The Skinny July 2023

The Skinny's favourite songs inspired by landscape

Finiflex — Suilven

Thin Lizzy — Whiskey in the Jar

Talking Heads — (Nothing But) Flowers

Bill Callahan — One Fine Morning

Ike & Tina Turner — River Deep, Mountain High

Lykke Li — I Follow Rivers

Hamish Hawk — Calls to Tiree

Paolo Nutini — Caledonia [live at Garage, Glasgow]

Squarepusher — U.F.O.'s Over Leytonstone

Peter Maxwell Davies — Farewell to Stromness

Original Cast of Hadestown — Chant

Joni Mitchell — Big Yellow Taxi

Terra and the Dactyls — Sister City

Sun Electric — O’locco (Kama Sutra Mix)

Listen to this playlist on Spotify — search for 'The Skinny Office Playlist' or scan the below code

Issue 210, July 2023 © Radge Media Ltd.

Get in touch:

E: hello@theskinny.co.uk

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

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

Printed by DC Thomson & Co. Ltd, Dundee ABC verified Jan – Dec 2019: 28,197 printed on 100% recycled paper

Championing creativity in Scotland

Meet the team

We asked – In celebration of the great outdoors, what's your favourite view?

Rosamund West

Editor-in-Chief

"Scotland: the top of Stac Pollaidh on a sunny day, looking across to Suilven, Cul Mor, the Summer Isles.

International: first sight of the Amazon rainforest from the Andes is burnt into me."

Peter Simpson Deputy Editor, Food & Drink Editor

"The Gravity Bar at the Guinness brewery in Dublin has lovely 360-degree views over the city. Is it my absolute fave? No, but its 'nice view and a pint' combo sets a good example to the others."

Anahit Behrooz Events Editor, Books Editor

"Rho stole my joke, by which I mean they thought of it first."

Jamie Dunn Film Editor, Online Journalist

"Looking down the Clyde on my way into Glasgow Central is pretty sweet, usually because I'm returning from my childhood home in Ayrshire or, shudders, a few days in London."

Tallah Brash Music Editor

"Edinburgh from the top of Blackford Hill is unmatched for views of the capital; the sun coming up behind the solar panel of the Parc del Forum at the end of Primavera is a close second."

Heléna Stanton Clubs Editor

"View of Loch Lomond"

Polly Glynn Comedy Editor

"Sunset over the Forth, right by the Forth Rail Bridge, is pretty special."

Rho Chung Theatre Editor

"[insert joke about the view of the pizza delivery person coming up the steps]"

Business

Eilidh Akilade Intersections Editor

"Not to be genuine but I love Garry Beach in Tolsta on the Isle of Lewis. Very gorg, very blue."

Production

Harvey Dimond

Art Editor

"The view from Mount Lycabettus in Athens is pretty special – you can see the whole city and the islands in the ocean in the distance."

Editorial Sales

George Sully Sales and Brand Strategist

"Hateno Village in southeast Hyrule has some of the best sunsets in the whole kingdom."

Lewis Robertson Digital Editorial Assistant

"Being driven over the bridge across the Firth of Forth just as the sun goes down (and no it’s not just because I’m leaving Fife!)"

Laurie Presswood General Manager

"Dundee's The View"

Dalila D'Amico Art Director, Production Manager

"My boyfriend taking the bins out."

Phoebe Willison Designer

"I actually have a stunning view from my gaff in the Southside of Glasgow, can see all the way across the city and, on a clear day, to Ben Lomond which makes me feel free "

Tom McCarthy Creative Projects Manager

"Looking northwest from The Great Plateau gives you a great view across Central Hyrule to the distant peak of the majestic Death Mountain."

Sandy Park Commercial Director

"The band that had a big fight on stage the other week."

Editorial

Words: Rosamund West

This month’s theme is you can leave the city! Did you know stuff happens not in the city? Celebrating the two months of the year when the Scottish weather isn’t actively trying to murder you, we’ve put together a special looking at the wealth of creative opportunities that exist alongside Europe’s last great wilderness, aka the overwhelming majority of this country we live in.

First up, we talk to two (unaffiliated) men called Johnny about the music festivals they will be running this summer on Scottish islands. They’ve both already sold out, and one cannot even be mentioned by name for fear the unticketed masses try to swim to the Hebrides to gain entry. We have an interesting chat with each about working with their respective communities to bring unique parties to remote areas.

Next, we have an exclusive first look at Living in Colour, a new anthology of artwork by Scott Hutchison, who was from Selkirk which is quite rural and also some of the drawings are of nature so that is why it is part of the theme OK. We talk to his brother and Frightened Rabbit bandmate Grant alongside artistic collaborator Dave Thomas to learn more about the responsibility of celebrating his artistic legacy.

We take a tour of some of the visual arts spaces that exist in smaller communities around the country, from Cample Line in Dumfries to Timespan in Helmsdale. Author Sarah Bernstein discusses her second novel, Study for Obedience, written from her home in the remote northwest of Scotland. Another island man called Johnny (a subtheme is emerging), director Johnny Barrington introduces Silent Roar, which opens the forthcoming

Edinburgh International Film Festival and was filmed in a tiny community on Lewis.

Skye-based architectural practice Dualchas are exhibiting in the current Architecture Biennale in Venice, and we meet the creative team behind their film presentation to discuss collaboration and working from rural locations. Scottish Opera Young Company’s new double bill of immersive productions draws inspiration from the landscape, most notably St Kilda, the island voluntarily abandoned in the first half of the 20th century. In our middle pages we have a pull out and keep poster, a beautiful rural drawing by Scott Hutchison of a log.

Intersections forms a bridge between the theme and the rest of the features, with one writer sharing the joys and responsibilities of dog ownership as a gateway to adulthood. We explore the colonial roots of botany around the world, with an exhibition in the Botanics which looks at the role of plants in building empires.

With degree show season just finished in Scotland’s art schools, we have the reports from Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Marking the 20th anniversary of the release of 28 Days Later, we look back at the film’s impact and legacy. Clubs meets Bok Bok to mark 15 years of their influential label Night Slugs. And, gearing up for next month’s madness, Comedy highlights a handful of character comics who will be making their Fringe debut in Edinburgh this August.

Seamlessly linking the impending Fringe with the rural theme, we close with The Skinny on… Marjolein Robertson, here to share some insights into life as a Shetlander, from ancient cursed books to sheep rearing slash eating.

Cover

Inès is a multidisciplinary designer originally hailing from Réunion Island and working as a riso printer at RISOTTO studio Glasgow. She uses illustration as a way to respond to her environment, combining digital and hand made technics with a playful approach to produce printed matter and zines with her collective Riso Sur Mer.

i: @inesgradot

Love Bites: For the Hungry Girl

Words: Lillian Salvatore

Over the stove, the night deep and dark outside, I say to you, “I think you were in my dream last night,” remembering a fleshy substance at the corners of the morning. I peel down your skin, mash you up with garlic and some old sesame seeds. It’s always this way, isn’t it? You at dinner in the evenings, then floating around my head when I can’t sleep; a gentle, purple image to cut through the noise.

I used to visit restaurants just for you. To try you in a sticky, sweet sauce with rice, or piled high with olives and mint leaves. If I was having a particularly bleak day, I’d trail down to the supermarket and just sort of stand beside you on the shelf, hold out my hand.

It’s weird, writing to you. This isn’t a euphemism for that other thing either, by the way; this is just real batshit crazy love for aubergine. This slinky purple vegetable that creeps about the corners of my mind and soaks up oil and salt in a way that no others can. Always something I can chop and roast and shape into exactly what I need. You’re not a person, you don’t have ulterior motives. You’re here to comfort. That’s all.

And isn’t that what we’re all hungry for? Something to love us as fully and reliably as a vegetable that’s readily available to purchase and bring home in most shops. That doesn’t ask questions. That tastes really good.

You’re it; stirred into all of my noodles, mashed on top of toast, the backbone of my every pasta dish. I’ve grown tired of the courgettes and the roasted carrots, even pushed sweet potatoes and cauliflower out. It’s just us now, in my kitchen with the lights off and the door closed, a little bit of rosemary and garlic, some oil heating in the pan. Look at all this space. It’s all for you.

This month’s columnist muses on a vegetable that delights, comforts, and demands nothing but a solitary joy

Heads Up

Fabiola Santana: A Home for Grief Tramway, Glasgow, 12-16 Jul

Explore the varied landscapes of grief in this immersive installation by artist and practitioner Fabiola Santana. From a series of soundscapes designed to be listened to in the environments surrounding the Tramway to an installation of quilted maps of grief that chart its intimacies and losses, A Home For Grief considers the way art can provide a space for mutual confession and support.

Atlas Arts, Skye, 5 Jul-5 Aug

Head to Skye this month for a screening of Foragers, a gorgeous documentary that examines the practice of foraging for wild plants in Palestine as a means of land reclamation and anti-colonial practice. The film screens on 5 July, where you can also bring your own seeds and plants to swap, and continues online and watchable from anywhere until the 5 August, with a director Q&A on 12 July.

We venture outside of the central belt in this special rural issue, with events all across the country (and also Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee - never fear)

Compiled by Anahit Behrooz

Glasgow Zine Festival

CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow, 8-9 Jul

Glasgow Zine Fest turns ten this year, and what better way to celebrate than dropping by this year’s magical edition. As well as a stunning zine fair where you can pick up all kinds of beautifully designed, radical DIY art objects, there’s a packed programme of events: from drawing and zine workshops to drag and even an exclusive stand-up set from Josie Long.

Christian Noelle Charles: WHAT A FEELING! | ACT I

Edinburgh Printmakers, 28 Jul-17 Sep

New York-born, sometimes Glasgowbased artist Christian Noelle Charles turns their gaze back to the East Coast (of Scotland) with this powerful new exhibition. Comprised of a series of screenprints, WHAT A FEELING! | ACT

I is the first part of a longer project that explores ideas of racial identity and inequality through a Black feminine lens.

TravFest

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, 27 Jul-27 Aug

Maisie Peters

The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 9 Jul, 7pm

Fresh off the back of her latest album

The Good Witch, Maisie Peters heads out on tour, bringing her sparky brand of indie-pop to all corners of the country, including this stop-off in Edinburgh. The Good Witch sits perfectly alongside the rest of her musical output, filled with intimate songwriting and irresistibly catchy riffs.

Lilah Fowler + Zoë Mendelson:

Intimate Data

105 French Street, Glasgow, until 11 Jul

It’s not quite the Fringe yet (there’s still a month left! We’re fine!) but you can get an early taste of the beloved mayhem at TravFest, which runs through the Fringe and, crucially, a few days before. Featuring the likes of acclaimed playwrights and Fringe favourites Javaad Alipoor and Kieran Hurley, the season kicks off with the charming The Grand Old Opera House Hotel and sweet comedy Sean and Daro Flake It ‘Til They Make It.

Sarah Bernstein: Study for Obedience

Golden Hare Books, Edinburgh, 12 Jul, 6:30pm

Glasgow Print Studio, until 29 Jul

The Hug and Pint Endless Summer

The Hug and Pint, Glasgow, until 31 Aug

Grayson Perry: Smash Hits National Gallery, Edinburgh, 22 Jul-12 Nov

Covering an indescribable 40-year career, Grayson Perry: Smash Hits is the bi est exhibition to date of the iconic artist’s work, encompassing everything from pottery to poster-making in order to highlight the countercultural movement Perry inspired in the British arts scene. His works tackle everything from masculinity and queerness to politics and empire, using art as a subversive medium to question existing power structures.

Papaya Whip with Junglehussi & ButhoTheWarrior

La Cheetah Club, Glasgow, 8 Jul, 11pm

Junglehussi, aka artist and DJ extraordinaire

Matthew Arthur Williams and the current La Cheetah Club resident, invites fellow Glasgow DJ

ButhoTheWarrior to his Papaya Whip residency for a glorious and incredibly amicable battle of the giants, with a genre-breaking approach that takes in everything from house to Afrobeats.

SAFAR Film Festival

Glasgow Film Theatre, until 8 Jul

SAFAR Film Festival, the largest festival in the UK dedicated to Arab cinema, returns with a stellar programme of films from across the Middle East. Based largely in London, the festival has been travelling over the past few years, screening parts of its programme across the UK. Arriving to Glasgow this month is Algerian historical drama The Last Queen, gorgeous animation Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo and Moroccan thriller The Damned Don’t Cry.

Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park

Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park, Cowal, 1 Jul-3 Sep

Situated on the dramatic coastline of Argyll overlooking the banks of Loch Riddon, Caol Ruadh is a sculpture garden dedicated to showcasing work by Scottish artists. Featuring the likes of Moira Ferguson, Louise McVey and Illona Morrice, the garden offers a backdrop to consider the meeting point between the natural and manmade, and the underlying creative potential of both.

Elinor O’Donovan: The Immeasurable Grief of the Prawn

GENERATORprojects, Dundee, 8 Jul-6 Aug

There’s something (shell)fishy happening in Dundee. Irish artist Elinor O’Donovan brings her first exhibition to the city’s GENERATORprojects. The intriguingly titled The Immeasurable Grief of the Prawn is a witty and tongue-in-cheek moving image work and installation, which explores ideas of memory, certainty and approximate knowledge through the pink and fragile figure of the prawn.

All details were correct at the time of writing, but are subject to change. Please check organisers’ websites for up to date information.

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival

Various venues, Edinburgh, 14-23 Jul

SHREDD x Nice ‘n’ Sleazy Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow, 14 Jul, 7:30pm

Glasgow-based psychedelic garage band SHREDD are throwing a party and everyone’s invited. Bringing together live acts and club vibes, the night kicks off from sets by the likes of indie Scottish legends Gelatine, Wife Guys of Reddit and Doss, before continuing with DJ sets from Vlure and Ugly.Wain.

bdrmm

Mono, Glasgow, 5 Jul, 7pm

HebCelt

Various venues, Stornoway, 1215 Jul

Full

Mairi

Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 27 Jul, 11pm

What's On

Music

With most international acts off playing festivals, local is the name of the game this month. Of course, this means many big names will land on Glasgow Green for TRNSMT (7-9 Jul) with Pulp, Sam Fender and The 1975 topping the bill, but dig a little deeper and there’s loads of joy to be found in homegrown talent: Cloth, Hamish Hawk, Swim School, Brooke Combe, Terra Kin and Uninvited being but a few.

At the other end of the M8, in amongst bi er names like Theon Cross, Ibibio Sound Machine, Jools Holland, Nubiyan Twist and Lakecia Benjamin playing the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival (14-23 Jul), a wealth of local talent can also be found. Last year’s SAY Award winner Fergus McCreadie is set to play multiple shows during the festival’s run, including four nights in the ultra cool surrounds of the Pianodrome (19-22 Jul). Other highlights include Nathan Somevi Trio (14 Jul) and Chun-Wei Kang (18 Jul) at The Jazz Bar, Graham Costello’s STRATA (14 Jul) and kitti (18 Jul) at St Bride’s Centre and corto.alto (15 Jul) and Georgia Cécile (21 Jul) at George Square Spiegeltent.

Back in Glasgow, weeks-long venue festivals kick off in July too for The Hug & Pint and King Tut’s, with Endless Summer and King Tut’s Summer Nights respectively. Early highlights include Megan Black at The Hug on the 20th and waverley. at Tut’s on the 22nd. Staying in Glasgow, Current Affairs celebrate the launch of their debut album, Off the Tongue, with a show at Stereo (20 Jul), Carsick Charlie launch Angel at The Hug & Pint (28 Jul), Brenda mark the launch of their eponymous debut album with a show at The Glad Cafe (28 Jul) and Martha Ffion welcomes The Wringer with a show at The Hug & Pint (29 Jul) before heading to Edinburgh the following night to play at The Voodoo Rooms.

Also in the capital, James Yorkston’s Tae Sup Wi’ a Fifer (8 Jul) returns to The Queen’s Hall with Susan Bear and Lomond Campbell in tow, while the following night you can catch Belle & Sebastian at the Usher Hall (9 Jul) with support from Sacred Paws Lewis McLaughlin (20 Jul) and Plasticine (22 Jul) both play Sneaky Pete’s, while next door at Legends you’ll find Fundfest, a Girls Rock School fundraiser on that same weekend (21 & 22 Jul) with sets from Fistymuffs, The Farting Sufragettes and Lou Mclean. [Tallah Brash]

Film

On 21 July, cinema fans have a choice to make because it’s Barbie v Oppenheimer! Will you be in Greta Gerwig or Christopher Nolan’s corner as they vie for glory at that weekend’s box office? If you’re still to pick a horse in this race, Cameo in Edinburgh and Dundee Contemporary Arts have you covered with retrospectives dedicated to both throughout July. It’s the perfect excuse to catch gems like Frances Ha (1 Jul, Cameo; 15 Jul, DCA), Lady Bird (2

Jul, DCA; 8 Jul, Cameo), and Little Women (15 Jul, Cameo) on the big screen again. If you haven’t guessed, I’m Team Gerwig.

The excellent SAFAR film festival comes to Glasgow Film Theatre (1-8 Jul) with four gems of contemporary Arab cinema, including The Damned Don’t Cry, a dazzling drama centred on the thorny, codependent relationship between a penniless mother and her teenage son, who are both trying to make new lives for themselves in Tangier. Director Fyzal Boulifa will be in Glasgow for the screening on 8 July for a Q&A.

Also at GFT, you’ll find a season dedicated to the genius composer and sometime actor Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in March. One of his greatest achievements was the graceful theme music for Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence (8 & 11 Jul); as well as score duty, he co-starred with David Bowie. GFT also screen The Last Emperor (9 & 12 Jul), The Revenant (18 & 19 Jul) and the recent documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (23 & 26 Jul), which gives an excellent overview of his whole career.

And get yourself to Glasgow’s Southside this month for some free open-air screenings at Queen’s Park. The lineup has something for everyone: family faves (Frozen, 18 Jul; The Incredibles, 20 Jul), cult films (The Running Man, 13 Jul; Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 19 Jul) and stone-cold classics (Goodfellas, 16 Jul; The Lord of the Rings trilogy, 5, 12 and 19 Jul). [Jamie Dunn]

Clubs

Starting off July, in Edinburgh Pleasure x Space Dust invite Theo Kottis all night long at Cabaret Voltaire (1 Jul). Over in Glasgow a day party takes place at Box Hub, with a local lineup that includes Céleste and Dominique. Sneaky Pete’s hosts LWS b2b Smiff (2 Jul).

Pride in Glasgow has plenty of parties. Ponyboy are back again with a stacked up lineup at Stereo. Lady Shaka headlines, alongside Glasgow legends Miss Cabbage and Nemoa. Comedian Paul Black and the incredible Lourdes host (8 Jul).

Sub Club invites UK dubstep legend Skream from open to close in Glasgow (7 Jul). On the same day, Bloodsport is back at Stereowith Lil Texas, American EDM with tempos in the range of 200-1000 BPM.

Truth-Hz International DJ Federation has a stacked lineup at Bongo Club with Elanda, camoufly and so much more (7 Jul). Redstone Press are back at Sneaky Pete’s with a huge lineup including Pseudopolis, Pelk, Moray Leisure Centre (8 Jul).

Shoot Your Shot – Pride includes a secret lineup which is yet to be announced. Be sure to check on this one at Room 2 (15 Jul). Meanwhile, over at Stereo, their edition of Stereo Pride takes place with Berlin duo Animalistic Beliefs – spread over two floors this night is sure to be huge and iconic.

Red Museum is back with a stacked lineup at Stereo, including Hyperdub’s Proc Fiskal, with support from Doubt, xivro and AKUMU (21 Jul). Over in Edinburgh NTS legend Moxie is playing at Sneaky Pete’s the following night (22 Jul).

Sub Club Southside Weekender takes place at Queens Park Arena Bandstand. The lineup includes Gerd Janson, Tama Sumo, ButhoTheWarrior, and more spread over two days, a perfect event if you’re looking for a day party (22 & 23 Jul). [Heléna Stanton]

Art

At Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Sebastian Thomas has created a sitespecific installation which draws inspiration from the golem, a human-like, shape-shifting being which features in Jewish folklore. Created over a number of residencies at the workshop, A New Face in Hell will be viewable from the street when the gallery space is closed. Returning to the National Portrait Gallery on Edinburgh’s Queen Street, the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2022 features 51 portraits by 36 artists. Highlights include Frederic Aranda, Cian Oba-Smith and Haneem Christian At Edinburgh Printmakers, opening 28 July, Christian Noelle Charles will present a new body of work exploring the rhythms, movements and body languages of women of colour, deploying printmaking, performance and video. WHAT A FEELING! | ACT I is part of the 2023 Edinburgh Art Festival (11-27 Aug) – the exhibition starts on 28 July and continues past the end of the festival until mid-September.

Inspired by the rogue traffic cone that adorns the Duke of Wellington Statue outside its doors, the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow has opened the first exhibition of Banksy’s work in 14 years. Cut & Run: 25 Years Card Labour features the artist’s original artefacts and stencils: catch the exhibition before it closes at the end of August. At Tramway, in Glasgow’s Southside, a new body of work by Jala Wahid explores the relationship between Kurdistan and Britain through oil – as metaphor for nationalism, colonialism and contested identities. Conflagration continues until 10 September.

At Timespan in Helmsdale, a new exhibition explores the ecological, economic and social impacts of the oil industry, using the recently decommissioned Beatrice oil field in the North Sea as its inspiration. Featuring works by Tanja Engelberts, Oliver Ressler, and Sue Jane Taylor, Beatrice: Transition Under Petrocapitalism continues until 30 September. [Harvey Dimond]

Theatre

July in Scotland is anything but quiet – this month promises a wide variety of opportunities to see live theatre across the country.

Half-Light Nights Theatre Company kicks off the month with its new show, EUROPAPALOOZA! (5-6 Jul), at August House in Glasgow. The show is an interactive, dark and dystopian carnival.

A Play, A Pie and a Pint will make its first ever visit to Pitlochry Festival Theatre to present The Great Replacement (3-8 Jul), a new play by Uma NadaRajah (Exodus, NTS). The play explores intergenerational relationships, politics, and racial bias.

This month, Pitlochry Festival Theatre will also host the premiere of Elizabeth Newman’s adaptation of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (7 Jul-19 Aug). The production will be staged in Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s stunning outdoor Ampitheatre.

This month, National Theatre of Scotland will premiere Nat McCleary’s new play, Thrown, which follows five women as they take up competitive Backhold Wrestling. The production will tour locations on the Highland Games circuit and in community halls before landing at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre for August (2 Jul-27 Aug).

Scottish Opera Young Company, comprised of performers aged 17 to 21, will perform an enticing double bill of Henry McPherson’s Maud and Kurt Weill’s Down in the Valley. The production opens in Glasgow at Scottish Opera Production Studios and will tour through Largs’ Barrfields Theatre and Stirling’s Albert Halls (27-30 Jul). [Rho Chung]

Books

Glaswegians are spoiled for choice on 6 July – Sarah Grant is launching her debut book Fat Girl Best Friend, an exploration and celebration of plus size women in film and television (Sloans, Glasgow), there’s a Hollie McNishMichael Pedersen double performance bill over at Òran Mór, and romance novelist Sophie Gravia is the featured guest at the monthly Book Club (Wunderbar). Broadcaster and Orwell Prize winner Darren McGarvey is at Saint Luke’s on 28 July for the last night of The Social Distance Between Us LIVE, a show based on his most recent book.

Over in Edinburgh, head to Lighthouse Books on 6 July for a night with indie publisher Stewed Rhubarb Press – Carl Alexandersson is launching his pamphlet forget-me-not. Later in the month spoken-word poet Iona Lee will be launching her anticipated debut collection Anamnesis (27 Jul) at Lighthouse too. If the summer sun holds up, you can bask in all things bookish down at the beach and Portobello Bookshop – Kirsty Logan’s in conversation with Chitra Ramaswamy on 20 July, as Logan celebrates the release of her memoir The Unfamiliar – an exploration of queer motherhood, family assumptions and parenting. Also at Portobello are Polly Atkin (12 Jul), launching her memoir and exploration of chronic illness, Some of Us Just Fall, and journalist Mikhail Zygar (19 Jul) who’s written a book about his experiences covering Russian politics and the war in Ukraine.

Spoken word-wise, we’ve got most of the usual open mics – Speakin’ Weird up in Aberdeen (19 Jul), with Wanderlust Women headlining; Loud Poets at Edinburgh’s Kilderkin (10 Jul), as well as their latest slam heat on 7 July at the Storytelling Centre; Candlelight Open Mic at Glasgow’s Old Toll Bar (3 Jul); The Poetry Experiment at Glasgow’s Alchemy Experiment (27 Jul).

[The Skinny Books Team]

Features

20 Beyond the Cities, we explore the creative opportunities across Scotland. As Detour Discotheque arrives on Coll, a look at island festivals

23 We open up Living In Colour: The Art of Scott Hutchison and find out more about the story behind this anthology of the Frabbit frontman’s artwork.

26 Interesting things happen in Scottish art spaces outwith the cities – we take a tour.

28 Highlands-based author Sarah Bernstein discusses her second novel, Study for Obedience

30 Film director Johnny Barrington on Edinburgh Film Festival opener Silent Roar, and shooting on Lewis.

33 Scottish Opera Young Company present two immersive new productions inspired by landscape.

34 A look inside Skye-based architecture practice Dualchas’s innovative Venice Biennale presentation.

39 One writer explores growing up, emotional turmoil, and why we’re embracing dog ownership in our twenties.

43 The 2023 Degree Show reports from Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

46 Looking back at zombie classic 28 Days Later 20 years later.

47 We chat with Bok Bok , founder of seminal and influential UK label Night Slugs.

48 Three promising character comedians, Kathy Maniura, Rosalie Minnitt and Lorna Rose Treen, introduce their Fringe debuts.

On the website...

Reports from the front at Death Grips, Arctic Monkeys, Roskilde Festival, and TRNSMT; news from Edinburgh Art and Film Festivals; The Cineskinny podcast every fortnight; oh, and all the stuff from our updated Guides to Glasgow and

Shot of the month

Death Grips @ Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, 19 June by Marilena Vlachopoulou

Across 9. Capital of Mull known for its colourful port (9)

10. Where you might sleep when exploring the Highlands (5)

11. Pseudonyms (7)

12. Part of Scottish Highland dress (7)

13. Hottest period of the year –period of decline (3,4)

14. Scrutinise (7)

15. Urge plane detour (anag) (9,6)

20. Scottish belt (7)

22. Scathing – bitter (7)

24. Damp oar (anag) (7)

25. Daring – chivalrous (7)

26. Li'l land mass (5)

27. Crude ship (3,6)

Down

1. Marooned (8)

2. Receding (6)

3. A breath of it is revitalising (5,3)

4. Where birds settle – tidal races (in the Orkneys and Shetlands) (6)

5. Kilmarnock's county (8)

6. Loathes (6)

7. Former First Minister – fish (8)

8. Li'l swan (6)

16. Peak (8)

17. Northern Scottish village on Loch Broom (8)

18. Strain – road love (anag) (8)

19. And the rest (2,6)

20. Crow (6)

21. Hard to find (6)

22. Scottish county closely associated with Buteshire (6)

23. You might fill them in – or draw one? (6)

Turn

Moving back to Edinburgh from London made me realise how small it is here. Because of how small it is, everyone seems to know each other’s business, and it can be quite easy to ignore and forgive bad behaviour by people in larger social circles. How do you go about cutting out toxic people from your life?

Yeah I mean, you’re right. Edinburgh is a city of like 12 people. I could tell you stories. I have been in the TRENCHES. We need to start shipping people in.

I feel you’re asking two different questions here. Inevitably, everyone knows everyone in this godforsaken city and that can make it hard to not feel like you’re in a reboot of your worst high school years, but that doesn’t mean you have to hang out with people you don’t like. In large social groups, politely but firmly moving away from people, or making it clear to your very close friends that you don’t like these people so that you emanate a silent bat signal for help at all times is fine – in fact, I would say it’s kind of life, which is an ongoing process of navigating community rather than highly and deliberately curated friend groups.

I do think there is an underlying question, or tension, at play here though, which is that a city this small allows for this kind of knowledge in a way that is maybe not natural. Not to go full-out Genesis (the book not the band) but maybe knowing this much information about people is bad actually – perhaps you were hanging out with the same kind of people in London, but just weren’t aware of every detail of their insane and complicated little lives. I guess what I’m moving towards here is a kind of grace (which is very rich of me given my best friend and I once made a detailed and comprehensive shit list on my quirky blackboard wall) within reason (do not use this advice to excuse child murderers and people who don’t like Anne Hathaway). Are these people really toxic? Or do we all just behave badly sometimes? This maybe sounds more profound than it actually is, but I do think it’s worth considering x

In this month’s agony aunt column, one person asks how to cut out toxic people in a city where everyone seems to know everyone

beyond the cities

There’s a lot going on in the cities, but did you know we live on the edges of Europe’s last great wilderness? This month we’re widening our horizons and encouraging you to take a trip to the country, where you’ll find a wide array of interesting cultural goings on. As Detour Discotheque descends on Coll, we take a look at a couple of Scotland’s island festivals and find out what it takes to make one a success. We explore some of the country’s more remote arts spaces, and learn about their summer programming and its engagement with the environment. We mark the release of Living In Colour, an anthology

of Scott Hutchison’s drawings, many of which are drawn from the natural world. Sarah Bernstein, a writer who both writes about and lives in a remote rural location, discusses Study for Obedience, and we talk to some of the remote-working creative collaborators who’ve made Skye architectural practice Dualchas’s innovative Venice Biennale presentation. Director Johnny Barrington discusses Lewis-shot Silent Roar, which will open next month’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, and we talk to the people behind a new immersive production influenced by Scottish landscape.

Island Gatherings

With musical island adventures afoot off the west coast, we catch up with Detour Discotheque organiser Jonny Ensall and Lost Map Records boss, and Ei resident, Johnny Lynch to talk community, infrastructure and creativity

Words: Laurie Presswood

Something about site-specific music festivals calls to our collective imagination.

There’s an almost primal pull to the seclusion, the epic connection between art and nature, the journey – it’s the same urge that drives every Bruce Springsteen song. So the sell-out success of Detour Discotheque on the Isle of Coll should come as no surprise, even three months out and with no version of the event ever having taken place in the UK yet.

The concept behind Detour Discotheque is simple: throw the world’s most remote disco once a year, every time somewhere new. Bring enough decorations to transform a small village hall into a 1970s New York nightclub, and a gang of exciting DJs and musicians (this year’s lineup features Free Love and Auntie Flo, as well as an appearance from

Coll’s resident ceilidh band, who are undergoing a temporary cosmic rebrand). Last year, its first outing, took the disco to Þingeyri – a fishing village in the Westfjords of Iceland with a population of a couple hundred people, where an old bank had been converted into a co-working space in an attempt to combat depopulation. Jonny Ensall, the man behind Detour Discotheque, was covering it for Norwegian Airlines’ inflight magazine.

“I was invited to one of their local events, something called the Hjónaball or “couples’ dance”, and I was embraced, like literally embraced very warmly by the people at this event, who were really happy to see a relatively young outsider within their village.”

From there, a disco wasn’t much of a leap. “I was an outsider in this village in the middle of

nowhere in Iceland, and yet I was made to feel part of this community. So even though it sounds like they’re from totally different universes, there is something about the kind of communities that you

“There is something about the kind of communities that you find in these small, secluded places”

Jonny Ensall, Detour Discotheque

find in these small, secluded places that is like the kind of communities that you develop around certain musical styles and types of event.”

So why Coll this year? A few reasons: Ensall knew he wanted to do something in Scotland from his three years living here. Coll itself holds the distinguished title of an International Dark Sky Community, which means it has shown “exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky.” It has mostly flat terrain, few streetlights, and an uninterrupted view of the stars (weather permitting), which invites a lean into cosmic disco for this year’s event, both sonically and visually.

Most importantly, though, Coll had the infrastructure in place to withstand its population doubling over one weekend: of course we’re drawn to the odyssey of the event, but we can’t just arrive, soak up the island’s resources and leave, having made life impossible for its residents. Coll has a hotel, a B&B, and a bunkhouse, plus specific camping spots. An Cridhe, the venue, was built in 2012, and is strikingly modern for a Scottish village hall, with clean-cut, spacious high ceilings and excellent facilities.

Managing island resources is a necessary strength for Lost Map Records, who are based two isles over on Ei and regularly run events up there. Celebrating their tenth anniversary this year, the staple of their calendar year is a small festival consisting of just two stages, a bar and some food (at such low capacity it’s not legally big enough to be considered a festival; ‘gathering’ is more appropriate). In years gone by periods of drought meant water shortages (the island has no public water supply; its residents get their water from springs), and while that’s not currently a threat, their approach is still a responsible one. Unlike Detour Discotheque, where accommodation is the deciding influence on event capacity, Lost Map’s micro-festival is camping-only. So their ticket limit is set by how many people can actually reach the island.

The CalMac ferry from Mallaig to Ei runs for an hour and a half around Skye’s ja ed underside. But it has a capacity of 200 and even in summer only runs four times a week – there is only one ferry festival-goers can feasibly take to arrive on time.

Pictish Trail’s Johnny Lynch, who runs Lost Map Records, sees this as part of the event’s appeal. They used to charter a private ferry to do a few trips back and forth, but logistical changes meant it no longer made sense; in parallel, they scaled back ticket numbers out of a desire to protect the island’s infrastructure. It’s now harder for ticketholders to get to the island, but the close-knit feel that makes the event so fun is further concentrated for the fortunate few who do make it.

“[Skye, Mull and Iona] have a much more regular ferry service and so it’d be trickier to kind of keep a handle on. Ei has not got as much of a ferry service and it is a bit trickier to get to – that kind of regulates the numbers.”

The target audience for this type of event is clearly the sort of person who relishes the journey, the challenge of it. You might expect that category of festival-goer to inherently respect the fine balance of an island ecosystem, naturally and infrastructurally speaking, but when you run an event that generates excitement like this, you can’t take for granted that people won’t turn up unannounced: “Folk should definitely book in advance if they want to ever make a trip up [...] My absolute nightmare is that 5,000 people try to descend on Mallaig to get over.”

In more remote locations, even on this petite scale, an event lives and dies on the support of the community. For Ensall, diving into Coll as an outsider, this meant working his way around the island, talking to local businesses. What he uncovered was a strong appetite for something just like what he was pitching: the Coll Hotel offered space for a pre-disco party on the Thursday night; the board of An Cridhe were so helpful that Ensall now considers it a co-production with the venue.

Lynch ran the first of Lost Map’s Ei events when he was still a mainlander 13 years ago – visiting his partner who had just moved back home, he was struck by how special it was and wanted to set something up there right away. You get a sense that his DIY approach encouraged the community to rally around a shared project: locals volunteered at the bar, erected the marquee, built a stage out of leftover pallets. It even seemed to have the power to mend metaphorical bridges: “there were a few folk on the island who... weren’t exactly best pals with one another who suddenly were working side by side... getting on like a house on fire.”

He adds that Ei folk are a particularly gregarious bunch. “I think there was just a bit of excitement about it happening. [...] It’s always the islanders, you know, they’re the ones who will stay out the latest and party the hardest.” He continues: “Where I was living before in the East Neuk of Fife, locals didn’t tend to get involved at all in any of the events that we put on. In fact they were kind of like, ‘Oh, do you live here?’”

The appeal of events like these is obvious from Lost Map’s ticket sales patterns. Their events in Edinburgh and London have the same exciting programming but have never matched the speed with which

the island events sell out. It’s understandable. The feeling of an adventure is a near-universal part of the island tourist experience. But there is perhaps a need for mainlanders to change their perception of these destinations, to better understand the lives of the people whose homes they invade over summer. Lynch points to the fact that only locals can bring cars on the Ei ferry as a huge help – they’re unlikely to face the blockages and influx of campervans that larger hotspots stru le with. He seems happy with the balance being struck on his home – in his own words tourism is what the island is.

The journey necessarily shapes your mindset when you arrive. As an outsider, and based on his own experience, Ensall says: “Part of the magic is that everybody has taken the same journey to get there... So by the time you arrive you feel a connection with people.” Some resent the constant depictions of the islands as mystical, remote spots for self-reflection – they are, after all, modern homes with modern people residing in them. But for Lynch this is still very much the point, even after 13 years. “I think they are exotic places... Just the vibrancy of all the colours up here... It seems like a weird computer game more than it does reality. Creative ideas just seem to come to life a lot easier.”

Find more about Detour Discotheque and Lost Map Records at detourdisco.com and lostmap.com

“My absolute nightmare is that 5,000 people try to descend on Mallaig to get over”

Johnny Lynch, Lost Map Records

Something Carries On

Ahead of Living In Colour: The Art of Scott Hutchison’s arrival this month, we catch up with his brother and Frightened Rabbit bandmate Grant as well as long-time artistic collaborator Dave

Words: Tallah Brash

When I found out Scott had died in May 2018, I ran out of the office and cried in a toilet cubicle. I didn’t know Scott that well, but our paths had crossed on multiple occasions over the better part of a decade. I always felt moved by his music and in particular his ability to stitch humour so beautifully throughout his poetic lyricism, his undeniably powerful and funny stage presence, and his willingness to make time for everyone. I never went to that 2012 Cab Vol show, because I knew it was going to be an organisational disaster, but I wasn’t surprised to learn that Scott had gone outside and played to the queue of folks who couldn’t get in. Of course he did. A true legend and kind soul.

Personally, it took me a long time to be able to listen to a Frightened Rabbit record after his passing, but for Scott’s family something had to carry on. To help young minds feel better, in 2019 they launched the charity Tiny Changes in Scott’s honour. At the end of 2021, The Work was published, celebrating Scott’s lyrics. It’s a beautiful book filled with detailed handwritten lyrics, ponderings, notes to Scott’s self so he wouldn’t forget things, and lots of Scott’s illustrations. It prompted me to look out an old DIY, handmade, radio promo copy of Sing the Greys I knew I had somewhere in the house. I’ve since gotten three of Scott’s illustrations from that promo tattooed on the back of my left forearm – a wee hat, a severed hand, and an exclamation point. It felt weirdly healing.

To further celebrate Scott’s art, a new book arrives this month. Worked on by Scott’s family and long-time artistic collaborator Dave Thomas, Living In Colour documents Scott’s talents across nine different sections, each playfully named after Frabbit lyrics, featuring works from his childhood through his time at the Glasgow School of Art, his tireless work for Frightened Rabbit and more. In the foreword of The Work, the band said that “acknowledging the years in this form without him wasn’t an easy task”, one that “brought deep waves of emotion and meant laugh-crying in the kitchen wasn’t out of the ordinary.”

Of the process for Living in Colour, his brother and bandmate Grant confesses that “[it]

was similarly difficult in that it was another reminder of exactly what we’ve lost. Scott’s talent when it came to his art was incomparable really and for that to have been cut short is absolutely heartbreaking. In some ways a lot of the work in this book is even more personal as a lot of it wasn’t produced specifically for the public to see. Because of that there’s a very real insight into Scott’s mind and how he thought, that I wasn’t sure would be there like it was in The Work.”

Dave found the process similarly hard. “There are of course a lot of emotions that come up during a process like this, it always reminds you of a friend who is no longer with us, but also of the jaw-dropping talent he had. I knew so much of the artwork Scott had done for the albums I’d collaborated on with him over the years, but this was the first time I saw a lot of his artwork going right back to childhood, through to art school and some of his personal sketchbooks too.

“As we looked through everything it was amazing to see his artwork develop, and exciting to spot little details appear in earlier pieces of work that were so recognisable to me from the

things we worked on years later. So much of what you see in his artwork is a direct reflection of Scott’s personality and especially his humour. That was the thing I enjoyed the most, going through everything, turning a page and at once being blown away by the brilliance of the imagery, but also the fact that so much of it made us immediately laugh out loud.”

Honoured to have now worked on two books of Scott’s work, Dave tells us that the pair had long shared a dream to create a book together. “We often talked about ideas for things outside of artwork for albums or singles, and a shared love of illustrated books was something that came up a lot. Scott had already started working on illustrations to accompany each track on The Midnight Organ Fight that was intended to be made into a book. Some of the pages he had already completed featured in The Work and some are also featured in [Living In Colour].”

In Living in Colour’s foreword, of Scott, Dave says: “It was really exciting to meet someone who thought as thoroughly about how he wanted his music to look as he did about how it should

sound.” He tells us: “That was what I loved about Scott. His creativity extended in so many different directions, it was infectious to be around. He was a supremely talented artist and illustrator and his visual style is as instantly recognisable as his lyrics and music. Through the music of Frightened Rabbit and the artwork and imagery he created, he has created a legacy which continues to be a rich source of positive inspiration for so many fans around the world.”

Going full circle, Living In Colour also features a number of artworks submitted by fans, as well as friends and family. Over the course of a couple of days, Dave tells us that everything they had gathered they photographed and scanned in a studio at the Glasgow School of Art, attempting to capture it as real to life as possible. At the back of the book, they admit to not being able to fit everything in, so we ask Grant if he thinks anything will be done with the additional works? “I have always thought that some kind of exhibition of Scott’s artwork would be a great way to share it and it’s something we’re still keen to explore.

“Committing time to projects like this is very emotionally exhausting,” Grant admits, “so it’s definitely a case of doing one thing at a time, but to see these pieces in real life is so special and I’d love to see that happen. It’s also something I think Scott would have loved to have seen happen too. We’ll never know exactly how he would’ve presented everything and that’s why he was so unique. I know he’d have been proud to see his work out there to be shared with the people who supported Frightened Rabbit for all those years and hopefully people beyond that community too.”

Grant further adds: “Scott was so much more than Frightened Rabbit and this is our way of showing that. In my opinion he was one of the best songwriters to have lived, but he was also an illustrator and a creator of other beautiful pieces of art. We also wanted to showcase his humour which was present in his songwriting too but maybe even more obvious here with his scribbles and sketches on drumheads, and his fascination with facial hair! I think art is all about inspiring other people and my hope is that on seeing this book, people find that inspiration to start drawing or expressing themselves in a way that maybe they haven’t before. His creativity was endless and so powerful and if this work remained in a box in my house it would feel like a terrible waste.”

Living In Colour: The Art of Scott Hutchison comes out on 14 Jul, published by Faber Music; to win a copy of the book and a tote bag, visit theskinny.co.uk/competitions

“His creativity was endless and so powerful and if this work remained in a box in my house it would feel like a terrible waste”

Grant Hutchison

Space and Time

We take a tour of some of Scotland’s rural art institutions to find out what they have on offer this summer

Words: Harvey Dimond

From the Highlands to the Islands, Scotland is home to many rural arts spaces that provide a thought-provoking experience year-round – but which are particularly appealing with the warmer days and longer nights of summer. There is sometimes a su estion that rural spaces somehow cannot programme critical and radical work in the same way that art spaces in cities can – but this is disproved by the radical

work taking place across Scotland. These spaces are far more likely to streamline community engagement into their programming, and although their footfall might be lower than in Glasgow or Edinburgh, they are more likely to develop relationships with repeat visitors who have a deep connection to the area. These spaces also provide fantastic opportunities for creatives to undertake residencies in quieter, intimate, more

contemplative environments away from the oversaturation and intensity of urban spaces. Since the pandemic, an interest in the potential that rural spaces hold has been reinvigorated, and now some of the most exciting exhibitions and festivals take place along Scotland’s coasts, on her islands and amongst her forests.

Close to Dumfries, Cample Line, named for the River Cample that flows only a few feet away, is housed in a historic building that was formerly a row of mill workers’ cottages. They present a year-round programme of exhibitions and screenings, as well as an ambitious public engagement programme that includes workshops with schools, walks led by artists and workshops relating to exhibitions in the gallery. Cample Line’s summer programme kicks off this month, with two exhibitions opening on 8 July. Amy Winstanley’s Slim Glimpses is named for the ‘small moments’ that intervene and break through into our daily lives, but which are often forgotten. Winstanley’s vivid and rich paintings allude to vegetation, water, hills, and show a deep connection to the rural environment. In Cample Line’s upstairs space, Rowan Mace will present an exhibition of new and recent sculptures titled Time’s Light. Mace’s painterly sculptural works express both a rigorous investigation into balance, light and structure, while also having a soft playfulness and intimacy.

Meanwhile, Hospitalfield in Arbroath is more focused on providing crucial support for artists through a dynamic programme of national and international residencies – including with partner institutions. Over the summer, you can see a series of sculptures by Emma Hart and a bronze sculpture by Eduardo Paolozzi in Hospitalfield’s gardens – there’s also a series of events taking place over the warmer months, which can be found on their website. Cove Park also provides a similar programme of residencies, for writers, visual artists, musicians and more. Set on the stunning Cowal Peninsula, Cove Park holds several callouts every year for residencies, with a focus on international collaboration and exchange.

Scotland’s west coast islands also host some unique and spellbinding spaces. The Bothy Project operates to offer opportunities for creatives to undertake residencies in a ‘unique and inspirational environment’ – Sweeney’s Bothy, on the island of Ei , close to Rum. The residency provides an opportunity for artists to adapt to a slower, more intentional pace of life in a beautiful natural setting and small community. Also set in a unique location, Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute holds an experimental programme of exhibitions, alongside providing support for artists across Scotland. As well as exploring the beautiful house and gardens, visitors this summer can enjoy Monster Chetwynd’s Moths, a collaboration with local school-children in the shape of sculptures, works on paper and film. Opening 2 September, Sekai Machache will present Svikiro, comprising of several short film works which will present a model for a decolonised future archive built on collaboration.

Timespan, in Helmsdale in the Highlands, is real proof of how radical art spaces in rural areas can be. Since its founding in 1986, the space has consistently produced progressive, communityfocused programming with an international scope. Recent exhibitions, screenings and talks have focused on an array of themes, including the relationship between Highland communities and

the transatlantic slave trade, land and food justice and the transformative power of gossip. Last month, Timespan opened a major exhibition titled Beatrice, as part of its ongoing project Coastal Commons Giulia Gregnanin, who became the new director and curator of Timespan in 2022, says this long-term project “aims to reflect on extractivism, its repercussions, violence, injustices, and to contemplate climate justice and reparation” in the context of the Highlands and beyond.

The exhibition, the first episode or chapter in this project, looks specifically to the legacy and repercussions of the Beatrice oil field, which lies less than 20 miles off the coast of Helmsdale. The oil field began operations in 1980 and was finally decommissioned in 2017, with the 84-turbine Beatrice Offshore Windfarm now standing in its place (“a forest of wind turbines shielding a rusty skeleton,” as Gregnanin beautifully visualises). Despite its closure, the oil field has left a profound legacy on the local community. Not only has it “become ingrained in the emotional landscape… it has also contributed to damaging the marine ecosystem, increasing pollution, and exacerbating the effects of the climate crisis,” like many other North Sea oil fields. The transition to the offshore wind farm has not been smooth either – the construction of pylons and cable systems has been disruptive, and has created concerns around the destruction of natural habitats. Gregnanin notes a new project by SSEN to build a new pylon route, which “has generated significant turmoil, with campaigners opposing its construction”. However, she crucially vouches that “while wind farms are not perfect and still involve other forms of extractivism, we don’t have time to delay the transition – the next step should be considering the socialisation and collectivisation of wind energy since wind is a natural resource that should not belong to anyone.”

Although the exhibition is a localised project, it works across the geographical axis of the North Sea, inviting three artists working in different national contexts who have a relationship with this body of water. Sue Jane Taylor, who resides in Dornoch (less than 30 miles from Helmsdale), has spent the last 30 years researching and documenting both inshore and offshore oil rigs along

this coast. Meanwhile, Oliver Ressler shot his film Carbon and Captivity at the Technology Centre in Mongstad, Norway, Europe’s largest carbon capture and storage centre, while Tanja Engelberts (based in the Netherlands) has spent six years on oil rigs on the eastern side of the North Sea. With Coastal Commons, Gregnanin is working with the aim “to expand beyond our remote corner of the Highlands and engage activists, practitioners, artists, and researchers to foster transnational alliances.” Looking beyond the Highlands, she affirms the importance of “ackowledging the historical responsibility of Western countries in the climate crisis, and we believe that cultural organisations have a duty to address this.”

Perhaps the most fundamental aspect of the exhibition is an investigation into Timespan’s origins. Instead of shying away from this history like so many institutions do, Timespan has bravely decided to face it head-on with this exhibition. In the early 1980s, Timespan’s founders were looking to acquire funds to build a cultural centre in Helmsdale, and one of the potential investors was BritOil. Interestingly (and in stark contrast to now, where arts institutions often do their best to hide donations from fossil fuel companies), one of the conditions of BritOil’s investment was that an exhibition about the local oil industry would have to feature at the museum’s entrance.

Gregnanin understands this move as one of BritOil’s methods of controlling the narrative around the fossil fuel industry in the region. In response to this discovery, she decided to take action. The exhibition features initial correspondence between BritOil and Timespan from the 1980s, putting on display this attempt by the fossil fuel industry to control local narratives around extractivism. Furthermore, Timespan’s original logo (designed by one of BritOil’s founders, Penny Woodley) which features an oil rig, has been used as the emblem of this exhibition. This acknowledgement is deeply profound, but vital – “without delving into our institutional history,” Gregnanin says, “a project like Coastal Commons would have been mere greenwashing.”

Beatrice, Timespan, Helmsdale, until 30 Sep

Travels North

Canadian-born, Highlands-based author Sarah Bernstein unpacks her second novel Study for Obedience, a gothic tale of power and complicity

Words: Katie Goh

When Sarah Bernstein moved from the city to the countryside for the first time, she started to take notice. “Things in my surroundings that I normally wouldn’t have tended to,” the novelist says on a video call from her home in northwest Scotland. “There’s something really nice about the cycle of the seasons and the cycle of attention it demands. You’re looking at the same landscape throughout the year and following it as it changes.”

Originally from Montreal, Canada, Bernstein now lives near Ullapool and works at the University of Strathclyde as a creative writing lecturer. In 2021, she published her first novel The Coming Bad Days, a beguiling, sharp portrait of an academic, with indie publisher Daunt Books. The success of her debut – The Coming Bad Days received comparisons to Rachel Cusk and Thomas Bernhard from critics – saw Bernstein move publishing house to Granta for her second novel, Study for Obedience, as well as be named one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists, a list of British-based-or-born fiction writers under the age of forty that is published once a decade.

Bernstein and I speak a month after she found herself on the list that has previously included literary stars like Martin Amis, Kazuo Ishiguro, Salman Rushdie and Zadie Smith. “I didn’t know about the list until they told me I was on it,” Bernstein says when I ask how she feels to be part of such a prestigious cohort. “I wrote back to my agent and asked, ‘Are you sure there hasn’t been a mistake?’ Not out of humbleness but because The Coming Bad Days had a very particular and small audience. I never expected to get widespread recognition and I wasn’t looking for it; I just wanted to write my books for one or two people who would read them!”

Being labelled a British author has also sparked some self-reflection. “It’s strange to be interpolated into the British title because I don’t have citizenship in this country,” she adds. “But it is nice to be recognised as somebody who is writing in Scotland.”

It’s fitting then, that the fraught nature of citizenship and belonging is at the heart of Bernstein’s new novel. Study for Obedience opens with an unnamed woman moving to live with her recently divorced brother in a small, rural community in the country of their ancestors. Unable to speak the local language, the narrator finds herself physically and emotionally isolated, acting as her brother’s housekeeper while he leaves on business trips. Over the course of the novel, a series of strange events – a dog’s phantom pregnancy, a ewe’s unfortunate death, mass bovine hysteria – garners the townspeople’s suspicion for this newcomer.

“I started to write Study for Obedience when I moved from Edinburgh to the northwest of Scotland,” explains Bernstein. “It’s the first time I’ve lived somewhere that’s not a city, and I was interested in imagining what the dynamic would be if you moved to a small place where somebody has an idea of your background but you’re not quite legible.”

Although Bernstein’s new home inspired aspects of the psychological rural isolation the narrator experiences, Study for Obedience is set somewhere in Eastern Europe, although it’s never specified where exactly. “I was interested in what it means, as the descendent of people who fled the Holocaust, to try and return to the place of your ancestors, or a homeland,” says Bernstein. “A couple of years ago I looked into getting ancestry citizenship to Poland because, although the borders have moved, that’s the place where I could get citizenship on the basis of where my grandparents are from. But it was really challenging because they don’t have the right documents and the archives have been burned. I wanted to connect

personal experience to a wider historical experience. I think interior narratives are always historical and political in the sense that they’re a specific expression of history and politics.”

In Study for Obedience, much of the tension between the narrator and the townspeople is due to a difference in religion and ancestry: she is Jewish and the townspeople are mostly Christian. “When I was in high school, there was a trip students went on called the March of the Living,” says Bernstein. “I never went on it because it’s expensive, but they go to eastern Europe and tour around concentration camps. I remember when they came back and said that the villagers there hated that they came, and spat and threw stones at them. I was really surprised because we’re sold a narrative of World War II that these are wounds that have been resolved. But what’s it like for people, who are the descendants of the collaborators or the perpetrators or the bystanders [of the Holocaust], when people come back to this place that they never left?”

Unable to speak the language of the townspeople, the novel’s narrator attempts to find alternative, non-verbal ways of communication. She weaves dolls from dried rushes and leaves them around the town, to disastrous consequences. “The dolls come from the narrator’s newfound connection to the landscape around her.” says Bernstein. “She’s looking at the landscape as something related to her life that she wants to connect with, but can’t identify: the plants are mysterious and the land has no name because she can’t speak the language. There’s some ambiguity as to why she leaves the dolls for the townspeople. Are they really meant well? What is she trying to communicate to them? There’s a weight of history behind them.”

Study for Obedience is a short novel, told in a claustrophobic first-person narration as the narrator recounts the events of a year. Bernstein’s sentences are long and lyrical and much of the novel began as pieces of poetry. “I think language is my primary interest as a writer, even more than story,” she explains. “I’m really interested in voice and when I write, I work by sound: the sound of a line and the sound of voice. It takes me forever to write anything because the order of the words has to be right. It’s almost like hearing a musical phrase that sets the tone of whatever the line is and then I carry on writing with that.”

When I tell Bernstein that I often re-read sentences in the novel multiple times to parse the narrator’s meaning, she seems pleased. “We’re so used to blowing through books and books being

highly readable. Experimental writing or ‘difficult’ writing doesn’t give up its meaning easily, things are immediately evident, and that requires slower engagement. I wanted to underscore how meaning is often misconstrued in communication, or [is] not always immediately evident.”

In relation to both her family and the world around her, the novel’s narrator is obsessed with obedience and self-discipline. She attends to the needs of others to extreme lengths of self denial. Study for Obedience opens with an epigraph from the artist Paula Rego – “I can turn tables and do as I want. I can make women stronger. I can make them obedient and murderous at the same time” – a thematic dichotomy explored through the novel. “I wanted to know what would happen if obedience became a form of control,” says Bernstein. “If there was a way to acknowledge agency in [obedience], and not just think that this character is without any agency. She’s somebody who understands herself as complicit in a web of relations.”

When I ask if the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic inspired this interest in the connection between care and control, Bernstein pauses to think. “Maybe not on a conscious level, but I see that connection: the way control of a population became necessary for the overall health of that population. When you have state intervention into the intimate lives of people on an unprecedented scale, whether that’s housing, healthcare or social work, there’s going to be things that tip too far onto the side of control. I did my PhD on the writing of women in the welfare state and became interested in the twin mechanisms of care and control and how it seems almost unfathomable to balance them.”

As our conversation comes to an end, we return to the relationship between language and power. A startling, memorable moment in the novel involves the narrator interacting with a townswoman whose dog has become pregnant much to the owner’s chagrin. “What’s the power of storytelling?” asks Bernstein. “It’s when she sees it working in the real world, that she discovers there’s power in narrative. She’s never experienced anything like that before because her words have never had any power. Language takes on an almost supernatural force.”

Study for Obedience is out on 6 Jul with Granta

Find Sarah Bernstein at The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool, 7 Jul; Golden Hare Books, Edinburgh, 12 Jul; Good Press, Glasgow, 13 Jul

“When you have state intervention into the intimate lives of people on an unprecedented scale, there’s going to be things that tip too far onto the side of control”

A New Wave

Johnny Barrington’s Silent Roar is a disarmingly leftfield coming-of-age drama that makes evocative use of its setting on the Isle of Lewis. We chat with Barrington ahead of his film’s premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival

Words: Jamie Dunn

There’s a distinctly bittersweet flavour to Silent Roar, the soulful and gently comic debut feature from Johnny Barrington, which is due to have its world premiere at Edinburgh Film Festival on 18 August. It makes perfect sense, then, when Barrington explains that the film was born from two diametrically opposed emotions: grief at the sudden death of his father, and a blissed-out day at the beach.

“I had been really looking at life in a different way after the death of my father,” Barrington recalls over Skype from his home in Glasgow’s West End. “So it’s a strange thing to say, but the first idea for the film happened a few months later at a place called Machrihanish on Mull of Kintyre. I was there with some friends and my son and some of his friends, and we were surfing.” It was one of those rare fine days in Scotland. “The light was very, very unusual; there was what you’d call a kind of halo effect around the sun and a kind of Californian mist coming in off the Atlantic. It felt almost warm enough to surf without a wetsuit. And I think I had a sense of euphoria from surfing and hanging out with friends and from the mystery of this phenomenon of light that was happening. That was the start of me thinking about the film.”

Barrington has certainly captured this euphoric feeling in the surfing scenes in Silent Roar

Shot on tactile 16mm on the Isle of Lewis, it follows Dondo, a spacey teen whose fisherman father has been missing for almost a year, thought lost at sea. Inspired by the words of a new minister in town, Dondo is soon using surfing as a way of communing with the divine, while on land he’s catching feelings for his best friend Sas, the smartest, coolest girl in school, who believes that the new preacher that Dondo is so taken with is full of shit.

“A lot of the ideas behind the film are what people would call the big themes,” says Barrington. “You know, death, sex, religion – that triumvirate.” The subject matter might be heavy, but they’re wielded with a light, absurdist touch. “Whenever I write these big ideas in scenes, it always ends up being boiled down to fannies and willies and puerile profanities. So that’s going on, this contrast of the sacred and profane, and I quite like that blend.”

It’s very tempting to read our young surfer hero as a surrogate for the director. Like Dondo, Barrington grew up in the Hebrides (in his case, Skye) and has a father who worked at sea (his dad ran boat tours to far-flung islands like St Kilda and the Faroes) but says he’s not based on any one person. Barrington thinks of his main characters in more symbolic terms.

“I see Dondo is an innocent figure whose element is water,” he explains. “He’s very receptive

and open to su estion. He’s this dreamy, wistful eccentric. And in contrast to that, Sas’s symbol is fire definitely; she’s like the sun. She’s more of a cynic, an iconoclast; she challenges and breaks things. She forces things to change and runs rings around everyone.”

While the characters don’t have specific autobiographical resonances, the setting certainly does. Barrington grew up on Skye, but was drawn to the neighbouring Lewis as his setting because of its even greater remoteness from the mainland. “What’s magical about Lewis,” he says wryly, “is that it doesn’t have a bridge.”

For the shoot, he settled on the remote village of Uig, in the southwest of the island. While making the film, he describes feeling an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. “I just had a genuine, general sense that Uig was tri ering a lot of memories from my childhood,” he recalls. “Memories from a time when there was a lot less outside influence, and of course it was pre-internet and everything like that. But it was also a time when you would stop and talk to everybody you met on the way to the shop, and then speak to them again on the way back from the shop.” This drowsy, sepia-tinged mood has seeped into the film. Despite being set in the present, modern concerns like the internet, social media and mobile phones are very much at the periphery. Barrington now resides among the lowlanders, but clearly he continues to be deeply inspired by the character and landscape of the Highlands and Islands. “The importance of place, it’s so deep within me that I actually find it difficult to even really talk about without slipping into, you know, just pretty predictable clichés about hills and glens and lochs.” You won’t find any of this trite imagery in Silent Roar, but the film does undeniably romanticise the sea, and surfing is shown to have more divinity than the pulpit. “I kind of grew up almost on the sea rather than next to it,” he says. “So in terms of talking about place, the sea itself has a very strong influence in a lot of my films. I can’t escape it.”

“I kind of grew up almost on the sea rather than next to it”

Johnny Barrington

Operatic Landscape

Scottish Opera Young Company’s immersive double-bill explores mysticism and mob mentality

Words: Nyeleni Superville Blackford

In the vibrant landscape of Scottish performance and culture, Scottish Opera Young Company stands as a beacon of creativity and innovation. This month, this year’s group of young performers captivate audiences with their unique adaptations of Henry McPherson’s Maud and Kurt Weill’s Down in the Valley. In conversation with director Flora Emily Thomson, it is evident that the company holds an unwavering commitment to nurturing new talent and exploring the varied depths of human experiences through operatic performances. The company has spent the last eight months creating and constructing a world that seamlessly blends rustic charm and magical energy, with an ominous undercurrent of unusual social dynamics.

The two pieces complement and contrast each other, working in tandem to form a larger concept. “On the surface, they look incredibly different. However, upon closer readings they have really strong themes around mob mentality,” reveals Thomson. However, they differ temporally, and they move through a semi-mystical past into a more current and recognisable present. Through this, the productions provide a canvas for the young performers to infuse with their own experiences. Thomson wants us to question how we would act in similar situations, connecting the performance to daily dilemmas.

Thomson draws inspiration from the island of St. Kilda and its rustic, magical energy. In 1930 the island of St. Kilda in the Outer Hebrides was voluntarily evacuated, which serves to remind us of how places, although beautiful, can become uninhabitable. The productions construct a world that entertains mysticism and the often-harsh reality of nature. Thomson explains, “We strive to create a world of glitter, magic, and nature fuelled by a slightly sinister undertone,” creating a captivating and immersive experience.

The significance of Scotland’s artistic landscape in fostering emerging artists and promoting a collaborative environment

is not just in its history, but also in the scenes’ acceptance of variation and experimental performance. She believes that programmes like this allow for continuous development and expansion within art. “I think without programmes like this, the art forms can stay in one place and become stale and boring.”

The company delved into puppetry and stylised movement during rehearsals. Thomson enthusiastically mentions that “seeing the joy light up in people’s faces” is a highlight of playing with form and style. The commitment to innovation ensures that each performance brings a unique blend of enthusiasm, built out of directorial passion, with the innate freedom of creativity and the talent of the performers.

A directorial challenge, she points out, is “accepting the vision that you have in your head is not going to be the end product.” However, the most rewarding aspect lies in witnessing the performers’ growth and in the realisations that arise from collaborative efforts. Thomson treasures these “penny drop” moments, in which progress turns to success. One of her aims as director was to ensure that the results were remarkable. The best way to encourage young professionals, Thomson says, is to show them what they can do by orchestrating a high-quality and spectacular performance.

The Young Company and their current adaptations epitomise the power of opera, and performance in general, to provoke thought and experiment with cultural motifs and theatrical techniques. Through their thematic approach to storytelling, the company invites audiences to step into a world where glitter coexists with themes of mob mentality. Thomson’s artistic vision and the dedicated young professionals remind us of the transformative potential of collaborative exploration.

Design and its Peripheries

Much of our recent writing about contemporary design explores how it overlaps and intersects with other artforms; this month we speak to writer and film director Peter Marsden about his work on the Dualchas installation

Words: Stacey Hunter

Selected in recognition of their work developing a regional architecture on the periphery of the continent, Scottish architecture practice Dualchas have developed a concept for the 18th international architecture biennale in Venice, using film and sound to tell a story about design. The film describes the environment that Dualchas works within — including the Hebrides and the mainland of Scotland, its climate, geography, and topography — using a combination of language, music, and field recordings. The exhibition is located at the centre of the Arsenale surrounded by around 60 other international architecture contributions invited by GhanaianScottish architect Lesley Lokko that respond to the theme The Laboratory of the Future. Four screens project in a seven metre square with immersive sound design accompanied by a vitrine holding a traditional fiddle and a Gaelic bible gifted to the architect’s grandparents in 1945.

We ask Marsden to describe how he and the creative team formed their initial ideas for this important international exhibition? “Dualchas have a very clear sense of what they are trying to do with their architecture and the philosophy behind it. A central goal at the heart of their approach is about repairing a connection to the heritage of the Gàidhealtachd, to invigorate and imagine Highland architecture had the thread not been cut through the Clearances.

“We worked on the concept over several months with writer Cal Flyn and sound artist Hector MacInnes. The writing process happened simultaneously alongside the practical development of the installation, Cal and I landed on quite an unorthodox writing process, working across four threads of story simultaneously. You’re creating an experience for the viewer within the space so you have to think of the installation as a whole as opposed to a single screen traditional film, taking into consideration how all of the elements inform each other and how the viewer might move or focus differently – it was a really interesting challenge.”

Marsden explains how the team set constraints for themselves which included looking at the architecture as a location for a film as opposed to a product being photographed.

“The function of the film is about communicating the firm’s ethos (as opposed to selling the work). Knowing the context in which the film would be shown at the Biennale removed the need to overtly explain why this architecture is exceptional. We could lean back a bit and focus on the

feeling of being there. The Dualchas buildings and how they interact with the landscape around them is stunning so the issue was never finding beautiful images but more about giving a sense of the space in the most efficient way possible.”

A central idea from the Dualchas team was that viewers could return to the exhibition several times and have a different experience, seeing things for the first time or making new connections.

“The interaction between the screens gives a huge amount of opportunity for layering meaning and multiplying the effect of an image. We also worked within a quad speaker setup with the sound design, so each screen’s audio interacts and intersects with the others in the space. It leads to a deepening of the viewers’ experience, and with a slight overload on the senses it can be quite powerful.”

Much of the creative team are operating at the edges of bi er landmasses – Isle of Skye (Dualchas, Hector MacInnes, Jordan Young), Orkney (Cal Flyn), and Isle of Man (Marsden). The majority of work prior to filming was done over video calls – something Marsden considers to be a very positive thing for contemporary creative projects. Did the geographical distances involved have any bearing on the approach?

“I don’t know if most of the team living in remote places was a coincidence – or if there is a

sensibility that comes with it that lent itself to the project. I’ve got a personal connection to Skye, so communicating the ethos of the practice cinematically really felt quite effortless, I was using my own voice in terms of the visuals of the Highlands and Islands – like speaking with a thick accent.

“I think a lot of Scottish creatives are quite nomadic due to the nature of where the work takes you, but there’s a strength and depth of talent that seems to come out of the country that outweighs its population. It’s exciting that the connection to opportunities to make world class work are becoming more and more accessible from more remote locations.”

For Dualchas director Rory Flyn, it was Marsden’s clear vision about how to blend the narrative with the landscape to create something cinematic that impressed him most. “It is very moving to see your own story and environment portrayed so beautifully. Our work demonstrates that design that is of a place, a landscape, a culture, creates something that is distinct and of value. And it also shows that the architecture of the Gàidhealtachd has as much value as architecture of any other place, architecture that acknowledges our past and has confidence in our future. If this rooted knowledge of ourselves is important for us, it is equally important for other places and cultures.”

On the subject of collaborating in an architecture and design context Marsden is characteristically frank and enthusiastic. “It’s important, good design makes the world a better place. I think there’s a mutual respect between designers and filmmakers which makes working together really feel like collaboration, so rather than a client adding restrictions it becomes a multiplier for creative opportunities. They’re not miles apart as disciplines and I’m sure there are many architects that would have made great filmmakers and vice-versa. This project in particular really felt like a group of people all moving in the same direction, working together towards the same goal – it was amazing to be a part of it.

“It’s so important to have the film represented at the Venice Biennale. It can be a challenging task on many levels to make contemporary and progressive work in Scotland, you have to push past resistance and work outside of the comfort of

your industry at times, which is why Dualchas is such an impressive practice. It’s great to see them showcased on such a prestigious stage, and well-deserved.”

2023 is the first year that Scotland has had two projects included in the Venice Biennale; a testament to the quality of our design and architecture sector. It adds poignancy to the news that Scotland + Venice* – a project founded in 2003 to promote the best of contemporary art and architecture from Scotland on the world stage – has been paused for 2024 “to allow for a period of reflection and review”. We hope to see a positive announcement about the future of this important project in the coming months.

A spokesperson for Scotland + Venice said: “We anticipate the review process to be underway in Summer 2023 and opportunities to participate will be widely advertised. At the same time we’ll be working with partners to create funded

opportunities for artists, curators and producers to engage with La Biennale in 2024 and more will follow on that as we develop our plans.”

@peterrmarsden_ @dualchas_architects @localheroesdesign

petermarsden.com dualchas.com localheroes.design

Collaborators: Peter Marsden (Film Director), Hector MacInnes (Sound Artist), Cal Flyn (Writer), Peter McCaughey (Artistic Advisor), Jordan Young (Photographer), and Marcus O’Connell

With the additional support of Creative Scotland, Torabhaig Single Malt Whisky, Heb Homes

Scotland + Venice is a partnership between Creative Scotland, British Council Scotland, National Galleries Scotland, Architecture & Design Scotland, V&A Dundee and the Scottish Government.

Dog Days

A new puppy can bring all sorts of havoc to a life – but, really, we might actually welcome the ups and downs of canine parenthood. One writer explores growing up, emotional turmoil, and why we’re embracing dog ownership in our twenties

Words: Josephine Jay

Illustration: Jack Murphy

My mother has a folder saved on her computer titled "Letters to Josephine". These are reserved for times she feels I have fucked up the most. Last November, when I got my puppy, Remy, I received several. These outlined the reservations she felt – the weight of commitment a dog posed, how she felt he would “severely limit life chances” – amid offers to sell him back to the breeder at any cost.

I lost my job in December. I’ll be the first to admit getting a puppy was a defensive mechanism whereby I channelled my spiralling anxiety into Remy. I reasoned it would be an excellent opportunity to invest in training whilst keeping the mania at bay. Growing up with dogs, getting my own has always been on the list; redundancy simply expedited the process. Going “just for a look” soon turned into a “we’re getting a dog” text to my flatmate and a puppy arriving four days later. It was a double-down approach to my dwindling bank balance – as my mother pointed out, dogs are an expensive habit. Still, I reasoned the pros far outweighed the cons.

Remy gets his name from the beloved rat protagonist of Ratatouille, sharing his penchant for fancy cheese. He arrived – eight kilos and confused. Fat and trusting, he was adorable right up until we started crate training whereupon he screamed for an hour straight.

There were several oh fuck moments in the aftermath of getting Remy where I snuck to the toilet to sob for five minutes without my ankles being bitten. On the toilet, I googled puppy blues (a cousin to post-natal depression), finding a wealth of online support from dog parents experiencing the same feelings of overwhelming inadequacy. Many, like me, found the weight of responsibility caring for a creature whose quality of life depended entirely on one’s competency crushing.

Remy fell sick his first month. I spent stressful nights on the sofa be ing him to eat, cleaning up his mess when he could not. The helplessness of being unable to cure him and the frustrations of being unable to communicate this was maddening. I understood for the first time the fury that comes with

parenthood – my mum’s annoyance at my refusal to finish my vegetables; the twinned desire to scream and hug.

It is easy to make statements about the type of parent we would like to be; far more easy than it is to act upon them. I have found I have five minutes of gentle parenting in me per day. Remy has been a stiff introduction to motherhood, showing me in many shades exactly how I’m turning into my own mother – a glimpse in the mirror I have not particularly enjoyed. In my mid-20s, he is a layer of care and responsibility I had not forecasted. I am the only sole dog owner of my friends – one of the youngest in our dog park. Remy’s quality of care is dictated by my actions; looking after him forces me to look after myself in order to make sure he is happy and well-cared for. Having him has pushed me to focus on my personal responsibilities at a much-needed time.

Remy adds degrees of complexity into my life – even if he isn’t a human child. I have a dependant who is unsympathetic to hangovers, does not respect the privacy of a locked door, nor has patience over a delayed dinner. He is a freeloader who expects every fridge opening to herald a second breakfast. My plans, social and otherwise, require an element of forward planning; “But is it dog-friendly?” has become the cry at any proposed event. However, Remy is also the perfect excuse for leaving early. “The puppy’s feeling overwhelmed and needs to leave,” I say, when I find myself unable to admit it’s me feeling overwhelmed. More often than not, the puppy in question is unconscious under a table.

My generation, the my dog is my child generation, are choosing to propagate later in life than our parents. We’re also choosing cockerpoos over children. In part due to the rising cost of childcare (children are a far more expensive habit than dogs), anxiety over the climate crisis and prioritising careers, millennials and Gen Z alike are deferring parenthood. Dogs are a good compromise. They are always happy to see you and do not talk back or pass out aged 14 while well-cidered in fields. Dogs provide routine, responsibility, outlets for anxiety and much-needed companionship at times when loneliness can feel overwhelming. Now, at eight months and 24 kilos, Remy has matured slightly. Heading into his teenage iteration, he is currently experimenting with selective listening. Despite this, Remy enriches my life in countless ways. He drags me out of bed on the days I do not want to. He introduces me to new parts of the city and neighbours I have never met. He has opened far many more doors than, as my mother warned, “limit life chances” and I do not regret him in the slightest.

“I understood for the first time the fury that comes with parenthood [...] the twinned desire to scream and hug”

Unearthing the Past

From eucalypts to cacti, our plants are rooted in colonialism. We look to Keg de Souza’s exhibition Shipping Roots, the Glasgow Seed Library, and Indigenous knowledge to unpack the complex history of our botanics and question where we may grow from here

When Walter Scott donned tartan trousers in 1822, the popularity of tartan exploded and wool mills had to import fleece from Australia. But this fleece harboured hidden hitchhikers: Australian seeds and spiky burrs had latched on and soon grew as unstoppable weeds around these wool mills and beyond.

This story makes up one part of Shipping Roots, an immersive exhibition at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s Inverleith House. Artist Keg de Souza explores how the British transported plants across their empire and the devastating consequences to nature and lives. Such colonialism continues to harm communities worldwide; and it’s crucial that we centre anti-colonialist practices when planting here in Scotland.

“Shipping Roots looks at the responsibility of the Botanic Garden, the history of colonialism and the movement of not only plants but also people through the hands of the British,” de Souza says. “It looks at the role of plants in building empires – the reason they collected these plants was to see what economic benefit they could potentially have.”

Shipping Roots examines three plant journeys, in three separate rooms. As a person of Indian (Goan) heritage living on unceded Gadigal land known as Sydney, de Souza predominantly links Australia, India and the UK in her work. The exhibition comes after the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh last year released its racial justice report, acknowledging its racist and colonial history.

The first room is filled with the scent of eucalyptus. Gum tree branches drape from the

ceiling alongside orange-beige silks dyed with various eucalypt species. The voices of scientists and 100-year-old Bigambul elder Uncle Wes Marne play over speakers.

Eucalypts have been exported worldwide for their timber, particularly into India. But the timber’s economic value is heavily offset by the tree’s capacity for environmental destruction, causing water levels to plunge and wildfire risk to skyrocket. “Without Traditional Knowledge and the ecology of the country, a whole system to support these trees, we can see the damage they do in other places,” de Souza says.

Another room looks at the tide of prickly pear cacti the British introduced to Australia in a failed attempt to start a dye industry. By the 1920s, the cactus rendered millions of hectares of agricultural land unusable.

A third room explores fleece imports. While some trapped seeds and burrs didn’t survive in Scottish conditions, others now occupy vast areas, such as piri piri burrs on sand dunes near nature reserves. “I found it interesting that they were importing from a country they had taken sheep to as part of settling the colony,” says de Souza.

Indeed, plants have spread across the planet for millennia. European colonisation, however, significantly sped up this process. For colonisers like the British, introducing plants and exploiting land was in pursuit of wealth rather than for the good of the community, as De Souza’s exhibition makes clear. Putting colonial profit before people has not only destroyed native ecosystems and

changed the climate; it has also disconnected people from plants.

Monash University academic and Euahlayi man Bhiamie Williamson explains that the movement of plants has changed and challenged Indigenous peoples’ relationships with their lands and waters. “Historically, before European people came into many of our lands, they were preceded by animals (foxes, rabbits, sheep) and weeds. So in many ways, Indigenous peoples have always engaged with weeds and introduced plants as a kind of harbinger of change to come,” he says.

“But change by itself doesn’t always equate to disruption as change is always part of adaptive processes and cycles. I guess the more pertinent question is whether these new plants (or weeds) can be of use or are a destructive force in their new contexts.”

Indeed, exciting initiatives in Scotland, such as Glasgow Seed Library, show how we can sow anti-colonial practices. The Seed Library maintains a collection of seeds for people to borrow from, and hosts events and workshops on saving seeds and growing from seeds, often in small spaces. It aims to build climate and community resilience by nurturing varieties suitable for the changing Scottish climate and reconnecting folks to their food.

Seed Librarian Rowan Lear explains that the initiative aims to be anti-colonial; as such, it recognises we owe much of our food knowledge and diversity to Indigenous people in other countries. “Seed saving and sharing didn’t just happen elsewhere, it was the regular practice of ordinary people in Scotland: growers, crofters and healers,” says Rowan. “And like Indigenous cultures elsewhere, I suspect the care of seeds was work done by women.

“It’s knowledge we’ve deliberately been separated from. We’ve not only lost access to land, but we‘ve also lost access to our knowledge about herbs, wild foods and also cultivating foods.” By learning to grow from seed, even from a balcony or window sill, Scottish people can reclaim such knowledge.

In Australia, practising decolonisation also means returning land to Indigenous people. “Without ownership and possession of the land we will always be curtailed in managing it in the ways we want to,” Bhiamie Williamson says. “So how to do better? Give us our land back and we will manage it the way we have always known how.” Shipping Roots makes this abundantly clear, and reminds us there is much to learn from their expertise.

#MuseumsAreGo

Scotland has a wealth of museums and galleries that offer fun, educational and affordable days out. To get you inspired, we spoke to leading accessible travel blogger Emma Muldoon about her recent visits to two great museums in Fife

Words: Jamie Dunn

If you’re looking for fun and enlightening places to visit this summer that won’t break the bank, you can’t do much better than exploring one of the 450 museums and galleries across Scotland. From mighty institutions like Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow and the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, to quirkier places of interest like the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum in Duns and the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh, there’s a whole host to choose from, big and small, across the country.

One thing people might take for granted when planning a trip to a Scottish museum, however, is how accessible these buildings are, especially considering many of them were built centuries ago. It’s a question that’s often on the mind of Emma Muldoon, who’s one of the UK’s leading accessible travel and disability bloggers. “My partner and I both love to travel,” Emma tells us, “but unfortunately, like many disabled people, we’ve faced our fair share of challenges and a lack of accessibility when travelling and in general day-to-day.”

Emma uses a power wheelchair to get around, and a particularly bad experience on a trip to New York nine years ago motivated her to raise awareness of the issues she faces when travelling and explore ways to bring about positive change. “I [started my blog] to share my own experiences and honest insights to encourage and empower other disabled people to explore the world,” she explains, “because there is so much to see and experience and special memories to be made along the way.”

Recently Emma took a trip to Fife, visiting two hidden gems on the east coast: The Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther and Wardlaw Museum in St Andrews. But how accessible were they?

When Emma arrived at the former, it didn’t look promising. It’s an old building and at rst glance from the outside, it gave the impression of being small. “Wheelchair users like myself often encounter poor accessibility in such buildings,” says Emma. Looks can be deceiving, though. To Emma’s surprise, The Scottish Fisheries Museum proved positively Tardis-like. “The museum is actually quite spacious inside,” she explains, “with exhibitions spread across two oors that o er a fascinating glimpse into Scotland’s shing industry.”

The museum has an online access guide, which Emma read before the visit. “I was impressed with how much detail it provided,” she says. The guide gave her a vital overview of what she could expect in terms of accessibility, in particular around access to the galleries and the accessible toilet. “Knowing this information prior to my visit made me con dent that my needs would be met.”

Getting around the building proved relatively easy thanks to ramps that have been seamlessly integrated into the architecture. “It’s such an old building, and obviously, accessibility wouldn’t have been a consideration when it was originally built, so it’s great to see access for disabled visitors being implemented and regularly improved,” she says. “The only non-accessible gallery is The Fisherman’s Cottage, but it can still be viewed through an accessible window.”

It’s fair to say Emma enjoyed her trip. “The Scottish Fisheries Museum is a treasure trove of historic displays and memorabilia, with room after room lled to the brim with fascinating artefacts,” she says. “We were particularly interested in learning about the lives of shing families and towns from years gone by, right up to more recent times.”

Later that same day, Emma visited Wardlaw Museum at St Andrews University, which o ers a glimpse into the history and impact of Scotland’s rst university, founded in 1413. Once again, she found a detailed access guide on the museum’s website, which gave her tonnes of useful information. In terms of accessibility, she found The Wardlaw Museum to be excellent. “The galleries are located on the ground oor, providing ample space for me to move

around in my wheelchair,” she says, “The displays were also at a suitable height for wheelchair users. For access to the upper oor, a lift is available, leading to the Learning Loft and Research Studio. The upper oor also provides access to the roof terrace, which is a must-see.”

While Emma found both museums easy to navigate, she says it’s important to note that “there is no such thing as a place that is fully accessible”, given that each disabled person has speci c accessibility needs. That’s why having detailed accessibility information online is so important. “What matters most is factual data that allows us to make informed choices,” she says. “That’s why I con dently visited both the Scottish Fisheries Museum and the Wardlaw Museum, as their websites o er detailed access guides that allowed me to decide if they would meet my access needs.”

If you’re interested in visiting one of Scotland’s 450 museums and galleries but are concerned about accessibility, be sure to check out their accessibility guides online rst. “If that’s not available, you can always reach out to the speci c museum or gallery to enquire about their accessibility accommodations,” notes Emma. “From my experience, museums and galleries across Scotland strive to be accessible to all visitors.” For a list of Scottish museums or galleries to visit in your local area or beyond, take a look at Museums Galleries Scotland’s interactive map at museumsgalleries scotland.org.uk/museums-are-go/

To nd out more about Emma’s trip to The Scottish Fisheries Museum and Wardlaw Museum, check out Emma’s YouTube (youtube.com/SimplyEmma) and Instagram (instagram.com/simplyemmablog)

Duncan of Jordanstone

This year’s DJCAD graduates overcame the setbacks of the pandemic to create a range of dynamic and stimulating works

The Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design degree show opened in typical Scottish springtime fashion: beneath a hot, humid curtain of drizzle. Despite the weather, the show was busy; a sight that would have been unthinkable three years ago. While COVID-19 certainly defined this cohort’s university experience, it doesn’t seem to have dampened the force and breadth of the work on display. It was evident that across every department, students have been interrogating contemporary issues and addressing the role that artists play in navigating them.

The Anthropocene was a big theme across the school. From Art and Philosophy, Eve McGovern Miller’s moving multidisciplinary work captures the ‘strained’ relationships between humans and the ecologies they attempt to control. In one corner, a video shows a large ball of wool created by Miller, rolling endlessly downhill. The playful sentience of the ball (is it trying to escape us? Or does it represent us and our Sisyphean efforts to dominate nature?) complements a large sprawling spider diagram which simply, yet effectively, charts interspecies entanglement. Coursing down a plinth are Anna Lamb’s elegant knitted wall-hangings which visually combine the neatness of a distant landscape with the subtle, close-up messiness of soil horizons. Drawing on her Scottish heritage, Lamb’s use of mainly Scottish spun wool references the history of the nation’s textile industry with a distinctly contemporary nod to abstraction, as if the Bauhaus were in fact located in Portsoy.

In Interior and Environmental Design, Eve Willis Kelly’s ‘design for the future’ project seamlessly interweaves the modern and the medieval in the ‘Isle of Alucinari’; a holistic psilocybin-inspired

medicinal retreat located on the Island of Lindisfarne. With a nod to the theories about the psychedelic roots of Christianity, Kelly recreates the anatomy of fungi in a design that is both tender and palpably calm. Religion also features in the work of Lily Smith, whose functionless chalices are among the stand-out pieces in the show. Intended to symbolise their own fraught relationship with the Church, Smith’s flawless metalwork, which evokes the modest perfectionism of Shaker design, matches (and maybe even surpasses) its Catholic reference point. Traditional depictions of feminine divinity are reimagined in Maria Touloupa’s dreamy holographic portraits, reframing saintly female beauty in a fantasised, post-human world of AI.

Elsewhere in Fine Art, figuration dominates. Kristin Mackinnon’s masterful, larger-than-life A Painter Worth Taking Seriously addresses the gender imbalance in the art world in a humorous take on self-portraiture. Perspective is also key to Nina Kouklaki’s slick, stylish oils. In the series, which explores the world of fetish, a svelte, nude figure contorts erotically with a plastic flamingo and a rubber balloon. Spectacle features in Oliver Campbell’s fuzzy, almost pixelated paintings which recount iconic cultural scenes, such as Messi’s 2022 World Cup win, with Baroque pathos.

Generally, participatory art is hard to nail as it relies on controlling a notoriously tricky factor; the public. However, Ailith Stewart’s interactive installation, reminiscent of a prehistoric cave, succeeds brilliantly by inviting the public to make marks on the piece in an act of vandalism, boldly questioning the value we, as a society, place on

certain forms of art. A truly noble message, affirmed by the audience responses which prove that nothing reminds us quite of our shared cultural sensibility like a cock and balls scrawled on a cave wall. COVID-19 has certainly changed our relationship to public space, and it is inspiring to see artists tackle something so pedestrian and often overlooked. To explore the concept of ‘common ground’, Clyde Williamson, in his video piece Getting Through, squeezes through a broken railing, behind a bike in a stairwell and under a bin. This playful negotiation with ‘urban obstacles’ hints at a deeper question of design vs. serendipity in urban environments (are these spaces designed to be hostile?), as well as the bodies those spaces sanction or exclude. Someone whose work to watch, or they’ll slink away under a Biffa bin forever.

Despite the galvanising variety of work, navigating through the building was tricky. Compounded by the absence of invigilators, there was, among visitors, a general sense of mass confusion. Even with the readily available map, it was genuinely surprising to find a room containing art – a real problem for a school in the top percent of art schools in the country. Due to the labyrinthine nature of the building, it appeared easy for artists to get overlooked – especially those further away from lifts or fire exits. Perhaps a note to future curators of the show is to consider access at the forefront of their planning. That aside, Dundee’s graduates demonstrated that honest, self-assertive and fascinating quality that has historically defined the school, and hopefully will continue to define it.

Glasgow School of Art

This year’s degree show at GSA sees graduates thoughtfully addressing chronic illness, queer representation and working class pride

Ilove overhearing the honest thoughts of fellow exhibition visitors. Often witty in their reflections, sometimes these discussions feed into my writing because verbal anecdotes are not copyrighted (but I do try to not let these distort my instinctive emotional response to artworks on display). From a decade or so of eavesdropping in exhibitions, I have found that when we see something which doesn’t quite make sense to us, and therefore unlocks discomfort, we might feel embarrassed on behalf of the artist or even the friend who has joined us in the gallery. As I leave the Stow building, temporary home to four floors’ worth of BA Fine Art students’ work, a stranger comments: “That was good, but some of it was very student-y”. Well, these are students who, at the end of four years of study, are still experimenting with materials and not latching onto predetermined themes – something which is very exciting to witness.

Abstracted and rose-tinted intimacy foregrounds Samuel Temple’s three-screen sensation, By The Bedside. Slow and undulating movement, mirroring a special kind of grief reserved for recollecting past intimacy, fills the darkly lit space. In the artwork’s triangular formation, memory becomes painfully distorted. Setting is everything: one screen projects a body, gaze averted, fading into a barely decorated room which could be taken from a Vincent Van Gogh still life. These are breathing photographs taken straight from a lover’s subconscious and cast into the bedroom. In their queerness, the viewer is privy to a secret album which has historically been deemed private. As the title su ests, the bedside table takes on symbolic status; the viewer might be drawn to

imagine its contents – perhaps an unorganised stash of genuine photographs or a diary filled with the remnants of a relationship’s intoxicating beginning and isolating end.

Downstairs, Hannah Turner, another fine art photography student, employs a double channel film to stimulate nostalgia. She created Memories Linger in the Air to interrogate industrial boom and demise through the focal point of the now-derelict Scottish Cummins factory in Shotts. Serving as a moving portrait of Turner’s grandfather and his descendants, whose ties to the production line run deep, working class graft is made determinedly visible. Turner plays with an artful layering of archival family film and new vignettes from the surrounding landscape of where her close relatives lived and worked. On the day I caught the degree show, the sound from Memories Linger in the Air was interjected by an intergenerational laughter between the artist and her family. Radiating pride, her relatives looked on at their younger selves immortalised in a gallery context, the footage crackling under the weight of time.

On a seemingly less serious note, Polly Smith’s ElectroEncephaloGram advances knit bombing into a hazy, psychedelic realm. Enticed in by a kinetic booth resembling a Glasgow Subway seat, (which wobbles rather vigorously) an unlikely commuter with gangly arms the colour of Irn-Bru sits opposite. Utilising knitwork to the most minute degree, cigarettes are strewn across the floor and a revised Subway map with renamed stops (Kelvinbridge becomes Crabby wabby) is provided. Yet, for all its novelty, Smith cites intersectionality as a spurring source of inspiration for ElectroEncephaloGram; the

Subway could be a nod to the general inaccessibility of public transport. In the Innovation School, Nilanjana Mannarprayil similarly worked with garish colours and eccentric patterns to create her life-enhancing product, Loopd. Taking the sterility out of healthcare, Mannarprayil creatively instils control in the hands of people with chronic illnesses through an app, funky prescription packaging and customisable care stickers.

In the Reid Building, Lydia Budler has sewn a dexterous textile collection in homage to lesbian memorabilia found at Glasgow Women’s Library Archives and beyond. Confined to a small stand, Budler’s portfolio needs the open air to fully convey its impressive scope and radical potential as garments and banners; these are textile art pieces made for protest. Countless hours must have been poured into the intricate beadwork, as Budler crafted care and compassion into the fabric of Sappho’s story. The themes of desire and passion present in Sapphic tales brings me to Fantasy Incubus by jeweller Yulan Zou. Extravagant in scale and style, Zou’s rings, earrings, and necklaces emerge like sea creatures from the depths of our psyches. Inspired by sex dreams and Asian depictions of eroticism, these tentacled treasures unveil repressed fantasies. Overarchingly, an emphasis on sustainability and interactivity was clearly pushed across the school showcases. Some of the simple ways artists demonstrated awareness of these priorities included leaving seeds for visitors to take home and harvest or decorating a wall of their nook with chalkboard paint. Ted Tinkler’s handcrafted installation, which saw two live performances, thoughtfully epitomised these prioritises.

Edinburgh College of Art

An interest in language and a devotion to craft define Edinburgh College of Art’s degree show this year

On the last day of the Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) degree show, there is a palpable frenzy animating the campus. Visitors weave between extraordinary displays – encompassing art, design, music and architecture – in the rush to find a new generation of creatives. As ECA reminds us, this year’s graduates have faced ‘continued challenges across their studies’; majorly impacted by the pandemic, combined with the extortionate increase in art material costs, it is hard to not consider the emotional labour that has fed into the students’ final pieces.

Ammna Sheikh spent 55 hours weaving The Richer A Persian, The Finer His Rugs, a kaleidoscopic display which cleverly illuminates the domineering force of British colonialism on language and visual culture in Pakistan. Across her mesmerising printed paper rugs, the intermedia artist incorporated Persian and Arabic with English and Urdu script (the latter two languages were deemed superior by the British colonialists). In a reclamation of Perso-Arabic script, Sheikh turned to proverbs which, like myth, hold a transformative potential in their ability to convey a cultural story. The recovery of ‘endangered’ languages was a primary motivator for Tracey McShane’s project, too. In Edinburgh College of Art’s grand hall, McShane’s ginormous scroll imitates a breaking wave crashing into a sea of artistic portfolios. Its shape and volume testify to the extraordinary complexity of Scottish Gaelic; the accompanying statement points out that the language has seventy-three words to describe waves. Up close, the muslin texture of the scroll is delicate and vulnerable, listing 2500 languages on the UNESCO ‘at risk’ register. Like Sheikh, McShane also points out the time taken to create the installation (which runs up to hundreds of hours), conveying a staunch commitment to the preservation of language and culture.

Performance art, which has seemingly taken a back seat in this year’s degree shows, does however feature in Alex Osborn’s self-portraiture. Comprising 120 tiny photographs, Bondage Performance involved the artist wrapping and re-wrapping her own body with red tape while concentrating on the physical sensation. The photographic presentation of this performance sets the tone for Dancing in the Red Room, the pleasure epicentre of Osborn’s art. Inside the cave-like space, which radiates shades of crimson and scarlet, enlarged photographs of women

contorting their bodies in accumulated satisfaction hang on the walls. A mutating organ-like soft sculpture sits in the centre, its spewing intestines and guts a reminder of the fragility of the human body. A welcome relief from the intensity of Dancing in the Red Room, Grace Gershinson’s biomorphic sculptures climb the walls of a room flooded with warm afternoon light, as if they are pining for sunlight. Leaning into abstraction, her sculptures have an organic and obsessive quality; like Yayoi Kusama’s compulsion to paint polka dots, Gershinson has made clusters of repeated, pierced shapes which resemble coral.

Amongst a showcase of Jewellery and Silversmithing graduate collections is Kuruka by Erica Earle-Robertson. Translating as ‘to weave’ in Shona, Earle-Robertson found inspiration from her upbringing in Zimbabwe. Her quad of spectacular baskets could be creatures stolen from the sea, with indigo and turmeric stained yarn, sisal and fibre waywardly shooting from the vessels like human hair. As well as expressing gratitude to the group of women who taught her to weave an Ilala Palm gourd basket, Earle-Robertson has made every effort to emphasise the ‘richness of […] materiality’. Citing the landscape as a ‘critical site’ in her practice, she collects her artistic resources and treats them like precious found objects.

Against the breathtaking backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, a giant doll curiously sits on the window ledge.

Crafted by Tegan Chaffer, graduating with a BA in painting, the doll also features on the adjacent wall, inside tiny domestic painted scenes. The miniature paintings capture the mundanity of everyday family life but also the plethora of emotional experiences that are a feature of living with others in close quarters. With its head downcast and blank, the doll’s presence is ominous, perhaps symbolising repressed emotions or unspoken grievances in the context of the family home. In another moment of catharsis, this time a personal exercise on grief, Lauren Maclean took to engraving sonograms on wood to come to terms with her miscarriage.

Comparatively, the push for sustainability and interactivity at ECA was more subtle than witnessed at The Glasgow School of Art’s showcase. Instead, as ECA publicly communicates the ‘resilience and hope’ these students have channelled into their art-making, I also see an opportunity to sit with the pain and loss encountered during an educational experience that was deeply entangled with the pandemic.

28 Days Later, 20 Years Later

Remember in the early 2010s when every other film and TV show on our screens seemed to be about zombies? You probably have the popularity of Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later to thank. Two decades after its release, we look back at this horror masterpiece

It’s 2023, and zombies are still very much on our screens, even if this year’s bi est undead hit – The Last of Us – never uttered the Z-word. The peak of the most recent zombie craze was in the early 2010s. The Walking Dead was rising on TV; movies ranged from zombie romance Warm Bodies to zombie epic World War Z; and alongside The Last of Us, Call of Duty was getting in on the zombie action on the video game side. The Last of Us aside, the trend does seem to be dying down significantly, though, making way for the more self-serious ‘elevated’ horror. But one zombie film – one of the first films to help kick start this cycle – has endured like no other even two decades on.

In retrospect, it’s clear that 28 Days Later wasn’t just a great horror-thriller; it was genuinely ahead of its time (and not just in predicting an empty Britain in the wake of a pandemic). In addition to helping kick off one of the bi est pop culture moments of the following decade – as much as director Danny Boyle claims that the film’s antagonists aren’t true zombies – the film was a breakthrough for many of its then-unknown actors, who have since become bonafide stars.

The most obvious example is Cillian Murphy, who at this point was utilising a gentle Irish charm rather than the brooding intensity he became known for thanks to Peaky Blinders, Batman Begins, and the upcoming Oppenheimer. However, you can’t overlook a pre-Pirates of the Caribbean Naomie Harris, playfully intimidating as relentless survivor Selena, and Christopher Eccleston, who was yet to begin his stint as the best Doctor Who. These actors are now known across the globe, but one of the main strengths of 28 Days Later – especially when compared to the later onslaught of American zombie content – is its national specificity. Though its 2003 release has led some to associate it with a wave of 9/11-influenced mainstream films that were united in their darker themes and emphasis on realism (such as War of the Worlds, Cloverfield andThe Dark Knight trilogy), I’d argue it more closely aligns with the British cinematic history of grit and social realism, particularly given Boyle’s earlier work on Trainspotting and Shallow Grave. (Also, much of 28 Days Later’s filming was completed prior to the attacks).

Though its debt to British cinema traditions is present on a thematic level, this specificity goes even further in the narrative thanks to a conclusion that could only truly occur in the UK: the rest of the world has left us to rot on our island while they carry on with their lives. While many prefer the original, much darker ending that sees Murphy’s character, Jim, dying in hospital while the two female leads face an uncertain future, the theatrical ending ultimately delivers an optimistically subdued reflection on Britain’s place in the global sphere – we aren’t the centre of the Earth anymore, and that’s almost definitely for the best.

This concept is essentially undone in the non-Boyle follow-up 28 Weeks Later, which depicts the intervention of the US army and (spoilers) the eventual spread of the Rage virus to continental Europe, but as a standalone film, the original is a surprisingly poignant exercise in post-colonial cinema.

Another stand-out component of 28 Days Later when contrasted with other films in the zombie subgenre is its fantastic score from John Murphy, as unique and unsettling as Goblin’s soundtrack for Dawn of the Dead 25 years prior. Though tense and gripping throughout, his work undoubtedly reaches a peak during the climax of the film, in which Jim goes on a rampage so violent it becomes unclear if he’s truly still human. The music at this point in the film relentlessly pounds as Boyle cuts quickly between violent vignettes of the infested country estate, never resolving its ever-rising pitch and discordant melody. Other zombie films may be scarier, but none match this level of unbearable intensity.

And all of this is without even directly saying what a well-constructed, compelling film Boyle created. Perhaps the high-water mark of his filmography, 28 Days Later is a zombie movie like no other, especially in a sea of American films that, while sporadically interesting, often blend together in a wave of celebrity cameos and CGI gore. Boyle’s creation, by respecting its roots, is a true original, and is just as tense and invigorating to experience as the zombie craze dies down as it was at its inception.

15 Years of Night Slugs

We chat with BokBok, founder of seminal and influential UK label Night Slugs

Words: Heléna Stanton

Over the last 15 years BokBok’s energetic and dynamic sound, which draws influences from various genres including house, techno, and UK garage, has been sought after around the UK. Championing their label’s anniversary with a special release and global tour, BokBok reveals what’s next for Night Slugs, while delving into the label's Classix Remixed compilation.

Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the Classix Remixed compilation album and how it celebrates Night Slugs’ 15th anniversary?

For me this release was all about showcasing the label’s culture and legacy, merging our heritage with what’s happening now in our extended community. I wanted to work with a wide range of artists, from icons and established peers through to younger artists. It was a chance to connect some dots and I’m honoured to have made some dream remixes come true as part of this project.

How would you describe the Night Slugs sound and how does the remix compilation update and showcase that in 2023?

Club-oriented, percussive, often melodic, with an industrial edge. Vitally, Night Slugs records are built for sound systems. You’re going to not only hear them but feel them.

Could you share some highlights from the global tour that Night Slugs is currently embarking on?

Girl Unit and I just got back from closing one of the days at Sydney’s Vivid festival – this was really an experience. We played in a huge, pitch-black warehouse; it was absolutely rammed with a crazy atmosphere. My favourite shows of the tour so far though have to be London at Venue MOT and Manchester at White Hotel. Both were sweaty and relentless, the audiences at both just really trusted us and went with us 100%.

How has Night Slugs evolved over the past 15 years, and what are your goals and visions for the label’s future?

The label has been through so many phases but the search for unique rhythms has remained a common theme through the years, and I feel this is the area we’re really focussing in on now. NS has been known for transgressing genres, and it’s because as DJs we’re always trying to fit different rhythms into each other and find interplay there. At its best I think NS can hit on a purity and truth of dance music, and I want to continue to chase that.

Can you reveal any details about the upcoming parties in Melbourne, Sydney, Bristol, Amsterdam, and other locations? What makes these events unique? How do you adapt to playing in different cities globally?

So we’ve just got back from the Australia dates, next up is Bristol with Ikonika b2b myself. We’re still working on the Amsterdam lineup but I can reveal it will be a part this year’s Amsterdam Dance Event. More dates in various regions to be announced soon.

Could you tell us more about Duetto? How does it tie in with the Classix Remixed release, and previous releases over the years?

I recently got really focussed on my Rinse FM shows and kind of found a niche, somewhere adjacent to house music and informed by UK funky, and its modern iterations. I got in my house bag again basically. And so that inspiration led naturally onto making this EP. Classix Remixed is all about our heritage and updating the classics, but I’m also doing loads of releases this year which are future-facing, about where the artists are at right now, our contemporary sound, and Duetto for me is a part of that.

The Night Slugs label has been at the forefront of club music for 15 years. How do you maintain a

cutting-edge and innovative approach to music production and curation?

I’m searching for a simplicity and truth that is honest and timeless.

Collaboration and community seem to be integral to Night Slugs’ ethos. How do you nurture relationships with artists, both within the label and beyond, to create a supportive and creative environment?

I try to encourage and uplift artists. I learned when to step back, and when to give constructive feedback, and how specific that should get. I do my best. Not all relationships have survived the last decade and a half.

Favourite artists, labels, external to your own?

I love the sound of Karen Nyame KG & Hagan. DJ Polo & NKC. Scratcha DVA.

Love the House of ALTR label and Morph ATL –that’s family.

A few favourite club tracks on repeat right now?

Neana - Cyberia (Hagan Remix)

Karen Nyame KG - Taboo (Vanyfox Remix)

Ohjeelo - 2 Steps

Hysterics - Code Switch (Ikonika Remix)

J Hus - Who Told You (Drakeless Edit)

252 - Apple Pulse

A Couple of Characters

The Skinny chats to three promising character comedians, Kathy Maniura, Rosalie Minnitt and Lorna Rose Treen, as they bring their first shows to the Festival Fringe this August

Words: Polly Glynn

“Today’s been one of those days where I realised how soon Fringe is and had a bit of a wobble”, says Lorna Rose Treen. The rising star already has multiple plaudits to her name (Chortle Best Newcomer and two Funny Women Awards) and makes her debut at Fringe this year with her show Skin Pigeon (2-27 Aug, not 14, 4.35pm, Pleasance Courtyard). She’s one of a dozen character comedians taking their first shows to Edinburgh this August.

Rosalie Minnitt (Clementine, 3-27 Aug, not 14, 2.25pm, Underbelly Cowgate) is torn between excitement and apprehension ahead of her debut, her inner voice flitting between “Ah you’re gonna be fine, you’re gonna be amazing, you’re gonna be

the talk of the town” and “this was a huge mistake and I wish I wasn’t doing it.”

Used to appearing as part of a duo, Kathy Maniura (Objectified, 2-28 Aug, not 14, 4.40pm, Gilded Balloon Teviot) is well aware that she needs supportive folk to rely on at the festival: “When it goes well you can celebrate it, and when it goes badly you can moan about it together. I think I’ll have to be very deliberate about surrounding myself with people who I can do that with.”

Working up an hour of character comedy proves to be more difficult than your standard stand-up show. There’s often an unwillingness to book or accept the form at regular comedy clubs but one kind of space has been a haven for

development. “Whenever I do queer shows, I feel like there’s maybe more of an openness,” or acceptance of the alternative, says Maniura, thanks to drag and cabaret being firmly rooted in LGBTQ+ culture. She notes parallels between the queer scene and alternative performance too, a “shared sense that we’re doing something a bit different and we sort of have to create our own spaces for it.” Having performed at university, Treen caught the bug again after signing up to a queer cabaret night and trying something a little more political. “I basically sexily danced to [Boris Johnson] masturbating about Big Ben – real high-brow stuff,” and the audience was “just so supportive and joyful.”

While queer spaces have meant that character comedy can be developed more freely, the form of comedy itself is freeing too. “You can get away with so much,” says Minnitt. “Like, if something doesn’t work out you can be like ‘well it’s not a theatre show’ and if a joke doesn’t work people are like ‘well that was pretty good lighting so it could be a theatre show.’” Maniura says it’s one of her favourite things about character comedy, “it blurs a lot of those lines in a great way... The scope of it creatively is really broad,” citing the comedy of acts like Natalie Palamides and Diane Chorley as poles apart in their style but united by presenting as someone else.

Treen is emphatic about character comedy, saying “I’ve always just really loved playing other people.” The style allows an outlet for her experience in clowning and improvisation. She trained at Gaulier (naturally) and did a stint as part of Edinburgh University’s The Improverts. “A lot of clowns will write flops into their shows where they do something that’s deliberately a big risk and not funny so then they can come out from it again and save it. I try to write jokes that I think are good, which is also funnier when they flop, because then it’s so embarrassing. I kind of think of my mistakes as gold sometimes. When things go wrong, that’s where you have real special times, and audiences think, ‘Wow, that was new and only just for me.’”

And although the presentness of live performance might make audiences fear being picked on, they

don’t have to worry attending these shows. The most Maniura does is have a quick chat and let the room decide on the order of her show, snapping out of her characters and addressing the audience as herself. “What I’ve found is that people who aren’t especially used to watching character comedy or absurd comedy find it comforting, me being me in-between.”

Comfort crosses Treen’s mind too, making sure any of her interactions are “delicate” and “polite”. “I know some clowning stuff can be really invasive. I want audience members to feel safe and like they’re gonna have loads of fun.”

“I wanted to make something that didn’t try to do anything more than just being funny,” Minnitt says. In the show, her character’s kin are played by Sylvanian Families, which, like real families, have caused her some grief. Replenishing her stocks after several shows, she scoured eBay for more figurines and “accidentally sent them to my exboyfriend’s grandparents’ house.” She unsurprisingly never heard back: “I need to know that my naked Sylvanians went somewhere and I’ve never had closure on it. I don’t know where they are but I hope they’re safe. I hope they have a good life.”

With an equally offbeat selling point, all of Maniura’s characters are objects. ”I started writing human characters, as I believe is probably normal, weirdly, and this is genuinely how it happened, then I did a few animals,” before finally settling on objects. “The secret is,” she says in hushed tones, “it’s still really about people,” specifically the people the comic finds funny, annoying or fascinating.

When our chat turns to the wider state of the Fringe, our acts have similar thoughts on the potential of a festival without the ubiquitous Comedy Awards. Maniura believes the whole thing stinks, calling the situation this year “unambiguously shitty... I’m locked in so early as a performer,” she says, “it feels like I’m paying for all this stuff but nobody is making good on what they should be giving me. They can change their mind at any point, but I’m not allowed to. If I pull out now then I’ve lost a ton. It feels like a really unbalanced exchange.”

“People get so fixated on it”, agrees Minitt. “Although it can be so transformational to get that recognition, I think that the stakes are, at this point, so unbelievably unfair, that it’s really hard

for talent to out.” And despite the benefits award nominations can bring, the three su est a lack of awards might alleviate some pressures felt by performers, particularly by allowing more creative risk-taking. It’s an attitude Treen thinks performers should apply to every Fringe, not just their first. “I don’t need to wait until I’m perfect, and there’s no such thing as being perfect in comedy or in anything. I’ve had friends who didn’t debut for like six years or something, and then debuted, didn’t get nominated, and it crushed them.” The comic leaves acts with some very sage advice: “someone said to me ‘your first show is always going to be your worst show’ and that really took some pressure off me,” Treen laughs.

A FEW MORE

Alongside our featured three, plenty of other character comics are embarking on their first Fringe

First up is Dominique Salerno with The Box Show (2-27 Aug (not 16), 3pm, Pleasance Courtyard), where over 25 characters are confined (and performed) in a 3ft x 3ft x 2ft cupboard. Get Blessed (2-27 Aug (not 14), 1pm, Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose) is award-winning Irish writer-performer Niamh Denyer’s attempt to train up her willing audiences as funeral celebrants, addressing modern spiritual ideas and hustle culture as she goes.

Lachlan Werner (Voices of Evil, 2-27 Aug (not 15, 23), 10.30pm, Pleasance Courtyard) is a witchy whirlwind by way of puppetry in this camp, cartoonish horror send-up. And, after a fab run at Glasgow Comedy Festival this spring, Edinburghborn Charlie Vero-Martin (Picnic, 3-27 Aug (not 14), 6.55pm, Underbelly Cowgate) entertains with her blend of surreal, joyful stand-up, characters and puppets.

Finally, though not straight-up character comedy, Kirsty Mann (Skeletons, 2-27 Aug (not 15), 5.50pm, Pleasance Courtyard) transforms into several characters in the tale of her secret life as a doctor.

Released 7 July by Partisan rrrrr

Album of the Month

PJ Harvey — I Inside the Old Year Dying

Prayer at the Gate opens PJ Harvey’s first album in seven years like a lost portal creaking into use. Drawing the listener into a meticulously constructed world wholly her own, Harvey implores you to cast aside your prejudgments with a found language teetering on the brink of familiarity and uncanniness. ‘Wyman, am I worthy? Speak your wordle to me’, she sings and, with that, all her personae – grunge feminist, filicidal killer, pop star, war poet – crumble away to lead you on through a record unlike anything else she’s released. But Harvey has always been a storyteller. I Inside the Old Year Dying sees her leave behind the journalistic music of her previous record, The Hope Six Demolition Project, and mine new depths of imagination.

Harvey continues her collaboration with long-time musical partners John Parish and Flood, pairing indelible melodies and structures with a writerly form that intertwines modernism with ancient unknowns. It has less in common with her previous work than it does with the novels of an author like Max Porter (someone Harvey has publicly admired), who pairs avant-garde style with a penchant for folkloric creatures and magical

manifestations. Harvey here is fascinated with nature and a countryside populated by blethering angels, ‘chalky children’ and myth. It has the aura of an artefact from long ago that displays characteristics out of its time. Take Lwonesome Tonight, where Harvey sings with the archaic or invented vocabulary of some past century, but about Elvis and Pepsi.

Further blurring the picture is the way Harvey uses her voice – stretching it and muffling it and undulating in ways unfamiliar (notes from the recording sessions reveal Harvey was specifically directed to sing as little like herself as possible). An effective smattering of electronic manipulation of her vocals, notably on the I Inside the Old I Dying and The Nether-edge, and the use of samples and field recordings on Autumn Term and Seem an I make placing the record temporally difficult and lend to the overall sense of feeling untethered.

As the title su ests, I Inside the Old Year Dying feels like a product of Harvey cocooning, burrowing into a space that feels protected and unhinged from relevance or topicality, as time and space wither. With that she has produced her most beguiling work. [Tony

Meursault Meursault

Common Grounds Records, 7 Jul rrrrr

Listen to: Rats In the Corn, WOLF!!!, Another, Again

Meursault’s sixth album ably captures the soulful, transfixing performances

Neil Pennycook and his seven companions are known for, their musicianship shining particularly bright during WOLF!!! and on simmering then soaring lead single Laugh Track. Pennycook’s songs always seem to be crafted with equal care, and while some may find this record a little too consistently downbeat, it’s far from one-note or unadventurous.

The aftermath of an apocalypse is the setting for opening track Rats In the Corn. The instrumentation, equal parts defiant and mournful, becomes increasingly wild as the song trudges through the remnants of civilisation, with valve amps pushed to the brink in a feedback-riddled climax. The title-track and Erik are tender, weary and piano-led, while Pennycook’s post-apocalyptic world is revisited in Another, Again – a woozy, stylish voyage into new sonic terrain. Making the Most of the Raw Materials of Futility is a relentless thrill-ride, while closer Teacher, Was I Wrong To Burn is disarmingly specific as it delves into Pennycook’s personal life. Few things are sugar-coated in Meursault songs. Instead, we face reality head on, bolstered by Pennycook’s empathy, passion and conviction: ‘And if it seems like a lot / This is God’s work, Son’. [Fraser MacIntyre]

Berlin-based producer Ziúr creates deconstructed dance music that beats with a human heart. Her previous album Antifate took its inspiration from medieval myth, but her latest pushes her sound into more extreme and abstract territories. Working with a diverse ensemble of collaborators (including Juliana Huxtable, Ledef and Emptyset’s James Ginzburg) it’s a Frankenstein stitch-up of an album; 11 tracks expertly pieced together with a unique blend of mechanical noise and scuffling organic percussion.

Jessy Lanza

Love Hallucination

Hyperdub, 28 Jul rrrrr

Listen to: Drive, Don’t Leave Me Now, Marathon

Jessy Lanza’s fourth studio album doubles down on the plush, velvety production of her 2021 DJ-Kicks comp. The dancefloor can still provide release, drama or solace, and there’s often even less concern for distractions such as verses. Midnight Ontario is the clearest direct link which pairs two-step with 90s R’n’B, creating a smooth cocktail with tension bubbling just below the surface.

Don’t Leave Me Now is another with a pulsing beat and a clear demonstration of Lanza’s growing confidence in her sound. Don’t Cry

On My Pillow is the first to utilise a repeated title ad nauseam, and here it works well wound around an intriguing synth line, and Drive plays like a relaxed companion to Caribou’s Sun. However, sometimes things merely seem bubbly and vaguely pleasant, like Limbo and I Hate Myself, and without much in the way of lyrics it can feel a little superficial. But a few wispy moments aside, there’s a solid foundation of synthy techno-pop on Love Hallucination, as well as Lanza’s greatest excursion yet in Marathon – a fizzing sex and sax romper that flows into the sultry, downtempo Double Time, a wonderful close to the album after a bit of a lull.

Hakuna Kulala, 28 Jul rrrrr

Listen to: Malikan, Move On, Nontrivial Differential

The album lurches into life with Eyeroll, as Welsh experimental musician Elvin Brandhi gurgles and croaks over the frenzied rattle of rototoms before violently awakening to proclaim that she ‘rolls the shittiest cigarettes’. These tracks (with the exception of country music-inspired closer Lacrymaturity) bludgeon with an industrial heft, but listen closely and you can hear a nervous pulse running through them. This is best observed on Move On, in which Egyptian composer Abdullah Miniawy's mournful trumpet cuts through Ziúr’s unstable rhythmic backdrop to add depth and texture to Manchester MC Iceboy Violet’s cutting verses. By all accounts this fusion of genres should feel awkward and unworkable, but Ziúr fuses these elements together with the precision of a mad scientist unaware of the monster they’ve just created. [Patrick

Claud Supermodels

Saddest Factory Records, 14 Jul rrrrr

Listen to: The Moving On, Every Fucking Time

The sophomore offering from Claud, Supermodels, feels like a coming-ofage record, or perhaps, the soundtrack to your next favourite indie darling film. Signed to Phoebe Bridgers’ label, Saddest Factory Records, mononym artist Claud’s sound is oftentimes ethereal and sometimes more foreboding, as heard in the pulsating bass intro of Dirt. While obviously contemporary, there’s a nostalgic feel to some songs (It’s Not About You; Wet). They are laden with synth alongside Claud’s dreamy vocals – a similar sound to fellow queer artists Tegan and Sara, an act Claud declares their love for on a monthly basis via Twitter.

The Moving On is a standout track which absolutely soars, despite the subject matter. In the face of someone who is ‘already gone’, Claud manages to create something devastating but also uplifting at the same time. Shorter bursts of softer, acoustic offerings come in the form of album opener Crumbs, and later on Spare Tire. The closing track, Screwdriver, where the album gets its name, encapsulates both the ethereal and foreboding qualities as previously mentioned as Claud lays bare their awe-inspiring vulnerability. On Supermodels, Claud combines humour with pure heart throughout, cultivating the ultimate soundtrack for summer and beyond. [Alisa Wylie]

It’s been a while since Blur made a record, and even longer since they made a record like this. Their late-period output is imbued with a certain darkness, whether it be the melancholy of 2003’s Think Tank or the claustrophobic strangeness of 2015’s The Magic Whip, as they tried to recapture past glories and were only partially successful. They shake it off on The Ballad of Darren, a handsome set that sounds like four mates having fun again. They seamlessly slip on many of the masks of old; they’re rabble-rousers on Barbaric, nonchalant pop-rockers on St Charles Square, fond repurposers of their US alt-rock influences on Goodbye Albert and endearingly lovelorn on the aching Far Away Island.

The instrumental palette is relatively simple, and the melodies played straight, where on their last couple of records, some of Albarn’s Gorillaz world crept in. There is no more potent reminder on The Ballad of Darren of what a back-to-basics approach makes possible than outstanding lead single, The Narcissist, the gorgeous, understated sound of a band that suffered such growing pains for so long finally settling handsomely into their own skin. In that respect, it’s the whole album in microcosm. [Joe Go ins]

Ideating about the ups and downs of a relationship, Mahalia’s sophomore album IRL saunters across fault lines. Through honeyed vocals across its 13 neat entries, she admits devotion, exposes gamified communication, and asserts her worth.

In My Bag delightfully sways and somersaults with self-assurance, while Terms and Conditions – entertainingly unyielding with its prerequisites (‘If you look at her, consider bridges burned’) – taps 90s R’n’B intonation. Co-written with and produced by Raye, it’s destined for totemic radio presence. The at-ease November is a beatific highlight, with the warm, sandy embrace of 2000s Corinne Bailey Rae and Norah Jones temporarily making room for some doting. It’s Not Me, It’s You charmingly calls bullshit and points the vector’s head of blame away from herself, and Goodbyes locomotes with purpose and vigour, with a slick undercurrent that upends the somewhat one-note production up until that point.

While IRL is satiny and consistent, sonically and lyrically you’re eager for some bi er swings. At times operating in truisms, you await unspooling of edgier insight. IRL is like a path reflecting dappled sunlight: we can see patches of brightness but its full light is obscured.

Listen to:

Following 2017’s unexpected hit Not Even Happiness was always going to be challenging for singer Julie Byrne, but her third album The Greater Wings also bears the scars of her longtime creative partner, producer and close friend Eric Littmann, who suddenly passed away during the making of the record. It means his memory is deeply woven into its fabric.

From the very beginning, Byrne invites us on her journey as she tries to make sense of this incredibly tragic event. The lyrics detail snatches of memories; reflections on the universe and the point of it all; fiercely loving tributes to Littmann, as if willing him to hear the record through the ether: ‘You’re always in the band / Forever underground / Name my grief to let it sing / To carry you up on the greater wings’.

The record essentially grabs you and pulls you down into Byrne’s slowly breathing world of all-encompassing grief. Her voice is excellent throughout – defiant and unwavering over Littmann’s production – and sonically it is patient, cinematic and hopeful. A refuge, perhaps, for anyone who has been on the receiving end of the confounding and cosmic world of grief. [Jamie

When Ana Roxanne and DJ Python’s differing styles really mesh it’s a wonderful thing. The title track for instance, in which Python brings a brilliant clattering breakbeat and a sharp, needling little synth figure, while Roxanne’s gorgeous vocals drift through the chaos, is superbly done. While lead single Sword showcases Roxanne’s voice in an acrobatic manner that her own work rarely does, Python’s trademark temporal elastication forces her voice into new shapes. On these tracks the collaboration makes total sense, tu ing at each other’s different styles.

Sonically the record is magnificent, every sound feels perfectly formed and mulled over until it achieves the ideal balance of dreamy and claustrophobic. This balance is never better than on closer World Freehand Circle Drawing which combines gorgeous wavering synth tones, a pulsing drum pattern and Roxanne’s voice at its precise, emotive best. It’s a shame some of the songs don’t feel like they really develop. Clear in particular gets caught in its own languorous trip-hop rhythm and never builds in any captivating direction. There’s certainly the sense that Ana Roxanne and DJ Python could produce something truly superb in future – we’re only seeing the first glimpses of it here.

Music Now

This summer, the neophytes and newcomers of the Scottish music scene show their ability in looking back, reflecting on influences, and mastering a canon of retro genres, all while putting their own styles on these emerging trends

Words: Lewis Robertson

You know the drill; things we missed in June first. In the midst of last month’s heatwave, local artists served up some sizzling singles – check out the new releases by Sixpeace (Make It Worth It), Free Love (All the Same to Me), Water Machine (Water Machine Pt. II), Post Coal Prom Queen and Pallmer (Cosmo Canyon), Apostille (Saturday Night, Still Breathing), Ruby Gaines (How It Looks), Snows of Yesteryear (Deer Across My Path), neverfine (Voices), Lucia & The Best Boys (So Sweet I Could Die), BIN JUICE (Packet Ham), Saint Sappho (In Your Hands), SHEARS (I Look at You (It’s Over)), Cortnë (Angel), Carla J Easton (Blooming 4U), and Declan Welsh & The Decadent West (First To Know), just in time for them to open the TRNSMT main stage. If this treasure trove is a bit too massive to plunder by yourself, you can find a lot of these gems on our Music Now playlist on Spotify.

Back to the present, Current Affairs drop Off the Tongue on 14 July via Tough Love Records. The aptly-named tastemakers take the scathing social commentary of punk, and stitch it to a resurrected, goth-rock sound. Joan Sweeney has a voice like an energetic revolutionary, shouting lines about the fragmentation of the left, criticising the state of things while still offering friendship, solidarity, and hardcore tunes. Tireless guitar solos and drumbeats showcase strenuous practice on behalf of the band, while still sounding disruptive and whogives-a-fuck. Their ethos is stated across track titles – Reactor; Riled; Get Wrecked.

When we shone our spotlight on Carsick Charlie back in January, Joseph Innes was embarking on an ambitious tour on the back of only one (very good) single. An emergent artist with such momentum is exciting, and his inaugural EP Angel (28 Jul) has been worth the anticipation. Masterful guitar work and hauntingly beautiful vocal performances might pull listeners back in time to a transcendent place of nostalgia and longing. Carsick Charlie is unlikely to make you as nauseous as the sobriquet su ests, but the cloudy, heartbreaking world constructed in these songs might bring a tear to your eye.

On the same day, Last Night From Glasgow introduce their newest act BRENDA with an eponymous album so slick with post-punk splendour you might mistake it for an authentic 80s artefact. Poppy backing vocals, danceable synths, and confrontational-yet-cool lyricism can be found across the record, and these virtues are sure to be in ample supply on the

night of their album launch at The Glad Cafe (28 Jul), with support from Casual Worker. Litty Hughes, Apsi Witana and Flore de Hooge are the three component parts of BRENDA, which they describe as: “Every woman you have ever met, seen, heard, loved, lost.” Having met, seen, heard and loved this band’s debut release, we sure hope we don’t lose BRENDA any time soon.

Deadbeat (28 Jul), the new EP by Alice Faye, pulls from a different kind of historical genre. Faye’s mighty voice, with a classic piano accompaniment, brings to mind music hall or variety ballads, depicting romantic tales with a more modern dimension than her early 20th century influences. The line ‘I don’t want you / But I don’t want you to be alone’ from Slice of Me characterises the conflicting feelings that give the record its complexity. While her songs sound like they might come from the brassy depths of an ornate phonograph, we think they might play even better from the stage at Glasgow’s Mono, on 8 September.

Throughout the month, keep an eye out for Otherworld, the debut album from Celestial North (7 Jul), which serves up angelic vocals and ephemeral dance hits. Lomond Campbell’s Interference Patterns (28 Jul) triumphs in its intricate techno soundscapes, and on the same day, you can catch some cerebral compositions in Dot Allison’s Consciousology, a record which showcases the seasoned Scottish singer’s electronic and acoustic expertise. In A Dream of Love (Jul 19), Maxwell Weaver leaps between music decades past with a jazzy, bigband sparkle, and In My Mind There’s a Room (21 Jul) by Mull Historical Society features written contributions from authors Ian Rankin, Jacqueline Wilson, and Scottish poet laureates Liz Lochhead and Jackie Kay. On the 26th, Swiss Portrait gives us The Crippling Pain of Happiness, where the composer’s dreampop sensibilities open the gate for discussions of mental health and isolation over lockdown.

Other releases include Where The Clouds Go Swimming (14 Jul) by Joe McAlinden, and on page 52 you’ll find a full review for Meursault’s self-titled sixth studio album. For July’s shorter listens, check out EPs 520 by Ant Thomaz (7 Jul) and Know Enough to Get By by Stuffed Animals (7 Jul), or there’s new single Rest and Be Thankful from Edinburgh fivepiece waverley. (19 Jul).

Spotlight On... Rudi Zygadlo

With his latest album, Do erland, arriving at the end of last month, we shine a spotlight on Glasgow multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer Rudi

Words: Tallah Brash

Rudi Zygadlo is a curious character. He’s spent a lot of the last ten years working away on other projects, living in London and Berlin, but during the pandemic returned to Glasgow. On his latest album, Do erland, the singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer packages up all manner of disparate themes, inspirations and ideas into one enjoyable, theatrical, indie-pop package that sounds like it couldn’t have been conceived anywhere other than in Glasgow. With its digital release at the end of the month, and a limited edition purple vinyl due later in the year, we catch up with Zygadlo to find out more.

This is your third solo album, but your first in ten years, so it’s been a long time in the making. What else have you been working on alongside this record, and what prompted your return to Scotland?

A decade-long drought! What the hell have I been doing? The small print is... I released a couple of Bandcamp albums in that time and there have been a bunch of other non-RZ bits’n’pieces. Under the name Lully I released an EP called Wow Esme; under the name Golden Ratio Syrup I released an EP called Golden Ratio Syrup; I’ve produced several other artist projects, done remixes, soundtracked two films, written screenplays (to no avail) AND held a number of minimum wage part-time jobs – including pouring champagne for Kiefer Sutherland and the Tory cabinet, framing, and mowing the Sultan of Brunei’s lawn. Sorry, total CV fest. Why the move home? During the pandemic I woke up to the inequities of London, wanted to make a band with my buddies and walk some hills.

Do erland takes its name from an area of land that used to connect the UK to Europe, but is now submerged under the North Sea. What was it about ‘Do erland’ that fascinated you so much you decided to use it as inspiration for your record?

It just seemed like a fertile metaphor for the crises of our time; political obscurity and environmental collapse. I read this morning: China has met its 2030 renewable target five years ahead of schedule. The UK is expected to miss its own. Hooray for private enterprise! I always liked the absurd poetry of the shipping forecast. Do erland – I guess I like the canine pun of it too.

Halfway through the record, in an interlude you list all the things already covered as well as what’s still to come, those short 40 seconds or so

highlighting just how packed the record is. How did you manage to fit so many disparate ideas and themes – from climate celebs in Finnieston to VR escapism, train crashes to living in landfill, dating apps and more – into one record? Ha. I dunno. I reckon most albums by most people contain a multitude of themes and ideas. I just had the pomposity to list them. I do think of myself as a maximalist though.

Despite some of the themes being on the bleak side, the record is really well balanced, and threaded with humour – it’s remarkably upbeat in feel. How hard was it to keep it light? And was that something you wanted to do from the start? You know, I’m not sure. I didn’t prepare for making an upbeat album. If anything I was down in the dumps for a lot of it. That said, my therapist told me I use humour as a defence mechanism, which may explain something. I am quite shy most of the time and a massive coward in conflict situations.

When the heat is on, my fear of conflict is so great that I either retreat into silence or make a joke. Silence doesn’t make for a great album, Mr Cage. Dunno if that answers your Q. Thinking about it, most of my favourite music is serious and funny.

Beyond the album release, what does the rest of the year look like for you?

Working the day job. Touring in November, though I hope there will be a show or two in the meantime. Finishing the next album. Creative writing. Reading. Being a good human. Seeing my family. Seeing my friends. X

Do erland is out now across digital platforms, with a limited edition purple vinyl due on 22 Sep via Republic of Music

Rudi Zygadlo plays SWG3 Poetry Club, Glasgow, 10 Nov; The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, 12 Nov rudizygadlo.com

Film of the Month — You Hurt My Feelings

Director: Nicole Holofcener

Starring: Julia LouisDreyfus, Tobias Menzies, Michaela Watkins, Arian Moayed, Jeannie Berlin

RRRR R

Released 25 July by

Prime Video

Certificate 15

theskinny.co.uk/film

The fact that Nicole Holofcener has named her seventh film You Hurt My Feelings makes complete sense – hurt feelings are this filmmaker’s stock-in-trade. From her 1996 directorial debut Walking and Talking onwards, Holofcener has established herself as one of the finest comic filmmakers working in American cinema, but beneath the laughs that she reliably serves up, her films always display an acute understanding of the myriad small ways in which people can wound each other. The importance of honesty within a relationship is a recurring theme in Holofcener’s work, and the truth usually hurts.

In You Hurt My Feelings, Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Beth, a moderately successful memoirist whose attempt to publish her debut novel has hit a wall with an unimpressed editor. Her endlessly supportive husband, Don (Tobias Menzies), reassures her that she’s a great writer, and that any inability to acknowledge the novel’s quality is surely a failing on the reader’s part, but when Beth overhears Don telling a mutual friend that he doesn’t actually like her book, her whole world falls apart. “I wasn’t lying, I was encouraging,” Don insists, and Holofcener explores that space where the little white lies we tell each other with good intentions can have unexpected consequences.

This is the second time Julia Louis-Dreyfus has worked with Holofcener following 2013’s Enough Said, and they are a perfect match. Louis-Dreyfus plays Beth’s sense of betrayal beautifully – it’s hilarious, but rooted in real pain. It again makes you wonder why she hasn’t had more opportunities to carry a film. LouisDreyfus also has a wonderful rapport with Menzies, whose character is simultaneously going through his own crisis of confidence.

Don begins to question his worth as a therapist after hearing a client mutter “he’s an idiot” as he leaves a session, and another client’s observation that he looks tired is enough to have him pulling at the skin around his eyes in front of the mirror and contemplating Botox. Holofcener doles out little dilemmas and insecurities among all of her characters. Even an idle question from the morose Beth to a married couple at a bar about whether they like each other’s work seems to instantly plant a seed of doubt in their relationship.

“This whole world is falling apart, and this is what’s concerning you?” an exasperated Don complains when Beth confronts him, but Holofcener understands that the problems that seem trivial on the surface are often the ones that burrow deep under the skin and hit us most personally.

Always coming in at around 90 minutes and rarely hinging on any major dramatic incidents (in fact, a brief brush with crime here is the film’s one jarringly inauthentic moment), Nicole Holofcener’s work may appear slight at first glance, but her intelligent and perceptive studies of human behaviour are a class apart from anything else in contemporary American comedy. You Hurt My Feelings will make you laugh, it will make you recognise your own foibles, and it may just make you hesitate the next time a friend turns to you with that expectant look in their eyes and says, “So… what did you think?”

You Hurt My Feelings has its UK premiere at Sundance Film Festival in London on 9 Jul

Scotland on Screen: Mark Cousins

The prolific Mark Cousins returns with the mischievous documentary My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock, which sees Hitchcock looking back and commenting on his vast career. Cousins tells us how he found a fresh approach to discussing this storied filmmaker

Words: Jamie Dunn

Filmography (selected): The March On Rome (2022), My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock (2022), The Story of Film: A New Generation (2021), The Story of Looking (2021), The Storms of Jeremy Thomas (2021), Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (2019), The Eyes of Orson Welles (2017), Stockholm, My Love (2016), Atomic, Living in Dread and Promise (2015), I am Belfast (2015), A Story of Children and Film (2013), Here be Dragons (2013), What is this Film Called Love? (2012), The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011), The First Movie (2009), The New Ten Commandments (2008) t: @markcousinsfilm

Discovery is usually guaranteed in a Mark Cousins joint. You walk out of epic essay films like The Story of Film: An Odyssey and Women Make Film with a brain swirling with images from movies you want to see, many of which you won’t have heard of previously. He’s spent his career shining a torch into corners of cinema that haven’t been given enough light, so it’s a surprise to see that the subject of his latest film is probably the most famous director of all time: Alfred Hitchcock.

It turns out Cousins was surprised too. “I try to go off-piste a bit in film stuff, you know? But my producer, John Archer, said, ‘It’s 100 years since the first Hitch film [the lost Number 13 from 1922], do you wanna do something?’” Initially, Cousins wasn’t interested. “Everything’s been said,” he thought. But themes started to pop into his head that hadn’t been explored, ideas like loneliness and fulfilment. He took Archer’s bait. “I said to John, OK, I’ll watch [Hitchcock’s] films in order from the very start, and if I feel myself scribbling ideas, that means that I can maybe do a film.”

A Hitchcock binge is no mean feat, given he directed over 50 movies, but this was during lockdown and Cousins had time on his hands. He ended up scribbling down lots of ideas, but one was key to looking at this great director anew: Hitchcock would narrate the film. “Doing it in the first person was the first thing I thought of,” he says. “We’ll have him talk!” It’s a wonderful premise – it’s as if the maestro behind Psycho and Rear Window has decided to deliver a PowerPoint presentation on his own career from beyond the grave.

My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock opens with a blatant fib: “Written and voiced by Alfred Hitchcock.” It’s not the only fabrication, Cousins reveals. “People have been saying to me after screenings, ‘Where did Hitchcock say all that stuff?’ He said none of that stuff; it’s all made up. But it’s all close to things that he said or felt.” The trick to writing the script was trying to get inside Hitchcock’s head. “If you try to write from someone else’s point of view in the first person, you do have a slight shudder; it allows you to create a real intimacy.” Cousins says he felt a bit like Alan Bennett. “Those monologues, they’re just perfect. Bennett takes one woman, or occasionally a man, and has them tell their whole life story. My film tries to do that for Hitch.”

With Cousins set on a first-person Hitchcock narration, the bothersome fact that Hitchcock died in 1980 meant he had to put his thinking cap on. “We didn’t consider the AI route. That was available to us, but we didn’t really want to do that, you know? It had to be an actor.” Estimable actors like Toby Jones and Anthony Hopkins have played the director in the past, but in those examples (respectively The Girl and Hitchcock, both from 2012) it was makeup and lighting doing most of the heavy lifting. With a voiceover, there’s no place to hide.

Cousins turned to his friend, the actor Simon Callow, for advice. “I asked Simon who could play Hitchcock and he said, ‘The best ear in the business is Alistair McGowan.’” This beanpole comedian will be extremely well-known to any reader who had half an eye on British TV in the late-90s and early-00s, where he’d often be found impersonating sports stars, celebrities and politicians (David Beckham, Tony Blair and Michael Parkinson are among his spot-on repertoire).

“We asked him to do it,” recalls Cousins, “but we didn’t hear for ages. And then my phone pinged and it was a voice message... and it was Hitchcock. He sounded exactly like him. I didn’t need to say, ‘Oh, could you dial up the London a little bit’ or anything; he had it, I think, pretty perfect.”

Cousins is right. McGowan has the Master of Suspense down pat, from his laboured breathing to his snorty gi le to his rumbling belly laughs at his own mischief. “It was amazing to see Alistair pull the phlegm up into his throat and then kind of drop his jaw,” Cousins says of McGowan’s performance. “To see that physical process was fascinating. He’s got a unique bit of wiring between his ear, his brain, his throat and his mouth; it’s quite extraordinary. He should leave his body to medical science, in my opinion.”

In many ways, Cousins and Hitchcock aren’t obvious bedfellows. As filmmakers, their style and temperament couldn’t be more different. “My films are certainly not thrillers,” Cousins confirms. “They’re cut quite slowly; often my films try to reduce your heartbeat, not increase it.” Both directors are interested in looking, though. Cousins even has a film called The Story of Looking, and it would be the perfect title for a Hitchcock biography. “Yes, we’re both interested in voyeuristic things,” Cousins agrees. “Visual encounters with the world are something overwhelming for both of us. Hitchcock and I would overlap in that area strongly.”

Smoking Causes Coughing

Director: Quentin Dupieux

Starring: Gilles Lellouche rrrrr

Quentin Dupieux’s latest opens with two false starts. First, a French family on a road trip are distracted by Tobacco Force, a group of super-powered individuals who, once punching fails, excrete enough of various cigarette chemicals to cause immediate cancer in and/or explosion of their foes. Second, after celebrating this victory, Tobacco Force is told by their rat-like boss they must go on a mandatory bonding retreat before facing their next big bad.

But are these Power Ranger knock-offs strong enough to take on the ultimate villain, superhero fatigue? Just about! Sure, Earth may be in peril, but the heart of Smoking Causes Coughing are the sha y dog stories told around campfires and breakfast tables. These meandering horror shows smack of the mundane nihilism found

in certain corners of the internet, without a trace of Joss Whedon smirk.

There must be psychic damage incurred by repeatedly defeating low-budget foes with equally low-budget effects, and a few opportunities for human depth (such as the families left behind on missions) are glossed over. But Dupieux’s deadpan presentation of gore, guts, and slime strengthens his absurdist credentials, and the cast’s understated delivery of each not-forthe-squeamish twist heightens the offbeat bits. At a refreshing and brisk 77 minutes, the chaos does not overstay its welcome.

The bangs and whimpers are impeccably deployed in Smoking Causes Coughing, creating a film that will puzzle as much as it delights. If you’re on board with Dupieux’s brand of nonsense, it’s a hit; if unfamiliar, it’s a great place to start. [Carmen Paddock]

Released 7 July by Picturehouse; certificate 15

Talk to Me

Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

Starring: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji rrrrr

With Talk to Me, Australian cinema might have its next spooky franchise. YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou infuse their first feature with gore and humour, putting a Gen Z spin to consorting with the dead. Fresh and frightening, Talk to Me demands its righteous place in the possessed teen canon and delivers an emotional blow where it hurts the most.

The plot revolves around an embalmed hand that allows you to channel the spirits. Our protagonists use this mysterious prop to spice up house parties, throwing caution and ethics to the wind. For most of these teens, it’s just another craze to film to get a bunch of views. Mia (Wilde), however, has recently lost her mum,

and for her, exploring the afterworld feels like being thrown a lifeline. As usual with dabbling in such murky waters, the intoxicating highs come with terrifying lows if certain rules aren’t respected. And you can bet they won’t be.

The hand is where urban legends and Creepypasta meet, and the film asks you to believe in its backstory and logic, only hinted at in dialogue. While this vagueness comes back to bite Talk to Me in its somewhat dissatisfying final act, the first half is as compelling as it gets, effectively conjuring horrifying images from the underworld and, scarier yet, the troubled souls of the bereaved. Grief really does a number on you, Talk to Me says, and if you leave the door open for too long, the darkness may grab you and never let go. [Stefania

Released 28 Jul by Altitude; certificate 15

The Damned Don’t Cry

Director: Fyzal Boulifa

Starring: Aicha Tebbae, Abdellah

El Hajjouji, Antoine Reinartz rrrrr

Fyzal Boulifa’s The Damned Don’t Cry borrows its title from a similarly themed 1950s Joan Crawford melodrama, which centres on a woman using her feminine wiles to escape drudgery but only finding more pain. There’s definitely something Crawford-like about Fatima-Zahra (Tebbae), a single mother who’s been keeping her and her surly teenage son Selim (El Hajjouji) afloat in Casablanca through sex work. But she’s getting older, her voluptuous glamour is fading, and after a violent encounter with a john, she and Selim take to the road to find a different path, eventually settling in Tangier after a tense pitstop at her puritanical family home.

As well as being a dazzling study of an indefatigable woman trying to navigate a world that has written her

off, The Damned Don’t Cry also doubles as a queer coming-of-age tale. While his mother tries to catch the eye of a pious bus driver who can offer her some stability, Selim begins to explore his own sexuality and finds Moroccan society as limiting for him as it is for his mother.

Fatima-Zahra and Salim’s codependent relationship is at once tender and spiteful, making for one of the most fascinating mother-son bonds in recent cinema. The Damned Don’t Cry is a film that knows that the line between love and hate can be a thin one, and that years of trying to keep your head above water will take its toll. Melodrama has become a dirty word in modern cinema culture, but this one is fresh, nuanced and heartbreaking. [Jamie

Released 7 Jul by Curzon; certificate 15

Fyzal Boulifa will be at Glasgow Film Theatre on 8 Jul with a Q&A as part of SAFAR Film Festival

My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock

Director: Mark Cousins

Starring: Alistair McGowan

rrrrr

“I love you, my audience. I love playing with you,” says a coquettish Hitchcock from beyond the grave in Mark Cousins’ docu-essay. This is not some long-lost voiceover commentary from the Master of Suspense, but comedy impressionist Alistair McGowan affecting the gastric, nasal tones of the legendary director. This information is withheld until the end, however. Cousins’ film is a ruse, which may come with a tonne of ethical questions, but Hitchcock would no doubt approve.

Allow us to parallel Cousins’ film with one of its main texts: Rope, about two murderers hosting a party with a dead body secreted in the room. Here, Hitchcock is the cadaver and we are the dinner guests, pacified by canapésized clips from The Birds, The 39 Steps and Psycho into not noticing.

The narration gently zig-zags, making sharp connections between

Hitchcock’s images and his various preoccupations and obsessions via an array of clips, often from lesser-seen Hitchcock movies. The two-hour montage occasionally turns to additional footage shot by Cousins depicting Hitchcock’s legacy via urban UK landmarks, such as the mosaics at Leytonstone tube station.

Is it mean-spirited to say that Cousins’ own photography looks unrefined? Perhaps anything is doomed to pale next to shots by one of movie history’s greatest image-makers. Whatever one thinks of Cousins’ own eye, these additions nonetheless spotlight Hitchcock’s lasting impact. They may not have the man’s cinematic verve, but what does? The film’s playful gimmick, paired with such reminders of Hitchcock’s humble London beginnings, successfully drives home the humanity behind a titan of cinema.

Released 21 Jul by Dogwoof; certificate 15

Looking for trusted, independent Fringe reviews?

Fest is the best free independent guide to the Edinburgh festivals, publishing four weekly A5 guides throughout the summer.

Follow @festmag on socials to get the scoop on hot-ticket shows this August.

Promoting a show, your venue or brand during the festivals? Hit up sales@festmag.com to explore our unbeatable advertising packages.

Explore our cities like a local

(even if you already live here)

The Skinny Guide to Edinburgh & The Skinny Guide to Glasgow both feature the best of eating, drinking, shopping and things to do, all packed into a compact A5 format and available at a range of venues throughout the cities.

Pick up your copy of our wildly popular FREE city guides this summer, out NOW

HO LEE FOOK, GLASGOW

The latest street food edition to Glasgow’s East End brings an impressive mix of East Asian flavours to the Barras

Thu 12-2.30pm

Fri-Sun 12-3.30pm and 5-7.30pm

We’ll let you in on a little secret – these food and drink pages aren’t the super-smooth operation you might imagine. Our quest to find new, interesting places is often foiled by issues like ‘getting the opening times wrong’, or ‘turning up and finding all the food’s been eaten’.

But sometimes blundering about has its advantages, like stepping out of the Barras on a Sunday afternoon to the sight of an enormous neon in a tiny hole-in-the-wall, with delicious smells wafting into the Gallowgate and a mid-sized scrum of people outside. What we’re looking at is Ho Lee Fook; on our visit, it’s six days old. Our initial plan was to go to

the other end of town but we are *right here*... so this month we’re talking about Ho Lee Fook.

It’s the new project from Lee and Johnny Chung, a husband-andwife team from Glasgow, both of whom were born to Hong Kong parents (the name roughly translates to ‘wealth and good luck’ in Cantonese). The place itself juts out from a side street by the Barrowlands like a jet-black iceberg. There are full tables on the pavement full of new fans having their lunch; the queue keeps nearly accidentally walking into the road; the neon is incredibly bright but mostly occluded by the team, so when it does cut through it really gets you.

Behind the counter, it’s controlled chaos, judging by the sheer number of arms moving about. “I can never find anything back here,” Lee tells us while seemingly rooting around in two different places and looking in a third. That chaotic energy extends to the menu, with dishes from Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong all running side-byside. But here’s the thing – chaos is sometimes loads of fun.

That’s how we end up in the little park down from the Barras (having forgotten Glasgow Green exists – organisation!), diving into an enormous box of Biang Biang noodles (£7). It’s a chewy, savoury, umami-packed treat, loaded with pickled cabbage and spring onions and coated in an excellent in-house garlic chilli oil. The further you get, the spicier it becomes, you’re trying not to dribble on your trousers, it’s a fun time.

The chicken karaage (£6) is also great – in a past life, Lee and Johnny ran a fish and chip shop, and you can tell. This stuff is nicely seasoned, hotter than the sun, and the classic combo of crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. The spring rolls (£5.50) are… Well, it’s a ‘rotating specials’ situation, and today they’re cheesy ramen spring rolls. This,

Words: Peter Simpson

admittedly, sounds a bit wild but it totally works. You end up with a fried cross between a summer roll and a mozzarella stick; those are both good things, and when you put them together the result is a piping hot bit of salty, spicy gooey oddness. The Hong Kong e custard tart or dan tat (£2.50) is enormous, possibly a touch under-baked, but impressively wobbly so we’ll let it off.

The Barras has always been a bit chaotic, but a trip around the Market sees us bumping into new sustainable fashion stores and artist-run spaces as well as the impressively-stocked button stall. [Side note: in the queue for the Death Grips gig later in the week, we spotted the same button stall-holder nipping in and out with her triple-A pass on. Chaos.] It’s in this spirit that Ho Lee Fook comes to us – a bit wild, slightly unpredictable, and a bit chaotic, but well worth a visit.

A Little Luck

Mary Lohan has gone by many names. Twenty years after leaving Argentina, she has changed not only her name and profession but also her voice, the colour of her hair and her eyes. She seems to want nothing but to forget the life she left behind, but to her the past is like the abyss: it attracts as much as it repels.

Mary believes that grief of a certain magnitude can only be told in the first person – her unwilling return to Greater Buenos Aires is narrated in the form of a logbook – and, at a metatextual level, A Little Luck relies on the potential of this principle. This might be the novel’s most notable achievement: successfully unveiling a story the narrator seems unable to put into words. Through a loosely epistolary structure, the details of Mary’s life and the tragedy that turned it upside down come to the surface like memories that can no longer be repressed.

An examination of the fine line between choice and fate, A Little Luck is an homage to oral storytelling as a tool to try to explain the unexplainable; from inconceivable pain to the nature of identity. It is a novel that further consolidates Claudia Piñeiro’s position in the pantheon of Argentine female authors that have become an unmissable staple of literature in translation. [Venezia Castro]

Bellies

For a while now, British readers have had to look to the US literary scene for trans novels, with Torrey Peters and Imogen Binnie leading the way Stateside. British publishing has been slow to platform trans novelists, sticking predominantly to some truly stellar non-fiction – from Christine Burns and Shon Faye to Grace Lavery. Thus, Bellies by Nicola Dinan feels like something of a watershed moment in British publishing – it’s a powerful, vulnerable and, above all, deeply chic debut.

There have already been Sally Rooney comparisons to Dinan and they do neither author justice; there is a specificity to Dinan’s writing as a British trans author in her late twenties that you can’t find anywhere else. Bellies follows Tom and Ming, a young gay couple, from their meeting in university through to their late twenties. Two years in, Ming transitions, and their dynamic changes. To peg Bellies as solely a documentation of transness feels almost reductive; Dinan creates a broad, vivid portrayal of the uncertainty and isolation of life in your twenties, switching perspectives to bring ample light and shade to both characters.

If Bellies has any flaws it is perhaps too ambitious, squeezing in an overabundance of characters and settings into its pages. But this is such a rare criticism to lobby at a debut novel, which can so often feel slim and undercooked. Rather, Bellies is a veritable buffet of a book – we’re lucky to have it. [Patrick Sproull]

Rental Person Who Does Nothing

It seems simple: accompany someone doing something, listen, and don’t give advice – in other words, do nothing. Shoji Morimoto’s memoir, Rental Person Who Does Nothing, reveals what it is to do nothing: dissatisfied after enduring years of stressful, meaningless work, in 2018, Morimoto begins renting himself to people who wish for a passive companion. Sharing food with clients in cafés, greeting others at airports, or sitting with people stru ling to socialise, all Morimoto does is eat, drink, and give simple responses.

‘Do nothing’ determines not only Morimoto’s service, but also the book’s style and structure, written in simple responses to questions posed by an editor and author. The result is a dry, direct prose, paralleled with a seemingly detached attitude to his client relationships. The anecdotal, descriptive style emphasises unique observations Morimoto gleans as an observer into the private, intimate lives of his clients. Accompanying a woman through her divorce proceedings, for instance, she requests he calls her by her married name when they meet, and by her maiden name when they part ways. “I felt I’d accompanied her from one stage of life to the next,” Morimoto reflects.

Being able to leave work, live on savings and initially require no fee as he shapes his service, Morimoto’s privileged position allows him a particular perspective on life that not many are privy to, questioning money, work and productivity, while drawing attention to loneliness and the value of companionship.

[Riyoko

You, Bleeding Childhood

It is easy to presume that most authors and writers are quite obsessed with books, but perhaps none more so than eminent Italian novelist Michele Mari. You, Bleeding Childhood, the first English translation of Mari’s work, is a series of autofictive stories that explore a childhood spent reading, pulling from the hauntings that arise from dust covers and broken spines. The kind of reading that absorbs the face value of the book-object first, ignoring the blurb entirely and diving right in. The kind of reading that assumes each book is the subject of profound attachment; a player and participant in the rich internal landscape of youth, conjuring images of internal spaces lurking and edged with fear – dark ceilings and gaps beneath beds and shapes behind curtains.

Mari’s prose is gushing, filled with flowing, full-bodied descriptions that enfold his readers in his pages –those same pages so intertextually full that they feel like a bookshelf or library in themselves, a stretched collection of underlined, do eared, well-loved slabs of text. Mari’s writing is always attentively attuned to the affect of spines and embossed metallic letters – things we don’t necessarily have words for, but are immediately legible to ourselves. Unspoken things that Mari illuminates as just as important and just as formative. [Marguerite Carson]

Doubleday, 29 Jun

Picador, 6 Jul

Dream Gig

Or should that be dream gigs, as Fringe debutante Leila Navabi takes on our regular feature

Illustration: Megan Park

My best ever-gig. That’s different from my favourite gig, right?

I think I have the sadistic inclinations of someone with something probably a bit wrong with them. Surely wanting to stand on stage and have people listen to you hypothesise for any amount of time is symptomatic of mental illness at the very least, and sociopathy at the most.

So I think it’s fair to say that, regardless of if the attention you receive is positive or negative, the neurological chemicals that flood your brain every time someone shows a willingness to listen to your nonsense probably aren’t picky. I imagine the level of histamine in your body increases regardless. So yes, this is a waffly way of saying that I think ‘best ever gig’ and ‘favourite ever gig’ are probably two different things and that, for the sake of increasing my sense of importance, I’m going to discuss both. Because my favourite gig was absolutely not my best.

My favourite ever gig was at a University of London students’ union. It was an all-POC lineup. We (myself and the other comics) were discussing what a shame it was that turnout for the gig had been low. And then, all of a sudden, floods of audience entered. It was brilliant until we realised they were all there protesting *something*. It wasn’t clear what, but I think it was something at least a tiny bit racist just from the general vibe. If you’re brown, you’ll know what I mean. They weren’t vocal or a ressive or anything like that - they sat with their arms folded until the end when I enthusiastically asked one of them if they’d enjoyed the show and they responded ‘I bet your mother is really proud of you’. She is, actually.

My best-ever gig was October 2021 at The Queer Emporium in Cardiff. I’d been asked to MC their first-ever stand-up night and gi ing to a bunch of LGBTQIA+ weirdos like me was a revelation. I loved them and I think they loved me back. It was just lush.

My dream gig would, of course, be at The Queer Emporium again but like, a massive version on a planet where everyone is gay. Though that might be a problem because I think the reason

us queers are so fun is because we’re trying to counter our oppression with Gemma Collins memes and X-Factor clips from 2007. So maybe everyone would be gay but there’d also be like, an oppressive stinky gas birthing from the planet’s surface because it’s not healthy to ever be too comfortable and comedy certainly wouldn’t work in any utopia. We’d get comics from other planets because of the guests I’d like at this gig. The show would be MC’d by Mr. Blobby because he’s got great projection and wouldn’t do any unwanted toppers on anyone’s jokes. Also I would be there as Mr. Blobby’s chaperone because I feel like he’d need help getting on and off stage. I’d have Jen Ives open the gig as ‘New York Jen’, a character she does who is Jen, but from New York (I think she’s from Kent or something in real life…). The crowd would go nuts and then Lolly Adefope would come on and do her Call Centre worker character. The only time I’ve ever had a nosebleed is seeing Lolly and I think it’s because I laughed so much I broke some nasal blood vessels. And then, when the audience couldn’t face anymore fantastic character comedy for fear of bursting, Joan Rivers would rise from hell (the best afterlife place) and do a full hour about everything that’s happened since her untimely death at the age of 81. I’ve watched her documentary A Piece of Work more times than I can count. She was the only comedian I was sentiently aware of until the age of 15 and she’s the only one I needed because her repertoire was so vast. It’s my second bi est regret that I never saw her live. My bi est regret is not investing in crypto many years ago because the financial burden of the Edinburgh Fringe wouldn’t exist to me and I could buy as many limited edition pairs of crocs as I wanted.

Leila Navabi: Composition, Pleasance Courtyard (Attic), 2-27 Aug (not 11), 21:45, £7-13 tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/leila-navabi-composition

@leiladoestweets / @leiladoesinsta

Glasgow Music

Tue 04 Jul

THE BELLS & WHISTLE REVUE BROADCAST, 19–22

Eclectic lineup.

Wed 05 Jul

BDRMM

MONO, 21–22

Dream pop from Hull.

PALEDUSK

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19–22

Metalcore from Japan.

MICK HARGAN (KATEE

KROSS) BROADCAST, 19–22

Folk from Glasgow.

Thu 06 Jul

TRNSMT PRE-PARTY (UNINVITED + THE BIG DAY + SLIX)

KING TUT’S, 20–22 Rock lineup.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19–22

Rock from Illinois.

OF VIRTUE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19–22

Metal from the US.

PRUSSIA SNAILHAM (WHEN BORED + DAHLIA)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Indie from Scotland.

GLASGOW STREETSOUND PRESENTS: (THOMAS

SMITHERAM + OLIVIAJANE + ROSS MCGUIRE + THE FOLK DRAMA) ROOM 2, 19:30–22

Eclectic lineup.

Fri 07 Jul

HAMISH HAWK

KING TUT’S, 22–22

Indie from Scotland.

SPIRITBOX BARROWLANDS, 19–22

Heavy metal from Canada.

PINLIGHT (GAIA

COMPLEX + MISTRAL +

SOMER)

THE FLYING DUCK, 19–22

Electronica.

Sat 08 Jul

THE MARY WALLOPERS

KING TUT’S, 22–22

Folk from Ireland.

ALT TKVR

SWG3, 18:30–22

Hip-hop from Scotland.

BRETT DENNEN

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19–22

Folk pop from California.

JACK LADDER (RYDER

THE EAGLE + MARIUS

LEFAUXCHAT) BROADCAST, 19–22

Rock from Australia.

KISS THE OVO HYDRO, 18:30–22 Rock from the US.

Listings

Looking for something to do? Well you’re in the right place! Find listings below for the month ahead across Music, Clubs, Theatre, Comedy and Art in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. To find out how to submit listings, head to theskinny.co.uk/listings

THE HUG AND PINT’S 8TH BIRTHDAY (THEO BLEAK + PICTISH TRAIL + RUBY GAINES) THE HUG AND PINT, 19–22

Eclectic lineup.

Sun 09 Jul

BREANNA BARBARA

THE FLYING DUCK, 19–22

Psych from New York.

Mon 10 Jul

REVEREND AND THE MAKERS SWG3, 19–22

Indie rock from Sheffield.

AMIE HUCKSTEP (OLIVA THOM)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Folk pop from Glasgow.

Tue 11 Jul

THE DARTS (HOLISTICS)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Garage rock from London.

Wed 12 Jul

LUNG LEG (CURDLE)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Indie from Scotland.

Thu 13 Jul

CARA MCBRIDE (OLIVIA BEATTIE + JAMIE RAFFERTY + RUTH GILLIES)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22

Pop from Scotland.

EVERYTHING BRIGHTER (BOOTLACE) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Indie pop from Glasgow.

Fri 14 Jul

BAHOOKIE

ORAN MOR, 19–22

Folk trad from Scotland.

PG CIARLETTA (AND THE BANDAGES + MAUDLIN DOGS + CHRISTIE OLIVER)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22 Indie from Scotland.

SHREDD (GELATINE + WIFE GUYS OF REDDIT + DOSS)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–22

Eclectic lineup.

TELLTALE THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19–22 Rock from the US.

PINK LIMIT

STEREO, 19–22

Rock from Glasgow.

ST DUKES (GO TO GIRL + BITTER SUITE) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Blues punk from Glasgow.

Sat 15 Jul

CEEFAX (BUTTERFLY BRAIN + BANDIT COUNTRY + POST IRONIC STATE)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22

Indie rock from Glasgow.

HANNAH ANDERS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19–22 Rock from Nashville.

POSTER CLUB (CATHARSIS + PARK SAFELY + TELEKINEPHEW) THE FLYING DUCK, 19–22

Indie rock from Glasgow.

SARAH AND THE SAFE

WORD THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22 Rock from Atlanta.

Sun 16 Jul

FRANKIE MORROW (LIV DAWN + BELLY RACHEL + JOSIE

DUNCAN)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22

Singer-songwriter from Scotland.

VIRGIN ORCHESTRA THE FLYING DUCK, 19–22

Post-punk from Iceland.

ESCHER (SQUIGGLE + DISHWATER) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Nu-jazz from Glasgow.

Mon 17 Jul

J.I.D (EARTHGANG)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:30–22

Rap from Atlanta.

KATE CLOVER

THE FLYING DUCK, 19–22

Garage rock from LA.

TINARIWEN ST LUKE’S, 19–22 Desert blues from Mali.

EVE SIMPSON (KIRSTEEN HARVEY +

TOM VEVERS) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Indie from Edinburgh.

Tue 18 Jul

THE WHITE BUFFALO

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:30–22

Alt country from the US.

Wed 19 Jul

GIRLPUPPY THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22 Indie rock from Atlanta.

Thu 20 Jul

DAZED & CONFUSED (THE SLACKHEAD INCIDENT + LOST

TICKETS + PEACH)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22

Psych rock from Scotland.

JASON ALLAN

SWG3, 19–22

Singer-songwriter from the UK.

POWERPLANT / CURRENT

AFFAIRS ALBUM

LAUNCH (GAMMA, MEMORABILIA, KUTE)

STEREO, 19–23:30

Synth and post-punk from London.

MEGAN BLACK (JOYFUL + MC BLANCE)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Jazz blues from Scotland.

Fri 21 Jul

VALTOS KING TUT’S, 20:30–22 Electro trad from Scotland.

BEN HOWARD

SWG3, 18–22

Indie folk from the UK.

BIG PETE MEMORIAL GIG

THE FLYING DUCK, 19–22 Rock/psych/punk lineup.

WATER MACHINE (BIKINI BODY + I WANNA BE A TRUCK DRIVER) THE RUM SHACK, 19:30–22 Punk from Scotland.

Sat 22 Jul

WAVERLEY. (THE BALUGAS + A BIT OF EVERYTHING + MARTHA MAY & THE MONDAYS)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22

Folk rock from Edinburgh. THE WONDER STUFF

QUEEN MARGARET UNION, 19–22

Alt rock from the UK.

THE DICKIES THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19–22

Punk rock from the US.

JAMES MACKENZIE (JOHN RUSH + JODIE DIFFER + LORI M) BROADCAST, 19–22 Indie from Scotland.

THE SOUTH CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 19–22 Rock from the UK.

Sun 23 Jul

WINE MOMS (SAN JOSE + BRAT COVEN + THE RUNAWAY MODELS)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22 Grunge from Glasgow.

SEBA SAFE (PIPPA BLUNDELL + CHLOE MCNEILL) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22 Indie from Ireland.

Tue 25 Jul

QUINN XCII SWG3, 19–22

Singer-songwriter from the US.

MARY COUGHLAN ST LUKE’S, 19–22 Jazz from Ireland.

SISTER MADDS (WITCHING HOUR + CLAY RINGS) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Pop rock from Glasgow.

Wed 26 Jul

BILLY BOB THORNTON & THE BOXMASTERS THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19–22

Rock from California.

HI-REZ BROADCAST, 19–22 Rap from the US.

Thu 27 Jul

KATE KYLE (NICO EV + ERIN PONSONBY + ABIGAYLE PRYDE)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22

Country from Scotland. SOUND OF THE STREETS

SWG3, 19–22

Hip-hop from Scotland.

BILLY BOB THORNTON & THE BOXMASTERS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19–22 Rock from California.

MANNEQUIN DEATH

SQUAD

BROADCAST, 19–22

Indie punk from Australia.

MAI 68 RECORDS

SHOWCASE (HANGING FREUD + CAMPFIRE

SOCIAL + BABY BRAVE + ENNIO THE LITTLE BROTHER)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Eclectic lineup.

Fri 28 Jul

THE ROOKS (REDLINE + DELIGHTS + BLETHER)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22

Indie rock from Glasgow.

THE SNUTS SWG3 18–22 Indie from Scotland.

LITTLE QUIRKS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19–22

Indie folk from Australia.

THE REVENANTS + CALL CONNIE + JOHN CHRISTOPHER + THE COMPLAINERS BROADCAST, 19–22

Eclectic lineup.

DARREN MCGARVEY.

ST LUKE’S, 19–22

Rap from Scotland.

CARSICK CHARLIE (INDOOR FOXES + MILANGE)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Folk from Glasgow.

Sat 29 Jul

PANDAS (STATIC + EAT THE FRIEK + THE FREAKWINCES)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22

Indie rock from Glasgow.

THE SNUTS SWG3 18–22

Indie from Scotland.

HR (BAD BRAINS) BROADCAST, 19–22

Hardcore from the US.

THEE SCARECROWS

AKA STEREO, 19–22

Rock from the UK.

MARTHA FFION

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Folk from Ireland.

Sun 30 Jul

SOAPBOX (BIG GIRLS BLOUSE + THE SKINS + THE WEE REPROBATES)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22

Punk from Glasgow.

SUN STAGS (LUNA’S PARADISE)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22

Indie from Glasgow.

Edinburgh Music

Wed 05 Jul

THE BREATHING METHOD (RULED BY RAPTORS) BANNERMANS, 19–22 Grunge rock from Ayrshire.

Thu 06 Jul

RAISING RAVENS (3/ OUT OF 4 ) BANNERMANS, 19–22

Hard rock from Australia.

AULD SPELLS + BÜTTER + THE RAEBURN BROTHERS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22

Dream pop from Edinburgh.

Fri 07 Jul

JACK LADDER + RYDER

THE EAGLE + THE RAEBURN BROTHERS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22

Alt rock from Australia.

Sat 08 Jul

TYLA’S (DOGS

D’AMOUR) BANNERMANS, 19–22

Hard rock from London.

TAE SUP AT THE QUEEN’S (CARL STONE + SUSAN BEAR + LOMOND CAMPBELL)

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20–22

Folk from Scotland.

THE ONION CELLAR (THE MINDREADERS PLUS THEE GIRL

FRIDAYS)

WEE RED BAR, 19–22

Medway misfits

THE PHOENIX SOUL & GOSPEL CHOIR

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19–22

Soul from Edinburgh.

FAWKES + FUZ

CALDRIN

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22

Rock from Edinburgh.

Sun 09 Jul

CLAIRE TONTI

THE CAVES, 14–22

Indie from Melbourne.

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN

USHER HALL, 19–22

Indie pop from Scotland.

MAISIE PETERS

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19–22

Indie pop from the UK.

Tue 11 Jul

REVEREND & THE MAKERS (ACOUSTIC)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22

Indie from Sheffield.

Wed 12 Jul

NIAMH MORRIS

BANNERMANS, 19–22

Singer-songwriter from Glasgow.

THE DARTS

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22

Garage rock from London.

Thu 13 Jul

RHABSTALLION BANNERMANS, 19–22

Metal from the UK.

WHITE LINES

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22

Indie from Aberdeen.

Fri 14 Jul

A RITUAL SPIRIT (DEADFIRE) BANNERMANS, 19–22

Heavy rock from Edinburgh. VIRGIN ORCHESTRA + FUZZY LOP + SNIDE

RHYTHMS WEE RED BAR, 19–03

Post-punk, funk and shoegaze.

SAMUEL NICHOLSON

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22

Singer-songwriter from Edinburgh.

ELOI SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22

Jazz from Edinburgh.

DAY SLEEPER THE MASH HOUSE, 19–22 Indie from Edinburgh.

Sat 15 Jul

JAZZ FESTIVAL: MAIN STREET BLUES + SAFEHOUSE LA BELLE ANGELE, 19–22

Blues from Scotland.

Sun 16 Jul

GINGER WILDHEART

PLAYS THE WILDHEARTS BANNERMANS, 19–22 Rock from Newcastle.

BOOSTA

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22

Electronica from Italy.

Mon 17 Jul

JAZZ FESTIVAL: ELEPHANT 9 + HARRY WEIR’S BLUE BOAR

BRASS LA BELLE ANGELE, 19–03

Jazz.

Tue 18 Jul

OSCAR BLUE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22

Indie rock from Ireland.

SONS OF THE EAST LA BELLE ANGELE, 19–22 Indie folk from Sydney.

Wed 19 Jul

ATTILA (OUR HOLLOW, OUR HOME) THE MASH HOUSE, 19–22 Metal from Atlanta.

Thu 20 Jul

IBIBIO SOUND

MACHINE (MOTHER ALL MIGHTY ) THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20–22

Jazz from London.

LEWIS MCLAUGHLIN

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22 Acoustic from Edinburgh.

Fri 21 Jul

IRON VOID (ORODRUIN + TANTRUM) BANNERMANS, 19–22 Doom metal from the UK.

LEVELLERS O2 ACADEMY EDINBURGH, 19–22 Folk rock from Brighton.

PASADENA ROOF ORCHESTRA

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20–22

Jazz from the US.

INSPIRAL CARPETS THE LIQUID ROOM, 19–22 Rock from the UK.

SCHEME, TP + BELLA

GATE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22

R’n’B from Edinburgh.

Sat 22 Jul

TYTAN

BANNERMANS, 19–22 Rock from the UK.

HAMISH STUART WITH THE TOMORROW BAND

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20–22 Jazz from Scotland.

PLASTICINE SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22 Indie from Glasgow.

LADY BUNNY: GREATEST HO ON EARTH!

LA BELLE ANGELE, 18–22 Disco from the US.

Sun 23 Jul

THE METEORS BANNERMANS, 19–22 Psychobilly from London. THE ROYAL RITUAL (SULK ROOMS) THE CAVES, 19–22 Indie from the UK.

NILE RODGERS & CHIC USHER HALL, 19–22 Soul funk from New York. CHELL & THE VETOS + TRANSLATION, DYING GIANT SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22 Emo from Edinburgh.

Mon 24 Jul

CHRIS MURPHY THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22 Folk rock from LA.

Wed 26 Jul

THE SOAPGIRLS (TOKYO HONEY TRAP + DOLARHYDE) BANNERMANS, 19–22 Rock from South Africa.

KIEFER SUTHERLAND (SARI SCHORR) THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19–22 Country from the US.

Thu 27 Jul

TIM MINCHIN THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22 Rock from Australia.

ECHO HOTEL (HYDROPONIC) WEE RED BAR, 19–22 Indie from London.

Fri 28 Jul

LEE MICHAEL STEVENS BANNERMANS, 19–22 Rock from London.

ATTIC DAYS + PUPPY TEETH + THE COBALTS WEE RED BAR, 19–22 Indie lineup.

MANNEQUIN DEATH SQUAD SNEAKY PETE’S, 19–22 Indie punk from Australia.

GREG PEARSON LA BELLE ANGELE, 19–22 Singer-songwriter from Scotland.

Sat 29 Jul

VINTAGE TROUBLE THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19–22 Rock from the US.

SUMMERTIME SPECIAL (THE BRAON NONESUTCH BAND AND STORM THE PALACE) WEE RED BAR, 19–22 Indie lineup.

GARETH MUTCH & ROBIN GRAINGER: WORK IN PROGRESS

16 JUL, 8:30PM

10:30PM

A two-hour work-in-progress show from two rising stars in Scottish Comedy in the lead up to the Fringe.

PHARMA- COMEDY: A DOSE OF LAUGHTER WITH A SIDE OF SCIENCE

5 JUL, 8:30PM –10:30PM

The hilarious stand-up event featuring the funniest pharmacologists around.

CONNOR BURNS: VERTIGO (WIP)

8-9 JUL, TIMES VARY

Fringe preview of the new solo hour from one of the most exciting and fastest rising new stars of Scottish stand-up.

ROSCO MCCLELLAND & CHRISTOPHER

MACARTHUR-BOYD: WORK IN PROGESS

15 JUL, 4PM – 6PM

Work-in-progress roughdraft Fringe previews from two of the best stand-up comedians in modern Scotland.

STUART MCPHERSON & GARETH WAUGH: PREVIEWS

16 JUL, 4PM – 6PM

Some Laugh’s Stuart Mcpherson and Stand Favourite Gareth Waugh Preview their Ed Fringe shows

BILLY KIRKWOOD & CHRIS THORBURN: FRINGE PREVIEWS

23 JUL, 8:30PM –10:30PM

Previews of the world’s only stand-up/improv/chat tattoo comedy show.

Edinburgh

Comedy

Monkey Barrel

Comedy Club

KIERAN HODGSON: BIG IN SCOTLAND (WIP)

16 JUL, 8PM – 9PM

Character comedian and three-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Kieran Hodgson brings a work in progress of his brand new show to Monkey Barrel.

INFECTIOUS

7 JUL, 8PM – 10:45PM

From the depths of Glasgow’s finest watering holes, Infectious is set to take over Scotland’s capital for the first time ever.

STEPHEN BUCHANAN: CHARICATURE (PREVIEW)

8 JUL, 6PM – 7PM

Award-winning comedian Stephen Buchanan (BBC New Comedy Award) returns to the Fringe with his unique blend of standup, sketch and character comedy.

STUART MCPHERSON: LOVE THAT FOR ME (PREVIEW)

9 JUL, 8PM – 9PM

Brand new hour from the star of Scot Squad and the Some Laugh podcast.

CHRIS FORBES: COURT JESTER (PREVIEW)

15 JUL, 8PM – 9PM

Chris Forbes brings a preview of his brand new hour to Monkey Barrel Comedy.

CHRISTOPHER MACARTHURBOYD: SCARY TIMES (PREVIEW)

21 JUL, 8PM – 9PM

The wee guy with the glasses is previewing his brand new hour at Monkey Barrel.

Regular Glasgow comedy nights

Drygate Brewing Co.

FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAY OF THE MONTH DRYGATE COMEDY LAB, 7PM

A new material comedy night hosted by Chris Thorburn.

The Stand

Glasgow

FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH MONDAY NIGHT IMPROV, 20:30

Host Billy Kirkwood and guests act entirely on your suggestions.

TUESDAYS RED RAW, 20:30

Legendary new material night with up to eight acts.

FRIDAYS THE FRIDAY SHOW, 20:30

The big weekend show with four comedians.

SATURDAYS THE SATURDAY SHOW, 20:30

The big weekend show with four comedians.

The Glee Club FRIDAYS FRIDAY NIGHT COMEDY, 19

The perfect way to end the working week, with four superb stand-up comedians.

SATURDAYS

SATURDAY NIGHT COMEDY, 19

An evening of awardwinning comedy, with four superb stand-up comedians that will keep you laughing until Monday.

Regular Edinburgh comedy nights

The Stand

Edinburgh

MONDAYS RED RAW, 20:30

Legendary new material night with up to 8 acts.

TUESDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) STU & GARRY’S IMPROV SHOW, 20:30

The Stand’s very own Stu & Garry’s make comedy cold from suggestions.

THURSDAYS THE BEST OF SCOTTISH COMEDY, 20:30

Simply the best comics on the contemporary Scottish circuit.

FRIDAYS THE FRIDAY SHOW, 21

The big weekend show with four comedians.

SATURDAYS THE SATURDAY SHOW (THE EARLY SHOW), 17

A slightly earlier performance of the big weekend show with four comedians.

BEE BABYLON: CANCER CULTURE (PREVIEW)

22 JUL, 6PM – 7PM Bee Babylon brings a preview of her brand new show to Monkey Barrel.

MARK NELSON: BITS & PIECES (PREVIEW) 23 JUL, 5PM – 6PM

The multi-award winning comedian trying out some new stuff ahead of his 10th Fringe show.

SAM LAKE: ASPIRING

DILF (PREVIEW)

28 JUL, 8PM – 9PM

After an impressive Fringe debut last year, Sam Lake previews his brand new hour at Monkey Barrel.

CELYA AB: SECOND RODEO (PREVIEW) 29 JUL, 6PM – 7PM

Following her acclaimed debut hour, Celya AB presents a preview of her brand new show.

The Stand

Edinburgh

KRYSTAL EVANS: WORK IN PROGRESS

5-19 JUL, 8:30PM –10:30PM

Krystal’s debut finds humor in escaping fire, death, tragedy, and mental illness, ironically making her life funnier.

JAY LAFFERTY & LIAM

WITHNAIL: WORK IN PROGRESS

20 JUL, 8PM – 10PM

Two of Scotland’s stand out stars and Fringe favourites preview their Fringe shows.

SATURDAYS THE SATURDAY SHOW, 20:30

The big weekend show with four comedians. Monkey Barrel

SECOND AND THIRD TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH

THE EDINBURGH REVUE, 19

The University of Edinburgh's Comedy Society, who put on sketch and stand-up comedy shows every two weeks.

WEDNESDAYS TOP BANANA, 19

Catch the stars of tomorrow today in Monkey Barrel's new act night every Wednesday.

THURSDAYS SNEAK PEAK, 19 + 21

Four acts every Thursday take to the stage to try out new material.

FRIDAYS MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG FRIDAY SHOW, 19/21 Monkey Barrel's flagship night of premier stand-up comedy.

FRIDAYS DATING CRAPP, 22 Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, Farmers Only...Come and laugh as some of Scotland's best improvisers join forces to perform based off two audience members dating profiles.

SATURDAYS MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG SATURDAY SHOW, 17/19/21 Monkey Barrel's flagship night of premier stand-up comedy.

SUNDAYS MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG SUNDAY SHOW, 19/21

Monkey Barrel's flagship night of premier stand-up comedy.

VLADIMIR MCTAVISH & MARJOLEIN ROBERTSON: FRINGE

PREVIEWS

9 JUL, 7PM – 9PM

Vlad and Marjolien take to the stage in a two-hour, back-to-back Fringe preview show.

GARETH MUTCH & ROBIN GRAINGER: WORK IN PROGRESS

23 JUL, 8:30PM –10:30PM

A two-hour work-in-progress show from two rising stars in Scottish Comedy in the lead up to the Fringe.

SUSAN MORRISON IS HISTORRICALLY FUNNY

30 JUL, 5PM – 7PM

Susan takes you through some of Scotland’s seediest, skankiest and scandalous histories. And the funniest.

Glasgow Theatre

The King’s Theatre

THE TOMMY BURNS

STORY

7-8 JUL, TIMES VARY

A play about Glasgow Celtic footballer. ANTON AND GIOVANNI: HIM & ME 7-10 JUL, 7:30PM –10:30PM

Two of Strictly Come Dancing’s professional dancers team up.

BUDDY - THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY 11-15 JUL, 7:30PM –10:30PM

The rags-to-riches story of Texas rockabilly musician.

Theatre Royal RUSSELL HOWARD

6-7 JUL, 7:30PM –10:30PM

The eponymous leader of The Russell Howard Hour arrives with a new show. AN UNFUNNY* EVENING WITH TIM MINCHIN AND HIS PIANO 26 JUL, 7:30PM –

10:30PM

An intimate evening of songs, performance and, unlike what it says on the tin, amusement.

Tramway YDANCE (SCOTTISH YOUTH DANCE)PROJECT Y EVOLUTION 15 JUL, 7:30PM –

10:30PM

Two premiere works created by choreographers Taylor Han and Divine Tasinda, performed by young people in Scotland.

SUPERFANSTUNTMAN 28 JUL, 7:30PM –10:30PM

A physical and tender duet as two men wrestle with their relationship to violence.

Tron Theatre

MOORCROFT

13-29 JUL, 7:30PM –10:30PM

A blistering, forceful examination of working class masculinity.

Edinburgh Theatre Festival Theatre

JOOLS HOLLAND & HIS RHYTHM & BLUES ORCHESTRA

22 JUL, 7:30PM –10:30PM

Beloved live show of jazz and blues.

ANTON AND GIOVANNI: HIM & ME

7-10 JUL, 7:30PM –10:30PM

Two of Strictly Come Dancing’s professional dancers team up.

RUSH: A JOYOUS JAMAICAN JOURNEY

8 JUL, 7:30PM –10:30PM

A music-filled telling of reggae and the Windrush generation.

BRING IT ON - THE BEYOND BROADWAY

EXPERIENCE

28-29 JUL, TIMES VARY

A dazzling adaptation of the classic teen cheerleader film.

The Studio

EQ DANCE: SANCTUARY

8 JUL, 7PM – 10:30PM

Collaborative dance performance explores themes of sanctuary, community and belonging.

Traverse Theatre

SEAN AND DARO

FLAKE IT TIL THEY MAKE IT 30 JUL, 7PM – 10:30PM

A new comedy exploring the bounds of friendship through the crucible of an ice cream van.

THE GRAND OLD OPERA HOUSE HOTEL

27-28 JUL, 7PM –10:30PM

In a decaying opera house, the ramshackle workers discover a haunting new voice.

Dundee Theatre

Dundee Rep

THE MOUSETRAP

10-15 JUL, 7:30PM –10:30PM

The Agatha Christie classic and the world’s longest running play arrives in Dundee.

Glasgow Art

CCA: Centre for Contemporary

Art

PINKIE MACLURE: LOST CONGREGATION

1 JUL-12 AUG, TIMES

VARY Intricate stained glass, moving image and soundscapes transform the gallery space into a chapel haunted by personal and collective demons.

Glasgow Print

Studio

SEHER SHAH: THE WEIGHT OF AIR AND MEMORY

1-29 JUL, 11AM – 5PM

The first major solo UK exhibition by acclaimed artist and printmaker explores architectural imaginations of space.

Glasgow

Women’s Library TELLING IT LIKE IT IS: WOMEN CRIME WRITERS PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION 29 JUL-30 SEP, TIMES

VARY

An exhibition of blackand-white portraits of British female crime writers, photographed primarily in libraries.

GoMA

HELEN DE MAIN + MANDY MCINTOSH: REPEAT PATTERNS

1 JUL-15 OCT, 11AM

– 4PM

Using printmaking and works on paper exploring ideas of feminism and social reproduction.

Kendall Koppe

KRIS LEMSALU: RINKY

DINK BABE

1-8 JUL, 12PM – 6PM

Acclaimed contemporary Estonian artist employing modern pop and sci-fi sensibilities to explore ideas of transformation.

Patricia Fleming

SARA BARKER: WATCH MOVEMENTS

4-14 JUL, 11AM – 4PM

Responding to Patricia Fleming’s new gallery space, this exhibition explores idea of architecture and materiality.

Six Foot Gallery SUMMER EXHIBITION

4-6 JUL, 10AM – 5PM

Summer exhibition, featuring a range of work including painting, digital art, and sculptural pieces.

Street Level

Photoworks

MARGARET MITCHELL: AN ORDINARY EDEN

1-16 JUL, TIMES VARY

A personal investigation into the social and political experience of housing, home and belonging.

Studio Pavilion at House for an Art Lover

BERNAT KLEIN: INFLUENCE & INSPIRATION

1 JUL-20 AUG, 11AM

– 4PM

This exhibition showcases new ideas developed by contemporary practitioners whose work is contributing to the continuation of Bernat Klein and his legacy in design, visual arts, and architecture.

HIGH SUNDERLAND: RESTORATION OF A MODERNIST HOUSE

1 JUL-20 AUG, 11AM

– 4PM

Focusing on the Glasgowbased architectural practice Loader Monteith and their restoration of Bernat Klein’s home.

The Briggait

LINUS WEVER ANDERSSON + BING

CHEN: VIOLIN MAKING

STORY

1-7 JUL, TIMES VARY

Paintings translating the ephemera of music into tactile art.

The Common Guild ANYWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE

1-15 JUL, TIMES VARY

A multi-artist exhibition taking place in locations throughout Glasgow, examining the library as a site of civic and political potential.

The Modern Institute

CATHY WILKES

1 JUL-2 SEP, TIMES

VARY

An exhibition of pigmented silk and linen panels by Venice Biennale and MOMA-exhibited Glasgowbased artist.

Tramway

JASLEEN KAUR: ALTER

ALTAR

1 JUL-8 OCT, TIMES

VARY

A new body of sculptural, sonic works that explore political mysticism and the possibilities of reimagining tradition and inherited myths.

JALA WAHID: CONFLAGRATION

1 JUL-10 SEP, TIMES

VARY

A dynamic solo exhibition using oil as a medium to explore issues of colonialism, nationalism, statelessness and Kurdish identity.

Edinburgh

Art &Gallery

ANKE RODER: MIDNIGHT SUN

1-26 JUL, TIMES VARY

Examining the interplay of light and atmosphere using wax, pigments, and oils.

Arusha Gallery PLUM CLOUTMAN

+ ZAYN QAHTANI + GEORG WILSON: DREAMER’S EYE

28 JUL-27 AUG, TIMES

VARY

Three emerging artists explore themes of myth, ritual and landscape.

City Art Centre

WHEN THE APPLE RIPENS: PETER HOWSON AT 65

1 JUL-1 OCT, TIMES

VARY

A major retrospective of one of the UK’s leading figurative painters.

SHIFTING VISTAS: 250

YEARS OF SCOTTISH

LANDSCAPE

1 JUL-2 JUN 24, TIMES

VARY

Sweeping landscapes both classical and modern are drawn from the City Art Centre’s permanent collection.

Collective Gallery

RABINDRANATH X BHOSE: DANCE IN THE SACRED DOMAIN

1 JUL-27 AUG, 10AM –

5PM

An installation made up of fragments of writing, performance and sculpture, this exhibition builds on the site of the bog as a space for ritual, transition, and queerness.

TAREK LAKHRISSI: I WEAR MY WOUNDS ON MY TONGUE (II)

1 JUL-1 OCT, 10AM –

5PM

A new exhibition by French artist and poet Tarek Lakhrissi exploring desire, language and queerness.

Dovecot

Studios

KAFFE FASSETT: THE POWER OF PATTERN

1-8 JUL, 10AM – 5PM

Exploring the work of legendary craftsman, whose practice spans textile, design, and mosaic.

SCOTTISH LANDSCAPES: A NEW GENERATION

1 JUL-7 OCT, 10AM –

5PM

Ten recently graduated Scotland-based artists employ the landscape to interrogate issues of craftsmanship, colonialism, and sustainability.

SCOTTISH WOMEN

ARTISTS: 250 YEARS OF CHALLENGING

PERCEPTION

28 JUL-6 JAN 24, 10AM

5PM

Celebrating centuries of important artistic contribution from Scottish women artists.

Edinburgh

Sculpture Workshop

SEBASTIAN THOMAS:

A NEW FACE IN HELL

1 JUL-16 SEP, 11AM

5PM

Drawing on the folkloric figure of the golem, this exhibition explores the blurred boundaries between reality and narrative.

Fruitmarket

LEONOR ANTUNES: THE APPARENT LENGTH OF A FLOOR AREA

1 JUL-8 OCT, 10AM –

7PM

Modernist sculptures drawing on the history of cork as a way of articulating the labour of invisibilised artists.

Ingleby Gallery

ANDREW CRANSTON

1 JUL-16 SEP, 11AM

5PM

Palimpsest-like paintings drawn on old books and canvases explore the ability of painting to tell stories.

Jupiter Artland

LINDSEY MENDICK: SH*T FACED

15 JUL-1 OCT, 10AM –

5PM

The gallery spaces of Jupiter Artland are transformed into nightlife scenes, a backdrop against which themes of transgression, taboo and excess can be explored.

National Gallery

YOUR ART WORLD

1 JUL-14 APR 24, TIMES VARY Community exhibition created by young people, examining the power of creative process.

GRAYSON PERRY:

SMASH HITS

22 JUL-12 NOV, TIMES

VARY

The largest ever exhibition of Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry, exploring his lifelong fascination with punk, sex and counterculture.

National Museum of Scotland

BEYOND THE LITTLE

BLACK DRESS

1 JUL-29 OCT, 10AM

– 5PM

Deconstructing the often radical history of the iconic fashion fit.

Open Eye Gallery

CHARLIE YATES: KAI ROS [A MOMENT OF TIME IN JAPAN]

1-22 JUL, TIMES VARY

A series of paintings based on actual and partial memories examining the functioning of nostalgia.

FIONA MACRAE: MELAMINE QING

1-22 JUL, TIMES VARY

Still lifes drawing inspiration from imperial Chinese practices and 60s and 70s plastic arts.

BEN HENRIQUES: SHOWCASE

1-22 JUL, TIMES VARY

A small series of still life paintings exploring ideas of tactility.

Royal Botanic Garden

KEG DE SOUZA: SHIPPING ROOTS

1 JUL-26 AUG, 10AM – 6PM

Tracing narratives of displacement through alien plants such as eucalyptus and prickly pear in order to explore the ecological weight of colonialism.

CONNECTING HISTORIES

1 JUL-13 APR 24 10AM – 6PM

An extraordinary survey of Indian botanical drawing.

Royal Scottish Academy RSA

REVEAL

1-23 JUL, TIMES VARY

Three artists - Rowan Dahl, Alan Grieve and Derrick Guild - create responses to iconic illustrated texts: Albrecht Dürer’s The Apocalypse and Francisco de Goya’s Los Caprichos.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

ALBERTA

WHITTLE: CREATE

DANGEROUSLY

1 JUL-7 JAN 24, 10AM –

5PM

An immersive exhibition exploring compassion and collective care as a mode of anti-racist resistance.

DECADES: THE ART OF CHANGE 1900–1980

1 JUL-7 JAN 24 10AM

– 5PM

A dramatic journey through 80 years of art and moments of significant artistic change.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery

TAYLOR WESSING

PHOTOGRAPHIC

PORTRAIT PRIZE 2022

1 JUL-10 SEP, 10AM – 5PM

Drawing on over 4000 entries from 62 countries, this prize exhibition showcases the groundbreaking, shifting landscape of modern portraiture.

Summerhall

OWEN NORMAND: STILL MOVING

28 JUL-24 SEP, 12PM –5:30PM

Pulling from both Eastern and Western paintings traditions, this exhibition explores still life as a space in which to explore impermanence.

THERE IS SOMETHING

IN THE WAY

28 JUL-24 SEP, 12PM –

5:30PM

A diverse group exhibition responding to themes of gendered inequality.

MAKESHIFT

28 JUL-24 SEP, 12PM –5:30PM

Three artists examine makeshift approaches to minimalist artistic practice.

CHARLIE STIVEN: KIOSK

28 JUL-24 SEP, 12PM –5:30PM

Investigating the street kiosk space as a metaphor for social circumstance and condition.

SYNTHESIS

28 JUL-24 SEP, 12PM –5:30PM

The first annual SYNTHESIS exhibition sees an international cultural collaboration between two Scottish and two Japanese artists.

Talbot Rice Gallery

LAWRENCE ABU

HAMDAN: 45TH PARALLEL

1 JUL-30 SEP, TIMES VARY

Turner Prize-winning artist presents their first Scottish exhibition, examining politically liminal spaces.

JESSE JONES: THE TOWER

1 JUL-30 SEP, TIMES VARY Film, performances and installation come together to explore the intersection between heresy and gendered oppression.

HEPHZIBAH ISRAEL: THE NATURE OF DIFFERENCE

1 JUL-30 SEP, TIMES VARY

A series of specially commissioned text works exploring ideas of displacement and belonging.

The Scottish Gallery

DAVID COOK: FORGED BY THE SEA

1-22 JUL, TIMES VARY

A new exhibition exploring the enduring power of the Scottish seascape.

JACK DOHERTY: GROUNDING | LAYERS OF PLACE

1-22 JUL, TIMES VARY Sculptures that explore the layers of cultural resonance embedded in archetypal forms.

WILLIAM JOHNSTONE: A COLLECTOR’S EYE

1-22 JUL, TIMES VARY

A collection of paintings by one of Scotland’s first abstract artists.

FORM & FACETS

1-22 JUL, TIMES VARY

Six dynamic jewellers and silversmiths explore the forms and planes of jewellery objects.

WONDER WOMEN: DAME ELIZABETH BLACKADDER (19312021) | A CELEBRATION

27 JUL-26 AUG, TIMES VARY

Part of three exhibitions spotlighting three remarkable artists.

WONDER WOMEN: WENDY RAMSHAW, CBE, RDI (1939-2018) | THE EARLY YEARS

27 JUL-26 AUG, TIMES

VARY Part of three exhibitions spotlighting three remarkable artists.

WONDER WOMEN: BODIL MANZ AT 80

27 JUL-26 AUG, TIMES

VARY

Part of three exhibitions spotlighting three remarkable artists.

Dundee Art

DCA: Dundee Contemporary Arts

ZINEB SEDIRA: CAN’T YOU SEE THE SEA CHANGING?

1 JUL-6 AUG, TIMES

VARY

Working across photography, installation and film, Sedira draws upon her personal history to explore ideas of identity, mobility, gender, environment and collective memory.

SAOIRSE AMIRA ANIS: SYMPHONY FOR A FRAYING BODY

1 JUL-6 AUG, TIMES

VARY

Informed by Black queer literature, this exhibition by Dundee artist looks at rituals of personal and collective memory formation.

Generator Projects

ELINOR O’DONOVAN: THE IMMEASURABLE GRIEF OF THE PRAWN

8 JUL-6 AUG, 12PM –

5PM

A wry, dreamy moving image piece exploring ideas of memory and approximate knowledge through the surreal figure of the prawn.

The McManus

HIDDEN HISTORIES: EXPLORING EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN DUNDEE’S ART COLLECTION

1 JUL-30 DEC, 10AM –

5PM

Exploring the McManus 20th-century collection through different positionalities, to examine the responsibility of the museum as institution in responding to history.

CASTS AND COPIES

1 JUL-30 SEP, 10AM –

5PM

Examining the artistic and historic significance of copies, fakes, and forgeries.

V&A Dundee

TARTAN

1 JUL-14 JAN 24 10AM

– 5PM

A major new exhibition looking at the social, political, and aesthetic history of tartan.

OSPAAAL: SOLIDARITY AND DESIGN

1 JUL-27 AUG, 10AM

– 5PM

A display of revolutionary posters by the Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

GLASGOW VENUES ROUND-UP: JULY 2023

From community spaces to classic Glasgow pubs, The Skinny looks at how some of the city’s venues have bounced back and re-emerged after COVID closures

Govanhill Baths

Govanhill Baths has become an impressive force for good in recent years. Finding its feet again after suffering through various COVID restrictions and closures, it has now established itself as a flourishing arts and wellbeing hub in the Southside of Glasgow. Run by a combination of activists, artists, creatives and volunteers, the space is multi-purpose in the broadest sense of the word. A typical month might see it play host to anything from their well-attended upcycling workshops Rags to Riches to youth clubs and gardening classes. A true meeting place for everything good and worthwhile in the local area, Govanhill Baths has a terrific sense of place and aims to serve the people of G41/ G42 but is really open to all. Linking up with existing community groups to build networks in the immediate area has helped them ensure it always remains a hive of activity; longer-term plans include a refurbishment of the pool and fitness facilities, returning currently disused elements of the venue to its original purpose.

The Unit

Another community venue making waves in the city is The Unit on South Street just north of the Clyde. The Unit occupies a large warehouse in the Whiteinch industrial estate – managed by social enterprise Well Fed who provided cooked meals to people who were isolating during lockdown, it now operates principally as a community pantry and family activity centre. When the pantry is open it provides free food to whoever shows up – no referral necessary – mainly good quality surplus stuff from nearby businesses. A weekly programme of free games and activities keep the space busy with young families during the week, who make use of the Unit’s huge dimensions and in-house consoles, pool tables and games. The trendy fairy-lit warehouse, equipped with a large outdoor dining area and in-house bar is also available for hire.

Stravaigin

Gibson Street’s Stravaigin is a Glasgow institution; the West End venue has remained virtually unchanged since opening in 1994. In 2022, Stravaigin was sold (along with sister venues Ubiquitous Chip and Hanoi Bike Shop) to new owners, who set the wheels in motion for a low-key rebrand, but fans of the bar’s well-established flavour of cosy twinkly warmth won’t be unsettled by the changes. The pub’s familiar dark wood aesthetic remains intact, and with the same kitchen team at the helm the new menu does not stray too far from the Scottish simple dishes that have come to define the bar.

Words: Tara Hepburn

A popular roast dinner menu takes centre stage on the weekends. The cellar area now has a refined stylish edge, more wine bar than traditional pub.

Blackfriars

Hearts broke across Glasgow when iconic Merchant City music bar Blackfriars closed its door during the pandemic. A bidding war for the space ensued and was won by Base Hospitality Group, who emerged as the continuity candidate – promising to retain as much of the bar’s identity as possible. Small changes have been made, nudging the bar towards a kind of gentrification; it’s hard to imagine a negroni menu with daily specials in a pre-pandemic Blackfriars, but it goes down well in Blackfriars 2.0. Many of the previous regulars still pitch up at the bar, however, a reassuring indication that things have not changed too much. A popular comedy night takes place in the basement on the first Saturday of each month and the same space will play host to a series of Fringe previews across the summer. But rest assured: live music still makes up a chunk of Blackfriars programming, and music fans still make up a sizeable chunk of their clientele.

The Skinny On... Marjolein Robertson

Shetland comic Marjolein Robertson takes a break from her Fringe prep to tell us about cursed mythological books and the need to eradicate Valentine’s Day

What’s your favourite place to visit and why?

I don’t know how to say this honestly and not sound like I’m trying to trip oot, but I keep slipping into what I think is the fourth dimension and it’s pretty cool, it let me look at the third dimension from another perspective and I saw how time works. SPOILERS: there’s a time pipe.

Favourite food and why?

Reestit mutton tattie soup an bannocks. A Shetland delicacy; we make it with our own lamb. My dad’s recipe is best. I ken every Shetlander says that, but that’s because we were all fathered by him.

Favourite colour and why?

I like red because she’s such a dramatic colour, her entrance usually shifts the focus all to her, whether it’s fire, or blood or a Special K advert.

Who was your hero growing up?

I like Adam Hart-Davis who did all them shows about the Romans, ancient civilisations and such. I also had a lot of time for the trows, Shetland’s magical creature. To me they embody nature. I look forward to the day they dismantle society and we live according to the Earth again.

Whose work inspires you now?

I’ve written most of my Fringe show while listening to Greta Van Fleet. Oh I also am inspired by Mr. Blobby. If I can one day have a haunted old theme park hidden in a corner of the UK that looks like the magic that would grow from a nuclear waste land which is exactly what Mr. Blobby’s ‘Crinkly Bottom’ is. Then that would be my dream.

What three people would you invite to your dinner party and what are you cooking?

My best friend Mhia and then no one else but with enough food for four. Probably spaget.

What’s your all-time favourite album?

That Fisher Price Yellow Cassette that came with their cassette players in the 80s and 90s. It didn’t need to go that hard but it did.

What’s the worst film you’ve ever seen?

I’ll tell you what, the greatest of films can become the worst when you passed out watching them in 2005 only to be woken intermittently through the night by the DVD menu loop. Heinous. Heinous. Also that film Valentine’s Day. Get it destroyed from our records of humanity.

What book would you take to a desert island? There’s this book of magic in Shetland folklore

where the pages are black and writing is white. It’s super cursed and if you die with it in your possession the devil comes to collect you. So that one.

Who’s the worst?

The rich. Jesus agrees.

When did you last cry?

Oh wow. Usually I cry so frequently I can answer this easily. But I’m sitting here thinking about it and I can’t remember... so my therapy is working. That’s cool. But to be honest, then it probably means the last time I cried was in therapy.

What are you most scared of?

Used to be demons but now it’s humans. And that’s only because humans are so terrible.

When did you last vomit and why?

Ha, I don’t tend to spew ever. I like my food and drink so I keep it in me for as long as I can muster. If I had baby birds they would have long since starved to death.

Tell us a secret?

Sometimes I don’t think anything is real. But I can’t tell my therapist that. Because I am worried about how many more sessions that will cost me.

Which celebrity could you take in a fight?

Anyone, I’ll have at them. Fae working with sheep at home to having a high pain threshold I could tire someone oot by just letting them beat me up for ages and then I’d shoot them in the face.

If you could be reincarnated as an animal, which animal would it be?

This is hard. Either a corbie (raven), so I can fly aboot, eat dead things and visit Odin. Or a selkie

(seal) because then I can swim aboot, eat fish and be relevant to my new Fringe show Marj

Catch Marjolein Robertson in Marj, The Stand, 3-28 Aug (not 14), 5pm

Preview with Vladamir McTavish, Stand Comedy Club, 9 Jul, 8.30pm

Me, Myself & Mary (Queen of Scots), Scottish Storytelling Centre, 2-8, 10-13 Aug, 2.15pm

A Shetland Folktale, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 21, 23, 25 & 27 Aug, 2.15pm