The Skinny June 2011

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ISSUE 69 • JUNE 2011

BAT TLES “WE ALREADY GOT THE WACK SECOND ALBUM OUT OF OUR SYSTEM”

INTERVIEWS:

PLUS:

LADYTRON

FESTIVAL SEASON AHOY!

VAST AIRE

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

KARLA BLACK

LEITHLATE

INDIAN RED LOPEZ

REFUGEE WEEK

SONS & DAUGHTERS

WEST END FESTIVAL

JACKMASTER

HOMEGAME: THE REVIEW

MUSIC|FILM|CLUBS|PERFORMANCE|DIGITAL|BOOKS|COMEDY|ART|FASHION|TRAVEL|LISTINGS

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

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g n a .d.l

by arrangement with Asgard

Glasgow Clyde Auditorium

s he Sis t d n a

Boomang B

CONTENTS

Monday 6th June

JUDY COLLINS GLASGOW ORAN MOR THUR 2ND JUNE O871 22O O26O

DEVON SPROULE

GLASGOW

CCA

Tues 23 Aug Fri 02 Sept Liquid Room O2 ABC EDINBURGH GLASGOW

FRI 03 JUNE

O871 22O O26O

WILCO

O871 22O O26O

VINTAGE TROUBLE PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

P.16 SONS AND DAUGHTERS

MON 24TH OCTOBER

0871 220 0260 WWW.SEETICKETS.COM

WWW.SEETICKETS.COM 0141 353 8000 WWW.WILCOWORLD.NET RICKY, JULIAN & BUBBLES PRESENT...

P.24 KARLA BLACK

THU 04 AUG O2 ABC GLASGOW

GLASGOW CONCERT HALL

TRAILER PARK BOYS’

PHOTO: ANNETTE KRADISCH

0871 220 0260 www.seetickets.com

PHOTO: SOLAS NICOL

k

New Album ‘Sing it Loud’ Out Now

ANDREW EDINBURGH VOODOO

ROACHFORD ROOMS PLUS SPECIAL GUEST

WED 02 NOV

0871 220 0260

Glasgow O2 Academy Wed 7 Dec

0871 220 0260 WWW.SEETICKETS.COM a REGULAR MUSIC/GOLDENVOICE presentation In association with SYNERGY CONCERTS

THUR 18TH AUG & FRI 19TH AUG

2011 Show 7pm (8:30)

0131 668 2019 THEQUEENSHALL.NET A REGULAR MUSIC & MZA PRESENTATION

MOGWAI PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

GLASGOW BARROWLAND THURSDAY 22 WWW.SEETICKETS.COM DECEMBER 0871 220 0260 in association with The Agency Group

BrianWilson IN CONCERT

PHOTO: JULIET BUCHAN

WITH GUESTS RANDY & MR. LANEY

PHOTO: BARKER MCLEAN

EDINBURGH QUEENS HALL

P.32 GSA JEWELLERY GRADUATES

THE SKINNY JUNE 2011 Issue 69, June 2011 © Radge Media Ltd.

Editorial

Get in touch: E: hello@theskinny.co.uk T: 0131 467 4630 P: The Skinny, The Drill Hall, 30-38 Dalmeny St, Edinburgh, EH6 8RG

Editor Music & Online Editor Art Editor Clubs Editor Comedy Editor Competitions Editor

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

E: sales@theskinny.co.uk

TUESDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER 02 ABC GLASGOW

GLASGOW Concert Hall Sun 11th Sept 0141 353 8000

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

Printed by Mortons Print Limited, Horncastle ABC verified Jan – Dec 2010: 32,147

O871 22O O26O WWW.SEETICKETS.COM

TOM TOM CLUB Wednesday 20th July 02 ABC Glasgow

www.seetickets.com www.ticketmaster.co.uk 0871 220 0260 or in person from Ticket Scotland: Argyle Street

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

4

THE SKINNY MAY 2011

P.45 INDIAN RED LOPEZ

Digital Editor Deviance Editor DVD Editor Fashion Editor Film Editor Heads Up Editor Listings/Cyberzap Editor Performance Editor Books Editor Travel Editor

Rosamund West Dave Kerr Andrew Cattanach Luke Dubuis Lizzie Cass-Maran Adeline Amar & Louise Robertson Alex Cole Ana Hine Keir Roper-Caldbeck Alexandra Fiddes Jamie Dunn Anna Docherty Anna Docherty Gareth K. Vile Keir Hind Paul Mitchell

Production Production Manager Designer Chief Subeditor printed on 100% recycled paper

Peter Marsden Lewis MacDonald Paul Mitchell

Sales/Accounts Head of Sales & Marketing Advertising Sales Execs Accounts Administrator

Lara Moloney Jan Webster Liam O’Brien Solen Collet

Publisher

Sophie Kyle

DF CONCERTS PRESENTS…DF CONCERTS PRESENTS…DF CONCERTS PRESENTS…

6: Opinion: Hero Worship by Divorce's Andy Brown; The Proposition takes on the record labels; Andrew Cattanach offers some advice on viewing degree shows; our new Deviance Editor introduces herself; Skinny on Tour heads to... guess where?

8: Heads Up: Stuck for something to do today? Check this out...

+ The Crave

THE NATIONAL HIGH VIOLET

FEATURES 12: Battles talk frankly about their new line up, and how they reckon they've dodged that difficult second album.

14: Introducing the Edinburgh International Film Festival, with a mild interrogation of festival chief James Mullighan.

16: Sons and Daughters on new album, Mirror Mirror, and how dark music breeds happy people.

18: Documentary maker Lucy Walker talks impending nuclear doom.

19: Glasgow afterparties are the best ever – Jackmaster says so.

20: Fence Collective's annual Fife-fest, Homegame, took over Anstruther with music, and we were there to witness it.

21: Ladytron's Helen Marnie introduces their fifth album, and denies accusations of being electro veterans.

22: Summer Music Festivals: An exhaustive guide to what's happening across the country this summer, and why you should be in attendance.

24: Scotland's representative at the Venice Biennale, newly Turner-nominated Glasgow artist Karla Black, lets us in on her plans for a Venetian palazzo.

25: LeithLate! For one night only parade down Leith Walk looking at art, listening to bands and taking in some breakdancing. Get your map here!

26: Theatre festivals across the land – looking forward to Refugee Week and the West End and Leith Festivals.

27: Funny’s Funny talk about reclaiming female comedy with a new series of gigs.

28: New York rapper Vast Aire on learning from the past, and making grownup music.

LIVE

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW FRIDAY 17TH JUNE New album ‘Time Of My Life’ available soon. www.3doorsdown.com

EDINBURGH CORN EXCHANGE

TUESDAY 23RD AUGUST

GLASGOW O2 ACADEMY WEDNESDAY 24TH AUGUST highviolet.com americanmary.com 4AD.com

A l l T h i n g s B r i g h t a n d B e a u t i f u l To u r

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

UNICORN KID

+ FOREIGN OFFICE

+ LONG LOST SUN

GLASGOW KING TUT’S SATURDAY 4TH JUNE

EDINBURGH CABARET VOLTAIRE SUNDAY 12TH JUNE

WOLF-GANG.CO.UK TWITTER.COM/WOLFGANG FACEBOOK.COM/THISISWOLFGANG 'DANCING WITH THE DEVIL EP OUT NOW'

O2 ABC GLASGOW

WEDNESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER owlcitymusic.com owlcitymerch.com THE NEW ALBUM ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL AVAILABLE 13TH JUNE

www.thepiercesmusic.com Album ‘You & I’ out 30th May

EDINBURGH PLEASANCE THEATRE TUE 7TH JUNE

LIFESTYLE 30: Travel: Wanna see where they shot the Westerns? Hang out with the Navajo? Get sucked into a crystal vortex? Head to Arizona!

32: fashion: Glasgow School of Art jewellery graduates show off their wares.

34: Showcase: Glasgow Artist Janie Nicholl takes over the spread.

36: Food & DrinK: National Barbeque Week! How to cook delicious meat indoors.

GLASGOW GARAGE

WEDNESDAY 19TH OCTOBER WWW.MILESKANE.COM

ALBUM COLOUR OF THE TRAP OUT NOW

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW

REVIEW

FRIDAY 14TH OCTOBER

39: Music: Battles are your hot ticket, while Fucked Up take over the Dirty Dozen and Indian Red Lopez feel like a drop in the ocean.

46: Clubs: Highlights for your June clubbing calendar.

47: Digital: Ever wanted to disappear? Alex Cole can tell you how to do it.

48: Film: Things to see in the cinema outwith the EIFF madness.

50: Art: What we really thought of the Dundee Degree Show.

51: Books: A blank review of a blank book? Why that must be a conceptual feature by Keir Hind!

52: Performance: Venue of the month refuses to be pinned down, while Dunsinane shows itself to be a must-see.

53: Comedy: Profiling Michael Redmond (you’ll know him from Father Ted) and introducing James Kirk.

54: Competitions: Win Taste of Edinburgh tickets! Canongate books! Biffy Clyro intimate gig tickets! And DVDs!

DEBUT ALBUM ‘ON A MISSION’ OUT NOW

55: LIstings:: You know the drill – looking for something to do tonight? This will tell you what’s on.

63: Starter for 11 with Superman artist Frank Quitely, and Crystal Baws reaches new depths of depravity.

GLASGOW ARCHES

SATURDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER

PLEASE NOTE: CHANGE OF DATE - ORIGINAL TICKETS STILL VALID

Glasgow Classic Grand Tuesday 14th June

EDINBURGH THE PLEASANCE THEATRE TUESDAY 28TH JUNE SECRETSISTERSBAND.COM

Glasgow G r a n d Ole Opry

tomvek.tv

TUESDAY 14TH JUNE

Edinburgh Cabaret Vo l t a i r e

GLASGOW THE ARCHES

WEDNESDAY 15TH JUNE

thursday 4th august

Tickets 24hr credit card hotline: 08444 999 990 Online: www.gigsinscotland.com | www.ticketmaster.co.uk In person: GLASGOW SECC B/O, Tickets Scotland | EDINBURGH Tickets Scotland, Ripping | ABERDEEN B/O, One Up Records | DUNDEE Grouchos.

May 2011

THE SKINNY

5

Festival season is upon us once again (how did that happen so quickly?) and everyone seems to be jetting off to farflung and glamorous places to partake of some culture. Our cover shots were taken in a nail-bitingly last minute shoot in Barcelona, with Battles kindly giving us a bit of their time before they went on stage at Primavera; Clubs correspondent Ray Philp is jetting off to Sonar later in the month (for serious journalistic purposes, obvs) and Art Editor Andrew has managed to wangle himself a free ride for the launch of visual art festival par excellence the Venice Biennale.

You don’t have to leave the country to experience some exciting festival action though! Sunshine yes, culture no. We’ve got it all, right here, across Scotland, whatever your sphere of interest, throughout the month, and we’re here to offer you a convenient guide to what’s going on. The Skinny, if you will. Are you excited? I’m excited.

For music-lovers, we’ve put together an overview of the multitude of festivals running across the nation this summer, as well as offering a few kindly suggestions of ones you could look into if you’d like to go a bit further afield. Film buffs will of course be eagerly awaiting the new look Edinburgh International Film Festival, so we offer a preview of what we’re looking forward to, as well as taking the opportunity to quiz beleaguered festival chief James Mullighan on where he sees the scaledback programme taking us.

On the multi-strand performance / visual art side of things, GKV gets a bit scathing about the West End Festival (he’ll still be hanging around it though, you mark my words) and looks forward to Refugee Week. Skinny-partnered LeithLate brings together some of the many creatives of Leith for a night of performance, music and art openings – get your map here (p25). We have some chats with Jackmaster ahead of his appearance at Kelburn Garden Party AND catch up with Sons and Daughters to hear about their new album.

They’re also appearing at Kelburn, which tenuously maintains this festival theme I seems to have embarked upon.

Elsewhere we hear from Karla Black about what she plans for the installation in her Venetian Palazzo (Venice Biennale – festival), and how she feels about being nominated for the Turner Prize.

We offer an in depth review of last month’s Home Game (also a festival) and talk to Ladytron about their upcoming fifth album, which is unfortunately not in any way related to festivals.

We’re also very excited about June’s batch of degree shows, and offer a frankly stunning fashion shoot centred around the Glasgow jewellery graduates’ work. You can read about what you missed at Dundee degree show last month as well.

This editorial was brought to you with twelve uses of the word ‘festival’. Enjoy June.[Rosamund West]

Our cover photograph was shot by Alain Irureta, a Barcelona-based photographer who used to shoot for The Skinny in his Scotland-dwelling days. http://iruretaphotography.carbonmade.com/

Hero Worship Ian Mackaye Divorce’s Andy Brown salutes a musician who refuses to compromise Being asked to write about Ian Mackaye for a feature called Hero Worship gave me conflicting feelings; Mackaye, more than any other musician I can think of, has created not only some of the most breathtaking music I’ve ever heard, from the searing punk attack of Minor Threat through to the thunderous sonic expanse of Embrace and the pioneering experimentation of Fugazi, but his ideological stance and his unwillingness to compromise how his music is represented has been a benchmark that I have very often measured my own musical endeavors against. ...And that’s the rub. The last thing I would imagine Mackaye finding comfortable would be someone describing him as his ‘hero’ and ‘worshipping’ him.

This is much more a case of me having just enormous respect for the man, his music and his methods.

Autonomy is surely the keyword with Ian Mackaye. He’s kept control over his music by releasing all his work on his own label Dischord Records, always printing the sale price of the records on the sleeve to avoid over-pricing (don’t think that he had a myopic view on selling records either, Fugazi’s Red Medicine album sold 160,000 copies in its first week). He’s always bucked whatever the predetermined template of the music a ‘punk’ should make, stretching the parameters and finding new sounds and styles.

My first exposure to his music was Fugazi’s In On The Kill taker, an album as raw and aggressive as I had hoped but also so challenging, infusing fresh, left-field elements into the songs. My mind was blown, I became a fan and it was the best

Photo: Pat Graham

Editorial

gamble I ever made on any band as each proceeding album Fugazi produced pushed these elements and challenged my preconceptions further and further. No band, be they perceived as punk or otherwise, was able to simultaneously provoke me creatively as well as ideologically like Fugazi could.

It’s not unusual if you’re a musician to be given ‘advice’ by people, be they managers, labels or whoever, that you should talk to this certain magazine or play with that certain band, it will be a ‘great opportunity’ – it’s just what you should do if you play in a band. It’s got nothing to do with whether you are comfortable with it or not, there’s a path there that cannot be deviated from. Ian Mackaye has proven conclusively that this is untrue.

New Divorce 7” single Love Attack is released on Night School Records on 27 Jun www.night-school.org.uk www.divorcetheband.blogspot.com

Shot of SKINNY the month ON TOUR

Mojo Fury Òran Mór, 9 May

By Euan Robertson

6

THE SKINNY June 2011

All hail reader Ally! He's our first Skinny on Tour contributor not to hide behind our latest issue on his trip to.. to..?

Enter your guess at www.theskinny.co.uk/competitions and you might win a bottle of vino, courtesy of our friends at VINO WINES.

Deadline: Thursday 30 June 2011 Terms: www.theskinny.co.uk/terms and www.drinkaware.co.uk for the facts.

Over 18s only. The prize isn't redeemable for cash and is to be collected from one of the Vino Wines stores.

DEVIANCE SLUTWALK

OPINION

ILLUSTRATION: PETER MARSDEN

So Slutwalk? What is it? What is it about? Is it fair to ask me to introduce the new and improved Deviance section and your lovely new editor (Moi) with some light-hearted banter about rape?

Rape. We all know that’s what Slutwalk is about.

A Toronto policeman made a remark to a group of female students that they should avoid dressing like ‘sluts’ so as to reduce their chances of being sexually assaulted. The students were angry that they were being addressed on this matter and yet there was no equivalent message NOT to rape being delivered. A successful protest march was organised and the policeman has apologised.

So why are we having one here in Scotland?

There is a strong tradition among the organised feminists in Edinburgh to hold Reclaim the Night marches. The purpose of these is to fight against the idea that a woman walking alone at night is ‘asking for trouble’. However, it seems that for many the power of these marches to be highly effective instruments of change had gone – it just didn’t feel particularly relevant anymore.

It is. One of the most interesting things, for me, about how quickly the Slutwalk movement has grown is that it appears to be a conversation we’ve all been dying to have.

So why haven’t we been having it? Feminist groups and centres exist all across Scotland. There are Rape Crisis groups and specialist phone lines dedicated to helping the victims/survivors of sexual assault. In spite of this it almost felt (until last month) that the issue was about finished and it wasn’t really polite to bring it all up again. Slutwalk seems to have changed this – coming up to us and reminding us that rape and sexual assault affect us all.

You can accuse Slutwalk of being sensationalist or of mistaking being sexually liberated with being actually liberated but, personally, the value of Slutwalk seems to be that it is forcing us to talk about rape… and that can only be a good thing.[Ana Hine]

THE PROPOSITION

THE UNBEARABLE SHITENESS OF BEING (...SIGNED) Despite being the most coveted and enduring adolescent fantasy since Jessica Rabbit, in reality recording contracts are a minefield. In a contemporary musical environment that sees less money spread increasingly thinly, it’s easy to see how young, weary or struggling musicians can get so overheated at the mere whiff of industry interest that they’d sign their own mother’s death warrant if it were placed before them.

Yet, for the average musician, usually unschooled in the fork-tongued demon-speak of contract law, they are predominantly impenetrable cataracts of wordplay, seamlessly blending Latin and Olde English, almost always benignly smiling at your perplexed face whilst they mentally evaluate your net worth. Just ask Meatloaf. Two years after releasing the then-biggest-selling record of all time, Bat Out Of Hell, he found himself owing his label $2.5 million. He ultimately declared bankruptcy before rescuing his situation and sentencing the rest of us to the unbearable torment of I Would Do Anything For Love. He’s far from alone in bearing the unscrupulous brunt of cynical contractual malpractice. Numerous scowling celebrity faces bob about on top of that vast, grey sea of despairing also-rans, dispatched to oblivion by the wave of a record executive’s hand, their ambivalent label deeming them financially unviable but unwilling to set them contractually free.

Certainly, during the courting and honeymoon periods, A&R guys and the labels who employ them do their best to butter up the talent by pushing the right buttons. The contractual parts about

EDINBURGH SLUTWALK IS ON 18 JUN, MEETING AT 1.30PM OUTSIDE ST GILES ON THE ROYAL MILE WITH THE MARCH SCHEDULED TO START AT 2PM. THE MARCH WILL BE A ‘LET’S ALL GO DOWN THE ROYAL MILE AFFAIR’ ENDING UP OUTSIDE HOLYROOD. SEE THE FACEBOOK PAGE FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/#!/PAGES/SLUTWALKEDINBURGH/145913002147447

“advances” and “royalty percentages” are momentarily crystal clear as the eyes of the prospective signees light up. The thing is, these words need to be tempered by an uglier word: “recoupable.”

Record labels are both gamblers and loan sharks and, albeit from time to time the odd individual might actually benefit from the services of either, on the whole the real winners are the companies.

Those aforementioned advances, be they related to publishing, recording, touring, flamboyant haircuts or sequinned hot-pants, will all need to be repaid. If they’re not, you and your band certainly won’t be doing much music for the foreseeable future as your fate is tied up in automatically renewable options, exclusivity and master-ownership clauses. Chances are you even compromised your very likeness, an innocuous looking phrase which incorporates the small matters of your name and face.

You also almost certainly passed up the final say in a whole array of factors including who records your album, who designs the cover, what idiotic concept is chosen for the video and which tampon advert/ party political broadcast /Hollyoaks trailer your painstakingly crafted art is crudely grafted to.

By the time your 50,000 album sales are being written off as a financial flop, it’s too late. All these items need to be negotiated early on and sadly both the label and the sweaty-palmed youngsters sitting in their office know that, if things get too difficult too soon, there’s another bunch of less demanding wannabes on the end of the next phone call.

This is a situation more than 50 years in the making as labels have gradually tightened their grip on the music “industry” and honed their ability to mass-market their product, simultaneously devaluing its artistic merit and re-marketing

it as an accessory. It’s hilarious then to hear the bleatings of the “Big Five” majors as digital piracy erodes their diminishing returns (a global decline of approximately $1.9bn last year apparently).

The irony being that the labels have been robbing musicians blind for years, yet now canvas for support under the faux-morally outraged banner of “artists deserve to be paid”. That’s sort of like the Tories asking the elderly to have a whip round for their next election campaign.

An association of major record labels recently responded angrily to the growing backlash against their methods through an article in The Times, claiming that the music industry is a place of massive financial risk, where 90% of acts make a loss.

They cited examples of fledgling artists paid advances in excess of £750,000 whose debut records went on to sell a mere 100,000 copies. That’s a hefty financial hit for sure. The problem is you won’t find much public sympathy for a guy blowing his family savings on a losing horse, especially when he only amassed those savings by stealing the pocket money from the neighbourhood kids.

Yeah sure, the industry is high risk but that’s because the industry is the way the record companies made it. They normalised pandering to the egos of musicians, they turned music into a hyper-expensive publicity-driven feeding frenzy and they continue to write huge speculative cheques for manufactured idiots whilst the lower echelons of the sector suffocate under the huge financial weight that keeps them pinned helplessly to the bottom. Like Cheryl Cole complaining that she doesn’t get any privacy, you can’t help but think “hell mend you.”[Marc DeSadé] MARC DESADÉ SUGGESTS YOU READ THE SMALLPRINT AT ALL TIMES

SCOPOPHILIA LOST TO A DEGREE

Early summer means one thing – degree show time.

But in the same way Milky Ways get smaller as you get older, degree shows too diminish with every passing year. While with Milky Ways it’s a simple matter of scale, with degree shows it’s a contraction of quality. The elapsing years are directly proportional to your waning enjoyment of looking at drawings of dogs and photos of bodily fluids – both a curious mainstay at one institution in particular.

But it’s an illusion, of course. In the same way our increased stature shrinks the humble Milky Way – in accordance with our fallacious perspective – our maturity depreciates the work of the nascent artist. We uphold the firm belief that our tastes have been cultivated over the years, that our inclinations are more nuanced than ever before. But this is simply the myth we like to convey to ourselves, in our perpetual self-aggrandising narcissism.

The degree show is both literally and metaphorically a place to get lost. Untether your spurious notion of self for a moment and get absorbed in all the guff you find assaulting your weary senses. Breath in the acrid stench of youthful idealism. Take a draught or two of unrelenting, virginal nihilism, not yet sullied by the true pain of existence. Relish every last twee piece of visual nonsense you can lay your oculars on, as if it were an item adorning your very essence.

Worship at the foot of every crude depiction of the artist’s pet, and be sure to treat all pictures of menstrual blood as if it were the blood of Christ himself.[Andrew Cattanach]

JUNE 2011

THE SKINNY

7

Photo: Euan Robertson

James Blake continues to impress with his unique brand of dubbed-out soul, hybrid electro, effectsmanipulated vocals, and adventures in rabbit jumpers.

We reckon that all makes him well worth another look in, as he returns for a two-night stint on Scottish SOIL. Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 7pm, £10. Also playing Glasgow’s Oràn Mór the following night

sun 5 Jun

Mon 6 jun

Revelling in a great big dose of surprise, the Fence Collective host a one-off night as part of West End Festival, for which they won’t reveal the line-up until all the tickets have sold out. But, ne’er fear, amongst them will be plenty old Fence favourites, plus a merry bunch of their bestest pals. Oràn Mór, Glasgow, 5pm, £12. West End Festival runs from 3-26 Jun

American rockers Yo La Tengo return to Scottish shores with a carefullycomposed show of two halves. With no support act, the first set of songs will be chosen by the spin of a wheel, while the second will be a cherry-picked selection (and, as aficionados will know, they never play the same set twice). Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, 7pm, £15

COMPILED BY: ANNA DOCHERTY

KC Rules OK

Photo: steve gullick

YVONNE RAINER, HAND MOVIE, 1966

FRI 10 jun

Sat 11 Jun

Sun 12 Jun

It’s the annual end-of-term art school piss-up, as the ECA host the rather legendary Art School Revel. The dancing tunes will be provided by Randan Discotheque, Snide Rhythms, The Young Spooks and The Machine Room and there’s an underwater theme to proceedings (i.e. get crafty with the costume-making). Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh, 10pm, £10 (advance only)

Spend an afternoon regarding the fruits of new artists’ endeavours, as both Edinburgh and Glasgow celebrate the opening weekend of their art school Degree Shows 2011. And for the GSA it’s the final roundup before the complete redevelopment of their campus. ECA: 11- 21 Jun; GSA: 12-18 Jun, both free

Just about our favourite way to spend a Sunday afternoon, Dr Sketchy’s life-drawing class returns with the usual host of burlesque hotties on posing duties, with all the materials provided, plus a bar to the side. After last month’s glam Sinatra special, June will celebrate this years EIFF, with Gilda Lily as their Red Carpet Star. The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh, 3pm, £7 (£6)

Laird MacAvoy s return from the Second Boer War

by Via Fang

THU 16 Jun

Fri 17 Jun

Sat 18 Jun

Continually seeking out the best in inspired, thoughtprovoking modern theatre, Tramway host Generation, an autobiographical performance where four young adults aged 18 reflect on their position in the world: right here, right now. Sure to be more than a little illuminating. Tramway, Glasgow, until 18 Jun, £10 (£8). Followed by a post-show discussion

The GFT host an extra-special screening of V For Vendetta, the 2006 epic based on Alan Moore’s series of graphic novels. And we say extra-special because it’ll be introduced by the novel’s illustrator, David Lloyd, who will also be taking part in a Q&A session after the screening. Fanboys (and girls) unite.

GFT, Glasgow, 5.45pm, £7.50 (£5.50)

Frightened Rabbit play a special one-off gig as part of the TweedLove bike festival, taking over the rather dinky venue of Peebles Burgh Hall to help raise funds for the following year’s event. We like that a) this’ll be a pretty bloody amazing intimate set, and b) it’s possibly the coolest gig to happen in Peebles, like, ever. Peebles Burgh Hall, Peebles, 7.30pm, £15

wed 22 Jun

Thu 23 Jun

The annual homage to Shakespeare, Bard in the Botanics, kicks off with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where a world of moral affairs collides with the magical world of the fairy kingdom, played out in musical form in the fairytale setting of Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens. Magic heaped upon magic. Botanic Gardens, Glasgow, 7.45pm, £15 (£10). Other performances available

The Edinburgh International Film Festival officially premieres with The Guard (Brendan Gleeson as a pill-popping, hooker-frequenting Sergeant), however, call us fickle, but we’re almost as excited about the fact that Mad Max is being given a nostalgic look-in, complete with a live soundtrack from French indie-rockers Montgomery. Institut Francais d’Ecosse, Edinburgh, 8pm, £10 (£8). The EIFF runs from 15-26 Jun, www.edfilmfest.org.uk

8

THE SKINNY June 2011

Gilda Lily

Photo: Euan Robertson

THIS MONTH WE’LL BE OUTDOORS MAINLY, WITH THE MUSIC FESTIVAL SCENE GETTING INTO FULL SWING. SHOULD WE WANT TO GO INDOORS THERE’S THE EIFF AND THE DEGREE SHOWS TO KEEP US OCCUPIED

WED 1 JUN

Photo: Takeshi Suga

HEADS UP

TUE 31 MAY In the face of so much computerised and technological wizardry, You Seem The Same As Always brings together a collection of artists who favour the hand-made approach. Amongst them are new works from Claire Barclay, Douglas Gordon and David Shrigley, varying in medium – from video, to drawings, to sculpted objects – but always made by hand. The Common Guild, Glasgow, until 30 Jul, Free

FRI 3 JUN

SAT 4 JUN

Collecting together works from a talented bunch of Scottish artists (including sometime Skinny illustrator Nick Cocozza and live installation doodlers Too Much Fun Club), the AARTVARK CHARITY AUCTION sees a selection of original pieces going under the hammer for a good cause.

The event then turns into a bit of a rave-up, with DJs from the likes of Az-Tech and Compakt playing into the wee hours.

The Caves, Edinburgh, 8pm, Free (after-party 11pm-3am, £5)

Having been the official sign of summer for our childhood selves, the MEADOWS FESTIVAL is like a little drop of nostalgia.

And the group of volunteers behind it have seen it flourish into an all-out beast of a thing, with a host of live bands playing over the weekend (including The Banana Sessions, How To Swim, and The Ordinary Allstars), plus the usual array of stalls, handmade food, and, yes, candyfloss ’n’ dodgems. The Meadows, Edinburgh, 10am-6pm (also Sun 5), Free

PHOTO: STEPHEN ROBINSON

THU 2 JUN Ayr band of intellectuals TRAPPED IN KANSAS header a three-band bill with their tuneful indie rock, borne of inter-band conversations on space, time travel, the Hadron Collider and other assorted quandaries of physics. Cap officially doffed. Support comes from Letters and Plastic Animals. Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 7pm, £tbc

WED 8 JUN

THU 9 JUN

Brooklyn’s chief spasmodic melody makers and this month’s Skinny cover stars, BATTLES, are well-and-truly back on the live circuit touring the arse offa’ their new album, Gloss Drop, which arrives in our world the very same day as they play Glasgow’s Arches (i.e there’s no way we’re missing this). The Arches, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £15.50

Based on a story printed in a US tabloid (where else?) about a half-boy, half-bat creature discovered in a cave in West Virginia, BAT BOY takes to the dank surrounds of Edinburgh’s Caves for four nights of perfectlyset comedy-meets-horror storytelling. The Caves, Edinburgh, 6-9 Jun, 7.30pm, £10.50 (£7.50)

Prepare thyself for a weekender of music festivals, as the biggie of ROCKNESS jostles for attention alongside relative newbie DOUNE THE RABBIT HOLE. Chemical Brothers are amongst the headliners at RockNess, whilst Doune The Rabbit Hole have The Vaselines. And between ’em there’s a host of Skinny faves, including The Twilight Sad, Zoey Van Goey, Trembling Bells, and Frightened Rabbit... Decisions, decisions. Both 10-12 Jun, see website for more details

THE TWILIGHT SAD

TUE 14 JUN

WED 15 JUN

WU-TANG CLAN return for a rare fivedate UK mini tour, with the whole crew in town (yes, as in RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and Young Dirty Bastard). Phew! That’ll be your cue to get very bloody excited. HMV Picture House, Edinburgh, 7pm, £29.50

From the creators of sketch group How Do I Get Up There?, comes THE FUN JUNKIES – essentially the most diverse and obscure offerings from the comedy spectrum, including variety acts, musical comedy, sketch groups, and, er, magicians. There’s also the ritual humiliation of a chosen stand-up comic, in aid of a charity cause. The Stand, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £5 (£4)

SUN 19 JUN

MON 20 JUN

TUE 21 JUN

The cutesy-named LITTLE BIRDS MARKET set up stall in Glasgow with their delightful mix of vintage clothes, handcrafted accessories, and sweet treats from the likes of Truebug Vintage, We Are Robots, and the ever-lovely Flamingo Bakery. There’s also cupcake-heavy afternoon teas in the ’cake salon’ (every mini market should have one). Sloans, Glasgow, 11am, Free

INSIDER FESTIVAL scores extra points for eking out the festivities all weekend, and then right out the other side and into Monday (i.e. today). Over that time the sleepy mountainous surrounds of Aviemore will play host to the likes of Lau, Admiral Fallow, Hidden Orchestra, and Stanley Odd. The hills are alive, etc. Inshriach House, Aviemore, 17-20 Jun, £75 (weekend)

Kilmarnock’s own disco legend (every town should have one), DAVID BARBAROSSA, reaches into his rather large record collection to play a selection of lost gems, for his new monthly residency David Barbarossa’s Wild Combination. Nice ’n’ Sleazy, Glasgow, 11.30pm, £3

PHOTO: TOMAS HERMOSO

MON 13 JUN The hardcore shock rock assault that is GWAR bring the joy to Glasgow, alongside cult rockers Clutch. Still fully-costumed like something out a bad 80s sci-fi film, and, yes, just as crude as ever (happy singalongs about beastio-necrophilia, anyone?). Their new album even contains an ode to tick tits; sample lyric: "I love tick-tits, tick-tits, tick-tits, dick-slit, sick shit, uugh". Profound. O2 ABC, Glasgow, 7pm, £16.50

HIDDEN ORCHESTRA

FRI 24 JUN

SAT 25 JUN

SUN 26 JUN

MON 27 JUN

The GFT pick a tip-top batch for their LATE NIGHT CLASSICS this month, including the rather ace Heathers, where Winona Rider wreaks highschool havoc with bad boy Christian Slater. Its somewhat tamer alter-ego, Clueless, also gets a look in (June 10), but Heathers wins, if only for the immortal line (from Heather #1, natch) of “fuck me gently with a chainsaw“. GFT, Glasgow, 11pm, £7.50 (£5.50)

What could be nicer than a midsummer’s picnic in the park? No much, we say. JUPITER ARTLAND open their doors for a special evening in their contemporary sculpture garden. Bring a blanket, pick your spot, and enjoy the glorious laid-on spread of picnic-y food and wine. Jupiter Artland, Kirknewton (just outside Edinburgh), 6pm, £20

The charming Scottish funnyman that is DANNY BHOY takes over the Kings Theatre with his witty ramblings, cheeky banter, great hair, and handsome-bloody-face.

You’ll likely feel a bit rubbish in comparison. Comedians should be ugly, God dammit. The Kings Theatre, Glasgow, 8pm, £18.75

The last Monday of the month often finds us here: at THE IMPENETRABLE CLICK for their end-of-month cheerbringing. Their mixed bill of comedy sketches, poetry, and the odd bit of live music, is this month compered by Alan Scott, Geoff Gawler, Will Setchell, and loveable Floridian joker Sarah Cassidy. 13th Note, Glasgow, 8pm, £3 (£2)

HEATHERS

SARAH CASSIDY

JUNE 2011

THE SKINNY

9

PHOTO: EUAN ROBERTSON

TUE 7 JUN

PHOTO: SARAH ROBERTS

NICK COCOZZA

Can you believe it? In 2011 we celebrate the 10th Wickerman Festival (22-23 July). That’s ten years of serving up one of the most diverse, idiosyncratic music festivals in the UK, embracing an eclectic line-up which features a dizzying mix of rock, indie, punk, electro, techno, drum & bass, reggae and folk music.

On this, the 10th anniversary there are ten stages ranging from the Summerisle (main) Stage, Scooter Tent, Acoustic Village, Axis Sound System Reggae Tent, Bass Camp, Greenman Inn, Headphone Arena, Ho Down Wendy House to the Solus ‘Emerging Scottish Talent’ Tent and for the first time the goNORTH Festival Tour Stage. All that plus the infamous burning of the giant 40ft Wickerman sculpture.

The Summerisle Main Stage will play host to renowned acts Feeder, Echo & The Bunnymen, Noisettes, The Hoosiers, The Bluebells and The Dangleberries. Joining them are some of the hottest up and coming acts including Yasmin, Sound of Guns, MOPP and The Stagger Rats. Taking to the stage following the burning of the Wickerman will be Craig Charles with his renowned Funk & Soul Club DJ Set. In addition to the blistering line-up, Ally McCrae (BBC Introducing) is confirmed as the compere for the Summerisle Stage in 2011.

Feeder’s lead singer and guitarist Grant Nicholas said, “The Wickerman Festival’s reputation precedes it as being one of the most diverse in the UK. This will be our first ever appearance and we’re honoured to be headlining the main Summerisle Stage in their tenth year. Even better, playing on the Saturday night is an added bonus as it means we’ll get to stay on and watch the Wickerman burn!”

The festival’s much-loved Scooter Tent is back with a bang featuring The Damned and From The Jam with support from King Kurt, Spunge, Department S, Middle Finger Salute, Diddums, Fire Exit, Berry Tweed and the Chasers, and Rudy Alba. Root System will also make a very welcome return to the stage.

Rachel Sermanni, a rising star championed by Mumford & Sons and Dot JR, the Stornoway superstar in the making are set to headline at this

10 THE SKINNY JUNE 2011

year’s Solus Tent, the emerging talent stage of the festival.

Solus celebrates the finest new acts on the Scottish music network and this year’s line-up doesn’t disappoint with Jack Townes and Dam Mantle also scheduled to appear. Further highlights include fourpiece Glasgow band Jack Townes, Dam Mantle, Bear Bones, Blochestra, Endor, Desalvo, Davey Horne, Black Sun Drum Corps, Randolphs Leap, RM Hubbert, Citizens, Vukovi, Miaoux Miaoux, Reverieme, Letters and Trapped in Kansas.

For a more chilled out approach, and a top spot amongst the Wickerman fans, the Acoustic Tent will feature up-and-coming folk stars Matthew and the Atlas, along with 24 other bands and singer-song writers including Augustalia, Qiku, The Loose Kites, The Moonzie Allstars, jazz-star Henry Johnson and blues-inspired Al Hughes to name but a few. Also back by popular demand are Beth Fouracre and Earl Grey and the Loose Leaves, following wowperformances in 2010.

Bass Camp, the festival’s Dance Village this year plays host to the Skiddle Tent, the Em-It Tent and The Landlord’s Daughter; the outdoor daytime stage.

Break beat award-winner Krafty Kuts leads the way with Utah Saints, in the strongest line-up to date for the Em-It tent, with London-based tech-funk producer and DJ Meat Katie, Stockholm’s Peo De Pitte, underground favourite Mike Hulme, plus Easy B, Simon Jackson, Ray McKinney, Digital and Scott McCormack all taking to the decks.

In the Skiddle Tent, joining one of clubland’s hottest figures Riva Starr and underground club stalwarts X-Press2, will be DOD, winner of the Mixmag and Blackberry International DJ Competition, as well as Nelski who works alongside the likes of Chris Lake.

They will be joined by Wickerman regulars Sonny Wharton, Matt Hinde, James Ryan, Tim Forrester, Ki Creighton, Ginny K and some home-grown talent guaranteed to please local fans.

As part of the festival’s anniversary celebrations, Skiddle.com has launched an opportunity for dance lovers to vote for their favourite tracks of the last decade. The results will then be compiled into an exclusive 10 year anniversary mix by Skiddle’s Sonny Wharton, and played as part of his set. Everyone who submits a track suggestion will also be given a free download of the final mix.

Three deck wizard Sonny has risen through the ranks to join the DJ elite since being spotted

by Renaissance in their DJ Mag mix-tape competition. With a residency at Manumission, sets at Amnesia, and slots at the world’s bestloved clubbing institutions including Pacha, Ministry Of Sound, Godskitchen and Space under his belt, he’s known as an innovator, a workaholic and a dance floor filler.

Not only will there be music to suit every taste coming from every corner of the festival site, but there will be a whole host of extra activities, ensuring your weekend can be as jam-packed or as relaxing as you like. For full details of all these extra activities check out the website.

Adult weekend ticket prices start at £90. For full ticket information and to buy, go to www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk/tickets.html

JUNE 2011

THE SKINNY 11

❝

It’s a pretty strange thing – Gary Numan telling you that your band is weird John Stanier

❞

Ian Williams, John Stanier and Dave Konopka in barcelona

12 THE SKINNY June 2011

MUSIC

When the Machines Rock

Battles drummer John Stanier steps out from behind his ride cymbal to explain the uneasy genesis of Gloss Drop Interview: Dave Kerr Photos: Alain Irureta

“These situations aren’t supposed to happen to somebody like me,” states a humble John Stanier, having already served time as the rhythmic backbone of a forward-thinking rock group in a previous life. “Helmet was when I was like 19, when we started a band from scratch and it became somewhat successful. For that to happen again, from a totally organic level, is almost unheard of.”

A chance encounter with former Don Caballero guitarist Ian Williams on the streets of New York was enough to set in motion an exchange of ideas that would ultimately become ‘Battles’ as we know them today. “It wasn’t even a band,” says Stanier of their formative days. “It was like this strange entity…took a couple of years before we even knew what we were doing. ‘Art project’? It definitely wasn’t that. ‘Side-project’ is the wrong way to put it. It was just this thing – it took a while before we even called ourselves a band. It was very strange, there was no rush.”

With a nonchalance that belies the mania of Battles’ music, Stanier appears anything but rushed as he reclines in a sunny Manhattan park between tour dates – confident in the knowledge that, against some odds, Battles are about to unleash an album he was prepared to “pour every last drop of blood” into finishing. Gloss Drop has the vibrancy of a band just off the starting blocks, taking a collective approach that sounds daring, fun and healthily unhinged – earning every bit of the ‘future rock’ slogan Battles have had slapped on their backs from day one.

It could all so easily have been snatched away when, fuelled by the distraction of his solo career, fellow founding member Tyondai Braxton quit the band last August. Although Braxton had been considered the band’s de facto leader of sorts – if only by virtue of his vocals taking prominence on 2007’s critically lauded Mirrored – Stanier, Williams and guitarist/bassist Dave Konopka were determined to march on.

“I don’t think quitting ever crossed our minds, because there were three of us who were just like, what the fuck?” says Stanier of the initial reaction to Braxton’s departure. “I was really surprised by it, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t kind of see it coming. I certainly didn’t think it was going to be right in the middle of recording. It was just ‘Hey, I’m outta here,’ and I haven’t heard from him since.”

With half an album done, the band went about the process of ‘unweaving’ Braxton’s contributions from the mix and rewriting the album. A scenario that could only seem an insurmountable challenge to any group trying to tackle their second album was welcomed with open arms by the trio. “It was a relief!”

Stanier gasps with unexpected candour. “It would be one thing if we had this amazing record and he left, but that wasn’t the case. It was awful. We were more than happy to press delete on the keyboard.

In a really strange way, we already got the whack second record out of our system. I wouldn’t even say we had enough material for an entire record, but we had a collection of songs that no one was really into. It was just a little uninspired and it wasn’t really a team effort. Becoming a three-piece made this record so much better because it really put the fire under us – it was a do or die situation.

“It forced us to go into survivalist mode, we went with our instincts. We didn’t ever sit down and think ‘how are we going to do this – do we do an instrumental record, or do we get a fourth person who’ll sing on the whole record?’ Those options

weren’t even there, it was just ‘OK, these songs need vocals, let’s ask these people. They were very methodically and specifically thought out.”

“These people” range through such far-reaching figures as techno producer Matias Aguayo; Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino and Boredoms’ Yamantaka Eye. But the most instantly recognisable name attached to the album – and perhaps most immediate collaboration to most – is eighties electro-pop icon Gary Numan’s turn on a motorik space jam called My Machines. “We saw him play in Boston last October,” says Stanier of his meeting with the dark synth king. “He’s really nice. He was just like ‘Aw yeah, Battles is really weird.’ It’s pretty strange – Gary Numan telling you that your band is weird.”

A weird band in so many senses: back in March, billboards featuring Gloss Drop’s artwork began to spring up everywhere from New York to Nairobi, without any mention of the band name – an unusual tactic at a time when anyone with something to sell is begging for consumer attention. “That was actually Warp’s idea,” says Stanier. “Because the artwork’s so strong, it was like – ‘let’s see what happens if we put up the image on its own for three weeks to a month.’ Then they put the type on there. So on top of Amoeba Records in LA, people were saying ‘what the hell is this giant weird pink blob?’ It was this weird, guerrilla, sneaky campaign – but I loved it.”

Perhaps the weirdest trait of all is Battles’ perverse commercial viability: with increasing regularity their music crops up in locations more unlikely than those giant blobs. If you didn’t catch them on a Soccer AM goal montage, the odds are you’ve heard them soundtrack a liposuction treatment on an episode of Nip/Tuck or another night of Mad Dog fuelled debauchery on Skins. Whereas Stanier formerly enjoyed Helmet’s cinematic endorsements through projects like The Crow and Judgment Night (shit film, killer soundtrack) that were aimed at an ‘alternative’ market in the early nineties, Battles feature on an Audi advert and the

last Twilight film. “It’s crazy I know, but times have changed,” he rightly points out. “I remember a really long time ago when someone would do an ad for Volkswagen. The reaction would be ‘how could they do that? They’re selling out!’ I don’t think that’s the case now. I hope people realise that, hey, no one buys records anymore. We have to make a living at this somehow. That being said, I wouldn’t want our music to be in a McDonalds commercial or American Pie 8. There are limits.”

As the conversation turns to future plans, Stanier makes it clear that Battles will remain his primary focus, even if he does have other plates to spin; this month also sees the first fruits of Cologne Tape, a long-term project that counts Stanier and minimal techno stalwart Axel Willner [AKA The Field] in its ranks. “It’s a big collective, we record stuff usually through the mail but you never know who’s on each release. So it’s this mystery; everybody knows who’s involved, but they don’t list who’s on each release, which is kinda cool.”

There’s also talk of reconvening with Mike Patton and Duane Dennison to take up unfinished business as experimental rock supergroup Tomahawk.

“We’re going to do a record over the summer… finally!” he reveals. With the Battles machine gearing up for extensive work on the road, it’s hard to imagine where Stanier will find the space in his diary. “One thing at a time,” he says with a pinch of realism. “The record’s not even out yet and this is already the start of some extreme touring, probably for a year and a half to two years.”

And are the crowds taking to Battles 2.0? “Oh yeah, completely, and we’re only playing new stuff because we haven’t figured out how to play the old stuff just yet – we’re working on that.” With each of Gloss Drop’s vocal contributions coming from outside the band’s camp, and no ‘singer’ to speak of, how can Battles get away with it live? “That you’re going to have to wait to see,” he offers ominously.

“I’m remaining tight-lipped about that – sorry.”

Stanier’s unmistakable command of the kit in

the live arena has seen him become an influential force for the modern drummer. As Tool’s Danny ‘no slouch on the stool’ Carey once noted in an interview with The Skinny: “I like Stanier’s style, he lays into the drum good.” We relay the praise and he’s chuffed, so who did Stanier take cues from? “I grew up with the usual – Neil Peart, John Bonham, but then started getting into more fusiony stuff like Return to Forever, then I went straight into punk.” These days Stanier is more inclined to keep up with developments in electronic music, confessing an admiration for certain constituents of the Scottish electronic scene. “I’m giving a shout out to Kode9,” he booms. “We hung out with him at Sonar in Japan – he’s an awesome dude.”

The last time we spoke to Battles they were watching The Last King of Scotland on their tour bus; you wonder what – if anything – they can collectively agree on listening to. “A lot of krautrock – driving music. Can? Neu? Yes,” Stanier confirms.

“We all like TV on the Radio – but who doesn’t?”

Pinning down any shared influences that they can carry into the studio proves even trickier. “It’s not like we all enjoy some genre of afro-pop,” he shrugs. “It’s not that specific.”

A burning question that has hounded the band since the release of EP C in 2004 still remains unanswered: What should we call this – ‘Math rock’, ‘Ewok-step’, or the next phase of ‘post-Oompa Loompa’? One thing’s for certain: Battles are a phenomenon of our time – a band whose increasing popularity has been earned the old-fashioned way, through skill, innovation and sheer bloodymindedness. Stanier still pinches himself to check their steady rise has been for real. “I definitely never thought we would be in the position we’re in right now,” he offers, bringing luck into an already complex equation. “I feel fortunate that I ran into Ian in the street one day.”

Gloss Drop is released via Warp Records on 6 Jun Battles Play The Arches, Glasgow on 7 Jun bttls.com

June 2011

THE SKINNY 13

FILM

Changing Man

The Times They Are a-Changin' at The Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Festival director James Mullighan tells The Skinny why change is necessary and why EIFF will no longer be a cog in the film distribution sausage machine

Interview: Jamie Dunn Illustrations: Nicholas Stevenson

EIFF PREVIEW EIFF Redux: The Skinny previews three of the new innovations at this year’s all-change Edinburgh International Film Festival

The Long (Shorts) Weekend Nokia Shorts Weekender, 24-26 Jun

A bold emphasis is placed on short film at EIFF 2011, with the three day Nokia Shorts Weekender, 24-26 June, promising to be Scotland’s largest jamboree of the medium.

As well as a host of screenings to investigate, a wide range of events cater for filmmakers interested in the shorts format, from people looking to create their first short films – Frogs and Sloths: How to be an Internet Sensation – to those who are already producing and want to get involved in a spot of networking – BAFTA and Shooting People: Short Sighted.

Considering that the Shorts Weekender is intended to be a celebration of the form, it’s perhaps slightly odd that the standout happening, Masterclass with Chris Shepherd, is all about making the leap from short film to features, but this will surely be an unmissable event for aspiring directors.

Another tip to get the creative juices flowing is Vimeo in Residence, presenting a selection of creative work from the cyber community. Those familiar with the video sharing website know they can expect a gripping variety of films exhibiting some fantastically innovative techniques.

If you weren’t already aware of Vimeo and are about to jump online to have a look, it’d also be worth casting your eye over the final submissions for the Nokia Shorts 2011 competition. Eight filmmakers were awarded a $5000 production budget to get their pitches on screen and all films will be premiered at EIFF 2011, with the winning entry receiving $10,000 cash – good luck spending that in the Filmhouse bar.

Other highlights of the shorts programme include hallucinatory road trips in Adventures Close to Home, a cake eating hippo in Family Shorts, the altogether more serious and compelling Animated Realities, and a selection of short films by great Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin entitled Anatomy of Melancholy. Time to book Friday 24 June off work for a Shorts Weekender bender.[Matthew Stanger] Nokia Shorts Weekender runs from 24-26 Jun. See EIFF’s website for more details Nokia Shorts 2011 competition finalists on Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/nokia?utm_source=newsletter42011 www.edfilmfest.org.uk

There’s no such thing as bad publicity, so they say. Tell that to James Mullighan. Since his appointment as director of Edinburgh International Film Festival in December last year his tenure has suffered from a Molotov cocktail of rumours, miscommunications, PR disasters and more than a little hostility from the Scottish press at his proposed festival rethink. The wiry Aussie was defiant, unapologetic and remarkably upbeat, however, when he faced the waiting hordes of sceptical journalists at the launch of the 65th Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF).

Mullighan’s gambit couldn’t have been more forthright: “Repetition in festivals, whether film, art, music – whatever – leads to boredom and staleness,” he says, forcefully. “Throughout its history, [Edinburgh International Film Festival] has been provocative, controversial, a little dangerous often, a debate leader and a cultural setter, but not lately.

We want to get that back – for all of us.”

There is a hint of spin around Mullighan’s rhetoric.

Like a photo negative of our current government’s programme of efficiencies, these radical changes are being presented as a desired shift in the festival’s creative ideology rather than a fiscal imperative brought about by the end of generous funding support from the now defunct UK Film Council. After the launch I spoke to Mullighan about the programme in more depth, and began by asking whether these changes are purely economic necessity.

“I think this festival in 2011 would have to be taking a long honest look in the mirror regardless of budget,” Mullighan tells me after the media have

14 THE SKINNY June 2011

left. “I believe that Edinburgh has been, lately, and necessarily, a cog in the movie through theatrical, through DVD, through television transmission, online, downloads... a cog in that sausage machine.”

To take Mullighan’s metaphor further, towards the end of former EIFF director Hannah McGill’s reign, those sausages had begun to resemble the Tesco value variety: unappetising, grizzle and innards filled bangers rejected by the elite festivals on the international circuit.

Mullighan argues that EIFF’s once strong showing on the festival calendar was less to do with its ability to match the likes of Cannes and Berlin in star power and more to do with its history of risk-taking programming, growing as it did from a protest at the city’s International Festival’s exclusion of cinema from its inaugural programme in 1947. “The only reason Edinburgh Film Festival was in the position to have conversations with those distributors, producers and sales agents in the first place is that it had been a fertile place for the exploration of ideas through film.” His aim with this year’s festival is to recapture the spirit of the festival’s rebellious days: “It’s going to look energized; it’s going to make more noise; it’s going to get into the ears and eyes of people who haven’t noticed it before; it’s going to take that which it did well, develop it and expand it, and then seize a bunch of opportunities that I believe were right under its nose.”

These opportunities include opening the festival out across the city, utilising three spaces at the University of Edinburgh: George Square theatre, high-tech “informatics laboratory” Inspace and

Teviot, the university’s cavernous student union, which acts as the new headquarters for the festival.

Other innovations this year include a massively increased shorts programme sponsored by Nokia, and day long event Project: New Cinephilia, which looks at how cinema is written about in our digital age. Mullighan’s most publicised change is that EIFF will no longer attempt to recreate the Lido of Venice or the Croisette in Cannes using the Cineworld car park on Dundee Street. “I don’t think we did that very well. And I also don’t think the British film industry needs us to do that, especially when it’s such a slick show down in London’s Leicester Square.”

There’s also been a clear attempt by Mullighan and his team to realign EIFF with its host city, giving the festival the unique personality it has sorely lacked in recent years. “It is an Edinburgh festival, not a Stirling, Hobart or Timbuktu festival. It needs to, as often as it can, celebrate that which is this city. That doesn’t necessarily mean landmarks; it can be cultural and educational institutions as well.” The upshot of this includes Reel Science, a strand of events and screenings in recognition of Edinburgh’s reputation as “Britain’s crucible of scientific innovation,” and (problematically in my opinion) its role as “guardians of an important and historic military tradition” is celebrated with the new Conflict | Reportage sidebar.

Mullighan’s biggest hurdle in overcoming his critics, perhaps, is the programme’s sixty-three feature films – half last year’s number. At first glance, the reduction in quantity hasn’t led to an increase in quality. Particularly weak are the British offerings:

Page Eight, the directorial comeback of David Hare after a twenty-year break isn’t quite as tantalising as Lynne Ramsey’s return after her relatively short nine-year hiatus with We Need to Talk About Kevin, a film many expected to make an appearance given that its producer and star, Tilda Swinton, is an EIFF patron. But there are gems to be found: filmmaking legend Béla Tarr will be in town in June, not only with his latest (and perhaps last) film, The Turin Horse, but also with a trio of little seen Hungarian films that he has personally curated. There’s also a shift towards documentary (a genre that EIFF has a long tradition of programming well), thanks to its new partnership with Sheffield Doc/Fest. But there’s no denying that much of the content of this new-look festival is slightly flimsy and unfocused.

There’s more to a festival’s success, however, than a bursting catalogue of films. Film festivals live or die by something that can’t be gleaned just yet from this obviously hastily put together programme, a quality more ethereal than star names and award winning directors – atmosphere. Mullighan agrees: “The screening venues we have, the atmosphere we will generate, the other things that we will put on around the feature films premiering in the programme will be more than enough compensation for the chucking into the skip of a tired old red carpet.”

EIFF, in recent years, has branded itself the “festival of discovery.” How ironic that in the year it drops this misleading moniker it becomes just that?

Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from 15-26 Jun. For more information, see the festival’s website www.edfilmfest.org.uk

EIFF PREVIEWS

A centre for the arts and creativity

STRANGER THAN FICTION

NEW CINEPHILIA, 16 JUN

VARIOUS

Embracing its former reputation as the intellectual film festival, the 65th EIFF’s Project: New Cinephilia invites critics, bloggers, journalists, and film lovers in general to do what they do best: talk — and inevitably argue — about cinema.

Though its scheduling (16 June, the day after opening night) could be interpreted as an attempt to cajole film journalists, the often overeager patrons of a free bar, into an early night, this promising and intriguing event may yet have a broader appeal.

Co-presented by film-centric social network MUBI, the experimental day-long symposium will consist of presentations and interactive sessions on topics such as new critical approaches to reading film, and how film is consumed in the 21st century, alongside roundtable debates led by a number of internationally renowned writers.

Whilst the idea of spending an entire day inside discussing these subjects is probably not to everybody’s taste, there is a large contingent of EIFF attendees for whom this type of event is a welcome inclusion. Certainly an example of director James Mullighan’s desire to “engage audiences of all tastes, ages and backgrounds”, the event’s appeal depends far more on how engaging it is rather than its abounding intellectualism.

Some conventions of this nature have a tendency to swing towards the impenetrably academic or the downright esoteric. Yet Project: New Cinephilia is essentially trying to spark debate, endeavouring to uncover how we talk about films and how our relationship with cinema expresses itself in our daily lives.

Besides, at the end of the day there is a critic vs. critic 140-character Twitter review battle and who wouldn’t enjoy that sort of tantalising excitement?

[David McGinty]

With the 2011 Sheffield Doc/Fest shifted from November to June, Edinburgh found itself in potential competition for titles this year, prompting a partnership which will “give documentary filmmakers greater access to industry and audiences,” whilst easing “the sometimes difficult process of selecting one festival over another.” And what’s good for documentarians is evidently good for festival-goers, with a strong selection of joint premieres, including: Hell and Back Again, which details a US Marine’s experiences both at war and at home; Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye’s portrait of Genesis P-Orridge’s explorations in gender identity; and Project Nim, James Marsh’s first documentary since the Oscarwinning Man on Wire. Fresh from a triumphant opening night showing at Sundance, it presents an unorthodox biopic of the splendidly-named Nim Chimpsky, the ape at the centre of experiments in communication at Columbia University in the 1970s; think the forthcoming Rise of the Planet of the Apes but with apocalyptic malice replaced by unexpected insights into the human condition.

Elsewhere in Edinburgh’s twin documentary strands, there’s Burning Ice, in which Jarvis Cocker, Martha Wainwright and famous friends witness the first-hand effects of climate change and sing some songs; Bobby Fischer Against the World’s study of the troubled chess prodigy; and warnings of impending doom in Countdown to Zero, Lucy Walker’s stark examination of the potential for global Armageddon due to too many nuclear weapons and not enough oversight – a warning supported by interviews with Pervez Musharraf and Jimmy Carter amongst others. Finally, terrifying in a somewhat more surreal way, Convento boasts one of the most arrestingly peculiar pitches in this year’s brochure: “a dreamlike documentary about an unusual family of artists who live in an old monastery with their robo-beast creations,” proving that life, as the cliché goes, really can be stranger than fiction.[Chris Buckle]

FIND MUBI ONLINE AT WWW.MUBI.COM WWW.EDFILMFEST.ORG.UK/FILMS/2011/ PROJECT-NEW-CINEPHILIA

WWW.EDFILMFEST.ORG.UK

exhibitions | music | performances | creative workshops studio and production facilities | family events plus food and drink in the heart of the Merchant City

JuNE highlights

FRE ENTR E Y*

ExHIbITIoNS

Tino Seghal – Transmission Gallery Contemporary Monotypes and Seth orion Schwaiger – Glasgow Print Studio Kinetic sculpture by sculptor-mechanic Eduard bersudskySharmanka Kinetic Theatre Pum Dunbar - Project Ability Six Years, Six Lives - Ian Berry (Magnum Photos) in association with Scottish Refugee Council - Trongate 103 Foyer Slow Water - Street Level Photoworks The Real Red Shoe - Russian Cultural Centre

EVENTS From Russia with Lev*- Russian Cultural Centre Kinetic performance - Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre* T FIRS AY SD THuR

Exclusive gallery previews, music, entertainment and fun – every month 6-9pm

CREATE* Trongate 103 offers a wide choice of outreach and in-house education programmes suitable for all ages and abilities.† Be creative using a variety of techniques and media including print, photography, digital imaging animation, film and video.

FooD AND DRINK Scotland’s first and only authentic Russian restaurant – Café Cossachok Glasgow Independent Studio and Glasgow Project Room Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art l Glasgow Media Access Centre Glasgow Print Studio | Project Ability l Russian Cafe-Gallery Cossachok Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre | Street Level Photoworks l Transmission Gallery

see, create, learn, buy

CRITICAL MASSIVE

*Charges may apply for some performances, workshops, classes and events. †see website for contact details of individual T103 organisations who can offer detailed information on their different programmes.

JUNE 2011

THE SKINNY 15

MUSIC

Let The Devil In

With the help of Optimo’s JD Twitch, Sons and Daughters explain why they’ve retreated to their dark corner Interview: PJ Meiklem Photo: Solas Nicol

Glam Sons and Daughters frontwoman Adele Bethel is pondering what kind of fans her band’s new record is likely to attract. She leans forward, fake purple eye-lashes fluttering, and smiles the hungry kind of smile that doesn’t leave much flesh on the bones. “Psychopaths,” she decides, giggling throatily.

Sons and Daughters, the dark, country and western inspired Glasgow four piece, have been out of the limelight for a while. Their last record This Gift was released back in early 2008.

Produced by former Suede man Bernard Butler, that LP’s shiny, 60s girl group groove never settled with a fan base wooed on the band’s earlier break out style: all powerful rhythms, sharp guitars and bitter songs about betrayal and murder.

The good news, then, is the band’s decision to go back to basics with third album proper Mirror Mirror, in the process signing up Glasgow clubbing veteran JD Twitch, of Optimo fame, to man the mixing desk.

Two and a half years of “tortuous“ song writing – a large amount of which the band spent holed up in Govan town hall – has led to a sparse, at times gothic new album, which takes the band’s bursts of early energy, morose musings, and murder ballad girl/boy vocals in a new, more electronically influenced direction.

Says drummer David Gow: “We wanted to strip it back again a little bit and get rid of the pop sensibility.”

The Skinny catches up with the band before their appearance at the Stag and Dagger festival

16 THE SKINNY June 2011

in the Glasgow Art School; it will be the first time they will play their new material in front of their home town fans, and as one paying punter puts it “they’re easily the best known name on the bill.”

Even Adele’s parents will be waiting in the crowd to see how their wee lassie will do. All four of the band members admit to the “usual butterflies.”

The group have dressed appropriately for the big occasion – guitarist Scott Paterson with what looks like a murdered fox pinned to his leather jacket, Adele in the aforementioned bright purple creation. It’s not, to be honest, a look that screams existential anguish or murderous intent (unless you’re a fox…), but that contradiction tells you a lot about where the band are currently at.

Their lyrics may lean to the dark side, but Sons and Daughters are all glitter and glam away from their art.

“A lot of bands that are really dark are actually, in real life, quite happy and well adjusted people,” says Scott. “It’s the happy clappy bands that are the most fucked up. We’re all pretty happy people.

[Our songwriting] is cathartic. It’s those that try to cover it up that have the problems.”

You can’t help feeling short changed. After all, Adele has just finished telling me about the “serial killers” and “conspiracy theories” that populate Mirror Mirror’s dark corners, and “the months spent alone watching documentaries about the dark, the disturbed and the downright dangerous.”

Bassist (and conscientious mother) Ailidh Lennon is having none of it: “It’s not really like going

to write songs in this spooky room and taking it really seriously,” she says in her softer lilt. “It’s just songs that are in our heads.”

But what songs. One contains the pleasant image of a young actress left with “a switchblade smile across her face.” Think of the children.

“What Ailidh’s trying to say is that her child’s not fucked up because of this band. He’s not seeing a psychiatrist,” interrupts Adele, smiling devilishly.

As effusive as any young band who’ve just cut their very first record, Sons and Daughters become a little less comfortable when the chat turns to their last project with one-time Suede guitarist Bernard Butler at the helm. Although all four members seek out a positive spin, there is a tacit acknowledgement that This Gift wasn’t everything they might have hoped it would be, despite a largely favourable critical reception.

Says Ailidh: “We’d never worked with an old school producer before and if you’re going to do it then you may as well embrace it and get the most out of the experience.” She pauses. “I can’t imagine we’ll do that again.”

Adds Scott: “It was a learning experience. Bernard had his own ideas of what he wanted and he really stuck rigidly to that. It didn’t mean folding in influences and stuff like that. He had on his mind what he thought our influences were. I don’t think there was a lot of listening to music and sharing of ideas going on.”

This Gift’s somewhat commercial inclination seemed tailor-made to lure in new fans. It didn’t, at least not in the numbers it would take to propel

the group into the big league, perhaps where some at label Domino Records wanted the band to be. The group say they’ve no idea how many copies it eventually sold. “I’ve not even seen a statement for it,” protests Scott. But did the relative failure ever provoke thoughts of calling it a day? “No – ‘cause we’re not doing it for anyone else. Again that’s a pure cliché but it’s true,” Scott defends himself.

The band are far more comfortable on the topic of JD Twitch. An old friend from way back, the DJ and now producer’s vast musical knowledge helped shape the new album as it was created.

Says Scott: “Optimo has been a massive influence on musicians in Glasgow and for ourselves; we discovered a lot of music that’s influenced our band through that club night.” Dave adopts a wistful stare: “A few years ago I used to go every week. I didn’t miss it for two years.”

Sons and Daughters finally take to the stage to a packed Glasgow Art School, still rocking the glamour look from earlier. After a flurry of purple cloth, and cabaret hats, Adele tells the crowd that one new song is about uncaught serial killer Bible John, who is said to have strangled at least three women in the 1960s. “Bible John,” echoes a voice in the crowd, “goan Bible John – he’s ma Da.” Psychopaths? Adele Bethel had it right on the money.

Mirror Mirror is released via Domino on 13 Jun Playing Rockness, inverness on 2 Jun And Kelburn Garden Party on 2 Jul www.sonsanddaughtersloveyou.com

© 2011 Jack Daniel’s. All rights reserved. JACK DANIEL’S and OLD NO. 7 are registered trademarks.

MADE AT A LEISURELY PACE. TO BE ENJOYED AT A LEISURELY PACE.

Take it easy. Please enjoy responsibly.

June 2011

THE SKINNY 17

FILM

LUCY WALKER INTERVIEW OR: HOW I LEARNED TO START WORRYING AND FEAR THE BOMB

Countdown to Zero is a chilling documentary tracing mankind’s precocious relationship to the atom bomb. The film’s director, LUCY WALKER, talks to The Skinny about the everpresent nuclear threat INTERVIEW: PHILIP CONCANNON

1/4 book laki mera:Layout 1

26/5/11

12:50

Page 2

“wonderful debut album” the sunday times

ARE YOU ready for the scariest film of the year?

Lucy Walker’s new documentary Countdown to Zero examines the ever-present nuclear threat, depicting it as a Sword of Damocles hanging over us all and ready to fall with the slightest nudge. During the course of the film, we hear stories about near-misses, accidental missile launches and the increasing ease with which nuclear material can fall into the wrong hands, as Walker paints a picture of a disaster that’s just waiting to happen.

For Walker, this was an issue that had to be brought to the attention of the public at large. “I wanted to make a film that, if people watched it, they’d feel really empowered, like there would be nothing in the newspaper that they couldn’t really grasp,” she says. “Look at the Fukushima incident just now in Japan. Hopefully that story demonstrates how important it is that people do understand the issues and what’s at stake. The thing we have to understand about nuclear material is that when something goes wrong it can go wrong in a way that’s impossible to control or predict.”

When you watch Countdown to Zero and see just how potent this threat is, it comes as a shock that the subject isn’t already at the forefront of people’s minds. “I think we all thought that the Soviet Union went away, and with it all of the terror we had in the 80s, so surely the nukes must have gone or we would be doing something about it,” Walker suggests. “Unfortunately, some problems are so complex you realise it’s easier to deny that there’s a problem, but I think the film demonstrates that we’ll be in worse trouble if we do ignore it than if we try to deal with it now.”

The film feels particularly relevant in today’s global climate, as conflicts around the world lead to an increased number of destabilised states. Walker believes that it’s only a matter of time before such events lead to a nuclear catastrophe. “There’s so much tremendous anxiety in the world and so far we haven’t been in a position where a country has fallen apart while being in possession of nuclear weapons, but there’s really nothing to prevent that happening. In the future, we will be in a situation, inevitably, where countries will have nuclear weapons and grow unstable.”

❝

In the future... countries will have nuclear weapons and grow unstable.

LUCY WALKER

❞

As fearful as her words might sound, Walker remains hopeful that this situation can be resolved, and she has received an encouraging response from people in a position of power - Hillary Clinton gave the film “two thumbs up.” She also has a powerful ally in Barack Obama, who has made it clear that nuclear weapons are a high priority on his agenda. “I’ve never had it confirmed that President Obama has seen it,” she says, “but he has quoted from it at certain points, so I think it has been impactful. I don’t know if they’ve changed the ending for the UK version but the ratification of the New START treaty happened and that was terrific, because we emphasised that as the first real step.”

Countdown to Zero feels like a film that could make a widespread impact, enlightening cinemagoers and changing their perspective on the world, and for Walker, the possibility of having such an effect on an audience is one of the joys of being a documentary filmmaker. “We have this opportunity to look directly at the world and understand really important, fundamental, exciting things that are going on in our world using state of the art film equipment,” she says. “I feel like documentary filmmaking is where it’s at right now and that’s why I enjoy it so much.”

COUNTDOWN TO ZERO IS RELEASED NATIONWIDE 24 JUN AND WILL BE SCREENED AS PART OF THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 21 JUN. THE LATTER SCREENING WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A PANEL DISCUSSION ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT WITH QUEEN NOOR OF JORDAN, VALERIE PALME WILSON, LAWRENCE BENDER AND MARGARET BECKETT WWW.EDFILMFEST.ORG.UK/FILMS/2011/COUNTDOWN-TO-ZERO WWW.GLOBALZERO.ORG/EN/FILM

School of Arts & Creative Industries

Enjoy what you do.

Postgraduate study for a new career.

Debut Album Out Now MAY Tue 31st JUNE Thur 2nd Thur 16th Fri 17th Sat 18th Sun 19th Wed 22nd

Starting in September:

GLASGOW The Admiral Bar GLASGOW Apple Store ABERDEEN Cafe Drummonds STORNOWAY The Jager Room INVERNESS Mad Hatters DUNDEE The Doghouse GLASGOW The Captain’s Rest

MA Creative Writing MA / MDes Design [by subject*] MA Journalism MA Film MA Screen Project Development MA Screen Writing

MA Sound Production MFA Advanced Film Practice MSc Creative Advertising MSc Magazine Publishing MSc Publishing

* Named awards offered in: Digital Arts; Graphic Design; Interaction Design; Interior Architecture; Product Design; Sustainability; and Urbanism

www.justmusic.co.uk www.lakimera.com “not since the blue nile's first recordings has such well crafted music appeared from a scottish band” the herald “something wonderful” the skinny

18 THE SKINNY JUNE 2011

Edinburgh Napier University is a registered charity. Reg. No. SC018373

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CLUBS

The (Mixed) Fabric of Life

Prolific Glasgow DJ Jack ‘Jackmaster’ Revill on why his Fabriclive mix is perfect afterparty material

Photo: shaun bloodworth

Interview: Kat Young

The fact that London superclub Fabric still releases physical mix CDs with metronomic regularity is both commendable and a little bit archaic.

Fabric’s two mix series, Fabric and Fabriclive, traditionally faced competition from other publishers, ranging from the DJ Kicks series by K7! to the Berghain-backed Ostgut Ton. But with an array of free-to-download podcasts and data streams readily available – and through entirely legal means – are Fabric mixes still relevant?

Jack ‘Jackmaster’ Revill is in a better position than most to offer an answer. Revill enjoys a cosy relationship with Fabric: from playing Room 3 with fellow Scottish label LuckyMe to being given slots in the larger Room 1 alongside big dubstep names like Skream and Rusko, and then putting on his own Numbers parties quarterly on Friday nights in the Sub Club. That said, Revill has also released a prodigious amount of free podcast material of remarkable quality. Though Jackmaster tries to play it down, the secret to Fabric’s continued success seems to lie in its status.

Revill’s own Fabriclive mix squeezes in 29 tracks in total ranging through everything from R&B influences of The Fantastic Aleems and Inner City to contemporary bass music tastemakers like Martyn, Machinedrum and Addison Groove, with room for more unlikely additions from Radiohead and Splack Pack. For all that these tracks might not look comfortable sitting next to each other, the wonderful thing about Fabriclive.57 is that it works just fine, and listening to the mix you begin to wonder why you didn‘t see it all along. Revill says that his eclectic entry to the Fabriclive canon is more about reflecting his personal tastes, past and present, rather than an attempt to look to the future.

“First thing I did was I asked all my favourite producers for upfront stuff to put on it, like exclusive stuff. Most of them sent me stuff but in the end I decided not to try and put too much exclusive stuff [on the CD], and to just go with tracks that were classic to me like old Detroit techno, old Miami bass... there’s Radiohead on there, just tracks that are from all different genres that I really like, my favourite

tracks. I just tried to do something that was honest and something that girls would go back to an afterparty and listen to instead of like boys sitting in the house smoking weed, ‘cos that’s not what I want!”

The mix reflects the Numbers club ethic, with the emphasis placed firmly on the party vibe rather than being overly concerned with genre specific orientation; in recent months Shed, Levon Vincent, Modeselektor and DJ Slimzee have all played under the Numbers umbrella.

“I kind of get lumbered in with this UK bass thing, but my real love is stuff like Detroit techno so I kind of wanted to set the record straight with the mix. A lot of fans of the Fabric mix series wouldn’t have heard of me, so with the people that already knew me it was a way to set the record straight and with the people who had never heard of me it was like I had a clean slate so I could shape what I wanted them to think of me as a DJ.” If this was the mission statement, it could be counted as a victory, as the mix has received a positive reception across the board, leaving reviewers grasping for all the genres they could list. With a recently completed US tour, a regular show on Rinse FM and a number of high-profile 12” slabs on Numbers that continue to attract praise, it would be easy to think that Numbers is fast outgrowing its Glasgow beginnings, but Jackmaster is quick to counter this: “The day we stop doing parties in Glasgow is the day we lose a very fundamental part of what we’re about. And just the way that people party here, that’s what’s formed our club and our label, the way people party here and the after party scene, going up to people’s houses, getting wasted and just chatting nonsense.”

This will be a relief to the enthusiastic Numbers crowd who showed up en masse for the Sub Club edition of the CD launch party, and if the old maxim of life reflecting art is true, then the crowd are the example of the Numbers party music personified.

And they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Jackmaster plays Kelburn Garden Party on 2 Jul FabricLive.57 is out now nmbrs.net/crew/jackmaster

Cask Ale Hobgoblin, Deuchars IPA & Guest Ale Addlestones Premium Cloudy Cider Student Discount On All Food Including Our Famous “Big Nachos” Metal, Punk & Goth Jukebox Find Us In CAMRA’s 2011 Good Beer Guide! www.theauldhoose.co.uk 23-25 St. Leonard’s Street, Edinburgh EH8 9QN

June 2011

THE SKINNY 19

MUSIC

Home in a sentence Making the pilgrimage to Arstruther for Fence Records’ annual Homegame WORDS: Darren carle Photos: Juliet Buchan

Various Venues, Anstruther, 6-8 May

rrrrr

FRIDAY

“You’ll be here to see the Fence boys then?” So enquires our elderly B&B host with the obvious pride and familiarity that has come from the eight years the small Fife town of Anstruther has played host to the annual HomeGame festival. Indeed we are, and we’ll see plenty of those “Fence boys” over an alternately rainy and sunny weekend in the East Neuk.

First though, it’s a short trundle to the heart of events, Anstruther Town Hall where Edinburgh folk favourites Eagleowl officially open the festivities.

Slowly and gently unfurling from a placid, lapping wave to a mighty, crashing waterfall, the fleshed out five-piece cut a magnificent start. The extra bodies do nothing to unbalance their delicate, rustic charm although they certainly end with a sting in their tail, near blowing the roof off its rafters and waking the early-door gatherers from the idle coastal fug they’ve been lulled into. It’s always the quiet ones you need to watch.

Sweet Baboo’s manifesto is encapsulated in the title of their opening number, The Morse Code for Love is Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep and the Binary Code is One One. Such elaborate, vaguely kooky vocal musings from singer Stephen Black form the focal point of this Welsh trio, being accompanied by pretension-free, straight ragged country. Short, sharp and entirely memorable. Whether they are more of a novelty act feels like a moot point in these surroundings.

Monoganon are a somewhat slippery proposition. Their solo-acoustic, somewhat fey opener is a bit of a false start as two songs later they are cooking up some of the meatiest Led Zeppelin chops imaginable. A mixed bag for sure, and the resulting emotional responses are equally as divisive, from shoulder shrugging so-so platitudes to genuine moments of sheer exhilaration.

If you want an old town hall-style hoe-down finale, you could do a lot worse than Gummi Bako.

Kicking out some barnstorming, blue grass cuts gets the sizeable crowd, including them Fence boys Kenny Anderson and Johnny Lynch, pogo-ing like no one’s watching. Yet, when they seem to have everyone eating out of their collective hand, they drop a fairly epic waltz into the set, killing the momentum and never really clawing it back.

By this point, most revellers are funnelling out to the various smaller venues that are now kicking into life. Opting for Meursault at Smugglers initially feels like a bit of an error. The ‘venue’ isn’t much bigger than many living rooms and it quickly gets rammed to buckling point. Yet as soon as the Edinburgh collective pick up their instruments it is clear to all that enduring this uncomfortable sweatbox for thirty minutes has been more than worth it. Singer Neil Pennycook apologises for playing so many new songs but this hardly registers, given how immediate, warm and downright amazing they all sound. The Furnace brings familiarity as the ostensible closer before the crowd all but force the band at gun point for ‘one more tune’. They deliver it and then some. An incredible finish to day one.

SATURDAY

After a lunchtime stint in the capable hands of comedian Josie Long and friends it’s a short walk to the Cellardyke Town Hall to catch Conquering Animal Sound. Being built from the ground up via generous loop pedal usage ensures a lovely, ethereal vibe for the all-seated congregation although, no joke intended, it all gets a tad repetitive. It’s still a nice set all in and succinct enough to ensure the Glasgowbased duo are fondly remembered.

20 THE SKINNY June 2011

On the Fly with King Creosote

Found

You may have witnessed some strange shows in your time, but we’ll wager that this performance from David Thomas Broughton would hit your top five. Sitting perched with acoustic guitar and loop pedal, it initially seems like business as usual.

However, by the end of his marvellous forty-minute set, Mr. Broughton has delivered some bizarre and comedic performance art. Singing through an apple, incorporating loose change into his lyrics and percussion and gyrating to his iPod in amongst the disbelieving crowd are just a few of the highlights.

It could overshadow the actual music of course, but Broughton’s spine-tingling, tenorous voice and superb knack for a melody ensure he is far from being all style and no substance.

Kid Canaveral, who will be re-releasing their debut album on Fence later this year, are joined for several songs by sometime mentor and SxSW partner King Creosote. It provides quite a rollicking collaboration and clear evidence for why the Fife quartet have been given such a leg-up from his royal highness.

It’s hard to imagine King Creosote with his hair ‘up’ as it were, but with a seven-piece, brass heavy accompaniment in The Earlies, the main maestro appears to be really letting things swing freely here. It proves an immensely enjoyable set although a general unfamiliarity renders it a little flat for crowd vibe. That is until the perennial reboot of Twin Tub Twin kicks up a storm whilst Bootprints bows out on a nice little high.

Viva Stereo appear to be in some state of flux, confirmed by the muttering of a nearby acquaintance that they sounded like a very different band a short year ago. It shows tonight, stylistically at least, as they flit from Cure drone-pop to more sizeable stadium riffs. The mid-section flags quite a bit but their final number is a welcome baggy-esque rouser that perhaps shows best where their aspirations lie.

Joined by King Creosote (who else?) for their opener, On The Fly’s epic techno crunch doesn’t faze ol’ Kenny, who delivers some ‘on the pulse’ lines such as “You’re on my Facebook page – you’re no friend, no friend at all.” OTF’s tacit bass grind really whips the decent crowd turnout into

pulling some dazzling dance-floor shapes, with Kev from FOUND particularly getting into his groove.

Recommendation enough then.

SUNDAY

The Pictish Trail’s Sunday afternoon opening performance feels more like a valedictory send-off as seemingly the entirety of HomeGame crams into the Erskine Hall to salute the success of his hard work in putting on this whole shebang. Playing a solo-acoustic slot of favourites from Secret Soundz and In Rooms as well as the odd cover keeps the packed hall enraptured and largely silent, save for the odd toddler outburst which mock-ruffles a tender looking, hooded Johnny Lynch. “If I hear another child I’m going to throw it against the wall,” he drawls. A jest of course, but a well-earned one.

Rachel Sermanni succinctly sums up what many of us must be feeling about the HomeGame experience. “This is nice, this is how it should be all the time, everywhere,” she says wistfully.

And with only a MySpace to her musical output she somewhat embodies the whole ethos too.

Telling darkly woven, contemplative folk tales one moment, then hammering out some major-chord, spleen-venting, rant-a-long on her burger van summer job the next, she proves quite an unexpected highlight. All the time, everywhere indeed.

It’s quickly followed up by Iona Marshall who delivers a double dose of matinee acoustica.

Some judicious loop pedal use helps differentiate proceedings, being used for some lovely rustic accompaniment. Even a false start on one fairly ambitious number is given the thumbs up by sound engineer K.C. for a second attempt, proving to be all the more worthwhile.

There’s clear evidence of De Rosa fans in mourning as former front-man Martin John Henry takes to the stage. They are treated to no less than six cuts from the under-appreciated folk-rock outfit. Some work better than others, with perhaps Love Economy translating less well to this acoustic setting, though a couple of lesser heard numbers are given a re-working to better effect. A couple of

Monoganon

new tracks form Henry’s forthcoming solo album keep things fairly consistent and help elevate this out of a purely fan tick-box exercise.

“Two wind instruments,” notes King Creosote as he and Jon Hopkins sit with, respectively, an accordion and harmonium. “Could be shit.”

Unlikely as the pair play the gorgeous Leslie from KC’s Bombshell album. There is of course plenty of material from their Diamond Mine album which works well, being relatively paired down but it’s the send off of Nothing Compares 2 U that will probably stick in most minds.

Randolph’s Leap provide one of the weekend’s most memorable lyrics with “You’re out of my range, ‘cause you’re strangely pretty and I’m pretty strange.” Perhaps it helps to be there and witness this sextet’s bombastic carnival pomp, though plenty were in the main town hall. Heartbreak, loneliness and relationship failures are their stock in trade, though few bands can deliver this with added kazoo solos and still come good.

Aberdeen five-piece Indian Red Lopez arrive at Cellardyke to kick-start the late evening proceedings. Their song-writing chops genuinely impress the small but appreciative crowd, particularly album highlight The Third Incision. At times, having three guitars thrashing out towering, neon-tinged riffs gets the better of the modest sound-system, but it’s a spirited performance against the odds.

It’s been a great weekend then, with nary a bad apple in the cart. Even without FOUND’s valedictory send off at Legends, we would have left happy. With their new album and direction having had time to settle though, the Edinburgh trio exceed expectations. It’s an absolutely pumping set that’s almost entirely culled from Factorycraft.

Each number sees pockets of inebriated punters erupt into frantic dancing, singing every word back at singer Ziggy Campbell. He dedicates Johnny I Can’t Walk the Line to Mr. Lynch who, looking the drunkest of the lot, is unwittingly crowd-surfed for the name-dropping chorus. A fitting end indeed and if you’ll excuse the obvious football punditry, HomeGame has been a fantastic result. www.fencerecords.com/

MUSIC

Tron Legagy

With their fifth album on the neon horizon, Ladytron show no signs of putting their feet up. Singer Helen Marnie takes time out to talk "electro music with heart” Interview: Darren Carle

Hitting the ten year mark and still sounding innovative and forward thinking is no small achievement in the electro pop world. Whilst many of their contemporaries faded from sight or became niche concerns, Ladytron spent the last decade channelling their underground sound into wider exposure on their own dime.

With that period crystallized in their recent Best Of, the Liverpool-based quartet have put a line underneath their past. With fifth album Gravity the Seducer promising a new direction, it seemed a good time to check in with singer Helen Marnie.

Congratulations on reaching your tenth birthday as Ladytron. Do you feel like veterans?

I wouldn’t say we feel like ‘veterans’, more like a bunch of kids trying to figure out what works for us. We’ve learnt a lot over the years though and I think this has attributed to our longevity. We’ve been very lucky really. Luck, hard work and hard touring have made us the Ladytron we are today.

What made you want to take stock of your first decade with the recent Best Of album?

After ten years it felt like we had the right to put out a package that encapsulated us. [We wanted] a brief history of the ‘Tron, so any newcomer could pick up the album and know exactly where we came from, and where we’re going.

Can you remember there being a point where everything clicked into place and you knew Ladytron were going to have legs?

I’d say the turning point was when we all left our ‘proper’ jobs. When I was younger I was more into risks like that, so it wasn’t a big deal. Witching Hour was probably the album that changed us. It was like a coming of age, we were all writing, coming up with ideas, and I think it presents like that. It was received well and because of that, a massive whirlwind of touring followed. Looking back it was kind of nuts!

Your electroclash sound, if you will, is considered fair game for pop music these days. Does this feel vindicating or just depressing?

Neither really. The mainstream always catches

on soon enough, so no surprises really.

Are you able to see a more genuine influence in anyone popping up these days?

It’s weird to name people that may or may not be influenced by you. Who knows where peoples’ inspiration comes from? I’ve enjoyed the last two records of both MGMT and Yeasayer. I think they’re flying the flag for electro music with heart.

Is it difficult to remain ‘forward-thinking’ after four albums?

What’s difficult is deciding which tracks make it on the album as we always have too much material. With Gravity The Seducer our approach was pretty easy. We’d all been writing, plus we’d had over a year off from touring which really made a difference and cleared our heads. We were all excited to just get back in the studio and hear the new tracks coming together.

It was recorded, I’m faithfully told, in the English countryside. This seems rather incongruous to the Ladytron aesthetic. Can we expect something of a curveball in September?

It sure was, in Kent, the Garden of England. It was great. In-between takes I could go outside and feed the horses in the field. I think people will be surprised by Gravity. It isn’t like our other albums. It sounds warm, lush, full of strings, organs and bells. It won’t please everyone, you never can, but we’re all pretty happy with it.

You originally lived in Glasgow. Will your gig at the Arches be something of a homecoming and how are Scottish audiences in general?

I love coming home to Scotland. I’m hoping to move back permanently. Like they say ‘you can take the girl out of Scotland, but you can’t take Scotland out of the girl’. The gigs have always been great north of the border. Glasgow audiences always show us a good time. Here’s to June 9th!

Playing The Arches, Glasgow on 9 Jun Gravity the Seducer is released on 12 Sep www.ladytron.com/#news

June 2011

THE SKINNY 21

MUSIC

A SUMMER WASTING Come drizzle or ash cloud, the Scottish music jamboree will not be defeated – here we cast an eye over the highlights on this summer's typically mental festival calendar words: Paul Mitchell

Kelburn Garden Party

So. Many. Festivals! We feared a cull during the first wave of the recession (what, did you think we were done yet?) but it seems that despite these impecunious times the ever-optimistic Scots still believe in summer; and who are we to dissuade anyone of that notion? The list is lengthy, and it’s as nuts as it is lip-smacking. So, without further ado...

1-3 Jul

Well, we raved about this one last year, and shall do so again without remorse (it’s the ‘fucking painted castle!’ wot done it for us). Largs, Ayrshire provides the setting for an eclectic mini-Glasto catering to the rockers, folkies, technoheads and, erm, anyone who may be a combination of the above and/or defies pigeonholing. Sons and Daughters, JD Twitch (Optimo), Iona Marshall and DC Breaks are bill-toppers, but it’s all good, really! £55 in advance, £70 on the door for a weekend pass. (www.kelburngardenparty.com)

West End 3-26 Jun

4 Jun

2011 is the tenth anniversary of Scotland’s largest dance party taking place in the Braehead Arena which this year features trance master Ferry Corsten, hard house Headhunterz and BBC’s Pete Tong. It costs £35. There’s not much else to say other than it tends to be populated by the shy and retiring types on their sole annual excursion and as such is one of the gentler family friendly festival experiences this summer (and pardon our pseudomania). (colours.co.uk)

1-3 Jul

This free three day epic takes place in over 30 venues in the Blues Capital of Scotland. I have no idea about which bands are any good, but with over 12,000 folk expected to attend, it does sound like a great (if occasionally misty-eyed) party. (www.dundeebluesbonanza.co.uk) Warpaint

goNorth 9-10 Jun

This Inverness exhibit of all that is great and good in the (sometimes) forgotten wilderness of Northern Scotland comes with added incentive in 2011. All acts selected to showcase over the two days will get the chance to appear at one or more of Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, The Wickerman Festival, Loopallu, Summer In The City 2011 and Wizard Festival. Those chosen already include Mitchell Museum, Panda Su, The Scottish Enlightenment and a host of other seriously guid acts. (www.gonorth.biz)

conquering animal sound

Photo: David Angel

Coloursfest

Dundee Blues Bonanza

Photo: Justin Moir

Where Glasgow’s West End does its best Rio de Janeiro/ New Orleans impression and keeps it up for the best part of a month, hoping nobody spots the difference; and after three weeks, nobody does. In amongst the comedy, theatre et al, there’s a solid music line-up, with The Horrors, Fence Collective and the wonderful Inspector Tapehead all set to guest. (www.westendfestival.co.uk)

Lau

10-12 Jun

If you’ve got a carbon friendly set of principles (and if not, why not?) and like music and dancing and generally having a very pleasant time then Eden is the just the ticket. Located in the Raehill Meadows, Moffat, this year’s line-up features 1 stages, 300 acts (Gomez and Parov Stelar as headliners) and many, many positive vibes. £79 for the weekend. (www.edenfestival.co.uk)

RockNess 10-12 Jun

They boast of the unparalleled beauty of the setting for this festival, square on the southern shores of

22 THE SKINNY June 2011

Hebridean Celtic Festival 13-16 Jul

The Fèis Cheilteach Innse Gall takes place annually in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, and on top of the Celtic music (previous alumni include Runrig, The Waterboys and Van Morrison), offers the chance to steep yourself in Gallic heritage with workshops in Gaelic storytelling and language tasters. Topping the bill this year are KT Tunstall and Seth Lakeman. Tha sin glè mhath! Weekend tickets are £65. (www.hebceltfest.com)

10-12 Jun

Eden

8-10 Jul

The Mac Daddy of Scottish festivals, this year Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Foo Fighters and Beyonce are all set to shake their thang on the main stage.

Away from the bigger acts, there really is much on offer; not least the T Break stage for emerging home-grown talent, where the likes of Biffy Clyro and Snow Patrol have gone before. Hoping to follow, the likes of maverick instrumental trio Lady North, Glaswegian avant rock combo United Fruit and the ambient pop of Conquering Animal Sound stand up amongst a strong bill of hopefuls.

Tickets, alas, tend to sell out well in advance but there’s always eBay. (www.tinthepark.com)

Doune the Rabbit Hole Now I give you fair warning, you have to take your choice (go for Off [With] Yer Heid wherever you end up), but the three festivals happening this weekend look like crackers, and are extremely good value for money. The Rabbit Hole features The Vaselines and Mungo’s Hi-Fi atop the billing, but there’s high-class, locally sourced scran to be munched, dance, theatre, comedy and an existential pub quiz to be experienced. There’s even a place to park the kids. It’s £68 all in, and getting there is easy; just read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction. (dounetherabbithole.co.uk)

T in the Park

Linkylea The horrors

Loch Ness, and you know, they have a point. NME made this their Best Small Festival 2011, but in truth, it’s not that wee, with a cluster of smaller arenas around the main stage showcasing the latest upand-coming acts, with a heavy nod to the festival’s origins as a dance festival. This year’s headliners are Kasabian, Chemical Brothers and Paolo Nutini, surrounded by quality such as DJ Shadow, Skrillex, The Cribs and Simian Mobile Disco. There’s a comedy stage, but surely one of the more bizarre festival sights of the summer will be that of Mr Nice himself, Howard Marks, on the main stage with anecdotes of his rather eventful existence. Tickets start at £149 for the weekend. (www.rockness.co.uk)

Leith Festival 10-19 Jun

The music strand of this increasingly impressive festival is deliberately low key, with a lot of free sessions around, but it doesn’t lack for quality with the Leith Festival Music Sessions (at various venues) featuring the likes of T-bound Aerials Up, Miss The Occupier and Any Colour Black. (www.leithfestival.com)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

The Insider 17-20 Jun

A delightful gem of a festival which takes place at Inshriach House near Aviemore and features loads of great music this year with appearances from Lau, Hidden Orchestra, The Banana Sessions, Bronto Skylift, French Wives... jesus, all the good bands you’ve seen locally in the past couple of years. It’s pretty exclusive (i.e. small), so get booking asap. Weekend tickets are £75. (www. insiderfestival.com)

TweedLove 18 Jun

Tweedlove is a week-long festival of riding bikes and good times in the Tweed Valley. How those good times come about is entirely up to you, but the Frightened Rabbit boys from Selkirk take to the stage in a small venue in nearby Peebles on 18 Jun, supported by The Filthy Tongues. The gig is in aid of making sure the festival gets to ride again (sorry) next year. The weather’s better down there, so on yer... (oh dear). £15. (www.tweedlove.com)

16 Jul

With a name as cute as that you can’t resist, can you? Well, when you discover that this one-dayer has been set up to raise money for disadvantaged children and young adults in adults in Gwalior, India you may well say; ‘Well what about the disadvantaged children at home?’. But you’d be an ill-considered prick! Philly Bouchereau, The Black Diamond Express and DJ Astroboy all feature, as does a BBQ and facepainting and all for a mere £15. (www.linkyleafestival.org.uk)

Wickerman 22-23 Jul

‘The Wickerman Festival – Better Than It Needs To Be’? Well, possibly. A family-friendly affair in Dumfries and Galloway very proud of its luxury accommodation and toilets that aren’t, well, bog standard. Echo & the Bunnymen and Feeder are the headliners, but an eclectic mix of the old (but Young at Heart, The Bluebells) and new (Miaoux Miaoux) lead us nicely to the ceremonial burning of the Wickerman (after the classic British horror flick) at Festival’s end. There’s also a children’s area, workshops, beer tent, crafts, a cinema, and even a dubiously titled ‘Sherpa’ service for anyone

Head to Perth if you want to be transported all the way back to the 80s. Then in July, they have a festival to mark the decade that taste supposedly forgot, then seemed to revise opinion of, as is always the way. But there is no arguing with Tony Hadley, The Human League, Billy Ocean or Rick Astley. Weekend camping is £105. (www.rewindfestival.com)

Edge Festival 1-31 Aug

One of the plethora of festivals that happen in Edinburgh in August, a staggering array of quality gigs is to be expected across the city’s smallest to tallest venues. With Chad VanGaalen (Sneaky Pete’s, 19 Aug), Warpaint (Queen’s Hall, 23 Aug), Sebadoh (Cabaret Voltaire, 24 Aug) and Best Coast (Bongo Club, 30 Aug) already announced, expect this year’s to be no less intriguing. (www.theedgefestival.com)

Tartan Heart Festival, Belladrum 5-6 Aug

After seven years of ever increasing profile, we can forgive the organisers the fact that Scouting For Girls headlined there not so long ago, because the line-up is generally pretty damn sweet. Them Bunnymen are still knocking about, joined by the likes of Anna Calvi, Easy Star All Stars and festival ever-presents, The Dangleberries (make your own joke). Weekend camping tickets are £90. (www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk)

LuckyMe’s 3-Day Festival 11-13 Aug

Those purveyors of all that is music, art and parties are going up against the big boys during the Edinburgh Festival extravaganza by hosting a free entry concert and art installation in a glass

A Further Field

It would be easy to gaze upon this majestic coterie of festive joy and assume that this nation of ours appears to have secured sole rights to the notion of be-tented revelry, but no! Big fuck-off parties, like nightfall and, eh, desertification, happen all around the world. But cash is tight, dammit. So here are just a couple of the more affordable highlights to be found south of the border.

OK, it’s not such a geographical leap, but the Portishead and ATP curated I’ll Be Your Mirror (23-24 Jul), is an exciting step into the leftfield. The

and concrete Quarter Mile (near the Meadows) retail unit, supplementing home grown talent with a North American invasion. Canadian producer / DJ / Singer ANGO, who has worked with the likes of Katy B & Jacques Greene is on the line-up as is our very own legend Hudson Mohawke. The big boys should lose this one. (www.thisisluckyme.com)

Wizard 26-27 Aug

At time of going to print, The Stranglers, Cast and The Saw Doctors have been confirmed to play this festival at New Dear Showground, Aberdeenshire.

It’s £75 for a weekend ticket and we’re sure they’ll conjure up some more acts in the meantime (Boom Boom!). (www.wizardfestival.com)

Loopallu 16-17 Sep

It could be said that having an outdoor festival in September poses a risk from a weather perspective, but then again, this being Scotland... well, you get the drift. Anyway, this two day event has seen the likes of Franz, Idlewild and Alabama 3 play before. £70 for weekend camping, line-up tbc, if you’ve made it to this point. (www.loopallu.co.uk)

Commercial Alternative 24 Sep

After the success of last year’s inaugural Commercial Alternative at Mono, the event ups sticks to set up its stalls of falafel, knitting and ginko green tea lemonade at art installation-cum gig space SWG3. In some senses it’s a small scale spiritual successor to the much missed Indian Summer where good vibes, gourmet scran and real indie rock bands are the stock-in-trade. This year’s bill features the rousing rabble of Jacob Yates and the Pearly Gate Lock Pickers, Moon Unit and John Knox Sex Club, with an outstanding headliner to be announced in the coming weeks.

Photo: andrea heins

29-31 Jul

The Scottish Enlightenment

United Fruit

Click on www.theskinny.co.uk/music for our latest summer festival coverage

line-up includes the aforementioned Bristolian experimentalists, PJ Harvey, Grinderman, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, MF Doom, Caribou, Beach House etc... ‘nuff said, really. (www.atpfestival. com/events/ibymportishead.php) Also well worthy of a look is Supersonic (21-23 Oct). Now in its ninth year, legendary Dorset metal band Electric Wizard top the bill in Birmingham, along with arty multi-instrumentalists Zombi. But in truth, every aspect of the sonic spectrum is explored, often in very strange ways.. (www. supersonicfestival.com)

Photo: Gemma Burke

Rewind

Photo: Takeshi suga

Photo: Stewart Fullerton

needing a hand carting their booze to the campsite. Tickets are £90 for weekend with camping. (www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk)

MF Doom

French Wives

June 2011

THE SKINNY 23

ART

Her dark materials Glasgow-based sculptor Karla Black is representing Scotland at this year’s Venice Biennale – a massive, six-month-long festival of art. She talks to us about making on-site and her recent Turner Prize nomination Interview: Andrew Cattanach

to a once more vibrant palette. It was as though Venice’s humid sea air had been corroding the works for years. In what way will the context affect what’s being installed at this year’s Biennale?

❝

I don't differentiate between materials Karla Black

Photo: Nick Ash

❞ “I just make the work very directly in the place where it will be shown, so there is always a physical confrontation between the sculptures and where they are,” Black explains. “The work isn’t site specific in a traditional sense, but in a more oblique, and also a more direct way.”

Both Karla Black and Martin Boyce have been nominated for this year’s prestigious Turner Prize.

They’ll be up against Hilary Lloyd and George Shaw to compete for the £25,000 grand prize.

How does it feel to be nominated for the eminent Turner Prize, and is it odd being up against fellow Glasgow-based artist Martin Boyce?

“I’m surprised and pleased to be nominated,” she says. “I’m just ignoring the element of competition – it’s only designed to create media interest.

It’s an impossible thing to have a competition between artworks or exhibitions. I’m just looking forward to making work in the Baltic.”

Receiving her Turner Prize nomination for her solo show at Capitain Petzel in Berlin last year (pictured), this has perhaps been the most significant twelve months of Black’s career. To represent your country at what is regarded the biggest art event in Europe, and be nominated for what is perhaps the most high profile art prize in the world in the same year is without doubt a momentous juncture.

Only the second time Scotland has been represented by a solo artist at the Biennale, it’s indeed an affirmation of one’s prestige to be selected.

With the twice Turner Prize nominated, former ECA research fellow Mike Nelson representing Britain at this year’s festival, there’s no shortage of Scottish-affiliated artists on display. A world apart from Nelson’s overwrought installations, Karla Black’s show is sure to be a hit with the critics.

Maybe they’ll help shed some light on the intangible nature of her practice, bringing to the fore that inexplicable kernel that ever eludes description.

Capitain Petzel Berlin, 2010

Photo: Gautier Deblonde

There’s something intangible about the work of artist Karla Black. Without being in any way cryptic or inscrutable, it gives the impression there’s something crucial just out of reach – a single term or idea that would make sense of it all if only we could get purchase on it.

Instead, we might find ourselves falling back on indeterminate platitudes about the subtlety of her work, her feminine use of space, or worse still, the ‘unmonumentalness’ of it all. Resonating with distinctly negative tones, these terms fail to positively decipher the work’s true attributes.

Even in her own words, the work she’s making for this year’s Venice Biennale seems a little uncertain. “[They] sit somewhere between being paintings, performances and installations but, in the end, they will definitely be individual sculptures, albeit only just.”

Taking place over eight rooms of a late-Gothic palazzo in the Cannaregio area of the North of Venice, the show looks to be ambitious in size, with Black making most of the work on site. “There will be materials like powder paint, cellophane, chalked sugar paper, polythene, soil, vaseline, soap and sawdust,” she says. “I’ve been working with these materials and colours for a few years.

Hopefully it’ll be like a culmination of all the experimentation I’ve been doing for a while.”

Integral to the work is its precarious nature, how it seems to teeter on the edge of chaos and entropy. Folds of paper look to unfurl and drifts of powder paint wait patiently to be carried upon the next breath of air. To what degree are the materials controlled? What, if anything, is left to contingency?

“The hanging sculptures are usually either made of chalked sugar paper or very thin, papery polythene sheets that I shake up with coloured chalk dust inside a bin bag,” she explains. “I form them during and after hanging them and it’s at this time that the work is actually made, so it’s a very meticulous process in terms of the aesthetics involved.”

The materials used are not traditional to sculpture.

Rather than falling back on conventions, Black has over the years developed a lexicon of substances, seemingly picked for their delicacy. What’s more, there appears to be a tendency towards the manmade. Is there a dialogue between the, perhaps, contingent nature of the work and the definite, durable, nature of materials such as polythene?

“I don’t differentiate between materials. I don’t see much difference between ‘natural’ and ‘man-made’ materials; it’s all the same to me. I don’t believe there is any such thing as an ‘unnatural’ material.”

Two years ago, artist Martin Boyce represented Scotland at the Venice Biennale, exhibiting in the same aged palazzo. Drawing much of his inspiration from the surroundings, and particularly the building itself, Boyce’s work took on a slightly altered aesthetic, introducing rusty, brown tones

There Can Be No Arguments, 2010

Palazzo Pisani Calle de le Erbe Cannaregio 6103 Venice Italy4 Jun - 27 Nov 2011 www.scotlandandvenice.com

24 THE SKINNY June 2011

looking forward to it!”

Frances Stacey is an Information Assistant at The Fruitmarket Gallery “To look after and live amongst Karla Black’s exhibition is an exciting opportunity. It offers the chance to see tonnes of art in a grand, unusual setting and start conversations or collaborations with invigilators and artists from all over the world.”

Alex Millar is a 3rd Year Painting and Printmaking student at Glasgow School of Art “It will be a great privilege and challenge to act as Information Assistant at the exhibition. I will no doubt meet a lot of different people involved with the Biennale and I hope to make lasting friends and contacts.” www.theskinny.co.uk/blogs

Help Is Not Appealing, 2010

Photo: Annette Kradisch

Every two years, budding art professionals based in Scotland are invited along to help out at the Venice Biennale. Invigilating the Scotland + Venice show, they are vital to the festivities, providing viewers with information, as well as keeping a close eye on the work. This year, each of the Information Assistants will be posting on The Skinny’s website (www.theskinny.co.uk), blogging about their experiences at what is the biggest art festival in Europe. Here’s a little bit about them.

Claudia de la Pena is a recent graduate from Art & Media at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design “The chance to work for the show in Venice this year is a really rare treat, made all the more exciting by the recent buzz around Karla Black. I’m

Photo: Nick Ash

Information assistants’ blog

Division Isn't, 2010, Iinstallation view Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Nuremberg

ART

Art Walk

On 16 June, for one night only, ten galleries, pubs and shops on Leith Walk will open late to host a series of free events, gigs and exhibitions ending an afterparty. We’ve got the route map, and here LeithLate event organiser Morvern Cunningham introduces the programme Interview: Rosamund West

The idea for LeithLate came from a model of late night gallery events in various places in Europe, and here with [Edinburgh Art Festival’s] Art Late – I thought it was something that would be great for Leith (being an adopted Leither myself).

Leith’s got a great sense of community and has a lot of creative people who are drawn here to live and work in increasing numbers. As you can see from the venues that are involved, a lot of the spaces are unfunded and have only been there for a year or two.

We’ve also involved local businesses, showcasing events that they do anyway. Ultimately, this is just a snippet of what is a much larger creative community.

I think LeithLate could really grow. There’s an opportunity, and a lot of support and goodwill behind it.

The dream for next year is an all day event, encompassing the entirety of Leith Walk, stretching down to the Shore with multiple venues, buskers in the street, firebreathers and live art. That’s the dream.

PROGRAMME:

1. Whitespace Gallery, 11 Gayfield Square: A new exhibition by Edinburgh-based artist Keith Farquhar, whose flat-pack sculpture paintings of nudes have recently been exhibited at Studio Voltaire in London, Tramway Glasgow, and Glo Marconi Milan.

2. Superclub, 11a Gayfield Square: The headquarters (gallery/studio space/shop) of an artist-run collective, Superclub present Of Form And Growth, an exhibition of paintings by Alex Gibbs including new work developed on residency in Beijing.

3. Windsor Buffet, 45 Elm Row: One of Leith Walk’s ever expanding roster of guid boozers, Windsor Buffet host live music and DJs for the night.

4. Such and Such, 105 Brunswick Street: Studio/ gallery space Such and Such host Anomal, an exhibition by recent DJCAD Illustration graduates

Al White and Jamie Johnson exploring hypnagogic autonomous landscapes.

5. The Old Ambulance Depot: A solo show from painter Charlie Anderson, whose work mirrors the weathered, layered effect of street advertising and billboards.

6. Word of Mouth Café: A music/poetry performance by Zorras, breakdance by Edinburgh Mela project Shared Territories AND an Artachat discussion.

7. Tourmalet, 25 Buchanan Street: Eccentric friendly local pub named after a section of the Tour de France and specialising in wheat beer, dogs and pictures of an ever changing array of uncomfortable celebrities. For LeithLate they’re putting on a special exhibition of local mag Shaver’s Weekly covers.

8. Brass Monkey Leith, 362 Leith Walk: The newly opened Brass Monkey hosts a screening of a selection of short films curated by Future Shorts Edinburgh.

9. Elvis Shakespeare, 347 Leith Walk: Regular hosts of live performances, the local favourite record / book store presents an exhibition installation along with live performances from Wounded Knee, Little Pebble, Blueflint and Withered Hand.

10. The Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street: Extended opening hours of the current exhibition, showcasing the work of OOTB studio residents.

11. Pilrig St Paul’s Church, 1A Pilrig Street: The After Party. From 8-11pm the church will host a LeithLate closing gig with a lineup including Sara and the Snakes, Her Royal Highness, PET and The John Knox Sex Club. Entrance is £4, with all proceeds going to the bands, the artists and the people who made LeithLate happen. Show some support!

LeithLate, Thu 16 Jun, 6-8pm, Leith Walk, various venues, free. After Party Pilrig St Paul’s, 8-11pm, £4 www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202251416479280&ref=ts

Saturday 4th June Substance Ten Track’s release party SUBHEAD(LIVE) DAVE PATTON(LIVE) STICK 430 + GAVIN RICHARDSON 11PM-3AM £7/8

Tues 2nd June AFTER SCHOOL CLUB.

FREE arts and music event We give you a roll of wallpaper and you guys draw all over it! tunes from B-Sides and Green Door djs. doors 8pm over 18s only.

First tuesday of every month

Wednesday 8th June The Moons + Selective Service alternative, soul, surf, ska, sixties influenced British guitar driven tunes. doors 7pm £6 entry

FRIDAY 10TH JUNE EH1 LIVE presents MESSIAH

+The Rah's+Nettles+Last Minute Glory (acoustic) DOORS 7PM £6 ENTRY A NIGHT OF INDIE ROCK

FRIDAY 10th June Electrikal Present: DODGE & FUSKI

DOORS 11PM ENTRY £5 DUBSTEP / DNB SPECIAL POWERED BY THE ELECTRIKAL SOUND SYSTEM

SATURDAY 11th JUNE FUNDAMENTAL

DOORS 11PM £5/6 The very best in house, tech and progresive house.

Saturday 18th IT’S ALL GOOD bringing you the phatest in Funky House / House / Filthy Electro from some of Edinburghs best DJ's. doors 11pm entry £5

Saturday 25th June PET RESCUE

A brand spanking new techno night from the people that brought you Animal hospital. expect lots of decorations as for on night only the Store transforms into a Pet Resuce techno station.

Saturday 25th June SOCIOLOGY

Mark Price, Gary Johnstone, Laurence Nolan The greatest in house and electronic dance music. free entry

Illustration: David lemm

FREE ENTRY TUESDAY-THURSDAY FREE POOL £1.50 drinks upcoming events pool competition £50 prize.

9pm till late

June 2011

THE SKINNY 25

PERFORM

Open season We welcome the start of the festival season with an overview of the Central Belt’s June offerings

If the idea of a festival has been undermined by over-use – cities are so keen to have their own that a recent jam on the M8 was given a launch party and branded the Sighthill Traffic Parade – Glasgow and Edinburgh seem to have a season that lasts from January to December. Three are vying for attention this month: The Leith Festival, which centres around a fete and trees adorned with knitting; Glasgow’s West End Festival, which collects most of what is happening anyway around Byres Road, expands upon it and gives it a brochure; and Refugee Week, making a strong effort to span the central belt and introduce the arts to a lively political discussion about identity. Once The Festival had links with the carnivalesque, a time of social upheaval and permitted permissiveness, like Glastonbury before they got the fences secure.

Now it can be anything from a preferred strategy for community development, a chance to celebrate a particular area, a corporate jamboree safe for the BBC, or an opportunity to match popular, emerging and experimental artists around a loose theme.

Next month sees the national festivals kick off with Latitude and Glastonbury, but this Central Belt trinity cover both the local and the global. The West End Festival is lucky to have bars that stage events and the Oràn Mór’s potted lunchtime classics season – and a resurgent Cottiers that is going full-bore on the classical music. Leith has a powerful regional identity, and a long Walk to exploit, alongside a thriving artistic community. Refugee Week is centred around the Tron and brings together established companies like Natasha Gilmore’s Barrowland Ballet or Seeds of Thought and the intriguing products of workshops and groups.

The best way to enjoy any festival is to see as much as possible, and be open to the themes behind it. A successful festival isn’t about single, outstanding works but the sense of unity and the curator’s vision.[Gareth K Vile] www.westendfestival.co.uk/ www.refugeeweek.org.uk/ www.leithfestival.com/i

true colours

Refugee Week Multi-talented and multi-cultural

Belinda McElhinney originally became involved in the Refugee Week through classes she took with the Maryhill Integration Network: before signing up as the Scottish organiser, she performed in 2009’s week at the Tron. This personal connection to the events reflects Refugee Week’s values of working through existing community projects and giving them a chance to gain the public spotlight.

McElhinney notes that Scotland’s Refugee Week is “a platform for community projects, both bringing a momentum to their work and bringing them together.” She adds that the involvement of venues like the GFT and Tron – and Stirling’s Macrobert – helps to publicise “grass-roots activity and raise awareness of the issues around refugees.”

The Tron welcomes: Oliver Emmanuel, recent producer of the madcap success Ink, for a verbatim play about a Jewish couple who escaped Nazism by coming to Scotland; Ragged University talking and reading poetry; Ignite Theatre exploring young people’s experience of expectation in a multi-cultural

A Conversation with Carmel Tron, 15 Apr

rrr Barrowland Ballet’s A Conversation with Carmel explores the value of the older person in our lives. Inspired by conversations with her grandmother, Natasha Gilmore creates scenes of family gatherings, interspersed with poignant video vignettes of older people discussing and dancing their histories. A sense of nostalgia is established as the audience enter, but wanes in the face of sentimentality.

The core dancers play a family, your family, my family, shifting choreographically from cute to playful to the vibrancy of a ceilidh. A solo by Matthew Hawkins with several balloons is a haunting image, though otherwise his performance is staid and conservative. The power and play of Vince Virr’s

26 THE SKINNY June 2011

solo is more engaging, though irrelevantly placed.

The meaning of the work itself transforms through its leading lady, Diana Payne-Myers. From a celebration of the older people in our families, her grace and spirit sends it forever upward to become about reverence of matriarch. Underutilised as an old-lady ‘prop’, when she finally moves, her classic agility and gentle presence are awe-inspiring.

A group of locals swell numbers for party family moments. They create a series of overlong photo-motifs, enabling the audience to remember their own family gatherings. The community that went to see it responded lovingly to Natasha’s inclusion of her young child, to the stories told in the vignettes and movement; more bite and thematic depth would help this piece to develop.

[Virginia Kennard] 22 Jun, Tron Theatre, Glasgow, 7.45pm, £10 (£8) www.tron.co.uk/whatson/

context with True Colours; the excellent Visible Fictions, staging a one-off storytelling evening and a cabaret from Seeds of Thought. But beyond these shows, the festival reaches out to wider audiences with discussions and workshops.

From a community carnival in Pollokshaws, through the launch of a booklet detailing personal stories, to an all out celebration of diversity led by the Iranian Scottish Association, Refugee Week is as much about understanding as performance. Nevertheless, the music, exhibitions and cinema – including the special screening of their own film at the GFT and across Scotland – emphasises not only the creativity of Scotland’s diverse communities, but also the changing identity of the modern Scot. Multi-culturalism is more than just a vague buzz-word or a straw man: it is the heart of the festival’s energy. [Gareth K Vile] Refugee Week, 20-26 Jun across Scotland, but especially in Glasgow www.refugeeweek.org.uk/

West End Festival What the West End Festival lacks in coherent curation, it makes up for in numbers. The packed brochure demonstrates that the West End – as long as you include everything from Sauchiehall Street outwards – has a series of bars and venues that put on music all year round. Òran Mór, in particular, goes for it during June, and Brel ups the intimate, acoustic gig ante.

The theatre programme is disappointing – not in the quality of work, but in its tiny size and diversity.

A Play, A Pie and A Pint has its annual season of mini-versions of classics for the WEF: this year Latin novelist Longus, Shakespeare and Don Giovanni get cut down to size. Bard in the Botanics kicks off, but there is little beyond that. It would be nice if the West End Festival could support the theatre community by commissioning a few

pieces, before the exodus to the increasingly hip Southside is completed.

Music is far better represented: Cottiers has an imaginative selection of contemporary and traditional classical, and Òran Mór makes the best use of its downstairs space for music on the acoustic and folky side. PM music, known for their Acoustic Affair gigs, dot shows about the town.

The West End Festival is a fixture – the Parade Sunday is the main carnival jaunt on the West Coast – and it proves how dynamic and busy the city can be. Some more curation, and a few events that would not happen anyway, would add to the value of the month.[Margaret Kirk] 3-26 Jun, The West End www.playpiepint.com

COMEDY

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID Comedy takes back its women WORDS: LIZZIE CASS-MARAN ILLUSTRATION: SARAH TANAT-JONES

24–26 june

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FROM SCANDANAVIA FEATURING TINE THING HELSETH (TRUMPET)

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I’D LIKE to start this piece by thanking Funny Women, which is a pretty unusual thing in the comedy community right now. The organisation is less popular than ever, following their recent decision to start charging entrants £15 to compete in their annual all-female contest. It was the last straw for many from an organisation which seems to have set back feminism far more than it has promoted it. Whilst founder Lynne Parker denies such allegations, female comics all over the country tell tales of censored material and a clear steer towards lovely girlie acts performing ‘appropriate’ material.

Parker was allegedly thrilled by any competition winner who “looked pretty on the posters”.

Funny Women’s latest move has been described as causing controversy in the comedy community, but that’s not entirely accurate. In fact, it has caused unity, distilled in the creation of new co-operative organisation Funny’s Funny, who are running their own competition this month to promote the best of female talent. Entry is free, material is uncensored (provided, of course, that it is original), and the competition is open to anyone who identifies themselves as female.

❝

Why can’t men appreciate the value of women in comedy?

ASHLEY FRIEZE

❞ However, this isn’t about the industry uniting against a common enemy. “Leading by example” is how Funny’s Funny co-founder Ashley Frieze puts it. Frieze was a leading voice in the outcry

against Funny Women’s actions, but rather than just sit back and complain about inadequate provision, he decided – together with fellow comics Okse, Jane Hill, Rob Coleman and Bethany Black – to create a workable alternative.

But does an organisation promoting women, but which is run predominantly by men, not run the risk of seeming patronising? “I don’t think we who are male see it that way,” says Frieze “Why can’t men appreciate the value of women in comedy?” This in fact is feminism at its very strongest. It’s not about treating women differently, pandering to their delicate sensibilities and uncomfortable shoes, or ghetto-ising them. It’s about recognising that any comedian is part of the same community, and that the predominate function of that community is to be funny.

But if that’s the case, why do a female comedy competition at all? This was a question raised by Chortle editor Steve Bennett when Funny’s Funny emailed him to call on his support.

“It’s not our philosophy that women must have their own competition,” explains Frieze. “Our philosophy is that it doesn’t matter what your gender, or persuasion, or anything else, is – if you’re funny, you’re funny.” But they did see the need to redress the imbalance caused by Funny Women’s monopoly on declaring the title of Funniest Female Comedian.

Well, it was good enough for Bennett. Chortle have thrown their whole-hearted support behind the competition; hosting the final, donating the prize money and – perhaps most importantly – ensuring the presence of industry professionals at the final, making it an invaluable showcase for all the finalists.

It’s a clear message of solidarity, and one that has been echoed by club owners, promoters and comedians all over the country. Frieze describes that he was “touched” by the way the industry have responded. “There’s a clear message that the comedy industry likes its women.”

This isn’t about Girl Power, Solidarity Sistas or positive discrimination. It’s about comedy and genuine equality.

FUNNY FEMALES SCOTTISH SHOWCASES ARE ON 5 JUN AT THE CITY CAFE AND 19 JUN AT THE BEEHIVE INN, GRASSMARKET WWW.FUNNYSFUNNY.ORG.UK

JUNE 2011

THE SKINNY 27

MUSIC

A Street Odyssey

A decade after New York duo Cannibal Ox’s groundbreaking debut, much-respected rapper Vast Aire returns with a sequel of sorts Interview: Bram Gieben

Theodore ‘Vast Aire’ Arrington gained fame and recognition for his role in the hip-hop band Cannibal Ox, who released their seminal debut album The Cold Vein on leftfield beat maestro El-P’s now-defunct Definitive Jux label in 2001.

Alongside Vordul Mega, Vast Aire’s flows managed to combine the deft, literate wordplay associated with other Def Jux artists like Aesop Rock, with the tough, hood-oriented vocabulary of his native New York and El’s unmistakably hard production. Often employing dizzying double-time flows, the duo were admired as the pre-eminent street prophets of the era.

Since then, Vast Aire has gone on to work with the cream of the New York rap scene and beyond as a respected solo artist, and has taken part in several ‘supergroup’ projects such as The Weathermen and LXG. 2011 sees him return with a brand new solo LP, packed with collaborators (including his Cannibal Ox partner, Vordul Mega) on Man Bites Dog Records. Is this the return of Cannibal Ox? “Every time you look at me,” Vast says expansively, “...you’re looking at Ox.” Vast Aire starts our conversation with a history lesson – The Cold Vein was not his first LP: “I have been making music since the Atoms Family Prequel LP in 1999-2000. A year and a half after that, The Cold Vein dropped.” This early release, also featuring Vordul Mega, provided some of the blueprints that would go on to form the Cannibal Ox sound. How have things changed since he appeared on the scene? “The music game is always changing, sometimes good and sometimes not so. After my new LP, there will be a lot of change for the good.”

Vast displays the brash confidence typical of many rappers with such distinguished pedigrees – he insists that his new LP is his best yet. What inspired the lyrics on the new album? “My personal life and the life of my close friends... I also took a lot from mistakes of the past. I wanted this record to sound like I was a 33-year old that has travelled the world and has embraced culture, spirituality, and the mastery of music. The title is based on the long, epic journey of a person’s growth. This is my best music ever!”

This spiritual learning which Vast has embraced – where does it come from? “I try to find peace within myself before I try to look for it anywhere else,” Vast replies sagely. “I’m a Moorish Sufi and I represent the Nation of Gods and Earths. I have also studied Buddhism for over 12 years. Mystical Islam is my base.” Many of the lyrics on A Street Odyssey contain references to mystical Islam, and the teachings of the Nations – a spiritual movement which counts among its members many of the hip-hop elite, from Rakim and Brand Nubian to members of the Wu-Tang Clan.

On the subject of Wu-Tang, two of the better-known guests on Vast’s new LP are Wuaffiliates. It seems pertinent to ask how those collaborations with Raekwon and Cappadonna came about, and indeed what were Shaolin’s finest like to work with? “Cappadonna was in town doing a show, so we asked him to hop on the record. He and I have done tours together and respect each other’s music, so it was easy! Raekwon is cool with my homie DJ P.O.V. who produced our track Thor’s Hammer. I met Raekwon a few times from touring with Wu-Tang. We made it happen.”

Thor isn’t the only superhero to get a name check on the LP – is Vast Aire a massive comics fan? “Comics have always been a hobby of mine.

I still collect and read them. My favourite will have to be the X-Men / New Mutants.”

There is a raft of producers on the album – who are they, and what inspired Vast to use their work?

“Kount Fif is a great dude and I love his sound.

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Thanos is my homie from the hoods of Brooklyn; I have been making bangers with him for a few years now. Melodious Monk went to school with me and we have done many classics over the years. Ayatollah is the man, and he has always given me free range to bless his beats. He gave me a banger for this new LP!” It sounds like a lot of the producers you used were close friends? “I just wanted to keep this record personal and raw and I needed their sounds.”

‘Battle of The Planets’ references Vast Aire’s LXG project – is he working on LXG material at the moment? “LXG is my homie’s crew, my man Genesis. Again, we all went to school together.

Cannibal Ox are like two great mutants that come from the X-Men’s First Class, and Genesis was right there. We are working on a few projects, no doubt.”

Vast Aire has been involved in more than a few industry beefs over the years. Does he still hold

❝

Cannibal Ox are like two great mutants that come from the X-Men’s First Class Vast Aire

❞

grudges, or is it all in the past? “No, I have moved on. Everything I said on the song Battle of Planets is truth. I don’t start shit, but I do know how to end it.”

As he moves towards being one of hip-hop’s elder statesman, what has Vast Aire learned from the rap game? If he wasn’t an emcee, what would he be doing right now? “Life is the best teacher.

If I wasn’t doing music I would most likely be doing something in the art world. I’m an artist all around.”

Luckily for Cannibal Ox fans, it doesn’t look like Vast will be setting down his mic any time soon – over a decade on from his debut, this is a man who still lives and breathes hip-hop.

Ox 2010: A Street Odyssey is out now on Man Bites Dog To read more of Bram’s journalism, visit www.weaponizer.co.uk www.myspace.com/vastaireofcanox

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June 2011

THE SKINNY 29

TRAVEL

The Arizona Zone

Our venturesome explorer with the inside track on a landscape we're all familiar with – Monument Valley WORDS AND PHOTOS: Kennedy Wilson

❝

The state of Arizona is thousands of kilometres from the sea so any hint of water is a thrill

❞ Monument Valley on the Arizona/Utah state line has one of the most recognisable landscapes in the world – it appears in everything from old cowboy movies to screensavers. Thanks to veteran film director John Ford it will forever be associated with classic Westerns like Stagecoach and The Searchers. But it has also become a metaphor for America’s vastness, freedom, great outdoors and even for the nation itself. So iconic is this landscape that no one making a Western today would use, without heavy irony, Monument Valley as a backdrop (the genre will never really go away – think of the recent True Grit remake, Rango, or the forthcoming, Steven Spielbergproduced, Cowboys and Aliens).

I am a searcher too – looking for a spiritual experience. New-ager friends had visited Sedona, Arizona’s Lindisfarne, some years ago. And the Navajo whose spiritual homeland is Monument Valley have a rich and powerful culture/religion and a respect for the land that is centuries old and perfectly in tune with today’s eco-movement.

Native American culture with its animal symbolism is rewardingly complex. There’s a tragic element too – the mistreatment of the Native Americans can be witnessed to this day. It’s something you can’t appreciate until you see it yourself.

At one point during my travels I find myself stopping at a dirt-poor trinket stand cobbled together with scrap wood. Here Navajo folk sell cheap beaded bangles. An enormous mobile home the size of a removal truck pulls in and out steps Rich America. A tiny pedigree hound scampers up to the stall holder’s Chihuahua. The two dogs bark at each other. The hound’s mistress declares that her tiny Valentine doesn’t like other dogs… or people. It is a tiny moment that seems to capture something of the inequality that exists in the US. The best time to travel to avoid the desert heat is

30 THE SKINNY June 2011

spring or from early September on. I fly direct from Heathrow to Phoenix, Arizona, a huge city of four million. The following day in a rented Ford Escape I travel 175km south to Tucson a city surrounded by suburban sprawl. The old vaudeville theatre, the Rialto, has been converted into an indie venue and the neighbouring Congress hotel (former star guest John Dillinger) hosts feisty club nights. A fine modern art gallery is one of the few downtown must-sees.

Two memorable daytrips take me to Tombstone, the legendary cowboy town, and Sabino Canyon.

The state of Arizona is thousands of kilometres from the sea so any hint of water is a thrill. Run-off from the tablelands comes from melting snow and creates waterfalls, swimming holes and even a beach area.

An electric bus takes you so far and there is plenty of scope for off-road hiking (if signs warning of the sighting of a wild cougar don’t put you off – should you see one don’t make eye contact and don’t run as this “will trigger the chase instinct” says helpful signage).

After a picnic lunch amid the boulders and cacti I go back to town stopping at a Tucson institution.

Bookman’s is a warehouse-sized emporium devoted to second-hand CDs, books and magazines.

By contrast, the next day at Tombstone I see a reenactment of the shootout at the OK Corral. The town’s a hoot – Main Street, saloons with swing doors, locals dressed as gunfighters, stagecoach rides and a tour of Boot Hill cemetery. It’s not tacky; it’s part of American history. It’s also close to the US/Mexican border so take your passport with you in case twitchy officials ask.

My next stop is Sedona: the New Age Lourdes.

In the mid-1980s this became a place of pilgrimage and the surrounding rock formations in astonishing shades of red and orange are extraordinary. Spas in the woods offer any number of therapies for the weary traveller but Sedona town, for me, is like a trip round a crowded shopping mall without

the benefit of air con. Yes, you can have your chakras aligned, a hot stone massage or a psychic reading but sadly this place is a real tourist trap.

Republican Party reptile John McCain has a cabin in Sedona, which really says it all.

A Jeep takes me into the nearby desert to discover more – beware the crazy UFO spotters like Maia who tells me she has bought the whole Sedona one-stop shop and sees no conflict between the commercial razzmatazz and the alternative therapies. Sedona’s claim to fame is as home to the crystal vortex. It’s here where, the brochures say, you can “spend the day and bask in the energy from the ‘vortex’, Sedona’s famous mountain where ‘crystal energy’ radiates from the ground”. This is not the enlightenment I am looking for.

Just to the south of Sedona is the town of Jerome (pop. 500). This former copper mining boom town is what Sedona used to be like. In the 1950s the bottom fell out of copper. The ghost town turned funky thanks to an influx of artists and free spirits who resurrected the village which clings surreally on the side of Cleopatra Hill. The mechanic’s garage, old brothels and saloons have been roughly converted into organic cafes, indie galleries and rowdy bars. In the “cribs district” one former brothel is now the House of Joy retro gift shop. Next door’s garden is filled with all manner of weirdiana from traffic lights to the full-size statue of a saint (probably Jerome). There’s live music in the beer halls on Saturdays and the place has fiercely resisted the gentrification giving it a quirky make-do persona. Jerome is about as far from corporate, suburban America as you can get and as such it’s a gem that will hopefully resist the tarnish that big bucks inevitably bring.

Some 300km on is Flagstaff, my last stop before Monument Valley. I take another quick detour to visit the Grand Canyon. Its vastness is spectacular

and can be taken in from various viewing areas but unless you plan to make a meal of it with helicopter trips it’s really just a day trip. I meet Ted in a recommended hotel restaurant called Charlie’s and he tells me that for a nowheresville, lively Flagstaff has a lot going for it thanks to the huge student population; there’s a solid music and bar scene. The famous Lowell Observatory is on its outskirts and the town boasts a Dark Skies city award so take a telescope.

For zero light pollution and real spiritual connection you need Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. There are two choices of accommodation if you want to stay close to the Valley – Gouldings and the newly-built View hotel. You should make reservations for these well in advance of your trip.

Both are staffed mostly by the Navajo. I lunch at Goulding’s – traditional Navajo flatbread (a kind of deep-fried Yorkshire pudding) and chilli beef, and check into the View hotel which prides itself in its environmental credentials – recycling, low-flow showers, locally-sourced food, solar panels.

The night sky is awash with stars. By day you can see the weather clouds approaching from the far distance of the flat plain. The red rocks change colour as the sun moves. And there is an amazing silence, as if the world has suddenly stood still. To the Navajo – whose famed spirituality is all about restoring harmony to the person and nature – this is holy land, sacred for thousands of years. And you can see why so many different people see it as God’s own country no matter which god they revere.

You can make your return flight from Denver or – in complete contrast to the deathly quiet and calm of Monument Valley – Las Vegas. www.arizonaguide.com www.monumentvalleyview.com www.navajonationparks.org/htm/monumentvalley.htm www.gouldings.com/ www.azjerome.com/

TweedLove Bike Week

In a national survey in 2005, listeners to BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme voted the bicycle as the most significant invention since the 1800s, miles ahead of the transistor, the computer and the germ theory of infection. Whether or not you agree with the results, there’s no denying the fact that a large group of people with a common passionate interest helped bring about this result – this country is full of cycling nuts it seems.

Between 11 & 19 June, Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders will play host to another outpouring of cyclophilia; for there takes place the annual Tweedlove Festival, ‘a week of bike riding and good times.’ A busy programme of both free and paid events has been drawn up to cater to cyclists of all levels of enthusiasm. Some of these involve

little more than family-friendly gentle meanderings through some spectacular scenery (for example, the Skinny Tweed, 12 Jun), whilst others, including The Glentress Seven, 11 Jun (A seven-hour endurance mountain bike event combining the best of the man-made and natural trails with loads of normally off-limits tracks and some specially built sections), are for serious aficionados.

The festival finishes up with Crank It Up, a gig in Peebles Burgh Hall by near-local boys Frightened Rabbit (with The Filthy Tongues) designed to raise funds so this pedal-fest can happen all over again next year. [Paul Mitchell] 11-18 Jun. For further information on TweedLove and to book cycling events go to www.tweedlove.com/

If Destroyed Still True #6 by Nine Nine, former Deviance editor at Skinny Towers, is one of the most well-travelled people we know, pinballing around the globe to places as far flung as Australia and Austria, Hungary and Hong Kong, Sweden and Sri Lanka and lots of non-alliterative amalgamations in between. She’s also one of the most well-written people around, detailing her experiences with regular, disarming first-person honesty on her travel blog Abyssinia, Henry and the award-winning, brutally literal Everyone I Ever Kissed.

A long term active advocate of the zine scene, Nine acknowledges that the shiny new internet/ blogging thing can prove a distraction, but that the two concepts can co-exist. To prove her point, she has just made a new one, handwritten and including her own images, painstakingly pasted together “so that it would be something that people will hopefully hold onto and appreciate, not so I could just scan it and turn it into another disposable piece of the internet. I reckon a lot of people still enjoy reading books in real life, not just via gadgets, so I don’t see why zines should be any different.”

The subject matter of If Destroyed Still True #6 is inspired by the fact that of the eleven different countries she’s been in in 2011 to date, the mention of one stops people dead in their tracks: Nine’s been to Iraq this year (via Iceland, naturally). Finding it difficult to answer the question ‘What was it like?’ adequately in conversation, instead she’s relayed her thoughts and experiences by way of 28 A5 pages with ten chapters.

The majority of her time there was spent in the north of the country, in Iraqi Kurdistan (Kurdistan being an amorphous geo-cultural region with its own language and identity which also encompasses parts of Iran, Turkey, Syria and Armenia and within Iraq is an autonomous entity) the zine takes in encounters with Kurdish and American soldiers,

Photo: Nine

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death threats, and the demonstrations in the region that have been largely unreported in the Western press; but throughout, there’s never an attempt at proselytising, Nine being too respectful of various cultures to make sweeping statements.

Instead, the positive and negative are addressed in a similarly forthright, and personal, manner. One particularly impressive chapter deals with what is always a thorny issue to address – the safety of (in particular) female travellers in certain parts of the world. Here Nine recounts a particularly unpleasant hitch-hiking experience, but being the type of person who always makes informed decisions, doesn’t need to hear “that’s what you get for hitch-hiking while female.” An unfortunate and scary occurrence, but one to which Nine resolutely responds “Fuck what we should have done. We weren’t the one’s with the bad intentions.”

Nine’s zine is not for profit, she just wants to break even so it’s available for a ridiculously good value £3 (to paypal@jinxremoving.org). For more info, visit abyssiniahenry.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/ifdestroyed-still-true-6-iraqi-kurdistan-edition/ everyoneieverkissed.wordpress.com/

Scotland 2011 June 20-26

Find out about all our FREE events taking place across the country at www.refugeeweekscotland.com www.facebook.com/refugeeweekscotland

June 2011

THE SKINNY 31

FASHION

GSA jewellery graduates

1

1. Sean McGuan The use of contrasting materials such as oxidised silver, steel and precious stones, Sean’s work explores the concept of “rebuilding” and protecting one’s body using industrial medium and design.

2. Teresa McCafferty Teresa uses the class divisions of 19th century Britain and Charles Dicken’s Oliver Twist as a starting point. She uses traditional precious materials such as silver alongside those perceived to be grotesque, including human hair and dog faeces! www.theresamccafferty.com 3. Emily Knight Influenced by India’s vibrant, bright culture and inspired by the differences between the east and the west, Emily creates pieces with a variety of patterns, colours and hand cut details.

4. Rebecca Churcher Rebecca’s work is a response to the shapes and textures found at St Peter’s Seminary in Cardross, an abandoned building that is slowly being reclaimed by nature.

32 THE SKINNY June 2011

Photography Ross Fraser McLean & Martin Barker at BarkerMcLean a new Scottish fashion photography team – find out more at www.barkermclean.com Styling Alexandra Fiddes Make up/hair styling Kimberley Dewar kimberleydewar@hotmail.co.uk Model Mhairi at Superior Model Management www.superiormodelmanagement.net Location Glasgow School of Art www.gsa.ac.uk A big thank you to Alan Hillyer and also to Alice from GSA.

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3

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June 2011

THE SKINNY 33

SHOWCASE

The artworks of Janie Nicoll often take the form of site-specific installations using multiple digital images that attempt to be visually engaging in a contentious or ambiguous way. She generally works with collage techniques, digital photography and assemblage to re-appropriate cultural references and signifiers, (often lyrics from songs or musical references) within a process of translation, playing around with scale and context.

Recent works have used what appears to be a lo-tech or homespun approach, to explore imagery connected to the urban landscape, notions of masculinity, rebellion, clannishness and fraternity.

These works are often assembled from easily accessible materials, and have taken the form of banners or bunting that reinterpret Northern Soul

34 THE SKINNY June 2011

insignia, or territorial markings of gangs.

Later in the year she will be doing a Creative Lab Residency at CCA Glasgow when she intends to explore a series of collaborations with DJs, writers, musicians and spoken word performers.

She will be showcasing new works in an exhibition using the two glass box spaces at the Briggait in November.

Janie Nicoll trained in Painting at Edinburgh College of Art, and graduated from the Master of Fine Art course at Glasgow School of Art in 1997. She has exhibited widely nationally and internationally, most recently in the Propellart at East Street Arts, Leeds; Warehouse Weekend Huddersfield; Stories at Wolverhampton Art Gallery; Streetland, Govanhill, Glasgow, Getting

Up – Windows In the City, Inverness; Rough Cut Nation, Scottish National Portrait Gallery; Heavy Influence, Magazine 07 & 09, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop: Jamie Radcliffe Exhibition at SWG3; Associates at the Embassy Gallery, Edinburgh; The Consequence at Intermedia Gallery, CCA, Glasgow; the Deviant Arts Festival, Trollhättan, Sweden; Red Wire Gallery, Liverpool; Chapter Gallery, Cardiff; Lowsalt Gallery and EmergeD VSF Gallery, Glasgow; The Waygood Gallery, Newcastle; The Changing Room, Stirling; the Crawford Gallery, Cork and the Künstlerhaus, Dortmund, Germany amongst others. Her video works have been shown internationally including the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Recently she has collaborated with Alex Hetherington on a yearlong SAC residency at Callendar House, Falkirk, and a number of performances, and curatorial projects including Sh[out] at GOMA and The Consequence video screenings. She has undertaken other residencies – Boatelier Residency on the Rochdale Canal; Self Help Graphics, Los Angeles, USA; Edinburgh Royal Infirmary Neonatal Unit; Yorkhill Hospital for Sick Kids, Glasgow; Chatelherault Country Park, Hamilton; Shining Cliff International Residency for My House Projects, Nottingham; and Generator Projects, Dundee.

For more information check out her website at www.janienicoll.co.ukw

June 2011

THE SKINNY 35

FOOD & DRINK

BBQ US-Stylee

It’s National Barbeque Week and it’s raining (you live in Scotland)! What to do?

Take some inspiration from the USofA and bring the barbecue indoors

IT’S NATIONAL BBQ WEEK! FUCK! 7 DAYS OF PREORDAINED SUNSHINE AND NATIONALLY SANCTIONED SHITFACEDNESS! TO THE PARK WITH OUR DISPOSABLE TRAYS! IGNITE! BURN! DRINK! SMOKE! LITTER! VOMIT! Oh, actually, forget it, because we live in Scotland and it’s fucking raining. It’s not like this across the seas. I went to see my Real American Girlfriend in Richmond, Virginia recently, and despite their legendary intolerance of booze, spice, and the rest of the earth, those disarmingly polite and friendly Americans do hot sauce and hangover food better than anyone else. And so, amidst a hazy wonderscape of burgers, metal, and inverted cupcakes (RICHMOND RULES), I was introduced to Real American Barbecue. No doubt some readers will already be familiar with this magic: heftily seasoned pork shoulder, slow-cooked for a thousand years in a pit of smoking coals before being pulled apart, coated in barbecue sauce and thrust into buns. I’m not denouncing the intoxicated joys of blackening Lorne sausage in the weak Scottish sunshine, but for those two to three hundred rainy days, I present my indoor recipe for this relatively unknown pork phenomenon.

THE METHOD

I’m using a 2kg boneless pork shoulder joint, skin scored with a sharp knife at 1cm intervals. You’ll be slow-roasting the joint for about 6 hours, but as a general guide allow 40 minutes per 500g at 170ºC. First, marinade the pork for 8-24 hours in 500ml apple juice, 50ml cider vinegar, and some crushed garlic. Whilst the refrigerated pork happily imbibes, blitz together 2 cloves of garlic with an inch of cassia bark, 2tbsp fennel seeds, several cloves, 2 small chillies, 2tbsp brown (preferably molasses) sugar, 2tsp smoked paprika, and plenty of sea salt and black pepper to create a sweet and spicy rub. An hour before cooking, place the pork on a large board and use your hands to coat the meat thoroughly with the rub, adding a little olive oil if it won’t stick. If you find roughly massaging a bit

36 THE SKINNY June 2011

❝

If you find roughly massaging a bit of dead animal a little strange, then just close your eyes and imagine it’s the overworked shoulder of an unusually cold but widely desirable celebrity

❞ of dead animal a little strange, then just close your eyes and imagine it’s the overworked shoulder of an unusually cold but widely desirable celebrity, and everything will be normal again. Whilst the shoulder rests for what remains of the hour, preheat your oven to maximum, and pour about 300ml of the marinade into a deep roasting tray. Briefly celebrate America by obsessively washing your hands and drinking watery, fizzy beer from a red plastic cup.

When the pork’s rested, place 4 onion halves together in the tray, and sit the pork on top. Cover tightly with foil and put in the oven. Give it 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 170ºC and leave it for 5 hours, basting occasionally if you have time. Hopefully your oven is no relative of mine which, with HAL-like distrust, turns itself off after 3 hours. Miserable pre-empting xenophobe.

After 5 hours, baste the meat, skim and reserve a couple of tablespoons of fat from the pan, and return the pork to the oven for an hour, without the lid. Use this hour to make sides. Home-made baked beans are a must. Dice 2 celery sticks, 1 onion, 4 rashers of smoked bacon, and 1 green pepper, and fry in the pork fat for five minutes. Stir in a couple of tins of mixed beans, before adding about 75g brown sugar, 2tbsp honey, 1tsp smoked paprika, 2 tbsp vinegar and a few good squirts each of tomato ketchup and mustard. Stir, add 2 glasses of water, boil, then simmer until you’re ready to serve. For a healthy coleslaw, finely slice red cabbage, onion and carrot (use a food processor), before combining with a little lemon juice and mustard, extra virgin olive oil, plenty of plain yoghurt, and finely chopped fresh herbs. Pumpkin seeds give a lovely nutty crunch to potato salad, being new potatoes cooked and cut bite-size, mixed with fresh chives, parsley, mayo, extra virgin olive oil and a dash of vinegar.

Almost there. Remove the pork from the oven, allow to cool, yank off the skin, and pull the meat apart with those dangerous hands of yours, discarding any fatty bits as you go. If your vitamin D deficiency leaves you too weak to hand-shred, then two forks will also work, but by this stage the meat should be so tender as to be willing its own destruction. Fire the skin under a hot grill for crackling. Put the shredded pork in a large pan, add several tablespoons of the pan juices (skimmed of fat), smother with barbecue sauce and gently warm through. I’ve tried emulating the outlandish complexities of the sauce my lady gifted me for export, but home-made barbecue sauce is rarely comparable, so just buy in some good stuff. Serve on any kind of roll, topped with coleslaw and surrounded by beans, crackling, potato salad and many, many starred and striped napkins. Now, incorporating the words ‘porkulus’, ‘granfalloon’ and ‘cornball’, arrogantly misconstrue and bemoan the surface absurdities of U.S. foreign policy.

National Barbecue Week, 30 May - 5 Jun

Photo: christina kernohan

Words: Tom Farrington Illustration: Jack Hudson

"A re-imagining of a favourite classic, The Gimlet.

I subbed in elderflower to complement the inherent heather flavours in the gin, similarly my orangey additions sit nicely with its soft citrus notes. The lingering aftertaste of absinthe gives a sense of the louche, bohemian feel of Edinburgh's Old Town - hence the name."

The Old Town Gimlet

by Paul 'Bill' Hinnrichs at Villager

50ml Edinburgh Gin 12.5ml Elderflower Cordial 4 dots Fee Bros Orange Bitters Stirred over ice, then fine-strained over a chilled, Absinthe-rinsed coupe.

Garnish with an orange zest.

Villager Lounge Bar & Restaurant 49-50 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EJ 0131-226-2781 www.villager-e.com

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June 2011

THE SKINNY 37

Tour Dates May 29th Roadhouse - Manchester 30th Academy2 - Liverpool June 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 6th 7th 18th

Album Out - May 30th

The Forum - Sheffield South Arts Centre - Reading Clwb Ifor Bach - Cardiff Louisiana - Bristol Hoxton Bar & Grill - London Slade Room - Wolverhampton Willowman Festival - North Yorkshire

July 24th Secret Garden Party - Cambridgeshire “Ethereal and Electric.” The Guardian “They sound like Emmylou Harris meets Jack White in a sexy headlock.” Word Magazine “They deserve almighty success.” Mojo www.sparrowandtheworkshop.co.uk www.distiller-records.com

MUSIC

Live Music Highlights

METAL COLUMN

tv on the radio

Suuns Tom vek

HOT TICKET of the month Battles Glasgow Arches, 7 June

There’s precious few bands whose live prowess has managed not only to knock us for six, but to expand our comprehension of what kind of sound a group of humans is able to generate in real time. Battles have done just that on more than one occasion.

Far from undermining their group dynamic, the recent departure of Tyondai Braxton seems only to have increased their collective focus – a fact which is underlined by the band’s bold decision to not play any of their old material on their current tour.

Oh, and if you need a deal-breaker then we have one thing to say to you: John Stanier. You need to see this guy play the drums. Seriously, you just do.

[Mark Shukla] 7.30pm, £15.50 www.bttls.com

It’s been a hell of a month, hasn’t it? The world’s number one posh couple finally tied the knot and got off our tellies, our number one bad guy met an unfortunate end, bringing closure to no-one whatsoever, and the Middle East has carried on doing exactly what it’d been doing for the past half-century anyway. After all that stress it’s safe to say that we need some kind of release, and that’s where those unsung heroes, our local gig promoters, come in.

Always playing their part in the Scottish metal calendar, dark tidings sweep The Classic Grand as Washingtonian industrialist Assemblage 23 takes the stage (19 Jun), joined by part-time cavedwelling troll Mortiis.

Hereford instrumental post-rock outfit Talons will be making a few stops, firstly at Aberdeen’s Café Drummond (7 Jun) and then the following night in Edinburgh at Sneaky Pete’s. Then again, there’s always the option of sinfully enjoying the pleasure of the undisputed kings of nu-metal Korn, taking a break from recording their forthcoming Soundgardeninfluenced record at the O2 Academy that night, The bill of the month award undoubtedly goes to the bookers behind the triple-whammy of rock gold that is Journey, Foreigner and Styx (SECC, 9 Jun) although a worthy second place prize goes to The Garage for the unlikely pairing of monstermetal misfits GWAR and Maryland stoner-blues pioneers Clutch (13 Jun). Either way, expect something spectacular.

As always, there’s an eclectic assortment from The 13th Note, such as the uber-heavy sludge machine Conan (5 Jun) and a night with Nottingham’s premier psychedelic travellers Kogumaza (18 Jun), but a special treat lies in store for those with a taste for Giallo who can make it into its hallowed confines on 28 June as Goblin enthusiasts Umberto make an appearance for an evening of cosmic horror.

If all this seems a little Glasgow-centric, worry not for Edinburgh’s Banshee Labyrinth will be risking insurance hikes across the board by hosting a night of fine punk noise, headed up by NY bruisers After the Fall (9 Jun) before unleashing rising techdeath bunch Acatalepsy (18 Jun) in a line-up that’ll be making ears bleed at the other end of the M8.

For the greedy lot who want something a bit more high-profile, This Will Destroy You are destined to fill Ivory Blacks (28 Jun) with a hefty plethora of riffs from their long-awaited sophomore album, and some gadge called Rob Zombie follows up his recent Glasgow show with a jaunt to Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange (30 Jun). You may rightly remember him as a source of all that is good in the world of modern metal.[David Bowes]

Rob Zombie

June 2011

THE SKINNY 39

Photo: Claire Taylor

Glasgow O2 ABC on 28 June. One can only guess at what the band themselves are going through, but reports suggest that they haven’t let this tragic event temper the joyful boisterousness of their live performance. Should be a cracking show.

Perennial Birkenhead heroes Half Man Half Biscuit round out the month with a gig at Edinburgh Liquid Room on 30 June with support from The Mannequins. These boys know what’s up when it comes to chugging riffs, tongue-in-cheek surrealism and giving the audience their money’s worth.

Fans of The Fall, Ivor Cutler etc. should check them out.[Mark Shukla]

Photo: Alain Irureta

The church of lo-fi psych has seen both its congregation and its clergy swell dramatically over the last couple of years but Julian Lynch and Matt Mondanile (aka Ducktails) have long been two of the scene’s most revered arch-bliss-hops (that’s it, you’re fired – ed). More than mere apostles for hazy nostalgia and strung-out half-remembered moments, they’re both packing some serious songwriting talent. See them play at Glasgow Captain’s Rest on 3 June, Edinburgh Sneaky Pete’s on 5 June.

Glasgow’s Classic Grand will experience a heavy dose of otherworldly vibrations on 5 June, courtesy of improvisational super-group Aethenor.

Featuring members of Sunn O))), Guapo and Ulver and operating roughly at the intersection of drone, metal and avant-jazz (rhythmically at least), intrepid gig goers can expect to be subjected to some serious occult frequencies at the hands of this talented collective.

Bona fide indie royalty, Yo La Tengo stop by Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall on 6 June as part of their bizarre Reinventing the Wheel Tour. The band will play two sets on the night, with the content of the first set being determined by the spin of a large coloured wheel. Recent gigs have seen the band indulge in various japes including reciting the entirety of the ‘Chinese Restaurant’ episode of Seinfeld to a bemused Chicago crowd. Park your expectations at the door and you’re sure to have a grand old time.

Versatile producer, DJ and label-head Matthew Dear will lay down some sophisticated future-pop moves at Glasgow Captain’s Rest on 6 June and Edinburgh Sneaky Pete’s on 7 June. Expect a varied and engaging set ranging from experimental technoid jams to full-on electro bangers.

As far as seductive robotic pop goes, Ladytron are pretty much in a class of their own. Although they’re thought of primarily as a studio band, their live shows are perhaps even more compelling than their recorded work, revealing the fragile human impetus behind their cold, imperious (but eminently danceable) sound. Sleek, hypnotic and strangely moving, their show at Glasgow’s Arches on 9 June comes with our highest recommendation.

After a mysterious five-year hiatus, Tom Vek returns with the excellent Leisure Seizure this month, tracks from which he will undoubtedly showcase during his upcoming set at Glasgow’s Classic Grand on 14 June. Electronically enhanced post-punk hooks and glitchy, danceable grooves are this boy’s bread and butter – expect a great atmosphere for this one.

After the creative quantum leap of 2009’s Primary Colours, all eyes will be on The Horrors when they drop their new LP later this year, and their pre-release gig at Glasgow’s Òran Mór on 15 June will be an ideal opportunity for the ambitious five-piece to road-test their new material. Expect tickets to disappear fast.

Prominent of quiff and chunky of cardigan, quintessential Mancunian miserabilist Morrissey fires up to Perth Horsecross on 15 June, Inverness Ironworks on 17 June, Dunoon Queen’s Hall on 18 June, Dunfermline Alhambra Theatre on 20 June and Hawick on 21 June. The lad may be knocking on a bit now but he’s still a unique and arresting live performer.

Led by former Cap’n Jazz man Tim Kinsella, unconventional art rockers Joan of Arc play Glasgow Nice ‘N’ Sleazy on 26 June and Aberdeen Tunnels on 27 June. Blending intricate instrumental work with stop/start rhythms and rambling lyrical flows, chances are you’ll either love them or hate them.

Despite the recent death of bassist Gerard Smith, TV on the Radio will soldier on in support of new album Nine Types of Light with a gig at

Photo: Jenny Anderson

words: Mark Shukla

Kronos in Glasgow: Matmos & Tanya Tagaq Old Fruitmarket, 14 May

Fucked Up Cabaret Voltaire, 10 May

rrrrr Not even a song into the night of hardcore punk overtures and Damian Abraham, Fucked Up’s bear-like frontman, starts roaming the crowd. But while 80s Rollins might have duked it out with a sharp-tongued concertgoer, Abraham – affectionately known to his public as Pink Eyes – hands out sweaty hugs as he bellows.

Back on stage, the rest of the group masterfully integrate indie rock leanings with chunky punk riffs, even finding a way to incorporate Spector-esque harmonies into the cuts they showcase from the forthcoming David Comes To

Life. This diversity of style reflects in the crowd as well – curious kids, hardcore die-hards, lads and lassies all crash around to raucous rallying cries like Son the Father.

Also in the stramash, somewhere, is Abraham; despite a fresh forehead cut and a penchant for holding strangers aloft, you realise he has the measured restraint of a pro wrestler. Nobody’s getting hurt – he just has a hands-on philosophy for that oft-repeated mantra: ‘Get Involved’. And it’s heartening to see that there’s barely a soul here tonight who doesn’t share it. [Jason Morton] Fucked Up release David Comes To Life via Matador on 6 Jun http://lookingforgold. blogspot.com/

Tonight’s programme is part of Kronos in Glasgow, a series of events organised by the vanguard quartet, and it bears the hallmarks of their tirelessly innovative vision. On the face of it, the Canadian Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq, who opens the show, has little in common with Matmos’ conceptual electronica; but the sheer adventurousness of both acts functions as a unifying bond. Tagaq’s vocals, accompanied by viola and drums, shift with impossible rapidity between guttural beatboxing, ungodly grunts and operatic wailings; it’s an intense and often unsettling performance.

As such, the set connects well with Matmos’ opening piece. The San Franciscan duo have pursued no end of bizarre directions over the course of their sixteen-year existence,

Damon & Naomi Captain’s Rest, 9 May

The Cathouse, 10 May

rrrr To state that the entire history of metal is essentially a footnote to Black Sabbath might be slightly overstating the point, but for those bands that remain firmly committed to blues scales, at least, an awareness of that lineage is never far away. Leeds-based hard rock quartet Gentlemans Pistols, at their best, evoke the irresistible enthusiasm and silliness of Sabbath’s more eccentric riff-medleys.

Admittedly, songs like Widow Maker are edged with the kind of funk-rock rhythms and wailing vocals peddled by cringeworthy outfits like Buckcherry; but live, the riffs are so infectious that it’s impossible to argue.

Since their emergence from Austin, Texas, in 2006, The Sword have often been compared with you-know-who. J.D. Cronise’s vocals do bear more than a

40 THE SKINNY June 2011

passing resemblance to Ozzy Osbourne, but the four-piece’s sound is generally sharper and more intricate than the comparison implies, equally evincing the influence of Metallica. The old material goes down most effectively tonight, particularly Freya, a searing stoner-metal epic that encapsulates the signature sound of the band’s first two albums.

Last year’s Warp Riders, their third LP, saw The Sword moving towards a more classic rock-oriented sound, and tracks like Tres Brujas lose some of their impact in this context, when preceded by the all-out assault of the earlier material. Nonetheless, their refusal to depend solely on metal pyrotechnics indicates the band’s justified confidence in the quality of their songwriting. Inevitably, of course, it also testifies to the continuing creative fertility of the heavy blues template that Black Sabbath created.[Sam Wiseman] www.swordofdoom.com/

After supplying loose drums for Richard Youngs’ support slot (**), Damon Krukowski reveals their collaboration on forthcoming drone-folk album Amplifying Host was orchestrated at a distance, the two having never played it together in the same room before tonight. Perhaps that’s why the four-song set never quite gels, coming off as slightly monotonous and meandering; suffice to say, the record it’s designed to showcase is a wholly more satisfying listening experience.

When Krukowski re-takes the stage with Naomi Yang, the pace might not lift but pleasure levels undoubtedly do. Joined by long-term

photo: Crimson Glow

photo: Colin MacDonald

rrrr

The Sword

http://brainwashed.com/matmos/

photo: Euan Robertson

photo: Pete Dunlop

rrrr

but tonight’s presentation of a ‘psychic choir’ is perhaps the oddest yet. A handful of singers, assembled on both sides of the balcony above the Old Fruitmarket hall, recite transcripts generated from a series of ‘psychic sessions’ conducted over the past four years. The resulting piece, overlaid with electronic accompaniment, is by turns mesmerising and disturbing.

Things become relatively comprehensible from hereon-in: the rest of the set features tracks from two of Matmos’ most recent releases, 2008’s Supreme Balloon, and last year’s collaboration with So Percussion, Treasure State. Even these pieces, though, are marvels of sonic and conceptual complexity, and it’s testament to the boldness of Kronos’ programming that in this context they feel utterly accessible. Tagaq and Matmos might be a strange pairing, but in this context, they complement one another mysteriously well.[Sam Wiseman]

collaborator Michio Kurihara on guitar, they lead unexpectedly with a cover of the Stones’ Shine a Light, its melancholic gospel a perfect fit for the pair’s distinctive vocal style. It’s followed by tracks from the soon-to-be-released False Beats and True Hearts, in which Kurihara’s resonate fret-work muscles forward, yet nimbly avoids trampling over Damon & Naomi’s trademark fragility.

Highlights come from 2005’s The Earth Is Blue: Ueno Station is preceded by a Tsunami-relief appeal and recollections of playing in Stirling with poet and musician Kazuki Tomokawa, while A Second Life draws things to a close with all the delicate poise we’ve come to expect from the ex-Galaxie 500 duo.[Chris Buckle] www.damonandnaomi.com

photo: Euan Robertson

Live Reviews

And So I Watch You From Afar Òran Mór, 9 May

rrrr Given their ludicrously early slot, many of tonight’s attendees miss catching any of United Fruit’s set, a crying shame given the infectious nature of their energised post-hardcore assault, though even with this handicap the spiky riffs and flurried drums still manage to tightly grab hold of all ears and eyes. Ready for that debut album.

In comparison, Trapped in Kansas’ more consumer-friendly sound seems a little weedy, but they do have some aces up their sleeves, like a skill for crafting finely pop-tinged choruses and a willingness to transcend the boundaries of by-the-numbers indie rock, even if it isn’t always the best idea.

It’s a very special day for Lisburn’s Mojo Fury as today marks the release of their debut album and they’re gonna make damn sure that there’ll be a few sales tonight. Opening with The Mann, the energy from the stage immediately smacks you square in the face, Michael Mormecha’s alternation between scream and serenade proving a fitting match

The Black Heart Procession The Arches, 15 May

rrrr Ryan Bisland was a strange choice to open tonight’s show.

Undeniably a gifted acoustic performer, his upbeat, polished style seems at odds with the gloriously sombre self-indulgence of our headliners. Certainly his questionable decision to cover THAT Gina G song does nothing to redress the imbalance.

Bisland is rapidly followed by former Y’all Is Fantasy Island front-man and soloist Adam Stafford – by contrast fitting perfectly on the bill. Undeterred by some minor technical hitches, his set – a complex musical maze of vocal and instrumental loops set to some distinctly David Byrne-esque choreography – is truly inspired, boding well for his LP in August.

Dead Man’s Waltz – the darker alter-ego of established Scots group Injuns – race on stage swiftly after. Again, they

for their blend of indulgent rock and ass-shaking grooves. Credit has to go to Ciaran McGreevy for matching the collective energy of his bandmates for every minute of his swaggering performance.

And So I Watch You From Afar may not have the vocal hooks of their fellow countrymen, but in terms of energy it’d be difficult to find anyone who could match them. Not only is the sheer technicality and speed of their compositions bewildering to watch but the way they throw themselves around the stage while performing these musical gymnastics is astonishing, Rory Friers stomping and bounding with hyper-adrenalised glee.

Tonight’s show serves to highlight the advancements the band have made in their songwriting, the playfulness of Gangs’ material significantly more intricate than anything from their debut. However, what their early songs do have going for them is a staggering level of sonic force that seemingly agrees with the crowd, D is for Django the Bastard effortlessly whipping the room into a frenzy and inciting but one of the many pits tonight.[David Bowes] www.facebook.com/ andsoiwatchyoufromafar

complement the main event beautifully, incorporating accordion and some well-judged humour into a solid handful of songs. Their set is only slightly marred by the overwhelming volume of the bass, but the band remains focused and finishes strongly.

The Black Heart Procession is stripped right back to founder members Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel tonight, limiting their repertoire as a result. Yet, utilising only a piano, one guitar and a saw, they manage to beautifully synopsise much of their career into little over 40 intensely gloomy and wonderful minutes. A Cry For Love and The Letter are especially devastating in their simplicity. For much of the show Jenkins stands – dressed entirely in black and wearing shades – with the microphone by his side, singing into the ether and making the most of the Arches’ glorious natural acoustics.

By the time his voice starts to finally give way and they finish an encore, there’s barely a dry eye in the house.[Chris Cusack] www.theblackheartprocession.com

RECORDS

THE DIRTY DOZEN Though a lion on the stage, FUCKED UP’s DAMIAN ‘PINK EYES’ ABRAHAM takes to the June singles with the gentle demeanour of a lamb – albeit a lamb with a mild contempt for clean production and a loathing for rhythmic movement INTERVIEW: JASON MORTON PHOTOS: PETE DUNLOP this off if it came on the radio.

Verdict: 7/10 Dead Boy Robotics – Ever (Tape Club Singles No 1, Out Now) I love the vocal interplay. I’m a sucker for it.

And I love talking in songs too. This sounds really cool, but I like electronic music when it’s slow, more than when it’s a danceable beat. Maybe it’s because I hate dancing so fucking much. I just hate rhythmic movement! I can picture – if I was asked to DJ a party – playing this. It would mean people dancing when I’m DJing, as opposed to leaving, which also happens a lot when I DJ. Verdict: 7/10 Sons and Daughters – Breaking Fun (Domino, 6 Jun) I like those guitars. Now this is the kind of production I was talking about – where the vocals aren’t so crisp and poppy.

They’re compressed a little bit. I really like this song; I like the chorus. When I think of Scottish music – like the Shop Assistants and Josef K – that’s what the chorus reminds me of… a little darker than twee.

Verdict: 8/10

Pearls – At Home With You (Re:peater Records, 10 Jun) This is good! It’s got a real Yo La Tengo vibe, a full sound too – like My Bloody Valentine.

I’m a real sucker for English indie vocals [note: Pearls are Australian], maybe because I’ve idealized that mid-80s period of English music so much. Also, being from Canada, we have some of the worst music in the world in our charts. We gave the world Nickelback… so much blood on our hands. It’s also nice to hear a band with a fuller sound again, because ‘twee’ hit indie music like an atom bomb.

Verdict: 7/10 Stagecoach – Jonah Lomu (This Is Fake DIY, 20 Jun) This is a little too slick for my tastes. It reminds me of The Rentals in those hooky parts, but the vocals are recorded really weird. I guess we live in an era of home studios. Weezer’s probably an influence to these guys. Certainly isn’t anything that’s gonna blow me away, but what do I know?

Verdict: 5/10 Top Buzzer – Remission (Back2Forward Records, 13 Jun) The song sounds real cool, but the production is what kills it for me. It’s too slick. If this was only rawer... it kicks out like a Toy Dolls-esque, UK punk song from the second wave.

This is definitely the kind of stuff I like: fast, punky, poppy. Maybe I’m not in the demographic they’re aiming for, perhaps they’re trying to appeal to a younger person, who would not identify with the production values I enjoy.

Verdict: 6/10

The Kills – Future Starts Slow (Domino, 27 Jun) Oh, I just interviewed them the other day for my TV show.

It’s funny because Jamie [Hince, guitarist] was in Scarfo; he was a punk dude. Alison [Mosshart, singer] was in this band from Florida called Discount. I was never a big Discount fan.

When The Kills first came out, it was such a departure; they distanced themselves so far from their old selves. New names, new style. Would this chart here?

The Skinny: Well, it might get on the radio...

If this is your mainstream radio, it’s pretty awesome. If I could hear this everyday instead of the new Avril Lavigne single, I would be pretty stoked.

Again though, I’d like this to have dirtier production. I think they’re a cool band though – they definitely have swagger.

Verdict: 7/10 Mike Nisbet – Not Long (SelfReleased, 9 Jun) Now this is what Canadian indie music sounds like [note: Mike is a Glasgow based singer songwriter]. Which might be because of my overexposure to it, but it’s not my favorite type of music in the world. It’s not anything against the artist, because it’s completely inoffensive, but it actually sounds like something people where I’m from would really respond to. This guy should definitely come tour Canada, ‘cos he will be huge. For real!

Verdict: 6/10 Spare Snare – I Am God (Selfreleased, 30 May) This is kinda cool. It’s that 90s, lo-fi, home-recording vibe.

Maybe I’m just used to hearing music on shitty speakers, ‘cos

once again I’d say it’s a little slick for my liking. But there are definitely some Pavement and Sebadoh leanings here. It needs a subtle tape hiss.

Verdict: 6/10 The Machine Room – Girly (Tape Club Singles No 1, Out Now) You can definitely see what they’re going for, a New Order, OMD kind of thing. Once again, from my perspective, what I loved about that music was when it was really raw, really angry. This is coming at it from the other side. I would not turn

Junior Boys – Banana Ripple (Domino, 30 May) Pretty dancey! I think it’s the way it’s recorded and the production, it’s not as infuriating to me as a lot of dance music is.

It’s also my cultural bias toward Canadian music.

I’m sure if anyone else from Fucked Up was here, this would be getting nines and tens, people would be dancing. I can’t stress enough how much the rest of my band would enjoy this.

Verdict: 7/10 Patrick Wolf – House (Hideout Recordings, 20 June) Maybe it’s because the record we’ve been making, but I’m really getting into theatrical vocals and presentation. This also sounds like it could be from a stage show; it’s got that Broadway quality to it, but it’s almost too soaring for me. Saying that, I’ve always thought his voice was really cool and the song’s fun. I’m the last person who should be commenting on production because I don’t know how to produce!

At all. If I recorded an album it would sound like an ass – a literal ass...

Verdict: 7/10

SINGLE OF THE MONTH Single of the Month: Berlin Heart – Blanket Over Sky (Re:peater Records, 10 Jun) This is really good. I hope it’s not completely instrumental though, because – with the exception of Mogwai – I’m not a big fan of instrumental music at all. Maybe it’s because I have no technical ability whatsoever and I think that technical ability in music is the most overrated skill. Definitely got a Goth vibe to it. Not Goth as in Bauhaus, more Nick Cave/Birthday Party. [note: it's not an instrumental] Verdict: 8/10 FUCKED UP RELEASE THEIR 78-MINUTE ROCK OPERA DAVID COMES TO LIFE VIA MATADOR ON 6 JUN WWW.DAVIDCOMESTOLIFE.COM

JUNE 2011

THE SKINNY 41

ALBUM REVIEWS

RECORDS

ALBUM OF THE MONTH: BON IVER BON IVER 20 JUN, 4AD

rrrrr

Finding overnight fame through his wildly romanticised, critically embraced debut For Emma, Forever Ago, Justin Vernon’s sudden elevation to folk messiah placed a great weight upon the shoulders of the humble Wisconsin troubadour. Three years on, Vernon has returned with this ten-song second album under the Bon Iver guise, showing no signs of an artist under pressure. Although recently dubbed a lyrical ‘extension’ of For Emma by the man himself, sonically he has undertaken a daringly bold, ultimately brilliant reinvention.

Opener Perth slowly unveils this new direction, building from Vernon’s trademark falsetto and shimmering guitar to an unexpectedly bombastic end, complete with a cavalry march of brass, thunderous percussion and a snarling riff. But it’s the brazen gamble of closer Beth/Rest’s

BATTLES

O’DEATH

6 JUN, WARP

6 JUN, CITY SLANG

rrrr

rrrr

GLOSS DROP

OUTSIDE

chintzy Casio-chimes and shimmering soundtrack-sax that seals Bon Iver‘s boldest statement. Between these defining points Vernon leads us through heights ranging from the hypnotic piano loop of Wash and unashamed romance of Calgary’s heart-searing strings, to the subtle experimentation of Lisbon, OH’s cut-up vocal and electro-textures.

In facing great expectations, Vernon has simply turned and walked away from the legacy of his debut; rather than attempt to emulate the intimate cabin fever of that album, he has crafted an expansive and ambitious piece – a compelling listen from start to finish. Sounds like that time he spent with Kanye jolted something loose. [Paul Neeson] PLAYING THE USHER HALL, EDINBURGH ON 22 OCT WWW.BONIVER.ORG

UNITED FRUIT FAULT LINES

OUT NOW, UF RECORDS / PREDESTINATION

rrrr

Losing a band member between albums is never easy, but Gloss Drop paints a picture of a group that has adjusted to the defection of Tyondai Braxton with remarkable adroitness.

Arguably, it was Braxton’s vocal innovations on 2007’s Mirrored that expedited the band’s evolution from post-Don Cab notables into a fully weaponized experimental rock machine and the group have addressed this by drafting in four guest vocalists with generally striking results (the cornball funk of Ice Cream featuring Matias Aguayo being the album’s only significant misstep).

The rest of the album sallies between balmy vignettes (Toddler, Dominican Fade) and bracing kinetic workouts (Futura, Wall Street – the latter of which has track of the year written all over it) underpinned by the kind of hyper-detailed production that repays a serious audio setup. Above and beyond its considerable technical accomplishment, it’s Gloss Drop’s sense of playful optimism that augurs most auspiciously for this band’s future. [Mark Shukla]

Initially, O’Death’s third full-length on City Slang comes across as an uncharacteristically conventional release for the label. The New York quintet’s previous releases married Appalachian folk with a raw energy that placed them, however obliquely, within the city’s punk lineage. Outside, however, is a more subtle, measured record; but also a more intense one. Banjo, fiddle and overdriven guitar comprise the bulk of the sound, which is characterised by sparse, spacious atmospheres, occasionally building to raucous crescendos.

Alamar evokes the swaggering, gothic intensity of Nick Cave circa-Let Love In, all dark, twisted fairytale. Other highlights, like Ourselves and closer The Lake Departed, use layers of clattering, distorted percussion in a way that recalls Tom Waits’ more rambunctious moods. The overall impression is of a band that might be relatively straightforward in their songcraft, but who use aesthetics to make those songs enticingly dark and strange – and certainly not conventional. [Sam Wiseman]

Glasgow quartet United Fruit have clearly taken time to build since debuting the sharp burst of post-hardcore excellence that was their 2009 Mistress Reptile Mistress EP. As a truer representation of their live shows, Fault Lines plays like a broader attack on the senses – touched by the kind of dynamism that marked out Trail of Dead’s Source Tags & Codes as an adrenaline shot to the heart of a dying genre.

Kamikaze waves the starting flag on thirty-odd minutes of all-out abrasion served at F1 velocity where the foot rarely slips from the pedal.

Among the album’s many highlights, Red Letter is exemplary of their stock-in-trade – guitars swarm like a wasp nest on fire while Iskander Stewart’s hungry vocals fight to be heard, all shot through with a creative sense of melody. Cynics might dismiss Fault Lines as homage to another time or place; they won’t know what they’re missing. [Dave Kerr]

PLAYING THE ARCHES, GLASGOW ON 7 JUN

WWW.ODEATH.NET/

WWW.UNITEDFRUIT.BANDCAMP.COM

PLAYING T IN THE PARK, BALADO ON 8 JUL

SAMIYAM

WILEY

HANDSOME FURS

27 JUN, BRAINFEEDER

27 JUN, BIG DADA

27 JUN, SUB POP

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SAM BAKER’S ALBUM

The second LP from LA-based instrumental hip-hop producer Samiyam thankfully evinces a far greater breadth of imagination than its title suggests. Sam Baker’s Album gathers seventeen vignettes together, each a discrete self-contained unit, but with clear commonalities across the whole. The obvious reference point is another LA artist, Flying Lotus, with whom Samiyam has previously collaborated: the same narcotic, jittery beats are present here, lurching woozily through electro-funk samples.

While this collection doesn’t really have any sense of narrative, that shouldn’t necessarily be taken as a criticism. Tracks like Frosting Packets and Cushion encapsulate recent developments in instrumental hip-hop in microcosm: samples swirl organically in and out of the mix – mewling kittens, retro synths and videogame bleeps – and the whole hangs together like a collage, disjointed yet addictive. Sam Baker’s Album works within a fairly narrow set of methodological constraints, but within those, it demonstrates impressive ingenuity. [Sam Wiseman]

100% PUBLISHING

Wiley’s second album for Big Dada sees the rapper hedging his musical bets. A combination of the hardest, sickest underground grime rhythms and more commercial, pop-oriented melodies, the highlights are equal to his best tracks from his 2004 debut and 2007’s Playtime Is Over, but some of the more commercial experiments fail to pay off.

His wry, funny lyrics on Information Age (“Sometimes I’m askin’ God, but the internet’s quicker...”) display classic Wiley wit, and the insane, high-pitch synths of the title track and Boom Boom Da Na are a welcome return to the old-school grime sounds of Treddin’. I Just Woke Up is classic rapper-asstoryteller; a tried and tested formula that Wiley absolutely owns. Wise Man and His Words shows a more reflective side, but the R&B stylings of Talk About Life, Pink Lady and other tracks feel half-baked and pointless. Wiley is the king of grime – he should stick to that, and leave bland mainstream pandering to the hollow, played-out likes of Tinie Tempah. [Bram Gieben]

We’re not exactly short of 80s revivalist electropop at the moment, so the prospect of another outfit who wear their debt to Depeche Mode on their sleeves might sound wearisome.

Handsome Furs, however, explore this territory with more panache and imagination than most. The Montreal-based husband and wife duo (Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry) have the force of personality to give these songs their own identity, as well as an ability to pen some seriously infectious songs.

As a member of Wolf Parade, Dan Boeckner’s roots are in more guitar-oriented music, and the use of guitars to fill out the sound on tracks like Bury Me Standing gives these songs an impressive depth and variation. Most of all, though, it’s a sense of heartfelt sincerity that gives Sound Kapital its real value. This is no mere exercise in 80s nostalgia, but a heartfelt attempt to forge genuinely contemporary songs with familiar tools. [Sam Wiseman]

TWITTER.COM/WILEYARTIST

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/HANDSOMEFURS

TOM VEK

PATRICK WOLF

6 JUN, ISLAND

20 JUN, HIDEOUT/MERCURY

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LEISURE SEIZURE

SOUND KAPITAL

LUPERCALIA

JACOB YATES & THE PEARLY GATE LOCK PICKERS LUCK

20 JUN, RE:PEATER

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Perhaps fed up with spending the last five years as a subject of those ‘Whatever happened to…’ conversations, Tom Vek returns. Although he spent 2005 surfing the indie guitar/electronic crossover zeitgeist, something got in the way of a follow-up to We Have Sound. But as soon as the drawling, arch vocals and broken jazz beat of opener Hold Your Hand start, we’re left in no doubt who we’re listening to.

Leisure Seizure does nothing to convince us otherwise, but it’s a more thoughtful, esoteric album than his first: check the Carl Craig-like space groove of Close Mic’ed as evidence. Apart from single A Chore, there’s not much that replicates the indie-disco euphoria of C-C or I Ain’t Saying My Goodbyes; instead, layers of conspicuous drums build with angular deviations and those cryptic lyrics into a record that rewards careful listening. Even after half a decade out of the limelight, there’s no one making music quite like this guy. [Euan Ferguson]

What’s in a name? In the case of Patrick Wolf’s fifth record, quite a lot. The Bachelor disappointed, its harsher edge simultaneously alienating both those faithful to his earliest releases, and newer fans enamoured by the upbeat pop of The Magic Position. It started life as a double album, and after splitting the material, Wolf announced part two - The Conqueror – would soon follow. But the sister release never materialised, instead reconfigured as Lupercalia – named after a Roman festival but with clear etymological ties to debut Lycanthropy.

And, as the rechristening suggests, any trace of his belligerent cybergoth phase is dissipated, with new single The City effectively demonstrating a ruling dynamic of simple melodies rendered in unashamedly anthemic fashion. This isn’t an attention-grabbing reinvention, but a natural step forward, and while it won’t please those still pining after another Wind in the Wires, it’s got class to spare. [Chris Buckle]

This might be Jacob Yates & the Pearly Gate Lock Pickers’ debut full-length, but they’ve got hefty boots to fill, what with Uncle John & Whitelock missed to the tune of an ‘18th best Scottish album of the last decade’ accolade in these very pages. Said boots would, we imagine, be black with a bit of a heel and, if the theatrical extravagance can be excused, perhaps a spur clinking at the back, so as to reflect Luck’s DNA: a bit rock n roll, a bit rockabilly, pretty dark but with a mischievous grin.

Grinderman are sometime aural soulmates, with Yates growling like a Weegie Cave on album centre-piece Mary Hell’s haunted strut, but it’s the closing When You Left Me’s tale of bereavement that will floor those expecting an uncomplicated good time. Yet amidst the finale’s mourning, there’s room for some jet-black humour – a balancing act few manage so adroitly. [Chris Buckle]

PLAYING CLASSIC GRAND, GLASGOW ON 14 JUN

PLAYING T IN THE PARK, BALADO ON 12 JUL

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/JACOBYATESANDTHEPEARLYGATESLOCKPICKERS

42 THE SKINNY JUNE 2011

PLAYING DOUNE THE RABBIT HOLE FESTIVAL, STIRLINGSHIRE ON 12 JUN

SPARROW AND THE WORKSHOP

BORIS

WHITE DENIM

OUT NOW, DISTILLER

OUT NOW, SARGENT HOUSE

6 JUN, DOWNTOWN

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SPITTING DAGGERS

Having only released their debut EP in mid-2009, here Sparrow and the Workshop are already with their second album proper. With each step they’ve grown stronger and more accomplished; written between tours, Spitting Daggers rattles along with the confidence of a band who’ve truly honed their skills on the live circuit.

While Chicagoan Jill O’Sullivan’s dulcet drawl is still the lynchpin, the musical palette ranges wider than before. Album highlight You Don’t Trust Anyone hustles along on stop-start drums and yowling battle cries, where the brooding Soft Sound Of Your Voice is a dark, grainy lullaby with crackling percussive crescendos that sound straight out a thunderstorm.

Elsewhere, songs like Father Look and Old Habits unfurl gently around layered instruments and echoed vocals. Although the density of the record sometimes loses a few of its more delicate details, it makes for an enduring experience that reveals new depths with each spin. [Anna Docherty] PLAYING ROCKNESS, DORES ON 12 JUN

HEAVY ROCKS

That similarities exist between the 2011 and 2002 incarnations of Heavy Rocks is to be expected, but this release holds as much in common with all of Boris’ output as it does with its namesake. Hankering for Flood? Try the swirling ebb and flow of Missing Pieces’ cloud-borne riffs. Maybe some of Akuma no Uta’s nitro-charged punk? GALAXIANS has it by the crateful; it’s an oldschool thrasher tempered by Takeshi’s matured vocal range.

Thought perhaps not one of the Japanese enigmas’ more groundbreaking creations, what it does serve to do is distil the entirety of a staggering back catalogue into a mere 52 minutes. That’s almost an hour of headbanging, rock’n’roll, punk, psychedelia, shoegaze, pop and doom, and those are only the surface textures. Doing this has given the band the free rein to push their abilities to the utmost, especially Atsuo’s drumming which now ascends to greater heights of artistic hyperactivity. For those looking for a place to start with Boris, this is without a doubt it. [David Bowes]

D

White Denim have always seemed better in theory than in practice. Omnivorously squeezing as many diverse influences as possible into every track, the Austinites have produced intermittently excellent records, but their genre infidelity has fatigued as often as it has invigorated. D makes few concessions, yet comes closer than ever to matching outcome with promise.

At the Farm and Street Joy offer a representative one-two: the former a prog instrumental replete with galloping solos; the latter a gently-soaring ballad. Anvil Everything is even more representative, cramming the same degree of variety into one four-minute trip: Marnie Stern meets Muse at the beginning; a boisterous Ponytailesque middle; with a thickly-grooved coda. Yet while the recipe might seem faultless, the proof is in the pudding, and somehow all this inventiveness, once again, fails to produce the expected highs – but there’s a lot of fun to be had in the middle register. [Chris Buckle] WWW.WHITEDENIMMUSIC.COM

CHAD VANGAALEN

INDIAN RED LOPEZ

SHE’S HIT

13 JUN, SUB POP

6 JUN, CEASE: STOP

6 JUN, RE:PEATER

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EMPTY YOUR LUNGS AND BREATHE

DIAPER ISLAND

Released last year, Women’s second album garnered almost as many plaudits for producer Chad VanGaalen – who cultivated an unsettling atmosphere pregnant with reverb and distortion – as it did for the band itself. Diaper Island marks VanGaalen’s first solo material since 2008, and the results are stylistically congruous with Public Strain, though less uncompromising.

That’s not to paint this the less interesting work; rather, VanGaalen confidently applies Public Strain’s techniques in a less challenging, but ultimately more gratifying, context. The yearning romanticism of preview track Sara isn’t a red herring as such – Heavy Stones’ strung-out country jam complements it nicely – but elsewhere, VanGaalen casually subverts expectations with deliberate ugliness, whether undercutting Can You Believe It? with noisy discordance, or closing with the confrontationally-titled Shave My Pussy, which contains not crudity but a piteous sadness. The end result is beguiling, and destined to grow in stature with every listen. [Chris Buckle] PLAYING GLASGOW’S CAPTAIN’S REST ON 18 AUG AND EDINBURGH’S SNEAKY PETE’S ON 19 AUG

PLEASURE

Taking the polar opposite approach to the movie Sleepers (7.4 on IMDB! - ed) from which they borrowed their name, Aberdeen’s Indian Red Lopez have delivered a debut album which amounts to more than the sum of its parts. Tags such as dance, electro, indie and even M83-like shoegaze may follow in their wake, but these act more as adornments to some solid songwriting than anything quite so genre pushing.

Simple but deceptively intelligent lyrics seal the deal on superior, skyward cuts such as Ropes and The Third (Incision) whilst some muscular guitar clout in My Eyes and The New Black helps bring a welcome edge. At times an aural template becomes a little apparent and several song lengths wouldn’t be harmed by slight pruning, but Empty Your Lungs and Breathe stands as a solid debut from a group gleefully exploring the space between the bedroom and the studio to promising effect. Breathe it in. [Darren Carle]

The debut LP from Glaswegian quintet She’s Hit is a narcotic brew of surf / garage and psychobilly that swaggers and spits from start to finish. The overdriven blend of tremolo-bending, reverbsoaked guitars, piano, and David Wilson’s louche vocals dips into influences including The Birthday Party (no surprises – the band take their name from a track on Junkyard), Gallon Drunk and The Cramps.

Less predictably, songs like Young Love Dead overlay that foundation with the driving noise of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Psychocandy.

She’s Hit also know how to slow things down without sacrificing intensity. Lustless is a melancholy meditation on love and dependency, sung by guest vocalist Jen Paley and backed by a swirl of guitar noise that is kept low enough in the mix not to overshadow things. Such tracks are the exception, and the harsh-edged production that dominates elsewhere can grate at times; but it is also key to Pleasure’s cohesion and intensity. [Sam Wiseman]

PLAYING GONORTH FESTIVAL, INVERNESS ON 9 AND 10 JUN; NEWMARKET BAR, THURSO ON 30 JUN; HOOTANANNY’S, INVERNESS ON 1 JUL AND NICE N SLEAZY, GLASGOW ON 2 JUL.

PLAYING CAPTAIN’S REST WITH MILK MAID AS PART OF WEST END FESTIVAL ON 11 JUN WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SHESHITGLASGOW

SONS AND DAUGHTERS

COPY HAHO

MINI MANSIONS

13 JUN, DOMINO

20 JUN, SLOW LEARNER

6 JUN, REKORDS REKORDS

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MIRROR MIRROR

COPY HAHO

MINI MANSIONS

Sons and Daughters’ third full length release sees the Glasgow four-piece abandon the glitz of 2008’s This Gift, and step back into a familiar darkness. Mirror Mirror takes the terse, edgy rhythms of The Repulsion Box and moves the sound into a more atmospheric space.

The results reward repeated listens – all spooky electronics, post-punk bass lines, meaty hooks and blacker than midnight lyrics.

Produced by Keith McIvor – aka Optimo’s JD twitch – Orion features the driving, country-esque drums of old, coupled with a dark new groove and a great vocal from Adele Bethel. The Beach allows Scott Paterson to return the melodic favour and the wonderfully sinister Ink Free adds the neat little touch of a sampled typewriter as drum machine. Occasionally, the gothic style gets a little much, most notably on Silver Spell and Don’t Look Now, though Mirror Mirror is otherwise as poised, affecting and brilliant as everything Sons and Daughters first promised. [PJ Meiklem]

Having served time on the Scottish circuit for the better part of a decade, the debut album from Stonehaven’s Copy Haho is a long-awaited, suitably anticipated affair. For those familiar with the four-piece, this self-titled release will hardly surprise; energetic and brimming with enthusiasm from the start, the quartet kick off with the flirtatious Factory Floor, running with their influences held high. Think a lot of Pavement, a little Sonic Youth – essentially anything alternative, Nineties and American.

The pace relents briefly for the rare balladry of A Winter On The Run and the unexpected melancholy of When It Gets Dark, before ramping back up for the finale: a slow building, frantically ending Accent Changed. It ends an album which is exuberant, imbibed with humour and brimming with promise. Copy Haho still have some way to go before they match their heroes, but this is a fine first foot. [Paul Neeson] PLAYING THE TUNNELS, ABERDEEN ON 4 JUN

Michael Shuman is best known for his role as bassist in Queens of the Stone Age, but this side-project – also incorporating Tyler Parkford and Zach Dawes – bears little resemblance to his day job. Instead, Mini Mansions’ debut is an accomplished collection of luxuriantly baroque pop. The songs have a jaunty-yet-melancholy quality that recall Elliot Smith, and for the most part are layered with the kind of dreamy psychedelia which characterises some of The Beatles’ weirder moments – Abbey Road in particular.

The single, Monk, betrays Shuman’s hard rock connections in its driving rhythm section, but this is overlaid with pulsing organ and vocal harmonies that Teenage Fanclub would be proud of. There is certainly no shortage of energy on Mini Mansions, but it’s channelled into an unashamedly upbeat approach that contrasts markedly with the tone of QOTSA records.

Stoner rockers might be disappointed, but if carefully-crafted psych-pop is your thing, this is certainly worth a listen. [Sam Wiseman]

PLAYING ROCKNESS, INVERNESS ON 11 JUN AND KELBURN GARDEN PARTY ON 2 JUL

WWW.COPYHAHO.CO.UK

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/MINIMANSIONSMUSIC

ATARI TEENAGE RIOT IS THIS HYPERREAL? 20 JUN, DIM MAK

rr In the entire history of alternative music has there ever been anyone with as retarded a sense of irony as Alec Empire?

It’s a question you’ll find yourself returning to again and again as you listen to Is This Hyperreal? – an album so mired in rhetoric and witless polemic it could easily pass as satire. Of course Empire has pulled off this sort of humourless sub-cyberpunk sloganeering before, but back in the day (as on 2002’s Intelligence and Sacrifice – in retrospect his undisputed masterpiece) he managed to augment it with an astute pop sensibility, ingenious production and some convincingly authentic-sounding nihilism. Is This Hyperreal? is largely toothless in comparison; creatively moribund and with all the perspicacity of a radicalised Forrest Gump. These fractious times are crying out for a political album of real substance and energy, but Christ-knows this isn’t it. [Mark Shukla] WWW.ATARI-TEENAGE-RIOT.COM/

TOP FIVE ALBUMS

VAST AIRE

1

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2 3

BON IVER

BON IVER

BATTLES

GLOSS DROP

JACOB YATES & THE PEARLY GATE LOCK PICKERS

LUCK

4 5

UNITED FRUIT

FAULT LINES

SONS AND DAUGHTERS

MIRROR MIRROR

OX 2010: A STREET ODYSSEY OUT NOW, MAN BITES DOG

Vast Aire’s latest solo album features cameos from his Cannibal Ox partner Vordul Mega, alongside familiar names like WuTang’s Raekwon and Cappadonna, and less well-known artists like Guilty Simpson (of Stone’s Throw), and Kenyattah Black. “These are dark words, deep as the deepest black hole,” rhymes Double A.B. on 2090, but the mood is less dark and claustrophobic than fans might expect.

Bumping 808s and horn stabs back the rapper’s dismissal of others in the game as “...so 90s,” but it's an accusation that could be levelled at the rest of the album. Highlights Almighty Jose, with its John Carpenter-esque piano riffs, the cut-up soul of I Don’t Care, and the rolling beats of Spy Vs. Spy are satisfying, and Vast’s lyrics are generally enlightened and intelligent throughout. Standout track The Canon of Samus indulges in some fairly impressive double-time rhyming, but overall there’s little innovation on display. Can Ox fans will snap this up, casual listeners may be underwhelmed. [Bram Gieben] WWW.MYSPACE.COM/VASTAIREOFCANOX

JUNE 2011

THE SKINNY 43

MUSIC

AGAINST THE TIDE

Getting a dressing down from a pop diva and narrowly avoiding a small-town punch up?

These have been just some of the pitfalls that have helped make Aberdeen quintet INDIAN RED LOPEZ all the more determined INTERVIEW: DARREN CARLE PHOTOS: JULIET BUCHAN THE TRIALS and tribulations of a fledgling rock band are undoubtedly manifold. From the grind of muchneeded touring exposure to the daunting prospect of recording a professional sounding album on a shoe-string, it’s not a lifestyle to be taken on lightly.

However, few such bands will find being admonished by a bona fide pop diva as one such obstacle.

Aberdeen quintet Indian Red Lopez found themselves in precisely this position when a recent Glasgow gig at the ABC coincided with that of ubiquitous globe-straddling singer-songwriter Adele. Guitarist Dave Cherry picks up the story.

“We were doing our sound-check downstairs and one of her minders told us to shut up,” he marvels.

“We weren’t even allowed to go on-stage until after she had done some acoustic part of her show.”

However, they did come away with something of a ‘review’ from the record-breaking artist.

“One guy who was coming to see us accidentally queued up to see her and got in for six quid,” laughs Dave. “He said that about half-way through a song she referred to our sound as like being inside a washing machine.”

Perhaps the floorboards of the ABC are not conducive to the IRL sound then, but with debut album Empty Your Lungs and Breathe ready for release this month, listeners will be able to judge for themselves. Jammed with towering, propulsive

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guitar riffs, widescreen synths and kinetic percussion all balanced out with lush yet powerful vocals, it’s a record that sounds every bit the labour of love that the band profess.

“We’ve worked our arses off,” claims enigmatic singer Michael Chang. “We’ve spent two years recording it whenever we could fit it in. Logistically it’s been really hard because we all have day jobs.” To make matters more difficult, it was recorded in Glasgow with the help of friends, notably producer Craig Grant, formerly of Union of Knives. “There’s been some long, horrible journeys,” sighs drummer Scott Maskame.

“We know the M8 and the A9 quite well,” laughs Dave of the slog. “We know the AA quite well too.”

It’s a tactic that has clearly paid off, with the finished album squeezing out every bit of potential from their latent song-writing. Thankfully, IRL certainly know how to write a tune, as album highlights Rope and The Third (Incision) clearly showcase.

As chief vocalist, Michael agrees that although the two years of recording have undeniably helped shape the record, the song itself is still key. “We’re all song-driven, lyric-focused people,” he states.

“But I think the arrangement is just as important.”

Also on an equal footing is the visual element, more-often-than-not an area overlooked by the majority of bands, large or small. Callum Beith is credited as the sixth member and, amongst other

It is with some hope of alleviating this feeling though that the group are talking to The Skinny in Anstruther as they prepare to play the influential Fence Collective’s annual HomeGame festival.

They will, however, be hoping it is more successful than their previous appearance here. “We played a disastrous show last year,” admits Dave. “There were some punch-ups outside just before we went to play, so the pub emptied.” Michael fills in some details. “Kenny (Anderson AKA King Creosote) was accosted too. It was the end of the festival and I think he was at the end of his tether. Some local assaulted him or something. We were meant to be playing before his ‘pub’ set but he had to pull out.”

Having played and met with the King previously in Aberdeen, and with Fence’s Gavin ‘On The Fly’ Brown having remixed a ‘Lopez track in the interim, the boys were invited down for a second crack this year.

“We’re on Kenny’s radar and they seem to like us so that’s pretty cool,” beams Dave. Michael is less concerned with the royal seal of approval though. “We’re just really happy to be here,” he states genuinely. “It’s fucking brilliant with good vibes all ‘round.”

This year’s HomeGame was, exactly that, and it’s bands like Indian Red Lopez who epitomise this feeling. Bands who are in it for the love of the music, who will keep “plugging away” as Michael puts it, regardless of the outcome. It’s been a long, hard road to get to where they are now, but Indian Red Lopez seem determined to continue beating out their own path. Perhaps their website’s modus operandi puts it best by saying: ‘IRL is an idea of natural compulsion.’

Looks like we’ll be hearing a lot more from these boys.

❝

EMPTY YOUR LUNGS AND BREATHE IS OUT 6 JUN. PLAYING GONORTH FESTIVAL, INVERNESS ON 9 AND 10 JUN; NEWMARKET BAR, THURSO ON 30 JUN; HOOTANANNY’S, INVERNESS ON 1 JUL AND NICE N SLEAZY, GLASGOW ON 2 JUL. READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF HOMEGAME 2011 ONLINE AT WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK/MUSIC

We know the M8 and the A9 quite well.

We know the AA quite well too

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/INDIANREDLOPEZ

DAVE CHERRY

MILK SUPPORT FOUND AT THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS, EDINBURGH ON 7 AUG AS PART OF THE EDGE FESTIVAL

“CALLUM, up in the crow’s nest, is all guitar-cradling and neckerchief-wearing, while Sam will go down with the ship, laughing to the last at his cockpit of keyboards,” collectively explain Glasgow (via Fife) quartet, Milk. “Michael plays at drums and dressing up down in the engine room, and Pablo stands at the prow, full of windy rhetoric and last night’s leftovers.” Any room for a celebrity endorsement on board? After all, that ‘Got Milk’ campaign has done wonders for dairy sales over the years – want to co-opt any Milk-the-Drink lovers as spokespersons for Milk-the-band?

“Can we breed them? If so we’ll take the lithe and insatiable sexuality of Isabella Rosellini, couple it with the high-society histrionics of Elton John, and marry that off with the future-race breeding of the Olsens and the ruthless art-as-a-sacrificial-cow ambition of James Cameron.” Finally, this sexual, ambitious future-race progeny would be “wrapped in plastic, à la Joan Rivers.”

If their creation sounds elaborate and messy, it fits their musical identities; if their answers sound articulate yet obfuscating, it reflects their crafty, cultured smarts.

“We think that bands are too readily vilified for not nailing a signature sound,” they argue. “It seems to us that using a broad palette can produce the most interesting and enjoyable results.” Their particular palette reaps the rewards of a four-way musical input that doesn’t necessarily flow naturally in the same direction.

“I think it would be fair to say that we began this at odd angles, and so the approach has been to try and

challenge each other, taking our disparate inspirations and finding ways to harmonise them. We enjoy sifting through the noise.” When the sifting is finished, nuggets of Lizard King stargazing, smooth 80s grooves, moody atmospherics, deadpan humour and prog-squiggles remain. The unorthodox blend slips through genres like cow lactose through fingers. “We converge in strange places,” they acknowledge.

Milk confound classification in part through tactical shyness. Their low-profile moniker and lower-profile web presence constitute a genuine attempt to avoid the pigeonholing that rubberstamps acts straight from the womb. Milk are leaving their options open and keeping followers guessing.

“We’re still in the formative stages of playing this music together, so anything that allows the freedom to go off on creative tangents is a must,” they explain. “The name gave us the blank slate. If you treat a band’s name as a statement of intent, then ours remains open to interpretation.” Refreshingly, in an age where choosing a MySpace background sits uncomfortably high on new-starts’ ‘to do’ lists, they’re uninterested in cultivating a potentially-straitjacketing online persona. “We want the opportunity to surprise others and ourselves.”

Live, they don’t let such opportunities pass them by. But what about recordings? Any releases on the horizon? “In this regard,” they assert, “we reserve the right to remain mysterious.” Seems Milk will be whetting appetites a little longer yet.[Chris Buckle]

Text Chris Buckle Photo www.ryanmcgoverne.co.uk

Got Milk?

Ah Milk. Great source of calcium, won Sean Penn an Oscar… er, hang on, something’s off. Google has failed me – guys, you’ll have to introduce yourselves…

THE SKINNY 51 AUGUST 2010

See www.edinburghpeoplesfestival.org for further details and tickets

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A key work from an era that’s now considered the last Golden Age of American cinema, Bob Rafelson’s superlative character study established Jack Nicholson as the foremost actor of his generation. One of the few honest American films about social class, family and alienation. Don’t miss this wonderfully restored classic.

Five Easy Pieces 13 Aug to 19 Aug

Directed by Juan José Campanella and showcasing two of Argentina’s biggest stars, this is a riveting thriller spiked with witty dialogue and poignant romance. Receiving rave reviews and awards, it was also the surprise winner of this year’s Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film, beating off stiff competition from The White Ribbon and A Prophet.

The Secret in Their Eyes 13 Aug to 9 Sep

HOME OF THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

recommends this month...

films worth talking about

Clockwise from top left: Pablo; Callum; Michael; Sam

www.theelectriccircus.biz www.theelectriccircus.biz

• Film premiere of 'Morticia' by Nabil Shaban

Supported by King Tuts Wah Wah Hut and the Electric Circus

Highlights from this year’s hugely successful two-week festival, which took place in March at BFI Southbank. The season includes LLGFF Closing Night Gala Children of God, a fascinating and politically bold study of sexuality in the Bahamas; lesbian comedy And Then Came Lola; erotically charged crime thriller The Fish Child; acclaimed Argentinian drama Plan B; and two programmes of shorts, one for the girls and one for the boys!

roles, takes care of elements beyond the music itself.

“Just having more of a visual presence in general is really important to us,” claims Michael. “Whether it’s online, at our shows or just at the merchandise stand, it’s about having that coherency. Don’t get me wrong, I love the sweaty gig vibe,” he clarifies before Dave finishes his line of thought; “But we’re definitely interested in the ‘show’ aspect of things as well.”

It seems that this determination to push themselves out of their comfort zone to strive for a little more than the average band is getting IRL noticed outside of the Aberdeen scene. “There aren’t that many bands from Aberdeen who will travel,” says Dave of the current musical climate in the North East.

“If you’re an Aberdeen band you’re an Aberdeen band, you know.” Guitarist Danny Forsyth notes some exceptions. “There have been a few good bands recently but then a lot of them, like Copy Haho or The XCerts, have moved elsewhere now.”

Indian Red Lopez certainly can’t be accused of laying low in the Granite City, having played around Scotland, Manchester and London. On top of this they’ve also embarked on small European tours from the loosest of invitations. “We played The Tunnels (in Aberdeen) and this music journalist from Rotterdam was over,” explains Dave. “He said if we were ever in Rotterdam to give him a shout. I don’t think he was expecting us to call him six years later and ask for a show.”

Yet all five concede that playing such hallowed turf as Rotterdam and London has not always been what they expected. “Getting worthwhile gigs is the hardest bit,” says Dave. “We played Dublin Castle in London on a Monday night with a Japanese band, a band from Greenock and a metal band! It was a great night and good fun but totally worthless in terms of raising our profile.” At this point bassist Darren Forsyth raises his head from his pint. “We just feel like a drop in the ocean,” he laments. “Can you put that as the headline,” laughs Dave. “Darren says we’re just a drop in the ocean.”

MUSIC

SUN JUNE 26TH | £10ADV

SUN OCT 9TH | £14ADV

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Roadway, Sunstone, Marshalls Place & Myles Leggatt

Tickets £5

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Inner Sight, Sunstone, Marshalls Place, Silent Notes, The Fu King Junks & Soup Of The Day

21st JUNE: Apollo Rocks!

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Cult Of Whores & Dogs, Heavy Soul, Closed Off Come Down, Liberty Falls & Chokeslam Charlie

Bec Sandridge, Myles Leggatt, Ed Lee & Michelle Jean

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Combo Combo, Jaytard, Nity Gritz, Vagabonds ft Werd & Wardie Burns, Riddlah, Jordan Butler & Madhat McGore

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Bloodstone, Subject 7, A Carnal Elect, The Gleneagles, Not Astronauts & Rocket Powered Jet Skis Tickets £5

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JUNE 2011

THE SKINNY 45

CLUBS

PREVIEWS Witness presents: Brenmar

Colours presents Laidback Luke

Sneaky Pete's, Wed 8 Jun

City Nightclub, Sat 11 Jun

Edinburgh’s newest bass night Witness kick things off with their first big guest: Brenmar.

The Brooklyn based producer has been making waves with his tasteful hybrid house tracks.

Undoubtedly one of America’s most talented young producers, Brenmar has a knack for taking underground UK sounds and brushing them up with some neon tinged club swagger.

Having dropped an EP on blog turned label Discobelle and with forthcoming releases on Grizzly and Hum and Buzz, it is of little surprise that Witness snapped him up for a date on his European tour. His DJ mixes are a playful affair that really reflect his personality and influences, so expect to hear fresh cuts from house, hip-hop, R&B, bass music, and more regional club styles such as Bmore, Jersey Club and Footwork. Support comes in the form of Edinburgh’s Blackwax, who shall be setting down the vibes with their own brand of dark rolling bass music. [Luke Dubuis]

The excitement around electro house has been slowly diminishing since the days of Ed Bangerinfluenced electro. The newer sounds have for the most part emerged from Holland, with figures such as Laidback Luke leading the pack. Having established himself as one of the central players in the electro house scene, Laidback Luke has dominated the Beatport charts for some time now. Having worked with the likes of David Guetta, Diplo, Lil John and Steve Aoki to name but a few, Laidback Luke has a discography that won’t fail to impress. This month sees the Dutchman playing at City nightclub for the infamous Glaswegian promoters: Colours. There is no denying this man’s talent for producing music for the dancefloor as well as mixing records, so expect a stellar performance. Be sure to head down to catch local Edinburgh talent Gus Armstrong, Huggy & Dean Newton, Craig Wilson and Jon Mancini beforehand. [Luke Dubuis]

11pm -3am, Sneaky Petes, Free Entry

10pm - 4am, City Nightclub, £17.50 + BF

Electrikal presents Dodge & Fuski

No Sleep presents Steffi, Midland & Youandewan

The Store, Fri 10 Jun

SWG3, Fri 3 Jun

As the outdoor season begins to kick off for the Electrikal collective, it would appear that their taste for indoor events has not soured, booking dubstep artists Dodge and Fuski. The crazed duo have shot to fame in the past year with their tongue in cheek take on the dubstep genre.

Having recently released on Skism’s label Never Say Die records, alongside the likes of Noisia and Foreign Beggars, these guys will surely be smashing the dance with off the wall tunes such as Grannystep and Come Again. The self-confessed “Westcountry layabouts who drink too much tea” have gained support form the likes of Datsik and Borgore and receive frequent radio play on Radio1 and 1extra, so any opportunity to catch these guys should not be missed. If that wasn’t enough, be sure to catch one half of the Attic Kings’ Dickie Drysdale (Jack Knife records) playing some his latest material as well as a healthy dose of electro and dubstep. [Luke Dubuis]

Of the quartet that deep house collective No Sleep have assembled for SWG3, Leeds producers Midland and Youandewan are two examples of the extent to which UK bass music has matured. Midland’s debut 12”, helmed with Ramadanman on AUS, is an off-beat hi-hat away from sounding like a tribute to Kerri Chandler, while Youandewan’s future-garage and two step explorations on his eponymous single retain a distinct affinity to four on the floor. In short, they are house producers influenced by UK bass music, not the other way around. No less sophisticated in her relatively uncluttered palette is Steffi, whose Ostgut Ton-approved house has recently borne fruit in the form of an LP released on the Berghain label called Yours & Mine; the acidlaced Blade Runner chug of Manic Moods is a particular favourite. Animal Farm regular Quail will inaugurate proceedings with a Cadenza-flavoured smoothness that merits a swifter-than-normal bout of preloading. [Ray Philp]

11pm - 3am, The Store, £5

Numbers Presents Blawan

Dores, Inverness, 10-12 Jun

Sub Club, Fri 3 Jun

The Friday night at RockNess has traditionally been a bit of a lacklustre affair in terms of artists playing, with half the stages not operating and most people packing into the smaller bars with lesser known DJs. This year marks a significant change, with a pretty huge line-up including Erol Alkan, Jackmaster, Kasabian, DJ Shadow, Groove Armada and American dubstep artist Skrillex taking to the stage on the Friday night. The Saturday night highlights include the legendary Chemical Brothers, Fact mag favorite Jamie Woon and mixmaster DJ Yoda. Be sure to also check out the Mixed Bizness takeover in the VIP Clash Arena featuring the likes of Boom Monk Ben, Clouds and up and comer Hahaha for a mix of electro/techno/house and bass music.

The Sunday line-up on the Goldenvoice stage features a lineup for those who like their modern dance music. There will also be live electronic performances by the awesome Simian Mobile Disco and Fake Blood if you want to see something a little out of the ordinary. For those of you who are more into your bands, the main stage will no doubt be your calling, featuring Glasvegas, The Wombats, We Are Scientists and Paulo Nutini. If I had one final recommendation, it would be to go and see Jamie XX and Mathew Dear perform at the Sub Club Sound System for what will no doubt be a knock out performance. [Luke Dubuis]

Numbers have surely hosted some of the best parties of 2011 with acts such as Joy Orbison, Deadboy, Modeselektor and Shed & Lory D gracing the decks of the Sub Club. With a new radio show on London’s Rinse FM, Jackmasters Fabric live launch and an ever-growing club night, the Numbers crew show little sign of slowing down, booking the percussive maestro Blawan for their June instalment.

Having first released on Hessle audio and later gone on to work with the infamous R&S imprint, Blawan has shown that he can produce in many different styles whilst retaining an inimitable percussive style. His latest white label Getting Me Down is probably some of his strongest music to date, with a Brandy acapella and a signature thumping beat, it is of little surprise that this has been one of the most in demand tracks of the past couple of months. Support comes from the likes of the fantastic Nok La Rok and Dirty Larry who will be laying down the early vibes of the night. [Luke Dubuis]

www.rockness.co.uk

46 THE SKINNY June 2011

Words: Ray Philp Illustration: Nick Cocozza

10pm - 3am, SWG3, Entry:early bird £5, presale £8 + bf, on the door £10

RockNess

RockNess 2011 10-12 Jun, Dores/Inverness. Tickets: 1 day pass: from £59, weekend camping: £149

clubbing HIGHLIGHTS

11pm - 3am, The Sub Club, £5 before 12 nmbrs.net

Some snakeoil salesmen types would have you believe that Scotland is an electronic music abyss this month: a George Romero dystopia of Hive flyers and swirling styrofoam containers possessed of an emptiness matched only by the souls and cranial cavities of the retard horde of promoters who spam my inbox with JPEGs of swimsuit girls exhorting me to come to their 75p chaserfest.

Chances are that you’re also going to be faced with this sort of patter, the volume of which increases exponentially as the summer festival milieu panics said promoters into a Swedish House Mafia soundtracked overdrive. We hereby attempt to sort through this surge of inanity, mostly because this is the only thing we’re remotely qualified to pontificate on.

Azari & III spearhead this month’s Death Disco with a retro-futurist strain of 4/4 as timeless as Co-Op long-life bread and Thatcher jokes.

Typified by voluptuous 90s Chicago rhythms and dark alley funk – Reckless (With Your Love) and Hungry For The Power being two oft-spun examples – the Canadian quartet bring a welcome dose of electro-free house to the Arches. One of the brighter stars in the Ed Banger firmament, DJ Mehdi, also headlines. Catch them both alongside a host of other guests on Sat 18 Jun. Only a man with plywood legs and arteries forged on a diet of spare rib suppers and Red Kola could fail to be moved by Andrew Weatherall’s guest slot on Sat 25 Jun at the Sub Club. Weatherall’s reliable stock of techno dubplates is often

supplemented by a lingering affection for punk rock, big beat and soundsystem culture, a good precis of which can be found on his debut album of 2009, A Pox On The Pioneers. Should you need any extra incentive, the Subby are offering free entry before 12 for the entire month.

One of the capital’s clutch of recently established bass music nights, Witness, hosts Brenmar on Wed 8 Jun. Channelling something between the high-grade R&B lacquer of LuckyMe and a technicolour take on UK funky, the American producer’s populist edge is sufficiently warped by his subtle IDM influences to warrant a peek.

Back in Glasgow, more a case of keeping elbows sharp than eyes peeled for the rush that will no doubt greet Melting Pot’s 10th anniversary on Sat 4 Jun, hosted by regulars Andrew Pirie and Simon Cordiner at The Admiral. A roll call of previous guests serves to affirm the Pot’s mosaic-like music policy, showcasing everything from the diva-disco melange of Horse Meat Disco to the welted, introspective house fissures of Moodymann and the stoic majesty of post-rock titans Mogwai.

Most of this month’s techno can be found at RockNess, 4 hours north from our office on a road that would be a stretch to call ‘scenic’, if the standard coach decor of taupe drapes and pale arsecheeks are anything to go by. That said, Rhadoo’s pleasant haze of minimal techno and deep house at the Glasshouse on Sun 19 Jun should tide you over for a while yet.

DIGITAL

How to Disappear Completely Make sure the hackers have to work extra hard to find you Words: alex cole Illustration: Robbie Porter

Admit it, you’re not all that important. Sure, you might have the biggest collection of Friends box sets this side of the River Tyne, but truth be told, you’re not that big of a deal. And that’s good! It means you’re not a very tempting target for hackers and other scary types trying to steal info. It’s called security through obscurity.

Last month, Sony, Google, Square Enix, and a whole bunch of others, got hacked in some of the ballsiest digital attacks in a good while. The hackers aren’t just after the big companies’ data, they’re also after the massive collections of emails, passwords, credit card data, and even CVs they keep on file. That means you – even if you do nothing more than register for a blog account – could get a whole chunk of your life stolen.

Here’s how to keep a little safer when you venture out into the scary digital world:

• Disposable Email: many sign-up services that

don’t need to contact you just want to get your email to make sure you’re a real person. Since you know you are, get a disposable email address from a site like YopMail. You’ll get an email that will last for long enough to get a confirmation

Brink Release date: OUT NOW Console(s): PC, PS3, XBox 360 Price: £49.99

rr Team shooters have pretty much settled into nice, comfortable, easy-chair gameplay: you spawn, you shoot one of a few different guns, you teabag your victims while insulting their sexual orientation over voice, you die, and then you re-spawn only to do it all over again. It’s not even the game developers’ fault anymore – shooters now introduce themselves as ‘like Halo but’ and are judged by how closely they follow the mould.

So what could Brink possibly bring to the table?

message, and then you can forget the whole thing. Just don’t use it for something like, say, your bank.

• Be Another Person: Your real name is just the start of stealing your identity, so don’t ever let them get that far. For any but the most important sites, use fake names, fake birthdays, fake addresses, fake as much as possible. Even safe-looking sites get hacked, and better the hackers find John Smith’s details than yours.

• Passwords: Fess up – you use the same passwords for a lot. Your bank password is probably the same as the one you use for your Flickr gallery. It’s a pain to remember a whole bunch of random passwords that look like your cat walked on your keyboard.

To help you remember, use the first letters from a movie quote or song lyric – something random, but catchy to you. It’ll look like nonsense, but you’ll know what it means, and how to remember it.

• Autocomplete: No, no, no. It’s nifty, it’s handy, but leave it alone and take the extra 2 minutes to type it all out. Don’t save any important data in your browser, in your phone’s apps, anywhere.

Keep it in your smart, private little head.

Well, not a hell of a lot.

Brink’s developers talk a good game, what with all the character customisation, specialised classes, open weapon choices, neat movement options and whatnot. The UI looks slick and stylized, and there’s even a Snow Crash-inspired story to boot. But let’s not kid ourselves – there isn’t a hell of a lot of new ground broken here. Class based shooters all take their cues from the still-awesome Team Fortress 2, and while this game certainly learned the right lessons, for all the hoopla, Brink is just fluff.

It’s fun fluff, no mistake – the classes all have neat tricks to deploy, each to suit your aggressive or supportive play styles – but there’s a lot that’s just unfinished, unpolished or outright broken. There’s no one idea that holds the gameplay together, no unique tactics that set it apart (the Engineer class is a straight rip from TF2, right down to the turrets), and ultimately nothing memorable.

Some games don’t have to justify their existence, they can just be fun for what they are. Sadly, Brink suffers from a lot of great competition, and without a good reason to put them down, it all goes down like a flavour of the week. [Alex Cole]

June 2011

THE SKINNY 47

REVIEWS

June Events FILM

On 14 June the CCA in Glasgow, in association with the Glasgow Science Festival, is showing George A. Romero’s classic zombie flick, Night of the Living Dead...with a twist. Now considered a blueprint for the modern zombie tale, Romero’s 1968 film will be introduced by world renowned Theoretical Zombiologist, Doctor Austin, and is followed by a half-hour science lecture on the walking dead.

You can even test your walking dead knowledge via an online exam certified by the Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies. If you miss this, and the dead rise, don’t blame us if you don’t survive.

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids

Kaboom

Director: Paul Feig

Director: Gregg Araki

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd Released: 24 Jun Certificate: 15

Starring: Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Juno Temple, Chris Zylka Released: 10 Jun Certificate: 15

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Recent wedding comedies (Bride Wars, 27 Dresses) have been about as enjoyable as stepping on an upturned plug, but Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids emphatically breaks this cycle by choosing comedy chops over cheek bones. Co-writer Kristen Wiig, scene stealer extraordinaire in Adventureland and MacGruber, gets her first lead-role as Annie, maid of honour to BFF Lillian (Wiig’s fellow SNL alumnus, Maya Rudolph). She’s terrible at the job, partly because she’s a goofy disaster zone and partly because she’s being sabotaged by her rival for the position, Helen (Byrne), a socialite with a flair for event organisation and passive aggressive put-downs.

Like every film from the Apatow factory, it’s slightly too long. But that’s about the only niggle. Feig skillfully combines spiky one liners (“I’ve seen better tennis in a tampon commercial”) and rhapsodic comedy set pieces with moments of heartfelt tenderness. A disastrous dress fitting that builds to a scatological crescendo will have you crying with laughter, but the lived-in authenticity of Wiig and Rudolph’s performances might also bring tears. [Jamie Dunn]

Kaboom opens with a naked Smith (Thomas Dekker) floating down a brightly lit corridor, looking a bit confused. So he should be. He is the centre of the college-based wet-dreams of writer/director Gregg Araki (Mysterious Skin), who seems to have fallen asleep reading Brett Easton Ellis.

Part sexual awakening comedy, part sci-fi, Kaboom hits its dissonant beats at a remarkable pace. In between sexual encounters our young gun desperately tries to decode his waking nightmares with the help of his feisty fuck-buddy London (Juno Temple) and oh-so-cool confidant Stella (Haley Bennett).

Rejoicing in a feast of different sexual appetites, Araki’s film gained LGBT kudos by winning the inaugural Queer Palm at Cannes; and it sits at the sharp end of hip with a smart script, customary ‘real band scene’ and copious screen time devoted to beautiful people doing the nasty to a great soundtrack. However its permanent entry into the cult cannon may be scuppered by its cheap cinematography, and a general lack of charm. [Danny Scott]

Countdown to Zero

Stake Land

Director: Lucy Walker

Director: Jim Mickle

Starring: Various Released: 24 Jun Certificate: 12A

Starring: Connor Paolo, Nick Damici, Danielle Harris, Kelly McGillis Released: 17 Jun Certificate: 15

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There’s a key scene in Countdown to Zero that shows members of the public being asked how many nuclear weapons currently exist in the world. A few make wild guesses but none of them really have a clue. It’s this ignorance of an ever-present threat that Lucy Walker tackles with her new documentary. Coming from the production team behind An Inconvenient Truth, this slick, tightly paced film packs a lot of information into its ninety minutes, successfully getting its message across in a manner that’s accessible and engaging rather than didactic. Walker incorporates interviews with a impressive variety of contributors – from former heads of state to plutonium smugglers – and makes effective use of archive footage, but the most alarming sequence is one that reveals just how close we have unwittingly come to disaster in the past. The film’s tales of accidents, miscommunications and near-misses are deeply unsettling, and proof, if it were needed, that the threat of nuclear destruction is one we can no longer ignore. [Philip Concannon]

The darling of Edinburgh’s Dead by Dawn horror festival, Jim Mickle’s Stake Land is well worth hunting down. A young boy, Martin (Connor Paolo), and a grizzled drifter, known only as Mister (Nick Damici), make their way through a post-apocalyptic America inhabited by religious zealots and legions of bloodthirsty monsters, which seem to be brutal hybrids of vampires and zombies.

It could easily have descended into pulp nonsense, but the unmistakable influence of John Hillcoat’s The Road anchors the film and gives it a gritty sense of reality that elevates it above its blood-sucker competition.

Mickle wisely takes the time to create characters we care about and gets fine performances from an excellent cast which includes Halloween (2007) alumnus Danielle Harris and Top Gun’s Kelly McGillis. He also breaks a few long-established genre rules, throwing our sense of safety right out the window. Forget what you think you know about horror. This one’s a game-changer. [Scott McKellar]

Senna

Potiche

Director: Asif Kapadia

Director: François Ozon

Starring: Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost (archive footage) Released: 3 Jun Certificate: 12A

Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini Released: 17 Jun Certificate: TBC

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In The Warrior and Far North, Asif Kapadia displayed his strength as a visual storyteller, and those same instincts are at work in Senna, the director’s first documentary feature. Taking advantage of an enormous wealth of archive footage (some of which, provided by Bernie Ecclestone, has never been seen before), Kapadia has assembled a vivid and moving portrait of Ayrton Senna, the brilliant Formula 1 racing driver who lost his life at Imola seventeen years ago. The film is an absorbing character study, with Senna the charismatic central figure in a great drama full of triumph, tragedy, political machinations and bitter rivalry (with teammate and competitor Alain Prost). Fittingly, it maintains a propulsive momentum from the start, and the decision to avoid any interview segments, which would have disrupted its gripping flow, is one of the director’s smartest moves. In fact, Kapadia’s judgement is beyond reproach throughout Senna, and particular praise must be reserved for the exemplary manner in which he handles the film’s devastating denouement. [Philip Concannon]

Potcihe is a perfume scented doodle, as fluffy and pretty as candyfloss, with as little substance. Set in 1977, Deneuve plays the bourgeois trophy wife of a draconian factory tycoon who gets the chance to embrace women’s liberation when her husband is hospitalised, leaving her to run the family business. Gérard Depardieu shows up as a left-wing politician and possible love interest but the only weight he brings to proceedings is his own inertia.

Can this saccharine farce really be the work of the man who brought us Criminal Lovers and Swimming Pool? In Ozon’s last Deneuve collaboration, the wonderfully daft whodunit-musical 8 Women, his leading lady enjoyed a fumble on some shag carpeting with Fanny Ardant. In Potiche, Denuve’s sex life is restricted to soft focus flash-backs with a younger actor. For five decades Deneuve’s career has been a coquettish dance with the camera, but Ozon seems to see her as a dress-up doll. Perhaps that’s one taboo France’s enfant terrible is not prepared to break: pensioner nookie. [Jamie Dunn]

48 THE SKINNY June 2011

They're coming to get you, Barbara!

The Filmhouse in Edinburgh is celebrating the life and works of legendary composer Bernard Herrmann from the end of June through July.

Most famous for his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, which include his haunting score for Vertigo, the Filmhouse is marking the centenary of his birth on 29 June with a special screening of Psycho, one of Hitch’s greatest films and a fitting example of the musician’s talents.

Let’s hope that Glasgow stays dry between 23-26 June, because Kelvingrove Park is the location for Grosvenor Cinema in the Park each evening. Four films will be shown over the weekend, starting with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The camp cult musical is followed by one of the better Indiana Jones films, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and another camp cult musical, Mamma Mia!. The final film of the event is an audience choice, so go online to log your vote.

At Glasgow Film Theatre 24-30 Jun

Do you have any vacancies?

Two film appreciation courses are beginning at the GFT in June. Aimed at adults interested in expanding their film knowledge and critical approach, on 14 June Space is the Place: Landscape in Artists’ Films begins, while starting on 22 June, Dr. David Archibald will lead Contemporary Cinema 1. Comprising of seminars and special screenings, those interested in either month-long courses should contact the GFT to book a place.

Finally, the Cameo in Edinburgh is showing Lucy Walker’s latest political documentary, Countdown to Zero, on 21 June. Featuring interviews with several key politicians, her film traces the history of the atomic bomb and comments on the current situation, in which nine nations possess nuclear arms. The film is accompanied by a special live satellite Q&A with the director.[Becky Bartlett]

Countdown to zero

FILM

DVD REVIEWS L’AGE D’OR

NEVER LET ME GO

ARMADILLO

DIRECTOR: LUIS BUÑUEL, SALVADOR DALI

DIRECTOR: MARK ROMANEK

DIRECTOR: JANUS METZ PEDERSEN

STARRING: GASTON MODOT, LYA LYS, MAX ERNST RELEASED: OUT NOW CERTIFICATE: 15

STARRING: CAREY MULLIGAN, ANDREW GARFIELD, KEIRA KNIGHTLEY RELEASED: 27 JUN CERTIFICATE: 12

STARRING: N/A RELEASED: 13 JUN CERTIFICATE: 15

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“Surreal” is a much over used adjective but L’Age D’Or is the real deal. Made in 1930 by the Surrealist dream team of Salvador Dali and Luis Buñuel, it mixes the former’s characteristic hallucinatory images with the latter’s scurrilous anti-bourgeois humour.

So it features a man with a loaf of bread on his head, a cow in a bed, a horse cart in a ballroom, a suicide stuck to the ceiling, and an urbane, dandyish hero with extreme anger management issues who is compelled to squash beetles, kick dogs and slap old ladies at cocktail parties.

This hectic, often funny film is loosely structured around the repeated failure of a couple to consummate their frenzied passion for each other, making it an artful and disturbing meditation on desire and the impossibility of its fulfilment. Also included in this dual format edition is Dali and Buñuel’s earlier collaboration, Un Chien Andalou, with its still shocking razor-across-an-eyeball shot. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

Clad in grey clothes and with golden complexions, Hailsham students are special creatures. Raised to fulfil a very specific biological purpose, they are empty vessels propelled from school, through adolescence, and directly into respite centres where they care for, or become, donors.

Cathy (Carey Mulligan), a fragile-looking student, carries questions and insecurities in her wan frame, quietly searching for the answers behind their strange existence. Her best friend and crush Tommy is poignantly played by an adorably naive Andrew Garfield. Their inept fondness carries a sincerity as hapless as it is heartbreaking. Sharing a way of speaking that’s at once innocent and world-weary, their words reveal the cramped egos of children denied love and nurturing. Stunning locations and set design combine with a subtly piercing palette, melding real English countryside and old town beauty with a world that’s not quite our own.

Though initially piecemeal, Romanek’s vision transforms Kazuo Ishiguro’s ethereal novel of questions into a well-crafted story of tragic love. [Nicola Balkind]

rrrr Armadillo’s approach to the war in Afghanistan is nominally non-political, but the film was nonetheless the subject of much debate in Denmark due to the contentious actions of its subjects, the young soldiers of the titular Helmand base. Armadillo possesses the momentum of a tightly-scripted fiction. In keeping with the Chekhovian dictum that a gun shown in Act 1 should later be fired, an early briefing regarding the ‘rules of engagement’ portends their subsequent (apparent) violation. This narrative economy, coupled with Lars Skree’s stylised cinematography, makes it easy to overlook the genuine risks taken, but it does permit an expressionistic edge atypical of observational documentaries. This produces one of the most potent edits of the War on Terror’s onscreen depictions to date: as an off-duty soldier ‘relaxes’ with a first-person shooter, the image cuts from his avatar lobbing a grenade to a real-life explosion, a bravura condensation of one of modern warfare’s most unsettling traits. [Chris Buckle]

MEN ON THE BRIDGE

127 HOURS

HOWL

DIRECTOR: ASLI OZGE

DIRECTOR: DANNY BOYLE

DIRECTOR: ROB EPSTEIN, JEFFREY FRIEDMAN

STARRING: CEMILE ILKER, UMUT ILKER, FIKRET PORTAKAL RELEASED: 13 JUN CERTIFICATE: 15

STARRING: JAMES FRANCO, AMBER TAMBLYN, KATE MARA RELEASED: 6 JUN CERTIFICATE: 15

STARRING: JAMES FRANCO, MARY-LOUISE PARKER, JON HAMM RELEASED: 20 JUN CERTIFICATE: 15

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Men on the Bridge follows three men whose lives are connected by the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul. Shot with a handheld camera and featuring real-life, non-actor types (à la Made in Chelsea), the film looks and feels like a documentary. As we flit between jobless teen Fikret, beleaguered taxi driver Umit and lonely traffic cop Murat all we’re missing is cheap shots from the Panorama voiceover guy. Director Asli Özge doesn’t make any concessions in the terms of cinematic frills that would upset the fly-on-the-wall feel. Amidst all the arse scratching, however, are light touches of comedy and pathos. Like Murat’s struggle in a dingy gym for a six-pack to land him a girl. There are wider political themes going on (like the strains of Turkish nationalism) but it’s the small stuff that Özge is interested in. The result is hypnotic if uneventful – like staring at traffic from a flyover.

[Alastair Roy]

films worth talking about

HOME OF THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

It is unlikely that anyone watching 127 Hours will be unfamiliar with the story of Aron Ralston, a hiker who became trapped in a canyon in Utah when his arm was pinned by a falling rock, and his subsequent self-amputation to free himself. The two questions are: how would the film-makers make this severely restricted tale (one character, one cramped location, one blunt knife) compelling? And exactly how harrowing is the climactic scene? Director Boyle uses his usual inventive, kinetic style to portray Ralston (excellently played by Franco) as a hyperactive, self-obsessed loner abruptly forced into absolute stasis. During the scenes in the canyon time does occasionally begin to drag, but then it probably did for Ralston too. For all it’s modern sheen, this story of a selfish, cocksure hero re-formed by a wilderness experience and returned to family and responsibility is as old as American literature. Oh yes, the answer to the second question: really harrowing. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

Allen Ginsberg was the fiery voice of a whole generation of disaffected American intellectuals and never more so than in his first published work, the poem Howl. Epstein and Friedman’s quirky biopic of the same name weaves between an interview with Ginsberg, his early experiences with men and his publishers’ subsequent trial for obscenity, interspersed with powerful and often beautiful animated sequences and spoken passages from the poem.

In a time of frigid social norms and artistic censorship, Ginsberg had the courage to say the unsayable. Key to the film’s success is James Franco.

One of the most interesting and gifted young actors working today, he relishes unconventional roles and attacks the part with gusto. As Ginsberg, he handles the relationships with Kerouac and Orlovsky sensitively, and continues to be one to watch. Howl serves as a well-crafted and accessible introduction to one of the 20th Century’s greatest poets. Ultimately Ginsberg stood for truth above all in art and life. There’s no better fight. [Scott McKellar]

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JUNE 2011

THE SKINNY 49

ART

REVIEW

Dundee Degree SHow It’s degree show time again, and first up is DJCAD – replete with eggs and a weird ape-man

Degree show time rolls round to Dundee once more, and the class of 2011 pitches up to offer the world its wares. With 300 students, 11 undergraduate programmes, and fourteen floors across two buildings, it’s quite an itinerary, and the Fine Art course is waiting for the yearly casting of thousands of critical eyes.

The diversity of work in the Scottish art scene just now is its very strength, and trying to spot trends is probably a fool’s errand. Better just to grab a map on the way in and simply get on with it.

The Cooper Gallery at the front of the Crawford Building makes an apt setting for the minimal sculptures of Julie Duffy, whose stark wooden planes, edged with insulation foam, command the space with some authority. Their spare, angular forms seem quite at home here against the classicist architecture.

Next door, by way of contrast, we see an installation by Beth Savage from the Art, Philosophy and Contemporary Practice course. A video plays of the artist sat under a tree wearing a pair of big felt bunny ears on her head, and over on a nearby table there’s an arrangement of teacups full of egg yolks. References to French author Georges Bataille are duly checked on the artist’s gallery handout, but it’s done in a way that feels more like fun than homework.

Sculptures by Raluca Iancu are fun too – and sort of traumatic at the same time, with wrecked cars and mangled planes, made using soft, tactile materials in bright, friendly colours.

Upstairs on Level 5 is a room painted top to bottom in black gloss, the setting for a hexagonal structure clambered over by an apelike celebrant of some unspecified esoteric rite. Phantom by Ross Fleming is a visceral telling of a secreted ritual, an act that’s all the more thrilling for being concealed behind a veil of darkness. Coming to it from the bright, airy Crawford corridors is much like stumbling into a black metal fan’s bedroom during a museum tour, and makes for a startling discovery.

Walking further along the way, Katie Morrison shows delicately rendered paintings featuring tessellations of machine guns, hand grenades and fishnet patterns.

Deep in the basement of the Matthew Building, the graduates of the Time Based Art programme make an annual showcase of the college’s renowned technical facilities. The short films of Rose Hendry certainly deliver in this regard. Realised to an acutely professional standard in terms of both camerawork and sound editing, her witty wordless vignettes were viscerally thrilling. The vivid pink of lipstick smoking on a cigarette, the bright red of tomato ketchup, the glamorous lady blowing a whistle amid the suds in Bird Bath, all these sights and sounds were indelibly branded onto the audience’s central nervous system. The shot of a cigarette stubbed out on the yolk of a fried egg will live long in the memory. [Ben Robinson]

Rose Hendry

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design University of Dundee Perth Road Julie Duffy

www.dundee.ac.uk/djcad/degreeshow

THOMAS HOUSEAGO The Beat of the Show

Ross Fleming

Sat 21 May - Sun 31 July 2011

Nina Rhode: Friendly Fire Cara Tolmie: Read Thou Art and Read Thou Shalt Remain

INVERLEITH HOUSE

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 15 May to 3 July Admission free. Closed Mondays www.rbge.ac.uk/inverleith-house

50 THE SKINNY June 2011

Registered Charity No. SCO26631

152 Nethergate Dundee DD1 4DY 01382 909900

Exhibition open Tue - Sat 11:00 - 18:00 Sun 12:00 - 18:00 Thu until 20:00

www.dca.org.uk

Admission free

BOOKS

REVIEWS THE GREAT NIGHT

A ROSE LOUPT OOT

BY CHRIS ADRIAN

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Chris Adrian has reworked A Midsummer Night’s Dream into a novel that is beautifully written and acutely observed.

He says this story, only his third novel, can be summarised into ‘what shall we do about love?’. He answers that with a telling that blends the humour of the original with energy, imagination and a strong emphasis on illusion.

Adrian weaves characters’ memories and magical events skillfully, to blur the division and make sure the pace doesn’t slip, and he manages to retain the feel of the play though the book is close to 300 pages. He does speech well and the action within the park feels both stage-managed and balanced between light and meaningful. In parts it has aspects of Ian McEwan’s Enduring Love for its sharp snapshot descriptions. This hypnotic style is shown well in his short stories – The New Yorker had Adrian as one of its ‘20 under 40’ fiction writers in 2010. The parts which stand out are where the novel talks about medicine and not wanting to admit a relationship is over, both of which turn out to be the autobiographical elements. A darkly comedic take on the original that’s a joy to wander through. [Sue Lawrenson] RELEASE DATE 2 JUN. PUBLISHED BY GRANTA. COVER PRICE £16.99

BY EDITED BY DAVID BETTERIDGE

A Rose Loupt Oot is a collection of songs and poems associated with the work-in at the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders, now nearly 40 years ago. The bulk of the work here was created at the time, for the workers, but there are a few commemorative pieces included too.

Extensive notes introduce the songs and poems in turn, and help explain the historical context. This was, roughly, that Ted Heath’s government refused to bail out the UCS, it led not to a strike, but to a work-in where the workers completed all of the existing orders the shipyard had, gaining massive public support and eventually forcing the government’s support too.

The book explains this properly, don’t worry. And it’s a great book, where the historical notes set up the creative pieces nicely, and the creative pieces fill out the historical context – to get a good sense of this event, it’s very valuable to have a record of the art of the time. It’s a notably strong selection, with work by everyone from folk singers Matt McGinn and Jimmie MacGregor to poet Jackie Kay, and even TV dramatist Donna Franceschild.

The quality is probably so high because the common subject was, and is, such a strong inspiration.

[Keir Hind] OUT NOW. PUBLISHED BY SMOKESTACK BOOKS. COVER PRICE £8.95. [IN CASE YOU’RE WONDERING, THE TITLE IS FROM HUGH MACDIARMID’S A DRUNK MAN LOOKS AT THE THISTLE

ON THE STATE OF EGYPT

WHERE THE BODIES ARE BURIED

BY ALAA AL ASWANY

BY CHRIS BROOKMYRE

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Even as the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak reached its climax, there were those who doubted the possibility of regime change in Egypt. One man who kept the faith was Alaa Al Aswany. This collection of articles documents Aswany’s long-standing opposition to Mubarak’s government and his firm belief that Egypt would embrace democracy. Delivered with compassion, insight and sardonic humour, Aswany’s analysis reads like a doctor’s diagnosis: a despotic regime inflicting unspeakable cruelties on its people; a disconnect between religious rituals and ethical behaviour; and a failure to realise a great nation’s potential. There’s also an unexpected appearance by the woman who caused Gordon Brown such a headache during last year’s UK election campaign. Aswany relates the story of Gillian Duffy’s chance encounter with the prime minister, and the toe-curling apology he had to make after calling her “bigoted.” Such an episode, says Aswany, could never have happened in Egypt, where rigged elections had emasculated public opinion. Just as Mubarak was preparing to bequeath Egypt – “like a poultry farm” – to his son, the president discovered his dynasty was done for.

A new chapter in Egypt’s story has begun, and Alaa Al Aswany will be there to write it. [James Carson] OUT NOW. PUBLISHED BY CANONGATE. COVER PRICE £12.99

Christopher Brookmyre’s latest novel is something of a departure from his previous work – the ‘satirical crime’ genre – into something a little more serious. Before getting into why this works superbly, here’s a pet peeve: passages like ‘he turned left off Tollcross Road before it became Hamilton Road, heading north past Tollcross Park and east again on Shettleston Road…’ seem unnecessary, when ‘he circled round past the park onto the main road’ etc would do.

Streetmap geography slows a book down, and isn’t really effective at evoking Glasgow, or anywhere else.

Strange that Brookmyre falls into this (overly common) trap, especially as the book is genuinely excellent at evoking place through describing economic factors that affect districts, or, more pertinently, the general way that Glaswegians speak and act. Having moved away from comedic characters, Brookmyre proves excellent at creating grounded ones, who do make jokes but to make each other laugh, not to play to the gallery. The plot involves Jasmine Sharp, actress turned private detective, Catherine McLeod, actual police detective, and Glen Fallan, killer the detectives pursue. Ignoring the geography thing (probably just my problem anyway) and absorbing the clever unfolding of characters and plot reveals a superbly balanced tale, expertly told. [Ryan Agee] RELEASE DATE 2 JUN. PUBLISHED BY LITTLE, BROWN. COVER PRICE £17.99

THE VALUE OF NOTHING “Nothing will come of nothing” said King Lear, although Shakespeare shows that plenty did. Plenty came of nothing for author SHERIDAN SIMOVE too when he wrote a book with nothing in it…

WORDS: KEIR HIND Sheridan ‘Shed’ Simove is a man of many careers, having written for comedy aliens Zig and Zag, been commissioning editor of Big Brother and produced many novelty gift items, like a ‘ControlA-Woman’ remote control. After taking years to produce a book about his career and ideas called Ideas Man, and seeing it only sell modestly, he decided to produce another book which mixed his desire to write with his flair for producing gift items. Thus the book What Every Man Thinks About Apart From Sex was born, a very succesful 200 page book that’s completely blank inside.

It’s been out for a while now, and some (male) students have proven him wrong by using it as a lecture notebook – or does this prove him right, as it still shows what men think about? Anyway, the book is back in the news as translated versions are launched around the world, no doubt making some paid translators very happy.

It’s obviously a hokey concept, which is probably why it’s popular, but give Simove some credit – he didn’t try to pass the book off as art. There are a number of examples of artistic blankness, such as Robert Rauschenberg’s White Paintings from the 1950s. As a depiction of whiteness, they can’t really be flawed, and commentators, and Rauschenberg himself, spoke about how the paintings did produce emotional reactions in the viewer.

True, although many would argue that the craft of art, the actual appreciable effort in making the piece which for some is an essential element, had been eliminated. Yasmin Reza’s play Art deals with the fallout amongst three friends when one buys an almost blank painting. Maybe it is or isn’t art, but it certainly produces enough of an emotional reaction amongst these three characters.

Art the play is a series of elaborate discussions. However, blankness on stage is... almost... possible too. Samuel Beckett’s Breath is a piece that involves the recorded sound of someone breathing in and out, lasting around thirty seconds, with nothing on stage but some rubbish. Again, the question of art vs craft is raised here, and it doesn’t help that Beckett sent the play on a

postcard to its first producer. It also doesn’t help that when Channel 4 chose various directors for their complete Beckett on Film series, they chose controversy magnet Damian Hirst as the director of this one.

Another controversial figure, composer John Cage, created probably his most controversial piece by making it completely silent. 4’33” is a composition in three movements, which in the piano version are delineated by the raising and lowering of the keyboard lid. Part of the point is that though the composition itself is silent, the actual piece never is, as the audience hears all kinds of noise, mostly made by the actual audience. This is not without its detractors though. Comedian Mark Steel often comments on his laughter and disgust at hearing the piece examined on BBC2’s Late Review, where someone said “..and of course, we were privileged as we also got to hear the rehearsal.”

All of this is necessary preamble, seeking to answer the question of how to review Shed Simove’s work in a way that fully encapsulates all thought about it in a way that does it justice. And so the review goes like this:

WHAT EVERY MAN THINKS ABOUT APART FROM SEX

BY SHERIDAN SIMOVE

[Keir Hind]

Now, clearly this raises three important questions. The first two are why the piece is so well written, obviously, and then whether Simove can make an accusation of plagiarism. The answer to this is that it’s actually a reference to King Lear, specifically the blank space Shakespeare thoughtfully includes between Lear’s line ‘Nothing!’ and Cordelia’s subsequent ‘Nothing’. Being full of Shakespearean references then, this is why the review is so good, and being public domain, and in any case translated to a review form, is why

no-one can make any accusation of plagiarism.

The third question is that, having just read a review drawn from the nothing between two “nothing”s, about a book about nothing, and consisting of nothing, how can you be sure you’ve been reading anything at all?

WHAT EVERY MAN THINKS ABOUT APART FROM SEX IS BEST BOUGHT THROUGH AMAZON HTTP://TINY.CC/8C9H0 FOR MORE INFO ABOUT SHERIDAN SIMOVE VISIT WWW.SHEDSIMOVE.COM

JUNE 2011

THE SKINNY 51

PERFORM

venue of the Month:

Month of the Venues By cutting funding to our venues local authorities could be shooting themselves in the foot WORDS: Gareth K Vile

When the National Theatre of Scotland defined itself as a company “without walls”, they echoed the discovery of many cash-strapped dramatists: an established venue is not necessarily essential.

Theatre can happen anywhere, from a warehouse (Dundee Rep’s latest production, Rhymes with Purples’ water-boarding special), through airports (The NTS) to the side of the Clyde (Kate E Deeming – Glasgow’s morning dancer). At the same time, a National Theatre could only make this brave decision because Scottish venues were already diverse and plentiful.

It hasn’t been a great year for venues. G12 Gilmorehill’s commercial management team was disbanded by Glasgow University, Te Pooka’s bold attempt to maintain the Red Door in Edinburgh’s pubic triangle failed, and The Ramshorn, after fighting successfully for its life last year, is being threatened with closure by Strathclyde University. Other spaces are developing new identities: Tramway is slowly strengthening the connection between its visual and performance art, and booking big name choreographers; The Citizens bagged Dominic Hill as artistic director. And smaller companies are unearthing new places – Fort Tightlaced in Edinburgh, or the SWG3 in Glasgow – to respond to the economic climate.

Vague attempts to challenge cuts in state funding – the odd Facebook campaign and the occasional ranting article – would be better coordinated towards a defence of existing venues.

It might be possible to find new places, and it is always exciting to be driven out to an industrial estate to watch actors torture each other, but established venues provide both the stage and a

forum for networking and discussion. Programmes like Mayfesto, the Traverse’s autumn offensive and Arches Live! are more than just a selection of plays. They are the epicentres of artistic communication.

The reopening of Cottiers, and the appearance of the Glue Factory in Glasgow are to be welcomed: Cottiers’ return suggests that theatres are viable economic concerns, but the history of public funding warns that venues are not safer in state hands. Leith Theatre, now hosting Dance Base’s expansion, was rescued by a local trust that feared for its safety within Edinburgh Council’s care. This was in 2004, a time of supposed prosperity, in a city that has the largest Fringe festival in the world. Hacking at theatres and public spaces is going to be very tempting for local authorities when cuts start to bite.

Whether the state’s attack on the arts is philistinism, or a conscious effort to undermine a fruitful space for public discussion – the NTS’ Dunsinane is a reminder of how theatre trumps politicians in the understanding of national identity – a strategy of resistance could concentrate on protecting existing spaces. Whether they book in major tours – the EFT, Theatre Royal, the two Kings and Macrobert – maintain a strong company themselves – Dundee Rep – or reach into the community – Citizens, Traverse, Tron – the theatres are symbols of a healthy performance community.

Unfortunately, the vision of local authorities can be confusing. In 2010, the English Higher Close Reading reprinted a report on Glasgow’s approach to city planning. It clearly identified the emphasis on tourism as a trap, and the best festivals have

REVIEW Dunsinane Lyceum, 17 May

rrrr Running at over two hours, Dunsinane consists of two plays, somewhat uneasily joined: a tragicomedy of the troops, and the almost classical tragedy of Siward and Lady Macbeth. Part medieval Blackwatch and part bold rewriting of Scottish legend, some of the characterisation, especially of King Malcolm, is too inconsistent, bending to the demands of the themes: and the humour often sits uneasily with the more melodramatic confrontations.

The acting, although brilliant across the cast, is uneven in tone: Brian Ferguson’s decadent monarch is dryly hilarious, where Jonny Phillips pulls off Shakespearean grandeur. But while they never coalesce as an ensemble, they lend the play an uneasy tone, echoing the broader sense of political

52 THE SKINNY June 2011

The Ramshorn

Dominic Hill

Tramway

always had a firm support both from and by the local communities. As long as councils are intent on showing off to the world – Scotland with Style – the actual ongoing work of community development will be marginalised, effectively destroying the culture that allows the boasting. Back in the 1980s, the Merchant City was a shit-hole, and the Ramshorn was one of the first places to establish a beach-head. This was then followed by visual artists, resisting the establishment of GOMA by having their own galleries in the cheap East End.

Two decades later, Glasgow City Council wades in to gentrify the area, capitalising on the pioneers.

If they do this at the cost of grassroots activity, and fail to support venues that are willing to take risks, there will be nothing left to build their next international bragging session. www.leiththeatretrust.org/ www.strath.ac.uk/ culture/ramshorn/info/ www.whatdotheyknow. com/request/52439/response/133402/attach/ html/2/Response%20F0119694.pdf.html www.tron.co.uk

PREVIEW confusion. And in those moments where it works, as in a sudden shift from flirtatious banter to suicidal terrorism, it heightens the emotional impact.

Playwright David Greig may not be imitating Shakespeare, but the debt he owes to Macbeth emphasises that this is a self-conscious attempt to make a major Scottish play. That it is built on an English original serves to stress the way that Scottish identity is tangled in a wider British identity: the passages of Gaelic, and the brilliant use of traditional song, combine with the English squaddies’ alienation from the Highlands to locate Scotland as not merely English with an accent, and further complicates Greig’s take on nationhood.

Fierce and thoughtful, intelligent and inconclusive, Dunsinane may be Greig’s most important work to date, and he is never disappointed by either the production or the performers. [Gareth K Vile] Running across Scotland until 11 Jun at The Lyceum and then moving to the Citizens www.nationaltheatrescotland.com

After the End Dundee Rep, 16-25 Jun

After Sweeney Todd, a musical of operatic complexity, and a taut update of the classic Dolls House, Emma Faulkner directs the company in a terse two hander that juggles social and personal terror.

“After the End stands out not just as being an intense psychological thriller,” Faulkner begins.”But it’s also rather noticeable as a rare site-specific production and certainly the first time that we’ve done a show in a warehouse at the back of the theatre!”

Dealing with the aftermath of what appears to be an act of kindness, the play pits a man and woman, in isolation, battling each other and the apparent end of civilisation. It seems to recall paranoias of the Cold War: mass destruction, isolation and deceit with a sharp contemporary resonance.

“We still live in an equally uncertain world in which there is an ever-present threat from international terrorism, unstable political regimes with nuclear potential or natural disasters,” she continues. “The play also taps into universal themes such as fear, isolation and loneliness, and looks at the ways in which they can manifest.

After the End is a razor sharp, brilliantly written and thought provoking play at any time but given recent events including Japan, it feels particularly relevant.”

Through its echoes of both past anxiety and present horror, After The End is a rare example of taut, claustrophobic theatre, showcasing the versatility of the Rep’s company and how performance can capture the personal impact of

massive human disasters. [Gareth K Vile] Dundee Rep Ensemble presents After the End By Dennis Kelly At Dundee Rep Theatre 16 – 25 Jun at 7.30pm Performers Helen Darbyshire, Tony McGeever and director Emma Faulkner will take After the End to Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer, performing at the Pleasance Courtyard 6 – 28 Aug www.dundeerep.co.uk

COMEDY

In Profile:

Michael Redmond He was once described as the “possessor of comedy’s most mournful moustache” and Stewart Lee affectionately called him an “anonymous weirdo”, but most people will know Michael Redmond as Father Ted's Father Stone, the most boring priest in the world Interview: Bernard O'Leary Illustration: Kate Copeland

“I think Graham [Linehan] and Arthur [Matthews] wrote the part around me. My stand-up routine at the time mainly consisted of one-liners with long pauses in between.”

Redmond has deadpanned his way through the UK comedy scene for the last 25 years, initially working from London back in the days when “you could call up for an open spot and have a gig by the end of the week. I think it takes about a year nowadays.” He became a regular fixture at The Comedy Store before his on-stage persona was immortalised in the first series of Father Ted. “I was living in London when it first aired and I didn’t get a lot of attention. But then when I moved to Glasgow, everybody seemed to know me. It only caused me a problem once. This woman, who’d obviously never been at a comedy gig, came up to me after I’d been compering at The Stand. She said, ‘I was a bit disappointed, I thought you’d be more like Father Stone.’ Can you imagine that, a compere who stands there for 10 minutes saying nothing? Actually, that’d be great. I’d do it every week if I could get away with it.”

Redmond has been compering The Sunday Service at The Stand in Glasgow for the last five years now, which gives him a chance to muck around and get involved with the audience a lot more, something he really enjoys. As well as performing, he’s a prolific writer, although he’s had some horrible luck over the years. “I wrote a show for Radio 4 called Eamon, Brother of Christ.

It was about how the holy family were really Irish and Jesus had this older brother who never got a look in. It was written and recorded and then this new controller came in, a Scottish Catholic. He only found out about the show when he saw it in the Radio Times and he refused to broadcast it because it was blasphemous. Of course, what I forgot to consider was that if Jesus had an older brother, Mary wouldn’t have been a virgin.”

With that level of Biblical understanding, Redmond probably would have made a rubbish priest.

Lucky for him he’s a great comedian.

Clubbers...

Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service, every Sunday, The Stand, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £6 (£5) www.thestand.co.uk

Want to be The Skinny's new clubs editor?

New Act of the Month:

James Kirk

Go to www.theskinny.co.uk/jobs

PHOTO: Helen Abraham

Age: 23 Based in: Paisley First gig: 6 November 2009, QMU Union, Glasgow Number of gigs: 107 Most memorable gig: I remember a gig in a venue called Caprice in Ayr. It was January 2010, so it must’ve been about my eighth gig. It was the first time that I had really enjoyed doing stand up, and felt comfortable with my material.

How did you get into comedy? I was bored! I was unemployed at the time, and I had done bits and bobs of sketches, and I thought I’d give it a go.

How would you describe your comedy? A really bad best man speech – a deliberately very nervous, awkward performance. It’s almost like each gig is my first gig. I get so nervous before I go on stage anyway, so it helps; I don’t hide it. I think that’s the worst thing in comedy; when people get nervous and try to hide it by being overconfident.

Who are your heroes on the Scottish Comedy scene? Parrot is someone I have great admiration for. He’s got so many stories; he’s been everywhere and done everything, and he’s still a great act, too. I’ve got a lot of time for him. Vladimir McTavish is a great act, and always looks after the new acts coming through. Gary Little, Mark Nelson

and Raymond Mearns are masters of their craft.

[Lizzie Cass-Maran] See Richard gigging around Scotland this month, including: 5 Jun, The Stand, Glasgow 10 Jun, Rock Ness 20 Jun, The Stand, Edinburgh

June 2011

THE SKINNY 53

COMPS

WIN LOTS AND LOTS WIN TICKETS (PLUS A OF CANONGATE VIP PASS!) TO TASTE OF BOOKS! EDINBURGH!

We can’t believe it’s June already either. You, faithful Skinny reader, are most likely planning on chugging a few Pimm’s then laying face down in the grass with a good book, but can’t think of which one? We've got it covered thanks to our pals at Canongate, who are giving away 5 sets of their Summer Reads 2011: • The Crimson Petal and the White, by Michel Faber • The Radleys, by Matt Haig • Bed, by David Whitehouse • Pereira Maintains, by Antonio Tabucchi (and our Blogs Editor’s personal favourite) • The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ,

by Philip Pullman • Beatrice and Virgil, by Yann Martel And because we don't want your afternoon snooze to be disturbed by worrying about what to get for Father’s Day, we’ve thought of that too with: • The Pacific (The Official HBO/Sky TV Tie-in), by Hugh Ambrose • My Friend the Mercenary, by James Brabazon • Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead, by Neil Strauss • An Idiot Abroad, by Karl Pilkington. AND the DVD starring Karl Pilkington, Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais.

Now be nice and don't keep it for you.

Q: WHICH IS THE FIRST DATE OF SUMMER? Deadline: 14 June for the Father’s Day prize, 30 June for the 5 sets Terms: www.theskinny.co.uk/terms Prizes aren’t redeemable for cash

Do you like food and drinks? We thought so, which is why we’ve teamed up with Taste of Edinburgh, in partnership with AEG, to offer one lucky reader a pair of tickets to sample the über-tasty line up at Scotland's biggest food and drink festival.

And it’s not any ticket: the winner will get 2 VIP tickets which include fast track entry to the event and a glass of champagne on arrival before sampling mouthwatering menus and exploring fine food. And wine from over 100 top producers. Oh, and exclusive access to the VIP area, complimentary access to all features, masterclasses and demos, too..

Worry not if you aren’t lucky enough to win the VIP prize, we also have ten pairs of standard tickets to the event.

On 1–3 July fine dining is transported to The Meadows as Taste of Edinburgh returns for a fifth year of summertime eating, drinking and entertainment. Fourteen of Scotland’s best restaurants will be serving up their finest dishes in an unbeatable alfresco gourmet feast.

Q: WHERE IS TASTE OF EDINBURGH 2011 TAKING PLACE? Deadline: 24 June Terms: www.theskinny.co.uk/terms Prizes aren’t redeemable for cash.

WIN AN INTIMATE SCREENING WITH BIFFY CLYRO! All you superfans out there will be overjoyed to hear that Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro are releasing their first live album, a 19-track selection of their songs to date and DVD Revolutions // Live at Wembley on 27 June.

Q. WHAT IS THE FIRST TRACK ON THE BIFFY ALBUM PUZZLE?

To celebrate the release, the band are showcasing a DVD preview of their landmark gig, including full band commentary and a documentary of last year’s T in the Park show Only Reflections at Edinburghs HMV Picture House on 29 June.

The night will also include a short super-exclusive acoustic set from the band.

Deadline: 20 Jun. Winners will be notified by Fri 24 Jun, and must reply by Mon 27 Jun to secure the prize.

The Skinny are giving away two tickets to one lucky reader to attend courtesy of Warner Music, travel expenses included. Two runners up will win a copy of the DVD signed by Biffy themselves.

www.wmg.com www.biffyclyro.com

For the chance to win this money-can’t-buy prize just answer the following question:

54 THE SKINNY JUNE 2011

To enter, visit www.theskinny.co.uk/ competitions

Terms: You must be 16 or over to enter, further details can be found at www.theskinny.co.uk/ terms. This prize cannot be redeemed for cash.

Glasgow music Tue 31 May KAN (Kristan Harvey, The Sanna) Stereo, 19:30–22:30, £10

New folk quartet featuring Brian Finnegan, Aidan O’Rourke, Ian Stephenson and Jim Goodwin.

The Llandellas Pivo Pivo, 19:30–23:30, Free

Glasgow four-piece with a passion for mod, garage, prog and psych.

Tangles Mono, 20:00–22:30, Free

Mellow Glasgow popsters, all ambient and lovely like.

Jason Collett Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £9

Canadian troubadour, blurring the lines of rock, folk and countrified soul.

The Bookhouse Boys (Alice Gold) King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £7

London nine-piece combining surf guitars and mariachi horns.

The Glasgow Slow Club (Beer Jacket, Reverie) Bloc+, 21:00–01:00, Free

Relaxed music night with live guests from the local scene.

Wed 01 Jun Gregory Alan Isakov Brel, 19:30–22:00, £10

Johannesburg-born lyrical talent, moving in vibrant, yet subtle, soundscapes.

Ross Leighton Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Acoustic folk from the young Kilmarnock lad.

Zulu People, The Gun Street Few, We Came From The Sea Capitol, 19:30–22:30, £4

Mini alternative rock showcase.

Aspen Tide (Remember Paris) Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Glasgow pop/rock foursome employing guitars, bass, keys, drums, and glock.

Chris T-T (Hordes Of Unstoppable Skeletons, Roscoe Vacant & The Gantin’ Screichs) 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £5

Brighton-based singer/songwriter with seething poetic lyrics.

Muso (Barents Sea, The Fiction, Meanwhile City) Buff Club, 21:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Anything goes fusion of live bands and clubbing beats.

Thursday Night Live (Ray Bradshaw, Eddie Cassidy, Darren Connell) Highlight, 20:00–23:00, £8

Mixed showcase of headliners and newcomers. Raising funds for Response.

Fri 03 Jun 4 Hours of Drone (Andreas Jonsson, Alistair Crosbie, Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo, CK Dexter Haven, Neil Davidson, Noma) CCA, 19:00–22:00, £4

The Blind Watchmakers (Chasing Amy) O2 ABC, 19:00–22:30, £6

Four-piece Glasgow rock’n’rollers, fusing blues and indie into the mix.

The Cottier Chamber Project (Red Note Ensemble) Cottier’s, 20:00–22:00, £8 (£4)

Chamber concert of contemporary works, by composers closely associated with the West End of Glasgow.

Part of West End Festival.

Sound Whole, Raoul Duke Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

Alternative types, of the indie and rock variety.

Pretty much as it says: fours hours of continuos drone from six of Scotland’s weirdest and wildest experimentalists.

The Lava Experiments (Organs of Love)

Devon Sproule

The experimental psych Glasgow trio launch their new album.

CCA, 19:00–22:00, £12

Singer/songwriter from Virginia, whose music effortlessly encompasses folk, country and jazz elements.

Tommy Reilly Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £11.50

The youthful acoustic pop singer/ songwriter and piano tinkerer. Part of West End Festival.

Kris Tennant O2 Academy, 19:00–22:30, £tbc

Young acoustic rock singer/songwriter from Glasgow.

Phosphorescent Stereo, 19:00–22:30, £10

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Wolf Gang (Kyla La George, Kill The Waves) King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

Part Irish, part German post-modern popster, aka Max McElligott.

The Hellfire Club The Griffin, 20:30–23:00, £3

Live Americana night, featuring the songs of Johnny Cash.

Scottish Samba Showcase VI (Juba do Leao, SambaYaBamba, Banda 71) QMU, 21:00–02:00, £7 (£9 after 10)

A triple bill of live samba bands. Part of West End Festival.

Introspective Americana from Matthew Houck, aka Phosphorescent.

New Town Triptych (Laura Whellan)

Texas

Cottier’s, 22:00–00:00, £12

Barrowland, 19:00–23:00, £32.50

Glasgow soft-rockers fronted by Sharleen Spiteri.

Butterfly Fridays Butterfly & Pig, 19:00–03:00, Free

Live acoustic blues from The Fortunate Sons, followed by DJ Junior on deck duty.

Captain and the Kings (Endor) Brel, 19:30–22:00, £5

Harmony-driven folk/pop from the Glasgow five-piece, led by Steven Finnie’s authentic vocals.

Modern urban folk fae Glasgow. Part of West End Festival.

Sun 05 Jun Fence Collective & Friends Oran Mor, 17:00–01:00, £12

The Fence Collective host a one-off special, for which they won’t reveal the line-up until all the tickets have sold out. Part of West End Festival.

Aethanor Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £12

Experimental concrete meanderings from the Ulver chaps.

Over The Wall

All Mankind

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £5

Over The Wall perform on day 78 of their Around the Isles in 80 Days tour.

Praise be.

Trigger The Escape (Crabbit Rabbit) Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

Alternative pop-cum-punk-cumrock from Glasgow.

Brain Burner

Conan (Sunsmasher, Bacchus Baracus)

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £18.50

The American folk legend plays a rare show.

Kate McGill (Mike Dignam, The Corleones) Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £6

Young acoustic singer/songqriter from Plymouth.

Dave Dominey Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, £2

Funked-up bass loops, with laptop, electric bass and a guest soloist.

The Black Lights Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

Alternative rock from Bathgate, via West Lothian.

Brigitte Aphrodite King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £7.50

Cockney-voiced lady singing about life on the mean streets of Bromley.

Jim Dead & The Doubters (The Colts, Craig Hughes) 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £5 (incl. copy of album)

Dusty country, blues and Americana, as Jim Dead launches his new album, Ten Fires.

Battles

The Arches, 19:30–22:30, £15.50

Brooklyn’s chief spasmodic melody makers back-and-touring their new album, Gloss Drop.

WTF...?!

Stereo, 19:45–22:30, £6

Eclectic new night, offering a mix of bands that probably should never share the same stage.

Jackie Leven

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £8.50

Fife-born charmer on vocals, guitar and songwriting duties.

The Wild Swans

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £12

Liverpudlian alternative indie crossed with new wave stylings.

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £7

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Freakout post-rock folk from the New Jersey experimentalist.

Lumbering uber-doom, relentless and heavy in their approach.

The Indelicates (Daves Hughes & The Renegade Folk Punk Band, Anna Madeline)

Lev Atlas

Oran Mor, 18:30–22:00, £6

Cafe Cossachok, 21:00–23:00, £6

Popular folk tunes from the Russian violinist.

Butterfly & Pig, 21:00–12:00, Free

K.D. Lang SECC, 19:00–22:00, From £27.50

Canadian singer/songwriter straddling the line between pop and country.

Initial itch 13th Note, 19:30–23:00, £tbc

Mixed-up rammy of scratch poetry, comedy and live music.

Famous Stow College label present a special West End Festival showcase.

Michael Simons

Benjamin Francis Leftwich

Folk and blues fingerstyle guitarist.

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £8

Gentle, acoustic pop from the Yorkshire singer/songwriter.

Song Of Return The Arches, 19:00–22:30, £4

The Glasgow rockers launch their album, playing it live from start to finish.

Strawberry Ocean Sea The Arches, 19:00–22:30, £6

The rockin’ Glasgow five-piece stage part one of their EP launch.

Ivory Blacks, 19:00–22:30, £tbc

The alternative psych-rockers tour on the back of their new album.

Till This Night (The System, Midget and the Gems) O2 ABC, 19:00–22:30, £6

Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, £2

Matthew Dear Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £9

Avant-garde minimal techno from Dear and his five-piece live band.

Alasdair Roberts, Tannahill Ensemble, Beerjacket

The Ray-Bandos

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

Special folk-tinged performance of the works of 18th Century poet Robert Tannahill. Part of West End Festival.

Stereo, 19:00–22:30, £9

The Arches, 19:00–22:30, £12.50

Loveable pop from the indie kids, up-dating the C86 sound with layers of MBV-lite fuzz.

The Cut Throat Razors Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Glasgow collective playing selfpenned ska and punk.

Mr Wroe’s Ho’s. The Euan Platter Collective Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

Glasgow rockers experimenting with drum loops, samples, keyboards, violins, guitars and vocals.

Brian Wright, Jim Bianco King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £10

Moon-howling alternative country stylings from LA and Brooklyn.

The theatrical Glasgow seven-piece play The Automatic Wave and The Big Grab, the first two installments of their Black Egg Trilogy.

Live acoustic blues from The Fortunate Sons, followed by DJ Junior on deck duty.

CCA, 19:00–22:00, £6

Futures

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:30, £7.50

Rescheduled date for the rockmeets-pop London lads, now with a new album under their belt.

Korn (Yashin, Stillwell) O2 Academy, 19:00–22:30, £27

The Californian metal icons warm up ahead of their Download Festival appearance.

Butterfly & Pig, 19:00–03:00, Free

Elton John SECC, 19:30–22:00, From £35

The flower-loving showman plays with his full band.

The O’s Brel, 19:30–22:00, £5

Uplifting American ditties from the Texan band in possession of harmonicas and kick drums.

Volts Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £7

Kris Drever, Eamonn Coyne

AC/DC tribute act.

The talented folksters team-up for one-off show. Part of West End festival.

Vakunoht (The Jackhammers)

Oran Mor, 19:00–23:00, £12

Thomas Tantrum (Cats and Cats and Cats)

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Girl-led indie-pop troupe from Southampton.

Buff Club, 21:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Torch The Skyline (Descension)

Ivory Blacks, 18:30–22:30, £6

Hardcore metallic screamers from Glasgow.

Indiecode

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £10

Ayreshire rockers taking their cue from Oasis et al. Part of West End Festival.

Journey, Foreigner, STYX SECC, 19:00–22:00, £40

Three classic rock greats on one bill.

Can’t say fairer.

Broken Alphas (Burning Sunrise, The Sleeper Train, Neil McLaren)

Mon 06 Jun

Electric Honey Records Showcase

The Moons

The singing, songwriting sister duo known for their pristine harmonies and ethereal melodies.

The Chaplin Sisters

Manchester popsters trading in laidback guitar and distorted vocals.

The Arches, 19:00–22:30, £17.50

Sat 04 Jun

Indie rock types hailing form Glasgow.

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Glaswegian fuzz-rock taking itself to some spacey places.

Yelawolf King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £11

Soulful tunes paired with some pretty impressive rhyme skills: think double-timed staccato raps of wonder.

The Ferry, 20:00–23:30, £16

Johnny Cash tribute act.

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–00:00, £5

Glasgow leg of the London-based showcase night, from the label run by Ben outta Mumford & Sons.

The Blind Watchmakers (The Roving Crowes, Sidney Shaw) Slouch, 20:30–22:30, Free

Four-piece Glasgow rock’n’rollers, fusing blues and indie into the mix.

Gillian Christie (Ben Sturrock) Cottier’s, 22:00–00:00, £12

Young East Kilbride lass making lovely acoustic ditties. Part of West End Festival.

Maggie May’s, 19:00–22:30, £8

Sat 11 Jun

Ladytron

Dynamite Pussy Club, Reverse Cowgirls, The Brutes, Charles Randolph, Pablo Eskimo, Psycho Candy

Moody beats and synth from the krautrock-echoing Liverpudlian electro-pop quartet.

13th Note, 12:00–23:00, £tbc

Cula

Eruptions Records all-day alternative mini festival.

Experimental adventures in folk, from Maeve Mackinnon, Lauren MacColl and Ewan Macpherson.

Jazz Main

Brel, 19:30–22:00, £8

Men

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Brooklyn-based art/performance trio making lyrical dance meditations.

Eliza Carthy Band

The Arches, 20:00–22:30, £15

The award-winning folkie, currently breathing new life into the genre.

Brel, 15:00–18:00, Free

The hard-working jazz troupe showcase new material.

Phoenix Mayhem Punkfest (Charred Hearts, The Snipes, Razorblade Smile) Ivory Blacks, 18:00–03:00, £10 (£15 weekend)

A selection of the finest punk bands from north and south of the border over one weekend.

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–00:00, £5

Rockburn, Death By Ambition Slouch, 20:30–22:30, Free

Scottish alternative rock, times two.

Adopted As Holograph (Ruth Martin)

Phoenix Mayhem Punkfest (Hateful, The Duel, The Red Eyes, Media Whores) Ivory Blacks, 18:00–03:00, £10 (£15 weekend)

A selection of the finest punk bands from north and south of the border over one weekend.

Skerryvore Oran Mor, 19:00–23:00, £16

Blazing bagpipes, fiddles and accordians, lynchpinned on Alec Dalglish’s soaring vocals. Part of West Ened Festival.

If You Lived Here You’d Be Home By Now (Black Jash)

Brel, 20:00–22:00, £5

Contemporary classicists taking on anything from Mozart to Lady Gaga.

You have been warned.

Iona (Yvonne Lyon, Sharon Martin) King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £15

Lilting and atmospheric ditties from the Celtic ensemble.

Lev & Friends Cafe Cossachok, 21:00–23:00, £6

Jazz and folk favourites from the Russian violinist and his band of chums.

Butterfly Strategy Butterfly & Pig, 21:00–12:00, Free

Live acoustic acts, both local and far-flung.

Mon 13 Jun Gwar (Clutch, Panic Cell) O2 ABC, 19:00–22:30, £16.50

The heavy metal assault that is Gwar, still masked-up and going strong 25 years on.

Michael Simons Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, £2

Folk and blues fingerstyle guitarist.

Baptized In Blood King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

Full metal racket from the hairy London foursome.

Brel Sessions Brel, 21:00–23:30, Free

Indie folk session with Laura Wilkie (of Rachel Sermanni) and Sarah Hayes (of Admiral Fallow).

Papercuts

The Morning Of (Paige, Kyoto Drive)

Tom Vek (Breton)

Mix of of indie, pop and rock from the US-of-A.

Local Glasgow scoundrels of the experimental indie scene.

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £13

Dreamy, lo-fi rock from the Londoner, with touches of electro and garage.

Brel, 19:30–22:00, Free

Local troupe playing 60s rock’n’roll, soul and motown covers.

Clocked Out (Fifteen Dead, Absolutists) Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Hardcore experimentalist tearing it up one riff at a time.

Olympic Swimmers Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Glaswegian five-piece trading in shoe-glancing indie that meanders between quiet and loud.

Persons Unknown (Stomphouse Sause, Bunny & The Misshapes) 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Experimental Glasgow five-piece.

Red Snappers King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £15

Dirty jam of hip-hop, jazz and rockabilly from Alan Riding et al.

Wed 15 Jun

Marmalade (Couselled Out)

The Horrors

Scottish old-timers known for their unique vocal harmonies and dynamic live performances.

The Ferry, 20:00–23:30, £12

Oran Mor, 19:00–23:00, £10

Expect driving guitars and big harmonies as The Horrors launch their second album. Part of West End Festival.

Ben Glover Brel, 19:30–22:00, £8

Capitol, 19:30–22:30, £4

Mini indie and electronica showcase.

Munich King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

Brighton group making perfectly summery, dreamy pop.

Tune-Yards Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £7

Inventive lo-fi pop singer/songwriter, her weapons of choice being a distorted ukulele and seductivewhisper-to-a-scat-rap vocals.

Rose Room Cottier’s, 22:00–00:00, £12

Tunes that draw from the swing jazz era. Part of West End Festival.

Sat 18 Jun In: Demand (Alexis Jordan, The Feeling, Example, Yasmin) SECC, 14:00–22:00, £25

The mini festival takes over the SECC with a host of sugary-pop and edgy types.

Liquid Jazz Brel, 15:00–18:00, Free

Experimental jazz four-piece, on sax, electric bass, electric guitar and drums.

Dan Mangan (Three Blind Wolves) Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £7

Muso (Inner Sight, Lost In Audio, Marvels)

Exceptionally crafted indiecountry gems from the Canadian singer/songwriter. Part of West End Festival.

Buff Club, 21:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Adriana Spina

The Ashtones

Brel Sessions

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £8

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £5 (£4)

The Cairn String Quartet

Afternoon session with the Glasgow gothic folkies.

Tue 14 Jun

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £8

Madskull

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Son of Julio, and smooth-pop balladeer in his own right.

Californian chaps making sunny, dreamy, melodic pop with emotion seeping from every pore.

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £10

The Durham family, in the form of siblings Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, bring their kit bag of banjos, piano, ukulele, xylophone etc.

Anything goes fusion of live bands and clubbing beats.

London-based three-piece inspired by all things D’n’B.

Brel, 21:00–23:30, Free

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis

Airplay, Crank, Reagan Smash

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £7.50

Indie folk session with Laura Wilkie (of Rachel Sermanni) and Sarah Hayes (of Admiral Fallow).

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Experimental rock meets ambient electronics form the Californ-i-a trio.

Sun 12 Jun

Hardcore thrash from Californ-i-a.

SECC, 19:00–22:00, From £35

Tera Melos

Old jazz meets gypsy folk. Part of West End Festival.

Enrique Iglesias

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £8

Oran Mor, 19:00–23:00, £10

Acoustic set from the Irish singer/ songwriter, promoting his new album.

Cottier’s, 22:00–00:00, £12

Little Barrie

Trash Talk

Butterfly & Pig, 19:00–03:00, Free

Live acoustic blues from The Fortunate Sons, followed by DJ Junior on deck duty.

Butterfly Fridays

Glasgow rock up-and-comers.

The Ferry, 20:00–23:30, £13.50

Stereo, 19:00–22:30, £tbc

Butterfly Fridays

Drummer Brian Tichy and bass player Michael Devin debut material from their forthcoming album.

Johnny Cash tribute act.

Punch and the Apostles

Live acoustic acts, both local and far-flung.

Serious progressive rock.

Mummy Short Arms

O2 Academy, 19:00–22:30, £38.50

Milk Maid

The Sunshine Delay, Martin McLaughlin, Jamie Flett

Pendragon (Andy Sears)

The Arches, 19:00–22:30, £12.50

Japanese instrumental post-rockers, deftly traversing the line between loud and quiet.

Whitesnake (The Union)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:30, £8

Wed 08 Jun

Butterfly Strategy

Monthly night of acoustic americana and roots.

MONO

Cash

Glasgow indie pop boy-girl duo, harmonising about love and life.

Intelligent indie-rock from the boy-girl duo.

State Bar, 20:00–23:00, £4

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £14

The ever-lovely Borders lass plays some bittersweet folk ditties. Part of West End Festival.

Communion Glasgow (To Kill a King, Crow Road, Sunsgine Social, Yonderboy)

Julian Lynch (Ducktails, Big Troubles)

Judy Collins

Karine Polwart

Thu 09 Jun

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Trio of alternative types, including rockin’ powerpop from Glasgow’s The Toi.

CCA, 19:00–22:00, £6

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Edinburgh folk-meets-pop fivepiece and their heart-warming songsmithery.

The Johnny Cash Roadshow

Experimental Glaswegian noisemakers.

Blake returns with his unique brand of dubbed-out soul, hybrid electro, effects-manipulated vocals and adventures in rabbit jumpers.

Fri 10 Jun

Brel, 19:30–22:00, £5

Anything goes fusion of live bands and clubbing beats.

Country-tinged American singer/ songwriter.

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £10

The Stu Goodall Band

Jamie Young, Heavy Smoke, The Toi

Charles Hayward (The One Ensemble, Capillary Action)

James Blake

The Californian-born Glee star tours in advance of his debut album.

The Ferry, 20:00–23:30, £8.50

Double-headliner of bands with blues at their heart.

Muso

Jace Everett

The drummer/singer/composer works his magic with his current one-man show, a mix of percussive attack, electronics and lyrical collage.

SECC, 19:00–22:00, From £30

The Krissy Mathews Band, The Gerry Jablonski Band

Sydney-based quartet making waves with their dynamic indie-pop.

Thu 02 Jun

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £12.50

Tue 07 Jun Matthew Morrison

Thu 16 Jun

Stereo, 19:00–22:30, £7

The genre-defying acoustic talent launches her new album, Never Coming Home.

Neal Morse and Band

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £10

Indie-pop from the East Kilbridebased combo. Part of West End Festival.

Cascada O2 ABC, 19:00–22:30, £18.50

German Eurodance popstress making techno-pop beats for fairground waltzers near you.

Leo Condie sings Jaques Brel Brel, 19:30–22:00, £5

The Arches, 19:00–22:30, £20

Eight-piece prog powerhouse led by rocker Neal Morse, playing plenty of old favourites.

The Dirty Hugs (The Monty Hall Problem, Folsom, Frontline) O2 ABC, 19:00–22:30, £6

Glasgow indie-rock types, fond of making noise and having a jolly.

Jericho Hill Brel, 19:30–22:00, Free

Reinterpreted works of Belgian master Jaques Brel, from The Low Miff’s Leo Condie.

Johnny Cash tribute act.

Stonesthrow

Glasgow alternative rockers on vocals, guitars, bass and drums.

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

The local experimentalists play in celebration of their new single, Tear It Down.

JEM Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, £2

Indian and Scottish style music on guitar, cello, soprano sax and vocals.

Fri 17 Jun

Wake Via Satellite Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Tenniscoats Garnethill Multi-Cultural Centre, 20:00–22:30, £7

Delicate psychedelic folk songs from the Tokyo duo of Saya and Takashi Ueno.

Alex Winston (Jonathan Sebastian Knight, Fridge Magnets) King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £7

Moving Pictures Ivory Blacks, 18:30–22:30, £10

Swoonsome pop from the young Detroit native. Rescheduled date.

Old Blind Dogs

Kogumaza (Pyramidion, Cosmic Dead)

Rush tribute act.

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £13

Rare performance form the traditional Scottish band. Part of West End Festival.

3 Doors Down O2 Academy, 19:00–22:30, £19.50

The American grunge trailblazers tour in advance of their new album.

Punto The Feef (Have Mercy Las Vegas, Kong Chaos & the Prism Skies) O2 ABC, 19:00–22:30, £6

The psychedelic Glasgow rockers, all jangly and melodic. And possibly in possession of tambourines.

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Experimental trio marrying fuzzedout psych-rock with a delightful ambience.

Absolute Bowie The Ferry, 20:00–23:30, £11.50

David Bowie tribute act.

United Noise (Speedy Action, Steven Wilson, Deltawav3, DJ No_Name, Operation Magpie) Soundhaus, 22:00–03:00, £6 (members £5)

Joint-arms offensive of hard energy and doof doof techno tunes from a host of live guests.

June 2011

THE SKINNY 55

G lasgow music Sun 19 Jun

Thu 23 Jun

La Fete De La Musique (Le Reno Amps, Open Swimmer)

Kraul

Brel, 12:00–01:00, Free

Fete-style all-dayer, where musicians of all genres and calibres play for free. Spread across various Ashton Lane venues.

Assemblage 23 (Obscenity Trial, Analog Angel) Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £15

Heavy-edged electronic synth-pop, founded by Tom Shear.

Damo Suzuki (Mandog) Stereo, 19:00–22:30, £10

The one-time Can frontman brings the noise.

Colin MacIntyre Oran Mor, 19:00–23:00, £13

Colin Macintyre (or the artist formerly known as Mull Historical Society) debuts his new album. Part of West End Festival.

The Travelling Band (The Rudiments, Dead Mans Waltz) King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

Manchester alternative folkies, all shimmering and harmonic.

Veloz (Lich, In Tongues) 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Experimental Boston hellraisers.

Lev Atlas, Nigel Clark Cafe Cossachok, 21:00–23:00, £6

The Russian virtuoso violinist joins forces with the Scottish jazz guitarist.

Butterfly Strategy Butterfly & Pig, 21:00–12:00, Free

Live acoustic acts, both local and far-flung.

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £10

Blackpool grunge rockers, with hooks. Part of West End Festival.

Barenaked Ladies O2 ABC, 19:00–22:30, £25

The legendary Canadian rockers drop by Glasgow post their set at Glastonbury.

Stereo, 19:00–22:30, £5

The one time Beatles drummer tours with his full band, the All Starr’s.

Riposta, Evidence Smrti (T-34, Total Disaster)

Annie Stevenson (Dear Stars, Barella Lights)

Ryan Adams O2 Academy, 19:00–22:30, £sold out

Czech double bill of punk.

SECC, 19:00–22:00, From £55

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Alternative rock four-piece from Glasgow.

Dave Arcari (Shambles Miller, Jim Byrne) Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Talented rocker playing a mix of guitar-driven blues and trash country.

Foy Vance King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £8

Soul, blues and gospel-tinged musical meanderings from the London-based singer/songwriter.

THINK FLOYD The Ferry, 20:00–23:30, £14.50

Pink Floyd tribute act.

Fri 24 Jun

The American alternative country rocker plays a stripped-back acoustic performance.

THE LONELY SOULS O2 ABC, 19:00–22:30, £6

The Glasgow acoustic blues aficianados return with a re-jigged line-up.

The Privates Hammond Orchestra Brel, 19:30–22:00, Free

Grindin’ R’n’B ditties set to a hammond organ, a drum set and an electric guitar.

Strike the Colours Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Reindeer Selection alum Jenny Reeve weaves her web of melancholy, with breathy, translucent whispers and rolling country guitars.

Achren (Dionysus, Town Called Hell)

The Movement, Honey, The Toi

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £6

Mostly local alternative showcase, taking in indie, pop and rock.

Long-haired and scary blood metallers from Glasgow, armed with razor-sharp riffs and death metal growls.

Communion Glasgow Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £8

Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

The Party Program (Richard Parker, What The Blood Revealed) 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Mon 20 Jun

Paul Simon

The Dirty Hugos

Jimmie MacGregor’s Gathering

Michael Simons Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, £2

Folk and blues fingerstyle guitarist.

Brel Sessions Brel, 21:00–23:30, Free

Indie folk session with Laura Wilkie (of Rachel Sermanni) and Sarah Hayes (of Admiral Fallow).

Tue 21 Jun L.A Guns (Gypsy Pistoleros, Venrez) Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £12

Classic rock four-piece fronted by Tracii Guns.

Gus Stirrat Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, £3

Dirty Old Red Brel, 19:30–22:00, Free

The Little Kicks

B Movie Junkies

Upbeat and catchy indie-pop from the Scottish four-piece. Can’t say fairer.

Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

Glasgow-based band making crossgenre sounds with bass heavy driven filthy pop, mixed with punk and rock.

Muso Buff Club, 21:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Anything goes fusion of live bands and clubbing beats.

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £3

Live gig-cum-CD sale from musicians based in and around the Edinburgh area.

Breach Organ Trio

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–23:00, £5 (£4)

Voodoo Rooms, 20:00–01:00, £tbc

Edinburgh quartet Eagleowl headline, lush with stirring strings, ringing bells and sparse backing vocals.

The Ka-Tet

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Blues and funk five-piece, with added horns.

Brel, 19:30–22:00, £5

Joan Of Arc (Hot Club De Paris) Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Studio 24, 19:00–22:00, £5

Alternative rock five-piece from London, with a poppy sensibility.

Trapped In Kansas, Letters, Plastic Animals

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £tbc

Handpicked selection of local Edinburgh indie-rockers. Bloody good, too.

Bob Dylan Birthday Night Wee Red Bar, 19:00–03:00, Free

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Garage pop from the Glasgow locals.

Walter Trout (P-A-U-L)

Lev Atlas, Georgie Gajjic

Mighty Moths Magnets

The Ferry, 20:00–23:30, £17.50

The torrential gladiator guitar player and his trusty leather waistcoat.

Lauries Bar, 20:15–23:00, Free

Flying Duck, 21:00–03:00, £5

Long-running indie celebration, with monthly themes and live performances.

Sat 25 Jun A Midsummer Day’s Dream (Arthur’s Landing, Carter Tutti, Lucky Dragons) Tramway, 12:00–22:00, £tbc

Jazzco

Laura Donnelly sings superbly crafted songs over cinematic triphop atmospherics.

Secret CDs (Paul Gilbody, Aaron Shanley, Arran Arctic, Tom McConnell)

A post-birthday celebration of the man and his music, who turned 70 last month (May 24th, to be precise).

Oran Mor, 19:00–23:00, £14

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £5

Queen’s Hall, 19:30–22:00, £14 (£7)

The contemporary chamber ensemble perform Kafta Fragmente, based on fragments of Franz Kafta’s diaries.

Chicagoan indie rockers, with stellar support from Liverpudlian rock and ravers Hot Club De Paris.

Kevin McDermott & The Section

Laki Mera

Sun 26 Jun

A fine selection of blues-influenced singer/songwriters.

The Optimo DJs present a day long celebration of experimental music, culminating in a performance from Arthur’s Landing.

New material and old classics from the Scotman and his band. Part of West End Festival.

Hebrides Ensemble

Experimental metal of a surprising ambient nature.

Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, £2

PIN UP NIGHTS

Canadian industrial post-rock juggernaut.

Blake returns with his unique brand of dubbed-out soul, hybrid electro, effects-manipulated vocals and adventures in rabbit jumpers.

Wing and a Prayer

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:30, £11.50

Barrowland, 19:00–23:00, £22.50

The Liquid Room, 19:00–22:00, £10

Francesqa (The Winter Tradition, AÊDay Overdue)

Acoustic pop loveliness from the Glasgow-based outfit.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

James Blake

Ivory Blacks, 18:30–22:30, £6

Framing Hanley (My Passion, The Headstart)

The Arches, 19:00–22:30, £17.50

Progressive metallic rock from the Glasgow chaps, formerly known as Gamble Gamble and Drever.

Thu 02 Jun

Latecomers

Guitar-strummed singalong from musicians and chums Suzy Bogguss, Gretchen Peters and Matraca Berg.

Bannerman’s, 14:00–17:00, £4

Monolith

Wed 22 Jun

Wine, Women and Song

Hand Cannon, Today the Sun Dies (Today The Sun Dies)

The young Glasgow scamps sing the blues.

Apollo Rocks!

The Tennessee five-piece return to UK shores with their kit bag of hard and grunge-y rock.

Wed 01 Jun

Iain Copeland’s new Celtic dance project, mixing loops, beats and some live improvisation. Part of West End Festival.

Male Pattern Band (Sick Kids, Reykjavik)

Apollo 23, 19:30, £5

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £15 adv.

Butterfly Fridays Live acoustic blues from The Fortunate Sons, followed by DJ Junior on deck duty.

Brel, 15:00–18:00, Free

A mix of standards, funk and classic jazz from Patrick West and band.

King King Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £10

New band fronted by local bluesman Alan Nimmo.

Pokey LaFarge (The South City Three) Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £12

Ragtime blues from the tavelling roots musician.

56 THE SKINNY June 2011

Cafe Cossachok, 21:00–23:00, £6

Talented twosome playing Viennese and Eastern European tunes, with buttons and strings.

Butterfly Strategy Butterfly & Pig, 21:00–12:00, Free

Live acoustic acts, both local and far-flung.

The Blanks (Ted’s Band from scrubs) Apollo 23, 19:30, £5

The Blanks! A cappella music and sketch comedy.

Mon 27 Jun Michael Simons Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, £2

Folk and blues fingerstyle guitarist.

Arcane Roots Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £5

London-born three-piece rock outfit, ambitious and poppy in their output.

Dead Rock West

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £tbc

Novelty indie scamps from Edinburgh, terming themselves as ‘moth-rock’.

Jesus Trip

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £4

Alternative garage meets psychedelic rock.

Unpeeled (Emily Teague, Chasing Owls, Donna Maciocia, Gideon Conn, Shmoo) The Jazz Bar, 20:00–23:30, £5

Handpicked showcase of burgeoning music-makers, this time with a golden five-act bill.

Future Heroes

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Aki Remally-fronted funk five-piece, formerly The Freaky Family.

Fri 03 Jun Electric Circus Live Lounge (Shona Foster, We See Lights, Becca Fox, Jay Bharaj) Electric Circus, 17:00–22:00, Free

Music and comedy variety show, headered by Yorkshire songstress Shona Foster.

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £7

Rick Wakeman

California-based rockin’ folk duo made up of Cindy Wasserman and Frank Lee Drennan.

The anecdotal funnyman mixes solo piano with comedy tales.

Brel Sessions Brel, 21:00–23:30, Free

Indie folk session with Laura Wilkie (of Rachel Sermanni) and Sarah Hayes (of Admiral Fallow).

Julian Lynch (Duck Tails, Big Troubles)

One Night of Queen

Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £7 (£5)

Sweat-drenched rascals of alternative punk.

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £6 adv.

Slum Village

Limbo (Eagleowl, The Scottish Enlightenment, Silver Fox)

Cottier’s, 22:00–00:00, £12

Girl-led indie-pop troupe from Southampton.

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £6

We Luv Musik (Nick Mercer, The Merrylees)

Unsigned indie-rock trio from Glasgow.

Butterfly & Pig, 19:00–03:00, Free

The Nature Boys (Seven Deadly Sins, Skyless)

Alternative rock with big riffs and vocals from the fiery furnace of Musselburgh.

The Edinburgh alternative gang face up to the Newcastle indie rockers.

The bleeding edge of Scottish alternative rock.

Old timer par excellence, also responsible for our favourite song ever to include whistling (Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard, o’course).

Sketch (DJ Dolphin Boy)

The Landslide (Selfish Needs, The Nettles, Death of the Remorse)

Carnivores, Atlas, Kraul

Detroit hip-hop delivering soulstirring tunes.

Queen’s Hall, 18:45–22:00, £22.50

The Dead Man’s Waltz (The Stormy Seas)

Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Four musicians from the Isle of Skye who are re-imagining their traditions into a style they call ‘folk-noir’.

Thu 09 Jun

Bongo Club, 19:00–22:00, £6

Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–00:00, £tbc

Slouch, 20:30–22:30, Free

SECC, 19:00–22:00, From £45

The Jackals, The Soviets

Freakout post-rock folk from the New Jersey experimentalist.

Storming Hammond organ sounds from the jazzy trio, currently touring their new album.

Monthly jazz session with bassist Gus Stirrat and live guests.

Cult Of Whores & Dogs, Heavy Soul, Closed Off Come Down, Liberty Falls & Chokeslam Charlie

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £6

The DIY Glasgow six-piece launch their debut album.

Ringo Starr

Local talent showcase, from the label run by Ben outta Mumford & Sons.

Folk artist from the 50s, still going strong. Part of West End Festival.

Tue 31 May The Travelling Band (Jesus H. Foxx, The Last Battle) Manchester alternative folkies, all shimmering and harmonic. Stellar local support completes the bill.

Li’l Ze

Hardcore and progressive metal from the Edinburgh locals.

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

E D I N B U R G H music

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £5

Take The High Note

Voodoo Rooms, 19:00–01:00, £tbc

Thomas Tantrum Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £6 adv.

Playhouse, 19:30–22:00, From £19.50

Singalong classics as Gary Mullen and The Works do Queen.

The Bonfire Band The Jazz Bar, 20:00–23:00, £5 (£4)

Homespun acoustic country from the London-based band of travellers.

Late ‘n’ Live: Punch & The Apostles The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Genre-crossing Glasgow troupe, moving from free-jazz to tradiitonal pop formats.

Sun 12 Jun Hair of the Dog Sundays (Chasing Owls) Red Dog Music, 15:00–16:00, Free

Edinburgh alternative folkies, all acoustic and wholesome.

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £4

Wolf Gang (Foreign Office, Bwani Junction)

Edinburgh Royal Choral Union

Crashing thrash metal, times two.

Usher Hall, 19:30–22:00, £20 (£16)

Mike Kearney KA-TET

Part Irish, part German post-modern popster, aka Max McElligott.

The Edinburgh alternative rockers launch their new single.

CRANACHAN

11-piece funk explosion, as Mike Kearney and gang launch their new album, Philosophika.

Port Nawak and the Woo

Classic rock covers, interspersed with a chilled-open mic session.

Future Heroes

Psychedelic folk meets rock and doof doof techno. No, really.

Joanna Drigo

Aki Remally-fronted funk five-piece, formerly The Freaky Family.

Vakunoht (Of Spire And Throne)

One-off unplugged set from the Greek alternative singer/songwriter.

Usher Hall, 19:30–22:00, From £12

Choral performance encompassing modern, gospel and traditional genres.

Ded Rabbit (Steve Heron, Kerrie Lynch)

Maggie’s Chamber, 19:30–01:00, £3

Nobles Bar, 21:00–23:00, Free

Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £5

Glaswegian fuzz-rock taking itself to some spacey places.

Aartvark After-party The Caves, 23:30–03:00, £5

Post-party to the live art auction, with DJs from Az-Tech, Homegrown, Jakn and Compakt.

Late ‘n’ Live: Skamel

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Dancefloor-filling ska-meets-reggae from the Manchester six-piece with a three-horn brass section.

Sat 04 Jun Meadows Festival 2011 (Captain Slackship’s Mezzanine Allstars, The Banana Sessions, Edinburgh Samba School, Das Contras, How To Swim) The Meadows, 10:00–18:00, Free

Monthly live music night featuring a rota of new and established acts.

Crows, Bekon

Choral programme of Haydn and Beethoven favourites.

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, Free

The Jazz Bar, 20:30–23:00, £5 (£4)

The Sunday Sinners

Bongo Club, 21:00–01:00, £5

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Fri 10 Jun

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Electric Circus Live Lounge (William Douglas and the Wheel, Dixie Beaver)

Mon 06 Jun

Music and comedy variety show, headered by the country-tinger punk wailings of William Douglas.

Tamla motown funk and soul, fronted

by Fiona Lynch.

False Pretenders (Insidion, Modern Misfortune, Roseanna Reid) Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £6

Electric Circus, 17:00–22:00, Free

Brian Wright, Jim Bianco Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £7 adv.

Four happy Edinburgh chaps making their own brand of pop-meets-rock.

Moon-howling alternative country stylings from LA and Brooklyn.

Yo La Tengo

Stephanie Sounds (Jon The Revelator, Sojourner)

Queen’s Hall, 19:00–22:00, £15

The American rock trio perform a show of two halves, with no support and an anything-goes vibe.

Sixteen Fingers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Censor Thoughts Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–00:00, £4

Voodoo Rooms, 19:00–01:00, £4 adv. (£5 door)

Soaring rock-meets-soul vocalist with a pretty impressive contralto.

The Rising Souls (The Harlets, The Wyre) Maggie’s Chamber, 19:30–01:00, £3

Annual party in the park, with myriad live bands playing over the weekend, plus stalls, homemade food, and the like.

Mixed showcase of rock, pop-punk and metallic beats.

Bluesy rock’n’roll from Edinburgh way.

The Jazz Bar Big Band

Over The Wall (Washington Irving)

The Jazz Bar, 19:30–22:00, £4 (£3)

Cradle to the Rave, Oversoul, Down to Kill (Blackstar Dub Collective)

Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £5

Four trumpets, four trombones, five saxes and four rhythm. That do you?

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £5

Ska-punk and dub reggae, done good.

Over The Wall perform on day 79 of their Around the Isles in 80 Days tour, with support from local faves Washington Irving.

Midnight High, Bad Idea’s Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £4

Isa and The Filthy Tongues (Birdhead, The Lotus Project)

Savage Sound System (Riddah, Werd, Sacre Noir)

Glamour & The Baybes

Mixed-up world of experimental, hip-hop and alternative rock.

Jazz rock powered by screaming frontman Angus Munro and drummer Jordie Gilmour.

Stalwarts of the Edinburgh scene, long-since menacing punters with their spooky pop hooks.

Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Black Sea Sailors, Oscar Charlie, The Irresistible Urges Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:30, £4 (£3)

Classic-tinged rock of the take-noprisoners variety.

The Jazz Bar, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£1)

Tue 07 Jun

New band showcase, mixing in genres of pop, post-punk and gentle acoustic.

Lucy Rose (Pete Roe, Matt Norris and the Moon)

Hold The Suspect (Sea Bass Kid, Radio Arcade, Breakfast on Pluto)

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £6

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £6

Progressive rock from Edinburgh, trading in catchy hooks, crushing riffs and complex instrumentals.

WORLD PREMIERE QUINTET

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–23:00, £4 (£3)

Handpicked jazz five-piece, on stage together for the first time.

Detour Scotland (FOUND) Electric Circus, 20:00–01:00, £5

Detour’s Ally McRae and David Weaver bring the usual tip-top podcasts and live band kidnaps, which this month includes skewed pop from Edinburgh’s FOUND.

Peterman Powderkeg Project Nobles Bar, 21:00–23:00, Free

Incognito set from some of the Aberfeldy gang playing their own stuff, mixed with covers.

Elfin-like teenage troubadour making unique-voiced alternative pop.

Matthew Dear Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £9

Avant-garde minimal techno from Dear and his five-piece live band.

Leith Folk Club: Anna MacDonald The Village, 19:30–22:45, £6

Multi-instrumental folk singer/ songwriter with Celtic roots.

Voodoo Rooms, 20:00–01:00, £tbc

Rebel Underdog Henry’s Cellar, 20:00–03:00, £4

Rhythmic indie-rock from school chums Andrew Herkes, Tony Folan and Patrick Whyte.

Late ‘n’ Live: Washington Street The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Usher Hall, 19:30–22:00, £12 (£10)

Choral performance of Verdi Requiem, Verdi’s 1873 tribute to Italian poet Manzoni.

Victoria Bennett, Renee Stefanie The Jazz Bar, 20:00–23:00, £4 (£3)

Singers night with a double-whammy of fine jazz vocalists.

Stephanie Sounds (Obehi, Aperture) Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £4

Soaring rock-meets-soul vocalist with a pretty impressive contralto.

Father Murphy (Loinstorm, The Eastern Block) Henry’s Cellar, 20:00–23:45, £5

Dark and psychedelic songs from the Italian trio, aided by kabbalistic chanting, little chiming bells and toy keyboards.

The Sunday Sinners The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Tamla motown funk and soul, fronted

by Fiona Lynch.

Mon 13 Jun The Jazz Bar Big Band The Jazz Bar, 19:30–22:00, £4 (£3)

Four trumpets, four trombones, five saxes and four rhythm. That do you?

Debrasco, Havana Rising, Zenith Complex Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £4

Grunge and alternative rock showcase; just the right side of noisy.

Glamour & The Baybes The Jazz Bar, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£1)

Jazz rock powered by screaming frontman Angus Munro and drummer Jordie Gilmour.

Tue 14 Jun The American folk singer makes a flying visit to Edinburgh, with a campfire singalong full of songs.

Iona (Yvonne Lyon) Queen’s Hall, 19:00–22:00, £15 (£10)

Lilting and atmospheric ditties from the Celtic ensemble.

Stephanie Sounds (Collar Up) Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Friends Are Friends, Abduction Of Margaret, Sacre Noir

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £6

The Edinburgh Academy Choir

Sat 11 Jun

Selective Service

Talons (Lady North, Jackie Treehorn)

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £5 adv.

Baroque pop loveliness from the Frenchman and his intricate orchestral arrangements.

Jeff Warner (Lucy Pringle, Chris Wright)

Soaring rock-meets-soul vocalist with a pretty impressive contralto.

Punchy indie-rock crossed with dirty blues from the Glasgow four-piece.

Orwell (Jack and The)

Funk and soul from the Glasgowbased five-piece with a hot horn section (yup, we just referred to a horn section as hot).

Wed 08 Jun The Store, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £6

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £5

Fine mix of new acts, moving from upbeat synth-pop to lo-fi electronica.

Scottish Fiddle Orchestra

The Canon’s Gait, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

Wu Tang Clan (Yelawolf, Hyro Da Hero, Young Dirty Bastard) HMV Picture House, 19:00–22:00, £29.50

The whole crew return (yes, as in RZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man et al) for a five-date UK mini tour.

Laki Mera Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £5 adv.

Laura Donnelly sings superbly crafted songs over cinematic triphop atmospherics.

Leith Folk Club: Ross Couper & Tom Oakes

Late ‘n’ Live: The Dark Jokes

Full throttle epic post-rock, metal-tinged, but with added orchestral flourishes.

Rockin’ blues Edinburgh five-piece, fronted by Phil Ramsay on vocals, trumpet and general antics.

Lipsync For A Lullaby, The Marvellous Mrs Mulvihill, Kat Angus, Chris Rodger

Maggie’s Chamber, 19:30–01:00, £5

Sun 05 Jun

Live-and-unplugged mini showcase.

Local indie electronics. Rather nice, too.

Wu Lyf

Meadows Festival 2011 (Port Nawak & The Woo!, The Mike Kearney Ka-tet, Epic26, The Ordinary Allstars, Baobab Gateway)

Meridian Quintet

WORLD PREMIERE QUINTET

The music of sax giant Waybe Shorter, re-interpreted by Michael Magg and Nicky Psaila.

Heavy pop from the mysterious Manchester gang, also known as World Unite! Lucifer Youth Foundation!

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

The Meadows, 10:00–18:00, Free

Annual party in the park, with myriad live bands playing over the weekend, plus stalls, homemade food, and the like.

Royal Oak, 20:00–23:00, £2

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–23:00, £4 (£3)

Verden Studios Showcase Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £4

Usher Hall, 19:30–22:00, From £9

Lively reels, jigs and fiddles a-plenty from the full orchestra.

My Tiny Robots (Betatone Distinction, Cameo Colours)

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–23:00, £4 (£3)

Handpicked jazz five-piece, on stage together for the first time.

Abrasive Wheels, Spat, The Negatives (Facehandle) Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £7

The recording studio showcase the best of their new talent.

Rough-and-ready melodic punk showcase.

Neil Sturgeon

The Ka-Tet

The O’s

Acoustic indie-styled singer/ songwriter from Glasgow.

Blues and funk five-piece, with added horns.

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, Free

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Nobles Bar, 21:00–23:00, Free

Rock and bluegrass sounds all the way from Texas.

The Village, 19:30–22:45, £8

Fiddle and guitar duo rooted in Scottish and Irish music traditions.

Wed 15 Jun Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £8

The Ka-Tet The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Blues and funk five-piece, with added horns.

Thu 16 Jun Absolute Bowie Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £13.50 adv.

David Bowie tribute act.

Glasgow CLUBS Hopwood and Black

Eclectic Mud

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £5

Nobles Bar, 21:00–23:00, Free

Phil Hopwood (of The Marrs Effect) and Lindsey Black (of The Bevvy Sisters) come together as a powerful songwriting partnership.

Future Heroes The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Aki Remally-fronted funk five-piece, formerly The Freaky Family.

Leithlate afterparty Pilrig st. paul's church, 20:00–23:00, £4

Featuring The John Knox Sex Club, Her Royal Highness, PET and Sara and the Snakes.

Fri 17 Jun Electric Circus Live Lounge (The Machine Room, Yesterday Today, John Taylor) Electric Circus, 17:00–22:00, Free

Music and comedy variety show, headered by acoustic Edinburgh popsters The Machine Room.

Les Bof Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

Inspired combination of raw garage beats with a French bent, as Les Bof unleash another album onto the unsuspecting.

Edinburgh School For The Deaf Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £5

A fine selection of vinyl, played by keen record collectors. Plus regular special quests.

Late ‘n’ Live: Man At The Window The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Dancefloor-filling jazz classics, led by the irrepressible singalong master Gerry Coogan.

Sun 19 Jun Hair of the Dog Sundays (Steven’s Myth) Red Dog Music, 15:00–16:00, Free

Para Hills

Tue 31 May

Cheap ‘n’ Nasty

Cathouse Saturdays

I Am

Alternative experimental in one full-on dose.

Destabilise

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

All-out party mix of disco, electro and funk with your master Matthew Craig (of One More Tune).

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, Free before 12 (more after)

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £5

THINK FLOYD

The Caves, 19:00–22:00, £14

Pink Floyd tribute act.

Tellison, Stretches, Debutant, Your Neighbour The Liar, Esperi Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £5 adv. (£8 door)

Crowded bill of five diverse acts on one bill, headed by London indierockers, Tellison.

A Fight You Can’t Win (Scrapbrain, Backlash, Debrasco) Maggie’s Chamber, 19:30–01:00, £5

Some cheeky wee unplugged jazzy numbers.

Short and subtly distorted blasts from the Edinburgh trio.

The Brief Encounters (Donnie Willow, DARC, Atlantic Banks, Modern Misfortune)

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £7 adv. (£8.50 door)

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £6

Double single launch from the up-andcoming Edinburgh indie-rockers.

CRANACHAN Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, Free

Classic rock covers, interspersed with a chilled-open mic session.

The Sunday Sinners The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Tamla motown funk and soul, fronted

by Fiona Lynch.

TABU

Darkcabaretwithahintoftwistedexotica.

Jackal-Headed Guard of the Dead, Torn Face (Drugonaut, A Ritual Spirit) Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £5

Heavy stoner rock, done loud and proper.

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

From rock to alternative with DJ Muppet, plus live video DJ’ing. In the Attic.

I Am

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Friday @ Bookclub

Killer Kitsch

Classic and underground disco, plus dusted-down old soul with Solar Disco’s Kev Stevens.

Residents Beta & Kappa joined by a rota of rotating guests.

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Y’Uptae

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Numbers presents blawan

KnockKnock (Slum Village, DJ Naeem, Nasty P)

The percussive maestro hits town (see Clubs previews)

Glasgow School of Art, 22:30–03:00, £12

Experimental clubbing, with live bands, DJs and explorations in light.

Gaga Wednesdays

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Incognito set from some of the Aberfeldy gang playing their own stuff, mixed with covers.

Student fun night, with a bouncy castle and hot tub. The stuff dreams are made of.

Octopussy

The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Fuzzy noise-pop from the Edinburgh gang formed from the ashes of St Jude’s Infirmary.

Mon 20 Jun The Jazz Bar Big Band

Meursault, Inspector Tapehead

Four trumpets, four trombones, five saxes and four rhythm. That do you?

Bigott, aka the mysterious Borja Laudo, a local musician from Zaragoza making inspired folk-rock.

DJ Haze plays pop, punk, ska and everything inbetween. In the Attic.

The Caves, 19:30–22:00, £7

Glamour & The Baybes

Late ‘n’ Live: The Soul Foundation

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Meursault return bigger and louder, with support from their endlessly inventive label-mates, Inspector Tapehead.

Southern Tenant Folk Union Pilrig St Paul’s Church, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

The Jazz Bar, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£1)

Jazz rock powered by screaming frontman Angus Munro and drummer Jordie Gilmour.

Tue 21 Jun

Sat 25 Jun

Album launch from the roots collective with their by-turns upbeat and stirringly melancholic mix of bluegrass, gospel and folk-pop.

Leith Folk Club: Frank McGuire

Ianfest 2011 (Sad Society, Shock & Awe, Chinese Jocks, Desperation AM, Izzy And The Stooges, Isaac Brutal and the Trailer Trash Express)

Allan Taylor

Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–03:00, £5

Mini music celebration in rememberance of Ian Calvert. Proceeds go to Parkinsons UK.

Cry and The Blocks (Barry Van Dykes) Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £5

Edinburgh indie rockers with a distinct blues sensibility.

Click Clack Club The Granary, 22:00–00:30, £3

Orange Claw Hammer explores the music of Captain Beefheart. Part of Leith Festival.

Late ‘n’ Live: Gecko 3 The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Acid funk Edinburgh three-piece on guitar, bass and drums.

Sat 18 Jun Discopolis (Blank Canvas) Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, Free

Ambient disco-meets-house from the Edinburgh trio.

Little Doses (F.O Machete, Death Trap City) Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £6

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Authentic motown and soul from Steve Braxton and his horny (as in brass horns) six-piece.

The Village, 19:30–22:45, £6

Folk, rock and blues man, and founding member of Lyra Celtica.

Voodoo Rooms, 20:00–01:00, £7

Troubabdor tales on vocals and folkstyle guitar playing.

Wed 22 Jun Dave Arcari Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £5 adv.

Song By Toad

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £5

The local music blogger presents a trio of handpicked musical delights.

Dirty Modern Hero

Maggie’s Chamber, 19:30–01:00, Free

Headline set from the Edinburgh indie-pop-meets-rock five-piece.

Ozzie

Henry’s Cellar, 22:00–03:00, £4

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Afrobeat percussive six-piece with Senegal’s Samba Sene on vocals.

Swanee River

Sun 26 Jun

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Blues and funk five-piece, with added horns.

Hair of the Dog Sundays (Al Shields & Kat Healy)

The reigning king of blues, recording for more than half a century.

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–23:00, £5 (£3)

CRANACHAN

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, Free

The Mars Patrol

The Sunday Sinners

Hopeless Heroic, Drive

By Audio (Fearless Vampire Killers)

Tamla motown funk and soul, fronted

by Fiona Lynch.

The Store, 19:00–22:30, £6

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £4

Hardcore party rock for the masses.

The Douglas Firs (Something Beginning with L, Plastic Animals)

The Forest Café, 21:00–23:30, £donation

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:30, £5 adv.

Neil Insh unveils his seven-yearsin-the-making album of lush indie arrangements.

We Luv Musik (Stevie and The Moon, The Laymanites, Sao Paulo) Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £6

Monthly live music night featuring a rota of new and established acts.

Still Marillion Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £5

Marillion tribute act.

Click Clack Club Monthly experimental music club, this time featuring Steve Kettley’s Odd Times.

Future Heroes The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Aki Remally-fronted funk five-piece, formerly The Freaky Family.

Fri 24 Jun Electric Circus Live Lounge (Jill O’Sullivan, Very Well) Electric Circus, 17:00–22:00, Free

Music and comedy variety show, headered by the lovely Jill O’Sullivan and her brooding country-tinged tones.

Maggie May’s, 22:00–03:00, Free

Glasgow School of Art, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Jungle and D’n’B night with resident master of proceedings, Djamba.

Mixed Bizness (S-Type, Sam & Shaun Vitamins)

Glasgow School of Art, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Rockin’ weekly with Boom Monk Ben, this week with a Vitamins takeover. In the Assembly Hall.

Ballbreaker/Vice Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Rock, metal and indie with the residents.

Crash Shed, 22:30–03:00, £6

Andy Robertson plays a mix of loveable pop, dance and hip-hop.

Damnation Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Aternative rock, metal and punk.

Secret Wars Club 520, 22:30–03:00, £tbc

Live art-cum-club event, with Tam going head-to-head with Matty from Too Much Fun Club in the doodling stakes.

Distortion (Mark Broom) La Cheetah, 23:00–03:00, £10

Techno stalwart Mark Broom joins the Distortion residents for a night of four-to-the-floor beats and bass.

Fridays @ Flat 0/1 Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Duncan Harvey provides a soundtrack of funk, motown and northern soul.

Mobile Disco Fridays The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Chart, indie and hip-hop with yer man Disco Dave et al.

Old Skool Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

Student-orientated indie night.

Monthly blues showcase, handpicked by singer James Carr.

New bands showcase, including local up-and-comers Waverley.

Shake It Up

A farewell party special with a host of live acts, in the week before the Vic Bar gets demolished.

Crank’d

Playhouse, 19:30–22:00, From £33.50

Daves New Bike host this alternative night of music, poetry and spoken word.

Ampified

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £4

Glam rock night featuring Ms Daiquiri Dusk and her go-go dancers.

Glasgow School of Art, 22:00–03:00, Free

Propaganda

Stone Soup

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £7.50

Trash ‘n’ Burn

Croc Vs Croc (Cut Hands, Ben Butler & Mousepad, Gummy Stumps, Iain Campbell)

Weekly party with eye-popping visuals and rotating DJs.

A wall of no frills rock’n’roll, with catchy seventies-styled guitar licks.

Self-funded Scots-born, Londonbased rock/pop five-piece.

Thu 02 Jun

Mono, 21:00–01:00, Free

Classic rock covers, interspersed with a chilled-open mic session.

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Mon 27 Jun The Jazz Bar Big Band

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3 (students free)

Student night of rock, electro and pop. Students go free!

Cryotec

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3 (students free)

Monthly industrial, EBM and electronic night.

Feel My Bicep

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Cosmic mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

Greatest Hits

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £3

Euan Neilson plays the best of Buff.

The Jazz Bar, 19:30–22:00, £4 (£3)

Misbehavin’ (Dolly Daydream, Drucifer)

Smallgang (Former Utopia)

Monthly mix-up of electro, alternative dance and dirty pop.

Four trumpets, four trombones, five saxes and four rhythm. That do you?

Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–23:30, £5

Uber-poppy intelligent post-punk from London town.

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Rubbermensch

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Riot Radio Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£3) after 12)

Indie rock’n’roll, past and present.

Squelch (DJ Van D) Soundhaus, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Scottish exclusive set from a certain Mr Van D.

Superfly Flying Duck, 23:00–03:00, £5

Funk, soul, rock and soul served up

by Duncan Superfly and George E.

David Barbarossa’s Thing Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Two floors of punk-rock, reggae and classic disco, with local scallywag David Barbarossa.

Sat 04 Jun Voodoo Cathouse, 16:00–21:00, £6 (£3 members)

Last Witness, Breaking Point, Grader

Chart, disco and indie.

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s.

Rumble Thursdays

Saturday @ Bookclub

Up-and-coming hardcore types.

Watch and learn.

Themed student night, complete with weekly twists and a bouncybloody-castle.

Funk, soul and hip-hop with floralshirted vinylist Andy Taylor.

Skint/Vengeance

Absolution

Emo, punk and death metal with the residents.

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £4

Glamour & The Baybes

The Jazz Bar, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£1)

Jazz rock powered by screaming frontman Angus Munro and drummer Jordie Gilmour.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Killer Kitsch Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Shed Saturdays

Y’Uptae

Shed, 22:30–03:00, £7

Pop classics and a good dose of cheese.

Feeling Gloomy O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

The world’s only club night devoted to playing only sad songs, all night long. We hear they’re also very danceable.

Melting Pot host an audiophile experience of all your fave tracks from the past ten years.

Gavin from Camera Obscura plays DJ for the evening.

Residents Beta & Kappa joined by a rota of rotating guests.

Classic Garage student night over all rooms.

Technique

B.B. King

A little bit country, and a lotta bit quirky.

Screen Kids

Maggie’s Chamber, 19:30–01:00, £7

An unabashed mix of 80s pop, electro and nu-disco. They will play Phil Collins.

The Garage, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Melting Pot: Best Of

Red Dog Music, 15:00–16:00, Free

Stormy Sunday Blues

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £1 (£3 after 12)

I Heart the Garage more than yer Maw

sub club, 23:00–03:00, £5 B4 12

Co-Op

Thu 23 Jun Ambient pop scoundrels from Edinburgh.

Take It Sleazy

Jurassic

Late ‘n’ Live: Diwan

The Ka-Tet

80s synth and funk with Dom and Darrell.

We Ate Them Off The Floor, The Little Mill Of Happiness

American singer/songwriter of American Pie fame. Also set to play Glastonbury this summer.

Classic rock from Ireland, moving from a little bit blues, to a little bit metal.

Wednesdays @ Flat 0/1

Indie, rock and pop with resident DJ Jopez.

Don McLean

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £4

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:30, £5

The Edinburgh grunge rockers meet the Inverness grunger-poppers.

Usher Hall, 20:00–22:00, £25

Stoked

Ozzy Osbourne tribute act.

Talented rocker playing a mix of guitardriven blues and trash country.

SWG3, 22:00–03:00, £10

Wed 01 Jun

Bigott

The Jazz Bar, 19:30–22:00, £4 (£3)

No Sleep Presents SteFFi, Midland and YouANDEWAN Bringing together a banging mix of live music (see Clubs previews)

Chart and classics with Andy R.

The Caves, 22:30–03:00, £tbc

Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

Student night with Andy Wilson.

Peterman Powderkeg Project

Nobles Bar, 21:00–23:00, Free

Fri 03 Jun

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

Primitive Painters

The Admiral, 23:00–03:00, £8

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Weekly student night with Andy Wilson.

Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, Free (with ticket stub)

Official after-party for the legendary nu-metallers.

Gaga Wednesdays The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Power Tools

Brand new music-cum-club night, with handpicked acts from Instinctive Racoon Records.

La Cheetah, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Rescheduled date for Nottinghamborn producer extraordinaire Lone, currently making an impact on the underground house scene with his futurist jackin’ sound.

Subculture Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, Free (£10 after 12)

Long-running house night with Harri & Domenic.

The Rock Shop Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£3) after 12)

Rock, indie and golden surf classics.

The Last Orderly Disorder Flying Duck, 23:00–05:00, £6 (£5)

Final Orderly Disorder in its current incarnation, with a pummelin’ soundsystem, 5am licence, free CDs and laser shows!

Pandemic Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Cross-genre danceathon with residents Noj and Mark. They will play The Fall.

Sun 05 Jun Cathouse Sundays Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £6

Anything goes punter requests with DJs Mythic and Muppet, plus a hip-hop bar on the side.

Hung Up! Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Weekend party curated by Optimo’s Twitch and Wilkes.

Quids In Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £1

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

Shedkandi Shed, 23:00–03:00, £2

The best in house and R’n’B from sisters Lisa Mafia and Lil Gem.

Suck My Deck The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Octopussy The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Long-running trade night, with Normski, Zeus and Mash spinning disco beats.

Hot Damn The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The best in rock, metal and hardcore with DJ Muppet. In the Attic.

Fridays @ Flat 0/1 Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Chart, indie and hip-hop with yer man Disco Dave et al.

Wednesdays @ Flat 0/1

Old Skool

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

80s synth and funk with Dom and Darrell.

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

Propaganda

Thu 09 Jun

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Student-orientated indie night.

Shake It Up Maggie May’s, 22:00–03:00, Free

Indie, rock and pop with resident DJ Jopez.

90s Hip-Hop Glasgow School of Art, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Hip-hop selection from guest host, Bunty. Also marking the final night before Glasgow School of Art closes for refurbishment.

Mixed Bizness (DJ Food) Glasgow School of Art, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Rockin’ weekly with Boom Monk Ben and Ninja Tune guest, DJ Food.

Also marking the final night before Glasgow School of Art closes for refurbishment.

Co-Op Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Weekly party with eye-popping visuals and rotating DJs.

Riot Radio Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£3) after 12)

Indie rock’n’roll, past and present.

Kini Fist Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Genre-spanning mix of 60s psych, new wave and Krautrock with residents Charlotte and Rafla.

Sat 11 Jun Voodoo Cathouse, 16:00–21:00, £6 (£3 members)

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s.

Saturday @ Bookclub Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

Funk, soul and hip-hop with floralshirted vinylist Andy Taylor.

Absolution Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Crank’d Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3 (students free)

Student night of rock, electro and pop. Students go free!

Feel My Bicep Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Cosmic mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

Greatest Hits Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £3

Euan Neilson plays the best of Buff.

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

Cathouse Saturdays Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

I Heart the Garage more than yer Maw The Garage, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Classic Garage student night over all rooms.

Shed Saturdays Shed, 22:30–03:00, £7

Pop classics and a good dose of cheese.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Chart, disco and indie.

Love Music O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £7

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Themed student night, complete with weekly twists and a bouncybloody-castle.

Skint/Vengeance Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Emo, punk and death metal with the residents.

Teenage Lust Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £2

A mutant disco of 80s indie, American punk and wedding standards.

Fri 10 Jun

DestabIlise

Friday @ Bookclub

From rock to alternative classics with DJ Muppet, plus live video DJ’ing. In the Attic.

Flying Duck, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 after 12)

90s soundclash, plus free bingo. In the kitchen bar.

DJ Haze plays pop, punk, ska and everything inbetween. In the Attic.

Tue 07 Jun The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Common People

Mobile Disco Fridays

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Rumble Thursdays

Burn

Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek bond over their shared passion for the disparate spheres of Detroit techno and fiery Jamaican digital dancehall.

Stoked

Mon 06 Jun The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Stereo, 23:00–03:00, £8 (£10 after 12)

Duncan Harvey provides a soundtrack of funk, motown and northern soul.

Rubbermensch

Andy R plays hits and requests, past and present.

Africa Hitech (Mark Pritchard, Steve Spacek)

Student fun night, with a bouncy castle and hot tub. The stuff dreams are made of.

Chart, hip-hop and dirty electrohouse over three rooms.

Alibi Mondays

Shed, 22:30–03:00, £6

Andy Robertson plays a mix of loveable pop, dance and hip-hop.

Aternative rock, metal and punk.

Milk

Slabs Of The Tabernacle (Lone)

Crash

Damnation

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Rock, metal and indie with the residents.

Wed 08 Jun

Chart and classics with Andy R.

Korben Dallas and Nushta Drognova play a zesty mix of Italo, disco and house.

Ballbreaker/Team-Up

Korn After-show (DJ Mythic )

Nu Skool Nick Peacock spins a fine selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

Flying Duck, 22:00–03:00, Free (£5 after 11)

New monthly soundclash, with Stoo (of Drive Carefully) and Lynsey (of Half My Heart Beats).

Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

Classic and underground disco, plus dusted-down old soul with Solar Disco’s Kev Stevens.

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons.

Mount Heart Attack La Cheetah, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Fine selection of disco and house from the resident MHA allstars.

Nu Skool Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Nick Peacock spins a fine selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

Power Tools Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Korben Dallas and Nushta Drognova play a zesty mix of Italo, disco and house.

Subculture (Optimo) Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, Free (£10 after 12)

The beloved Optimo boys take over the reins from Harri & Domenic, for a one-off special.

June 2011

THE SKINNY 57

GLASGOW CLUBS THE ROCK SHOP

HOT DAMN

MAGGIE MAY’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 (£3) AFTER 12)

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Rock, indie and golden surf classics.

WRONG ISLAND NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

The legendary Teamy and Dirty Larry spin some fresh electronics.

SUN 12 JUN ALIBI MONDAYS THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Andy R plays hits and requests, past and present.

CATHOUSE SUNDAYS CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Anything goes punter requests with DJs Mythic and Muppet, plus a hip-hop bar on the side.

HUNG UP! SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Weekend party curated by Optimo’s Twitch and Wilkes.

QUIDS IN BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £1

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

SHEDKANDI SHED, 23:00–03:00, £2

The best in house and R’n’B from sisters Lisa Mafia and Lil Gem.

SUCK MY DECK THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

New electro and dubstep night from the Homebass crew.

Y’UPTAE

THU 16 JUN

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Weekly student night with Andy Wilson.

TUE 14 JUN DESTABILISE THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

From rock to alternative classics with DJ Muppet, plus live video DJ’ing. In the Attic.

GAGA WEDNESDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Nick Peacock spins a fine selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

Weekend party curated by Optimo’s Twitch and Wilkes.

POWER TOOLS

QUIDS IN

CRASH

SHED, 22:30–03:00, £6

CO-OP

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Weekly party with eye-popping visuals and rotating DJs.

CRANK’D

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £3 (STUDENTS FREE)

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Cosmic mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

GREATEST HITS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Euan Neilson plays the best of Buff.

RUBBERMENSCH

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Aternative rock, metal and punk.

ARGONAUT SOUNDS REGGAE SOUNDSYSTEM

BLACKFRIARS BASEMENT, 23:00–03:00, £3

Roots, reggae and dancehall, with special guest MC Kwasi Asante straight outta Manchester.

FRIDAYS @ FLAT 0/1

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Duncan Harvey provides a soundtrack of funk, motown and northern soul.

CATHOUSE, 16:00–21:00, £6 (£3 MEMBERS)

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s.

SOUL CELLAR FLYING DUCK, 20:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

The soul geeks play old 45s all night long.

SATURDAY @ BOOKCLUB HILLHEAD BOOKCLUB, 21:00–00:00, FREE

Funk, soul and hip-hop with floralshirted vinylist Andy Taylor.

SINGLES NIGHT FLYING DUCK, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

Beans and Divine play vinyl 7-inchers, all night long.

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Korben Dallas and Nushta Drognova play a zesty mix of Italo, disco and house.

SUBCULTURE (SILICONE SOUL, ESA, TELFORD) SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£10 AFTER 12)

THANKYOU FRANKLEY Monthly club night with live bands and DJs spinning the tunes.

STEREO, 23:00–03:00, £5

THE ROCK SHOP

DESTABILISE

MAGGIE MAY’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 (£3) AFTER 12)

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS

ABSOLUTION

Straight-friendly gay party with the LUYD regulars, plus DJ Suezz.

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

Rock, indie and golden surf classics.

From rock to alternative classics with DJ Muppet, plus live video DJ’ing. In the Attic.

MOBILE DISCO FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

BOTTLE ROCKET

Y’UPTAE

FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

Indie dancing club, playing anything danceable. DANCE!

RUMBLE THURSDAYS

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

OLD SKOOL

Themed student night, complete with weekly twists and a bouncybloody-castle.

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

I HEART THE GARAGE MORE THAN YER MAW

SUN 19 JUN

THE GARAGE, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

ALIBI MONDAYS

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Student fun night, with a bouncy castle and hot tub. The stuff dreams are made of.

STOKED THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

DJ Haze plays pop, punk, ska and everything inbetween. In the Attic.

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

WEDNESDAYS @ FLAT 0/1

Long-running trade night, with Normski, Zeus and Mash spinning disco beats.

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

80s synth and funk with Dom and Darrell.

58 THE SKINNY JUNE 2011

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Emo, punk and death metal with the residents.

DURTY BOOTY

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

Resident DJ Otis plays hip-hop, breakbeats and funky house.

FRI 17 JUN FRIDAY @ BOOKCLUB

HILLHEAD BOOKCLUB, 21:00–00:00, FREE

Classic and underground disco, plus dusted-down old soul with Solar Disco’s Kev Stevens.

MON 20 JUN Long-running trade night, with Normski, Zeus and Mash spinning disco beats.

Chart, indie and hip-hop with yer man Disco Dave et al.

SKINT/VENGEANCE

SHED, 23:00–03:00, £2

The best in house and R’n’B from sisters Lisa Mafia and Lil Gem.

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

SHEDKANDI

BURN

Chart, disco and indie.

Regulars Pasta and Catnip once again unite those two happiest of bedfellows, goth rock and, er, classic disco.

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £1

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

Soma Records electronic dance duo, Silicone Soul, take over deck duty, with able support from Esa and Telford.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £2

OUT

BURN

Rock, metal and indie with the residents.

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

DANSE MACABRE

OCTOPUSSY

MON 13 JUN

HUNG UP!

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6

DAMNATION

FEEL MY BICEP

KILLER KITSCH

NU SKOOL

Indie, rock and pop with resident DJ Jopez.

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE

I AM Residents Beta & Kappa joined by a rota of rotating guests.

SAT 18 JUN VOODOO

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

SHAKE IT UP

Chart and classics with Andy R. SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE BEFORE 12 (MORE AFTER)

BALLBREAKER/TEAM-UP

Andy Robertson plays a mix of loveable pop, dance and hip-hop.

Student night of rock, electro and pop. Students go free!

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

WED 15 JUN

Brand new night playing a heavy mix of electro, doof doof techno and dubstep from a selection of up-and-coming Glasgow DJs.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £TBC

The best in rock, metal and hardcore with DJ Muppet. In the Attic.

Chart, hip-hop and dirty electrohouse over three rooms.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £TBC

JAKEBEATS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6

PI-EYED (HERV, DROKKR, PARLIAMENTALIST) LA CHEETAH, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Classic Garage student night over all rooms.

SHED SATURDAYS SHED, 22:30–03:00, £7

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Weekly student night with Andy Wilson.

TUE 21 JUN GAGA WEDNESDAYS THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Andy R plays hits and requests, past and present.

Chart and classics with Andy R.

ANTICS: PART 2 (BRIAN MCMASTER, FRAZER MACROBERT)

I AM

DAVID BARBAROSSA’S WILD COMBINATION NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £TBC

Kilmarnock’s own disco legend digs deep into his massive record collection, playing a selection of unknown gems.

WED 22 JUN MILK FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Brand new music-cum-club night, with handpicked acts from Instinctive Racoon Records.

OCTOPUSSY THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Student fun night, with a bouncy castle and hot tub. The stuff dreams are made of.

RUMBLE THURSDAYS THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Themed student night, complete with weekly twists and a bouncybloody-castle.

WEDNESDAYS @ FLAT 0/1 FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

80s synth and funk with Dom and Darrell.

THU 23 JUN SHAKE IT UP MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Indie, rock and pop with resident DJ Jopez.

CO-OP

Free breakcore party that usually turns into a bit of an all-out rave-up.

Pop classics and a good dose of cheese.

PROPAGANDA

DEATH DISCO (DJ MEHDI)

Student-orientated indie night.

CATHOUSE SUNDAYS

Indie rock’n’roll, past and present.

The French hip-hop and electro producer guests, alongside a host of supporting talent including Mighty Mouse and Totally Enormous Extint Dinoasurs.

Anything goes punter requests with DJs Mythic and Muppet, plus a hip-hop bar on the side.

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Student night of rock, electro and pop, with a fancy dress freaks versus geeks theme.

UPSIDE DOWN

LOVE MUSIC

HOT DAMN

STOKED

FEEL MY BICEP

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £7

Good music played by bad peope, with Rafla in the upstairs club.

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons.

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

RIOT RADIO

MAGGIE MAY’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 (£3) AFTER 12)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £14

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

From electro to hip-hop, plus a cocktail kitchen on the side.

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

The best in rock, metal and hardcore with DJ Muppet. In the Attic.

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE BEFORE 12 (MORE AFTER)

Residents Beta & Kappa joined by a rota of rotating guests.

KILLER KITSCH BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

DJ Haze plays pop, punk, ska and everything inbetween. In the Attic.

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Weekly party with eye-popping visuals and rotating DJs.

CRANK’D: FREAKS VS GEEKS CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £3 (STUDENTS FREE)

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Cosmic mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

EDINBURGH CLUBS Greatest Hits

Fridays @ Flat 0/1

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £3

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Euan Neilson plays the best of Buff.

Mobile Disco Fridays The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Chart, indie and hip-hop with yer man Disco Dave et al.

Rubbermensch O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Chart, disco and indie.

Skint/Vengeance

Duncan Harvey provides a soundtrack of funk, motown and northern soul.

Old Skool Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

Phonic 1st Birthday (Cosmic Force) La Cheetah, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£8 after 12)

Emo, punk and death metal with the residents.

Ben Spaander (aka Cosmic Force) performs an extra-special fully anaolgue set.

The Pump Club

Riot Radio

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £2

An electronic workout with the regulars and pals.

Fri 24 Jun Friday @ Bookclub Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

Classic and underground disco, plus dusted-down old soul with Solar Disco’s Kev Stevens.

Ballbreaker/Team-Up Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£3) after 12)

Indie rock’n’roll, past and present.

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).

Sat 25 Jun Voodoo Cathouse, 16:00–21:00, £6 (£3 members)

Rock, metal and indie with the residents.

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s.

Crash

Saturday @ Bookclub

Shed, 22:30–03:00, £6

Andy Robertson plays a mix of loveable pop, dance and hip-hop.

Damnation Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Aternative rock, metal and punk.

I Heart the Garage more than yer Maw The Garage, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

Funk, soul and hip-hop with floralshirted vinylist Andy Taylor.

Creme Organization Label Night (Bankok Impact, TLR, Legowelt, Marco Bernardi)

Love Music

Hot Damn

Alternative anthems, cherry-picked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £7

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons.

Modern Lovers

Flying Duck, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£6 after 12)

Retro happenings from genres of soul, garage and psych.

Nu Skool

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Nick Peacock spins a fine selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

Power Tools

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Korben Dallas and Nushta Drognova play a zesty mix of Italo, disco and house.

Subculture (Andrew Weatherall)

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, Free (£10 after 12)

Elecronic DJ, producer and remixer Andrew Weatherall joins Subculture regular Domenic.

Suck My Deck

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Chart, hip-hop and dirty electrohouse over three rooms.

The Rock Shop

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£3) after 12)

Hot Club

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The best in rock, metal and hardcore with DJ Muppet. In the Attic.

Hung Up! Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Weekend party curated by Optimo’s Twitch and Wilkes.

Quids In Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £1

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

Shedkandi Shed, 23:00–03:00, £2

The best in house and R’n’B from sisters Lisa Mafia and Lil Gem.

Mon 27 Jun Burn Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Long-running trade night, with Normski, Zeus and Mash spinning disco beats.

DestabIlise The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Andy R plays hits and requests, past and present.

Weekly student night with Andy Wilson.

SPY – Pressure Drop (Shogun Audio) Vicious Circle & Jubei – Deliberate (Modulations) Dose – Helpless (Samurai Music) Optiv & BTK – Let it Hit em (Subtitles) Foreign Beggars and Alix Perez – LDN (Never say Die Records) Krampfhaft – Carl Sagan The Man (Rwina Records) (forthcoming) Tyler The Creator - Yonkers (XL Recordings) Kastle – Bring Me Back (Seclusiasis) Taz Buckfaster – Soapbar Stomp (Tony Rocky Horror remix) Deset – Troll (Gobstopper Records)

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

DJ Chart

Skanky (Bullet Train/

Antics

Confusion is Sex

Alternative anthems, cherry-picked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

Glam techno and electro night with a jungle theme. Discounted entry for fancy dress.

Soul Jam Hot

Girls & Boys

Funk, soul and hip-hop.

Indie night with rock’n’roll attitude.

Split

This Is Music

This Is Music

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Wed 01 Jun Hush

Electric Circus, 20:00–01:00, Free

Pre-club mix of northern soul and funk with the B-Side DJs.

Bangers & Mash

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11)

Midweek student favourite of chart and cheese.

Indigo

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£1)

Indie, pop and alternative favourites, with the ever-present threat of the Ting Tings.

JungleDub

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £3 (members free)

Indie and electro from the Sick Note DJs.

Tokyo Blu (John Hutchison, Niall & Denis McKervey) Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Fine house fusion, touching on disco, Latin and techno.

Sat 04 Jun Wired For Sound

Indigo

Beat Control

Indie, pop and alternative favourites, with the ever-present threat of the Ting Tings.

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£5 after 12)

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£1)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £3

Slap Bang

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £3 (members free)

Genre-spanning midweeker, with the residents playing a musical mish-mash and guest DJs in the back room.

The regular Edinburgh breaks and bassline crew takeover.

Witness

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£5 after 12)

Beep Beep, Yeah

Retro sylings from the 50s to the 70s. In Speakeasy.

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £5

CC Blooms, 23:00–03:00, Free

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Brand new midweek electronica party.

Dapper Dan’s

The Egg

London producer Skanky has been making heavy movements in the underground bass music scene in the past 6 months. Having dropped his fantastic 13 EP on Bullet Train last month and with forthcoming material on Templar Sound this 17 year old producer is definately our ‘one to watch’. His June chart features some brand new dubs as well as tracks from lesser known producers that are freely available on Soundcloud.

Crushed-up disco and soul, with Decks FX and OSX.

Art school indie institution with DJs Chris and Paul.

Octopussy

The Go Go

Chart, indie and electro student favourite.

The cream of vintage and retro with your hosts, DJs Tall Paul and Gus.

Sick Note

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, Free

The Cab’s flagship indie and electro favourite.

Wee Red Bar, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11.30)

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Ultragroove (Carina Ramos, Lel Palfrey)

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £8 (£6)

Locals Lel Palfrey and Carina Ramos join Gareth Sommerville for the long-running house night.

Volume!

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Fri 03 Jun

Fresh mix of garage, dubstep and UK funky.

Fort Knox Five

Sun 05 Jun

DJ set from the Washington-based gang, currently overtaking dancefloors with their distinctive interweaving of live instruments and electronic beats.

Underground Sunday

Voodoo Rooms, 21:00–01:00, £6 adv.

What’s in a Groove?

Voodoo Rooms, 21:00–01:00, Free

Chilled DJ selection of soul, R’n’B, garage and funk.

Misfits

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems.

Everybody

Electric Circus, 22:00–03:00, £5

Pop, rock, indie and electro from 1960 to the present day. Job done.

Evol

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, Free (£6 after 11)

Anything-goes indie and alternative anthems: think Sonic Youth and NWA.

Hot Mess

Wee Red Bar, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

DJ Simonotron hosts the gay disco party like no other, playing disco, house and acid on vinyl only.

The Southern Bar, 19:30–01:00, Free

Local acoustic acts followed by indie and alternative tunes from the Dream Sequence DJs.

Rock Show

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Myriad of rock anthems, from classic to metallic.

Coalition

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Dubstep, breaks and D’n’B.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Electric Circus, 19:00–01:00, Free

Bump

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, Free (£2 after 12)

Request-led night of house, indie and underground remixes with residents Master Caird and Johnny Junk-House.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£3)

Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £4

Grime, dubstep and hip-hop brought together by Madhat McGore and MCF Records.

Land Of 1000 Dances

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Minimal and techno for cool kids.

Redeemer

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Octopussy

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite.

Sick Note

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, Free

The Cab’s flagship indie and electro favourite.

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, £5(£4)

Long-running alternative, rock and metal favourite.

Sick Note Saturday

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£6 after 12)

The Cab’s flagship indie and electro favourite hosts a special Saturday edition.

The Egg

Fri 10 Jun

Wee Red Bar, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11.30)

Misfits

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Art school indie institution with DJs Chris and Paul.

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems.

Sun 12 Jun

Art School Revel (Randan Discotheque, Snide Rhythms, The Young Spooks, The Machine Room)

Every Day At Ten (Paul Hartill, Mike Young)

Wee Red Bar, 22:00–03:00, £10 adv.

Evol

Electric Circus, 22:00–03:00, £5

Nu Fire

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, Free (£6 after 11)

Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

Planet Earth

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Eden (Claudio, Gregsta)

Detroit soul, Chicago blues and some handpicked delights from the 50s and 60s.

Request-driven night of hip-hop, chart and R’n’B.

Anything goes playlist with Beefy and Wolfjazz. In Speakeasy.

From classic disco to acid jazz with the regulars Giles Walker, Hobbes and D’Viking.

Animal Hospital

Pop, rock, indie and electro from 1960 to the present day. Job done.

Retro from 1970 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

Devil Disco Club

Helfi

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Everybody

Planet Earth

Indie and alternative with the resident Evol DJs.

Chart, dance and electro fare.

Mon 06 Jun

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Beat Control

Frisky

Mixed Up

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Bass Syndicate

Hedonistic mix of funky house and electro from the past, present and future. In Speakeasy.

What would June be without the annual art school piss-up? This year with an underwater theme, and the usual long list of bands and DJs ‘til the wee hours.

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, Free (£6 after 11)

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£8 after 12)

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, Free

Killer Kitsch

Trade Union

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, Free (£6 after 11)

Unashamed celebration of pop, with the renowned Hot Gusset sprinkling some glitter over the decks (quite literally).

Dub, dubstep and jungle, from DJs across the Scottish scene.

Playing only new independent releases, of the local, national and international variety.

Filtered mix of liquid D’n’B, garage and dub.

Guilty Pleasures (Hot Gusset)

Tease Age

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Po Na Na, 22:30–03:00, £2

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free (£3 after 12)

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

JungleDub

Indie and alternative with the resident Evol DJs.

Movement

Say It Loud

The Newsroom, 20:00–01:00, Free

One-off house special on the night of Audio Pawn resident Graeme McLean’s wedding. This is pretty much the official post-wedding bash.

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, Free (£6 after 11)

Redeemer

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Sat 11 Jun Audio Pawn Re-Spawn

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £6 adv. (£8 door)

Thu 09 Jun

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Indie and electro from the Sick Note DJs.

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11)

Midweek student favourite of chart and cheese.

The notorious lesbian night returns to its new home of CC’s.

Fraktured (Filty Rich)

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £3 (members free)

Handpicked weekend mix of chart, dance and 80s classics.

New midweek bass spectacular of garage, dubstep and bassline house.

Request-led night of house, indie and underground remixes with residents Master Caird and Johnny Junk-House.

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Bangers & Mash

The Store, 22:30–03:00, £8

Furburger

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, Free (£2 after 12)

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 adv. (£8 door)

Bubblegum

Templar Sound)

Blue Daisy x Unknown Shapes – Bedtime Stories (Don’t Stop) (CDR) Tom Encore – Spellbound (Zeppy Zep Remix) (Concrete Cut Recs) Kastle – Lil More Luv (CDR) Objekt – Unglued (Objekt) Dark0 – HYLI (L2S) Deborah Cox – It’s Over (Dubbel Dutch Remix) (Dutty Artz) Eprom – Pipe Dream (Rwina) Kidnap Kid – Losing It (CDR) Drippin’ – Not Hot (CDR) Pasteman – The Movement (CDR)

Electric Circus, 20:00–01:00, Free

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

Pre-club mix of northern soul and funk with the B-Side DJs.

Substance (Subhead, Dave Paton, Stick 430, Gavin Richardson)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

Bump

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Hush

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Genre-spanning midweeker, with the residents playing a musical mish-mash and guest DJs in the back room.

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Tuesday Heartbreak

Handpicked weekend mix of chart, dance and 80s classics.

Tease Age

Electric Circus, 19:00–01:00, Free

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, Free

Long-running D’n’B night from a rotating collective of DJs.

Wed 08 Jun

Slap Bang

Playing only new independent releases, of the local, national and international variety.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Bubblegum

Compilation release party, with a host of handpicked acts associated with the club.

Thu 02 Jun

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Swirling guitars and driving beats from Aki Remally and his groove band.

Dub, dubstep and jungle, from DJs across the Scottish scene.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, Free

The Store, 20:00–01:00, Free

The Village, 21:00–01:00, Free

Monthly disco, playing anything and everything danceable.

Long-running alternative, rock and metal favourite.

www.soundcloud.com/skanky-official

Photo: Stewart Fullerton

Compakt presents a Sleaze Records Party with label boss Hans Bouffmyhre at the helm.

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, £4

A mighty mix of reggae, grime, dubstep and jungle.

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Edinburgh’s legendary drum and bass night Xplicit compile their top tracks for June with the help of Taz Buckfaster and ENO.

Live art-cum-club event, where punters get given a roll of wallpaper to doodle over.

Mad Caravan

Big ‘N’ Bashy

Alibi Mondays

Xplicit

Compakt (Hans Bouffmyhre, BCR Boys, Bruno FK)

Chart, dance and electro fare.

Shed Saturdays

DJ Chart

After School Club

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Funk, soul and hip-hop.

Swirling guitars and driving beats from Aki Remally and his groove band.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Anything goes policy playing an eclectic musical mix. In Speakeasy.

Indie night with rock’n’roll attitude.

World music featuring Gypsy, Balkan, ska and reggae tunes. Plus live Balkan dancers.

Tuesday Heartbreak

Electric Circus, 19:00–01:00, £1

Girls & Boys

Soul Jam Hot

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Bound For Glory (Beefy, Flying Saucer)

Pop quiz and musical bingo, with a £50 prize for the winning team.

Frisky

Afrodisiac

Y’Uptae

Pop classics and a good dose of cheese.

Soulful party fodder, from deep funk to reggae beats with Simon Hodge et al.

From rock to alternative classics with DJ Muppet, plus live video DJ’ing. In the Attic.

Sun 26 Jun

Occasional club night of studentorientated fun and frolics.

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Tue 07 Jun Circus Arcade

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 after 12)

Tearin’ it up with 60s psych-outs and modern sleaze, provided by The Phantom Band’s Rafla and Andy.

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

Shed, 22:30–03:00, £7

Antics

Four Corners

Movement

Classic Garage student night over all rooms.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Electric Circus, 19:00–01:00, Free

Dutch label Creme Organization put together an all-star cast for a night of high-brow electro.

Classic Grand, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Pop quiz and musical bingo, with a £50 prize for the winning team.

Rock, indie and golden surf classics.

Cathouse Saturdays

Tue 31 May Circus Arcade

Anything goes punter requests with DJs Mythic and Muppet, plus a hip-hop bar on the side.

La Cheetah, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Absolution Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

Cathouse Sundays

Anything-goes indie and alternative anthems: think Sonic Youth and NWA. Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, Free (£6 after 11)

Retro from 1970 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

Electric Circus, 19:00–01:00, £7.50

Live music-cum-club crossover.

Underground Sunday

The Southern Bar, 19:30–01:00, Free

Local acoustic acts followed by indie and alternative tunes from the Dream Sequence DJs.

Rock Show

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Myriad of rock anthems, from classic to metallic.

Coalition

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Dubstep, breaks and D’n’B.

Mon 13 Jun Mixed Up

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Request-driven night of hip-hop, chart and R’n’B.

June 2011

THE SKINNY 59

EDINBURGH CLUBS NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

TRADE UNION

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Anything goes playlist with Beefy and Wolfjazz.

TUE 14 JUN CIRCUS ARCADE

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–01:00, £1

Pop quiz and musical bingo, with a £50 prize for the winning team.

ANTICS

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems, cherry-picked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

SOUL JAM HOT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Funk, soul and hip-hop.

DAMN HOT (THE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £3

Toe tapping, soul shaking, blistering beats. So say they. In Speakeasy.

FISHEYE (DEATH BY MISADVENTURE, THE METHOD ONE)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

XPLICIT

THIS IS MUSIC

SPLIT

Indie and electro from the Sick Note DJs.

Long-running D’n’B night from a rotating collective of DJs.

D’n’B evolution: a big, sweaty raveup, a-la 1999.

WOLF PARTY

TUESDAY HEARTBREAK

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

THE STORE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

New music for howlin’ too, so say they: think Yeasayer and TV On The Radio.

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Swirling guitars and driving beats from Aki Remally and his groove band.

MUSIKA: SUMMER PARTY (DEREK MARTIN, KEV WRIGHT, BLAIR & RYAN HARROWER)

BANGERS & MASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 AFTER 11)

Midweek student favourite of chart and cheese.

INDIGO

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£1)

Indie, pop and alternative favourites, with the ever-present threat of the Ting Tings.

SLAP BANG

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Genre-spanning midweeker, with the residents playing a musical mish-mash and guest DJs in the back room.

WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

New midweek bass spectacular of garage, dubstep and bassline house.

THU 16 JUN MOVEMENT

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–01:00, FREE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£8 (£10) AFTER 11.30)

The Musika residents and local guests play a special summer blow-out.

GREEN DOOR

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5 AFTER 11)

Surf, doo-wop and rockabilly from the 50s and early 60s, plus free cake!

HIS & HERS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 12)

The best in alternative and indie, from the 70s to present day.

TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

BEAT CONTROL

HMV PICTURE HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£5 AFTER 12)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

THE JAZZ BAR, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Swirling guitars and driving beats from Aki Remally and his groove band.

WED 22 JUN HUSH ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 20:00–01:00, FREE

INDIGO

Dub, dubstep and jungle, from DJs across the Scottish scene.

SLAP BANG

TEASE AGE

BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Genre-spanning midweeker, with the residents playing a musical mish-mash and guest DJs in the back room.

WITNESS SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Disco-tinged delights with yer man John Pleased Wimmin. In Speakeasy.

Playing only new independent releases, of the local, national and international variety.

6-8PM

KARNIVAL

FRISKY

MUMBO JUMBO

WHITEsPACE gALLERY 11 gayfield Square flat-pack paintings by Keith farquhar

REDEEMER

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

THE EGG

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£3 AFTER 11.30)

Long-running D’n’B night from a rotating collective of DJs.

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £8 (£6)

WASABI DISCO

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

HMV PICTURE HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

A bout of cosmic house, punk and upside-down disco.

SICK NOTE

SUN 19 JUN

The Cab’s flagship indie and electro favourite hosts a special Saturday edition.

UNDERGROUND SUNDAY

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:00–03:00, £5

Pop, rock, indie and electro from 1960 to the present day. Job done.

EVOL

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

Anything-goes indie and alternative anthems: think Sonic Youth and NWA.

PLANET EARTH

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

Retro from 1970 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

ROCKABILLY NIGHT

WEE RED BAR, 22:30–03:00, £TBC

Playing a fine selection of 50s and 60s-style rockabilly.

COSMIC

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Psychadelic trance and progressive house, with decorative visuals.

HMV PICTURE HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£5 AFTER 12)

MOVEMENT

Brand new midweek electronica party.

EVERYBODY

BEAT CONTROL

Mix of goth, industrial, EBM and futurepop. We hear it’s very danceable.

ULTRAGROOVE

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

DARE

FRAKTURED (DR WHAT)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems.

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

THU 23 JUN

HENRY’S CELLAR, 23:00–03:00, £4

Art school indie institution with DJs Chris and Paul.

MISFITS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 12)

WHY WOULD anyone choose to work in the arts, particularly in ‘today’s economic climate’? It’s notoriously underpaid, staff are generally overworked and often expected to be there purely ‘for the love of it’. Because it’s staffed with some truly inspirational people, that’s why, people I’ve found who propel me on to organise events and create opportunities and – yes – do my job for the love of it.

One such person is Shiona Wood, the vivacious and huge personality of the Filmhouse’s one-time Education Officer, whom I met towards the end of her vibrant and sparkling life. Regarding (quite rightly) that an important aspect of her job was to conduct post-screening discussions and question and answer sessions, Shiona would engage her audiences as much as the film she was addressing.

Shiona taught me that the power of art is when it connects with an audience, and that sometimes to reach a wider reception, that art needs an ambassador. She was definitely an ambassador!

Another great inspiration is Jools Walls, who ran Fringe Sunday (and other large-scale events) for many years until funding from the Fringe and its sponsors sadly dried up. Fringe Sunday was a massive event, attracting around a quarter of million people to the Meadows in the space of one day, giving the general public (locals and tourists alike) an importantly free flavour of some of the myriad shows available to them over August, from

DRIVEN

Request-led night of house, indie and underground remixes with residents Master Caird and Johnny Junk-House.

FRI 17 JUN

LEITHLATE event organiser MORVERN CUNNINGHAM presents an ode to the women who've inspired her in her profession of choice

Indie and alternative with the resident Evol DJs.

Indie and alternative with the resident Evol DJs.

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–01:00, FREE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

LEITHLATE SPECIAL

New midweek bass spectacular of garage, dubstep and bassline house.

Lesbian and bi-friendly favourite. In Speakeasy.

Chart, indie and electro student favourite.

Ska, 2-Tone and Jamaican beats from the Go Go’s Tall Paul.

A spinning wheel acts as the DJ, so expect anything from 90s rave to power ballads. And a lot of one-hit wonders.

BUMP

OCTOPUSSY

STUDIO 24, 22:00–03:00, £2 (£5 AFTER 11)

JUNGLEDUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

A D’n’B odyssey.

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

MAGIC NOSTALGIC: 1ST BIRTHDAY

Indie, pop and alternative favourites, with the ever-present threat of the Ting Tings.

Chart, dance and electro fare.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

BUBBLEGUM

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£1)

SATURDAY NIGHT BEAVER (TRENDY WENDY)

HOMEGROWN

VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–01:00, £5

All-girl DJ troupe, dedicated solely to good tunes and good times. Beach Party dress code.

LUCKY 7 (TALL PAUL)

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 AFTER 11)

FRISKY

PO NA NA, 22:30–03:00, £2

SAT 25 JUN SHE-BANG BEACH PARTY (DJ BRAINSTORM)

BANGERS & MASH Midweek student favourite of chart and cheese.

HERO WORSHIP

BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Handpicked weekend mix of chart, dance and 80s classics.

Long-running alternative, rock and metal favourite.

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

T in the Park warm-up session, featuring DJs from a selection of Cab Vol’s best nights.

Pre-club mix of northern soul and funk with the B-Side DJs.

Playing only new independent releases, of the local, national and international variety.

Chart, dance and electro fare.

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Funk, soul and hip-hop.

HMV PICTURE HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

TUESDAY HEARTBREAK

Pre-club mix of northern soul and funk with the B-Side DJs.

SUGARBEAT (UTAH SAINTS, THE CAB VOL-STARS)

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Indie night with rock’n’roll attitude.

Handpicked weekend mix of chart, dance and 80s classics.

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 20:00–01:00, FREE

ANTICS

Pop quiz and musical bingo, with a £50 prize for the winning team.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

SOUL JAM HOT

SAT 18 JUN

HUSH

The internationally acclaimed Glasgow bass night in its bi-monthly Edinburgh slot.

GIRLS & BOYS

BUBBLEGUM

WED 15 JUN

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–01:00, £1

Alternative anthems, cherry-picked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

Long-running D’n’B night from a rotating collective of DJs.

THE JAZZ BAR, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

NUMBERS

Creative new clubbing event, featuring live bands, DJs and art installations.

SPLIT

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

TUE 21 JUN CIRCUS ARCADE

THE SOUTHERN BAR, 19:30–01:00, FREE

Local acoustic acts followed by indie and alternative tunes from the Dream Sequence DJs.

ROCK SHOW

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Myriad of rock anthems, from classic to metallic.

COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Dubstep, breaks and D’n’B.

KILLER KITSCH

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

MON 20 JUN MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Request-driven night of hip-hop, chart and R’n’B.

NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

BUMP Request-led night of house, indie and underground remixes with residents Master Caird and Johnny Junk-House.

OCTOPUSSY HMV PICTURE HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite.

RIDE SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Ride girl’s Checkie and Lauren play hip-hop and dance, all night long.

SICK NOTE CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

The Cab’s flagship indie and electro favourite.

FRI 24 JUN MISFITS THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems.

EVERYBODY ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (+ £5 BANDAOKE)

Special edition, with a bandaoke session (10.30pm) followed by the usual mix of pop, rock, indie and electro from 1960 to the present day. Job done.

EVOL THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

Party soundtrack of funk, soul, disco and house from Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin.

PLAYDATE

WIndsoR BuFFET 45 elm row live music and dJ’s

THE EGG WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£3 AFTER 11.30)

suCH And suCH 105 brunswick Street Anomal an exhibition by Jamie Johnson and al White

SUN 26 JUN

THE oLd AmBuLAnCE dEPoT 77 brunswick Street an exhibition by Charlie anderson

House specialists Stewart and Steven play, er, some special house.

Art school indie institution with DJs Chris and Paul.

UNDERGROUND SUNDAY THE SOUTHERN BAR, 19:30–01:00, FREE

Local acoustic acts followed by indie and alternative tunes from the Dream Sequence DJs.

ROCK SHOW THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Myriad of rock anthems, from classic to metallic.

COALITION SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Dubstep, breaks and D’n’B.

KILLER KITSCH CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

MON 27 JUN MIXED UP THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

PLANET EARTH

NU FIRE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

TRADE UNION

GIRLS & BOYS

TheCab’sflagshipindieandelectrofavourite.

Indie night with rock’n’roll attitude.

HMV PICTURE HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

TRADE UNION CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

The Cab’s flagship indie and electro favourite.

A l e I T hLATE

suPERCLuB 11a gayfield Square Of Form And Growth an exhibition of paintings by alex gibbs

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

Request-driven night of hip-hop, chart and R’n’B.

Retro from 1970 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

60 THE SKINNY JUNE 2011

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, TBC

Underground dance favourite.

Anything-goes indie and alternative anthems: think Sonic Youth and NWA.

Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs. CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5

comedians to cabaret, kid’s shows to physical theatre. Jools showed what can be achieved when a large bunch of people work together towards a common goal.

These are just two of the faces who demonstrate the importance of democratic engagement with the arts. I’ve also learned personally that we need to seek out and create our own opportunities, rather than wait for them to arrive.

What would I say my philosophy is when it comes to the arts? Be bold and think big! And you can see what I mean by joining me at LeithLate on 16 May.

WoRd oF mouTH CAFé 3a albert Street Poetry–music–video performance by Zorras, plus breakdancing by Shared Territories and artachat BRAss monkEY LEITH 362 leith Walk a selection of short films curated by future Shorts edinburgh TouRmALET 25 buchanan Street a special exhibition of Shaver’s Weekly covers.

Pick up your royal Wedding Commemorative edition of Shaver’s Weekly while you’re in!

ELvIs sHAkEsPEARE 347 leith Walk live performances from Wounded Knee, WIthered hand, little Pebble and blueflint THE ouT oF THE BLuE dRILL HALl 36 dalmeny Street Showcase of resident artists working from studios at The out of the blue drill hall and Portobello Powerhouse. (open until 7.30pm)

June 16Th 10 venueS 2 hourS 1 afTerParTy

8-11PM LEITH LATE AFTERPARTY PILRIg sT. PAuLs CHuRCH featuring

The John Knox Sex Club her royal hIghneSS PeT Sara and The SnaKeS entry £4 Media Partner

In association with

DUNDEE MUSIC Tue 31 May Brother (Dog is Dead) Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £9

Slough-based Britpop revivalists currently setting NME’s pants on fire.

COMEDY GLASGO W

Fri 10 Jun

Tue 21 Jun

The Fire and I (Lunan Spotlight, PanicByFlare)

Tue 31 May

Red Raw

Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £5

Red Raw

The Friday Show (Tanyalee Davis, Daniel Sloss, Diane Morgan, Alan Scott)

Sun 12 Jun

Experimental rock from the Bathgate duo.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open mic-style beginner’s showcase.

Prime stand-up hosted by Joe Heenan.

Comedy Live (Dave Williams, Gary Delaney, Stu Who?, Chris Kent)

Wed 01 Jun

Fri 17 Jun

Thu 02 Jun

Rap Armageddon: Battle of The MCs

The Mirror Trap (Vladimir, Mass Consensus, Get.Set.Audio)

The Thursday Show (Owen O’Neill, Antony Murray, Jay Lafferty)

Dexter’s Bar, 20:00–23:00, £4

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £8 (£7/£4)

Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, Free

A bunch of budding MCs do battle to test their skills.

Fri 03 Jun Selective Service Dexter’s Bar, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

The hard-working Dundee new-wave rockers launch their new album.

Munich (Tomas Bird & The Blonde Spirit) Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £5

Punchy indie-rock crossed with dirty blues from the Glasgow four-piece.

Brighton group making perfectly summery, dreamy pop.

General Judgement, Lost In Sofia, The Dilatory, Felix Champion

Sat 18 Jun China Shop Bull (Hanney)

Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £5 (£3)

Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £5

Eclectic showcase acting as an end of exams celebration.

Sat 04 Jun

Infectious riffs, dubby brass and some hyper stage activity from the Yorkshire gang.

The Levee Breakers (Day of Days)

Sun 19 Jun

Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £7 adv. (£9 door)

Laki Mera

Rockin’ folk and blues from the talented foursome.

Wed 08 Jun Hour Assault, Seams, We Were Poseidon Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £5

Eclectic alternative math-y showcase acting as an end of exams celebration.

Thu 09 Jun Zoey Van Goey Dexter’s Bar, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

The Glasgow pop foursome lead a merry singalong of robot tyrannosaur’s and the like.

The Secrets, The Alley, Upsiders, One Weeks Notice Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £5

Eclectic indie-rock showcase acting as an end of exams celebration.

Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £7

Laura Donnelly sings superbly crafted songs over cinematic triphop atmospherics.

Thu 23 Jun Chris Helme (Tony Duffy, Jill MacDonald) Dexter’s Bar, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

The former Seahorses frontman returns.

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Bruce Devlin.

Fri 03 Jun The Friday Show (Owen O’Neill, Antony Murray, Jay Lafferty) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5)

Prime stand-up hosted by Bruce Devlin.

Comedy Live (Rhodri Rhys, Danny Angelo, Chris McCauseland, Obie) Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £12

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

Sat 04 Jun Comedy Live (Rhodri Rhys, Danny Angelo, Chris McCauseland, Obie) Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £15

Sun 05 Jun

Hopeless Heroic, Drive By Audio, Fearless Vampire killers, Stanley Odd

Jokes suitable for little ears (i.e no sweary words).

The Stand, 15:00–17:00, £4

Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Chilled comedy showcase with resident funnyman Michael Redmond.

Mon 06 Jun An Evening With John Cleese

DUNDEE CLUBS Fri 03 Jun

Fri 17 Jun

Opto

Opto

The Hideout, 20:00–02:30, £5 (£3.50)

The Hideout, 20:00–02:30, £5 (£3.50)

Opto Records night, with guest DJs and live bands.

Opto Records night, with guest DJs

Renegades

and live bands.

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £4

Theatre Royal, 19:30–21:30, £23.50

Idiosyncratic turns, psychological tit-bits and a unique comedic persective from the longstanding Monty Python funnyman.

Benefit Night (Gary Tank Commander, The Reverand Obadiah Steppenwolfe III, Antony Murray) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £15

Comedy showcase night, raising funds for Everyman. Hosted by Billy Kirkwood.

Electro, trip-hop and funk with CB and Pictux.

Felt Kage, 23:00–03:00, £4

Tue 07 Jun

Sat 04 Jun

Indie, retro pop and danceable rock.

An Evening With John Cleese

Sat 18 Jun

Idiosyncratic turns, psychological tit-bits and a unique comedic persective from the longstanding Monty Python funnyman.

Slam Reading Rooms, 22:00–03:00, £tbc

Pre-T in the Park DJ set from the Slam boys.

Asylum

Asylum

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £5

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £5

Alternative selection of rock, metal

Alternative selection of rock, metal and punk.

Fri 10 Jun Opto The Hideout, 20:00–02:30, £5 (£3.50)

Opto Records night, with guest DJs and live bands.

Transmission Kage, 23:00–03:00, £4

and punk.

Fri 24 Jun Opto The Hideout, 20:00–02:30, £5 (£3.50)

Opto Records night, with guest DJs and live bands.

Indie, pop and hardcore with Wolfie and The Girl.

Sat 25 Jun

Sat 11 Jun

Asylum

Carbon

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £5

The Hideout, 22:30–03:00, £4

Alternative selection of rock, metal

An eclectic mix of alternative music, ranging from metal to thumping dancefloor.

and punk.

Asylum

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £4

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £5

Alternative selection of rock, metal and punk.

Beartrap Art rock, indie and punk.

Sat 11 Jun

Thu 23 Jun The Thursday Show (Anvil Springstien, John Ross, Paul F Taylor, Richard Melvin)

Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £15

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

The Saturday Show (Tanyalee Davis, Daniel Sloss, Diane Morgan, Alan Scott) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Array of stand-up headliners, hosted

by Joe Heenan.

Sun 12 Jun Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Chilled comedy showcase with resident funnyman Michael Redmond.

Mon 13 Jun Improvised comedy games and sketches, with an anything-goes attitude.

Array of stand-up headliners, hosted

by Bruce Devlin.

Theatre Royal, 19:30–21:30, £23.50

Red Raw The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open mic-style beginner’s showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

Wed 08 Jun An Evening With John Cleese Theatre Royal, 19:30–21:30, £23.50

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

Tue 14 Jun Zombie Science: Night of the Living Dead CCA, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

Spoof zombieologist Dr Austin introduces George A Romero’s legendary film masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead, followed by a mini comedy lecture.

Red Raw

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4)

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Joe Heenan.

Tron Theatre, 20:00–22:30, £12 (£10)

Susan Calman hosts a night of laughs as part of Refugee Week. Expect some big name guest treats.

The Friday Show (Anvil Springstien, John Ross, Paul F Taylor, Michael Downey) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5)

Prime stand-up hosted by Susan Morrison.

Comedy Live (Bruce Fummey, Mark Nelson, Dave Longley, Barry McDonald) Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £12

The Caves, 18:30–21:30, £7 (£10 VIP)

Midweek comedy showcase, hosted

by Gus Lymburn.

Comedy Live (Dave Johns, Steve Gribbin) Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £10

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

The Friday Show (Tanyalee Davis, James Dowdeswell, Andrew Learmonth, Liam Speirs) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5)

Prime stand-up hosted by Vladimir McTavish.

Sat 04 Jun Comedy Live (Dave Johns, Steve Gribbin, Mark Nelson) Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £13

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

The Saturday Show (Tanyalee Davis, James Dowdeswell, Ed Patrick, Liam Speirs) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

Array of stand-up headliners, hosted

by Vladimir McTavish.

Sat 25 Jun

Sun 05 Jun

Comedy Live (Bruce Fummey, Mark Nelson, Dave Longley, Rob Kane) Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £15

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

The Saturday Show (Anvil Springstien, John Ross, Paul F Taylor, Michael Downey)

Whose Lunch Is It Anyway?

The Stand, 13:00–15:00, Free

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Mon 06 Jun

Thu 16 Jun

Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service

The Thursday Show (Marcus Birdman, David Longley, Jeff O’Boyle, Rhona McKenzie)

Chilled comedy showcase with resident funnyman Michael Redmond.

Tue 07 Jun

Mon 27 Jun

Wicked Wenches (Francesca Martinez, Diane Morgan, Keara Murphy)

Fri 17 Jun The Friday Show (Marcus Birdman, David Longley, Jeff O’Boyle, Rhona McKenzie)

The Impenetrable Click 13th Note, 20:00–22:30, £3 (£2)

Experimental comedy featuring international and Scottish comedians, poets and musicians. Hosted by Alan Scott, Geoff Gawler, Sarah Cassidy and Will Setchell.

Prime stand-up hosted by Billy Kirkwood.

Comedy Live (Martin Mor, Philberto, Craig Hill, Alan Sharp) Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £12

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

Sat 18 Jun Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £15

The Saturday Show (Marcus Birdman, David Longley, Jeff O’Boyle, Rhona McKenzie) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Array of stand-up headliners, hosted

by Billy Kirkwood.

E D IN B URGH Tue 31 May Andi Osho The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£8)

Open mic-style beginner’s showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£3)

All-female stand-up, with a suitably varied mix of headliners and newcomers.

Wed 08 Jun The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

Skits and character comedy; fastpaced and a little anarchic. Just how we like it.

Thu 09 Jun An Evening With John Cleese

Wed 01 Jun

Idiosyncratic turns, psychological tit-bits and a unique comedic persective from the longstanding Monty Python funnyman.

Writer’s Bloc: Mr Big Society Wee Red Bar, 19:00–23:00, £4 (£2)

Comedic spoken word event following the adventures of Mr Big et al (yes, as in the Mr Men!). Illuminating, we’re sure.

Jo Caulfield’s Comedy Collective The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£4)

A collective of comedians experiment with the medium of stand-up.

Thu 02 Jun

Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service

An Evening of Improv

Chilled comedy showcase with resident funnyman Michael Redmond.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

The award-winning comic plots her complicated relationship with race.

Sun 19 Jun The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Red Raw

The Broken Windows Policy

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5)

The Canon’s Gait, 20:00–22:00, £5 (£4)

A talented group of international improvisers turn audience suggestions into hilarious sketches.

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5)

Prime stand-up hosted by Raymond Mearns.

Sat 11 Jun

Sun 19 Jun Whose Lunch Is It Anyway?

The Stand, 13:00–15:00, Free

Improvised comedy favourite with Stu & Garry.

Funny Females

An Evening With John Cleese

Beehive Inn, 20:00–22:00, £5

Festival Theatre, 19:30–22:00, From £20

All-female comedy competition showcase. Bloody good, too.

Idiosyncratic turns, psychological tit-bits and a unique comedic persective from the longstanding Monty Python funnyman.

The Sunday Night Laugh-In (Antony Murray, Ray Bradshaw, Jill Peacock, Jason Murphy)

Comedy Live (Sally-Anne Hayward, Stefano Paolini, Janey Godley, Daliso Chaponda) Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £13

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Chilled comedy showcase hosted by funnyman Joe Heenan.

Mon 20 Jun

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

Red Raw

The Saturday Show (Francesca Martinez, Sean Grant, Phil Ellis)

Open mic-style beginner’s showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Array of stand-up headliners, hosted

by Raymond Mearns.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Wed 22 Jun Benefit Night

Sun 12 Jun

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £7 (£5)

Comedy showcase night, raising funds for Impact Arts.

Thu 23 Jun

The charming and witty Scottish stand-up, touring on the back of his Live At The Apollo TV debut.

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Billy Kirkwood.

The Friday Show (Francesca Martinez, Sean Grant, Phil Ellis)

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Array of stand-up headliners, hosted

by Bruce Devlin.

The Thursday Show (Paul Sinha, Ro Campbell, Daniel Webster, Ben Verth)

Diverse and obscure offerings from the comedy spectrum. There will be magicians.

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4)

Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £10

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

The Saturday Show (Stewart Francis, Susan Murray, Stephen Callaghan, Jessica Fostekew)

John Hegley: The Adventures of Monsier Robinet

City Café, 20:00–22:00, £5

All-female comedy competition showcase. Bloody good, too.

Danny Bhoy

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Comedy Live (Sally-Anne Hayward, Stefano Paolini, Janey Godley, Daliso Chaponda)

Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £13

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

Improvised comedy favourite with Stu & Garry.

The Fun Junkies

The King’s Theatre, 20:00–22:00, £18.75

Idiosyncratic turns, psychological tit-bits and a unique comedic persective from the longstanding Monty Python funnyman.

Sat 18 Jun Comedy Live (Dave Williams, Matthew Hardy, Andre Vincent, Danny Angelo)

Funny Females

Chilled comedy showcase hosted by funnyman Jeff O’Boyle.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£4/£2.50)

Festival Theatre, 19:30–22:00, From £20

Whose Lunch Is It Anyway?

Sun 26 Jun

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

An Evening With John Cleese

Improvised comedy favourite with Stu & Garry.

Wed 15 Jun

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

Thu 09 Jun

British Red Cross Refugee Week Comedy Night

Red Hot Comedy (StuWho, Niall McCamley, Rik Carranza, Daniel Webster)

The Sunday Night Laugh-In (James Dowdeswell, Niall Browne, Stuart Mitchell, Jill Baxter, Liam McDonnell)

Wicked Wenches (Francesca Martinez, Diane Morgan)

The Thursday Show (Tanyalee Davis, Daniel Sloss, Diane Morgan, Alan Scott)

Fri 24 Jun

Fri 03 Jun

Array of stand-up headliners, hosted

by Susan Morrison.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Comedy Live (Martin Mor, Philberto, Craig Hill, Chris Henry)

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£3)

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4)

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Susan Morrison.

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4)

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Vladimir McTavish.

Open mic-style beginner’s showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

Idiosyncratic turns, psychological tit-bits and a unique comedic persective from the longstanding Monty Python funnyman.

All-female stand-up, with a suitably varied mix of headliners and newcomers.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £7 (£5)

Comedy Live (Dave Williams, Gary Delaney, Stu Who?, Chris Kent)

The Saturday Show (Owen O’Neill, Del Strain, Antony Murray, Jay Lafferty) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Benefit Night (Paul Sinha) Comedy showcase night, raising funds for Campsie View School.

Improv Wars

Glasgow Kids Comedy Club

Foursome of alternative bands as part of The Harder They Fall mini tour.

Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £12

Wed 22 Jun

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

Fri 24 Jun

Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £5 adv. (£7 door)

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5)

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open mic-style beginner’s showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

The Thursday Show (Tanyalee Davis, James Dowdeswell, Andrew Learmonth, Phil O’Shea)

Festival Theatre, 19:30–22:00, From £20

The Thursday Show (Francesca Martinez, Sean Grant, Richard Melvin) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4)

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Raymond Mearns.

Fri 10 Jun Red Hot Comedy (Vladimir McTavish, Derek Baillie, Elaine Devlin, Sir Reginald Tweedy-Duffer) The Caves, 18:30–21:30, £7 (£10 VIP)

Midweek comedy showcase, hosted

by Eric Scarboro.

The Stand, 13:00–15:00, Free

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£8)

Poet-cum-comedic genius, telling highly fanciful tales of a mad Frenchman and a non-talking parrot.

Mon 13 Jun

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4)

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Scott Agnew.

Fri 24 Jun

Red Raw The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open mic-style beginner’s showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

Tue 14 Jun Electric Tales (Sian Bevan, Susan Morrison, Ryan Van Winkle, Las Zorras, Fiona Herbert) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£3)

Comedy meets storytelling, with the promise of robot badges. We’re sold.

The Friday Show (Paul Sinha, Ro Campbell, Daniel Webster, Katie Mulgrew) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5)

Prime stand-up hosted by Scott Agnew.

Sat 25 Jun An Evening of Improv The Tron Tavern, 20:00–22:00, £7 (£5)

A talented group of international improvisers turn audience suggestions into hilarious sketches.

Comedy Live (Johnny Candon, Mikey Adams, Nathan Caton, Steve Williams)

Wed 15 Jun The Melting Pot The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£4/£2.50)

Comedy sketches picked by the audience and performed by a troupe of actors and musicians.

Thu 16 Jun The Thursday Show (Stewart Francis, Susan Murray, Stephen Callaghan, Jay Lafferty) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4)

Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £13

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

The Saturday Show (Paul Sinha, Ro Campbell, Daniel Webster, Katie Mulgrew) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Array of stand-up headliners, hosted

by Scott Agnew.

Sun 26 Jun

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Bruce Devlin.

Whose Lunch Is It Anyway?

Fri 17 Jun

The Sunday Night LaughIn (Ro Campbell, Mark Bratchpiece, Stephen Callahan, Richard Melvin)

Comedy Live (Dave Williams, Matthew Hardy, Andre Vincent) Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £10

Showcase of up-and-coming comedy talent. Door 7pm.

The Friday Show (Stewart Francis, Susan Murray, Stephen Callaghan, Jessica Fostekew) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5)

Prime stand-up hosted by Bruce Devlin.

The Stand, 13:00–15:00, Free

Improvised comedy favourite with Stu & Garry.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Chilled comedy showcase hosted by Rebecca Donohue.

Mon 27 Jun Red Raw The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open mic-style beginner’s showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

June 2011

THE SKINNY 61

T H E AT R E GLASGOW Citizens Theatre After The End 07:30PM, 31 May—25 Jun, £12 (£10)–£12.50

Nightmarish psychological drama of survivial against an explosive attack.

Bronte Various times, 01 Jun—04 Jun, From £10

Rather magically evoking the real and imagined worlds of the Bronte sisters.

Dunsinane Various times, 31 May—11 Jun, not 5th, 6th, From £10–From £12.50

Macbeth sequel set in 11th Century Scotland, focusing on one officer’s attempt to restore peace.

Fair Friday 07:30PM, 08 Jun—11 Jun, £10

A cheeky and nostalgic look at the Glasgow Fair holiday, through story, song and good ol’ community spirit.

Once On This Island 07:30PM, 20 Jun—23 Jun, £12 (£8)

Peasant girl meets rich boy: a musical tale ensues. The Dance School of Scotland perform the Broadway favourite as their annual end of year show.

Oran Mor Six and a Tanner 07:00PM, 06 Jun—07 Jun, £12 (£9)

Hugely powerful one-man show feat David Hayman.

The Arches Dead Man’s Cell Phone 07:00PM, 08 Jun—10 Jun, £7 (£5)

The simple action of picking up a cell phone in a diner leads to a journey of life versus death, raising questions of how we memorialise the dead.

Entre Nous 07:00PM, 15 Jun—17 Jun, £7 (£5)

A collection of new works from performers in physical theatre (mime, acrobatics, masked theatre et al), led by Al Seed, Jane Howie and Simon Abbott.

On the Verge 06:30PM, 20 Jun—23 Jun, £6

Tom Pritchard 07:00PM, 24 Jun, £3 (£2)

Glasgow-based performer Tom Pritchard presents a series of improvised performances.

The King’s Theatre The Sound Of Music 07:30PM, 31 May—04 Jun, From £20

Singalong favourite, with Jasonbloody-Donovan as Captain Von Trapp. The hills are alive, etc.

Evita Various times, 31 May—11 Jun, not 5th, From £17–From £15.50

Show-stopping tunes in the political hagiography

Jekyll & Hyde Various times, 13 Jun—25 Jun, From £12.50–From £16.50

Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic gothic novella brought to life by Marti-bloody-Pellow.

Tell Me On A Sunday Various times, 15 Jun—25 Jun, not 19th, 20th, From £15–From £19.50

Classic musical theatre charting the romantic misadventures of a young girl in New York.

Theatre Royal Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell Various times, 31 May—04 Jun, From £18.50–From £21.50

Robert Powell plays the hard-living and notorious journalist, finding him trapped overnight in his favourite Soho pub.

Yes Prime Minister Various times, 20 Jun—25 Jun, From £24.50 (£21.50)–From £26.50 (£23.50)

A world of spin, Blackberrys and sexed-up dossiers.

Jekyll & Hyde

What I Meant Was...

Various times, 13 Jun—25 Jun, not

07:45PM, 02 Jun—04 Jun, £11 (£7)

19th, From £12.50–From £16.50

Burrell Collection

Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic

China Through The Lens

An evening of short American plays from RSAMD young talents Craig Lucas, Neil LaBute and Sam Shepard.

Touched 08:00PM, 02 Jun—04 Jun, £9 (£7)

New play written by Chris Thorpe, about a young man returning to his hometown.

The Curious Tale Of Oak Tree Grove Various times, 10 Jun—11 Jun, £6

Magical happenings as nature and the human world collide for a group of city kids at the Grove (not Byker).

Lost in Digression 08:30PM, 11 Jun, £5

Post cabaret cabaret.

Oak Tree Tales 07:30PM, 12 Jun, £5

Devised theatre piece exploring how stories shape us and help nurture our thoughts and perceptions of the world.

Lark, Clark & The Puppet Handy 07:45PM, 14 Jun—18 Jun, From £7

gothic novella brought to life by Marti-bloody-Pellow.

Royal Lyceum Theatre Dunsinane Various times, 31 May—11 Jun, From

CCA British Art Show 7 11:00AM, 31 May—25 Jun, not 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, Free

Scotland, focusing on one officer’s attempt to restore peace.

To This Place I Return

Macbeth sequel set in 11th Century

Shooting Truth / Children Of Killers 07:30PM, 14 Jun, £8 (£5)

Double bill of young theatre talent, as part of National Theatre Connections Festival 2011.

Bassett / Too Fast

Some Words From Home

Double bill of young theatre talent, as

07:45PM, 21 Jun, £7 (£5)

part of National Theatre Connections

Verbatim play telling the story of two Jewish refugees who escaped the atrocities of World Warr II. Postshow discussion follows.

Various times, 31 May—12 Jun, Free

The work of pioneering travel photographer John Thomson, from 1837-1921.

Multiple-venue show, held every five years and acting as a survey of the best in British art. Highlights at the CCA include the UK premiere of The Otolith Group’s Hydra Decapita.

£10–From £12.50

Romantic comedy from Daniel Boyle, as a stand-in barman helps reunite a former husband and wife singing duo.

07:30PM, 15 Jun, £8 (£5)

11:00AM, 31 May—25 Jun, not 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, Free

Phyllis Katrapani’s video outcome of a self-portrait through architecture and time.

Cafe Cossachok The Real Red Shoe Various times, 02 Jun—26 Jun, not 6th, 13th, 20th, Free

Recent paintings by Glasgow artist Zenobia Mumford, acting as a personal biography of her vice of living and hunting red shoes.

Alistair Frost, Gerda Scheepers 12:00PM, 25 Jun, Free

New double-header exhibition from Alistair Frost and Gerda Scheepers.

Project Ability Pam Dunbar

Project Room Terrestrial Objects 12:00PM, 31 May—04 Jun, Free

Solo exhibition by Daisy Richardson, consisting of sculpture, painting and collage.

Recoat Gallery Mutant Veneer 12:00PM, 31 May—19 Jun, not 6th, 13th, Free

Solo show from emerging Scottish artist FiSt, concerned with reinvigorating forgotten belongings and renovating the dead through altered Victorian photographs.

Sorcha Dallas Duncan Marquiss

A Conversation With Carmel

11:00AM, 10 Jun—25 Jun, not 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, Free

07:45PM, 22 Jun, £10 (£8)

07:30PM, 16 Jun, £8 (£5)

New paintings and drawings intended to evoke the human spirit, featuring a series of portraits of mostly elderly subjects.

True Colours Various times, 23 Jun, £5 (£3)

part of National Theatre Connections Festival 2011.

Three characters, one African, one Asian and one Scottish stand on the brink of adulthood, raising questions about nature and nurture.

Shooting Truth / Bassett

Backbone

part of National Theatre Connections

07:30PM, 23 Jun, £8 (£5)

Six theatrical shorts exploring the theme of courage.

Here I Am / Colours Of Life 08:00PM, 25 Jun, £8 (£5)

Double bill of music, dance and poetry celebrating cultural diversity. Part of Refugee Week.

07:30PM, 17 Jun, £8 (£5)

Double bill of young theatre talent, as Festival 2011.

The Caves Bat Boy 07:30PM, 06 Jun—09 Jun, £10.50

David Dale Gallery and Studios Container and Contents 12:00PM, Multiple dates, Free

Installation and photography works from a trio of artists: Naomi Bell, Dominic Samsworth and Joanna Waclawski.

Gallery of Modern Art Blueprint for a Bogey Various times, 31 May—05 Jun, Free

EDIN B UR G H

Musical horror-cum-comedy based on a story in a US tabloid (where

Group exhibition exploring the right to play, and how we play, including work from Dame Paula Rego, Eduardo Paolozzi and Andy Goldsworthy.

Brunton Theatre

else?!) about a half-boy, half-bat

British Art Show 7

Italia ‘n’ Caledonia 07:30PM, 22 Jun, £11 (£9)

A multi-story tale of the Italians who emigrated 100 years ago to start new lives in Scotland.

Ghosts

(£7.50)

creature discovered in a cave in West Virginia.

Traverse

Various times, 31 May—26 Jun, Free

Multiple-venue show, held every five years and acting as a survey of the best in British art. Exhibiting artists include Karla Black and Alasdair Gray.

Frank McGuinness re-works Henrik Ibsen’s 19th century classic tale of hidden passions and family secrets.

08:00PM, 01 Jun—04 Jun, £14

Glasgow Print Studio

(£10)–£16 (£12)

Contemporary Monotypes

Gary Owen’s debut play, set in the

Festival Theatre

nightmare that is a small Welsh town

Various times, 31 May—26 Jun, not 6th, 13th, 20th, Free

Telford College: Cross Currents 2011

on a Saturday night.

07:30PM, 24 Jun—25 Jun, £11 (£9)

07:30PM, 06 Jun, £13

End of year student production, featuring a combination of contemporary, jazz and tap-style dance.

Out of the Blue Drill Hall Next in Line Various times, 16 Jun—18 Jun, £5

Devised and written by the cast, Next In Line explores order and chaos through the uniquely British pastime of queuing.

The Climb 08:30PM, 21 Jun, Free

Crazy Gary’s Mobile Disco

Knives In Hens Various times, 04 Jun—12 Jun, not 6th, £10 (£6)–£16 (£12)

A tale of transformative power and discovery emerging from a love triangle between a young woman, a ploughman and a miller.

DUNDEE Dundee Rep

Five minute theatre, and one of 235 pieces of that will be broadcast online over 24 hours.

Anna Karenina

Playhouse

5th, 6th, £12–From £15

Evita

Tolstoy’s tragic tale of love, sex and

Various times, 31 May—11 Jun, From £17–From £15.50

marriage in imperial Russia, given

Generation

Tell Me On A Sunday Various times, 15 Jun—25 Jun, From £15–From £19.50

Classic musical theatre charting the romantic misadventures of a young girl in New York.

62 THE SKINNY June 2011

Various times, 31 May—07 Jun, not

new life by Jo Clifford.

The technique of monotype, essentially a more painterly approach to printing, interpreted by a collective of artists.

Glasgow School of Art Glasgow School of Art Degree Show 10:00AM, 11 Jun—18 Jun, not 12th, 13th, Free

The GSA’s final Degree Show roundup before the complete redevelopment of its campus.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum Drawing (on) Riverside: Patricia Cain Various times, 31 May—26 Jun, Free

New body of drawing and painting work from the Glasgow-based lawyer turned artist, created in response to the development of the iconic Riverside Museum.

New solo work from the Dumfriesborn artist, known for his drawings, painting and videos that view the world not quite as it really is.

Street Level Photoworks Victoria Clare Bernie: Slow Water

Axolotl Gallery Altered Images 11:00AM, 31 May—04 Jun, Free

New works adhering to the theme of altered images and changing shapes, from Christine Clark, Paul Mowat and Sofie Fischer Rasmussen. Plus a camera obscura installation piece from Kam Chan.

The Secret Life Of Owls and Other Works 11:00AM, 11 Jun—25 Jun, not 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, Free

A collection of Allan Goodwillie’s owl paintings, a mixture of fact and fiction being developed for a children’s story book.

Bond No9 Hunted Projects: Group Exhibition 12:00PM, 31 May—17 Jun, Free

Multi-disciplinary art group showcasing an array of works by artists from Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Central Library New photography showcase from Edinburgh’s Lo-Fi Photography Group, using toy and retro cameras.

Gina Glover: Playgrounds Of War Various times, 11 Jun—26 Jun, not 13th, 20th, Free

A collection of thought-provoking photographs of abandoned military bases, looking at the aesthetics of past wars, avoided wars and possible wars.

10:00AM, 31 May, Free

10:00AM, 24 Jun—26 Jun, Free

Embassy’s yearly Annuale, a citywide festival of emergent art and mad ideas.

Fruitmarket Narcissus Reflected Various times, 31 May—26 Jun, Free

Examining the potency of the Narcissus myth in art, photography, installation, film and video.

Ingleby Gallery Gravity’s Rainbow 10:00AM, 31 May—25 Jun, not 5th, 12th, 19th, Free

An exhibition from a collection of artists concerned with ‘found’ colour, i.e. that which is borrowed or stolen from elsewhere.

Scottish Art: 1650-2010 Various times, 31 May—26 Jun, Free

Hand-picked selection of Scottish artists’ work taken from the City Art Centre’s private collection.

Various times, 31 May—04 Jun, Free

Series of paintings from the Cornwallborn artist, inspired by the heroism of the Russian people during WWII.

Gallery of Modern Art Jeff Koons

10:00AM, 31 May—26 Jun, Free

Through his use of popular imagery, Koons explores the aesthetics and culture of taste.

Scottish Poetry Library Poetry Beyond Text: Vision, Text and Cognition 10:00AM, 31 May—25 Jun, not 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, Free

Showcasing a two-year research project exploring our aesthetic and cognitive responses to visual-poetic art works.

Institut Francais d’Ecosse

Scottish Storytelling Centre

Collection One

Two Artists: Two Visions

Various times, 31 May—04 Jun, Free

Six artists who make up The Photography Collective explore diverse approaches to photography.

10:00AM, 18 Jun—25 Jun, not 19th, Free

Exhibition celebrating the lives and work of draughtsman Kenny Steel and geometric, dreamlike painter Nell Dunn.

Inverleith House

Sierra Metro

Thomas Houseago

Caroline Gallacher: The Pankrateon

10:00AM, 31 May—26 Jun, not 6th, 13th, 20th, Free

Solo exhibition of celebrated British sculptor Thomas Houseago, featuring a new sculpture made specially for Inverleith House.

LeithLate @Various venues, Leith walk 10:00AM, 16 Jun, 18:00-20:00

See page 25 for more details and map

National Gallery Complex The Queen: Art and Image 10:00AM, 25 Jun—26 Jun, £7 (£5)

City Art Centre

Scotland-Russia Institute Janet Treloar

In celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the National Gallery bring together a collection of images spanning the 60 years of her reign.

12:00PM, 04 Jun—05 Jun, Free

New site-specific sculptures from the Glasgow School of Art graduate.

Stills Ruth MacLennan: Anarcadia 11:00AM, 31 May—26 Jun, Free

New film installation work and series of photographs made among the desert expanses of Kazakhstan.

Such and Such Anomal

Various times, 11 Jun—19 Jun, Free

Double-header exhibition by recent Duncan of Jordanstone Illustration graduates Al White and Jamie Johnson, featuring both collaborative and individual works using a variety of mediums.

Superclub Take Me To Your Dealer

Collective Gallery

National Gallery of Scotland Dürer’s Fame

The Arches

Jesse Jones: Against The Realm Of The Absolute

10:00AM, 09 Jun—26 Jun, Free

An exhibition of drawings, sculpture and collage by Glasgow brothers Jamie and Rickie McNeill.

Jenny Soep

11:00AM, 11 Jun—26 Jun, not 13th, 20th, Free

12:00PM, 31 May—20 Jun, Free

The Scottish artist/illustrator who favours drawing on location, as the events unfold.

The Common Guild You Seem The Same As Always 12:00PM, Multiple dates, Free

Bringing together a diverse range of works which all share a particular focus: that of the artist’s hand.

Exhibitors include Yvonne Rainer, Douglas Gordon and David Shrigley.

The Duchy Mark Briggs: Tiredness Can Kill 12:00PM, Multiple dates, Free

Solo exhibition from Briggs, using text, light and film in an installation that illuminates the gallery with projected statements.

The Lighthouse Digital Renaissance 10:30AM, 31 May—04 Jun, Free

Graduate showcase from the Digital Art students at the University of the West of Scotland.

The Modern Institute

07:30PM, Multiple dates, £12

Various times, 31 May—25 Jun, not 5th, 12th, 19th, Free

(£10)–£12.50

12:00PM, 31 May—04 Jun, Free

survivial against an explosive attack.

EDIN B UR G H

Various times, 31 May—05 Jun, Free

Martin Boyce

New solo show from the Dublin-born artist, concerned with the interplay between literature and sculpture.

Dance piece that combines a specific movement technique with improvisation, interpreted continuously by a group of Glasgow-based dancers over the six-week exhibition.

Working with digital video, filmmaking, drawing and photography, Victoria Clare Bernie creates a visual document of insect life and death in a Highland loch. Quite beautiful.

Aleana Egan: Nature Had An Inside

Nightmarish psychological drama of

11:00AM, 31 May—04 Jun, Free

This Is Lo-Fi

Mary Mary

After The End

Multiple-venue show, held every five years and acting as a survey of the best in British art. Exhibiting artists include Karla Black and Alasdair Gray.

Transmission

Compass Gallery

Double bill of young theatre talent, as

12:00PM, 31 May—26 Jun, not 6th, 13th, 20th, Free

Tino Sehgal

Scott McMurdo

Visionary piece of dance, theatre and film inspired by the chaos of family gatherings.

Embassy Gallery Annuale 2011

Solo exhibition of mobiles, collages and paintings in progress, completed as part of Dunbar’s one-year residency at Project Ability.

Frank and Ferdinand / Too Fast

10:00AM, 03 Jun—22 Jun, not 5th, 12th, 19th, Free

Tramway British Art Show 7

10:00AM, 31 May—18 Jun, not 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, Free

Festival 2011.

Show-stopping tunes in the political hagiography

Autobiographical performance where four young adults aged 18 reflect on their position in the world: right here, right now.

GLASGOW

Tron Theatre

Tramway 07:30PM, 15 Jun—18 Jun, £10 (£8)

ART

New solo work from the Glasgowborn artist known for his unique visual art installations, oft inspired by modernist design.

New film project by Dublin-based artist Jesse Jones, set in a dystopic landscape in the distant future.

Dean Gallery Artist Rooms: August Sander 10:00AM, 31 May—26 Jun, Free

The German photographer depicts a variety of fruity characters from the Weimar Republic that includes dwarfs, artists and Nazis.

Dundas Street Gallery Jamie Primrose: Evolving Moods 10:00AM, 17 Jun—25 Jun, Free

Ethereal oil paintings of Edinburgh in autumn and winter hues, from the contemporary Scottish artist.

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show 10:00AM, 11 Jun—19 Jun, Free

Yearly round-up, with work by more than 400 students of art, design and architecture on display throughout the college.

Edinburgh Printmakers Paul Furneaux 10:00AM, 31 May—25 Jun, not 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, Free

Interesting series of prints from the Scottish artist working in 3D printmaking, exploring the theme of landscape through the Japanese woodblock printing technique of Mokuhanga.

A selection of prints, drawings and paintings from the gallery’s collection of Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer’s work.

Out of the Blue Drill Hall Who Do You Think You Are? 10:00AM, 01 Jun—03 Jun, Free

Artwork created by young adults from Edinburgh and Midlothian, the product of a ten-week art therapy project.

The Art of Leith 10:00AM, 07 Jun—17 Jun, not 12th, Free

Showcasing the talents of the various artists working from studios at The Out of the Blue and Portobello Powerhouse. Part of Leith Festival.

Exposed ‘11 10:00AM, 22 Jun—25 Jun, Free

End of year exhibition from the photography students at Stevenson College.

12:00PM, 02 Jun—11 Jun, not 6th, 7th, 8th, Free

Talbot Rice Gallery Microstoria

10:00AM, 31 May—25 Jun, not 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, Free

Annual collaboration between Contemporary Art students and History of Theory students, questioning the stories, myths and micro-histories that make up our cultural presumptions.

The Caves Aartvark Charity Auction 08:00PM, 03 Jun, Free

Charity auction of work donated by Scottish artists including sometime Skinny illustrator Nick Cocozza and live installation doodlers Too Much Fun Club.

The Jazz Bar Dr Sketchy

03:00PM, 12 Jun, £7 (£6)

RSA RSA 185th Annual Exhibition Various times, 31 May—08 Jun, £4 (£2)

A highlight of the RSA’s calendar, featuring invited new works from across Scotland and beyond.

RSA New Architects Various times, 18 Jun—26 Jun, Free

Featuring work by new architect members elected to the Academy in 2010, including models, prints and photographs.

Schop Re:alignment 09:00AM, 31 May—17 Jun, not 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, Free

Digital technology collides with a more traditional painterly practice, in Richard Strachan’s bold new solo exhibition.

Glam burlesque drawing class. GO!

DUNDEE DCA Read Thou Art and Read Thou Shalt Remain / Friendly Fire

Various times, 31 May—26 Jun, not 6th, 13th, 20th, Free

New and recent works by Cara Tolmie and Nina Rhode, featuring performance installation and unique spinning sculptures, respectively.

Generator Projects They Had Four Years

12:00PM, Multiple dates, Free

Double header between video artist Stefan Blomeier and installation artist Eric Schumacher.

STARTER FOR ELEVEN:

FRANK QUITELY

CRYSTAL BAWS WITH MYSTIC MARK

All-Star Superman artist FRANK QUITELY tests his own comic book geek credentials in the never-ending quest for our prized haggis supper QUIZMASTER: THOM ATKINSON

Q1. Which American literary character was added to the adaptation of Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to make it more American friendly?

No Idea! I haven’t actually seen the film which would have helped.

A. Tom Sawyer (0 points) Q2. In Superman lore what effect does gold Kryptonite have on Superman?

It makes him older?

A. Permanently removes all his powers. (0 points) Q3. Now that Wolverine has had his memory restored, what is his real name?

Logan A. James Howlett (0 points) Q4. Name the firstborn child of Ma and Pa Broon The first born, that would need to be Hen. A. Henry (Hen) Broon (1 point) Q5. How old is comic book legend Stan Lee? Oh gosh, 109!

A. 88 (0 Points) Q6. What is the title of the feature length documentary about Glaswegian comic book writer Grant Morrison?

Talking With Gods A. Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods (1 point) Q7. In the X-Men, in which county was Xavier’s School for the Gifted?

Westchester A. Westchester (1 point) Q8. Can you name the full art team that worked on Batman: The Dark Knight Returns? (1 point for each) That would be Frank Miller pencilling, Klaus Janson inking and Lynn Varley colouring.

A. Frank Miller, Klaus Janson & Lynn Varley (3 points) Q9. As a fellow man using a pseudonym, can you give the full name of French comic book artist Moebius? (1 point for each) Jean Giraud A. Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (2 points) Q10. Which Jenny took over from Jenny Sparks as leader of Mark Millar’s The Authority?

Jenny‌..[pause]‌‌Quantum A. Jenny Quantum (1 point) Q11. Will Eisners’ A Contract with God is largely considered to be one of the first graphic novels, can you name the titles of the three other stories that appear in it?

Invisible people?....No I can’t!

A. “The Super�, “The Street Singer�, and “Cookalein� (0 points) 9 Points for Frank means no Haggis supper – if only he had kept up his birthday cards to Stan Lee he might have been in with a chance.

WE3 DELUXE EDITION BY GRANT MORRISON AND FRANK QUITELY IS OUT IN HARDBACK ON 21 JUN

ARIES 21 MAR – 20 APR In June jam jar-spectacled physicists at the LHC discover the elusive graviton and its anti-particle. Don’t shell out for those Nike Airs. In 6 months you’ll be the proud owner of a pair of anti-gravity Doc Martin’s.

You’ll be able to bully Peter Pan for his lunch money. Give him a merciless, screaming wedgie from me, with extreme prejudice.

TAURUS 21 APR – 21 MAY Limit the metallic content of your vajazzle this month to ensure that cheeky electro-magnet operator at the junkyard you pass going to work doesn’t get the chance to rip off your junk, yelling: “Wheyheyhey!� as a red rain of sequins and blood fall from the sky onto your despairing face.

GEMINI 22 MAY – 21 JUN Why do you need praising by everyone every day?

You’re worse than God, or P. Diddy. Take it down a notch.

Even Rod Stewart didn’t have a jacuzzi in his jacuzzi.

CANCER 22 JUN – 23 JUL Rush into the hairdressers and bellow: “GIVE ME A LOGAN’S RUN! STAT!�

LEO 24 JUL – 23 AUG New pals don’t understand you because they’ve not seen the “real you� within yet.

Stop being so shy. Surgically remove the top of your skull and show ’em the sassy, outgoing blob of electric jelly hiding inside it.

IMAGE: COURTESY OF FRANK QUITELY

VIRGO 24 AUG – 23 SEP Better get used to suffering. You’re merely a meat robot, acquiescing to chemical memos your genes send you every second of every hour of every single day. It’s the reason they’re immortal and you’re just tomorrow’s maggot scran.

LIBRA 24 SEP – 23 OCT According to theological doctrine a freshy-crucified Jesus visited hell to peruse the excellent facilities after his death, including a tour of Medusa’s executive torture suite near the Walls of Dis. He then left. Unfortunately when you croak it in June you can’t.

Don’t fret though: my oracles will be following developments in the bowel below like some sort of inter-realm iPlayer. You bring the screaming, I’ll watch until my popcorn runs out and my balls are wrung empty.

SCORPIO 24 OCT – 22 NOV You are good in bed.

By that I don’t mean you’re good in bed, I’m just implying the world has no other use for you. Stay there.

SAGITTARIUS 23 NOV – 21 DEC

After you turn your entire family into a luxury range of leather goods those meddling in-laws start to ask you some pretty pressing questions. Bolt for the airport with the holdall you Leatherfaced out of your husband’s skin, immediately.

CAPRICORN 22 DEC – 20 JAN

The sound of sobbing reverberates around your newly refurbished home in June.

AQUARIUS 21 JAN – 19 FEB This June you finally give up on romance and get a few ribs removed instead, thereafter becoming a human ouroboros, remorselessly blowjobbing all nutrients out of itself until it perishes of ravenous, euphoric starvation.

PISCES 20 FEB – 20 MAR Once again, sorry Pisceans. In ten minutes I’m meeting Derek Acorah in the Necropolis with a bottle of Frosty Jack’s to spend the weekend letting lascivious demons joyride our bodies.

JUNE 2011

THE SKINNY 63

Manufactured with pride in the U.S.A.