoecher

you be carrot s seriou

Photo: Alexander Koller

when we’ve wondered whether this is genuinely happening.

“When we were down in the garage, it was a bit strange. We’d make some cakes, deliver them, then go home. Money would appear in the bank, which we’d spend on ingredients, and it would go on. With the cafe, people are coming in and eating our cakes right in front of us,” Hollie says. “With every mouthful there’s a faint worry that they’re going to turn around and shout ‘You’re a fraud who’s opened a cake business entirely on a whim!’

It hasn’t happened yet,” says Hollie. Rachel points out that they’re only in their first few weeks, and the laughter starts again.

So the moral of the story, reader, is to be spontaneous and do things as and when they come to you. Right? Well, no. “The biggest thing is to have the skills to do what you’re planning,” says Hollie. “That’s so much more important than just enthusiasm. Rachel has all the baking skills, so if she falls and breaks her ankle I could... I dunno, show someone else the recipe book... I could get them the ingredients. I’m not a baker, I like designing shops, I like accounts.”

Rachel backs her up: “It’s not enough to just enjoy making cakes – you have to like the factory side of things. It sounds all twee and lovely, but most of the time you’re covered in butter. And it’s pretty cold in a garage in the middle of winter.

“A lot of people come in and say they love baking and they want to work with us, and if the word ‘love’ is involved then it won’t work out, because we’ll pound the love out of them by shouting ‘MORE, MORE, MORE’ and telling them not to whisk so much. The process can be a little... disgusting, but the results are amazing.”

“Watching it is really interesting,” adds Hollie.

“Watching it,” replies Rachel, with a hint of a scowl. “Well... I make the tea,” Hollie says. “Then I do the dishes. And I bring dinner.” The laughter returns to Lovecrumbs, and conversation turns to the second new plate of the day. It’s a Charles and Diana side plate. Soon, Hollie notices that the People’s Princess’ head “is scarily wide.” The Lovecrumbs girls burst into hysterics, and plot how best to deploy the latest weapon in their delicious and hilarious onslaught that is difficult to resist without gobbing coffee all over yourself.

Photo: Alexander Koller

saying that the tactic went “reasonably well.”

With shops like Coco and cafes such as Freemans lining up for their stuff, the pair eventually found their new Tollcross home and whizzed into it with their apparently-ceaseless abandon. “A lot of people spend a lot of time umming and awwing over things,” Rachel says, “but we were in a position to be able to do it so we thought that we should just get on with it.” Hollie chips in: “It got to the stage where one of us would say ‘Shall we do this? Because if we’re going to, I’ll go to the bank’.

Then you would say something like ‘Fine, I’ll get an accountant’. We were trying to one-up each other.

“Next thing you know we’re standing in a shop, taking up old 1990s laminate flooring and working out where to put the wardrobe.”

Yes, the wardrobe, where the likes of the rosewater madeleines and salted chocolate tarts live. That’s across from the table made from an old piano, which in turn faces onto the plaster donkey head sitting on the counter. There’s also a window seat that looks a bit like a grown-up version of a pillow fort. If the idea is to draw you into the hosts’ mindset, then it bloody well works.

The whole cafe business hasn’t been too stressful, they say in unison before looking at one another and barely stifling more laughter.

Nothing too difficult, but just lots and lots of little things. Rachel says: “There have been moments

Photo: Zoefotografie

Looking up from a ridiculously tasty chocolate and cherry brownie, it’s apparent that Hollie is very, very excited. “Look at that. Wow. Now that’s brilliant.” ‘That’ is a genuine silver jubilee souvenir saucer that has just arrived in the post, adorned with an image of Queen Liz “baring her teeth like a beast.” It will sit next to the other odd crockery in Lovecrumbs’ new cafe in Edinburgh’s West Port, alongside the stools borrowed from friends and acquaintances, and the mugs donated by their quickly-cultivated regulars.

“I asked the guy who brought it in how he’d feel if he saw someone else drinking from it”, Hollie says, letting out a cackle before plotting increasingly elaborate ways to get the mug into as many hands as possible. Rachel looks over, and valiantly fails to dodge another bout of the giggles.

If anyone ever tells you that food can’t make you happy, then that person needs to be sent to meet these two for cake and coffee.

Hollie met Rachel, the baker of the operation, when the two were in high school, bonding over “watching Jackass and drinking Jack Daniels... normal teenage girl stuff.” When she returned from travelling she found that Rachel was baking, and after a brief sojourn into the world of ‘fine food retail’ (to be spoken as one conjoined word), the two teamed up to start their own bakery.

Lovecrumbs was always going to be a twist on your typical cake shop, before Edinburgh’s planning regulations and ventilation-based hassles got in the way. The foibles of the city’s planning department forced the duo down the light industrial route towards the end of last year, as they decided to set up a wholesale operation on an industrial estate in Leith. As foodie origin stories go, it isn’t exactly standard fare, but it was born of the pair’s desire to do what they wanted and get on with it.

Rachel explains: “We’d talked about it for a while, then one day we did just say ‘let’s open a wholesale bakery in an old industrial garage in Leith.

There’s no plumbing or kitchen, and we’ve just bought a £3000 oven that will have to be craned in from Glasgow.’ That’s kind of how it happened.”

The duo bought some equipment, got the plumbing sorted, and just got down to business.

“We started pretty much immediately, driving around in the van with cakes, going into cafes and asking them if they wanted to buy them.” The duo look off into the middle distance, before, in unison,

Photo: Anna Stoecher

yowser

A ROUND THE WOR LD IN 20 DR INKS:

BELGIUM

Welcome to Belgium; land of brewing monks, wild yeast, and pink elephants WORDS: PETER SIMPSON

BELGIUM IS a strange place. The country, and the capital, seem to subsist entirely on gains from a massive continental bureaucracy, but take years at a time to form their own governments. They have a famous statue that urinates water, and take great pleasure in dressing it in various questionable fashions. They seem to have replaced all other liquids in the country with beer, which may explain the Mandela costume for the pissing child.

It seems fitting, then, that the country’s best beers seem to be the ones with the strangest origins. The Belgian fruit beers from the likes of Mort Subite and Cantillon are produced by spontaneous fermentation; that is chucking random bits of wild yeast into the barrels and letting nature do its thing, rather than making sure that a yeast works beforehand.

There is a rivalry between the various groups of Trappist monks in the country to put out the best ale. The monks are scrapping over beer. Monks.

The Westvleteren monks make probably the best beer in the world, or at least that’s what everyone who travels the two hours from Brussels for an appointment with the monks says. Why travel? Well,

the monks don’t want to make a profit, and refuse to make any more of the stuff than they need to.

The bars continue this trend. The Mort Subite bar in the heart of Brussels reminds you of just how good Harry Potter could have been had the boy wizard been recast as a swarthy European. It’s a vast, glistening hall filled with long tables and stern bar staff. The lighting is the same no matter what time of day it is, and the vibe is somewhere between haunted school canteen and old-school boozer.

And then there’s the Delirium Tremens. Oh lord, the Delirium Tremens. The pub with 2000 beers, where the queue to get served is always shorter than the queue for one of the six-inch thick menus. The bar with so many taps that midway through the evening you’ll be confusing it for a church organ. The pub that brews its own ale that sells in a painted bottle with neon blue label.

Their logo is a dancing pink elephant, and it looks down towards that peeing statue. Having read that sentence back, the Belgian love affair with beer makes perfect sense. Well, as much sense as any story with pissing children dressed as world statesmen can make.

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FOOD NEWS WITH PETER SIMPSON

Food News this month features hundreds of beers, charity cake competitions, and all three major Scottish cities. Sorry, Dundee THE CRAZY thing about food news is that it seems to come from all over the country. While others may malign those of you from outside the two real cities, this column will always attempt to find a way to at least include you hilarious country folk in the conversation.

With that in mind, we present the Aberdeen International Street Market at the soon-to-berevamped-for-no-good-reason Union Terrace Gardens. 70 stalls from all over Europe will feature produce and other fun food-based stuff from across the continent, as well as the usual market mix of tasting samples to misappropriate, and over-enthusiastic vendors’ elbows to dodge.

This month’s West End festival throws up a range of food events in Glasgow. The Three Judges (the pub, not a literal trio of judges) are celebrating the occasion with four separate small-scale beer festivals over the four weekends of June. From Sussex’s Dark Star through to local brewers such as Kelburn and Atlas, there’s plenty of choice to impotently navigate before breaking down under the pressure and asking for ‘a nice beer, please’.

From beer to cake, and one of those events that provides the perfect mix of egregious gluttony and gratifying contribution to charity. Firebird plays host to a mass bake-off between the city’s bars and restaurants in aid of Yorkhill Hospital’s radio station. All they need you to do is turn up, do your bit for charity, and eat tasty cake whilst being unnecessarily harsh with your marking to ensure a clear winner. Oh, and the name of the event?

‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desserts.’ Charity!

UNION TERRACE GARDENS

From good deeds unto men in Glasgow to boozing it up in Edinburgh, as Bon Vivant play host to a night of wine and spicy food. If you’ve ever wanted to know which wine you should be having with your burrito, or simply need to find an alternative to a nice calming glass of milk for your next curry then this could be the event for you.

Worst case scenario, you have some nibbles and a few drinks while feeling superior.

Now, to this month’s main event. Ladies and gentlemen, a pause please for the 2012 Scottish Real Ale Festival. Exclusive festival-only ciders from Edinburgh brewers. The looming threat of ‘traditional’ music after last year’s deployment of an Oompah band on an unsuspecting public. Over 175 real ales under one oversized roof. Food News does indeed rain in from all over the place, but some of it seems designed to stop you from even finding your way home.

ABERDEEN INTERNATIONAL STREET MARKET, UNION TERRACE, 1-3 JUN; THREE JUDGES BEER FESTIVALS, FRI-SUN THROUGHOUT JUN; ‘PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESSERTS’, FIREBIRD, ARGYLE ST GLASGOW, 17 JUN, 6PM; WINE TASTING, BON VIVANT, THISTLE ST EDINBURGH, 14 JUN, 7PM; REAL ALE FESTIVAL, CORN EXCHANGE, SLATEFORD RD EDINBURGH, 28-30 JUN

OpenMic_Quiz.indd 1

21/05/2012 15:05

JUNE 2012

THE SKINNY 37

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JUNE 2012

LIVE MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS

T he M eta l C o lum n

“Hot town, summer in the city,” sang Lovin’ Spoonful, and they were right – June’s gigs are a veritable heatwave...

Human don't be angry

Signed to Sub Pop, lauded by broadsheets – THEESatisfaction are 2012’s leftfield rap-crossover of choice, and for good reason. Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White meld sounds from the past into retro-future jams, with tight lyrical content and beats aimed at the hips. They’ll bring their loved-up grooves to Sneaky Pete’s on the 3 Jun; to misappropriate lyrics from fly single QueenS you better bring yourself.

A decade since it first trickled in from East Fife, Domino have awarded James Yorkston’s Moving Up Country a bells-and-whistles anniversary re-release.

Having recently revisited its tender blues, we’d say the fuss is well-merited – his softly-softly folk has branched in various directions since, but his debut captures Yorkston at his most earthily eloquent.

He’ll perform the album in full at Òran Mór on 3 Jun – one day later and it would have been ten years on the dot (sheesh, is no one checking these things?).

New(ish) venue on the block the Berkeley Suite continues to snap up cool bookings, while remaining hot-as-all-heck inside the closer it gets to capacity (if last month’s Grimes gig is anything to go by). Toronto electro-trio Austra will be setting up their synths and looking dead moody on 4 Jun – their last couple of UK tours didn’t make it past

Future of the left

Do Not Miss:

rm Hubbert

West end festival finalé Òran Mór, 24 jun

Since 1996, Glasgow’s annual West End Festival has expanded year-on-year, enveloping an impressive array of gigs across the city. It closes its 2012 edition with a frankly staggering line-up that catches the eye partly because of its quality, and partly because of quantity: just listing the participants constitutes a fair whack of text. For the humble price of 1.5 tenners, Oran Mor will serve up the following: We Were Promised Jetpacks, Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells, RM Hubbert, Remember Remember, Withered Hand, Miaoux Miaoux, Monoganon, Wounded Knee, The Apples of Energy, John Knox Sex Club, Olympic Swimmers and Gav Prentice (Over the Wall), spread throughout the building (and, if the gods play ball and offer a break from wind and hail, the beer garden as well). I know what you’re thinking: ‘Is that it?’ Well no, actually – further additions are promised, providing they can find somewhere to put them. [Chris Buckle]

photo: Norman Wong

photo: Eoin Carey

Words: CHRIS BUCKLE

photo: Alex Woodward

music

REVIEW

Austra

Manchester, so this will be their first trip north of the border. Their second Scottish show follows close behind, as they M8 over to Sneaky Pete’s the following evening.

Raw of throat and twiddly of riff, Cloud Nothing’s lo-fi power-pop has plenty of kick. Their last couple of albums were as lean as singer Dylan Baldi’s Tshirted frame, so there’s both time and appetite for a comprehensive set when they visit the Captain's Rest on 5 Jun. As amazing as third album The Plot Against Common Sense is, it’s only ever going to capture a fraction of the energy and wit that marks Future of the Left a must-see live act. They’ve expanded to a four-piece, so expect a beefed-up sound when they lay siege to King Tut’s on 11 Jun. Keyboards are a new fixture, but other things remain awesomely consistent: with recent lyrics like ‘I’ve got a hole for Sebastian Coe/ Saddam Hussein won’t be needing it now,’ Andy Falco is evidently not for mellowing.

Weather his snarling sarcasm, just don’t heckle him – you won’t win…

Having successfully translated the project from peripheral solo experiments to full band, Malcolm Middleton brings a touring Human Don’t Be Angry back to the central belt for a pair of gigs at Electric Circus (15 Jun) and King Tut’s (16 Jun). A couple of months on, we’re still finding new reasons to love the album; expect further facets to emerge as the rest of the group get stuck in. Recruit Martin John Henry doubles up as support, so don’t be dilly-dallying.

Lyrically, Glasgow and Best Coast are sometimes a less than seamless match (Bethany Cosentino was born with sun in her teeth and hair; we with inherent Vitamin D deficiencies), but a lingua franca of golden, fuzzy pop songs transcends all that. If your boyfriend/girlfriend is being a total jerk, seek solidarity at the O2 ABC on 16 Jun. We began this month’s column with hip-hop’s new blood wunderkinds; we conclude with a veteran grand master. Still a force to be reckoned with nearly two decades after the incendiary Illmatic, Nas brings a full band and a whole lotta hype to the HMV Picture House on 26 Jun, for what will be his first ever Edinburgh show. We’ve done the maths – if this establishes a pattern, he’ll be pushing sixty before another such opportunity comes around.

So nae whinging if you choose to sit this one out, basically.

There’s some classic Southern rock afoot at the dawn of the month: Lynyrd Skynyrd take to the Clyde Auditorium (1 Jun). It’s likely one of the only chances you’ll get to shout “Free Bird!” without being subjected to disapproving glares and/or death threats. Edinburgh natives: unless you’re dead-set on seeing Hawkwind at the Queens Hall (2 Jun), we’re afraid you’re shit out of luck in the rake stakes (save mighty sludge merchants Gareeda, knockin down your door with their debut LP at Bannerman’s on 15 June).

Once you’ve all recovered from those Bourbon hangovers, get down to Mono, where abrasive Japanese garage punks Guitar Wolf will be teaming up with local rock ‘n roll party freaks Holy Mountain (4 Jun). Talk about a sweet-ass pairing... We’re going to go ahead and assume it’ll be a sweaty one. If you’re a fan of classic Earache death-thrash and somehow failed to witness Singaporean grinders Wormrot tear down the 13th Note last year, you’d better make damned sure you get down there this time on 5 Jun. Dave Vanian’s legendary punk outfit The Damned are making an appearance at the O2 ABC (10 Jun). Maybe Captain Sensible will hit out with his infamous Top of the Pops hit Happy Talk while the rest of the band are tuning between songs. A man can dream, right? But if contemporary crust is more your thing, Tragedy across the road at Nice ‘N‘ Sleazy is a safe bet. They’re joined by Bay Area punk brats Neon Piss and Dundee screamoers Kaddish on the same night.

You’d better believe Andy Falkous and his boys (and girl) are going to go completely apeshit when Future of the Left head on over to King Tut’s (11 Jun). Fans of his previous band mclusky can be thankful that they’re known to hit out with a few old ones too. After all that intensity, you’ll probably be after something a little more lighthearted, right? Lo and behold – Jack Black and Kyle Gass are bringing their infamous cockrock project Tenacious D ‘round our way. They play the SECC on 12 Jun. If you’re noticing a distinct lack of brutality so far, Malevolent Creation should more than make up for it with a vulgar display of orthodox death metal at Ivory Blacks (19 Jun), but if you want to catch a truly iconic frontman at work, don’t miss Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks) belt out some quickfire hardcore with his latest band, Californian supergroup OFF! at King Tut’s (21 Jun). They’re supported by their native peers, dangerous thrashcore group Trash Talk and sublime Danish punk youths Iceage. Lineup of the month, hands down.

Next up is kings of the metal-groove, Gojira, who are stopping by at The Garage (22 Jun) just prior to the arrival of their new album L’Enfant Sauvage. You’d be advised to head on down to get a sneak preview of the new material. Last but no least: fans of old school thrash metal can catch Death Angel at Ivory Blacks on 27 Jun. It’s going to be a speedy, furious and ever so slightly daft end to the month. [Ross Watson]

Wham, bam, it's The Damned

June 2012

THE SKINNY 39

Photo: Ingrid Mur

Photo: Gemma Burke

R E V I E W : L iv e M u s i c

Grimes The Berkeley Suite, 7 May

rrrrr Canadian experimental electropop darling Claire Boucher aka Grimes’ set is a piecemeal, halting affair – problems with equipment and the loss of her setlist prove challenging obstacles for the young artiste, and frequent calls for the engineer to turn up her keys and vocals take their toll, frustration showing on her face. Neither these technical problems nor the heat of the oversold venue can diminish the power of her majestic, contradictory pop anthems; equal parts polish and sheen, and

defiant, wilful experimentalism.

What Boucher perhaps lacks in classic songwriting ability, she makes up for in spades with her strong sense of dynamics and innovative vocal performances. Her voice alternates between ethereal, FX-assisted flights of melody and strange, childlike growls, yelps and squeaks, all of these woven into a tapestry of beautiful, intricate electronic beats.

There are bands you could point to as influences – from Cocteau Twins and Massive Attack to Tori Amos. Others you could mention as peers, from Glass Candy to more esoteric acts like Butterclock. CRIM3S go deeper

and darker, and more challenging.

Rihanna has a bigger marketing budget. But few of them have the same masterful control of digital effects, performance style, or most importantly, production.

On tracks like Genesis and Be A Body, Grimes combines experimental electronica with staggeringly infectious pop in a way which is completely unique.

She uses her voice as an instrument, bending templates for dreamy electro-pop and R&B into something dark, intoxicating and deliciously sweet. The gig ends prematurely due to the technical issues, but the crowd are hungry for more. [Bram E. Gieben]

Holy Mountain / Happy Particles / Body Parts Mono, 5 May

rrrrr Raising a middle-finger to genre cohesion, Holy Mountain have invited two none-more-different supports to help launch Earth Measures. We don’t know much about Body Parts, but first impressions are favourable: sweet vocal harmonies plus guitar, violin and fluttering handclaps, with shades of First Aid Kit, a scattering of Tune-Yards and an ingenuously relaxed stage presence that goes a long way

Perfume Genius / Cate Le Bon Captain’s Rest, 8 May

rrrrr

Photo: Kenny McColl

Cate Le Bon has a clarification to make: contrary to received Twitter wisdom, she is neither German, nor a Viking. We don’t know the context to these misattributions, but we’d guess the former stems from her bewitching vocal style; while Welsh vowels make her real home unmistakable, there’s something in her pitch reminiscent of Nico, albeit with the Warhol icon’s austerity replaced by genteel

towards breaking through the room’s chitchat.

Outside, the night sky apparently hosts a ‘supermoon’ tonight; the phenomenon where the moon orbits closer to the Earth, and consequently appears brighter and bigger. For those fond of gazing skywards, we can’t think of a better soundtrack than Happy Particles’ musica universalis. Steven Kane’s celestial falsetto holds attentions tight as the band float through sedately-paced selections from lustrous debut Under Sleeping Waves; utterly at odds with the sludgy barrage that follows, but brilliantly so.

warmth and a fine-line in lightlyweird alt-folk. Nae idea about the Viking reference, though…

Mike Hadreas of Perfume Genius is a somewhat more reserved stage presence. Flanked by two additional musicians tonight, he has little to say between songs (“I mean, I’m happy to be here, I just don’t have any anecdotes” he endearingly explains after one abandoned attempt at audience interaction), but everything to say within them. Listening to such nakedly exposed songwriting feels almost voyeuristic, with the performance’s air of intimacy emphasised by pin-drop

From the divine to the ridiculously heavy, as Holy Mountain kick out jams straddling the vintage and the envelopepushing. The trio know when to exert moderation and when to cut loose, coiling tight then releasing the tension in wild displays of abandon. Like Body Parts (who concluded with their take on JLS’s Beat Again), Holy Mountain close with a cover, but not one you could accuse of irony. Their faithfullyheavy War Pigs is a powerhouse marathon, signing the night off with a forceful dose of drama. Oh lord yeah. [Chris Buckle] www.facebook.com/pages/ Holy-Mountain/328120915411

stillness from the crowd.

The only exceptions to the silence come when members of the congregation pipe up and quietly join in – an innocuous act that takes on vulgar shades when the sing-alongs involve such hauntingly personal confessionals as Dark Parts’ abuse-narrative. Of course, to label such quiet murmurings ‘vulgar’ is ludicrously oversensitive, but heightened emotions are precisely Perfume Genius’s forte; that we spot more than one fan dabbing away tears comes as no surprise. [Chris Buckle] www.matadorrecords. com/perfume_genius/

STAG & DAGGER 2012 GLASGOW

rrrrr Though he’s appeared on many a bill in one guise or another, tonight is Lewis Cook’s first ‘proper’ Mother Ganga show.

He’s off to a solid start: the ex-Yahweh man’s Not Not Fun-ish electronica is warm and wonky, its pop patina ensuring that, despite the early kick-off and yet-to-fill venue, plenty of heads are turned. But it’s up to Mermaids to get punters

40 THE SKINNY

June 2012

Livingstone, Simon Ward and a silhouetted James Hamilton whip up a staggeringly big sound, most obviously on a supercharged Mr Milk – in the six years since its release, it’s metastasised into an absolute beast, no mistake. But its ‘signature tune’ status is on the wane: with Pleasure Palaces on the scene, other tracks don’t get a look in when it comes to picking highlights. We’d be singing along if we had the first clue as to the words; instead, we dance – it’d be folly to resist. [Chris Buckle] www.weareerrors.com

Random Impulse

Photo: Ross Gilmore

The Arches, 11 May

body-movin’, their dynamic mix covering all bases to build a substantial head of steam. By the time Errors take up instruments, there’s a veritable buzz in the air.

Tonight is the trio’s biggest Scottish gig to date; not for long, we’d wager. The opening run of songs matches Have Some Faith in Magic’s tracklisting and sets a stellar benchmark, the band translating Tusk’s bombast, Magna Encarta’s gently-mutating folds, and Blank Media’s melancholic drift with expert precision.

Though few in number, Steev

Photo: Gemma Burke

Errors / Mermaids / Mother Ganga

Photo: Gemma Burke

Read our full review from across the venues online. www.theskinny.co.uk/music

Holy Mountain

Phantom band

records

REVIEW: SINGLES

The Dir t y Dozen

In what must be a record number for The Dirty Dozen, the seven-strong Mummy Short Arms stepped up to review the June singles. Would the Glasgow band use their numbers to their advantage, or would it be a case of too many cooks spoil the review?

Conductor: Chris McCall

Still Flyin’ – Spirits (Highline, 4 Jun) Dean McClure: Described as ‘San Francisco’s favourite hammjammers.’ I’m putting San Francisco and ‘hammjammers’ together and drawing my own conclusions.

James Allan: It does sound a bit hammy.

Cameron Findlay: It started off okay, but it’s too nice a vocal. It needs to be more dirty.

James: Still Flyin’? Still sleepin’ more like! This gets a bold two.

Hot Chip – Night And Day (Domino, 4 Jun) James: I’m liking it, it’s nice and funky.

Gary Pinkerton: But it’s very polished, I don’t think it’s going anywhere.

James: I think you’d need to listen to this in a car, with the roof down, after nine pints.

Dean: You would definitely need some kind of aid.

I was a fan of the first album, but this doesn’t stand up really. I think this is what, a four?

James: I think a three.

Louise Quinn & Kid Loco – Oh Jackie (Tromolo, 18 Jun) Dean: I could see my mum liking this. It’s the sort of thing she would enjoy.

James: I want to hear the middle eight, you can tell there’s going to be a middle eight. (Waits patiently) There was a pitch change!

Dean: It’s a good vocal, but the song is very predictable. A five.

King Creosote – Doubles Underneath (from I Learned From the Gaels EP, Domino, Out now) Dean: I’m not familiar with much of his back catalogue.

James: Neither am I. But I don’t particularly like this.

James: This really isn’t my bag at all. It’s the sound of cycling down Byres Road with a wicker basket.

Cameron: A bike with a recycled wicker basket – a hemp basket!

Fraser Gillies: I don’t think there’s much wrong with it.

Gary: A six?

Dean: I think that’s too high. Five?

Peaking Lights – Lo Hi (Weird World, 11 Jun) Dean: I’m definitely hearing a reggae beat on this.

Cameron: It sounds like something out of Nathan Barley.

Stuart Brown: The bass sounds like something an animated cat would dance to.

James: Is that a good thing?

Craig Brown: Can synth-reggae ever be a good thing? It sounds like it’s been made by someone sitting on their laptop in their bedroom, smoking a shitload of weed. How was it described in the press release? ‘Uniquely eclectic.’ Twats.

Dean: Give this a one.

Graham Coxon – Ooh, Yeh Yeh (Parlophone, Out now) James: He’s setting himself up for a fall with that title. Ooh, no no! It sounds plain, outdated, soggy.

That song has been done a 100,000 times before.

Fraser: I’d give this a one.

Gary: It’s not as bad as that, I don’t think. I wouldn’t go lower than a three.

Dean: If he’s bringing this out as the second single from the album, I wouldn’t want to hear the first. I’d give this a reluctant two.

Doldrums – Egypt (Souterrain Transmissions, 4 Jun) Dean: It’s a bit Animal Collective, isn’t it? Tribal!

James: That’s the kind of shit I like! [laughs] I think it’s good, for what it is. It certainly doesn’t sound Canadian.

Dean: Since when did you become the Canadian connoisseur?

James: A guy I worked with once gave me this huge compilation of Canadian music. It was like 18 GB or something stupid. I quite like this, I wouldn’t ever say ‘who’s that?’ if I heard it out, but it’s a bit nuts, which I like.

Fraser: It’s like a modern Wickerman.

Dean: I think this sounds like a four.

Linkin Park – Burn It Down (Warner, 26 Jun) James: I’m really, really not looking forward to this. [listens] Yeah, this is absolutely terrible.

The Skinny: Can we make out what it is they want to burn down?

Craig: What should be burning down is the studio this was recorded in, along with everyone associated with producing it.

Stuart: It’s basically exactly the same as I remember from 2002, but the music now seems to be produced by Lady Gaga.

Dean: We had very low expectations of this – and we weren’t disappointed.

The Skinny: Marks out of ten?

All (in unison): Zero!

Clubfeet – City of Light (Pure, 18 Jun) Cameron (reading press release): ‘Melancholic indie-pop that sounds just as inspiring on a Monaco club floor on a Saturday night as it does on a lazy Sunday in a 1995 VW soft-top.’ What the fuck?

Photos: Michael Gallagher

James: It’s lucky it’s a sunny day in Glasgow outside, otherwise this would not be getting played.

Stuart: I’m really not sold on the chorus. I can imagine this getting this stuck in my head and hating myself for it.

Dean: Speaking of clubfeet, I’d like to say that I’d rather watch the scene from Misery than listen to this. And I hate that scene.

Gary: I really don’t think this is as bad as that scene. It’s not that painful!

Cameron: They should rename themselves Trenchfoot.

James: It’s pretty bland Europop. It’s a standard three.

Tom Williams & the Boat – Too Young (Moshi Moshi, 11 Jun) James: It’s not a good start is it?

Dean: I like it. I could kiss a girl to this tune.

Cameron: I really like his voice.

Craig: The start is terrible. I’m glad we didn’t just switch it off after five seconds, because I was tempted.

I think it’s a guitar riff away from being a good track.

Dean: I think it’s got the best chorus of everything we’ve heard so far. That’s a better song than Liars, forget about the guitar riff!

Cameron: You can’t forget about the guitar riff. I think a six at the most.

Dean: I think it’s at least a seven.

[After much debate, the band finally agree that Tom Williams & The Boat will receive a six]

Caan – Into the Night (Camouflage Recordings, 11 Jun) Dean: I’m synthed out! That’s probably why I liked the last track so much.

Stuart: The downbeat music is actually alright, but the vocals ruin it. It’s the sort of thing that a teenage girl would perceive as being moody and deep.

Cameron: I like the start if it, but the vocal’s a bit off.

Dean: Caan.. we please turn this off?

Gary: This is only a small step away from Linkin Park for me.

Fraser: This is pretty bad. It’s a one.

Cameron: Can we go negative?

Gary: It’s a two, a standard two.

SINGLE OF THE MONTH

Liars – Against the Rush (Mute, 4 Jun) Dean: I wasn’t expecting that. Sounds a wee bit like the Phantom Band, a more electro Phantom Band.

Cameron: I’d be interested to hear their other five albums, if this is them six albums deep.

James: Oh aye, they dropped the bomb there!

Dean: I liked that, more of that please.

James: I had wanted this to be bad, so we could have branded them liars. I think this is a seven.

Cameron: I really like it. It’s different.

June 2012

THE SKINNY 41

records

RE V IEW : ALBUMS

ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Future of the Left

The Plot Against Common Sense Xtra Mile, 12 Jun

rrrrR Brace yourself: Andy Falco has some things to get off his chest.

The Plot Against Common Sense sees him exercise his caustic humour on a variety of irritants: trust fund rioters, false icons and the human race’s inherent fucked-ness, to name a few. Yet Falco saves his blackest ire for the hilariously unhinged Robocop 4 – Fuck Off Robocop; a howl from the edge of sanity directed squarely at Hollywood’s bilge pump (the one syphoning product from Michael Bay’s anus directly to your eyes). It’s both terrifying and spit-outyour-coffee funny.

Such apocalyptic calls to rights (or arms?) receive suitably ferocious musical casings: brace as opener Sheena is a T-shirt Salesman

pummels the solar plexus with machine gun drums and thick distortion; wince at Failed Olympic Bid’s industrial squeals; get swept up in Notes on Achieving Orbit’s dense crescendo. But there are opportunities to catch breath as well: Goals in Slow Motion features their poppiest riffs to date, while Sorry Dad, I Missed the Riots shows off the extra textures supplied by new members Jimmy Watkins and Julia Ruzicka, with keyboards from the latter extending the band’s parameters persuasively. Ever askew, their intelligence and fiery passion is invigorating, volatile and essential. [Chris Buckle] www.futureoftheleft.net

Christian Löffler

Laurel Halo

Capitol K

Ki Records, 18 Jun

Hyperdub, Out now

Faith & Industry, 14 Jun

A Forest

Quarantine

rrrrR As the co-founder of Cologne’s Ki Records, Christian Löffler is well-versed in melodic, downbeat techno, and A Forest has a depth and subtlety which speaks of his ability to process a range of influences into an entrancingly atmospheric whole. Over twelve tracks, a richly-layered yet spacious tapestry gradually unfurls, underpinning warm, organic samples with gentle, delayed synth washes; the chord progressions recall John Tejada’s more melancholy tracks, mingled with the percussive textures of Dinky or Four Tet. Although the 4/4 kick predominates rhythmically, it remains unobtrusive, lying low in the mix beneath the gorgeous melodies.

Vocal contributions from Mohna, Gry and Marcus Roloff ensure that A Forest never feels meandering: Löffler understands how to stay on the right side of the fine line between hypnotic, dreamlike atmospheres and washed-out vagueness. As a result, the LP succeeds in maintaining a distinctive sound while also generating a sense of progression.

[Sam Wiseman] www.myspace.com/christianloeffler

Andean Dub

rrrrR Laurel Halo’s early experiments with synth and electronic production yielded some beautiful, understated results. Her first full-length album, for the Hyperdub imprint, foregrounds her voice more squarely on several cuts, while retaining the atmospheric depth and subtle, carefully controlled touch of her earlier efforts.

The monosyllabic titles don’t give much away: Thaw presents a melancholy, Boards Of Canada-esque ambient soundscape with churning, staccato beats lurking behind swirling, muted synths, while Halo’s multitracked voice fades in and out ethereally. Years sees Halo’s voice shine like a beacon amidst minimal, almost beatless backing, her strident, yearning voice recalling Matthew Herbert collaborator Dani Siciliano.

The bubbling, Delia Derbyshire-sounding MK Ultra cascades into spooky, detuned vocal harmonics and feedback, while the strange, pulsing LSD freakout of Wow is worthy of early Richard D. James. Elsewhere, more shoegaze-oriented washes of sound predominate, but are never too defiantly abstract. At times it is a challenging listen, but Quarantine shows Laurel Halo’s work to be something of a darker, more boundarypushing twin to the polished dream-pop of Grimes. [Bram E. Gieben]

rrrrR The sixth LP from the London-based electronica artist Capitol K, aka Kristian Craig Robinson, represents something of a new direction, another shift in what has been a restlessly inventive career to date. Inspired by a road trip through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, Andean Dub draws influences from the traditional and popular musics of those countries into a series of addictive, melodic instrumentals, combining dubby bass with cumbia rhythms.

The use of acoustic guitar samples on stripped-down pieces like Huayno brings the LP close to traditional South American folk territory, but for the most part Robinson is too hyperactive for the kind of subtlety and space that such an approach requires; Andean Dub is, at its core, a psychedelic and dancefloor-oriented record, revelling gleefully in a riot of colour and rhythm. This may be new ground for Robinson, but he stakes it out with the same rare enthusiasm and assuredness that characterises earlier releases. [Sam Wiseman] www.capitolk.com

Hooray for Earth

Citizens!

Kandodo

Memphis Industries, 4 Jun

Kitsune, 4 Jun

Thrill Jockey, 11 Jun

True Loves

Here We Are

rrrrR Though new to these shores, Manhattan-based Hooray for Earth first released this, their hook-laden debut album True Loves, to some acclaim stateside last June. Mixed

by Chris Coady, best known for his production on Beach House’s Teen Dream, the album seems almost schizophrenic in places, flitting between dream-pop passages and beat driven, synth-heavy transitions.

That being said, every shift, regardless of whether it is anticipated or not, is exciting and frequently celebratory.

The album’s title track may have all the swells and pulses of Yeasayer or MGMT, however, with its concise musicality, True Loves finds easier company in the likes of Blonde Redhead or The Dirty Projectors. It is this saddling of disparate styles that has led to the band, often likened to Depeche Mode, opening for both Cymbals Eat Guitars and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. It’s probably testament to Hooray for Earth’s juxtaposition of styles that it takes referring to seven different bands to attempt to place them in context. [David McGinty]

rrrRR The rhythmic, bass-driven swagger of Here We Are, the debut from this London quintet, fits it comfortably enough alongside dancefloor-oriented outfits of recent times like The Rapture or Franz Ferdinand; Citizens! in fact supported the former on tour last year, and the LP was produced by Alex Kapranos. The elements, as a result, are familiar enough: funky, disco-inflected bass and percussion underpins strident, high-pitched vocals and terse-yetcatchy keyboard or guitar riffs.

The LP’s greatest strength is in its pop sensibilities – lead singer Tom Burke has declared their desire to make “pop music that is imaginative, exciting and interesting” – particularly on the effortlessly catchy singles True Romance and Reptiles. Here We Are is in fact almost wall-to-wall hooks, and although the band’s anthemic postpost-punk schtick does sometimes feel a little predictable, there are enough singalong moments to demonstrate that there’s life yet in this kind of disco-rock template. [Sam Wiseman]

Kandodo

rrrrR Home-recorded instrumental music isn’t exactly thin on the ground these days but Simon Price (guitarist with psych-rock veterans The Heads) has created an album of real beauty for his first outing under the Kandodo moniker. Employing hypnotic mid-rangey drones and spare, repetitious guitar figures, his work most readily bears comparison to that of Barn Owl and the solo work of Jon Porras, whose excellent Black Mesa LP was also released on Thrill Jockey earlier this year.

But whilst Porras’ work is touched by an unmistakably human melancholy, Price has created something altogether more primal. Inspired by his childhood in Zambia and Malawi, his sound is not so much a celebration as an invocation of that landscape, and his music resonates with a deep stillness and appreciation. It’s an unusual, pleasingly nourishing quality for this kind of music to convey but Price maintains it expertly for the album’s duration. Outstanding. [Mark Shukla] www.thrilljockey.com/thrill/kandodo/kandodo

www.citizens.cz

Liars

The Walkmen

Leverton Fox

Mute, 4 Jun

Fat Possum / Bella Union, 5 Jun

Not Applicable Recordings, 11 Jun

Heaven

WIXIW

rrrRR

rrrrR

The Human Arm

rrrRR

Constructed around nebulous themes of doubt, fear and introspection, WIXIW finds Liars spinning a timbrally-rich web of mangled samples, sparing instrumentation and synthetic tones. They’ve dabbled in electronics before, most notably on 2004’s They Were So Wrong So We Drowned, but WIXIW is an infinitely more subtle beast; its supple rhythms and repetitious melodic motifs are apt to seep their way into your subconscious rather than assault you with shock and awe.

Although the tempos remain fairly sedate for the duration and the gently see-sawing vocal lines are much of a muchness, the devil is really in the details. Octagon employs Basic Channel synth delays and queasy, dreamy samples which pitch and flutter as though teased by spectral hands, while the album’s hypnotic Philip Glassvia-Suicide title track is as unsettling as it is beautiful. It could take a good few listens to click but this slow burner yields rich rewards.

[Mark Shukla]

Despite their success The Walkmen couldn’t claim to be the most adventurous of bands. Ten years on from releasing their debut LP, the New York-based quintet continue to pursue the sort of jangling indie waltzes that regularly bedeck the background of technicolor teenage soap operas. Yet, admirably, the band execute their rigid stock with a refinement that stretches beyond their contemporaries’ reach, as proven on 2010’s career high Lisbon.

Led by the soaring croon of frontman Hamilton Leithauser, album number seven Heaven maintains The Walkmen’s march through the mainstream. A highly-polished affair, much of the record strikes a balance between Heartbreaker and Nightingale’s peppy blasts and the more sombre plucking of Line by Line and No One Ever Sleeps.

It’s not exactly divine listening, but the title track’s charging, off-piste pulse underlines just how impressive this pony’s one trick can be. Who needs adventure when you have The Walkmen? [Billy Hamilton]

Two and a half years in the making, The Human Arm is a dark, esoteric mash-up of free jazz, glitchy beats and power electronics-style overdriven bass drones. Trumpeter and electronica artist Alex Bonney formed Leverton Fox with jazz drummer Tim Giles in 2008, and this, their second LP, sees them reaching ever-further into the murky depths of ambient noise and improv. The most obvious touchstones are acts like Wolf Eyes, but the peculiar combination of quietude and aggression gives The Human Arm a distinctive feel.

Even by the standards of its field, it’s an austere listen; strippeddown and always eschewing melody or repetitive rhythms for the exploration of textures, by turns abrasive and immersive. Tracks like the closing Owl Syndrome, which overlays subtle feedback layers and synth drones, are the most successful, conjuring a bleakly mystical atmosphere; but the tone remains unapologetically forbidding throughout. [Sam Wiseman]

liarsliarsliars.com

thewalkmen.com

www.myspace.com/levertonfox

42 THE SKINNY

June 2012

REVIEW : AL B U M S

Lorn

Dope Body

The Grand Gestures

Ninja Tune, 18 Jun

Drag City, 4 Jun

Chute Records, 4 Jun

Ask The Dust

Natural History

rrrrR

The Grand Gestures

rrrRR

rrrRR

After touring with the psychedelic likes of Gonjasufi, Amon Tobin and Shpongle, a more human and emotionally expressive element has burrowed its way into Lorn’s sound since 2010’s Nothing Else. Nowhere is this more evident than in his cryptic, breathy vocals, which manage to splice his now idiosyncratic, brutally infectious beats with anguished beauty. Where his previous album sounded exactly like a dry collection of discrete demo takes, Ask The Dust is an integrated statement of intent from start to end.

Though eerie bass and metallic chunks of rolling percussive hits pin the listener into techno submission, it is the hauntingly elegant and eastern-influenced melodies that Lorn has given his special attention. With this extra focus, he has tied the whole album together with a persistently probing, dramatic edge that neatly complements the harshness of the stuttering percussion throughout. [Timothy McQuillian]

This Baltimorean quartet alternate between a slurring, droney development of Albini-style math rock, all grinding bass, delayed vocals and brutally clear percussion; and a playful, tongue-in-cheek take on hardcore punk, with plenty of jaunty basslines and frantically escalating power chords. On tracks like Powder, the harmonised lead guitars even reach towards something like hair metal, although the guttural vocals always keep things anchored at a scuzzier level.

Dope Body are a rockier, more bruising proposition than most Drag City acts, particularly on the LP’s more frantic moments (High Way, Weird Mirror), but this is by no means a traditional or predictable record: the tone shifts from the sort of stoner adventurism that characterises Royal Trux’s early LPs, to all-out blasts of apocalyptic noise. As a result Natural History does lack a sense of cohesion, but that feels entirely in keeping with the endearingly insouciant spirit which underpins it. [Sam Wiseman]

There’s No Place Like Home: both a song title and a maxim for Jan Burnett’s new project The Grand Gestures. The Spare Snare founder invited six collaborators round to his to drape their vocals across lo-fi instrumentals, and the results are as diverse as his guest-list. On spooky opener Deer in a Cross Hair, Sparrow and the Workshop’s Jill O’Sullivan flits between spoken-word verses and a sung chorus, but any assumptions as to the album’s presiding lyrical tone are immediately challenged by Sanjeev Kholi’s witty rumination I Wonder What Chris De Burgh Is Doing Right Now, which forces a left-turn into a more flippant register.

Evocative musical foundations from Burnett stop these oil-and-water bedfellows from immiscibly clashing, the domestic Svengali fostering a degree of consistency that carries through contributions from Emma Pollock (the brooding A Certain Compulsion) and Calamateur (the drifting Baiting). Appealingly imperfect, this is a curio worth exploring.

[Chris Buckle]

www.ninjatune.net

http://dopebody.tumblr.com/

www.thegrandgestures.com

Marconi Union

Necro Deathmort

Variety Lights

Just Music, 18 Jun

Distraction, 2 Jul

Fire Records, 11 Jun

Different Colours

The Colonial Script

rrrrR

Central Flow

rrRRR

The fifth LP from this Mancunian downbeat electronica outfit sees the addition of a third member – keyboard player Duncan Meadows – and a further refinement of the band’s ethereal, understated sound. Melodic, overlapping drones phase in and out over glossy, gentle chords and pulsing bass; tracks like Alone Together, with its barely-there tremulous guitars hanging over whispering synths, evoke the restrained, cinematic beauty of Labradford or Pan American.

If Marconi Union don’t always attain the intensity or otherworldly allure of those forebears, that reflects a certain evenness of tone: Different Colours is an irresistibly warm and seamless journey through post-rock and electronica’s dreamy hinterlands, but it would be interesting to juxtapose its bright textures with more melancholy shadows.

Yet the sound always errs on the right side of restraint: there are no grandiose, emotive chord progressions or crescendos here, and as a consequence, the LP successfully maintains a kind of humming, quiet intensity. [Sam Wiseman]

Imperial, the opener to Necro Deathmort’s third longplayer, seeks to bewilder and confuse with an array of scattered laptop beats before giving way to the blackened assault of slow-motion guitar chugs of Led to the Water. A few tracks later, though, and it’s apparent that the riffing here isn’t particularly thick or sludgy, especially when stacked up against the crushing aesthetics of peers like Electric Wizard and Ufomammut. Cookson and Rozeik’s utilisation of tinny, computerised drum sounds also tends to deflate their project’s supposed heaviness.

What they do have is a knack for weaving together textures which assemble to produce a dense, mesmeric atmosphere. The duo would probably feel comfortable soundtracking sci-fi B-movies: check the disquietingly dark ambience of Wretched Hag, which thrums and throbs forebodingly before colliding with the harsh caterwaul of album highlight Arrows. To see them hit similar peaks elsewhere would have been preferable to the hazy ambiguity which holds the record back in its second half. [Ross Watson]

www.marconiunion.com

distractionrecords.com

rrrrR Though they’ve continued to dazzle throughout the last two decades, Mercury Rev’s identity splintered the day they parted ways with original vocalist David Baker.

Yerself Is Steam and Boces were marvellously noisy, rough-edged wonders, a galaxy away from the elfin dramatics that followed his acrimonious departure. Since then, Baker’s been quiet: one album under the name of Shady, then eighteen years lying low off-radar.

Variety Lights is his reintroduction, and it’s as thornily inventive as might be expected.

Making no concessions to accessibility, Starlit provides a sprawling, centreless opener, mixing abrasive electronic judders with spacey drones. Establishment switches track with string melodies that carry hints of TV on the Radio, while elsewhere, Silent Too Long (one of the album’s catchier numbers) marries fuzzy guitar and airport-tannoy synthesisers to hypnotic effect. Not every track is a complete success, but, importantly, neither is any short on intrigue, making this a wholly welcome return. [Chris Buckle]

Don Niño

Mina Tindle

Ryat

InFineon, 4 Jun

Believe, Out Now

Brainfeeder, 5 Jun

In the Backyard of Your Mind

Taranta

rrrRR

rrrRR

The circling, delicately picked-out acoustic guitar lines and soft-yet-sprightly tunes that characterise Don Niño’s debut owe a significant debt to the pastoral avant-pop of Gastr del Sol, Jim O’Rourke and David Grubbs. In the Backyard of Your Mind marshals a familiar assemblage of shuffling percussion, hypnotic melodies and hushed vocals, but there are plenty of new ideas floating around here in the understated shimmers of guitar distortion hovering in the background.

Niño’s talent for imaginative arrangements is undeniable: the combination of acoustic melodies, whistling, brass, handclaps and whirring electronics on Free Birds, for example, manages to somehow sound simultaneously gentle and cacophonous, teeming with a fuzzy, summery life. Backyard is a record so attuned to the sensibility of its predecessors that it feels almost symbiotically entwined with them, but the result is a voice that adds new layers and depth to an existing tradition. [Sam Wiseman]

With a stage name adapted from twist-laden, Michael Caine-starring thriller Sleuth, Mina Tindle (born Pauline de Lassus) seems keen to preserve a little mystery on debut Taranta. The singer’s cosmopolitan background – Spanish heritage, French upbringing, a musical awakening in Brooklyn – has cultivated an appealing air of disaffiliation, as she plays with a variety of semblances and freely switches tongues (mostly English, with occasional French and the odd snippet of Spanish).

Naturally, some guises suit better than others: she carries off ‘upbeat indie-popper’ beautifully on To Carry Small Things; ‘melancholic folkie’ a little less so on the Nick Drake-ish Echo, which though pleasant, seems pallid against the more potent emotion exhibited elsewhere. Indeed, inconsistency is Tindle’s only significant foe: she already has both the vocal talent and the compositional wherewithal to nip the heels of express influences like Regina Spektor; now she just needs a steadier identity to channel them. [Chris Buckle]

www.myspace.com/donnino

minatindle.com

Volcano!

Piñata

Chris Buckle, 5 Jun

rrrRR Instantly appealing on the outside, but with treats at their core: the piñata not only provides a name for Volcano!’s third album, it’s a cracking metaphor for the band’s musical ventures more broadly. The Chicago trio have successfully pushed their sound in two not easily-reconciled directions, sounding both more experimental and more accessibly pop at once.

Unusual syntheses result: take closer Long Gone, the first track to our knowledge to simultaneously recall both Talking Heads and Sisqo’s Thong Song; or St Mary of Nazareth, in which quivering vocals and a crazy cosmic narrative about alien nuns suggest Muse, though with guitars set to ‘afrobeat sway’ instead of ‘turbo Queen.’ Throughout, arrhythmic percussion, busy melodies, and Aaron With’s feverish vocals are consistent signature elements, and if Piñata ultimately lacks the standout track or two needed to elevate it into the major leagues, it’s not for lack of imagination. [Chris Buckle] www.volcanoisaband.com

Totem

rrrRR A female solo artist who generates lush, complex electronic soundscapes, which ebb and flow between chamber-pop peaks and shuffling, syncopated glitchy beats, is inevitably going to generate comparisons with Björk; and in US artist Ryat’s case, the parallels are rendered impossible to ignore by the similarities in vocal pitch and timbre. Along with acts like Zola Jesus and Tara Busch, Ryat’s aesthetic testifies to the enduring influence and imaginative possibilities of Björk’s cinematic, ambient electronica-led approach to song.

That sound does mean that Totem occasionally struggles to shrug off the dated, coffee-table melodrama of 90s trip-hop; and some of Ryat’s experiments, like the jazz-influenced Object Mob, backfire, undermining the tension and cohesion of the record somewhat. Yet tracks like Footless, which buries an insistent, pugilistic grime kick beneath radiant, tremulous chord patterns, are more common; and they illustrate that Ryat’s rhythmic inspirations and aesthetic palette are, for the most part, canny and original. [Sam Wiseman]

A Place to Bury Strangers

The Top five 1

Future of the Left

The Plot Against Common Sense

2 Liars

WIXIW

3

Kandodo

Kandodo

4 Capitol K

Andean Dub

5 Laurel Halo

Quarantine

Worship

Dead Oceans, 11 Jun

rrRRR It’s never pretty when good bands go off the boil but the drop off that A Place to Bury Strangers seem to have experienced since 2009’s Exploding Head is particularly shocking. The band sound tired and uninspired for the duration, a feeling corroborated by Oliver Ackermann’s lyrics and vocal delivery, both of which are even more tormented than usual (‘either way I choose/ the choice is wrong/so I choose wrong/always wrong’).

Hooks are in short supply too, but You’re the One rides a lissom bassline halfway to sensuality before Ackermann’s arsenal of stompboxes blows the asshole out of its chorus, leaving only a weightless metallic mist in its place. Given their reputation for overwhelming sonics, the band’s decision to self-produce this album seems to have backfired. Worship can claim the dubious distinction of being not only one of the loudest albums of the year so far, but one of the most boring. [Mark Shukla] aptbs.tumblr.com

June 2012

THE SKINNY 43

music

REV I EW : NEW B LOO D

Sh a d o w s a n d L i g h t Combining unearthly vocals with epic riffs and mysterious, understated graphic design, Glasgow’s Holy Esque have swiftly become an attractive proposition Interview: Bram E. Gieben

44 THE SKINNY

June 2012

Photos: Ross Gilmore

Sometimes it takes a band years to find their sound, that particular je ne sais quoi that sets them apart from the herd. It’s rare indeed to find one that arrives fully-formed. Often when that does happen, they’re made up of seasoned musicians who have been through the ranks of several other groups. Not so with Holy Esque.

Blazing onto the Glasgow scene with their four-track debut EP Holy Esque, the’ve been hotly pursued by the London A&R mob, toured with WU LYF, and attracted praise from bloggers, promoters and journalists the world over. The hype, for once, is justified. Their epic, emotionally heavy songs pack a punch that belies their collective youth.

Barely out of their teens, Holy Esque’s songs convey a depth of feeling and experience that have drawn comparisons with The Undertones and Echo & The Bunnymen.

One of the most remarkable things about Holy Esque is the voice of their singer, Pat Hynes. It’s a strange, elemental sound; combining the rasping, torn intensity of Kurt Cobain or Tom Waits, filtered through an unearthly vibrato that sounds alternately like laughter, or the gasping contractions of uncontrollable grief. Meeting Hynes face-to-face is unnerving. His voice is a sharp contrast to the fresh-faced, almost awkward boyishness of his appearance. He is modest about his vocal technique: “It’s just how I naturally express myself,” he says.

“I’ve always sung this way. I can’t really put a style or a technique on it. I just sing, and that’s what happens.”

Hynes’ vocals can be a deal-breaker for some listeners. As with Thom Yorke or the aforementioned Cobain, some people just don’t get it.

Hynes himself has not always been comfortable with the way he sings. Initially, he says: “I thought it was fucking weird. I was like, ‘Why can’t I sing?’

But I learned to appreciate it and work with it, and I gained a little bit of control over it. But I can’t stop it. It’s just the way it is.”

Two of the band’s members, keyboardist/guitarist Keir Reid and drummer Ralph McClure, are students at the Glasgow School of Art, and the band are

R E V I E W : NE W B L O O D keen to retain as much control as possible over the visual aesthetic of Holy Esque. “The music goes hand in hand with the art and graphic design. It has to,” insists Reid. They designed the band’s logo, a crucifix turned at an angle, casting a shadow.

The symbolism of the band’s quasi-religious imagery and name is something they prefer not to explain in full, however: “We think the image, the symbol, is very important,” says Reid. “We want it to be recognised, but at the same time we want it to be questioned.” The shadow of the cross could be a reference to Christianity’s long shadow, the legacy of faith. It could be a comment on Nietzsche’s famous statement: “God is dead; but given the way of men, there may still be caves for thousands of years in which his shadow will be shown.” The band are loath to confirm or deny my speculation about the meaning of their logo: “It’s nothing religious, but there are elements of religion involved,” says Reid. Hynes seems to enjoy the fact that the image raises more questions than it answers: “It’s open to interpretation,” he says. “It can mean something or it can mean nothing. Take it for what you will.”

This refusal to be drawn on their intriguing imagery, combined with a distinct lack of biographical and personal information about the band’s members, has led some to speculate that the band are intentionally being mysterious. Guitarist Hugo McGinley is keen to deny that: “It wasn’t intentional,” he says. “We just didn’t want to put up any shit, man. You see a lot of bands posting what they do on a day-to-day basis, and it’s just taking the piss.”

Hynes believes that Holy Esque’s music speaks for itself: “You just need to know the band, you don’t need to know where they’re all from and what they had for breakfast... We just want folk to focus on the music. The rest of it... who gives a fuck?”

McGinley elaborates: “The whole ‘mysterious band’ thing... It’s almost like somebody caught on to it, and it’s just snowballed. People have misread it, but I can understand where that comes from.”

Reid is keen to put the ‘mysterious’ tag down to journalistic exaggeration: “Someone’s written ‘I

We just want folk to focus on the music.

The rest of it... who gives a fuck?

Pat Hynes

don’t know much about them’ and then someone else takes his words and changes them into ‘Noone knows anything about them.’ It’s not like we wear masks on stage.”

And yet, the band are difficult to pin down on many subjects. Asked who they see as their peers or influences within the Glasgow scene, and they refuse to be drawn: “We are totally on the outside of whatever is going on right now,” says Hynes. Reid agrees: “There are loads of bands in Glasgow right now who are all doing the same thing, but our sound is very different,” he says, but will not name any of the bands he is referring to. When asked whether they feel any affinity to the older wave of Glasgow bands, such as Belle & Sebastian and Arab Strap, the band are quick to point out that the era of these bands is long over: “There’s a gap, and something new has got to happen,” says Hynes.

Talking to Holy Esque, there is a sense that they are very close. All dressed in skinny black jeans and monochrome colours, they look almost like a hipster street gang: “There’s a real togetherness with it,” says McGinley, describing the band’s dynamic.

Drummer Ralph McClure agrees, saying: “I can’t picture us doing anything else, to be honest.”

Their EP was recorded by a legend of the Glasgow music scene, Kevin Burleigh, producer of Glasvegas and Simple Minds. Burleigh came along to one of their early gigs, and immediately fell in love with the band’s sound: “It was about his love for the music, rather than anything else,” says Hines. Their manager, Matt Sadowski, had invited Burleigh along to the gig: “He was blown away by the vocals,” he relates. Having an experienced producer on board really helped cement the band’s sound on their first EP: “A lot of credit is due to Kevin,” explains Hynes.

“The music came from us, but having someone that understands the cycle, and knows the feel of the band, that made a huge difference.”

Holy Esque have toured extensively in the UK, and even made it out to Estonia to play a music festival in the city of Tallinn, where a capacity crowd watched them perform in an old Soviet theatre. There is a sense that the band are still keenly focused on touring, gigging and reaching out to new audiences, rather than on recording. They will play “anywhere that will have us,” according to Hynes, but won’t confirm or deny their plans for recording an album, or signing to a label. Their manager is more forthcoming: “Hopefully around this time next year we are looking at a diary filled

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with worldwide festivals in the summer months to promote an album release,” says Sadowski.

There is always a risk that hype can destroy a band, and there is certainly a lot of expectation riding on Holy Esque, given that they only have a handful of tracks under their belt. If they can keep writing songs as anthemic and powerful as Ladybird Love and Rose, they could well be destined for greatness. For now, the band are still becoming accustomed to the attention and praise: “You find yourself laughing at it because you don’t know what else to do,” says Hynes. “We appreciate it, and it helps the band, but it’s not something that any of us have been exposed to before.”

Whether the band’s history and aesthetics will ever be elaborated upon remains to be seen. For now, all we have to go on is their music, and the strange shadow cast by their imagery. Perhaps the meanings we project onto their songs and their aesthetic are more powerful than the truth could ever be. In the words of William Blake: "Imagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow."

Holy Esque’s self-titled EP is out now on iTunes. You can listen to a stream on soundcloud.com/holyesque www.facebook.com/HolyEsque

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June 2012

THE SKINNY 45

REVIEWS: PREVIEWS

clubs

CLUBBING HIGHLIGHTS WORDS: NEIL MURCHISON

100% SILK TOUR FEAT. LA VAMPIRES & ITAL NICE N SLEAZY, THU 7 JUN

Nice-N-Sleazy welcomes the shape-shifting world of Amanda Brown and co to the confines of its nefarious basement this month, presenting a ‘best of’ from the LA based eclectic collective. As LA Vampires, Brown has traversed the sounds of the callously tagged ‘witch house’ movement (with the staggering Zola Jesus), bewildering acid lo-fi with Psychic Reality and bleary fairytale dancehall with Daniel MartinMccormick, aka Ital, as well as founding the highly zeitgeisty labels Not Not Fun and 100% Silk.

With former collaborators and label mates in tow for tonight, the Sauciehall Street noise hole is a haven for those looking for the best in tripped out, reverb-heavy atmospherics and close-to-the-bone audio perversions channelled through a skewed filter of juke, dub, disco and house.

Further support comes from the riveting Maria Minerva, who sounds like a modernised version of Julee Cruise in those Twin Peaks Roadhouse scenes, or Julia Holter’s little sister. The lineup is concluded with Magic Touch, a San Francisco-based DJ with a seemingly endlessly inventive cut-and-paste approach, which he applies to the most unexpected of subjects. This will be a real treat for fans of the likes of Salem, Aids-3D and oOoOO, and such sounds are seldom heard round these parts. [Calum Sutherland]

ILLUSTRATION: WWW.VERBALSPICKS.COM

JIMMY EDGAR: MAJENTA LIVE THE BERKELEY SUITE, FRI 8 JUN

Indulging in my own fantasy for a moment, I like to imagine that the Detroit school system is entirely based around two fundamental curricular activities: car production and producing electronic music. The average day probably involves a morning of chassis design followed by double of 303 squelches. If this beautiful vision were actually true then Jimmy Edgar, who was born in the city, would be the kid who passed all his exams early and then left to do something interesting, probably in Berlin.

Still only 28 and having now set up camp at Hotflush after previously finding a home on Warp and !K7, Edgar has not diverted too far from his original thesis of ramping the sleaze setting right up to maximum, and you’d rather your Mum saw the cover art of his new album Majenta - featuring a dolled-up, androgynous bald character with a bizarre head tattoo - than the track titles on the back. While he’s clearly got a one-track mind, he manages to sustain it over the breadth of an album whether it’s over some R&B dripping with synths, or persistent, driven electro. The triple A support of Dam Mantle, Machinedrum and HARA (HaHaHa and Raksha) knock this one out of the park. [Kenneth Scott] 11PM - 3AM, £6+BF WWW.BERKELEYSUITE.COM

10PM - 3AM, £10, £8 ADVANCE WWW.NICENSLEAZY.COM

BALKANARAMA SPECIAL

BLONDES

STUDIO 24, SAT 9 JUN

SNEAKY PETE’S, THU 14 JUN

If you want to do one thing this month that you can be sure you’ll remember come the end of the year then Balkanarama is your baby. The fourth edition of this annual celebration of Balkan music crams in a truly diverse line-up featuring almost as many conceivable aspects of Eastern European music that can reasonably be fitted under one roof, and a little bit of the culture too. Try the Turkish coffees, sample the free shots of a plum brandy called rakija, watch the small army of dancers (or learn for yourself at the pre-event belly dancing class), or just soak up the films and visuals that accompany the music.

It is, after all, the music that underpins the whole night and the line up is bigger and just as eclectic as ever, with nine piece Smash Kafana playing gypsy and Balkan music while Derry’s Balkan Alien Sound reinterpret the traditional music through their own celtic perspective. There will also be plenty of Balkan beats being deployed across the two floors of what will be a night bursting with activity, while members of Black Cat and the Edinburgh-based Orkestra Del Sol conduct an off-the-cuff jam session. [Neil Murchison] 9.30PM - 3AM, £10/11, £9 ADVANCE

About two years ago Brooklyn-based duo Blondes began to attract the kind of blog buzz that is sometimes reserved for music that is most effective on headphones or in darkened rooms where it can creep up on you and leave you slightly hypnotised by the perpetual sonic kaleidoscopes that are created. Sam Haar and Zach Steinman’s pulsating electronic canvasses form and reform to develop new textures and patterns in a dizzying, swirling tapestry of arpeggiated synths and percussion which constantly reveal some new motif or direction.

The towering You Mean So Much To Me from their debut was essentially a cascading breakdown of the variety that you might find in a club at 2am, although slowed down to 105bpm and drawn out for nine ecstatic minutes. It’s little wonder they ended up mesmerising Space in Ibiza when they played there last summer and confirmed that they are a genuine live experience. This, in part, is probably due to the loose, liberated and often joyful quality of their music which extends to referring to songs as ‘takes’ rather than ‘tracks’ and which reaffirms that the electronics are an instrument just like any other. [Neil Murchison]

BALKANARAMA.ORG

10PM, £5 WWW.BLONDEBLONDEBLONDES.COM

46 THE SKINNY

JUNE 2012

OH SUMMER, with your long lazy days, your football tournaments and music festivals; the galavants abroad, the carefree attitude. You end up giving us such a good time that we gorge on you without having to go in search of fun. Well, don’t be fooled by it. There is a whole world of free or seriously underpriced beats happening this month and all the grizzly details are here.

When the guests are away the residents will play, and that’s definitely the case at Tribute who throw the doors of La Cheetah open to you for their residents night on Fri 8 June, so there is no excuse not to be part of the action. If catching up with the always excellent i AM at the newly-polished Cabaret Voltaire on Thursday nights wasn’t enough of a draw, then a visit to the club’s website will help you in your quest for free guestlist passes. If free summer raves sound like your kind of thing (and if they aren’t, you have to start finding more suitable reading material) then try out Substance at The Bongo Club on Fri 15 June, which is free before 11.30pm. Melting Pot also hold a special residents only night on Sat 2 June at The Admiral before taking off on their summer break (and if you hit the pre-club between 9pm - 11pm you can try to grab some limited passes for £5).

Pi-eyed hold their annual free party and their no money, no problems template will be delivering some pretty heavyweight action in the presence of hard core breaks and neo-rave DJ / producer Dave Skywalker, and the anarchic D‘n’B / breakcore / jungle repertoire of Wombcorps at La Cheetah on Fri 15 June. Having settled into their new ward at Studio 24, Animal

Hospital return on Fri 15 June, which will see them up to all of their old zoological tricks in an unashamed attempt to make your inner animal come out and play. Joining them before 11.30pm means you can do it for free.

When Black Van released the hypnotically seductive track Yearning back in 2010, the presumption was that this was the work of some young New York upstart who had knocked together a synth disco house classic with the sole intention of getting signed by James Murphy. In reality it was the work of two Germans, Kris Menace and KoweSix who are deeply ingrained in electronic music, and have the back catalogue of albums and remixes to prove it (not to mention their other projects and the labels they run). Their output as Black Van has been sparse, but everything so far suggests that this excursion to The Berkeley Suite on Sat June 16 will be a masterclass in deep, funky house with bite, and it’s just a fiver.

Finally, charity may begin at home but imagine how much better it would be if it ended up in a club? That’s the idea behind Philanthrobeats who have another exceptional one-off event to bring you whilst helping out a deserving charity.

This second outing on Thur 7 June at Chambre 69 will have proceeds going towards Once Upon a Smile, and ensuring the maximum of interest is a decidedly thumping line up featuring a back to back session of head bouncing, bass-preoccupied house and garage from regular co-conspirators Floyd and NoFace, who will also be joined by Mixed Bizness luminary Boom Monk Ben, as well as Chungo Bungo and Denney & Fortywinks.

REV I EW : P REV I EWS

O2 ABC Love Music Column

clubs

Do You Come He r e Of t en?

V i ta m i n s

We focus on the best resident or unique club nights happening right under your nose, this month talking to the resident DJs of one of Glasgow’s most eclectic parties, Vitamins Interview: Laura Forsyth

OPEN AND BUSY EVERY NIGHT 73 COWGATE EDINBURGH Badmouth Battles #3 Jinx in full flow

Badmouth Battles #4

photo: dvlx.net

O2 ABC2, Sat 28 Jul, 6pm - 11pm, £6

Night: Vitamins Where: A forest, a club...it really does vary When: Sporadic so keep your eye on their Facebook or these pages Looking to give a little boost to your weekends? In the presence of the Vitamins gang it’ll be impossible not to enjoy the energy radiating from one of Glasgow’s most unique nights.

Ensuring that no event is ever the same, these guys consider all the stuff that makes clubbing fun, which can sometimes be forgotten when the priority is the music alone. That’s not to say the music isn’t given its due, especially since they have hosted the likes of West Norwood Cassette Library and, most recently, a heaving roster of artists from the Unknown to the Unknown label. You’ll probably end up meeting some new pals too, as it’s a seriously friendly crowd and you are always guaranteed a variety of sweet, sweet sounds.

The DJs: Shaun Murphy & Sam Murray Shaun: There are four of us who run Vitamins, but myself and Sam are the resident DJs. We’re both into playing a fairly broad selection of music. I started out as a hiphop DJ with a love of happy hardcore and Paradise Garage records, and I think some of the genre hopping aesthetic of scratch DJing has stuck with me.

Sam: Similar to Shaun really, although I don’t think my cuts are quite as tight.

How did it all begin?

Shaun: We all met at Subcity Radio whilst working on the station’s events, where we got to put on some amazing parties. But there are limits when you have as broad a schedule as Subcity and our ideas were outgrowing these limits.

What is the ethos of the night?

Sam: There isn’t really a Vitamins ‘sound.’ At the beginning, I had aspirations to have each event musically completely different, disco one month and grime the next. The plan was to try and bring together crowds from different ‘scenes’ who wouldn’t normally see each other. Instead we get a really mixed crowd, which I’m happy about.

At Vitamins 7 we had West Norwood Cassette Library playing jacking house and techno, and then El-B & Rolla MC doing a classic UKG set.

Shaun: Visually we like something memorable, bold and unusual, and I like to avoid just using the lights and visuals as wallpaper. They should be poking you in the eye in harmony with the music! Some of the stuff we’ve built includes an

eight-foot high pyramid, a giant robot skull made of copper tubing, and a twenty-foot black cube containing a mini-club in a forest.

What makes people come back?

Shaun: Vitamins wouldn’t work as a weekly residency somewhere, each event we do is a stand alone concept and, because each event is distinct, they are more memorable. People are always asking us what we’re doing for the next one.

Sam: There will always be a few characteristics, such as a space that you’ve never been in before or, if it’s in a club, then it’s going to be the first time you’ve seen it set out that way. The emphasis is on the crowd having a good time.

Vitamins parties aren’t about standing about showing off your new trainers, it’s about getting on your mates or a stranger’s shoulders and getting a bounce. People get excited for our parties because they are interested to see what we do, which puts quite a lot of pressure on us. If you hype people up and they aren’t impressed then it’s much more disappointing. It’s gone pretty well on the whole so far though.

What would be three Vitamins anthems?

Thomas Bangalter’s What To Do, Never Too Much by Luther Vandross, and S-Type’s You Da Best.

A funny thing happened one night...

Sam: I’ll never forget when we went to pick up the generator to power Vitamins 2 [held in a forest]. We booked a 4x4 but it turned out that the owner’s son had decided to take it to Rothsey with his girlfriend. The only other vehicle with a tow bar was an old clapped out Vauxhall people carrier, but when we turned up in Hamilton to collect the generator it broke down in the middle of the road. We did get it started, and Chris Casey set off to the forest while I went to Glasgow to get the crowd on buses. The thing is, Chris hadn’t driven since he passed his test six years before, but he was the only person would could get insured for the car. The Vauxhall couldn’t do more than 45mph without the generator swinging about, so we had to delay the buses and Chris raced them there. The power got activated about 60 seconds before the crowd arrived. Thankfully it went off from the word go!

Keep updated on forthcoming Vitamins nights at www.facebook.com/vitamins.glasgow Check out their radio show on Subcity Radio at www.subcity.org

What is it in the human psyche that causes people to exaggerate their own magnificence while attempting to assassinate the character of someone else?

That might be the sort of question that would cross your mind if you and a few hundred other people weren’t trying so hard to contain your laughter at what you had just heard as a result of those impulses. This is Badmouth Battles, where MCs take each other on in staged contests between mics and minds in front of a bear pit crowd who are ready to lap up the offensive artistry and devastating lines being unleashed. The premise is simple enough: a coin toss decides who begins and then over three rounds each MC takes their turn to do battle with a set of judges deciding the victor. Orchestrating the night is Glasgow’s own Gasp & Depths who have both appeared in previous contests, including facing off against each other. “A lot of good battlers will try to flip what their opponent has just said in the last round, and when that is done well it can win a battle,” Gasp says. “It’s always a good feeling when you can make a rebuttal to what someone has said and it lands perfectly. Other times it can fall flat and can even fling you off for the start of your round.”

Where the comparatively gentlemanly rules of boxing (if obeyed) prevent contestants from striking below the belt, the rules of engagement in this arena are less prohibitive. In fact, the region below the belt is often the topic of some of the more particularly vicious slurs; but Gasp feels that this is all part of the contest. “When you step in the ring the gloves are off and you are trying to belittle your opponent as much as possible, although there are some things I wouldn’t say.” Hitting the obvious targets isn’t always the best way to win out a contest though. “I have seen great battles where people’s faces just drop after someone has said something no one was expecting. You need to cover all angles and styles of attack and it’s good to see the different reactions from a crowd when the downright nasty, disgusting and unimaginable things have been said.”

The role of the crowd in these contests is far more than that of passive observers. “I believe the crowd is everything,” Gasp explains. “Without them it would just be two people screaming at each other. Most battlers will get hyped off the crowd and sometimes even get them involved and that’s when shit can get interesting.” The atmosphere of the battles has to be experienced first hand but the killer lines can be relived again on the Badmouth YouTube channel which has some classic grudge contests on record. The most watched of them at present features Loki against Jinx where the balance of power lurches back and forth between the MCs as devastating put downs rain down. “It was a clash of two absolute Scottish legends and no one would have thought they would have battled in that format. If the first time wasn’t wild enough they had a rematch at the next event and, well, just watch the battle!”

Badmouth Battles #4 takes place on Sat 28 Jul 6pm Tickets available at O2 ABC Box Office & online facebook.com/badmouthbattles youtube.com/user/badmouthbattles www.o2abcglasgow.co.uk facebook.com/o2ABCglasgow

WWW.SNEAKYPETES.CO.UK

WE OWN PRESENTS

RICHY AHMED 2ND JUNE

THEESATISFACTION WITH YOUNG FATHERS

3RD JUNE

TERA MELOS 4TH JUNE

AUSTRA 5TH JUNE

CLAUDE VONSTROKE 6TH JUNE

JACK SAVORETTI 7TH JUNE

Night Music BLONDES 14TH JUNE

COMMUNION

THE PALE SEAS 17TH JUNE

NUMBERS 29TH JUNE LUCKYME 27TH JULY

Night Music

FACTORY FLOOR 25TH AUGUST

RAE MORRIS 23RD SEPTEMBER

twitter.com/thosevitamins

June 2012

THE SKINNY 47

REVIEW

film

J u n e E V EN T S Refugee Week, taking place between 18-24 June, aims to recognise the contribution refugees make in Scotland, educate people on related issues, and to have fun while doing so. With over 100 events across the country, several films are included, such as The Colour of the Ocean, playing at both the Filmhouse (19 Jun) and the GFT (20 Jun). The director, Maggie Peren, will be attending both screenings for a short talk about her film, a drama about two refugees, a father and son, who are washed ashore in the Canaries. For details of the entire programme, go to www.refugeeweekscotland.com.

Casa De Mi Padre

Casa de Mi Padre

Killer Joe

Director: Matt Piedmont Starring: Will Ferrell, Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Genesis Rodriguez, Nick Offerman Released: 8 Jun Certificate: 15

Director: William Friedkin Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon Released: 29 Jun Certificate: 18

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Will Ferrell is back with this very odd, and quite likable, parody of overwrought Mexican soap operas. Ferrell plays Armando, the austere and upright son of rancher Miguel Ernesto (Pedro Armendáriz Jr.), whose simple life is jeopardised by the return of his newly-married sleazeball brother, Raul (Luna), and bride Sonia (Rodriguez). This change in family dynamic and the temptation of Sonia aside, our hero must also worry about the threat posed to his father’s land by megalomaniac drug baron Onza (Gael García Bernal). Just as well Armando’s really tough.

A running gag of continuity errors and rubbish production values wears thin over 90 minutes, though Ferrell’s absurdly stoic superman is a hoot, with Bernal and Luna providing (and probably having) the most fun inhabiting wildly OTT baddies. A couple of wittily staged, extravagant action set-pieces add to the merriment, but this is a film that gets by on an endearing silliness rather than belly laughs. [Chris Fyvie]

William Friedkin’s uncomfortably funny thriller is hard to enjoy, but easy to admire.

Taking this disturbing trip into a sweaty, depraved backalley of Americana is Emile Hirsch, a small-time drug dealer owing a life-threatening debt, who persuades his trailer-trash father (Thomas Haden Church) to have his estranged wife contract killed, and claim the life insurance. Naturally, things do not go according to plan.

From Gina Gershon’s pubic hair onwards, it’s clear Friedkin’s appetite for provocation has not dimmed, and the veteran director’s eye is as sharp as ever.

Knockout performances come from future Brit star Juno Temple and rarely-thisgood Matthew McConaughey, as the indomitable psychopath Joe. The script, from playwright Tracy Letts, is unpredictable and sometimes uneven, with many long, dialogue-heavy scenes better suited to the stage, but it is powerfully dense and often blackly comic, especially as a knowing study of social graces in the deep south. And McConaughey’s unexpected new career trajectory, from shirtless heartthrob to complex anti-hero, continues apace. [John Nugent] Killer Joe opens the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2012 on 20 Jun and opens nationwide from 29 Jun

The Innkeepers

The Turin Horse

Director: Ti West Starring: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis Released: 8 Jun Certificate: 15

Director: Béla Tarr Starring: János Derzsi, Erika Bók, Mihály Kormos Released: 1 Jun Certificate: 15

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Our primal fear of haunted houses is fertile ground for the horror devotees, but it’s been well farmed over the years. Now director Ti West adds to the genre with his curious shocker The Innkeepers. A simple plot involves two employees tasked with overseeing a haunted hotel and its smattering of oddball guests.

Their slacking off is interspersed with paranormal investigation into the inn’s dark legend. What elevates this above the average scary movie is that West seems more influenced by mumblecore than horror. We are served idle chitchat and everyday mundanity, allowing the slow burn to almost extinguish.

But each gesture chips away at character definition, making their later peril so much more troubling. The film channels ghosts of movies past, including The Legend of Hell House and Polanski’s The Tenant, however West’s film remains distinctive, if at times confusing and ambiguous. He twists expectations by remixing clichéd genre staples with genuine individuality. Fanboy bloodlust may not be sated here, but the patient will be rewarded. [Alan Bett]

Over two and a half portentous hours, Béla Tarr’s swan-song proves as vexingly enigmatic as his fans no doubt hoped, and his detractors might have feared. As an unnamed man and his daughter persevere wearily with joyless routine, an unspoken apocalypse insidiously creeps in to steal away speech, appetite, even light.

The crisp cinematography is stunning; the soundtrack is an evocative loop of haunting post-rock; and every utterance is pregnant with precise, unquestionable purpose – but it’s also exhausting. However, were its sequences trimmed, its ascetic tone softened, or its obscurities given clarity, the potency of its metaphor would be diminished, making it a wholly worthwhile endurance.

There are echoes of The Sacrifice (the film with which Andrei Tarkovsky concluded his similarly-feted career) in the sparse despair and unfathomable bleakness, lending added poignancy to the quiet desolation at its core: the end of a pioneering filmmaker’s career, mapped onto the end of the world. [Chris Buckle]

facebook.com/theinnkeepersmovie

www.artificial-eye.com

The Angels’ Share

Where Do We Go Now?

Director: Ken Loach Starring: Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, William Ruane, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggins, Siobhan Reilly Released: 1 Jun Certificate: 15

Director: Nadine Labaki Starring: Nadine Labaki, Layla Hakim, Yvonne Maalouf, Claude Baz Moussawbaa Released: 22 Jun Certificate: 15

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Life isn’t half as grim in Ken Loach-land as his detractors would have you believe. For five decades his angry rallying cries against the ruling classes have been ballasted by warm humour. The socialist firebrand’s latest is a Glasgowset comedy cum heist-movie about a quartet of community service ne’er-dowells, led by Robbie (newcomer Paul Brannigan), a young man with a violent past and the battle scars to prove it, who endeavour to change their criminal ways – once they’ve knocked-off a priceless barrel of whisky, that is.

It’s a deeply humane story of second chances, but there’s a problem: Loach doesn’t trust comic pathos alone to communicate his message of redemption.

Brutal antagonists (screenwriter Laverty’s Achilles’ heel) collide with the broad comedy with all the subtly of Eisenstein, while Loach’s strict adherence to a realist aesthetic makes the fairytale plot tough to swallow. Also unforgivable is the use of The Proclaimers on the soundtrack – twice. Yes, Ken, we do need roses with our bread, but easy on the cheese. [Jamie Dunn]

Nadine Labaki’s new film is called Where Do We Go Now? but a more pertinent question might be, ‘What was she thinking?’ Having made an impressive directorial debut with the modestly scaled Caramel, Labaki attempts to take a comedic look at sectarian conflict with her latest picture – and she flounders almost immediately.

Set in a remote Lebanese village, the film details the extraordinary lengths the female villagers go to in order to quell the urges driving their menfolk to acts of tit-for-tat violence. These include drugging them with hash brownies, faking a miracle at the local church and – in one of many inexplicable developments – enlisting a troupe of travelling Ukrainian strippers.

Labaki plays it all for broad laughs and incorporates a couple of musical numbers, but she loses sight of the seriousness at the heart of her story (the lack of impact provided by the death of one character is absurd), and this infuriatingly facile film becomes almost unendurable as it lurches from one misguided set-piece to another. [Philip Concannon]

48 THE SKINNY

June 2012

The Colour of the Ocean

Zombies have come a long way since White Zombie, their first voodoo-inspired film debut in 1932, evolving from brainwashed slaves to brain-eating corpses. The Plague of the Zombies, a 1966 film, bridges this gap between Haitian mythology and the more familiar undead made popular by George A Romero. Showing at the DCA in Dundee on 12 June, don’t miss this rare opportunity to see one of the more thought-provoking films to emerge from Hammer Studios.

The Plague of the Zombies

Whether it’s bird flu, mad cow disease or swine flu, it seems that every year there is a new epidemic set to wipe humanity off the face of the earth.

Despite our resilience to annihilation so far, could it actually happen? And more importantly, has Hollywood taught us how to survive? The CCA is screening Steven Soderberg’s Contagion, a seemingly realistic portrayal of the effects of a global pandemic, on 15 June as part of the Glasgow Science Festival 2012. The film will be followed by a Q&A session with a panel of experts in infectious diseases from the University of Glasgow.

Woody Allen fans should head to the Cameo in Edinburgh between 9-12 June, where four of the prolific director’s films are being shown. Beginning with Annie Hall and ending with Bananas, the mini season also includes Manhattan and Sleeper. These films showcase Allen at his finest during the 1970s, and all showcase the superb collaboration between him and Diane Keaton.

Sleeper

The Belmont in Aberdeen is hosting a special screening of Mission to Lars, a new documentary by James Moore and William Spicer. Spicer’s brother, Tom, has a rare form of autism and is obsessed with Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica. The documentary follows the family as they attempt to make Tom’s dream of meeting his hero come true. The screening, taking place on 13 June, includes a special Q&A session – guests yet to be announced. [Becky Bartlett]

REVIEW : DVD

The Squad

War of the Dead

Catch .44

Director: Jaime Osorio Marquez Starring: Juan David Restrepo, Andrés Castañeda, Andres Torres Released: 18 Jun Certificate: 15

Director: Marko Makilaakso Starring: Andrew Tiernan, Samuel Vauramo, Mark Wingett Released: Out Now Certificate: 15

Director: Aaron Harvey Starring: Bruce Wills, Forest Whitaker, Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed Released: Out Now Certificate: 15

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The military-horror genre is a tricky nut to crack. Reducing hardened combatants to blubbering wrecks is an effective way of fostering fear in an audience, but there’s always a niggling feeling that war is horrific enough without the need to lay on, say, ghosts (2004 K-horror R-Point) or undead Nazis (a perennial favourite, appearing in 2008’s Outpost amongst others). The Squad does a better job than most at reconciling conflict’s grisly realities with a supernatural undertow, chiefly by keeping its cards close to its chest.

The squad of the title are anti-guerrilla forces in the mountains of Colombia, wrestling with suspected curses and their own consciences after discovering scenes of slaughter at a remote garrison. Director Jaime Osorio Marquez lets fog-bound isolation and inter-unit tensions ratchet up an ominous atmosphere, and though the soldiers’ respective fates feel somewhat inconsequential due to broad-stroke characterisation (the superstitious one, the nervous one, and so on), their grim and gory discoveries are memorably staged. [Chris Buckle]

It’s not the only Nazi zombie movie out there, but this Lithuanian-shot action horror is one of the few set during WW2. Sadly, it’s also an unmemorable mess. A team of Finnish and American soldiers are on a mission to investigate an enemy bunker which housed secret Nazi 'anti-death' experiments. Before long there’s an ambush and we’re in familiar territory with a group of survivors against waves of reanimated soldiers. Maybe. It’s hard to follow what’s going on.

The wafer-thin plot is mainly there to connect scenes of endless shooting and running down corridors. There’s very little story, no real characters to care about and nothing’s at stake. Zombie films are everywhere these days and you’ve got to make an effort to stand out. This looks fairly polished for a low budget production, but the big problem is that it doesn’t commit. It’s not serious enough to be interesting or crazy enough to be a guilty pleasure. It’s just cheap. [Scotty McKellar]

While Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 entered public consciousness as the term for an unwinnable paradox, the title of this movie could become playground slang. “Your trainers are totally Catch .44,” a bully might cruelly say. Here we have three gun-wielding beauties caught up in a drug deal double-cross within a modern western setting. Unfortunately this vanilla trio can’t add the required measure of kick-ass danger to the cocktail, as Pam Grier or Reiko Ike exuded in the exploitation classics this film is in thrall to.

Forrest Whitaker’s quirky assassin is the only piece of on-screen interest, and even he overplays his hand, bringing to mind Brando’s bloated indulgence in The Missouri Breaks. While irredeemably derivative of Pulp Fiction in its dialogue, soundtrack and shuffled chronology, rather than describing Catch .44 as Tarantinoesque, it might be better to call it Hammondesque; a high speed car wreck that feels like it was made by the man who just crawled out of it. [Alan Bett]

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Coriolanus

You Only LIve Once

Director: Igor Maslennikov Starring: Vasili Livanov, Vitali Solomin, Nikita Mihalkov Released: Out Now Certificate: PG

Director: Ralph Finnes Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave Released: 4 Jun Certificate: 15

Director: Fritz Lang Starring: Henry Fonda, Sylvia Sidney Released: 4 Jun Certificate: 12

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What is perhaps surprising about this Soviet TV adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, made when the Cold War was at its frostiest, is that it is such a diligent and respectful adaptation of a British classic which tries so hard to recreate Victorian England accurately. But it is the unmistakably Russian elements that make it so good.

Despite the careful positioning of a portrait of Queen Victoria here, or a lopsided red post box there, it is immediately obvious that the action takes place not on the moors of Devon, but in the Russian countryside. The bleakness of the landscape, with its wide horizons, dark earth and lingering scraps of snow serves the story well, creating an air of foreboding and fear that hangs heavy over the isolated characters. Vitali Solomin’s deliberate and soulful Watson sets the tone for the production as a whole, making it a diverting alternative to the more excitable Sherlock Holmeses of recent years. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

presents

Mozart

Great Mass in C-minor (Latin)

After the enormous success of The Deathly Hallows, Ralph Fiennes made the leap from the oeuvre of one beloved British author to that of another. Taking on the lesser known Shakespearean tragedy Coriolanus, Fiennes’ ambitious directorial debut takes the form of a modern-day adaptation not at all reminiscent of Baz Luhrmann.

Penned by John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator), Fiennes himself stars opposite Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, and the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain to realise Shakespeare’s tale of vengeful soldiers and back-stabbing enemies in 'a place that calls itself Rome.'

Its measured language brings a sense of stability and pace to visuals that are otherwise similar to Middle Eastern war footage of the present day. Fiennes uses TV news-style inserts that are at once surprisingly prescient and strangely familiar to draw out contemporary parallels.

It’s a solid if somewhat inaccessible work bringing the Bard to screen in all its austerity and none of its grandeur. A darkly refreshing early summer DVD. [Nicola Balkind]

Eddie Taylor (Fonda) is a small time crook who has just completed his third stretch in the pen. He faces a life sentence if he re-offends, and that is exactly what everyone expects him to do. Only the saintly Joan (Sidney), his fiancee, has faith in him, and with her support Eddie is determined to go straight. But events turn against him and he finds himself on death row.

The predictable trajectory of a 'social problem' studio film quickly dissolves in the fog and rain with which director Fritz Lang fills the frame; what emerges is a complex and tragic portrait of the plight of an individual in a society that is intent on hounding him to his doom.

Fonda’s incendiary performance combines with Lang’s haunting images and grimly fatalistic world view to create an unforgettable work of pulp fiction. All this, and the best ever screen performance by two frogs as star crossed lovers. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

HANDEL

Chandos Anthem # 4: O Sing unto the Lord (English)

23 June 2012 19:30 Greyfriars Kirk

Conducted by Joseph Cullen and featuring the Berkshire Festival Chorus and the Scottish Festival Orchestra Tickets on sale at The Queen’s Hall £9 / £5 school children with an adult. Subject to booking fee.

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK 2a

Buy this print plus many more at www.etsy.com/shop/theartoftimwillis www.facebook.com/theartoftimwillis

INTO THE

Opening Fri 15 jun in Screen 1 tickets on sale now!

The Cameo, 38 Home Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9LZ 0871 902 5723 www.picturehouses.co.uk

@CameoCinema

CameoCinema

June 2012

THE SKINNY 49

art

IMAGE: RUTH CLARK & THE ARTIST, COMMISSIONED BY GLASGOW SCULPTURE STUDIOS

REVIEW

ZIMMY CLIFF, 3 CALLUM MONTEITH

ANNUALE 2012

Co-ordinated by Embassy Gallery in Edinburgh, Annuale 2012 looks to be as varied and exciting as ever, with plenty of grassroots arts events and activities happening all over the city.

At Superclub Gallery they’re up to their usual tricks. Having cadged the creative services of Hugo De Verteuil and Ian Rothwell, the gallery will show a film made entirely from stuff nicked off the webernet. Based on a series of 411 email scams – likely from a prince with poor grammar – the film utilises ripped YouTube videos, free trial versions of text-to-speech software and free downloadable SFX. Should be a mad jumble of fun.

Meanwhile, the Embassy will host a group show with work by David Steans, Dean Kenning, Francis Thorburn, Jason Penney and Julika Gittner.

They will be looking at public and social spaces and how we occupy them, as well as the ghosts that likewise subsist there – supposedly.

At the English Speaking Union on Atholl Crescent, artsists Diane Edwards, Sheena Leach, Callum Monteith, Liam Richardson and Alex Allan will present their project Fluid Potion.

Using information gleaned from the mass media, they will produce an ongoing artwork developed through dialogue between the artists, the audience and the gallery.

There will also be more one-off performances and screenings than anyone would care to stomach, so we suggest you see them all. Check out Tom Estes’ performance installation Portable Black Hole at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art on 8 June, which promises to be produced from the darkest material ever made. And on the 12 June, head over to Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop for a screening of Tomasz Kozak's film Flash of the New Flesh. [Andrew Cattanach] ANNUALE 2012 RUNS FROM 8-24 JUN AT VARIOUS VENUES THROUGHOUT EDINBURGH ANNUALE.ORG

FABRICS (OFF-SITE WORK, POSSIL ROAD), 2012

TERESA MARGOLLES GSS

rrrrr One of Mexico’s foremost artists, Teresa Margolles’ show at Glasgow Sculpture Studios concludes her five-month residency in the city. Ciudad Juárez, a city notorious for its horrific violence, rape and drug trafficking, is Margolles’ home and her source material. Just reading about her art takes a strong stomach. In a typical work, she took water from the morgue used to wash the murder victims from Mexico’s drug wars and had their relatives mop the gallery floor with it.

Here she focuses on the London riots last summer – an unusual period of social unrest for the UK, but perhaps less remarkable to someone hardened to the brutality of daily existence in Juárez. In the unsoiled, pristine whiteness of GSS’ new premises, the work could have been shocking or repulsive – foreign matter dirtying the gallery. Instead, you find

a single diamond in a case and a phrase carved into the wall: ‘A diamond for the crown.’

Following the riots, Margolles collected burnt detritus from streets and had it turned into a diamond.

With the text on the wall, there’s no mistaking her implication: capitalism. But it’s difficult to conjure memories of that time. The gallery seems sealed off from life and the subject almost erased from the work.

Next door, Luis Alvarado’s photographs of 1960s-80s Juárez portray a culture of vibrancy, people and celebration – a humanity absent from these works.

Up the road from the gallery is an offsite work – a billboard covered with fabric stained with dirt from Mexican crime scenes. Context apparently being integral to the work, you have to wonder what she thinks passers-by in Maryhill will make of it. While the power of her works in Mexico may stem from her integration with the local community, here her relation to the subject matter seems truly alien. [Jac Mantle] TERESA MARGOLLES’ EXHIBITION CONTINUES AT GSS UNTIL 30 JUN. WWW.GLASGOWSCULPTURESTUDIOS.ORG

ADVERTISING FEATURE: OWN ART

PRET T Y PENNY

As part of The Skinny’s collaboration with Culture Label, Edinburgh-based artist Rabiya Choudhry has reinterpreted three British coins. We chat to her about having nae money and get the lowdown on the International Bongo Bongo Brigade INTERVIEW: ANDREW CATTANACH

“What I like to do is take something and make my own version of it – filter life through my head,” says painter Rabiya Choudhry about her recently commissioned prints of three British coins. “I did a pound coin, I did a 2p and I did a penny,” she adds.

As part of a collaboration between The Skinny and the art retail website Culture Label, Choudhry was one of seven artists picked to make new limited edition prints. They’re available to buy through the Own Art scheme, which makes purchasing art easier and more affordable by letting you spread the cost over 10 months.

That Choudhry decided to draw coins for a commission geared to make the buying of art seem a viable option during a recession is surely no coincidence. And as we all know, when times are tough, artists are often some of the worst affected, with less public funding and fewer opportunities to sell their work.

“I was not working for a while and during that time I visited Greece,” says Choudhry. “I was just really skint and it felt bad to be on holiday at the time and that’s when I started thinking that I wanted to make work about money and the lack of

it. When you really don’t have money it’s pretty pish – and it felt right to do something about that.”

Choudhry’s three prints take ordinary, everyday objects – coins that most of us have in our pockets or purses, things that we largely ignore and take for granted – and reinterpret them. She draws a two pence piece in intricate detail, taking the Badge of the Prince of Wales – as seen on the reverse of the coin – and turns its big feathers into chubby snakes. She takes a one pence piece and draws the crowned portcullis – the gate and chains we see on older pennies – with eyes. The gate’s grille is a big set of gnashers, or perhaps a high, restrictive collar.

The prints manage to achieve two things: they draw our attention to objects long forgotten – things in the world we’ve taken our eye off, have given little consideration to – as well as highlighting their absurd conventions. They’re intricate and strange, using motifs from a different age (the coins she draws were originally designed by Christopher Ironside in 1971), from a time when we had distinctly different concerns.

“They’re really intricate,” says Choudhry. “And they feel bloody good as well. It was a pleasure to

1 PENCE, 45 X 60CM, £100

draw them – I found it quite meditative actually.”

The print commissions come at a good time.

Choundhry recently showed at the Old Ambulance Depot in Leith as a precursor to the Leith Late festival and will be showing in Stirling and France later this year. The prints are currently on display in Glasgow’s Urban Outfitters, and in July will appear in a Love London pop-up shop in Maiden in London’s Shoreditch to coincide with the Olympics.

As part of the artist collective the International Bongo Bongo Brigade, Choudhry regularly shows in Europe and London. The collective has an absurdist approach to exhibiting, akin to the Dadaist and Surrealist movements of the early 20th century. Their manifesto, for instance, includes the statements: ‘Bongo-Bongo is walking with your ears upsidedown,’ ‘Bongo-Bongo is hands turned into feet,’ and

‘Bongo-Bongo is the flying snail.’

What is it that ties all the participants of the International Bongo Bongo Brigade together?

“I don’t think there’s a particular aesthetic that joins us all together,” says Choudhry. “I think it’s just a group of people who are a little bit off the wall. I feel it’s the kind of art I’ve been wanting to see for a while, but it’s not generally the kind of art you’d see a lot of here.”

But Choudhry wants to change all that and hopes to have a solo exhibition in Scotland soon: “I just want to do loads more big paintings and do my own show. I’d really like to do a bloody good solo show in Glasgow, actually. It’s been a long time coming.”

LOVE LONDON, MAIDEN, 188 SHOREDITCH HIGH ST, LONDON, 9 JUL-17 AUG WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK/SHOP

Galleries across Scotland are members of the Own Art scheme. By offering interest-free loans of £100-£2,000 through Own Art, buying an original piece of quality contemporary art or craft couldn’t be easier. For more information about Own Art and a list of participating galleries see the Own Art website: www.ownart.org.uk

Offer subject to age and status. Terms and conditions apply. You will need a UK bank account that can handle direct debits, proof of identity and address, and you will also need to be over 18. Own Art is operated by ArtCo Trading Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arts Council. Registered address: Arts Council England, North East, Central Square, Forth Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3PJ

Look for the pink logo. (representative 0% APR)

249 West George Street Glasgow G2 4QE

50 THE SKINNY

JUNE 2012

books

REVIEW

Ninety Days

The Antidote

CLiNT #2.1

Harry Lipkin, P.I.

By Bill Clegg

By Oliver Burkeman

By Mark Millar, et al.

By Barry Fantoni

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“Closure is bullshit,” said crime writer James Ellroy. This book would agree, although it puts it more politely. The Antidote looks at how various notions of achieving happiness and stressing positive thinking aren’t necessarily helpful.

Goal-setting produces more stress, while avoiding grief prolongs the grieving process, and in general, ill-thought-out self-help quick fixes aren’t helpful.

Obvious enough, but then this book shows why, and suggests ‘a negative path to happiness.’

The most impressive parts are where Burkeman shows why it’s so easy to believe that quick fix paths to happiness can help. For example, the idea that successful people persevere in the face of setbacks and have the charisma to get people to follow them can be true. However, people with the same qualities can also be very unsuccessful – if you persevere and get others to believe in your non-existent future success, you’re a spectacular failure. Burkeman’s approach throughout is this sort of even-handed way of looking at issues from all angles, and his writing style is light enough to deftly communicate complexity. The book culminates when Burkeman goes to Mexico to look at the Day of the Dead celebrations, a brilliant, morbidly positive ending, right up to the final sentence. [David Agnew]

An early relaunch for the Mark Millar-produced comic anthology magazine CLiNT, tightening up here and there.

Millar handles half of the writing in this issue, contributing two new strips, with one further new one, Death Sentence, by Montynero, and a continuation of Frankie Boyle’s Rex Royd. All of the strips have that weird mix of slickness and grit that Millar typically projects – Glossy realism? Gritty romance? – it’s effective, albeit disconcerting.

They’re well written and drawn, but at this stage it’s obviously early days, and hard to know how well they’ll develop. Nonetheless, solid premises all: Millar’s Super Crooks follows a likeable, Ocean’s 11-style heist team who decide in this issue to leave superhero-laden America, to steal elsewhere; Millar’s second, Secret Service sets up a story where an Asbo teen will be trained to be James Bond; Death Sentence looks at various individuals who contract an AIDS-type virus which will kill them, but gives them superpowers first; and the confusingly non-linear Rex Royd looks at ‘Earth’s antibody,’ with an introduction to help it make any sense at all.

Some will develop into great stories, some won’t, but right now, enjoy the promise of this shiny new issue. [Keir Hind]

Release date 7 June. Published by Jonathan Cape. Cover price £14.99

Release date 21 June. Published by Canongate. Cover price £15

Out now, available from comic shops and newsagents. Published by Titan. Cover price £4.95

Barry Fantoni is a veteran contributor to Private Eye (the magazine), and this book is about a Private Eye (the actual job). Harry Lipkin P.I. is a detective in Miami, and eighty seven years old, ‘going on eighty-eight.’ Fantoni, who, it seems important to add, is 72, doesn’t make Harry old as a source of cheap gags, he does it to add a slight and often humorous twist to the detective genre.

The book is written in a way that’s reminiscent of the classic Raymond Chandler/Dashiel Hammet type of noir, with a constant awareness of Harry’s age nicely deflating the familiar rhetoric: 'I ordered a bonded Scotch neat and made myself comfortable. I didn’t want a bonded Scotch. A lemon tea would have been a whole lot more welcome. But lemon tea at the ringside? It’s like The Fastest Gun In The West asking the barman for milk.' So the first person narrative allows humour to come from Harry, rather than being at his expense. This works very well, and the story – about a jewel theft – is nicely told, and very readable. The plot falls apart at the end – typical noir – but, also typically, the atmosphere always holds up. [Keir Hind] Release date 7 June: Published by Polygon. Cover price £12.99.

tech

The drug addiction memoir has become quite a common form, but this is one of the better written ones. Bill Clegg is a literary agent, so knows something about writing, and he tells his own tale – he had become a crack addict – with just the right amount of skill, mostly using short paragraphs made up of shortish sentences in the present tense that flow neatly into one another. His style is exactly clever enough for his story, without trying to be too ostentatious and tipping into purple prose.

This isn’t Clegg’s first memoir – Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man detailed his descent into drug abuse, Ninety Days picks up afterwards, looking at his struggle with rehab. And it is a struggle, because Clegg isn’t interested in telling a trite recovery story here, which would only seem empty in the end.

Instead, the book follows his attempt to stay off drugs for ninety days, the magic number which, apparently, is a benchmark for sobriety. It’s not easy, and Clegg greatly relies on daily meetings and the cast of characters he encounters at them for support. This is a compelling account of a difficult time. [Ryan Agee]

Weegie Science

This year’s Glasgow Science Festival features something for all ages, with acrobats, robots, astronauts and much more

Looking for a high-quality, cheap alternative to the mighty Diablo III? We compare the pretenders with the game that sits the throne

Words: Alex Cole

Words: Alex Cole

bite-sized tech nuggets with ALEX COLE

Don’t think the science ends this summer – Scottish science, cool experiments and more than a few crazy uses for electricity and dry ice are just around the corner. This June, Glasgow will play host to its own Science Festival, taking place all over the city, and including the very best of robots, virology, and awesome building competitions that anyone can enter.

For the young’uns, there’s some brilliant beginner astronomy programs, along a with a personalfavourite opportunity to hear real astronauts talk about their experience in space (and how they eat soup up there. Don’t say you’ve never wondered).

The Festival also includes a safari exploration of Kelvingrove Museum, a mass project to make a coral reef, and best of all, a city-wide contest to answer some of the bigger engineering challenges with the power of K’nex building. Almost enough to make you wish the parents were young enough to play along on that one.

THE FEED

S e n d i n th e C l o n e s

For the bigger kids in town, there are intriguing discussions about whether athletes who use prosthetics have an advantage or simply make the best of a scientific opportunity, acrobats who defy the laws of gravity to illustrate the physics involved, talks on whether or not it’s ethical to display human remains for the purposes of science, and the ultimate battle to decide whether robots are here to help us or destroy us (my money is on destroy, but that’s just me).

The Festival runs from 5 June through to the 17 June, and is hosted by the University of Glasgow and a host of other institutions around the city. If you just can’t wait to get a handle on some of the scientific goodness, visit www. glasgowsciencefestival.org.uk and plan your experience for each day.

The Glasgow Science runs from 5 June to 17 June at various locations around the city. www.glasgowsciencefestival.org.uk

You could be forgiven over the past few weeks for thinking there was only one game out there for non-first person shooter types. But for those not entirely immersed in their characters for Diablo III, but who feel horribly left out the action on price tag alone, there are some very familiar-looking clones.

Firstly is the upcoming Torchlight II, the first installment of which always bore more than a passing relationship to the above game. Now it brings multiplayer and some revised classes into play, along with helpful additions like instanced loot and a great art style. The game takes pains to put a slightly different spin on the themes involved, including guns and engineers in place of monks and icky horror, but one look at the interface is a pretty familiar sight to anyone who’s slogged through any of the Diablo series. Most critically, the game will cost about half of what Blizzard’s offering does, which makes it a dead compelling offer.

Even lesser known is the ongoing beta of Path

of Exile, which makes no bones about the style it’s borrowing. Straight out of Diablo II’s look and feel, the game wants to update the gameplay, put a few twists on the old mechanics, and otherwise bring back the fun of the game from a decade ago. But all that is small fry compared to the free-to-play price. So far the open beta looks dead encouraging, though it remains to be seen if multiplayer is as fun.

And finally there’s D3 itself, the long-awaited end to the trilogy that looks and plays drop-dead beautifully, especially if you like a little thought put into your click-fests. It costs more than the others and makes the cringing decision to only let you play while online, but sometime, the original gets a few things right.

Whichever way you go, these games make sure you’re getting your money’s worth, though your mouse’s left button probably won’t thank you. www.diablo3.com

plans for in-flight wifi mean your dance Spotify playlist accessible at 30,000 ft • Facebook floating the idea of paying to post updates. In other news, skint social media types suddenly very quiet • Pirate Bay banned in UK and parts of Europe, because, well, because shut up, that's why • iPad can't claim to be '4G' anymore, as if they or anyone else knew what it meant • World of Warcraft subscriptions stabilise, for now. Those that left will rue the day they saw sunshine

June 2012

THE SKINNY 51

theatre

REVIEW

Edinburgh International Magic Festival Magic is considered by many to be an outdated and tired form of entertainment; but over the last three years Magicfest has sought to make us think again about this age-old craft. This year the Edinburgh International Magic Festival will explore visual theatre with over thirty performers taking part, many of whom are Fringe-fixtures – one conjuror having gained his place after winning Magicfest’s Close-Up Magician competition in its first year.

Performers include the charming and classic card magician Matthew Dowden and Britain’s Got Talent’s acute mind reader, Colin McLeod. However, fingering through this year’s programme and seeing entertainers like Card Ninja amid the usual black-tie clad conjurors, there’s an obvious desire to keep audiences intrigued with edgier and more flashy performances. The Ninja first made himself known around the city at the Fringe two years ago: somewhere between a novelty and an old school

close-up magician, he is a representative of a new wave of magicians who have abandoned the stereotype of the top hat and tails for an edgier take.

Elsewhere, the black magic duo Voyageurs Egares look to be a highlight as they explore the absurd and the melancholic with the dark pageantry of the circus. Artistic Director Kevin McMahon says he hopes to “inspire the audience in every show with the art of the impossible.” Magicfest has proven popular with kids and there’s a selection of interactive classes on Street Magic, one-off technical workshops and five-day courses where young magicians learn everything from card tricks to levitation. Yet tradition has not been abandoned entirely: the festival starst with a gala variety night.

Cabaret is not just for burlesque and the fringe...

[Rebecca Paul] The festival runs from 29 Jun to 6 Jul Magic and Variety Gala Show Fri 29th Jun The Royal Lyceum Theatre 2.30pm (Preview): All tickets £10 7pm: £20/£16 adults, £16/£12 conc, £10 child Duration: 2hr 30mins with interval

The Chairs Tron Theatre

Previous visits to Scotland from Sligo-based company Blue Raincoat have seen frenetic adaptations of Flann O’Brien’s novels given a physical theatre energy that matches the author’s ferocious wordplay and scatter-shot surrealism. Returning with a script that has become a twentieth century classic might even be seen as a step backwards. However, The Chairs was writted by Ionesco, master of the absurd, and promises no less then the revelation of the secret of life.

Blue Raincoat’s first production of The Chairs in 2005 was an award-winning celebration: the company’s enthusiasm for treating the stage set as

an extra character in the drama meshes well with Ionesco’s own vision for The Chairs - the finale relies on objects more than words. With the theatre community’s emphasis on new writing sometimes obscuring great works of the past, this is a welcome outing for a play that is hard-hitting, intelligent and bleakly comic. Described as a “tragic farce”, it shares the aggression of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot: Blue Raincoat add a vivid, visceral power.

[Gareth K Vile] Tron Theatre, Glasgow Wed 13 – Sat 16 Jun, 7.45pm Traverse, Edinburgh 7 - 9 Jun, 7.45pm www.blueraincoat.com

www.magicfest.co.uk

,

Scott Miller is a Lying Cheat Vespbar

rrrrr Sonic Boom blast forth with the self-styled ‘oneman rom-com’ directed by Claire Sheppard and starring Kenny Boyle, who co-founded Sonic Boom while at university to create theatre opportunities for people of their age group where there were few.

This immensely engaging comedy written by the pair doesn’t let a minute go by without a hilarious quip or observational witticism, while scenes of drama have the audience immersed in a deep hypnosis that none dare break. Sonic Boom have really sunk their teeth in.

Delivering for seventy-five minutes without a break is a formidable task, but Kenny Boyle a formidable actor. His comic timing flawlessly extends through punch-line jokes, ranting monologues, flippant asides, and particularly excellent characterbased humour.

Scott Miller... is the tale of a slightly sociallyawkward university student evolving from romantic zero to three-timing anti-hero. While for the main part the story is relayed by the eponymous protagonist, Boyle also draws on a large supporting cast, seamlessly jumping into their skins, each

52 THE SKINNY

June 2012

with their own peculiarities and body language, from the droning brother to the boisterous and bawdy best friend; the frustratingly charismatic and squeaky-clean good guy dating the object of Scott’s affection; a professor of the science of SMS Textology, and many more. One has to wonder if the pair had someone in mind when creating each of these breathing, vivid, comic depictions.

The script itself is a golden asset which deserves to be revisited and restaged time and time again.

The final scene does comes across a little affected, which is underwhelming in the context of the originality of the piece otherwise, particularly as the culminative line is given away in the title. But any other contentions lay not with what was there, which was excellent, but more with a lingering hunger for certain threads to be expanded.

There is a longing to see more of Amy’s frustratingly charming boyfriend, and to hear of how Scott taking her home distressed escalated into a full-fledged romance. The desire for more within such a play goes as much to its credit as to its detriment - the quality of writing is distinguished and its delivery exceptionally charismatic. [Antony Sammeroff] Run ended sonicboomtheatre.com/scottmillerisalyingcheat

Krapp’s Last Tape & Footfalls The Citizens’ Theatre

Dominic Hill’s first season as artistic director at The Citizens has been a clear statement of intent.

While he promises a few surprises in the next year, his “trilogy” of serious scripts - Pinter’s Betrayal, King Lear and finally the Beckett double bill of Krapp’s Last Tape and Footfalls - announced that Hill was not only playing to his strengths as an interpretor of texts but continuing the tradition that made The Citizens a producing powerhouse in the late twentieth century.

Hill is more than willing to challenge himself. “I felt we needed to say that we are about putting on the greatest writers in the world: and so - Pinter, Shakespeare, Beckett. My motive for becoming a director was reading plays as a student and saying, I want to see this! I still get that thrill when I read a good play.”

Kay Gillie - who is taking on an unusual role in Footfalls (her character never comes on stage) - adds that there is a new energy in the building.

“It is an amazing atmosphere and there is always so much going on,” she says. “It really is a hive of creativity. You meet actors you have not seen for ages and get the chance to chat about different productions. It is a very stimulating place to be.”

As the final production of the season, a Beckett double bill is a brave choice. By casting Gerard Murphy as the titular hero, Hill brings back an actor who made his name at The Citizens in the 1970s, deliberately recalling the theatre’s glory days. And Beckett - a rare example of a modern playwright who is both popular and experimental - is well known enough for Hill’s version to be compared to recent productions.

Gillie, fresh from The Steamie’s successful tour directed by Tony Roper, admits “I am definitely a Beckett fan,” having played ‘woman‘ in The Arches’ production of Rockabye. And while Beckett is known as a writer, his use of theatre goes far beyond the script: the tactic of keeping one character off-stage, Gillie adds, “is part of a range of classic Beckett style elements. It is part of something larger. For me the role also still requires that connection with the live theatre audience. This is what makes Beckett so special.” [Gareth K Vile] Citizens Theatre 30 May - 9 Jun Various Times and Prices www.citz.co.uk/whatson

comedy

REVIEW

The Road to Kiev Scotland may not have qualified for Euro 2012 but that’s not dented the excitement of the ScottishComedyFC.com guys. Team Captain Teddy tells us what to expect.

Words: Ross ‘Teddy’ Craig

Euro 2012 starts this month and I’m going to be glued to the TV and internet throughout. Let me give you my tournament rundown.

Winners: When I was growing up, German football evoked a ruthlessly efficient and joyless juggernaut. Now though, in an era of overpriced players on the pitch and overpriced seats in the stand, you can gain entry to a German ground for a reasonable price and witness technically excellent football while munching a bratwurst and supping on a wheat beer. The national side continue this feel-good vibe with a squad packed full of flair players like Mesut Özil, Marco Reus, Mario Götze, Marko Marin, Lukas Podolski, and of course, the 2010 World Cup Golden Boot winner, Thomas Mueller. Germans; not boring anymore. Granted, as Poland fans will tell you… they’re not necessarily German any more either.

Players to watch: UK insularity means that Premiership fans believe Papis Cisse 'emerged from nowhere.' Nowhere being the Bundesliga, in which he was 2nd top scorer last season. Think how impressed your mates will be then, when you namedrop Poland’s Robert Lewandowski. He’s only 23, but he’s already been top scorer in each of Poland’s top three division and was the 3rd highest scorer in the Bundesliga this season, playing for champions Borussia Dortmund.

You could mention him to the pundits on Match of the Day and they’d think you’d made him up.

A player I’d love to see shine is Ukraine’s Artem Milevskiy. The Dynamo Kyiv icon came to my attention when successfully chipping his penalty in the 2006 World Cup shootout win over Switzerland.

In 2009 I was lucky enough to be present when he pulled the strings as Dynamo won a league match 6-0. Milevskiy scored one and set up another with a ridiculously flamboyant dribble. A classic maverick talent, meaning that my mentioning him will probably guarantee he has a shite tournament.

Illustration: Nicholas Stevenson

Mediawatch: At the 1978 World Cup, Scottish football journalists were known as ‘fans with typewriters.’ At this tournament, expect English journalists to be known as ‘Wraiths of doom, death, and despair with typewriters.’ In the extremely unlikely event that Roy Hodgson’s England manage to win the tournament, England’s press will stare gloomily at their laptops and think: “We’d swap this for going out in the group stages under ‘Arry. It’d be a far better press conference…”

The main criticism of Fabio Capello’s World Cup campaign was that the players’ camp was too isolated and they became bored. Anybody who’s been to Krakow will tell you that being just off the main square of one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, with one of Europe’s most beautiful female populations, where it costs about £2 a pint and £1 a (top quality) vodka is unlikely to lead to boredom being a problem for the England squad. It is, however, still likely to lead to a problem. Hold the front page.

Come on...Ireland?

Ireland’s qualification should be welcomed by Scottish football fans as Aiden McGeady represents the best chance of seeing a Scot lifting the trophy.

Can they make an impact? Vast experience on the parts of the manager and captain, blended with McGeady’s talents and James McClean’s current momentum would say yes. Being in a group with Spain, Italy, and Croatia would say no. Time to think WWJD, What Would Jack Do? Mr Charlton would get Robert Lewandowski an Irish passport…

Random advice you won’t find in other articles: If you make it to Kyiv for the final… Kuvshin Georgian restaurant is incredible!

Scottish Comedy FC is a regular podcast where Scottish comedians vent their frustration at the world of football. Download it from the website or iTunes and follow them on Twitter, @ScotComFC scottishcomedyFC.com

June 2012

THE SKINNY 53

comps

COMPETITIONS

WIN TICKETS TO THE K ELBUR N GA R DEN PA R T Y This year’s Kelburn Garden Party once again sees an array of eclectic bands and DJs descend upon the castle grounds.

From 30 June to 1 July, the fairytale setting of Kelburn Castle and Country Park, near Largs, will play host to The Phantom Band, Miaoux Miaoux, Panda Su, and Washington Irving amongst others, with the castle’s graffiti covered walls as the perfect backdrop.

And wouldn’t you know it, with loads of our favourite bands playing we’ve managed to get our hands on three pairs of tickets to give away to you lot.

To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is scan our QR code or go to www.theskinny. co.uk/competitions and answer the following question:

54 THE SKINNY

JUNE 2012

Q. What are the names of the Brazilian twins who painted the castle?

A. Os Gêmeos B. The Gnomês C. Danny DeVito and Arnie S. Competition closes Fri 22 June A winner will be notified on the day of closing and will be required to respond within 72 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. For full terms and conditions, go to www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms KELBURNGARDENPARTY.COM

WIN A CASE OF GLENTUR RET 10 Y E A R O L D S I N G L E M A LT W H I S K Y Ever wanted your own whisky? To mark The Famous Grouse Experience’s 10th birthday this year, visitors to Glenturret Distillery – Scotland’s oldest, most visited distillery and spiritual home of The Famous Grouse whisky– are being given a unique opportunity to win a cask of whisky which will be laid down to mature over the next 10 years.

Visitors over the age of 18 joining a distillery tour before 31 December 2012 will each receive a scratchcard with which to claim the cask, or one of a host of other amazing prizes also up for grabs.

However, for those unable to make the trip to the distillery, The Famous Grouse is also offering Skinny readers the chance to win a case of the delectable Glenturret 10 year old single malt.

To enter simply go to www.theskinny.co.uk/competitions and tell us:

Q. When did The Famous Grouse Experience open?

A. 2000 B. 2002 C. 2005 Competition closes Mon 18 June Entrants must be 18 or over. A winner will be notified on the day of closing and will be required to respond within seven days or the prize will be offered to another entrant. For full terms and conditions, go to www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms SEE THEFAMOUSGROUSE.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION AND DRINKAWARE.CO.UK FOR THE FACTS.

comps

COMPETITIONS

WIN TICKETS TO THE K ELBUR N GA R DEN PA R T Y This year’s Kelburn Garden Party once again sees an array of eclectic bands and DJs descend upon the castle grounds.

From 30 June to 1 July, the fairytale setting of Kelburn Castle and Country Park, near Largs, will play host to The Phantom Band, Miaoux Miaoux, Panda Su, and Washington Irving amongst others, with the castle’s graffiti covered walls as the perfect backdrop.

And wouldn’t you know it, with loads of our favourite bands playing we’ve managed to get our hands on three pairs of tickets to give away to you lot.

To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is scan our QR code or go to www.theskinny. co.uk/competitions and answer the following question:

54 THE SKINNY

JUNE 2012

Q. What are the names of the Brazilian twins who painted the castle?

A. Os Gêmeos B. The Gnomês C. Danny DeVito and Arnie S. Competition closes Fri 22 June A winner will be notified on the day of closing and will be required to respond within 72 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. For full terms and conditions, go to www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms KELBURNGARDENPARTY.COM

WIN A CASE OF GLENTUR RET 10 Y E A R O L D S I N G L E M A LT W H I S K Y Ever wanted your own whisky? To mark The Famous Grouse Experience’s 10th birthday this year, visitors to Glenturret Distillery – Scotland’s oldest, most visited distillery and spiritual home of The Famous Grouse whisky– are being given a unique opportunity to win a cask of whisky which will be laid down to mature over the next 10 years.

Visitors over the age of 18 joining a distillery tour before 31 December 2012 will each receive a scratchcard with which to claim the cask, or one of a host of other amazing prizes also up for grabs.

However, for those unable to make the trip to the distillery, The Famous Grouse is also offering Skinny readers the chance to win a case of the delectable Glenturret 10 year old single malt.

To enter simply go to www.theskinny.co.uk/competitions and tell us:

Q. When did The Famous Grouse Experience open?

A. 2000 B. 2002 C. 2005 Competition closes Mon 18 June Entrants must be 18 or over. A winner will be notified on the day of closing and will be required to respond within seven days or the prize will be offered to another entrant. For full terms and conditions, go to www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms SEE THEFAMOUSGROUSE.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION AND DRINKAWARE.CO.UK FOR THE FACTS.

LISTINGS

Glasgow music Tue 29 May Slam Dunk Scotland 2012 (Taking Back Sunday, Motion City Soundtrack, Say Anything, Hit The Lights, Cancer Bats) O2 ABC, 18:00–22:00, £22.50

The alternative festival returns with a line-up of no less than nine acts across two rooms.

Fossil Collective

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

Bright young multi-instrumentalist duo from Leeds.

Orcas

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £7 adv.

Haze-pop auteur Benoit Pioulard and post-minimalist composer Rafael Anton Irisarri combine talents.

Heart Of A Coward Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £6

UK groove metal outfit with Jamie Graham at the helm.

Wed 30 May The Skatalites

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £18.50

Jamaican ska ensemble who in their 60s heyday backed the likes of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and Toots and The Maytalls.

Mull Historical Society King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £12.50

Colin MacIntyre re-embraces both the urban and his former alias, touring his new release as Mull Historical Society.

Rock Wednesdays (The Detours, Stuntman Mike) Pivo Pivo, 19:30–23:30, £tbc

New Hellfire Club lay on a handpicked selection of alternative Scottish rock.

Tchai Ovna’s Live Jazz

Tchai-Ovna House of Tea, 20:00–22:00, Free

The residents play a mix of jazz classics and modern standards.

KAN

Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

Inventive folk project fronted by flute/whistle player Brian Finnegan and demon fiddler Aidan O’Rourke, joined on drums and guitar by Ian Stephenson and Jim Goodwin respectively.

The Grand Gestures (Behold The Old Bear)

Any Colour Black (Bonfire Nights, Clockwork Era)

Definitely Mightbe (Changing Man)

The March Violets (Dead Eyes Opened)

Jan Burnett’s mighty collaborative project with Sanjeev Kholi, Emma Pollock, Jill O’Sullivan, Calamateur, Calamaity Horse and Celie Byrne, based around loops, vintage synths and vocals recorded in Burnett’s bathroom.

Glasgow-based electro-rock duo with a shared distorted musical vision that combines throbbing electro-bass drums and frenetic guitars.

Oasis tribute act, with Paul Weller tribute act, Changing Man, bringing up the rear.

English goth rockers touring with original members Si Denbigh, Rosie Garland and Tom Ashton, plus new bass player Jo Violet.

Austra (Organs Of Love)

Cardiff popsters of the delightfully sunshine-y variety, playing in advance of their second album release.

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £7

Holy Esque, PAWS, Edinburgh School For The Deaf Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, Free

Free gig for Vice’s latest issue launch, headered up by Scottish indie-rock quartet Holy Esque.

Picnic Basket Nosedive, Raoul Duke, Cyan Falls, Macanta, Scott Robinson Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £5

Folk, indie and punk-styled fundraiser night.

Lynyrd Skynyrd SECC, 19:00–22:00

The Jacksonville rockers bring their southern charm to the SECC, triplelead guitar well and truly in place.

Berserker 82, The Gastric Band, Third Rail 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Hardstyled showcase taking in Berserker 82’s straight-up 80s hardcore, amongst others.

Willis Earl Beal

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £8

Chicagoan artist-cum-musician whose debut album consists of lo-fi demos recorded while homeless.

Sat 02 Jun The British Expeditionary Force

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £15

Ambient indie electronica from the Newcastle outfit known for creating their first album via e-mail.

Andrew Roachford (Little Fire)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £15

The soulful London-based singer/ songwriter returns to showcase his new album.

Kathryn Williams (Christopher Price)

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £16

Thu 31 May

The Liverpudlian contemporary folk songstress serves up the flawless vocals and beautiful songsmithery, as per.

The Electric String Orchestra

Holy Pistol Club (The Merrylees)

13-piece string collective pushing the boundaries of string tradition with a contemporary take on classical music.

West Dunbartonshire rock’n’rollers fronted by vocalist James Cairns.

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £12

Viking Skull (The Mercy House)

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £8

Heavy-styled rock outfit led by vocalist Roddy Stone.

Charalambides

Mono, 19:30–22:00, £10 adv.

The Houston natives bring it with their dizzying mesh of droll, stoner strumming and satanic axe-burning, marking their 20th anniversary with a brand new album.

Simon Scott (Gareth Dickson) Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £6 adv.

The ex-Slowdrive mainman does his solo thing.

JEM

Tchai-Ovna House of Tea, 20:00–22:00, Free

Indian and Scottish music arranged for guitar and cello.

Tri Angle Records Showcase (Holy Other, The Haxxan Cloak, Evian Christ, Laurel Halo, Pariah) The Arches, 20:00–00:00, £8

Tri Angle Records present their first ever event in Scotland, bringing a selection of acts together for an allencompassing label showcase.

Fri 01 Jun Electric Honey Records’ Showcase: French Wives (Young Aviators, Danny Aubrey) Oran Mor, 18:30–22:00, £6

Glasgow indie outfit French Wives do their twinkling folk-meets-spunky pop thing, headlining Electric Honey Records’ showcase night.

The Urban Voodoo Machine O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

London-based racket touring their self-proclaimed ‘Bourbon-soaked gypsy blues bop’n’stroll’.

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £5

Penguins Kill Polar Bears (Skippy Dyes, Blue Sky Archives, Farewell Singapore) Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £5

The Linlithgow dense rockers return with a new bass player in tow.

Sun 03 Jun James Yorkston and The Athletes (Seamus Fogarty) Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £12

Fence stalwart James Yorkston reunites his backing band The Athletes for a 10th Anniversary performance of debut album, Moving Up Country, with new light Seamus Fogarty on support.

Leeland

O2 Academy, 19:00–22:00, £14

Worship-styled alternative rock from the Jesus-loving Texan quartet.

No Lights at Lockdown

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £7

Welsh pop-rock outfit fresh from supporting Cher Lloyd, the joys.

CUD (Breakglass_Emergency)

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £12.50

Longstanding Leeds-based indie-rockers on the go since their formation in 1986.

Mon 04 Jun Roddy Woomble

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

The Idlewild frontman plays solo acoustic, drawing on songs from his solo albums, as well as handpicking tracks from the Idlewild back catalogue.

Guitar Wolf (Holy Mountain, Ultimate Thrush Vs Blue Sabbath Black Fiji) Mono, 20:00–23:00, £13 (£11)

The Japanese total rock’n’roll experience that is Guitar Wolf bring the mayhem to Mono.

Roll On The Floor Quizzing Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

Pivo Pivo’s new weekly pub quizcum-comedy panel show, featuring live musical comedy, sketches, arguments, prizes and put-downs.

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

The Berkeley Suite, 19:30–22:30, £8

Dark and atmospheric electro from Katie Stelmanis, Dorian Wolf and Maya Postepski (aka Austra), playing their Scottish debut, no less.

Tue 05 Jun Jonah Matranga and Dave McPherson O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £7

The frontmen of onelinedrawing and InMe perform their own material alongside songs from Neil Young’s Harvest, in celebration of the album’s 40th anniversary.

Fighting With Wire

Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £7.50

Northern Ireland rock trio known for their hardcore live shows.

Wormrot

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Hard rockin’ grindcore from the Singapore ensemble.

Cloud Nothings

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £7

Dylan Baldi’s DIY project – which started life as lo-fi pop recordings done in his parents’ basement – now a fully-fledged live band.

Wed 06 Jun Sarah Jarosz

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £12

The Grammy-nominated multiinstrumental blugrass songstress does her thing.

The Nightingales (Ted Chippington, Aggi Doom)

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £6 adv.

The Birmingham-formed post-punk outfit get back on the live circuit.

Banned

Pivo Pivo, 19:30–23:30, £4 adv. (£5 door)

Alternative music showcase of genre-hopping singer/songwriters and bands, taking in Lee Gannon, Kenni Campbell, Knock on Effect and The Puppet State.

Lee Gannon, Kenni Campbell, Knock On Effect, The Puppet State (The Puppet State, Knock on Effect, Kenni Campbell, Lee Gannon.)

Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £4

Showcase selection of acoustic soloists and musical rock’n’rollers.

Hungry Kids of Hungary Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £5

Aussie indie-pop quintet fronted

by Dean McGrath on lead vocals and guitar.

Thu 07 Jun Stevie Jackson

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

The Belle and Sebastian guitarist showcases tracks from his recent solo album, relying on a heavy dose of reverb and minimal effects as he goes.

Hoodie Allen

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10

New York-based rapper and songwriter with a knack for candid storytelling and witty punchlines.

Cursive (Culann)

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £10

Omaha-based punk-rock outfit touring their latest LP, I Am Gemini.

Miaoux Miaoux (Conquering Animal Sound, Mitchell Museum) Mono, 19:00–23:00, £6

Expect subtly layered beats and rushes of distorted guitar as Miaoux Miaoux (aka Julian Corrie) launches his new album official.

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10

The School

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £6 adv.

Glasgow Ska Train: 3rd Birthday

Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

The live mod spectacular turns the grand old age of three, with the resident DJs spinning a mix of ska, northern soul and R’n’B.

Adam Stearns & The Glass Animals Stereo, 20:00–22:30, £tbc

Baroque folk trio with distinct pop(ish) influences, launching their new limited-edition double A-side single.

Unique outfit spearheading a radical new wave of Celtic-based dancefloor sounds.

Tragedy, Neon Pish, Kaddish Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £6

Hardcore meets horror-punk on one mighty three-bill showcase.

Keith and Kristyn Getty SECC, 19:00–22:00

Relaxed evening of modern Irish hymns with husband and wife duo Keith and Kristyn Getty.

EPMD (DJ Naeem, DJ Kash) The Arches, 19:30–22:00, £16.50

Thu 14 Jun Citizens

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £7

Hardcore Glasgow trio fueled on raw aggression, rhythmical inventiveness and DIY aesthetics.

Two Wings (Eric Chenaux) Mono, 20:00–23:00, £5

Experimental ensemble born of a songwriting collaboration between singer/multi-instrumentalist/visual artist Hanna Tuulikki and guitarist/ singer Ben Reynolds, launching their new album on the night.

The Streetlight Conspiracy Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £5

Leicester hardcore types Mangle celebrate the launch of their split 7-inch with fellow abrasive hardcore outfit Sufferinfuck.

Westlife

SECC, 19:30–22:00

Those twinkly-eyed Westlifers give it one last gasp before retiring post their 2012 tour.

Cal

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £12

Traditional-styled Scottish/Celtic rockers, a la Runrig et al.

Skerryvore

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

Blazing bagpipes, fiddle and accordions, lynch-pinned on Alec Dalglish’s soaring vocals.

Fridge Magnets

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £6

Scottish Fiction Presents: Michael Cassidy, The Spook School, Queen Jane, Saint Death

New electro-rockers on the block, headered by the sing-shouty tones of Steven Winton.

To celebrate a year of the Scottish Fiction blog’s existance, they invite along four of their favourite Scottish artists for a chilled musical showcase night.

The Sex Pistols tribute act, with punk rock mainstay Ed Tudor-Pole joining ‘em live.

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:30, £5

James Ferraro (Heatsick)

The Berkeley Suite, 20:00–22:30, £6 adv.

The Sex Pistols Experience, Ed Tudor Pole The Ferry, 20:00–23:30, £10.50

Louise Quinn and Kid Loco

The Old Hairdressers, 20:00–01:00, £6 (£7 with EP)

Mon 11 Jun

James Ferraro does his postmodern take on hallucinogenic pop and synth configurations. Bloody good, too.

Boyce Avenue (Ingrid Michaelson, Tyler Hilton)

Touch Sensitive: 2x6 Album Launch (Adam Ross, Plastic Animals, If You Lived Here You'd Be Home By Now.)

Hardcore rammy of a night uniting Glasgow’s metal scene under one roof. Includes free entry to Cathouse.

Floridian acoustic pop-meets-rock band of brothers Alejandro, Fabian and Daniel Manzano.

Classic Album Night: Elvis

Suzanne Vega

Sat 23 Jun Terri Clark

Future Of The Left

Various bands cherrypick songs from a classic Elvis album.

Online music directory, Touch Sensitive, launch their first compilation album featuring six bands from Scotland’s independent music scene and six more from Spain.

The much-loved songstress makes her live return, cherry-picking from her pretty damn impressive back catalogue.

The Welsh alternative rockers tour their current re-jigged, beefed-up line-up.

Captain’s Rest, 19:30–23:30, £6

Old Fruitmarket, 20:00–22:30, £17

The Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist and lyricist brings his kit-bag Glasgow-way, touring on the back of his new LP, Break It Yourself.

The Old Hairdressers, 20:00–23:00, £6

Sat 09 Jun Nimmo Brothers

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £16

The favourited Glasgow bluesmen return for another hometown show.

Pilgrim Speakeasy (Capstin Pole) O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £8

Alternative funk machine mixing myriad genres and styles in one psychedelically harmonic whole.

Matt Norris & the Moon Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £6

Edinburgh-based modern folk collective resplendent with trumpets, fiddles, accordions and four-part harmonies.

No More Remedies (The Magnetic, Mark Cambull) Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £4

High energy rock collides with electronic trickery as No More Remedies launch their debut album.

A$AP Rocky

The Arches, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

NYC born-and-raised rap MC, self-proclaimed as Harlem’s ‘Pretty Motherfucker’. Ahem.

Anais Mitchell and The Young Man Band

The Arches, 19:00–22:00, £13 (£11.50)

The US-of-A country-meets-folk singer/songwriter takes to The Arches with her band of young men, the, erm, Young Man Band.

Let’s Buy Happiness

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £5

Tyneside quintet with a penchant for wistfully-styled indie-pop, riding along on Sarah Hall’s angelic vocals.

Crows (Clocked Out, Drug Couple, Fifteen Dead)

Kinning Park Complex, 19:00–00:00, £5

Dublin merrymakers Crows head to Scotland for the first time, bringing the gloomy and intense hardcore.

The Field

The Art School Union, 20:00–23:30, £8

Stockholm’s Axel Willner fuses pop song structures with ambient textures, fractured buzzes, clicks and inventive sampling techniques as only he knows how.

Sun 10 Jun

The Damned

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £12

The London-based musician, formerly of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, delivers the synth-pop chock with anthemic choruses.

Guitarist Ninni Morgia and singer Silvia Kastel join forces in support of their new LP as a duo, The Fugitives.

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £5

Mayhem Underground

Andrew Bird

Amanda Brown’s prolific boutique label, 100% SILK, presents a mixed showcase night of wonder – headlined by her own shapeshifting alter-ego, LA Vampires.

Sketch

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Fri 22 Jun

Mangle, Sufferinfuck (Drug Couple)

Glasgow progressive rock-meetsindie outfit.

100% Silk Showcase (LA Vampires, Ital, Magic Touch, Maria Minerva, Innergaze)

Fri 08 Jun

Caan (Katie Forbes)

Ninni Morgia and Silvia Kastel (Boom Edan, Tangles, Noma)

NYC hip-hop duo made up of MCs Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith.

Lucy Rose

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 22:00–03:00, £8.50 adv. (£10 door)

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £15

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £8

The singer/songwriter who has contributed vocals to Bombay Bicycle Club tracks strikes out on her own.

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

The seminal punk foursome tour in celebration of their 35th anniversary, playing their classic albums Damned Damned Damned and the Black Album in their entirety.

Retrospex

Blackfriars Basement, 21:00–23:30, Free

The regular live mainstays play a genre-hopping mix of R’n’B, soul, pop, Latin and rock.

O2 Academy, 19:00–22:00, £20

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £10

Roll On The Floor Quizzing Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

Pivo Pivo’s new weekly pub quizcum-comedy panel show, featuring live musical comedy, sketches, arguments, prizes and put-downs.

Dam Funk

CCA, 19:30–23:30, £12

LA’s own ‘Ambassador of Boogie Funk’ showcases his expertise for retro done good – cultivating his own early 80s musical renaissance.

Tue 12 Jun The Low Anthem

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £15

The Rhode Island indie-folk quintet take to Glasgow, admired (by us, anyway) for recording their most recent LP in an abandoned pasta sauce factory.

Homeward James (The La Fontaines, Michael Cassidy) Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £4

Lanarkshire singer/songwriter (aka Jim McAnulty) blending rootsy Americana with the raw edge of 80s-circa grunge.

Tenacious D

SECC, 18:30–22:00, £35

Jack Black and cohort Kyle Glass tour their latest LP, Rize Of The Fenix, letting all comedy folk-metal hell loose on Glasgow.

Amy MacDonald: 5 a Day SWG3, 22:30–23:30, £10

Amy MacDonald undertakes her musical challenge to play five mini acoustic gigs in one day, across Aberdeen, Dundee, Stirling, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Hillfolk Noir

Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

The Idaho ensemble do their hillbillydelta-blues-ragtime-swing thing, for what will be their first UK tour.

Com Truise

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £7.50

Satisfyingly lysergic retro-futuristic sci-fi sex jams care of the frankly amazing Com Truise, anyone? We thought so.

Wed 13 Jun Karen Matheson

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £18

Rare solo outing for the vocalist of Celtic super-group, Capercaillie.

William Control

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10

Electronic side project of Aiden’s William Francis, touring on the back of his third LP.

All The Young (Bright Young Nights) King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

Stoke-On-Trent foursome making indie rock’n’roll with brains and balls.

Props to ‘em.

Hellfire Rock Wednesday (The Manic Shine, 4dayweekend, Thank The Boy, Lisa Thompson) Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, tbc

Indie, grunge, pop and rock handpicked by emerging new promotions collective Hellfire Club Glasgow.

Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £6

Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, Free

Olive Grove Records Showcase (The State Broadcasters, Randolph’s Leap) Special showcase night doubling as the single launch for The State Broadcasters’ newest offering, released as a free download a few days earlier.

Fri 15 Jun Martin Taylor and Alison Burns

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £18

Grammy Award-winning guitarist Martin Taylor teams up with jazz vocalist Alison Burns.

Mon 18 Jun Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £25

Roll On The Floor Quizzing Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

Pivo Pivo’s new weekly pub quizcum-comedy panel show, featuring live musical comedy, sketches, arguments, prizes and put-downs.

Refugee Week Scotland: Opening Concert (King Creosote, The Pictish Trail, Randolph’s Leap

Old Fruitmarket, 20:00–23:00, £15 (£12)

Fence head honcho King Creosote headlines a special label showcase to mark the opening of this year’s Refugee Week Scotland festivities.

Chris Cornell (Paul Freeman)

Tue 19 Jun

The Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman does his solo thing.

Sacred Reich

O2 Academy, 19:00–22:00, £30

Dead Sea Souls (Bwani Junction)

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

Singalong West Lothian quartet touting their funky ska wares across the Central Belt since 2006.

Breezer (Cafe Disco)

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £5

Weezer tribute act.

Eugene Twist

Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £tbc

The master craftsman brings it with ethereal lyrical sprawls and sophisticated Americana-tinged ballads, playing songs from his debut album.

Sat 16 Jun

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £16

The Arizona-based thrash metallers take it to the road once again, following their official 2007 reunion tour.

Bear Arms (Forest Fires, Crusades)

Glasgow quartet firmly of the alternative indie variety, allied with a dose of post hardcore.

Westlife

SECC, 19:30–22:00

Those twinkly-eyed Westlifers give it one last gasp before retiring post their 2012 tour.

Wed 20 Jun

James Grant

The Love & Money frontman performs an all-acoustic set cherrypicked from his acclaimed solo albums, alongside a smattering of old favourites.

The Canadian songstress takes to the road, her Heart-sampling single well and truly in tow.

Best Coast

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £14

LA scuzzy-pop trio, fronted by the punchy drawl of Bethany Cosentino.

Human Don’t Be Angry (Martin John Henry) King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £14

Malcolm Middleton dons his semiinstrumental alter ego, Human Don’t Be Angry, taking his new album under said moniker on the road proper, with full band in tow.

The Chieftains SECC, 20:00–22:00

The traditional Irish collective celebrate 50 definitive years.

Westlife

Kate Nash

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £15

Ms Nash keeps it reliably chirpy with her vocally-loose melodic ramblings, touring in support of her third album.

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £7

Glasgow four-piece offering an intriguing blend of 50s rock’n’roll, Scottish twang and cinematic flair.

Sun 24 Jun West End Festival Finale: We Were Promised Jetpacks (Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells, Errors, RM Hubbert, Remember Remember, Withered Hand, John Knox Sex Club, Miaoux Miaoux, Olympic Swimmers, Gav Prentice, Monoganon) West End Festival draws to an epic finale with We Were Promised Jetpacks’ rolling drums, big guitars and massive effing finales headering a mighty bill that also includes Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells, RM Hubbert, Errors and Withered Hand.

Acrylic Iqon

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £5

Upbeat Glasgow quartet of the epic powerpop variety, with a bit o’ synth thrown in for good measure.

Blink 182

SECC, 19:30–22:00

The Californian punk rockers bring their 12-truck convoy to Glasgow, playing songs from current LP, Neighbourhoods, alongside a dose of classics.

Thu 21 Jun Kieran Goss

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £15

Leading Irish songwriter who’s penned tunes for the likes of Mary Black and Christy Moore.

The Ray Bandos

Blackfriars Basement, 21:00–23:00, Free

Good time rock’n’roll and soul for dancing feet.

Pronto Mama (The Sunset Clause, Loch Awe, Sun Dogs)

Sun 17 Jun

The Imagineers (The Mixups)

Monthly experimental and progressive night featuring a line-up of acts known for blending post-punk, math rock and soundscape vibes.

OFF! bring the hardcore noise to Glasgow proper, touring their self-titled debut LP – a glorious and unabashed crash course in fourchord weaponry, with angry bursts a-plenty.

Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

Classic Grand, 18:30–22:00, £tbc

Metallic rock supergroup straddling the UK and the US-of-A, with former members of Mahumodo, Devil Sold His Soul, Eden Maine and Fireapple Red amongst ‘em.

Breadcrumb Trail (Birdhead, Hearing Voices Movement)

OFF! (Trash Talk, Ice Age)

Up beat tunes from the Glasgow polyrhythmic indie-rockers/super cool dudes.

*Shels (Thulah Borah, Analogue Of The Sun)

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £8

SECC, 19:30–22:00

Those twinkly-eyed Westlifers give it one last gasp before retiring post their 2012 tour.

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £15

The Candian songstress does her country and western thing, stetson firmly a-top her heid.

Oran Mor, 15:00–23:00, £15

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £5

Alyssa Reid

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £18

Louise Quinn and her merry live band launch their new EP, featuring a duet with French superstar DJ and producer Kid Loco – who’ll also be DJing and performing on the night.

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £14.50

Montre Vie (The Kitsch, The Dirties)

Mon 25 Jun Roll On The Floor Quizzing Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

Pivo Pivo’s new weekly pub quizcum-comedy panel show, featuring live musical comedy, sketches, arguments, prizes and put-downs.

Tue 26 Jun Ben Montague (Kristyna Myles)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £8

Toustle-haired acoustic singer/ songwriter blessed with an acute sense of melody.

Combichrist

The Arches, 19:00–22:00, £13

Industrial metal crew chock with hook-heavy choruses, speakercrushing beats and aggressive vocals.

Wed 27 Jun Mike and The Mechanics O2 Academy, 19:00–22:00, £25

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £5

Motherwell-based indie-popsters, peddling a darker, grittier sound than others of their genre.

Mayhem Underground Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £6

Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £3

Hardcore rammy of a night uniting Glasgow’s metal scene under one roof. Includes free entry to Cathouse.

Mike Rutherford and his merry band take to the road to give the hits an airing.

Hellfire Rock Wednesday Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £tbc

Indie, grunge, pop and rock handpicked by emerging new promotions collective Hellfire Club Glasgow.

June 2012

THE SKINNY 55

LISTINGS

E D I N B U R G H music

G lasgow NZCA/Lines

Tue 29 May

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £5

Ceilidh Club

Bongo Club, 20:30–23:00, £6

Michael Lovett’s beat-heavy alter

Ceilidh dancing fun night, with a live caller and a live ceilidh band.

A Free Gig In Leith

Tue 12 Jun

Blondes

Whisky Kiss

Henrik Freischlader Band

Edinburgh indie-styled guitar enemble combining rockin’ riffs with soulful lyrics.

Chris Bainbridge (of Bainbridge Presents) handpicks a couple of scene stalwarts to try their hand with a proper Leif crowd.

Boyce Avenue (Ingrid Michaelson, Tyler Hilton)

Perpetually euphoric analogue synthguys from Brooklyn making a towering wall of Moroder.

21st Century-styled Scottish ceilidh tunes, starting as a ceilidh then turning into a club. That’ll be your cue to dance.

Self-taught German singer/guitarist with a love for all things blues.

Vic Galloway Presents

Nas

Vic Galloway returns for his monthly showcase slot, where the man himself handpicks the acts for your aural delectation.

The legendary Queens MC plays what will be his first ever Edinburgh show, with his full live band in tow.

Constant State (The Durty Works, Plastic Babies) Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Nobles Bar, 22:00–00:00, Free

HMV Picture House, 19:00–22:00, £20

vocals.

Wed 30 May

Black Rose

Counterfeit Clash

Floridian acoustic pop-meets-rock band of brothers Alejandro, Fabian and Daniel Manzano.

Thu 28 Jun

The Mending Hearts Trio (Jetta Wren and The Wranglers)

Thin Lizzy tribute act.

The Clash tribute act.

Amy MacDonald: 5 a Day

Sebastian Dangerfield (Sunshine Social, Catherine Thomson, Mattie Anderson)

Night Noise Team (Stanley, Sacre Noir)

ego, lynchpinned on his robo-like

The Robert Cray Band

Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Rockabilly night featuring Scottish western swing band The Mending Hearts Trio performing original and classic numbers.

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £27.50

The American blues guitarist and singer tours with his full band

Vic Galloway Presents (Holy Mountain, Fat Goth, A Fight You Can’t Win)

line-up.

One Good Reason

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:30, £tbc

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £5

The Scottish pop-punksters launch their debut album, playing it live and in its entirety, alongside the premier of their making-of documentary

Vic Galloway returns for his monthly showcase slot, where the man himself handpicks the acts for your aural delectation, this time headered by doom’n’roll Glasgow trio Holy Mountain.

Thu 31 May

(i.e. antics in the studio and around

Carol Kidd

Sweden).

Queen’s Hall, 20:00–22:00, From 318

The jazz songstress presents a brand-new show celebrating the works of American Songbook royalty, George and Ira Gershwin.

Mayhem Underground (15 Times Dead, Ten Tonne Dozer, Semper Fi)

James Yorkston and The Athletes (Seamus Fogarty)

Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £6

The Caves, 20:00–01:00, £12 adv.

Hardcore rammy of a night uniting Glasgow’s metal scene under one roof. Includes free entry to Cathouse.

Fri 29 Jun

Fence stalwart James Yorkston reunites his backing band The Athletes for a 10th Anniversary performance of debut album, Moving Up Country, with new light Seamus Fogarty on support.

Bleeps ‘n’ Beats

The Third Door, 19:30–23:00, Free

The Cureheads

New electronic-styled open mic night, where all you need do is bring your laptop and join the jam.

O2 ABC, 18:30–22:00, £10

Cure tribute act.

Penfold

Adrenaline Mob

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4 adv. (£5 door)

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £16.50

The Livi quartet launch their new four-track EP, Hindsight & Regrets, a smack-to-the-face slice of alternative rock.

The US-of-A metal quartet do what they do best: huge riffs, slamming grooves and shredding playing.

Fri 01 Jun

Latecomers Acoustic pop loveliness from the Glasgow-based outfit.

Lagwagon (Useless ID, First Step To Failure)

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Noisy, psychedelic, riot girl-styled

Rosyth-based danceable indie ensemble headered by Fraser Penman.

and loss.

Stillmarillion Marillion tribute act.

THEESatisfaction

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £5 adv.

Seattle based dance-along, hip-hop duo ready to get Glasgow jiving to their unmistakable black soul sound.

Mon 04 Jun Handel’s Royal Music

Usher Hall, 19:30–22:00, From £10

Rousing celebration of Handel’s royal repertoire.

Tera Melos (Gastic Band, Vasquez, Oceansfall)

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £7 adv.

Californian math rock tweaked to freakout, but also melodic at its songwriting core.

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–23:00, £10

Bongo Club, 20:30–23:00, £6

Ceilidh dancing fun night, with a live caller and a live ceilidh band.

Austria

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £7 adv.

Wed 06 Jun Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

Fuzzy melodies delivered in the usual hyperactive stage-show from the Northern English pop slackers.

Kris Drever and Eamonn Coyne (Adam Holmes and The Embers, Larsa) Voodoo Rooms, 19:45–23:00, £12

Rare chance to see folk singer/ guitarist Kris Drever and renowned accompanist Eamonn Coyne in an intimate gig setting.

Thu 07 Jun

The Holy Ghosts

Scottish Ensemble: Carin Finch

Edinburgh rock’n’rollers infusing their sound with a splash of country and blues.

The Scottish Ensemble welcome leading Welsh harpist Catrin Finch to the fore.

Voodoo Rooms, 19:00–23:00, £6

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £8

Edinburgh-based quartet of the sludge-noise-pop-punk variety, launching their new EP, Automaton.

Fawn Spots

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £5

tunes of 21st century love, life

Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–23:30, £5

Indie Funday Friday (Thank You So Nice, Margeaux, Jen and the Gents, Skinny Rhino )

The Draymin (Indian Red Lopez)

jazz vocalist singing self-penned

Plastic Animals (Honeyblood, The Spook School)

Electronica-styled pop fronted by Katie Stelmanis.

The electronica-styled ‘burgh dwellers launch their new EP, Lights Out.

Edinburgh-born, New York-living

Intimate and electric blues from Potts and his merry band.

Edinburgh-based foursome with their own take on early punk, mixed with a good dose of swagger, launching their debut EP on the night.

Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £5

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £12

Bannerman’s, 21:00–23:00, Free

Queen’s Hall, 19:00–22:00, £15 (£5)

Escort Knights (Echo Arcadia)

Sonic Thrill (Campbells Wild, Neon Cougar, Retroverb)

Leeds dance-pop quartet built on electronic sounds, live instruments and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Mixed showcase of indie and alternative rock and pop.

five years, playing a one-off reunion

Sat 02 Jun

show special.

Bad Name

Italian English solo acoustic singer and his trusty guitar.

Abolition, No Coast, Ravachol, Clocked Out, My Castle Your Castle

Bon Jovi tribute act.

The Blimp

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £5 adv.

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–23:00, £5

Glasgow’s own tramp-core reprobates make their live return after

London hardcore and screamo noise-

David MacGregor

Jam House, 18:30–21:00, £6

Scottish finger style solo jazz guitarist and composer playing his final concert of his 2012 tour.

Sat 09 Jun Meadows Chamber Orchestra: 40th Anniversary Concert

Queen’s Hall, 19:45–22:00, £11 (£9)

The Meadows Chamber Orchestra celebrate 40 years of service, with Richard Michael performing a specially-arranged suite of his own pieces for jazz big band.

Keith and Kristyn Getty

Usher Hall, 19:30–22:00, From £12

Relaxed evening of modern Irish hymns with husband and wife duo Keith and Kristyn Getty.

Mad Nurse (His Name Is Codeine)

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £4

The crazed Edinburgh post-rock deviants let loose on stage, describing themselves as ‘the sound of thunder in a valley.’

Justified Sinners (Onzlow) Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–22:00, £3

Skyless (Jaded Playboy, Pirate Sans)

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £3

Blues-influed rock sounds as Skyless launch their new EP, Silence So Loud.

We Luv Musik

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–23:00, £tbc

Live music night featuring a rota of new and established acts.

The Merrylees (Caravan Club)

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £5 adv. (£7 door)

The country-tinged Edinburgh trio bring the retro vibes, chock with hallucinogenic riffery and a load of reverb.

Sun 10 Jun The Edinburgh Academy Choir and Choral Society: Belshazzar’s Feast

Usher Hall, 19:30–22:00, £12 (£10)

A live choral in excess of 300, plus orchestra and two brass bands, unite to perform William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast.

CRANACHAN

Bannerman’s, 21:00–23:00, Free

Classic rock covers from the 60s to present day.

Bongo Club, 20:30–23:00, £6

Ceilidh dancing fun night, with a live caller and a live ceilidh band.

All The Young (Likely Lads)

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £7 adv.

Stoke-On-Trent foursome making indie rock’n’roll with brains and balls.

Props to ‘em.

The Rapture

The Liquid Room, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

Frenetic New Yorkers making a fine dance-punk racket. Altogether now: “one, two, three, four, kick that fucker out the door.”

Wed 13 Jun Stevenson College Showcase

Queen’s Hall, 19:30–22:00, £10 (£8)

That talented lot from the music section at Stevenson College present a showcase of classical and traditional music.

Edinburgh Unlimited #11 (Lake Montgomery, Darren Hendrie, Patsy Grace) The Third Door, 20:00–23:00, £3

Regular live acoustic session, with Texan-born soulstress Lake Montgomery amongst the live guests.

Unpeeled Vs Riot Control (Sicknote, Super Adventure Club, The Girobabies) Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £5

Unpeeled and Riot Control join forces to present an all-bonkers line-up featuring mad Welsh bunch Sicknote, Glasgow’s hard-rockin’ The Girobabies and the rollicking pop assualts of Super Adventure Club.

Reverend Rift (Retroverb, Well Rested)

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

Mixed showcase of up-and-coming local acts.

PAWS, Dolfinz, Sex Hands, Waiters

Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–23:00, £5

Mighty four band bill headered by Glasgow up-and-comers of the tropical thrash variety, PAWS, celebrating the launch of their split 12-inch (featuring all four bands).

Sicknote (Super Adventure Club)

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £5

Cardiff-based frenzied rock fizz riding along on a wave of post-punk, techno, breakbeat and acid punk.

Jammin’ at Voodoo

Voodoo Rooms, 21:00–23:00, £tbc

Monthly live jam session playing lounge grooves from myriad genres.

Evan Parker: Self Organising Systems

Wee Red Bar, 19:30–22:00, £5

The talented saxophonist presents new and improvised work; a dynamic screed of structured-spontaneous music making.

Thu 14 Jun The Night of Rumi

Queen’s Hall, 19:30–22:00, £23 (£20)

Showcase set from internationally acclaimed virtuoso on the Kamancheh, Kayhan Kahlor, taking in traditional Persian music.

Insider Festival Warm-Up (Adam Beattie and the Consultants, Brookey Sharkey, The Nana Sesh)

Jack Savoretti

Unpeeled present a night of stripped down acoustic sets from a bunch of handpicked bands who’ll be gracing this year’s Insider Festival stage.

Mon 11 Jun

Secta Rouge (Canaya, Flux Velociraptor)

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £7 adv.

Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–23:30, £4

Hawkwind

US hardcore punk brought to you by the House Of Crust.

June 2012

Ceilidh Club

Atmospehric harp and lyrics care of folkstress Esther Swift.

Pussy Whipped (Maria and The Gay, Miss The Occupier, V For Vagina)

terror-raisers in addition.

Amy MacDonald undertakes her musical challenge to play five mini acoustic gigs in one day, across Aberdeen, Dundee, Stirling, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Esther Swift, The Reverse Engineer, Mike Brown

Tragedy, Crows, Down To Kill, T-34, Spat

The seminal spacerockers tour their new studio album, Onward, headed up by original overlord Dave Brock.

The Caves, 19:30–20:30, £10

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

Fri 08 Jun

makers, joined by some homegrown

56 THE SKINNY

Acoustic-styled musical variety show hosted by The Parma Violets.

Citrus Club, 19:00–22:00, £7 adv.

Queen’s Hall, 19:00–22:00, £20

Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £tbc

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, Free

80s-inspired, spandex-clad rock extravaganza from Percy and co.

DARC (Johnny and the Giros, smallPRINT, Selfish Needs)

Niki King and The Elements

Sun 03 Jun Jed Potts and the Hillman Hunters

Electric Circus Live Lounge (Trapped Mice, Jack Rowberry, Another Blurry Photo)

Ceilidh Club

Monthly indie-pop night where a selection of, er, indie-pop acts playing in aid of local charities.

Sat 30 Jun

Ali Downey’s Americana-styled folk ensemble return with a clipped back moniker, but the same propensity for full-on barn-raising anthems.

Percy and the Mooncats

Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–22:00, £3

punk weirdness from V. That do ye?

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £6.50 adv.

Beloved gig-in-a-club night, this time headered by HRH working up a disco funk frenzy like only she knows how.

Tue 05 Jun

The Caves, 19:00–22:00, £4

V (Scragfight, Ana Boomboom Trash)

Woodenbox (We See Lights)

Voodoo Rooms, 19:00–23:00, £5 adv. (£6 door)

The rockin’ Edinburgh 11-piece launch their self-titled debut LP, resplendent with an old-school R’n’B vibe and a three-horn brass section.

The Seven Deadly Sins (The Koves)

back in’t 1990.

Unsigned Glasgow outfit churning out the good ol’ indie rock.

Limbo (Her Royal Highness, Muscles of Joy, The Tide Inside)

Edinburgh alternative rockers playing a mix of covers and original material.

Swaggering indie jams delivered in short, sharp bursts.

formed in the small town of Goleta

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £5 adv.

Edinburgh guitar ensemble led with gusto by singer Sean Ormsby.

Collaborative ensemble formed by founding members of Saxon: Steve Dawson and Graham Oliver.

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

Santa Barbara power-punk outfit

Strawberry Ocean Sea (Dirty Hearts)

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £5

Oliver/Dawson Saxon

The Alibi’s (The Blue Spiders)

Stereo, 18:00–22:00, £12

Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £6

Edinburgh-based quartet of the alternative pop and rock variety.

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

The Blueswater

The Jazz Bar, 23:45–03:00, £5 (£3)

Avant Garde, 20:15–23:00, Free

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

Wee Red Bar, 19:30–22:30, £2

New pro-queer, pro-female band night for Edinburgh, bringing the joys of V For Vagina to our attention.

Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–00:00, £6

Carter’s Bar, 20:00–22:30, Free

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

Intense and progressive rock served up with absolute mentalism and floursihes of technical brilliance.

Mark Stewart

Stevenson End of Year Concert

Mark Stewart (of Pop Group/The Maffia fame) tours in support of his new solo album, The Politics of Envy.

Showcase gig highlighting the work of students on the Popular Music course at Stevenson College

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–23:00, £14

Bongo Club, 19:00–22:00, £5

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £5

Miaoux Miaoux (Conquering Animal Sound, Mitchell Museum)

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £5 adv.

Expect subtly layered beats and rushes of distorted guitar as Miaoux Miaoux (aka Julian Corrie) launches his new album official.

Fri 15 Jun Gareeda (Firebrand Super Rock, Bachus Baracus) Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

Heavy metal meets stoner rock Edinburgh outfit launching their new album.

Mechanical Smile (Miasma, Scarlet Shift)

The Caves, 19:00–22:00, £6 adv. (£8 door)

Two guys and two girls from Ayrshire, combining rock, pop and grunge to create their own melodic and pulsating sound.

Lach (Michael Pedersen, Teen Canteen)

Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Spoken word maestro Lach curates his own show, featuring Caledonian poet Michael Pedersen and new pop chicks on the block, Teen Canteen (featuring former members of Futuristic Retro Champions).

Human Don’t Be Angry (Martin John Henry)

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £14 adv.

Malcolm Middleton dons his semiinstrumental alter ego, Human Don’t Be Angry, taking his new album under said moniker on the road proper, with full band in tow.

Sat 16 Jun The Just Joans (The Spook School, Hector Collectors) Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £4

Motherwell miserablists The Just Joans launch their new LP, Buckfast Bottles In The Rain.

Kate Nash

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £15 adv.

Ms Nash keeps it reliably chirpy with her vocally-loose melodic ramblings, touring in support of her third album.

Garaje Jack

The Liquid Room, 19:00–22:00, £12

Madrid-based Spanish rockers.

Sun 17 Jun

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–23:00, £7

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

Click Clack Club (World Wide Spider, Trio Velcro) The Third Door, 20:00–23:00, £4

Occasional experimental music club bringing the good times with their Beefheart-inspired experimental funk.

Fri 22 Jun Kieran Goss

Queen’s Hall, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

Leading Irish songwriter who’s penned tunes for the likes of Mary Black and Christy Moore.

Bad Manners

HMV Picture House, 19:00–22:00, £15

Bad Manners churn out the party ska hits, with the larger-than-life Buster Bloodvessel still gurning away at the helm.

Mothertone

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£4)

C-tuned heavy rock quartet from Edinburgh, taking pride in assaulting the ears of many.

Toecutter (Mad Nurse) Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

Aggressive alternative heaviness from the Highland rockers.

The Applebeggars (Calum Beattie)

The Caves, 22:00–01:00, £11

Collaborative songwriting project between Kenny Herbert and Rab Howat.

8-Track Stereo

Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–22:00, £4

Lanark quartet of the good ol’ indierockin’ variety.

10:04s (Modern Faces, The Rahs)

Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £6

Local indie-punk quartet playing a hometown gig.

Stanley Odd

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £1.79 door

Inventive hip-hop musings as the Odd Squad move from chopped electrofunk to crunchy 8-bit, via well-constructed vocal flows from Solareye and Veronica Electronica.

Voodoo Rooms, 19:00–23:00, £11

Tue 26 Jun HMV Picture House, 19:00–22:00, £27.50

Ceilidh Club

Bongo Club, 20:30–23:00, £6

Ceilidh dancing fun night, with a live caller and a live ceilidh band.

Edinburgh Academy of Music and Sound

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £4

Making the most of the five weekend month, all the Electric Circus club nights unite for one massive party.

Wed 27 Jun M83

HMV Picture House, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

French musician Anthony Gonzalez tours on the back of last year’s dreamy double disco opus, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.

Condemned, Amagortis, Regurgitate Life Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

Extreme sounds from the underground with a brutal death metal triple bill. Amen.

Broken Boy Soldiers (The Shakedown Project)

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £3 adv.

The Edinburgh ensemble play their entire repertoire, including songs from their British Life EP.

Thu 28 Jun Napier Live

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£4)

Live band showcase night hosted by Napier talent and their respective bands, plus other acts they reckon are worth a look in.

Ben Montague (Kristyna Miles)

Voodoo Rooms, 19:00–23:00, £8

Toustle-haired acoustic singer/ songwriter blessed with an acute sense of melody.

Boy Up A Tree @ LeithLate

The Windsor Buffet, 18:00–21:00, Free

Live musical showcase featuring locallers Boy Up A Tree, amongst others, as part of Leith’s annual late night multi-arts event, LeithLate.

Fri 29 Jun

The Chieftains

Sat 23 Jun

After Me The Flood (Edinburgh School For The Deaf)

The traditional Irish collective celebrate 50 definitive years.

Tinderbox Orchestra (Broken Records, North Atlantic Oscillation)

US-of-A hailing ensemble schooled in melodic metallic hardcore.

The 50-odd piece youth orchestra teams up with a choir, two guest bands and Hidden Door arts collective for a bit of an orchestral riot in the tranquil Queen’s Hall. Amen.

Blues-driven, 80s-inspired metallic rock from the ever-energetic Edinburgh quintet.

Usher Hall, 20:00–22:00, £37.50 (£35)

CRANACHAN

Bannerman’s, 21:00–23:00, Free

Classic rock covers from the 60s to present day.

Communion (The Pale Seas, Blue Gold, Jack Mattison, Astrid & Quinn) Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £5

Ben Lovett (of Mumford & Sons) brings his touring night Edinburgh-way, featuring acts from around the UK.

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Voodoo Rooms, 19:00–23:00, £10

Australian actor and singer/songwriter Ruth Katerelos makes her cabaret debut, exploring the power of love via music.

Tue 19 Jun Les Yeux De La Tete

Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–23:30, £5

French bass, drums and sax trio playing a heavy instrumental hybrid of progressive, jazz and rock.

Queen’s Hall, 19:30–22:00, £10 (£8)

The Bad Books (Loch Awe, The Spook School, The New Fabian Society)

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £6 adv. (£7 door)

From the ashes of Come on Gang! and The Kays Lavelle, The Bad Books emerge triumphant, sounding very different to Mikey Morrison and Graeme Anderson’s previous acts.

That’ll be your cue to go check ‘em out.

Ianfest (Sad Society, Shock And Awe, The Puzzlers, The Media Whores, Seafield Foxes, Isaac Brutal, Desperation A.M.)

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £4

Black Cherokee (Blackjack) Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

Bainbridge Music Showcase Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Monthly showcase selection of new bands who’ve been using Bainbridge Studios facilities this month.

Madhat McGore, Blasfima Sinna, Conscious Route Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £5

Live hip-hop showcase headered up

by Edinburgh MC Madhat McGore.

The Psychedelic Furs

The Liquid Room, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

London alternative rockers led by frontman and songwriter Richard Butler.

Schtick of Rock

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £6 adv.

Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–03:00, £5

Hit-filled singalong rock from the tongue-in-cheek covers band.

Bongo Club, 20:30–23:00, £6

The Sex Pistols Experience, Ed Tudor Pole (Punk Joke)

Kid Canaveral

This Is The Kit (Echo Arcadia)

The Sex Pistols tribute act, with punk rock mainstay Ed Tudor-Pole joining ‘em live.

The affable indie-pop chaps and chapesses that make up Kid Canaveral bring the singalong joy to the Wee Red.

Ceilidh Club

Ceilidh dancing fun night, with a live caller and a live ceilidh band.

Voodoo Rooms, 19:15–23:00, £8

Musical project of Kate Stables and pals, layering primal and electric textures onto songs of unaffected beauty.

A hefty dose of punk rock bands pay tribute to Ian Calvert.

Bongo Club, 19:00–22:00, £10.50

Sun 24 Jun

Wed 20 Jun

CRANACHAN

Popa Chubby

Classic rock covers from the 60s to present day.

Voodoo Rooms, 19:00–23:00, £14

New York-based blues guitar player.

Thu 21 Jun Meanwhile City (Slave System, Missing Mya) Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

Female-fronted rock quintet headered by Nikki Herd, while Dave Lawlor takes up the official guitarshredding lead.

Bannerman’s, 21:00–23:00, Free

Mon 25 Jun St Mary’s Music School: Summer Concert

Queen’s Hall, 19:30–22:00, £9 (£6)

Pupils of Scotland’s specialist music school perform a programme of early 20th century repertoire.

Sat 30 Jun Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Milk Maid

Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–22:00, £6

Suitably lo-fi scuzz-rock from the Manchester ensemble.

Fridge Magnets

Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £6

New electro-rockers on the block, headered by the sing-shouty tones of Steven Winton.

Kolombia (Seven Deadly Sins, The Jacarandas, Mattie Anderson) Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, Free

Showcase night featuring a selection of unsigned Edinburgh tunemakers.

LISTINGS

Glasgow CLUBS Tue 29 May

David Barbarossa’s Thing

Buff Saturdays

Mon 04 Jun

Up The Racket

I Heart Garage Saturdays

Tue 12 Jun

Reprisal

Two floors of punk-rock, reggae and classic disco, with local scallywag David Barbarossa.

Nick Peacock spins a selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

Burn

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

Reprisal

Buff Fridays

DJ Paddy plays the newest in indie, rock, disco and pop. You do the dancing.

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3

Tuesday nighter manned by DJ Mythic, playing the best in rock, metal, punk and ska.

Wild Combination Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, Free

Kilmarnock’s hairy disco legend, David Barbarossa, digs out some vinyl gems.

Killer Kitsch Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Space Invader The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Andy R plays chart hits and requests, past and present.

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

Cathouse Fridays (Cathouse Fridays)

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels, with the residents manning the decks.

Booty Call

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Mixed bag of indie, rock, underground hip-hop and chart classics. Free before 11.30pm.

I AM (Barrientos)

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Cathouse Saturdays

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

Voodoo

Cathouse, 16:00–21:00, £4 (£2)

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s.

Rock Royalty

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Junk Disco The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Hotch-potch of chart anthems, live video feeds, a dressing-up box and karaoke.

I Am Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Alternative pop from the 80s and 90s, with a bit of industrial dance and classic rock thrown in.

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual mix of electronica and bass.

Different Strokes

Wed 06 Jun

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Midweeker in the capable hands of Duncan Harvey and guests, playing a vintage selection of sounds.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £3 adv. (£5 door)

Chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

Boom Boom Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Considered mix of garage, post-punk and girl groups, presented by Adele of Sons and Daughters and the Sophisticated Boom Boom.

Buff Thursday Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Euan Neilson handpicks a ‘best of’styled selection of 50s rock, disco and hip-hop.

Taking Back Thursdays Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £4 £2)

Subversion Hispanic Panic: Totally Tropical

Stereo, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Hispanic Panic returns, transforming Stereo’s basement into a tropical paradise with Latin American rhythms and free fruit. Yes, free fruit.

Blitz!

Flying Duck, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Queercentric night with its focus firmly on 90s-inspired new romantic and danceable pop hits.

Jamming Fridays

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5/£3 student after 12)

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to the 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

Freakbeats

Flying Duck, 21:00–03:00, £5

Mod, soul, ska and groovy freakbeat 45s, with DJs Jamo, Paul Molloy and Gareth McCallum.

The Rock Shop

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5/£3 student after 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

Subculture

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £10 (£5)

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic taking to the booth all night long.

Rebecca Vasmant

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Jazz-inspired house from the Ministry of Sound tour resident.

Optimo

Sun 03 Jun

JD Twitch and JG Wilkes take to the decks, for a night of pure Optimo goodness.

A.N.RK

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £8

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £1

Renegade

Counterfeit

Uniting the worlds of music and clubbing with Franz Ferdinand’s Paul Thomson joining forces with Hushpuppy for a rich mix of jungle drums, new wave, foreign disco and funk.

Rock, metal and punk requests all night long.

Up The Racket Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sat 02 Jun

DJ Paddy plays the newest in indie, rock, disco and pop. You do the dancing.

Love Music

Feel My Bicep

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons and guests.

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Cosmic and sweaty mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

A Love From Outer Space The Berkeley Suite, 22:30–03:00, £7

Andrew Weatherall and Sean Johnston’s rather ace London night takes a trip north, with the mighty duo playing back-to-back over a four-hour takeover.

Fri 01 Jun Propaganda O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Student-orientated indie night with guest DJs dropping by.

Damnation Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative rock, metal, punk and ska.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 after 11.30)

All Tore Up

Blackfriars Basement, 20:00–03:00, £7

Rock’n’roll, rockabilly and R’n’B shenanigans.

Absolution

Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £6

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

Pandemic

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Cross-genre danceathon with residents Noj and Mark. They will play The Fall.

Melting Pot

The Admiral, 23:00–03:00, £8

The Melting Pot residents take centre stage for the night.

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, Free

An unabashed mix of 80s pop, electro and nu-disco. They will play Phil Collins.

Different Strokes Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Midweeker in the capable hands of Duncan Harvey and guests, playing a vintage selection of sounds.

Garage Wednesdays The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Craig McGee’s staple eclectic mashup midweeker.

Octopussy The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Quids In

Music Please

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Take It Sleazy

Weekly student night, with residents Ray Vose and Desoto joined by various live guests.

New monthly residency with the Rumours residents, special guests and extra bass bins.

The Berkeley Suite, 23:00–03:00, Free

Alternative pop from the 80s and 90s, with a bit of industrial dance and classic rock thrown in.

Sub Rosa

Rumours

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £4

Riotous celebration of all things punk, in superbly anti-jubilee style.

Weekend welcoming mix of emo, pop-punk, rock and beats.

Full-on mix of nu-metal and hard rockin’ tunes, with yer man DJ Muppet.

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3

Tuesday nighter manned by DJ Mythic, playing the best in rock, metal, punk and ska.

Killer Kitsch

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3

Jellybaby

Reprisal

Kilmarnock’s hairy disco legend, David Barbarossa, digs out some vinyl gems.

Subversion

Thu 31 May

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, Free

Fun gig-in-a-club night offering up an ever-impressive live line-up of bands, this month including noisy powerpop-meets-rock quartet The Winter Tradition.

Weekly student night, with residents Ray Vose and Desoto joined by various live guests.

Space Invader

Wild Combination

Bloc+, 21:00–03:00, Free

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Saturday night party dedicated to rock legends from the noughties.

Tue 05 Jun

The Garage, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Wed 30 May

Sub Rosa

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

I Heart Garage Saturdays

LAID (The Winter Tradition, Secret Motorbikes, Marvel Heights)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Rock Royality: 00s

Andy R plays chart hits and requests, past and present.

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £4

The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Long-running trade night with Normski, Zeus and Mash spinning disco beats.

Cathouse, 23:00–04:00, £4 (£2)

Saturday night party dedicated to rock legends.

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa welcome eclectic producer Ivan Hall Barrientos back to the decks.

Octopussy

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Rock Royalty: KISS

Cathouse, 23:00–04:00, £4 (£2)

Saturday night party dedicated to rock legends, this time with a Kiss theme. Free entry in costume (read: facepaint).

Sunday Roaster

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Resident Wee Cheesy throws in mash-ups, chart-attacks and more mayhem than should really be allowed on the Sabbath.

Jammin Vs Rockshop

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5/£3 student after 12)

The resident DJ's go head-to-head, playing indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to present day.

Instruments Of Rapture Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Choice nu-disco and house picks from the Instruments Of Rapture label, hosted by Glasgow’s pitched-down house master, The Revenge.

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Feel My Bicep

Back Tae Mine

Cosmic and sweaty mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

House-party styled night, with a group of rotating DJs alongside regular guest DJs. Plus free toast for all.

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Philanthrobeats

Chambre 69, 23:00–03:00, £4

Monthly club where promoters raise funds for the charity of their choice, with this month’s guests being Boom Monk Ben, Chungo Bungo and Denney & FortyWinks.

Walk ‘n’ Skank

Club 520, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

The Mungo’s Hi-Fi crew take up their official Glasgow residency, bringing you the very best in bass, natch.

Fri 08 Jun Propaganda

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Student-orientated indie night with guest DJs dropping by.

Damnation

Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative rock, metal, punk and ska.

Kino Fist

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Genre-spanning mix of 60s psych, leftfield pop and Krautrock with resident Charlotte (of Muscles of Joy).

Buff Fridays

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £3 adv. (£5 door)

Chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

Cryotec Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3

Monthly dose of industrial, EBM and electronic. We hear it’s very danceable.

The Afterparty Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Euan Neilson handpicks a selection of classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

Taking Back Thursdays Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Weekend welcoming mix of emo, pop-punk, rock and beats.

Misbehavin’ Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Monthly mish-mash of electro, dance and dirty pop with DJ Drucifer.

Boom Thursdays The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Chart and indie classics, plus a live Twitter feed where you can log tune requests (#Garagelive).

Trinidad-born, Brooklyn-raised rapper known for his genre-bending approach, drawing from a range of styles (i.e. he’s one talented bugger).

The Rock Shop

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5/£3 student after 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

Subculture (Jeff Mills, Telford)

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £10

The infamous techno pioneer/ legend/behemoth that is Jeff Mills takes to Sub Club on what is RockNess weekend.

Wild Combination

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, Free

Kilmarnock’s hairy disco legend, David Barbarossa, digs out some vinyl gems.

Killer Kitsch

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Tenacious D: After-Party Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Official after-bash for Jack Black and cohort Kyle Glass’ SECC gig. Free entry with ticket stub.

Junk Disco

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Hotch-potch of chart anthems, live video feeds, a dressing-up box and karaoke.

I Am

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Offbeat

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual mix of electronica and bass.

Genre-spanning mix of house, garage, disco, funk and techno from the Offbeat gang.

Wed 13 Jun

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sun 10 Jun Retrospex

Blackfriars Basement, 21:00–23:30, Free

Feel My Bicep Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Cosmic and sweaty mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

Walk ‘n’ Skank Club 520, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

The Mungo’s Hi-Fi crew take up their official Glasgow residency, bringing you the very best in bass, natch.

Fri 15 Jun Propaganda O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Student-orientated indie night with guest DJs dropping by.

10 years of Argonaut Sounds Blackfriars Basement, 23:00–03:00, Free (£3 after 12)

The ultimate roots reggae, dancehall and rocksteady night celebrates ten glorious years of being with live performances on the mic, free session CDs, posters and a ‘best of’ soundtrack.

Damnation Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £6

Subversion

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3

Alternative pop from the 80s and 90s, with a bit of industrial dance and classic rock thrown in.

Different Strokes

Alternative rock, metal, punk and ska.

Black Tent Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Indie, electro and anything inbetween with Pauly (My Latest Novel), and Simin and Steev (Errors).

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Cathouse Fridays (Cathouse Fridays)

Rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels, with the residents manning the decks.

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels, with the residents manning the decks.

Booty Call

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Mixed bag of indie, rock, underground hip-hop and chart classics. Free before 11.30pm.

Booty Call The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Mixed bag of indie, rock, underground hip-hop and chart classics. Free before 11.30pm.

Common People

Flying Duck, 23:00–03:00, £5

Celebration of the 90s, with hits aplenty and a pre-club bingo session.

JAK (FastGraph, Global Goon, Up Digital)

Jamming Fridays

Stereo, 23:00–03:00, £10

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5/£3 student after 12)

The Jak crew pop up in a new venue, with a trio of live guests in tow, plus a mysterious street artist painting live.

Dirty Basement

Lock Up Your Daughters

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to the 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Eclectic mix from the Dirty Basement duo, power mixing from across the spectrums of soul, funk, bass, techno and electro.

Milk: 1st Birthday

Jellybaby

The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £7

Tuesday nighter manned by DJ Mythic, playing the best in rock, metal, punk and ska.

DJ Paddy plays the newest in indie, rock, disco and pop. You do the dancing.

Cathouse Fridays (Cathouse Fridays)

The Detroit-based electronic musician and creative whirlwind brings his Majenta Live Show to the Berkeley Suite.

Thu 07 Jun

Theophilius London

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3

Buff Fridays

Jimmy Edgar

Flat 0/1, 21:00–03:00, £sold out

Flying Duck, 21:00–03:00, £5

Up The Racket

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

The Milk crew celebrate their first birthday in suitably impressive style, re-uniting a trio of local bands for the occasion: Drive-By Argument, Jocasta Sleeps and Theatre Fall.

The Garage, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Chambre 69, 23:00–03:00, £8

Flying Duck, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

The regular live mainstays play a genre-hopping mix of R’n’B, soul, pop, Latin and rock.

Quids In

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £1

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Midweeker in the capable hands of Duncan Harvey and guests, playing a vintage selection of sounds.

Garage Wednesdays

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Renegade

Craig McGee’s staple eclectic mashup midweeker.

Rock, metal and punk requests all night long.

Octopussy

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

The straight-friendly lesbian party returns for its regular themed shenanigans on the third Friday of the month.

Jamming Fridays Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5/£3 student after 12)

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to the 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Sunday Roaster

Midnight Cowboy

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Resident Wee Cheesy throws in mash-ups, chart-attacks and more mayhem than should really be allowed on the Sabbath.

Sub Rosa

Eclectic-themed shenanigans for the third Friday of the month.

Osmium

Thunder Disco Club

Weekly student night, with residents Ray Vose and Desoto joined by various live guests.

Love Music

Blair and Gary play Italo, disco, synthpop, funk and a whole bunch of other stuff aimed at making you throw yourself about with abandon.

The Thunder Disco Club residents churn out the 90s house, techno and disco hits.

Sat 09 Jun Love Music

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 after 11.30)

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons and guests.

Blackfriars Basement, 23:00–03:00, £3

Absolution

Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £6

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

Wrong Island

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

The legendary Teamy and Dirty Larry spin some fresh electronics for your aural pleasure.

Buff Saturdays

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Nick Peacock spins a selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

Cathouse Saturdays

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Jinty

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Hip-hop and grime playlists from Jinty Gutter Riddim.

Mon 11 Jun Burn

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Long-running trade night with Normski, Zeus and Mash spinning disco beats.

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Wednesdays @ Flat 0/1 Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Midweek mix of soul, funk, motown and northern soul with Duncan Harvey.

Jellybaby

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £3 adv. (£5 door)

Chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

The Afterparty

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Euan Neilson handpicks a selection of classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

Taking Back Thursdays

Andy R plays chart hits and requests, past and present.

Weekend welcoming mix of emo, pop-punk, rock and beats.

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Boom Thursdays

Voodoo

Chart and indie classics, plus a live Twitter feed where you can log tune requests (#Garagelive).

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

Cathouse, 16:00–21:00, £4 (£2)

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s.

Sat 16 Jun O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 after 11.30)

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons and guests.

Shout Bamalama Blackfriars Basement, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Thu 14 Jun

Space Invader

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Vintage 50s and 60s dancefloor sounds handpicked from genres of R’n’B, rock’n’roll and soul.

Absolution Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £6

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

Bottle Rocket Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Indie dancing club, playing anything and everything danceable.

Buff Saturdays Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Nick Peacock spins a selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

Cathouse Saturdays Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

June 2012

THE SKINNY 57

LISTINGS

G lasgow C L U B S

EDINBURGH

Voodoo

Junk Disco

Walk ‘n’ Skank

Deadly Rhythm

Different Strokes

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s.

Hotch-potch of chart anthems, live video feeds, a dressing-up box and karaoke.

The Mungo’s Hi-Fi crew take up their official Glasgow residency, bringing you the very best in bass, natch.

Ear-exercising house and techno from the Deadly Rhythm crew.

Midweeker in the capable hands of Duncan Harvey and guests, playing a vintage selection of sounds.

Cathouse, 16:00–21:00, £4 (£2)

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

I Heart Garage Saturdays The Garage, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

I Am (Delusions of Grandeur)

Super Trouper

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual mix of electronica and bass.

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Flying Duck, 23:00–03:00, £5

Wed 20 Jun

Clubber’s delight dedicated to all-Swedish indie, pop and rock. The will play ABBA.

Subversion

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3

The Rock Shop

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5/£3 student after 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

Subculture (Domenic)

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £10 (£5)

Domenic gives a rare four-hour set in parner in crime Harri’s absence.

Alternative pop from the 80s and 90s, with a bit of industrial dance and classic rock thrown in.

Not Moving

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, Free

South African house, grime, jungle, R’n’B and hauntology. A tropical mix, ayes.

Club 520, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Fri 22 Jun Propaganda

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Student-orientated indie night with guest DJs dropping by.

25BC: 25 Years of Blackfriars

Blackfriars Basement, 21:00–03:00, Free

Free weekender celebrating the best in live music and clubs at Blackfriars Basement, past and present.

Damnation

Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative rock, metal, punk and ska.

The Hot Club

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Tearin’ it up with 60s psych-outs and modern sleaze, provided by Rafla and Andy (of The Phantom Band).

Buff Fridays

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

Cathouse Fridays (Cathouse Fridays)

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels, with the residents manning the decks.

Booty Call

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Mixed bag of indie, rock, underground hip-hop and chart classics. Free before 11.30pm.

Jamming Fridays

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5/£3 student after 12)

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to the 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

Black Van

Different Strokes

The Berkeley Suite, 23:00–03:00, £6

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

German duo KoweSix and Kris Menace tour under their electronic moniker, Black Van, for a bit if a masterclass in deep and funky house.

Midweeker in the capable hands of Duncan Harvey and guests, playing a vintage selection of sounds.

Symbiosis

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Audio, 22:00–03:00, Free

Blink 182: After-Party Official after-bash for the Californian punk-rockers SECC gig. Free entry with ticket stub.

Innovative D’n’B beats in a relaxed, bass-rich environment complete with live visuals from Altronix.

Garage Wednesdays

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Sun 17 Jun

Craig McGee’s staple eclectic mashup midweeker.

Quids In

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £1

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

Sunday Roaster

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Wednesdays @ Flat 0/1 Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Midweek mix of soul, funk, motown and northern soul with Duncan Harvey.

Highlife (Auntie Flo, Esa) Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

More heavyweight selections from Mungo’s Soundsystem, helped along by eclectic lyrical talent MC Soom T.

Sat 23 Jun Love Music

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 after 11.30)

25BC: 25 Years of Blackfriars

Weekly student night, with residents Ray Vose and Desoto joined by various live guests.

Resident Wee Cheesy throws in mash-ups, chart-attacks and more mayhem than should really be allowed on the Sabbath.

Chambre 69, 23:00–03:00, £6 adv.

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Sub Rosa

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Mungo’s Hi-Fi (Soom T)

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons and guests.

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Rock, metal and punk requests all night long.

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Thunderous techno from the Monox crew (aka Dan and Smartie).

Octopussy

The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Renegade

Empty

Thu 21 Jun

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s.

Space Invader

The Afterparty

The Garage, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Tue 19 Jun

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Reprisal

Weekend welcoming mix of emo, pop-punk, rock and beats.

Tuesday nighter manned by DJ Mythic, playing the best in rock, metal, punk and ska.

Boom Thursdays

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3

Wild Combination

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, Free

Kilmarnock’s hairy disco legend, David Barbarossa, digs out some vinyl gems.

Killer Kitsch

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

58 THE SKINNY

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Chart and indie classics, plus a live Twitter feed where you can log tune requests (#Garagelive).

Up The Racket

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

DJ Paddy plays the newest in indie, rock, disco and pop. You do the dancing.

Feel My Bicep

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Cosmic and sweaty mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

June 2012

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Rock, metal and punk requests all night long.

Wed 30 May

Unseen (Traversable Wormhole)

Sub Rosa

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5/£3 student after 12)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Weekly student night, with residents Ray Vose and Desoto joined by various live guests.

Slide It In

Wednesdays @ Flat 0/1

Nicola Walker plays cult rock hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Midweek mix of soul, funk, motown and northern soul with Duncan Harvey.

Cathouse, 23:00–01:00, £4 (£2)

Sunday Roaster

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Resident Wee Cheesy throws in mash-ups, chart-attacks and more mayhem than should really be allowed on the Sabbath.

Optimo Presents

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £7

The Optimo boys curate another evening of shenanigans, with live guests kept tightly under wraps for now.

Jinty

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Hip-hop and grime playlists from Jinty Gutter Riddim.

Mon 25 Jun Burn

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Long-running trade night with Normski, Zeus and Mash spinning disco beats.

Space Invader

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Andy R plays chart hits and requests, past and present.

Tue 26 Jun Reprisal

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3

Tuesday nighter manned by DJ Mythic, playing the best in rock, metal, punk and ska.

Wild Combination

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, Free

Kilmarnock’s hairy disco legend, David Barbarossa, digs out some vinyl gems.

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Thu 28 Jun Jellybaby

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £3 adv. (£5 door)

Chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

Danse Macabre

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

The Danse Macabre regulars unite those two happiest of bedfellows, goth rock and, er, classic disco.

The Rock Shop

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5/£3 student after 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

Sat 30 Jun

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

DJ Paddy plays the newest in indie, rock, disco and pop. You do the dancing.

Feel My Bicep

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Cosmic and sweaty mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

Buff Saturdays

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Cathouse, 16:00–21:00, £4 (£2)

The Garage, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

Back Tae Mine

Flying Duck, 21:00–03:00, £5

House-party styled night, with a group of rotating DJs alongside regular guest DJs. Plus free toast for all.

The Rock Shop

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5/£3 student after 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

Subculture Vs Optimo (Harri & Domenic, Twitch & Wilkes)

South Side Soul

Pollok Ex-Servicemens Club, 20:00–01:00, £5

DJs Fraser Dunn, Felonious Munk and Alan McKenzie play an all-vinyl mix of soul, motown and R’n’B from the 60s and 70s.

Olympico: 1st Birthday (Highlife)

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

After one year of booking some of Glasgow’s finest, Olympico hang up their running shoes on what will be their first birthday and final night in one.

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Junk Disco

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Hotch-potch of chart anthems, live video feeds, a dressing-up box and karaoke.

I Am

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual mix of electronica and bass.

Wed 27 Jun Subversion

Residents Harri & Domenic welcome man of the moment Auntie Flo for his Subculture debut.

Alternative pop from the 80s and 90s, with a bit of industrial dance and classic rock thrown in.

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3

Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £4

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £5

Shake Some Action

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £10

Killer Kitsch

Spanglish (Orkesta Simbolika, Pellizco Flamenco)

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

I Heart Garage Saturdays

Up The Racket

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

Favourited student midweeker playing house, electro and hippity-hop.

Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £6

Full-on mix of nu-metal and hard rockin’ tunes, with yer man DJ Muppet.

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

I Love Hip-Hop

Absolution

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s.

Chart and indie classics, plus a live Twitter feed where you can log tune requests (#Garagelive).

Midweek student rundown of chart and cheese classics.

Mansion

Counterfeit

Boom Thursdays

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11)

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons and guests.

Voodoo

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Bangers & Mash

Tropical night of flamenco fusion and techno-rumba-hip-hop, whatever that may be.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 after 11.30)

Weekend welcoming mix of emo, pop-punk, rock and beats.

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Cabaret Voltaire, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Love Music

After their last sell out date, all four Sub Club residents take to the booth for a mighty versus night. Get excited, yeah?

Subculture (Auntie Flo) Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £10

Mini showcase of artists from the Heartbeats collective.

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

Cathouse, 16:00–21:00, £4 (£2)

Flying Duck, 21:00–03:00, £5

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Taking Back Thursdays

Voodoo

House-party styled night, with a group of rotating DJs alongside regular guest DJs. Plus free toast for all.

Heartbeats

Cathouse Saturdays

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Back Tae Mine

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to the 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

Euan Neilson handpicks a selection of classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

Jamming Fridays

Nick Peacock spins a selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

Cathouse Saturdays

I Heart Garage Saturdays

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The Afterparty

Nick Peacock spins a selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

A night of pure vinyl grooving, of the heel-stomping 50s and 60s garage type.

Taking Back Thursdays

Renegade

The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Octopussy

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Long-running trade night with Normski, Zeus and Mash spinning disco beats.

Euan Neilson handpicks a selection of classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

Wee Red Bar, 22:00–03:00, £12 adv.

Electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

Buff Saturdays

The Rev Up

Andy R plays chart hits and requests, past and present.

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £1

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

The Revel (Cymbollox, Kaiho, Magic Eye, Blank Canvas, The Machine Room)

Mixed bag of indie, rock, underground hip-hop and chart classics. Free before 11.30pm.

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

Burn

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Quids In

Rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels, with the residents manning the decks.

Tue 29 May Antics

Hector’s House

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Craig McGee’s staple eclectic mashup midweeker.

Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £6

Mon 18 Jun

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Monthly glam trash and sleaze tease party.

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Booty Call

Garage Wednesdays

Absolution

Chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £tbc

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £4

Cathouse Fridays (Cathouse Fridays)

The mighty Revel takes on an apocalyptic theme, with dancing tunes in the marquee provided by The Machine Room, and Magic Eye, amongst others, plus live DJs, karaoke, and a whole host of radge costumes.

Free weekender celebrating the best in live music and clubs at Blackfriars Basement, past and present.

Jellybaby

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Sun 24 Jun Trash & Burn

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Blackfriars Basement, 21:00–03:00, Free

Music from across the globe with the ever-capable residents Auntie Flo and Esa Williams.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £3 adv. (£5 door)

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

The Third Door, 23:00–03:00, £2

The Evol crew banish the Wednesday blues with their chirpy selection of indie grooves.

Witness

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of garage, dubstep and bassline house.

New Idols

99 Hanover Street, 21:00–01:00, Free

Midweek party with DJ Hobbes and guests.

Thu 31 May

Frisky

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Chart, dance and electro fare, plus punter requests all night long.

Switch Up

Wee Red Bar, 23:00–03:00, 99p

Brand new weekly night down’t the Wee Red, knocking out the hip-hop and bashment pre-midnight, then switching to techno after.

Split

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

New weekly residence for the longrunning Edinburgh D’n’B night.

Indigo

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£1)

Indie, pop and alternative favourites with a danceable beat, from LCD Soundsystem to The Ting Tings.

Zzzap!

The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£3 Guestlist)

Post-everything dub, house, bass, garage and hippity-hop.

I AM Edinburgh (Blawan)

Cabaret Voltaire, 22:30–03:00, £3 adv. (£5 door)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa take a trip east, with percussive maestro Blawan in tow.

Blackfriars Basement, 22:00–23:30, £5

Damnation

Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative rock, metal, punk and ska.

Buff Fridays

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

XY

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Anthology of house, electro and D’n’B four your aural delectation.

Four Corners

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 after 12)

Soulful fodder, from deep funk to reggae beats with your regular hosts Simon Hodge, Johnny Cashback, Astroboy and Wee-G. Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Cream Soda

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

American Prom-styled fun night celebrating all that is great about pop, new and old.

49Hz (Auntie Flo, Boom Monk Ben)

The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£7 after 12)

New monthly night placing its focus on bass-orientated beats, with Auntie Flo and Boom Monk Ben, plus a whole pile of giveaways.

Hideout

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, Free (£5 after 11)

Friday night party with Edinburgh DJs Mastercaird and Stevie C playing anything danceable.

Sat 02 Jun Tease Age

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

Propaganda

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Student-orientated indie night with guest DJs dropping by.

Ride girls Checkie and Lauren play hip-hop and dance, all night long.

Bubblegum

Fri 01 Jun

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Fri 29 Jun

Classic mod sounds, northern soul and 60s-styled R’n’B.

Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £5

Edinburgh Tekno Cartel’s rather fine electronic offerings, covering everything from breakcore to gabber and back again, with special guest Jeff23 jetting in all the way from Prague.

Ride

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £3

Friday Street

ETC06: Grindhouse (Toxicologist, Luka, Alias23, Damaged Electronics)

Indie and electro from the Sick Note DJs, celebrating their sixth birthday over the course of the month.

Distinctly retro selection from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

Student-orientated indie night with guest DJs dropping by.

The Caves, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

The Jackhammer crew provide our dose of all things techno, joined by a double dose of special guests: Hans Bouffmyhre and Neil Landstrumm.

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

The Mungo’s Hi-Fi crew take up their official Glasgow residency, bringing you the very best in bass, natch.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Jackhammer (Hans Bouffmyhre, Neil Landstrumm)

This Is Music

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Planet Earth

Propaganda

New monthly playing stripped-down techno with a back-to-basics warehouse style, with guest Traversable Wormhole providing the sci-fi laden techno beats.

Octopussy

Walk ‘n’ Skank

Club 520, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Studio 24, 22:30–03:00, £8 (£10 after 12)

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Oh No!

Friday night student party with the emphasis on Skittlebombs...

Don’t ask.

Misfits

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

The Egg

Wee Red Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£4 after 12)

Art School institution with DJs Chris and Paul playing the finest in indie, garage, soul and punk.

Dr No’s

Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 after 12)

Danceable mix of the best in 60s ska, rocksteady, bluebeat and reggae.

Pocket Aces

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Dance-inducing party with an anything goes attitude.

Big ‘N’ Bashy

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Mighty mix of reggae, grime, dubstep and jungle.

LISTINGS

EDINBURGH CLUBS We Own: Richy Ahmed Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £5 (members free)

Sonic Thrill (Campbells Wild, Neon Cougar, Retroverb) Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

The We Own clothing crew bring a concentrated version of their famed party blowouts to the intimate surrounds of Sneaky Pete’s.

Mixed showcase of indie and alternative rock and pop.

Speaker Bite Me

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa take a trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £5

New night from the Evol DJs that values all kinds of pop music, as long as it’s got bite.

Ladies on Rotation The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

A soul and disco selection from the Ladies on Rotation gals.

Musika: Free Entry Party (Denney) The Liquid Room, 22:00–03:00, Free

Musika team up with Exit Festival, throwing a joint free event featuring rising Middlesborough based artist Denney.

I AM Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Dapper Dans Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Disco, house and party classics from Picassio and D-Fault, with Decks FX and OSX.

Zzzap The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Post-everything dub, house, bass, garage and hippity-hop.

Indigo The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£1)

The Go-Go

Indie, pop and alternative favourites with a danceable beat, from LCD Soundsystem to The Ting Tings.

Studio 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5 after 11.30)

Fri 08 Jun

Long-running retro night with veteran DJs Tall Paul and Big Gus.

Studio 24 Rawks Studio 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5 after 11.30)

Rock, metal and alternative playlists.

Sun 03 Jun The Sunday Club The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of.

Coalition Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Dubstep, breaks and bassline house from AF Meldrum and a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs.

Mon 04 Jun Mixed Up The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Request-driven night of pop-punk, chart, indie and good ol’ 90s classics.

Night Kids Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Forward thinking electronic music over all three rooms.

Nu Fire Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Planet Earth Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Distinctly retro selection from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

Oh No! HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £3

Friday night student party with the emphasis on Skittlebombs...

Don’t ask.

Misfits The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

Hot Mess Wee Red Bar, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

DJ Simonotron hosts the gay disco party like no other, playing disco, house and acid on vinyl only.

Robigan’s Reggae Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 12)

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

Electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

I Love Hip-Hop Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

Soul Jam Hot Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Fresh mix of funk, soul, disco and hippity-hop from the Soul Jam Hot DJs.

Wed 06 Jun Bangers & Mash The Hive, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11)

Midweek student rundown of chart and cheese classics.

Shake Yer Shoulders Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Mixed genre night of minimal, electro, techno and D’n’B.

Split Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

New weekly residence for the longrunning Edinburgh D’n’B night.

Witness (Claude VonStroke) Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £5 (members free)

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular featuring the towering tech-house king that is Claude VonStroke.

Mansion The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £5

Favourited student midweeker playing house, electro and hippity-hop.

Thu 07 Jun Octopussy HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Frisky The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Chart, dance and electro fare, plus punter requests all night long.

Swinging soul spanning a whole century, plus live dancers a-go-go.

Bass Syndicate Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £3 (members free)

The regular Edinburgh breaks and bassline Manga crew takeover.

Bad Habits Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £4

Saturday night party mix of soul, garage and beat.

Beep Beep, Yeah!

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Retro pop stylings from the 50s to the 70s.

Rendezvous The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £8 (£6)

The usual futuristic take on funk, disco, techno and house from the Rendezvous regulars.

Land of a Thousand Dances Studio 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5 after 11.30)

Blues and soul from the 50s and 60s, handpicked by Tony ‘Two-Eyes’ and The Go-Go DJs.

Studio 24 Rawks Studio 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5 after 11.30)

Rock, metal and alternative playlists.

Balkanarama Special!

Studio 24, 21:30–03:00, £9 adv. (£11 door)

Annual Balkanarama special fusing virtuoso live Balkan performance with DJs spinning contemporary Balkan beats, all accompanied by films, visuals, belly dancing and free shots.

Sun 10 Jun The Sunday Club The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Coalition

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Anthology of house, electro and D’n’B four your aural delectation.

Tue 05 Jun

Hector’s House

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £5

XY

Glam techno and electro night with the usual themed shenanigans, this time in a military style.

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Soulsville

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of.

Confusion Is Sex: Military

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Dance-inducing party with an anything goes attitude.

Dub, reggae and dancehall clubbing spectacular.

Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

Antics

Pocket Aces

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£6 after 12)

This Is Music Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Dubstep, breaks and bassline house from AF Meldrum and a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs.

New night from Laurence Nolan, playing the best in underground house.

Hideout The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, Free (£5 after 11)

Friday night party with Edinburgh DJs Mastercaird and Stevie C playing anything danceable.

Betamax Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£5 after 11.30)

New wave, disco, post-punk and a bit o’ synthtastic 80s with your host Chris and Big Gus.

Sat 09 Jun Tease Age Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

Propaganda HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Night of dubstep, electro and D’n’B from a selection of Edinburgh’s top DJs and upcoming talent

Mon 11 Jun The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Night Kids Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Forward thinking electronic music over all three rooms.

Nu Fire Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

Hector’s House Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

Electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

I Love Hip-Hop Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

Soul Jam Hot Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Art School institution with DJs Chris and Paul playing the finest in indie, garage, soul and punk.

The Egg

Inner Rhythm

Propaganda

Wee Red Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£4 after 12)

Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (students free)

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Art School institution with DJs Chris and Paul playing the finest in indie, garage, soul and punk.

House and techno fare with the residents and guest, Brotherhood.

Basics: 7th Birthday (Gerry McWilliams, Neil Henderson)

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Henry’s Cellar, 20:00–03:00, £5

Retro mix of 50s and 60s R’n’B and northern soul, celebrating its 7th anniversary with a special 8pm kick off.

Pocket Aces Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Lafayette

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

New hip-hop and R’n’B-styled night inspired by the culture, fashion and night life of the Lower East Side of New York.

Zzzap

The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Post-everything dub, house, bass, garage and hippity-hop.

Indigo

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£1)

Indie, pop and alternative favourites with a danceable beat, from LCD Soundsystem to The Ting Tings.

Fri 15 Jun Planet Earth

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Distinctly retro selection from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

Oh No!

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £3

Friday night student party with the emphasis on Skittlebombs...

Don’t ask.

Misfits

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

Rude

Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 after 12)

XY

Anthology of house, electro and D’n’B four your aural delectation.

Substance: Free Summer Rave Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free (£7 after 23.30)

The usual stellar dose of techno tunes, free for all before 23.30.

This Is Music

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Indie and electro from the Sick Note DJs, celebrating their sixth birthday over the course of the month.

Cream Soda

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£2)

The Jackhammer crew provide our dose of all things techno, joined by Detroit techno and house creator Kevin Saunderson.

Hideout

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, Free (£5 after 11)

Friday night party with Edinburgh DJs Mastercaird and Stevie C playing anything danceable.

Animal Hospital

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 11.30)

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£7 after 12)

Sweet reggae rockin’ from the original sound system, plus MC Afrika Simba on special guest duty.

Wasabi Disco: Philipp Gorbachev Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £5

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Mansion The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £5

Favourited student midweeker playing house, electro and hippity-hop.

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £5

Tease Age

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

Propaganda

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Student-orientated indie night with guest DJs dropping by.

Bubblegum

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

Octopussy HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £8 (£6)

Lesbian and bi-friendly favourite with Trendy Wendy and pals.

Rewind The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £3 adv. (£5 door)

Journey back through the ages, digging out anthemic gems from the last 40 years.

The Green Door Studio 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5 after 11)

Surf, blues and rockabilly from the 50s and early 60s, plus free cake!

Nuff said.

Studio 24 Rawks Studio 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5 after 11)

Rock, metal and alternative playlists.

Sun 17 Jun The Sunday Club The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of.

Coalition Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Dubstep, breaks and bassline house from AF Meldrum and a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs.

Residents (Craig Wilson) The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, Free (£3 after 11)

Night of dubstep, electro and D’n’B from a selection of Edinburgh’s top DJs and upcoming talent

Mon 18 Jun Mixed Up The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Request-driven night of pop-punk, chart, indie and good ol’ 90s classics.

Night Kids Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Forward thinking electronic music over all three rooms.

Nu Fire Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

Tue 19 Jun Antics The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Hector’s House Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

I Love Hip-Hop Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

Soul Jam Hot Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Fresh mix of funk, soul, disco and hippity-hop from the Soul Jam Hot DJs.

Wed 20 Jun Bangers & Mash The Hive, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11)

Midweek student rundown of chart and cheese classics.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

The Egg

Bangers & Mash

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

Wee Red Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£4 after 12)

Art School institution with DJs Chris and Paul playing the finest in indie, garage, soul and punk.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Mumbo Jumbo Party soundtrack of funk, soul, disco and house from Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin.

Lafayette

Definition

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£3)

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £3 (members free)

Indigo The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£1)

Indie, pop and alternative favourites with a danceable beat, from LCD Soundsystem to The Ting Tings.

Mark Balneaves and Martin Lightbody play some of the finest underground dance across four decks, FX units and laptops.

Pop Tarts Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£5 after 12)

Making the most of the five weekend month, all the Electric Circus club nights unite for one massive party.

Fever The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £8

Fri 22 Jun

Eclectic selections from DJs Fisher & Price.

Planet Earth

Virgen

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Fiddler’s Elbow, 20:00–01:00, £3

Distinctly retro selection from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

Oh No! HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £3

Friday night student party with the emphasis on Skittlebombs...

Don’t ask.

Misfits The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

Corruption Live Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£5 after 12)

Hard dance, trance, electro, house and old school beats for all your shape-pulling needs.

XY Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Anthology of house, electro and D’n’B four your aural delectation.

Xplicit Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£6 after 12)

Heavy jungle and bass-styled beats from the inimitable Xplicit crew, in a residents and friends summer special.

This Is Music Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Indie and electro from the Sick Note DJs, celebrating their sixth birthday over the course of the month.

Cream Soda Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

American Prom-styled fun night celebrating all that is great about pop, new and old.

Sounds of Soul The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £8 (£6)

Soulful house tunes with yer man Sean McCabe.

Hideout The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, Free (£5 after 11)

Friday night party with Edinburgh DJs Mastercaird and Stevie C playing anything danceable.

Sat 23 Jun

Alternative lesbian night with Glasgow’s Emma ‘Queercore’ Daye playing a mash up of electro, Indie, fidget house and D’n’B.

Studio 24 Rawks Studio 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5 after 11)

Rock, metal and alternative playlists.

Sun 24 Jun

Witness Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of garage, dubstep and bassline house.

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £5

Favourited student midweeker playing house, electro and hippity-hop.

Thu 28 Jun Octopussy HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Frisky The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Chart, dance and electro fare, plus punter requests all night long.

I AM Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa take a trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

Ride Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Ride girls Checkie and Lauren play hip-hop and dance, all night long.

Lafayette Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£3)

New hip-hop and R’n’B-styled night inspired by the culture, fashion and night life of the Lower East Side of New York.

Zzzap The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Post-everything dub, house, bass, garage and hippity-hop.

Indigo The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£1)

Indie, pop and alternative favourites with a danceable beat, from LCD Soundsystem to The Ting Tings.

Fri 29 Jun Planet Earth Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

The Sunday Club The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of.

Coalition Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Dubstep, breaks and bassline house from AF Meldrum and a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs.

Residents (Tactus, The Mighty Cream) The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, Free (£3 after 11)

Night of dubstep, electro and D’n’B from a selection of Edinburgh’s top DJs and upcoming talent

Distinctly retro selection from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

Oh No! HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £3

Friday night student party with the emphasis on Skittlebombs...

Don’t ask.

Misfits The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

Unpop Wee Red Bar, 22:30–03:00, £4

Mon 25 Jun

Indie-pop dance party for the twee of heart, with mixtapes, badges and cake for the first 50 through the door.

Mixed Up

XY Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Request-driven night of pop-punk, chart, indie and good ol’ 90s classics.

Night Kids Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Forward thinking electronic music over all three rooms.

Nu Fire Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

Tue 26 Jun Karnival (Riva Starr) Teviot Row House, 22:00–03:00, £10

Special edition of Karnival club showcasing Riva Starr’s new album, Barteria Fantactica, with live percussion from Giom.

Antics The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Tease Age

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Mansion

Disco, house and party classics from Picassio and D-Fault, with Decks FX and OSX.

Post-everything dub, house, bass, garage and hippity-hop.

Split

The Caves, 21:00–03:00, £18 adv.

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£7 after 12)

The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11)

Midweek student rundown of chart and cheese classics.

New weekly residence for the longrunning Edinburgh D’n’B night.

Dapper Dans

Zzzap

Wed 27 Jun

Torture Garden Edinburgh: Midsummer Ball (Missy Macabre, The Vivid Angel, Mr Pustra, Ophelia Bitz, Cat Aclysmic, Vendetta Vain, The Kamikaze Girls)

Dance-inducing party with an anything goes attitude.

New hip-hop and R’n’B-styled night inspired by the culture, fashion and night life of the Lower East Side of New York.

Soul Jam Hot Fresh mix of funk, soul, disco and hippity-hop from the Soul Jam Hot DJs.

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa take a trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Pocket Aces

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Saturday Night Beaver

Bubblegum

I AM Edinburgh

Pop Rocks Pop and rock gems, taking in motown, 80s classics and plenty danceable fare (well, the Beep Beep, Yeah! crew are on decks after all).

Student-orientated indie night with guest DJs dropping by.

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Chart, dance and electro fare, plus punter requests all night long.

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

I Love Hip-Hop

Infamous fetish club spread over two clubbing areas and three dungeonthemed playrooms, with fancy dress a must.

Frisky

Yer man Kris ‘Wasabi’ Walker welcomes flamboyant Russian DJ Philipp Gorbachev for his UK debut.

Electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of garage, dubstep and bassline house.

Mansion

Thu 21 Jun

Sat 16 Jun

Witness

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of garage, dubstep and bassline house.

Messenger

Wed 13 Jun

New weekly residence for the longrunning Edinburgh D’n’B night.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Danco and Kami play some hench beats. Nuff said.

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Witness

Favourited student midweeker playing house, electro and hippity-hop.

The Animal Hospital troop continue to medicate Edinburgh with their unique blend of techno, house and minimal.

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11)

New weekly residence for the longrunning Edinburgh D’n’B night.

Dance-inducing party with an anything goes attitude.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Fresh mix of funk, soul, disco and hippity-hop from the Soul Jam Hot DJs.

Bangers & Mash

Split

Spare

Tue 12 Jun Antics

Split

Wee Red Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£4 after 12)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa take a trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

Jackhammer (Kevin Saunderson)

Bubblegum

The Egg

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

American Prom-styled fun night celebrating all that is great about pop, new and old.

Midweek student rundown of chart and cheese classics.

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

I AM Edinburgh

Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

Student-orientated indie night with guest DJs dropping by.

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Chart, dance and electro fare, plus punter requests all night long.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Request-driven night of pop-punk, chart, indie and good ol’ 90s classics.

The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Frisky

The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, Free (£3 after 11)

Cream Soda

Etiket

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Residents (Dubtekt)

Mixed Up

American Prom-styled fun night celebrating all that is great about pop, new and old.

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

The legendary 90s night is revived, offering up its inimitable mix of reggae, ska, dub and early ragga.

Indie and electro from the Sick Note DJs, celebrating their sixth birthday over the course of the month.

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Thu 14 Jun

Octopussy

Hector’s House Electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

Anthology of house, electro and D’n’B four your aural delectation.

Four Corners Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 after 12)

Soulful fodder, from deep funk to reggae beats with your regular hosts Simon Hodge, Johnny Cashback, Astroboy and Wee-G.

Numbers Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £5 (members free)

The Numbers crew stage their monthly Sneaky Pete’s takeover, with a secret special guest in tow.

Cream Soda Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

American Prom-styled fun night celebrating all that is great about pop, new and old.

Retro Catz The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£5 after 12)

A cast of all-female DJs work their way through some sexy retro, complete with disco balls.

June 2012

THE SKINNY 59

LISTINGS

DUNDEE MUSIC

THEATRE

Hideout

Tue 29 May

Sun 03 Jun

Thu 14 Jun

Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers

Daisyfest VIII: Death is Not The End

GLASGOW

Whatever Gets You Through The Night

Eight

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, Free

All The Young

Arta

Dexter’s Bar, 19:00–23:00, £tbc

The Doghouse, 20:00–23:00, £6

The Baby Blues Club

27–29 Jun, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £12 (£18 with book & album)

An intimate candlelit evening dedicated to songs about dying and of the dead. They will play Johnny Cash.

Stock On Trent foursome making

1930-styled burlesque and provocative cabaret show, all glitz, glamour, guns and garters.

Collective project featuring exclusive new words and music from over 20 Scottish creatives, including Errors, Withered Hand, RM Hubbert, Alan Bissett and Eugene Kelly.

Vivid exploration of our human need to connect to something larger than ourselves, told from eight very different human perspectives.

Sat 09 Jun

Props to ‘em.

CCA

The King’s Theatre

Fri 15 Jun

Cryptic Nights: Colour Deaf

EDINBURGH

Caird Hall, 19:30–22:00, £18 (£16)

(£5 after 11)

Legendary taiko drumming group, built on thunderous drum rhythms layered with percussive soundscapes and precise choreography.

Friday night party with Edinburgh DJs Mastercaird and Stevie C playing anything danceable.

Thu 31 May

Sat 30 Jun

The LaFontaines (We Were Poseidon)

Tease Age

The Doghouse, 20:00–23:30, £6

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6

Motherwell outfit deftly combining portions of hip-hop, pop, rock and electro into one melodic block of noise.

after 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

Fri 01 Jun

Propaganda

Woodenbox

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00,

The Doghouse, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

£5 (£4)

Student-orientated indie night with guest DJs dropping by.

Ali Downey’s Americana-styled folk ensemble return with a clipped back moniker, but the same propensity for full-on barn-raising anthems.

Bubblegum

The Skatelites

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4

Jamaican ska ensemble who in their 60s heyday backed the likes of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and Toots and The Maytalls.

Fat Sam’s, 19:30–22:00, £18

after 10)

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

Sat 02 Jun

The Egg

Lost City Soul

Wee Red Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£4

The anthemic indie-pop quintet return after a seven-month hiatus from touring, launching their new free download, We Belong Here.

Dexter’s Bar, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

after 12)

Art School institution with DJs Chris and Paul playing the finest in indie, garage, soul and punk.

Ad Hoc Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Mighty mix of indie, alternative rock, punk, grunge, new wave and more besides.

Pocket Aces Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Dance-inducing party with an anything goes attitude.

The Hazey Janes

The Gardyne Theatre, 20:00–22:30, £10

Shiny Dundee four-piece trading in relentlessly upbeat rhythms and sweet boy/girl harmonies, with Aberfeldy’s Riley Briggs their special guest for the evening.

Big & Broad (Riddim Tuffa) Reading Rooms, 22:30–03:30, £5

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Mighty mix of reggae, grime, dubstep and jungle.

Playdate

Five-hour excursion into Afrobeat, Latin, funk, hip-hop, jazz, reggae and future beats, manned by Edinburgh’s Riddim Tuffa crew.

(members free)

House specialists Stewart and Steven play, er, some special house.

VEGAS! Voodoo Rooms, 20:30–01:00, £5

Karnival The Third Door, 23:00–03:00, Free

Alternative clubber’s mix of pop-punk, emo, rock, screamo and the like.

Sat 02 Jun Mixed Bizness (Boom Monk Ben)

Reading Rooms, 22:30–03:30, £4 (£6 after 12)

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative.

Kage, 23:00–02:30, £4

Carbon

The Hideout, 22:30–03:00, £4

Alternative-styled club night, handpicking from genres of metal, industrial, rock, indie and anything else they damn well fancy.

Sun 03 Jun United In House

after 12)

Reading Rooms, 21:30–03:30, £7 (£5)

The heavyweights of Scottish house join forces with resident Craig Smith, alongside messeurs Sommerville, Yuill and Herd.

Reading Rooms’ host the finale antics for the all-day mayhem that is Dundee Dance Event.

Lucky 7 (Bombskare)

Vision

Studio 24, 19:00–03:00, £5 (£7

Deep and funky house all night long.

after 12)

Ska, 2-Tone and early reggae from the Lucky 7 regulars, joined live by Edinburgh’s original nine-piece ska juggernaut, Bombskare.

60 THE SKINNY

Thu 21 Jun

Thu 07 Jun Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £4

Fri 08 Jun Church

Reading Rooms, 23:00–02:30, £5

Deep and spiritual house from yer men Mark Wallace and Norman Shaw.

June 2012

Private Dancer

20–23 Jun, times vary, From £14

21–23 Jun, times vary, £9 (£7)

tour on the back of their new EP, a

Citizens Theatre

Amy MacDonald: 5 a Day

predictably genre-hopping mix of

Krapp’s Last Tape/Footfalls

Duke’s Corner, 12:00–13:00, £10

jazz, rock and powerpop.

30 May – 9 Jun, not 3 Jun, 4 Jun, times vary, From £6

Fri 22 Jun

Double bill of Samuel Beckett’s most haunting miniature plays directed by Dominic Hill.

Amy MacDonald undertakes her musical challenge to play five mini acoustic gigs in one day, across Aberdeen, Dundee, Stirling, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Wed 13 Jun Django Django The Doghouse, 20:00–23:00, £8.50

Delighful art school jangle with an electronic edge, fruitily looping and catchily hooking as they go.

New Noise Kage, 23:00–02:30, £4

Alternative mixtape night taking in rock, punk, screamo, electro and hippity-hop.

Sat 09 Jun

Bass Orgy Soundsystem

Magic Nostalgic

The Annexe, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£8

The Doors tribute act.

15–16 Jun, times vary, From £8

Tue 12 Jun

Panic!

Asylum

Heavy Gossip Vs Ultragroove

The Doghouse, 20:00–23:00, £12

Skippy Dyes Dexter’s Bar, 19:00–23:00, £tbc

Niki King and The Elements The Doghouse, 20:00–23:00, £10

Edinburgh-born, New York-living jazz vocalist singing self-penned tunes of 21st century love, life and loss.

Kage, 23:00–02:30, £4

Fri 15 Jun Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £5 (£7 after 12)

Full-on electro, D’n’B and dub orgy, complete with a massive soundsystem and live visuals over eight screens.

Gorilla In Your Car Kage, 23:00–02:30, £4

Hardcore, emo, punk and scenester selections. Also perhaps the best-named club night in Dundee’s existence.

Sat 16 Jun Soul Klik (New Street Adventure) Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £tbc

Soulful club offering, with modern soul masters New Street Adventure playing live.

Asylum Kage, 23:00–02:30, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative.

Carbon The Hideout, 22:30–03:00, £4

Alternative-styled club night, handpicking from genres of metal, industrial, rock, indie and anything else they damn well fancy.

Fri 22 Jun Headway: Residents Special (Timo Maas) Reading Rooms, 21:30–03:30, £tbc

Summer-styled residents special with Andy Barton, Graeme Binnie, Neil Clark and Bruce Anderson.

Zazou Kage, 23:00–02:30, £tbc

Forgotten classics from the seediest and most decadent dancefloors of the 70s, 80s and beyond.

Bye Bye Birdie 20–23 Jun, times vary, £12 (£8)

Students from the Dance School of Scotland make their annual return to the Citiz with a revival of the awardwinning Broadway musical.

Temptations Of Tam 28–30 Jun, times vary, £10 (£8)

New opera inspired by the music and themes of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, performed by a 20-strong community cast.

Cottiers Theatre Bram Stoker’s Dracula 21 May, 23 May, 31 May, 7:30pm – 9:30pm, £7

Locarno

Liz Lochhead’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale, featuring BA Honours Acting students from Motherwell College.

Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £5 (£7

The Fashion Floor

after 12)

22 May, 24 May, 30 May, 7:30pm – 9:30pm, From £5

Sat 23 Jun

Rockabilly, doo-wop, soul and all things golden age and danceable with the Locarno regulars.

Asylum Kage, 23:00–02:30, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative.

Fri 29 Jun

Tony Perrin’s workplace drama set in the fashion department of a slightly down-market store in Stoke on-Trent.

Flying Duck Super Trouper 16–17 Jun, 11:00pm – 3:00am, £5

Clubber’s delight dedicated to all-Swedish indie, pop and rock. The will play ABBA.

The Book Club

Old Fruitmarket

Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £tbc

Strictly: Dance to the Music

Selection of DJs on rotation all night, covering genres of electro, disco, techno and anything else they damn well fancy.

20 Jun, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, From £19.50

New Noise

Paisley Arts Centre

Kage, 23:00–02:30, £4

Laugh Yourself Silly

Alternative mixtape night taking in rock, punk, screamo, electro and hippity-hop.

22 Jun, 7:30pm – 9:30pm, £10

Sat 30 Jun Autodisco

Dancers and musicians from television phenomenon Strictly Come Dancing take to the stage with no judges and no rules.

Five-act show off comics bringing the laughs to Paisley, with newcomer Tommy Reid joining Susan Calman, Bruce Morton, John Ross and Barry McDonald.

The Admiral

Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £8

Enterteasement

Electro-funk, house and disco with your regular hosts Dave Autodisco and Dicky Trisco.

Magic, burlesque and comedy combined in one heady (read: riotous) whole.

18 Jun, 8:30pm – 11:00pm, £15 (£12)

Asylum

The Arches

Kage, 23:00–02:30, £4

Cash Flow

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative.

30 May, 1 Jun, 7:00pm – 9:00pm, £7 (£5)

Carbon The Hideout, 22:30–03:00, £4

Alternative-styled club night, handpicking from genres of metal, industrial, rock, indie and anything else they damn well fancy.

The Dance School of Scotland: Showcase 2012

Artist collective Colour Deaf bring their audio-visual pyramid installation to CCA; an interactive wonder of a thing which allows the audience to conduct their environment through live visual feeds and trigger pads.

The tech-happy Glasgow five-piece

Classic 80s midwestern melodic punk from the Chicagoan noisemakers, all loud guitars and bass lines,

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative.

Yer man Boom Monk Ben mashes up all the good stuff over a four-hour set, taking in dubstep, hip-hop, reggae, garage and anything else he damn well fancies.

A hodgepodge of quality tracks chosen by JP’s spinning wheel. Expect anything from 90s rave to power ballads, and a lot of one-hit wonders.

The Doors Alive

7–8 Jun, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £5

Unique performance piece that plays with audience expectations through bespoke choreography created by some of Scotland’s best disabled dancers.

Ska, screamo and pop-punk offerings, featuring additional live performances from State Of Affairs, Cole Appleyard and Sean Arnold.

The residents take to the decks in their new regular home, spinning the usual fine mix of deep house, funky techno, and everything inbetween.

after 12)

Kage, 19:30–22:00, £5 (incl. afterclub)

Asylum

Beat Generator Live!, 23:00–02:30, £3 (£4 after 12)

50s-themed fun night, with Frankie Sumatra, Bugsy Seagull, Dino Martini, Sam Jose and Nikki Nevada. Plus Vegas showgirls a-go-go, natch.

All Eyes West (Kaddish, The Kimberly Steaks, Min Diesel)

Warped

Kage, 20:00–02:30, £4

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £3

Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £10

All-night ska happening, with Madness tribute act, Madnish, headlining.

Plus ska DJs playing into the bedtime hours.

DUNDEE CLUBS Fri 01 Jun

Big ‘N’ Bashy

Dundee Ska Fest (Madnish, Urang Matang)

indie rock’n’roll with brains and balls.

3 Jun, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £10

Performers from the Diploma in Physical Theatre Practice explore the connections between money and the human spirit.

On The Verge 6–8 Jun, times vary, £6 day pass

Showcase of boundary-pushing new work from students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, with a full timetable of events over three consecutive evenings.

The Dance School of Scotland returns to the King’s for its annual showcase featuring the talents of the pupils of Scotland’s Centre of Excellence for Dance.

La Cage Aux Folles Glasgow’s oldest amateur musical society, The Orpheus Club, return with a new production of the awardwinning tale centred around eccentric gay couple, Geogres and Albin.

42nd Street 26–30 Jun, times vary, From £15

Retelling of the timeless tale of small town Peggy Sawyer’s rise from chorine to Broadway star.

The Old Hairdressers Generations Apart 17–19 Jun, 7:00pm – 8:30pm, £6 (£5)

1979-set drama centred on four privileged young men, who act in a way they feel dignifies the freedom created by the counterculture movement of their generation.

Theatre Royal Educating Rita 28 May – 2 Jun, times vary, From £10

Reworking of Willy Russel’s stage comedy set entirely in the office of an Open University lecturer, played

by Matthew-bloody-Kelly.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy: Radio Show Live!

8–9 Jun, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, From £10

Douglas Adams’ immortal creation is given a bit of a re-invention in the form of a surround-sound radio show, avec robots, naturally.

Dance GB 19–23 Jun, times vary, From £8

Scottish Ballet, National Dance Company Wales and English National Ballet join forces for the first time in a celebration of dance inspired by the 2012 London Olympics.

Murder On The Nile 25–30 Jun, times vary, From £10

Stylish new production of Agatha Christie’s classic crime thriller set on board a steamer crusing down the Nile.

Tramway Macbeth 15–30 Jun, not 18, 25, times vary, From £15

National Theatre of Scotland’s bold re-imagining of William Shakespeare’s tradgedy, in which Scottish actor Alan Cumming assumes each and every role.

Macbeth: Preview 13–14 Jun, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, £10

National Theatre of Scotland’s bold re-imagining of William Shakespeare’s tradgedy, in which Scottish actor Alan Cumming assumes each and every role.

Tron Theatre Observe The Sons Of Ulster Marching Towards The Somme 31 May – 2 Jun, times vary, £12 (£7)

Retelling of Frank McGuinness’s powerful play about the experience of eight men who volunteer to serve in the Ulster Division during WW1.

Motherland 31 May – 2 Jun, times vary, £10 (£7)

Moving drama that shares true stories of women whose lives have been affected by the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Average Joe 7–8 Jun, 7:30pm – 9:30pm, £7

Pecking orders come under the microscope as Tron Skillshops explore high school social hierarchies through the eyes of an average joe.

The Curse of Class 2B 9 Jun, 7:30pm – 9:30pm, £7

Primary School-set tale looking at imperfections, achieving and accepting who you are.

12–16 Jun, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £10 (£7)

The Chairs 13–16 Jun, 7:45pm – 10:00pm, From £7

Eugene Ionesco’s mind-spinning absurdist theatre piece about an old man and woman with a revelation to impart.

Glasgow Girls: The Musical 19–20 Jun, 7:45pm – 10:00pm, £8 (£6)

Inspiring story of the seven teenage girls who became known collectively as The Glasgow Girls following their campaign to bring back their friend who’d been forcibly removed from her home in a dawn raid. Part of Refugee Week Scotland.

Some Other Mother 19 Jun, 7:30pm – 9:30pm, £5 (£3)

Story of a young African mother’s struggle to care for her child in a Glasgow where everyone she meets is in some form of captivity. Part of Refugee Week Scotland.

Don’t Forget Us One Spirit 20 Jun, 7:30pm – 9:30pm, £8 (£5)

Various stories of young refugees explored through song, music, and parkour. Part of Refugee Week Scotland.

True Colours/The Trouble With Me 21 Jun, times vary, £6 (£4)

Double-bill of brand new plays from Ignite Theatre. Part of Refugee Week Scotland.

Homeward Bound 22 Jun, 7:30pm – 9:30pm, £8 (£5)

Considered piece reflecting on the UK’s asylum system, created from interviews with various refugees.

Part of Refugee Week Scotland.

Tiny Songbirds, Lullaby Spirit 23 Jun, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £8 (£6)

Newly-choreographed dance piece

by Natasha Gilmore, featuring lullaby songs from around the world. Part of Refugee Scotland.

City Of Strangers 26–30 Jun, 8:30pm – 10:30pm, £10 (£7)

New cabaret exploring the various characters that inhabit an unknown city, featuring the songs of Stephen Sondheim.

Still Game 26 Jun – 1 Jul, times vary, £10 (£7)

The Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan penned comedy centred on pensioners Jack and Victor returns, played by an all-new cast.

EDINBURGH Brunton Theatre Ornithology 29 Jun, 7:30pm – 9:30pm, £10.75 (£8.75)

Powerful comedy performance playing around the chance encounter of two eccentric characters, using silent disco technology to offer two contrasting soundtracks for the audience.

Castle Street Step In Time 30 Jun, 6:00pm – 8:45pm, Free

A unique trip through the history of dance with international choreographer Murray Grant. Part of Big Dance Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Playhouse Oliver!

30 May – 23 Jun, not 4 Jun, 11 Jun, 18 Jun, times vary, prices vary

Cameron Mackintosh brings Lional Bart’s well-loved musical to the stage for a new production. “Please, Sir...” etc.

Singalong Grease 26 Jun, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, £16

Frothy musical favourite in full-on singalong glory.

Midnight Tango 27–30 Jun, times vary, From £17.50

Strictly Come Dancing’s Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace present their very own live tango show, set in a late-night bar in downtown Buenos Aires.

Festival Theatre Tosca 23 May, 25 May, 27 May, 31 May, 2 Jun, times vary, From £16.50

Scottish Opera take on Anthony Besch’s treasured production of Tosca, which transports Puccini’s drama to Fascist Italy in the early 1940s.

Ruddigore 7–9 Jun, times vary, prices vary

Opera North’s reworking of one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most inventive confections, making merry at the expense of Victorian melodrama.

Porgy and Bess 15–16 Jun, times vary, From £30

Cape Town Opera return with another rare chance to see George Gershwin’s universally loved all-singing, alldancing opera.

The American Dream 26 Jun, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, £8

Pilrig Park School returns with its annual dance show, this time with a US-of-A theme.

Telford College: Cross Currents 2012 28 Jun, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, £13

End-of-year production from students on the Performing Arts Studio Scotland course at Edinburgh’s Telford College, taking in contemporary and jazz styles.

Grassmarket The Big Tea Dance 1 Jul, 5:00pm – 7:00pm, Free

1940s-themed open air tea dance, with a live swing band and actual cups o’ tea! Part of Big Dance Edinburgh.

Harvey Nichols Big Dance Edinburgh: Harvey Nichol’s Takeover 30 Jun – 1 Jul, 1:00pm – 4:00pm, Free

Dancers from across the city treat shoppers to bite-sized demonstrations of popping, locking and hippity-hopping. Part of Big Dance Edinburgh.

Jekyll and Hyde Gutterlane 15–16 Jun, 8:00pm – 1:00am, £8

Monthly ye olde-styled Victorian night, filled with weird and wonderful acts including burlesque beauties, circus amazements and folk straight outta the freak show.

Out of the Blue Drill Hall The Retreat 14 Jun, 16 Jun, times vary, £5

Active Inquiry’s Flashback Drama Group presents annual Leith Festival offering, with a newly-devised piece exploring the effects that time and economic decisions have on people’s lives.

St Andrew’s Square Castle Rocks Park Jam 30 Jun, 5:30pm – 8:30pm, Free

Outdoor event featuring a selection of Edinburgh DJs and emcees alongside exhibition breaking battles. Part of Big Dance Edinburgh.

Dance-along Dirty Dancing 30 Jun, 8:30pm – 10:30pm, Free

Dance-along screening of Dirtybloody-Dancing in St Andrew Square Gardens. Part of Big Dance Edinburgh.

The Caves The Seven Deadly Sins 1 Jun, 7:00pm – 10:00pm, £4

Edinburgh-based foursome with their own take on early punk, mixed with a good dose of swagger, launching their debut EP on the night.

The Pleasance Idiot At The Wall 1 Jun, 7 Jun, 8 Jun, 9 Jun, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, £10.50 (£8.50)

An all but forgotten Celtic myth returns to formidable life on stage.

Traverse A Play, A Pie and A Pint: One Day In Spring 29 May – 2 Jun, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, £12

Afternoon session showcasing new work from world playwrights, this time taking in the multi-authored One Day In Spring, performed by two young Egyptian actors. Plus a pie and a pint, naturally.

COMEDY

A Play, A Pie and A Pint: Hadda and Hassan Lekliches!

5–9 Jun, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, £12

Afternoon session showcasing new work from world playwrights, this time a dark and bitter tragicomedy

GLASGOW Tue 29 May Red Raw The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress

The Stand, 18:00–20:00, £10

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a series of warm-up shows for his up-coming tour, which he says will also be his last. Like, ever.

New Material

Vespbar, 20:00–22:30, £3

following the journey of two young

Wed 30 May

Moroccans. Plus a pie and a pint,

Best Of Irish Comedy

Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £7 (£6/£3 members)

Thu 07 Jun

New Material

The Thursday Show (Jeff Innocent, Stephen Carlin, Sally-Anne Hayward)

naturally.

Eugene Ionesco’s The Chairs 7–9 Jun, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, prices vary

Eugene Ionesco’s mind-spinning absurdist theatre piece about an old man and woman with a revelation to impart.

Top comics from the contemporary Irish circuit.

Vespbar, 20:00–22:30, £3

Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

Thu 31 May

Usher Hall

The Thursday Show (Mark Nelson, Stevie Cummins, Julian Deane)

Strictly: Dance to

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £8 (£7/£4 members)

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £8 (£7/£4 members)

Handpicked selection of headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Fri 08 Jun The Friday Show (Jeff Innocent, Stephen Carlin, Sally-Anne Hayward)

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5 members)

18 Jun, 7:00pm – 10:00pm, From £19.50

Handpicked selection of headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Dancers and musicians from

Fri 01 Jun

Sat 09 Jun

the Music 2012

Dancing take to the stage with no

The Friday Show (Mark Nelson, Steve Cummins, Julian Deane, Suse McCabe)

judges and no rules.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5 members)

television phenomenon Strictly Come

Voodoo Rooms Kabarett 22 Jun, 7:00pm – 11:00pm, £15

Dark cabaret spectacular featuring latex-clad performance artist and burlesque star Marnie Scarlet, alongside the likes of sideshow act Cherry Loco and cabaret-cum-video art collective Miss Annabel Sings.

various venues Big Dance Edinburgh 30 Jun – 1 Jul, times vary, Free

The weekend danceathon that is the inagural Big Dance Edinburgh takes to the city centre for a packed schedule of free dance events. See bigdanceedin.co.uk for full details.

DUNDEE

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Sat 02 Jun The Saturday Show (Mark Nelson, Steve Cummins, Julian Deane, Suse McCabe) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes.

Sun 03 Jun Bank Holiday Special (Mark Nelson, Steve Cummins, Julian Deane, Suse McCabe) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9)

The Stand celebrate the coming bank holiday with a special Sunday show.

Glasgow Kid’s Comedy Club The Stand, 15:00–16:00, £4

Jokes suitable for little ears (i.e. no sweary words), for children aged 8-12 years-old.

The Greater Shawlands Republic The Bungo, 20:00–22:00, £5.99

Andrew Learmonth presents an all-star line-up of Reverend Obadiah Steppenwolf III, Bruce Morton and Scott Gibson out in the sticks of Shawlands.

Mon 04 Jun Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress The Stand, 18:00–20:00, £10

Dundee Rep The Tempest various dates between 6 Jun and 23 Jun, times vary, From £9

Re-working of the classic Shakespearean drama, riding along on vivid tales of shipwrecks, dark forces, magic and love lost and found.

The Gardyne Theatre Streets 15 Jun, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, £11 (£7)

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a series of warm-up shows for his up-coming tour, which he says will also be his last. Like, ever.

Dishonourable Subjects (Susan Morrison, Vladimir McTavish, Bruce Morton) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10

Jolly evening of comedy and music poking fun at the Diamond Jubilee.

Proceeds go to Scottish Left Review.

Roll On The Floor Quizzing Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

Pivo Pivo’s new weekly pub quizcum-comedy panel show, featuring live musical comedy, sketches, arguments, prizes and put-downs.

Tue 05 Jun Red Raw The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

tish writer/composer Finn Anderson,

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

featuring an entirely original score

Wed 06 Jun

Gritty new musical from young Scot-

and a cast of emerging Scottish performers.

Wicked Wenches (SallyAnne Hayward, Debra-Jane Appelby, Tanyalee Davis) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£3 members)

All-female stand-up, with a suitably varied mix of headliners and newcomers.

The Saturday Show (Jeff Innocent, Stephen Carlin, Sally-Anne Hayward) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes.

Sun 10 Jun Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1 members)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase with resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond.

Mon 11 Jun Improv Wars

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

Improvised comedy games and sketches, with an anything-goes attitude.

Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress

LISTINGS

Fri 15 Jun The Friday Show (Neil Delamere, James Dowdeswell, Fern Brady) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5 members)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Sat 16 Jun The Saturday Show (Neil Delamere, James Dowdeswell, Fern Brady) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

British Red Cross Refugee Week Comedy Night Tron Theatre, 20:00–22:00, £12 (£10)

Annual evening of first class stand-up comedy brought to you by the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, British Red Cross. Part of Refugee Week Scotland.

Sat 23 Jun The Saturday Show (Zoe Lyons, Nathan Caton) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes.

Sun 24 Jun

Packed Saturday bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes.

Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service

Sun 17 Jun

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1 members)

Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1 members)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase with resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond.

Absolute Improv Oran Mor, 19:45–21:00, £6 (£5)

Improv-styled comedy show in the vein of Whose Line Is It Anyway.

Man Vs Woman Oran Mor, 18:00–19:00, £6 (£5)

Live TV pilot filming for Man Vs Woman, a new comedy sketch show that tells the truth about life, love and relationships.

Mon 18 Jun Improv Wars The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

Improvised comedy games and sketches, with an anything-goes attitude.

Enterteasement The Admiral, 20:30–23:00, £15 (£12)

Magic, burlesque and comedy combined in one heady (read: riotous) whole.

Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress The Stand, 18:00–20:00, £10

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a series of warm-up shows for his up-coming tour, which he says will also be his last. Like, ever.

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase with resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond.

Mon 25 Jun Roll On The Floor Quizzing Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

Pivo Pivo’s new weekly pub quizcum-comedy panel show, featuring live musical comedy, sketches, arguments, prizes and put-downs.

Tue 26 Jun Red Raw The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 27 Jun Best Of Irish Comedy The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £7 (£6/£3 members)

Top comics from the contemporary Irish circuit.

Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress The Stand, 18:00–20:00, £10

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a series of warm-up shows for his up-coming tour, which he says will also be his last. Like, ever.

New Material Vespbar, 20:00–22:30, £3

Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

The Stand, 18:00–20:00, £10

Roll On The Floor Quizzing

Roll On The Floor Quizzing

Pivo Pivo’s new weekly pub quizcum-comedy panel show, featuring live musical comedy, sketches, arguments, prizes and put-downs.

The Thursday Show (Jason John Whitehead, Paddy Lennox, Ray Bradshaw)

Tue 19 Jun

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £8 (£7/£4 members)

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a series of warm-up shows for his up-coming tour, which he says will also be his last. Like, ever.

Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

Pivo Pivo’s new weekly pub quizcum-comedy panel show, featuring live musical comedy, sketches, arguments, prizes and put-downs.

Tue 12 Jun Red Raw

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 13 Jun Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress

The Stand, 18:00–20:00, £10

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a series of warm-up shows for his up-coming tour, which he says will also be his last. Like, ever.

The Fun Junkies

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£4/£2.50 members)

Diverse offerings from the comedy spectrum, featuring stand-up, variety acts, sketches, musical comedy and, yes, magicians!

New Material

Vespbar, 20:00–22:30, £3

Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

Red Raw The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress

Wed 20 Jun

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a series of warm-up shows for his up-coming tour, which he says will also be his last. Like, ever.

Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress The Stand, 18:00–20:00, £10

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a series of warm-up shows for his up-coming tour, which he says will also be his last. Like, ever.

New Material Vespbar, 20:00–22:30, £3

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £10

The Friday Show (Jason John Whitehead, Paddy Lennox, Ray Bradshaw) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5 members)

Sauchiehall Street Comedy Club (Darren Connell)

Sat 30 Jun

The Art School Union, 20:30–22:30, £3

Chilled comedy showcase in’t the Art School Union, hosted by Jamie Dalgleish.

Thu 21 Jun The Thursday Show (Zoe Lyons, Nathan Caton)

The Thursday Show (Neil Delamere, James Dowdeswell, Fern Brady)

A trio of Glasgow’s best loved comedians take to the stage. We’ll do the laughing.

Fri 29 Jun

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £8 (£7/£4 members)

Phil Differ, Gary Little, Bruce Morton

The Stand, 18:00–20:00, £10

Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

Handpicked selection of headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Handpicked selection of headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Handpicked selection of headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Thu 14 Jun The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £8 (£7/£4 members)

Thu 28 Jun

Fri 22 Jun The Friday Show (Zoe Lyons, Nathan Caton) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5 members)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

The Saturday Show (Jason John Whitehead, Paddy Lennox, Ray Bradshaw) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes.

EDINBURGH Tue 29 May Belushi’s Tuesday Night Comedy Jam Belushi’s, 20:00–22:30, Free

Resident host Rick Molland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians and comedy acts.

Jeremy Hardy Traverse, 20:00–22:00, £15

The former Perrier Comedy award winner and Radio 4 stalwart does his stand-up thing, hopefully touching on his adventures in tracing his family history.

Wed 30 May

Funny Bone

Best of Scottish Comedy

Brand new comedy night with Michael Redmond, Jay Lafferty and Steven Davidson your laugh-masters for the evening.

The Saturday Show (Mark Maier, David Baker)

Thu 07 Jun

Saturday Live

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£3 members)

Top comics from the contemporary Scottish circuit, aye.

Jeremy Hardy Traverse, 20:00–22:00, £15

The former Perrier Comedy award winner and Radio 4 stalwart does his stand-up thing, hopefully touching on his adventures in tracing his family history.

Thu 31 May The Thursday Show (Carl Donnelly, Simon O’Keeffe) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4 members)

Handpicked selection of headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

The Gong Show The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2)

Up-and-coming comedic talent compete against the clock for stage time, gong show style.

Fri 01 Jun The Friday Show (Carl Donnelly, Simon O’Keeffe) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5 members)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Friday Live The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £8

Resident host Jojo Sutherland introduces some of the finest stand-up talent from across the UK.

Sat 02 Jun The Saturday Show (Carl Donnelly, Simon O’Keeffe) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes.

Saturday Live The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £8

Resident host Jojo Sutherland introduces some of the finest stand-up talent from across the UK.

Sun 03 Jun

Fiddler’s Elbow, 20:00–22:00, Free

The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2)

Up-and-coming comedic talent compete against the clock for stage time, gong show style.

Fri 08 Jun The Friday Show (Tanyalee Davis, Ro Campbell, Debra-Jane Appelby)

Bank Holiday Special (Carl Donnelly, Simon O’Keeffe, Pam Ford) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9)

The Stand celebrate the coming bank holiday with a special Sunday show.

Junior Melting Pot The Stand, 16:00–18:00, £5 (£4)

Highlights from eight years of sketch show Melting Pot, brought to life by a new cast of juvenile leads from the Lyceum Youth Theatre.

Mon 04 Jun Red Raw The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Fit O’ The Giggles City Café, 20:30–22:30, £3 (£2)

Keara Murphy hosts a selection of acts taking in sketches, stand-up, mime, musical comedy, poetry, magic, and, well, pretty much anything else they fancy.

Tue 05 Jun Wicked Wenches (Tanyalee Davis, Sally-Anne Hayward, Debra-Jane Appelby)

Friday Live

Improvised lunchtime comedy favourite with resident cheeky chappies Stu & Garry.

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £8

Resident host Jojo Sutherland introduces some of the finest stand-up talent from across the UK.

Sat 09 Jun The Saturday Show (Tanyalee Davis, Ro Campbell, Debra-Jane Appelby)

The Stand, 17:00–19:00, £10

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a series of warm-up shows for his up-coming tour, which he says will also be his last. Like, ever.

Mon 18 Jun

Saturday Live The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £8

Resident host Jojo Sutherland introduces some of the finest stand-up talent from across the UK.

Sun 10 Jun The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1 members)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-to-work blues.

Whose Lunch Is It Anyway?

The Stand, 13:30–15:30, Free

Improvised lunchtime comedy favourite with resident cheeky chappies Stu & Garry.

Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress

Mon 11 Jun

Fit O’ The Giggles City Café, 20:30–22:30, £3 (£2)

Keara Murphy hosts a selection of acts taking in sketches, stand-up, mime, musical comedy, poetry, magic, and, well, pretty much anything else they fancy.

Tue 19 Jun Jo Caulfied’s Comedy Collective The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£4)

A bright collective of comedians experiment with the medium of stand-up, under the watchful eye of Jo Caulfield.

Smalls For All: Benefit Night The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10

Comedy fundraiser in aid of Smalls For All, with Vladimir McTavish, Susan Calman and Jo Caulfield amongst the live guests.

Thu 21 Jun

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Fit O’ The Giggles City Café, 20:30–22:30, £3 (£2)

Keara Murphy hosts a selection of acts taking in sketches, stand-up, mime, musical comedy, poetry, magic, and, well, pretty much anything else they fancy.

Tue 12 Jun

The Gong Show The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2)

Up-and-coming comedic talent compete against the clock for stage time, gong show style.

Fri 22 Jun The Friday Show (The Rev Obadiah Steppenwolf III, John Scott, Bobby Mair) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5 members)

Bright Club The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £5

A selection of comedic academics do a stint of stand-up for your entertainment and enlightenment. Laughs and learning in one neat package: tick.

Wed 13 Jun The Melting Pot The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£4/£2.50 members)

Comedy sketches picked by the audience and performed by a troupe of actors and musicians.

Thu 14 Jun

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Friday Live The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £8

Resident host Jojo Sutherland introduces some of the finest stand-up talent from across the UK.

Sat 23 Jun The Saturday Show (The Rev Obadiah Steppenwolf III, John Scott, Bobby Mair) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

The Gong Show The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2)

Up-and-coming comedic talent compete against the clock for stage time, gong show style.

Fri 15 Jun The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5 members)

Friday Live The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £8

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Wed 20 Jun

The Stand, 17:00–19:00, £10

Wed 06 Jun The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Packed Saturday bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes.

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Fast-paced and anarchic skits and character comedy, just how we like it.

The Stand, 13:30–15:30, Free

Red Raw

The Friday Show (Mark Maier, David Baker)

Broken Windows Policy

Whose Lunch Is It Anyway?

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£3 members)

All-female stand-up, with a suitably varied mix of headliners and newcomers.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1 members)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-to-work blues.

Red Raw

New comedy night for Edinburgh, with live guests and the chance to win prizes on the night.

Sun 17 Jun

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5 members)

Prize Comedy (Keir McAllister, Ben Verth, Obie, Steven Davidson) The Constitution, 20:00–22:00, Free

Resident host Jojo Sutherland introduces some of the finest stand-up talent from across the UK.

The Sunday Night Laugh-In

The Stand, 13:30–15:30, Free

Improvised lunchtime comedy favourite with resident cheeky chappies Stu & Garry.

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes.

The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £8

The Gong Show

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a series of warm-up shows for his up-coming tour, which he says will also be his last. Like, ever.

Whose Lunch Is It Anyway?

Sat 16 Jun

Packed Saturday bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes.

Saturday Live The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £8

Resident host Jojo Sutherland introduces some of the finest stand-up talent from across the UK.

Sun 24 Jun The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1 members)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-to-work blues.

Whose Lunch Is It Anyway?

The Stand, 13:30–15:30, Free

Resident host Jojo Sutherland introduces some of the finest stand-up talent from across the UK.

Improvised lunchtime comedy favourite with resident cheeky chappies Stu & Garry.

June 2012

THE SKINNY 61

LISTINGS

Art

GLASGOW

Rock and Roll Ping Pong Bongo Club, 19:30–23:00, Free

The It’s Funtime jokers present a free, fun, table tennis evening, with dancing discs from DJ Ding Dong (ahem).

CCA Is There Anything To See Here, Is There Anything To Do? various dates between 20 Apr and 2 Jun, 11:00am – 6:00pm, Free

Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress

Artist Rob Kennedy presents his new CCA commission, in which he incorporates work by other artists to deliberately interject and comment on his own visual language and method. Part of GI Festival.

The Stand, 17:00–19:00, £10

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a series of warm-up shows for his up-coming tour, which he says will also be his last. Like, ever.

Cyril Gerber Fine Art

Mon 25 Jun

Philip Reeves

Red Raw

until, 14 jun, times vary, free

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Selection of new collages from the London-graduating printmaker, alongside some very early paintings and drawings from the 40s and 50s.

Gallery of Modern Art

Fit O’ The Giggles City Café, 20:30–22:30, £3 (£2)

Alasdair Gray: City Recorder

Keara Murphy hosts a selection of acts taking in sketches, stand-up, mime, musical comedy, poetry, magic, and, well, pretty much anything else they fancy.

1 Dec – 10 Jun, times vary, Free

Showcase of work from the celebrated Glasgow artist and playwright, focusing on his City Recorder series – a large body of work that Gray created as an ‘artist recorder’ for the City of Glasgow in 1977.

Tue 26 Jun

Karla Black until 24 jun, times vary, free

Belushi’s Tuesday Night Comedy Jam

The Turner Prize-nominated artist takes over the ground floor of Glasgow’s GOMA with a selection of major new sculptures.

Belushi’s, 20:00–22:30, Free

Resident host Rick Molland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians and comedy acts.

Katy Dove: Films until 10 jun, times vary, free

Looped selection of four animated films from Psychology and Fine Arts graduate Katy Dove, using the role of the mind to inform her creative process.

Fringe Preview Double Bill: Jarred Christmas and Lloyd Langford The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10

Yes, The Fringe is apparently already nigh. Celebrate with The Stand’s double-billing of two Fringe 2012 acts showcasing their new shows.

Glasgow Print Studio Olivia Bliss until 3 jun (not mon), times vary, free

Glasgow-based interdisciplinary artist Olivia Bliss presents a series of works exploring ecology through art, as part of Glasgow Print Studios 40th anniversary celebrations.

Wed 27 Jun Best of Scottish Comedy The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£3 members)

Mark Campbell, Rachel Duckhouse and Bronwen Sleigh

Top comics from the contemporary Scottish circuit, aye.

various dates between 8 Jun and 15 Jul, times vary, Free

Group exhibition of abstract work by three Glasgow-based artists, all of whom explore their own ideas of space, architecture and perspective through various print and drawing media.

Thu 28 Jun The Gong Show The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2)

Up-and-coming comedic talent compete against the clock for stage time, gong show style.

Lotte Gertz various dates between 8 jun-4 aug, times vary, free

New body of work from the Glasgowbased artist known for her mixed approach of using woodcut printing, painting and drawing as the basis of her practice.

Recoat Gallery

Roger Billcliffe Gallery Once Upon A Time until 12 jun (not sun), times vary, free

Brazilian artist Consuelo Radclyffe presents an exhibition of her ceramic figurative sculptures, based around the theme of special moments in childhood, both real and dream-like.

Selection of paintings made on a journey to the two Calgarys; Isle of Mull and Canada.

Sat 30 Jun The Saturday Show (Alan Francis, Janice Phayre)

Craig Campbell Brunton Theatre, 20:00–22:00, £12

Campbell returns with yet more of his yarn-spinning, full of whimsical personal tales and a unique ability to find humour in, well, anything.

Saturday Live The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £8

Resident host Jojo Sutherland introduces some of the finest stand-up talent from across the UK.

Absolute Improv The Tron, 20:00–22:00, £5 (£4)

various dates between 26 Apr and 3 Jun, times vary, Free

Improv-styled comedy show in the vein of Whose Line Is It Anyway.

62 THE SKINNY

June 2012

various dates between 31 May and 21 Jul, times vary, Free

Edinburgh-based artist Trina Bohan Tyrie presents a collection of urban and rural oil paintings describing the surrounding landscape and seasons.

The Common Guild

Art Amatoria

Wolfgang Tillmans 20 Apr – 23 Jun, times vary, Free

Diverse overview of Wolfgang Tillman’s work, featuring an important group of works acquired by the Arts Council Collection alongside a number of new works selected by the artist.

Part of GI Festival.

The Glasgow Art Club various dates between 2 jun-25 jun, times vary, free

30 may-26 aug, times vary, free

Unique exhibition presenting a range of ground-breaking projects selected to influence the policy, and support the consultation process, by the Scottish Government concerning what their new architecture policy should cover.

12 jun-30 jun, times vary, free

until 24 jun, times vary, free

New body of sculptural objects from Lorna Macintyre, exhibited alongside a display of works on paper, digital animation and cyanotypes, all reflecting on the building’s original function as a hotel.

About Time

Photographic project that explores the alternative world of ‘the counterculture’, from communes in the South of France to squatting in South London.

Richard Wright

until 2 jun, times vary, free

Dovecot Studios Hidden Stories 2 jun-8 jun (not sun), times vary, free

Heriot-Watt School of Textiles & Design students present their end of year graduate show.

Heriot-Watt School of Textiles & Design: Graduate Fashion Show

The Modern Institute If you don’t like this book you don’t like me until 2 jun (not sun), times vary, free

Exhibition of works by artist Paul Thek, comprising a selection of 35 notebooks accompanied by artworks which give the context of time and location. Part of GI Festival.

Eva Rothschild 9 jun - 7 jul, times vary, free

New body of work from the Irish artist, taking in sculptural pieces in a variety of forms and materials.

Eats, Fruits and Leaves various dates between 8 jun-22 jun, times vary, free

Exhibition of watercolours and prints by two of the UK’s leading botanical artists: Anna Knights and Fiona Strickland.

Avalanche Records Record Store 8 jun-24 jun, times vary, free

Exploring visual images connected to music, with each artist showcasing a 12inch double-sided artwork displayed in a plastic sleeve. Part of Annuale 2012.

Boda Bar LeithLate @ Boda 28 Jun, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, Free

Boda Bar show their lastest exhibition of Steven Collier’s work for Leith’s annual late night multi-arts event, LeithLate.

Brass Monkey (Leith) LeithLate @ Brass Monkey 28 Jun, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, Free

Leith’s Brass Monkey present an exhibition by resident artists at Superclub, alongside live visuals and an acoustic set from Black Diamond Express. Part of LeithLate.

City Art Centre A Parliament of Lines until 8 jul, times vary, free

Collective exhibition from 15 contemporary Scottish artists, all of whom use drawing as an important element in their practice – including work from delightful Glasgow doodler David Shrigley.

Terrain until 8 jul, times vary, free

A selection of works from a unique artist collection amassed in 1963 – offering school children access to original art – taking on its first public display, with works from the likes of Elizabeth Blackadder, Barbara Rae and William Littlejohn.

Art and the Garden until 8 jul, times vary, free

New exhibition exploring the relationship between artists and gardens, including a variety of paintings, drawings and photographs amassed from the city’s fine art collection.

27 may-17jun, times vary, free

Conversation on two forms of filmmaking and their narrative, constructions, meanings and characterisations. Part of Annuale 2012.

Fruitmarket The Irish-born, GSA graduating, artist – best known for his paintings depicting complex private worlds painted over newspaper pages – presents a new body of work created specially for Fruitmarket Gallery.

A chance to buy unique art and crafts directly from the artist with over 50 artists and makers selling their wares, including a selection of fashion, textiles, jewellery, art and more.

Ingleby Gallery

28 Jun, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, Free

Callum Innes: Works on Paper

various dates until 14 jul, times vary, free

The Edinburgh-born artist shows an exhibition of three new bodies of work in watercolour, pastel and gouache shown alongside selected works on paper from the past 25 years.

Inverleith House Thomas Houseago: The Beat Of The Show

15 jun-23 jun, times vary, free

Edinburgh College of Art ECA Degree Show 2012 2-11 jun, times vary, free

Edinburgh College of Art present their annual graduate round-up, showcasing the fruits of a new crop of budding artists’ endeavours.

Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh Napier University’s Annual Degree Show 25 may-1 jun, times vary, free

various dates between 30 Nov and 21 Jun, 10:00am – 5:30pm, Free

The first major outdoor exhibition of sculptures by British artist Thomas Houseago, comprising of new and recent large-scale works, mostly in bronze. Sculpture map available from Inverleith House reception.

William McKeown

various dates until 8 jul, times vary, free

First posthumous exhibition of paintings from the Edinburgh-based, County Tyrone native, exploring his relationship with nature in both meticulous watercolour drawings of wild flowers and and expansive paintings of the light of day.

Jupiter Artland Anya Gallaccio and Andy Goldsworthy

various dates until 16 sep, times vary, free

Jupiter Artland opens for its fourth summer season, presenting fresh work by Anya Gallaccio and Andy Goldsworthy in the surrounds of their glorious sculptural garden.

Annual showcase exhibition of the finest work from students in the School of Arts and Creative Industries.

Jupiter Artland Midsummer’s Picnic

Edinburgh Printmakers

Contemporary sculpture garden Jupiter Artland stays open late for a midsummer’s picnic in the park. Bring a blanket, pick your spot, and check out the new sculptures by Anya Gallaccio and Andy Goldsworthy.

Negativnights: Lachlann Rattray 31 May, 6:30pm – 8:30pm, £5 (£4)

The experimental film night par excellence welcomes artist Lachlann Rattray to present an overview of his animation and video formats.

Negativnights: Erica Ayres 7 Jun, 6:30pm – 8:30pm, £5 (£4)

The experimental film night par excellence lays focus on video artist Erica Ayres, who’ll be showcasing a range of video works from throughout her career.

Dialogue various dates between 2-21 jul, times vary, free

Touring group exhibition presenting the innovative and recent works of artists from the collective printmaking workshop Engramme, based in Quebec.

Elvis Shakespeare LeithLate @ Elvis Shakespeare 28 Jun, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, Free

Elvis Shakespeare house a selection of Leith-based artists, alongside live sets from The Last Battle, Blueflint and Edinburgh School for the Deaf, as part of LeithLate.

Embassy Gallery Social Growth various dates between 8 Jun and 24 Jun, 12:00pm – 6:00pm, Free

Selection of work related to public and social spaces and the relationships with humans, non-human species, waste objects, materials and various ghosts within these spaces.

Part of Annuale 2012.

Out of the Blue Drill Hall Out of the Blue Arts Market

until 1 jul, times vary, free

Annual graduate fashion show from the Heriot-Watt School of Textiles & Design students.

Dundas Street Gallery

22 jun-10 jul (not sun), times vary, free

Tony Swain

7 Jun, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £15 (£10 standing)

New collection of vivid Edinburgh vistas and skylines in oils, exploring the city’s changing light at dawn and dusk.

Showcase exhibition charting a new generation of Swiss architects, featuring photo­graphs of key Swiss architectural and engineering achievements of the last 20 years.

Midnight Scenes and Other Works

New short film work by Simon Martin, laying its focus on the classic design of the Louis XV armchair.

Amber Arts

Swiss Positions

Mary Mary

11 May – 30 Jun, times vary, Free

various dates between 9 jun-22 jul, times vary, free

Marjolaine Ryley: Growing Up in the New Age

until 12 aug, times vary, free

Special exhibition of works by the Glasgow-based artist and 2009 Turner Prize winner, brought together from galleries, museums and private collections across the globe. Part of GI Festival.

Urban Outfitters

Collective Gallery Simon Martin: Louis Ghost Chair

E D I NBUR G H

Polka-Dot Punks: Pop-Up Art Show

Summer exhibition showcasing the best of Glasgow Museums’ impressive collection of Italian art, taking in some 40 paintings dating from the late 14th to the 19th centuries.

Packed Saturday bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes.

various dates between 8 jun-22 jul, times vary, free

Seven refugee photographers showcase the fruits of their time spent interviewing different refugee communities about what spirit means to them. Part of Refugee Week Scotland.

Fifteen artists and makers from Coburg House Art Studios present a collective exhibition of paintings, ceramics, textiles, glassware, jewellery, and more besides. Part of Leith Festival.

Street Level Photoworks

The Lighthouse

500 Years of Italian Art

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Spirit Photography

9-16 jun, times vary, free

Jamie Primrose: Transient Skies

Input and Ideas: Rethinking Scotland’s Policy on Architecture and Place

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Selection of rich, monochromatic dry point prints from the Royal College of Art graduate in Natural History Illustration.

Unique exhibition featuring seven Scottish artists handpicked

by The Skinny from previous Skinny Showcase artists – with the full collection of works available to buy via theskinny.co.uk/shop.

Hillhead Bookclub Pop-up showcase of affordable art from some of Glasgow’s finest upand-coming artists and illustrators.

8 jun-1 jul (not mon), times vary, free

until 12 jun (not sun), times vary, free

Glasgow School of Art present their annual graduate round-up across Garnethill Campus and Skypark Campus, showcasing the fruits of a new crop of budding artists’ endeavours.

The Shack, 20:00–22:00, £8

Selection of films that encompass performance, photography, composition, writing and political commentary, including Rhodes’ inspired film made without a camera, Dresden Dynamo.

The Skinny Showcase Shop

The Friday Show (Alan Francis, Janice Phayre)

Resident host Jojo Sutherland introduces some of the finest stand-up talent from across the UK.

25 May – 24 Jun, not 28 May, 4 Jun, 11 Jun, 18 Jun, times vary, Free

Lachlan Goudie: Lands of Streams and Timber

First exhibition from the annual graduate programme run by Ironbbratz – designed to support some of the Glasgow School of Art’s best talent – featuring six emerging artists’ work.

9 Jun, 11:00am – 5:00pm, Free

Vibrant selection of Leon Morrocco’s drawings and paintings, inspired by his travels through India, Malta, Morocco, Italy and Cuba.

Helen Fay

Solo exhibition from young, Scottish artist Al White, exploring his intense printmaking processes, focusing in on individual layers and simplifying them into one-off paintings and drawings.

GSA Degree Show 2012

Friday Live

Leon Morrocco

5 jun-17 jun (not 11) , times vary, free

Fri 29 Jun

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Filmhouse Café Bar Parallel, Henry Fool

Trongate 103

Brood

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5 members)

Coburg House Art Studios Art by the Water

Ruins

Glasgow School of Art 9 jun-16 jun, times vary, free

Tramway Lis Rhodes

23 Jun, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, £25 (including food)

National Museum of Scotland A Sense of Place: New Jewellery From Northern Lands

18 May – 16 Sep, 10:00am – 5:00pm, Free

Selection of specially designed jewellery by 16 contemporary makers from Northern Europe, each asked to create pieces inspired by a place they love.

Old Ambulance Depot It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore

1 jun-6 jun, times vary, free

Group exhibition showcasing work from eight artists practicing in Edinburgh, ranging from digital media to 3D work.

LeithLate @ Old Ambulance Depot

28 Jun, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, Free

The unique Depot space hosts an international exhibition of work from a 12-strong collection of artists for Leith’s annual late night multi-arts event, LeithLate.

Open Eye Gallery Matthew Draper

until 29 may (not wed), times vary, free

New collection of pastels by Matthew Draper, portraying the city and seascapes around Edinburgh and East Lothian.

Helen Wilson

1 jun-19 jun (not sun), times vary, free

Open Eye Gallery present a culmination of paintings created during Helen Wilson’s residency with Scottish Opera.

2 Jun, 11:00am – 2:30pm, 80p

LeithLate @ The Drill Hall The Drill Hall stays open late to allow LeithLaters entry to their current exhibition, showcasing the work of Queen Margaret University Art Therapy final year graduates.

Exposed12 13 jun-22 jun (not sun), times vary, free

End of year graduate photography exhibition from Stevenson College Edinburgh.

The birds of worry and care 29 Jun, 10:00am – 5:00pm, Free

Showcasing of Queen Margaret University Art Psychotherapy final year graduates, taking in painting and photography through to mixed media and sculpture.

Rhubaba It’s Hard to Find a Good Lamp 15 jun-1 jul, times vary, free

Group exhibition taking its title from Donald Judd’s 1993 essay, bringing together contemporary artists whose work investigates the boundaries between art, furniture and interior design. Part of Embassy Gallery’s Annuale 2012.

Royal Scottish Academy The 186th RSA Annual Exhibition

Scottish Storytelling Centre Boyling Point until 8 jun (not sun), times vary, free

Selection of political cartoons by Frank Boyle, cartoonist in residence at the Edinburgh Evening News.

Stills La Nostra Terra until 22 jul, times vary, free

Exhibition of Italian photography and video moving from the 1970s to present today.

Superclub Unimaginable Wealth: Part 2 various dates between 2 jun-28 jun, times vary, free

Part 2 of a film based on a series of 411 email scams, with an accompanying novella of the same name. Part of Annuale 2012.

LeithLate @ Superclub 28 Jun, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, Free

Superclub open their studio doors to the oublic for the first time for Leith’s annual late night multi-arts event, LeithLate.

Tent Gallery Ding Dong, The Queen Is Dead!

12-24 jun, times vary, free

A video, installation and poem examining the glue that sticks us all together. Part of Annuale 2012.

Victoria LeithLate @ Victoria 28 Jun, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, Free

Victoria bar showcase their regular open exhibition alongside a live set from rock’n’rollers Piece of Cake.

Part of LeithLate.

Whitespace 12

until 6 jun, times vary, £6 (£2)

4-10 jun, times vary, free

Drawing From The Landscape

LeithLate @ Whitespace

Annual highlight featuring RSA Academicians and selected submissions from leading and emerging artists from across Scotland, this year with the theme of ‘The Artist’s Studio’.

16 jun-22jul, times vary, free

Highlighting the work of RSA members, alongside artists from the RSA Awards and Exhibitions Programme, with each of the exhibiting artists and architects using drawing as a direct means of recording their experiences.

Scottish National Gallery Giovanni Battista Lusieri: Expanding Horizons 30 jun-28 oct, times vary, £7 (£5)

First ever exhibition devoted entirely to the impressive landscape watercolours of Rome-born artist, Giovanni Battista Lusieri.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art The Sculpture Show until 24 Jun, 10:00am – 5:00pm, Free

Giving themselves over to sculpture in all it’s many forms, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art host a sculptural showcase of works moving from the 1900s to present day.

Edvard Munch: Graphic Works from The Gundersen Collection

until 23 Sep, 10:00am – 5:00pm, £7 (£5)

Collection of 50 works on paper by the famed Norwegian artist, taken from a private Norwegian collection, and showing in the UK for the first time.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery Romantic Camera until 3 Jun, times vary, Free

Series of photos exploring the highly charged relationship between romanticism and photography in Scotland.

Farmscapes until 3 jun, times vary, free

The Magnum photographer Stuart Franklin captures the diversity of agricultural production in Scotland, reminding us of the significance of farming to the national economy.

Exhibition of paintings, drawings, etchings, illustrated dresses and objects from Kate MacKay, told via a folktale explored through 12 archetype. Part of Annuale 2012.

28 Jun, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, Free

Whitespace present a showcase of Kevin Harman’s latest work for Leith’s annual late night multi-arts event, LeithLate.

D UN D EE DCA Scott Myles: This Production until 10 jun (not mon), times vary, free

First major UK solo show for Dundeeborn and educated artist Scott Myles, featuring a mix of new works including an expansive site-specific installation, new sculpture works and prints made in the DCA Print Studio.

Infinite Jest various dates between 23 jun-26 aug, times vary, free

DCA present three exciting international artists – Cinthia Marcelle, Rob Pruitt and William Mackrell – each inspired by circular narration, infinity loops and mobius strips.

Generator Projects They Had Four Years: 2012 until 10 jun, times vary, free

Triple-header exhibition from a trio of Scottish graduates: Edinburgh College of Art’s Calvin Laing, Duncan of Jordanstone’s Neil Nodzak and Glasgow School of Art’s Romany Dear.

Hannah Maclure Centre Performing Worlds 11 jun-27 jul, times vary, free

Mixed exhibition of work – from social sculpture to socially-engaged art – by Stephen Willats, Pete Horobin, Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen, and Dundee Urban Orchard.

The McManus The Scottish Colourist Series: FCB Cadell until 17 jun, times vary, free

The McManus play host to a selection of works from the highly-acclaimed FCB Cadell exhibition, organised by the National Galleries of Scotland.

D i ll i n g e r v s Mast o d o n

C R Y S TA L B AWS WITH MYSTIC MARK

Photo: kenny mccoll

music

THE OUTBACK

Sometime touring buddies for ten years, Dillinger Escape Plan’s Ben Weinman quizzes Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher on how to keep a band together and alternative occupations.

His journalistic prowess unveils Bill’s horticultural passion

up. I’d be a stay at home dad who works on his house. I have gardens that I like to tend to, when I’m at home I mow the lawn.

Mowing the lawn’s one of my favorutie pastimes, it’s very therapeutic for me to be in my own back yard. I just sorted my entire back lawn with turf; my pastime when I’m back home is working on the house.

We’ve got a 100-year-old house so it always needs repair. I wouldn’t really have a career; I’d be Mr Mom like Michael Keaton.

What’s the best part about being in a band?

We’re pretty fortunate. There’s a million bands out there, there’s even more kids trying to be in bands now, who are trying to get out there saying, ‘Hey, we’re relevant, we want you to hear what we’re trying to say, we want to get our art out there.’ I guess the artist in me, I used to paint and I used to sculpt. For me, I gave up, because I realised there were so many other people doing the same thing I was. But with music, I was like, ‘Man, I can’t stop playing my guitar.’ For me, to be recognised, to be able to travel to all the places that I’ve been and all the people that I’ve met. If I wasn’t in a band my phone wouldn’t have 2,000 people’s phone numbers in it. All the people I’ve met through all the touring and constant travelling, all the beautiful things I’ve seen, the food I’ve had. The travel

part is really amazing, even though 90% of the time we’re backstage, be it Japan or wherever, we try to make time to see all the sights and experience everything the best we can.

What do you tell people when they walk by the dressing room at a Mastodon show and they hear the word ‘Pwaunis’ being yelled repeatedly?

When I hear someone saying Pwaunis I know Ben Weinman’s in the house. That’s his favourite word.

Do you remember when we were on tour about 10 years ago and the Lights turned off for literally three seconds and then I was suddenly naked? How did that happen?

Yeah, that was funny. We were all standing in the dressing room and the power went out for like a split second. Me and Brann were just talking with Ben, the lights went out for a split second and when they went back on Ben was just standing there with his pants around his ankles. It was the funniest fuckin’ move I’ve ever seen. Ben’s a very funny guy – he’s a great dude. I love him to death and those were some good questions.

Mastodon play various European Festival dates throughout June (sadly, they’ve pulled out of T in the Park). See their website for details. www.mastodonrocks.com

ARIES 21 MAR – 20 APR Painstakingly you Domestos your teleportation hub’s interior prior to its ‘first human test’ only to forget about the Tamagotchi in your pocket.

Reawakening, you discover you’ve switched places and are trapped inside a 2D LCD Gulag.

Relying on the new dino-brained tenant of your former body to care for you is futile. Istead, you await instead virtual starvation, then rebirth in an endless cycle of fresh egg-encased hells.

a

TAURUS 21 APR – 21 MAY Yes you’re living the dream. But it’s the one where you’re naked and all your teeth fall out.

b

GEMINI 22 MAY – 21 JUN Growing bored of your third eye you take even more DMT and start developing a third ear, another nose on your second forehead and an all-new bum tongue which enlightens your mind to sensory vistas that fray the tethers of even your sanity.

c

I have gardens I like to tend, it’s very therapeutic for me Bill Kelliher

Photo: Sarah Roberts

Despite having some of the most eccentric personalities of any band I know, you guys seem to get along really well.

After all these years of touring together, how do you do it?

Well, we each have our own dressing room – we don’t speak to each other. No, that’s not true. I dunno, for the most part, everybody’s got their own personalities but we all know each others' limits. We try not to get on each others' back about anything; we’ve gotten into a routine and we just follow it. Everyone’s got their interests, we find better things to do than just sit around picking on each other. We’re not naggy egomaniacs. Well, not all of us, some of us are. Mostly, we all have a common goal in mind, which is to play a good show and try to get along. We all have to live on a tour bus together; we just learned how to give each other our space. It’s important to not always be bothering each other.

If you weren’t in a band what do you think you would be doing with your life?

Aw jeez, I don’t know. I’d probably be a stay-at-home dad, really. I’ve got two boys, there’s a million things to do back home.

Right now my wife does it all with a fulltime job, she gets them to soccer practice, to Capoeira class, to school in the morning in two different directions, then she goes to work herself and comes back to pick them

CANCER 22 JUN – 23 JUL Getting rid of all those bodies is going to be a lot easier when you pass your driving test.

d

LEO 24 JUL – 23 AUG There’s a new moon entering your sign this month, as the space lizards have decided to tow away the old one and replace it with an I.O.U. 2160 miles in length. The giant Post-It beams down from the night sky forever thereafter, and young children dream of one day putting their foot through its neon surface.

e

LIBRA 24 SEP – 23 OCT Guess what star sign Fred West was?

g

SCORPIO 24 OCT – 22 NOV Scorpions tend to be some of the most energetic and ambitious racists you will ever meet.

h

i

SAGITTARIUS 24 OCT – 20 JAN

At 2.14 a.m. on the 29th Skynet becomes self-aware. At 2.15 a.m., it responds to an official welcome email from the King of Nigeria, enclosing its bank details as requested. At 2.16 a.m., realising it’s been had, Skynet destroys mankind in an all-out nuclear bender.

j

CAPRICORN 22 DEC – 20 JAN

As a high-level terrorist, you just can’t catch a break these days.

No matter how much effort and meticulous planning you put into your atrocities, thanks to the internet there’ll always be some conspiracy nut giving the CIA credit for all your hard work.

AQUARIUS 21 JAN – 19 FEB Russell Grant’s star sign is Cunt. From now on, so is yours.

k

PISCES 20 FEB – 20 MAR Born under the constellation of Crom, you’re inclined to believe that what is best in life is to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women.

l

VIRGO 24 AUG – 23 SEP You know the horrible potential of an A4 pad and a pen, and you’ll fill it with enough ideas to destroy a civilization.

f

June 2012

THE SKINNY 63