The Skinny March 2023

Prince — Sometimes it Snows in April

David Bowie — Life on Mars?

ALVVAYS — Archie, Marry Me

LCD Soundsystem — Losing My Edge

Marika Hackman — Cigarette

Skrillex — 3am

Orbital — The Box - Part 2

Dry Cleaning — Anna Calls From The Arctic

The Spook School — While You Were Sleeping

Flohio — 10 More Rounds

Japanese Breakfast — Be Sweet (Korean Version)

dodie – Cool Girl

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

Issue 206, March 2023 © Radge Media Ltd. Get in touch:

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The Skinny's favourite tracks by an act we've seen play in Glasgow

Championing creativity in Scotland

Meet the team

We asked – What's your top Glasgow recommendation?

Rosamund West Editor-in-Chief

"To quote my Facebook status of 21 February 2015, 'Glasgow chat is the best. ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES.'"

Peter Simpson Digital Editor, Food & Drink Editor

"Don’t kid yourself into walking from town to the West End. It’s a bad idea! You *will* veer wildly off course!"

Anahit Behrooz Events Editor, Books Editor "My friends' cats."

Jamie Dunn Film Editor, Online Journalist

"The Ayrshire ham and remoulade sandwiches from ace bakery Cottenrake. Be sure to be sitting down when you take the first chewy bite."

Tallah Brash Music Editor

"The ultimate Glasgow experience is surely catching your favourite band (or any band, for that matter) at the Barrowlands, followed by a pint at Nice N Sleazy, no?"

Heléna Stanton Clubs Editor "n/a"

Polly Glynn Comedy Editor

"Watching the real life version of that Limmy video unfold in Kelvingrove when it's taps aff weather."

Rho Chung Theatre Editor "Anything by Mojxmma."

Eilidh Akilade Intersections Editor

"Meet under the clock at Central! And £4.50 margaritas from Big Slope."

Business

Production

Harvey Dimond Art Editor

"Ranjit's Kitchen for the best Panjabi food."

Editorial Sales

Lewis Robertson Digital Editorial Assistant "Big crane."

Laurie Presswood General Manager "Rolls of any kind."

Dalila D'Amico Art Director, Production Manager "Carry a knife. Haha, jokes!"

Phoebe Willison Designer

"Me. I recommend myself."

Sandy Park Commercial Director

"The Blue Lagoon after a day on the piss. Both for the greasy food and the clientele. Great content."

George Sully Sales and Brand Strategist

"The Hug and Pint also do very lovely food as well as, y'know, gigs 'n' that."

Tom McCarthy Creative Projects Manager

"The 3rd afterparty of a weekend in Glasgow is usually the best one."

Editorial

Words: Rosamund West

Film is the focus this month, as a deluge of festivals arrive in Scotland. Our cover story relates to Glasgow Short Film Festival, with an interview with mash-up filmmakers Soda Jerk. Their Trump-era satire Hello Dankness is collaged together from excerpts of your favourite stoner movies. Catch it this month at GSFF, and also at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival just over the border.

Glasgow Film Festival kicks off the day this magazine hits the street, with another stellar line-up of screenings featuring local and international talent. We meet Andrew Cumming, whose debut feature The Origin will be showing at Glasgow Film Theatre this month. This so-called ‘Stone Age horror film’ imagines a small band of people arriving in an even-grimmer-than-the-present-day paleolithic Scotland and being stalked by a mysterious foe. Also showing at GFF is Band, which follows an all-female Icelandic punk collective as they reach a creative crossroads –director and band member Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir tells us more.

Meanwhile in Bo’ness, or Borrowstounness to give it its full name, the incomparable HippFest returns to Scotland’s first purpose-built cinema, the Hippodrome. Celebrating all things silent film, HippFest’s programme includes screenings, live scores and even an outdoor cinema at the train station. We meet the Ukrainian duo, Roksana Smirnova and Misha Kalinin, providing the score to poetic 1929 Kyiv documentary In Spring Glasgow International Comedy Festival is also back, with a hilarious programme taking place in venues across the city. We asked a selection of Scotland-based comedians to share their recommendations for the dear green place, alongside top tips of acts to catch this year, while Phil Wang drops by to talk about trying to be sillier as he presents new show Wang In There, Baby!. The comedy continues with Suchandrika Chakrabarti’s Dream Gig, and in the final article of the magazine, with character comic Kieran Hodgson taking on the Q&A.

Music meets Ben Gibbard, making bold claims of being heavily influenced by Scotland, as Death Cab for Cutie bring their live show to these shores. We also talk to the winner of the 2021 Sound of Young Scotland Award LVRA, as they release their latest project, Soft Like Steel

Art discusses the need for a conversation about reparations alongside repatriation, as Scottish museums take the first steps to returning looted artefacts to their countries of origin. Theatre looks forward to the latest Scottish Opera production, Puccini’s Il Trittico, which presents the action in the vernacular setting of Glasgow. Books talks to Cairo-born, Sudan-raised and Aberdeen-resident Leila Aboulela about her latest novel, River Spirit, and Clubs catches up with Glasgow Southside community radio station Radio Buena Vida.

Intersections this month features an exclusive extract of the latest Inkling from 404 Ink, BFFs, which considers the radical potential of female friendship and is written by our very own Anahit Behrooz. As the inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh resumes, Tomiwa Folorunso reflects on solidarity, coming together, and holding those in power accountable.

The design column this month takes a look at the radical architectural transformation of Civic House. Recently nominated for an AJ Retrofit Award, the 1920s printing press turned work and events space has become a 21st-century power station which generates more energy than it consumes.

Finally, this month you can check out some of the talented illustrators whose works grace these pages, IRL, as The Skinny Print Shop launches its first exhibition in Leith’s Sierra Metro. Running until 9 Apr, the show features works by, at time of writing, 15 artists (a number which may grow depending on the vagaries of the various delivery services) and everything on show is for sale. You’ll find one of the pieces, by the Kirkwood Brothers, in the centre pages of this very magazine.

Cover Artist

Dalila D’Amico is an Italo-Brazilian designer. She’s passionate about visual language and believes in the power of design to persuade, inspire and differentiate.

Love Bites: Another Word

This

Words: Pernina Jacobs

Before moving to Edinburgh, I had a leaving party. A friend asked me if it was awkward that Anna was there. I refer to Anna as my wife. We’re both lesbians, and can be found holding hands in supermarket aisles or kissing on a dancefloor. She’s one of my closest friends and we’ve never been romantically involved, but we have the same intimacies as a married couple. My friend thought that we were legally married, my leaving due to our divorce. While her assumption was funny, it made me consider the lack of words English has to describe the people in my life and the distinct connections we share.

My current housemate Jo often calls me her partner. She says it’s the easiest way to describe me to others, despite her having a boyfriend. We’re more than housemates and feel too old for the schoolyard term “best friends”. With Jo and I there’s more dependency, an assumption that we’ll be there for each other. I’ve never liked the term platonic partner, perhaps because it implies that romantic relationships are the most important. Why does sex raise someone above lifelong friends?

It’s a group thing, too. Anna and I lived with two friends and we functioned as a family. Dinners were eaten together, with portions kept in tupperwares for anyone out that evening. There was no such thing as making just one cup of tea. How do you categorise these people? When I say I’m visiting family, people assume I’m visiting those I’m biologically related to but so often, I’m simply referring to my friends. How do I differentiate between them?

I’m lucky to have such a varied group of people in my life. We’ve met at school, university, en route to protests. We aren’t connected by blood, but share traditions and food, grief and love. We have freed ourselves from the constraints of typical relationships; I’m just searching for that freedom in language – a word to call them by.

month’s columnist explores the failings of language and those connections like no other

Heads Up

Glasgow International Comedy Festival

Various venues, Glasgow, 15 Mar-2 Apr

In the mood for a movie? Like a movie movie? From silent film festivals to short cinematic treats, find some of the most exciting film events in honour of this month’s film issue, as well as all the usual music, performance, and art.

Shakara: TYGAPAW + Junglehussi

It has already been the longest year in history and we are barely three months in, so it’s probably time for a laugh. Good thing, then, that Glasgow International Comedy Festival is back in town, with a stellar lineup of rising stars and local funny people to offset the dread (you know, the all-consuming dread). Look out for the likes of Phil Wang, Nick Mohammed and Fern Brady on the programme.

THIN H/AS H/AIR & THE FLOCK

Dundee Rep, Dundee, 17-18 Mar, 7:30pm

This new programme from Scottish Dance Theatre sees female choreographers take centre stage, presenting two entangled, ecological works about our relationship with the Earth. Thin h/as h/air is an autofictive piece telling the journey of a man through the rootedness of trees, while The Flock explores our collective tendencies towards migration and freedom.

Glasgow Film Festival

Various venues, Glasgow, 1-12 Mar

See some of the year’s most highly anticipated films at Glasgow Film Festival, now in its 19th year (it’s been old enough to drink for a whole twelve months!). Kicking things off is Adura Onashile’s beautifully observed Girl, with Nida Manzoor’s deliciously chaotic Polite Society wrapping it all up. In between there’s everything from climate thriller How To Blow

Up a Pipeline to the Paul Mescal-led God’s Creatures.

StAnza

Various venues, St Andrews, 9-12 Mar

HAAi: Sneaky Pete’s Installation #008

The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 25 Mar, 11pm

The Berkeley Suite, Glasgow, 3 Mar, 11pm

Glasgow-based party, radio show and mix series

Shakara kick off their bi-monthly residency at the Berkeley Suite with the highly anticipated Scottish debut of Jamaican-raised, Brooklyn-based DJ TYGAPAW. Known for their intricately cultivated techno landscapes, TYGAPAW’s mixes are full of delirious, cathartic energy, and a determined expression of Black joy. Support on the night comes from Glasgow gem and La Cheetah regular Junglehussi.

The Skinny Print Shop

Sierra Metro, Edinburgh, until 9 Apr

We are over-the-moon excited to be working in collaboration with one of Edinburgh’s newest and most delightful galleries on this exhibition and pop-up print shop of work by artists and illustrators who have over the years contributed to these very pages. All work on display is for sale, with prints from the likes of AJ Higgins, Rachael Hood and Nänni-pää.

Jadu Heart

The Mash House, Edinburgh, 24 Mar, 7pm Melding electronica, R’n’B, and alt rock, Bristol-based duo pioneer a kind of psychedelic dream pop that is generically cutting-edge and - importantly - deeply vibey. Now on their third album Derealised and markedly musically innovative, their on-stage performance is just as radically creative, incorporating masks, story-based narratives and carefully crafted personas that add a rich complexity to their music.

Self Esteem

The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, 5 Mar, 7pm

Allyson Keehan: Strange Desire Ushered In The Briggait, Glasgow, 10 Mar-26 Apr

Sgàire Wood: Ongaku Tiffany

CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow, 3-25 Mar

Bringing together sound, installation, and drawing, this exhibition builds on the hypervisibility of trans people in order to interrogate physicality as a site of performance, positioning the decorated body and domestic space as mirrored manifestations of the self. In melding tongue-in-cheek artifice and anachronism with a raw sensuality, Belfast-born, Glasgow-based Sgàire Wood questions and deconstructs the social contract of our embodied selves.

You Bury Me

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, 7-18 Mar, various times

Winner of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2020, You Bury Me is an ode to a city on a tipping point. Writer Ahlma’s explosive political work follows the fortunes of six young Egyptians in the wake of the Arab Spring as they navigate friendship, grief, and queer desire against the ever-shifting backdrop of a turbulent Cairo.

Maranta: Microsteria

Summerhall, Edinburgh, 17 Mar, 10pm

Edinburgh-based acid pop duo Maranta first revealed Microsteria at last year’s Hidden Door. An out-of-this-world collaboration with visual artists Vomiton and Chell Young amongst others, Microsteria turns the micro macro, visualising a world of tiny beings made suddenly massive and wondering through the stage and crowd, all set to Maranta’s incredibly atmospheric, irresistible brand of ethereal electronica.

Glasgow Short Film Festival

Various venues, Glasgow, 23-27 Mar

If you like your ideas big but your films little, then Scotland’s biggest and best short film festival is for you. They have a cracking programme this year, with opening moving image piece OMOS tackling Scotland’s untold Black histories, and strands including Rise of the Empathy Machines, about AI-created cinema, the self-explanatory Welcome to the Multiverse, and a focus on Lebanese filmmaking and performance.

RSA New Contemporaries

RSA: Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, 18 Mar-16 Apr

This meticulously curated exhibition showcases work by 57 graduates from across Scotland’s 2021 degree shows, including Glasgow School of Art, Edinburgh College of Art, Duncan of Jordanstone and more, offering an invigorating snapshot of the cutting-edge of Scottish art. Spanning painting, sculpture, installation, moving image pieces, textile, and architectural designs, RSA New Contemporaries is an argument for the remarkable depth and breadth of Scottish creativity.

Alex G

SWG3, Glasgow, 17 Mar, 7pm

You know him, you love him, he was number five on our 2022 Albums of the Year…Alex G is back in the house (SWG3). A heady, elusive, lyrically and musically ambitious exploration of faith, connection, and one’s place in the world, his latest album God Save the Animals is the culmination of all of Alex G’s musical journey so far: a simultaneously sincere and obscure expression of the most searching parts of the self.

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

The Hippodrome, Bo’ness, 22-26 Mar

24-25 Mar, 7pm

What's On

Music

The March gigs calendar starts off strong with what we’re sure will be two intimate yet absolute fire nights at Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh on the 1st and 2nd. First up, fresh from remixing Caroline Polachek, South London trio PVA bring their debut album BLUSH to the capital, while the following night Edinburgh-based hip-hop heavyweight Psweatpants is in the top spot. A couple of nights later, New Zealander Nadia Reid swings by Sneaky’s (4 Mar), while pop icon Self Esteem rolls into town for her bi est Edinburgh show to date at The Queen’s Hall (5 Mar), before playing the Barrowlands the following night.

On 12 March, you’re guaranteed a night of unstoppable fun at The Mash House courtesy of Dutch alt-indie troupe Personal Trainer Death Cab for Cutie bring Asphalt Meadows – as well as many other hits, we’re sure – to the gorgeous Usher Hall (22 Mar) and Glasgow rising talent Joesef plays The Queen’s Hall (23 Mar). Catch both at the Barras on the next night of their respective tours.

Rounding out our Edinburgh recommendations, be sure to catch Lisa O’Neill who plays two nights at the Voodoo Rooms (26 and 27 Mar) in celebration of All of This Is Chance, released last month via Rough Trade. A slew of local talent rounds out the month with the latest instalment of AMPLIFI at The Queen’s Hall (29 Mar) featuring 4tune, Xavier Lacroix and Nikhita, before Glasgow garage rock trio Shredd play Voodoo Rooms (30 Mar).

In Glasgow, Edinburgh’s premier boy band Young Fathers continue their lap of honour with two nights at the O2 Academy (3 and 4 Mar), while a few nights later (8 Mar) queen Lizzo brings her mighty pop credentials and non-stop bangers to the OVO Hydro. Further up the river, a week apart from one another at SWG3 you’ll find Ladytron (10 Mar) and Alex G (17 Mar).

If Alex G doesn’t float your boat, on the same day you’ll find the alt-pop stylings of Låpsley at St Luke’s, while the more experimental soundscapes of composer and producer Hinako Omori can be heard at The Glad Cafe. The second half of the month also brings the gorgeous songwriting of Anna B Savage to the CCA (21 Mar), while on the same night you can catch Graham Coxon’s new project with Rose Elinor Dougall, The Waeve, at St Luke’s. Finally, be sure to catch LVRA’s visceral live show at Civic House on 31 March as they celebrate the release of Soft Like Steel. [Tallah Brash]

Clubs

March starts with Shakara inviting Brooklyn’s TYGAPAW down to The Berkeley Suite (3 Mar), while the following night sees the return of VoightKampff to Stereo (4 Mar). It’s the first time at the venue for the hard dance label since 2018. The lineup is carefully crafted with locals, residents, and international booking, headed by Swan Meat – an unapologetic psytrance enjoyer. On Sunday 5 March, Ismus Berlin launch their first 12-hour rave at Room 2, with international acts Hadone, Nene H, and Tommy Holohan.

Plant Bass’d are back in Edinburgh at Sneaky Pete’s with UK Bass legend Bok Bok (8 Mar). LUNCH host their first ever party at The Berkeley

Suite (9 Mar) in celebration of their second birthday, and the fashion distributor’s lineup includes DJ Fi y, VAJ.Power and Miss Cabbage. The same night, Cobey Sey is at Stereo – this is one for fans of AD93, and a first Scottish appearance for Sey.

At Summerhall in Edinburgh, NEHH presents Optimo Espacio on 10 March. They’re Scottish DJ royalty, so expect banger after banger. Also on 10 March, Glasgow’s newest club SYMBØL collaborates with Manchester’s Meat Free – the lineup includes Blasha & Allatt Hawkchild DIY’s nights are known to offer the most alternative club nights in Scotland, and after an impressive 2022, Hawkchild has a huge lineup with Sky H1 and Woesum at Stereo on 11 March.

Erosion celebrates their first birthday at Stereo on 17 March with Sully and Pessimist. Both huge names in the UK dance scene, this is set to be a sell-out night. Over at The Berkeley Suite, Gabber Eleganza of Never Sleep join MPC (18 Mar), and over in Edinburgh at The Liquid Room, heavy techno is brought by promoter Nightvision, whose latest lineup includes Cera Khin, Franck and more (18 Mar). Finally, Heaters collaborate with Hypnotikk to bring Ahadadream all night long at Sneaky Pete’s (22 Mar). Expect UK funky, bass and grime. [Heléna Stanton]

Art

Sulaïman Majali, the recipient of the 2022 Margaret Tait Award, will present their commission in the house of names on 6 March, screening as part of Glasgow Film Festival. The recipient of the 2023 award will be announced following the screening of Majali’s film. The screening will take place at Glasgow Film Theatre.

Over at CCA, All That We Are Is What We Hold In Our Outstretched Hands, an exhibition by Ho Chi Minh City-based Tuan Andrew Nguyen continues until 25 March. The artist’s research-based practice explores the power of memory in the face of conflict and colonialism.

At Tramway, Ifeoma U. Anyaeji’s new exhibition Ijem nke Mmanwu m (The Journey of my Masquerade) sees the artist fill the gallery with their intricately-crafted and dynamic sculptures, which are made from non-biodegradable plastics – a reflection of the environmental destruction that Nigeria continues to experience. Anyaeji’s exhibition opens on 3 March.

At The University of Stirling, the late filmmaker Lindsay Anderson is celebrated in the Culture on Campus exhibition Never Apologise. Taking place at Macrobert Art Centre until 30 April, the exhibition opens up new insights into the filmmakers’ life through archival materials and contributions from artists and academics.

In Edinburgh, the Royal Scottish Academy’s New Contemporaries returns, showcasing 57 art and architecture graduates from Scottish art schools. The group exhibition, which opens 18 March, provides an excellent insight into the ambitions of a new generation of artists. You can catch the exhibition at the RSA until 16 April.

Home Is Not A Place, an exhibition by photographer and writer Johny Pitts, tours to Stills, opening on 10 March. The exhibition, part of Pitts’ longterm exploration of Black British identity, follows a circumnavigation of the British coastline to document Black experiences of belonging and home. Bernie Reid’s exhibition Ornamental Breakdown at Edinburgh Printmakers provides a retrospective of the Edinburgh-based artist’s 30-year career, alongside newly commissioned works. The show runs until 16 March. [Harvey

Theatre

March in Scotland promises a rich menu of new and local theatre. This month, Scotland’s Company of Wolves is bringing Anna Porubcansky’s Unbecoming on a tour of nine venues (9-29 Mar). The solo show uses myth, movement, sound, and music to interrogate choice and identity.

At Platform in Easterhouse, Farah Saleh and Oğuz Kaplangi present A Wee Journey, which explores community and belonging through live music and movement. In collaboration with the performers, the show uses lived experience to explore migration and celebrate diversity (16 Mar). The following day, Platform will host Solar Bear’s The Third Sister (17 Mar), which tells the story of two women 30 years after the tragic death of their sister. The play is performed in English and BSL, with scripts available upon request.

This month also sees the opening of Scottish Opera’s ambitious production of Il Trittico, Puccini’s triptych of one-acts. The trio – comprised of Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi – explores love and loss, drama and farce. It plays Glasgow Theatre Royal, 11, 15, & 18 March, and Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 22 & 25 March.

From National Theatre of Scotland, audiences can catch the premiere of Isobel McArthur and Michael John McCarthy’s Kidnapped, adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s swashbuckling adventure. The production opens

28 March at the Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock, and it will visit Glasgow’s Theatre Royal, Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum, Inverness’s Eden Court, and Perth Theatre, touring until 13 May.

At the end of the month, Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum offers Castle Lennox in co-production with Lung Ha Theatre Company (30 Mar-1 Apr). Castle Lennox is an uplifting play with songs about people incarcerated at Lennox Castle Hospital between the 1930s and 1990s. The same weekend, BUZZCUT brings its first in-person festival to Glasgow in six years. As Glasgow’s home for radical performance, the festival promises an extraordinary lineup of performance experiments. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, and performances are at Tramway and the CCA. [Rho Chung]

Books

Those celebrating poetry at StAnza, Scotland’s international poetry festival, in St Andrews and those watching at home have real treats in store under the umbrella of this year’s theme, ‘Wild: Forms of Resistance’. Friday 10 March will include readings from Claire Askew, Jo Clement, Kathleen Jamie, Harry Josephine Giles, Zaffar Kunial and Helen Mort. There’s a round table reading with Don Paterson on the Saturday (11 Mar) and Scotland’s Young Makars will perform alongside Hollie McNish and Marjorie Lotfi Anthony Anaxagorou joins the line up on Sunday (12 Mar), along with Linda France, L Kiew and Victoria Adukwei Bulley. That’s all barely scratching the surface.

If you’re in Edinburgh instead on 10 March and want to catch some spoken word then head along to Loud Poets at the Scottish Storytelling Centre – on the bill this month is TS Eliot Prize winner Joelle Taylor, along with Themo H. Peel, Angie Strachan and Michael Mullen. Loud Poets are also organising poetry slams across Scotland this year – their next is 11 March in Dumfries. Sign up or head along to cheer your favourites to the national final.

Lady Red Ego’s debut poetry collection Your Turn to Speak will be published at the end of the month – head along to launches in Glasgow (31 Mar, Category Is Books) or Edinburgh (28 Mar, Lighthouse Books). Lighthouse have another exciting event two days later – climate activist Mikaela Loach will be in discussion with Jessica Gaitán Johannesson on 30 March, chatting about her debut book It’s Not That Radical Leila Aboulela will be in Aberdeen (14 Mar) and at The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh (2 Mar) to launch her latest novel River Spirit

It’s a big month too for The Skinny’s own books team! Non-fiction fans should head to Edinburgh’s Assembly Roxy (22 Mar) or Glasgow Zine Library (18 Mar) where Anahit Behrooz will be celebrating her book BFFs: The Radical Potential of Female Friendship, while Roshni Gallagher, Tim Tim Cheng and Nasim Rebecca Asl (yours truly) will be launching their debut poetry pamphlets at the CCA (7 Mar) and StAnza (11 Mar). [Nasim

Comedy

Whet your appetite for Glasgow International Comedy Festival by getting a sneak peek of Susie McCabe’s latest show. She’s got two work-in-progress gigs at The Stand, Edinburgh (2 Mar, 5pm; 12 Mar, 3pm) before taking her Fringe smash Femme Fatality to King’s Theatre Glasgow (25 and 31 Mar, 7.30pm). Bilal Zafar also takes to The Stand with Care, his show about having a real-world wake up call whilst spending a year working in a care home aged 21 (The Stand Edinburgh, 8 Mar; The Stand Glasgow, 9 Mar, 8.30pm). And don’t miss Ray Bradshaw’s latest show, Deaf Com 1, at Glasgow Pavilion (10 Mar, 7.30pm).

Amy Matthews is first on our list for GICF. She brings new WIP I Feel Like I’m Made of Spiders to The Stand (15 Mar, 8.30pm), making jokes about the unpredictability of life-planning and feeling utterly untethered. Fresh from his spot on Live at the Apollo, Glaswegian youngster Liam Farrelly also graces The Stand’s be-cowboy-ed stage with God’s Brother In Law (19 Mar, 6.30pm). The same weekend, buckle up for the Berk’s Nest takeover at The Old Hairdresser’s. The comedy production house behind standout shows from Catherine Cohen, Sophie Duker, Jack Rooke and more bring a selection of tour and WIP hours to the Renfield Lane venue. Definitely don’t miss our Q+A star Kieran Hodgson (19 Mar, 5.30pm), Celya AB (19 Mar, 4pm) or Kemah Bob (18 Mar).

We’re also can’t wait for Suchandrika Chakrabarti, this month’s Dream Gig guest, at Van Winkle West End (22 Mar, 8.15pm) or Tadiwa Mahlunge’s debut at GICF (Gilchrist Postgraduate Club, 21 and 22 Mar, 7pm). If you think that’s not enough, what if we told you alt-comic prince Tim Heidecker was also stopping by (The Garage, 28 Mar, 7pm). This year’s GICF lineup really is stellar though – take a look at glasgowcomedyfestival.com for even more great gigs including shows from Fern Brady, Julia Masli, Stuart McPherson and Phil Wang. [Polly Glynn]

Features

20 It’s a Film Special! We talk to mashup heroes Soda Jerk about their Trump-era satire Hello Dankness

23 Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir introduces Band, about her own Icelandic female punk collective as they face a creative crossroads.

24 We meet Andrew Cumming to hear about his debut The Origin, a Stone Age horror film.

30 As Glasgow International Comedy Festival kicks off, we ask a selection of comedians to share their top Glasgow recommendations.

32 Phil Wang talks silliness and wrestling.

34 Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard talks Asphalt Meadows and his relationship to Scotland.

36 On the need for reparation alongside Scottish museums’ repatriation of stolen artefacts.

42 We catch up with LVRA ahead of the release of their latest project Soft Like Steel

44 Cairo-born, Sudan-raised and Aberdeen-resident Leila Aboulela on her latest novel River Spirit

47 We catch up with Southsidebased community radio station Radio Buena Vida.

48 Introducing Scottish Opera’s upcoming Glasgow-set production of Puccini’s Il Trittico

50 A first read of Anahit Behrooz’s exploration of the radical potential of female friendship, BFFs

On the website... More coverage of GFF and GSFF (podcasts! reviews! features!), reviews of gigs from TAAHLIAH, Weyes Blood and Carly Rae Jepsen, our Music Now playlist on Spotify – 30 tracks, no skips, updated weekly…

Shot of the month

TAAHLIAH: The Ultimate Angels (Live) @ SWG3, Glasgow, 18 Feb by Dale Harvey

Across

8. Scenery – setting (8)

9. Shoot again (6)

10. Part of the eye (6)

11. Japanese filmmaker (d.1998) (8)

12. Gifted (8)

13. Guarantee (6)

14. Secondary storyline (7)

17. Mark ___, film critic and radio presenter (b.1963) (7)

20. Partisan (6)

22. Influencer – my urinal (anag) (8)

25. Sobriquets – noms de plume (3,5)

26. Inferior imitation (3-3)

27. Appoint – allocate (6)

28. Covered completely – feel dung (anag) (8)

Down

1. Johnson or Fanning? (6)

2. Superficial (4-4)

3. Out of place – wandering (6)

4. 2001 film by Robert Rodriguez featuring Antonio Banderas and Danny Trejo (3,4)

5. Arnold Schwarzene er's character in Batman & Robin (1997) (2,6)

6. Inertia (6)

7. Criticised sharply (8)

15. The U in MCU (8)

16. Whenever you want (2,6)

18. Total control – board game (8)

19. Horror subgenre (7)

21. Insult (anag) (6)

23. Hallucination (6)

24. Rummages – guns (6)

Turn to page 7 for the solutions

Festival Fever

Cinemagoers in Scotland should cancel their Netflix subscriptions in March because there’s no excuse to be watching movies at home with three much-loved film festivals returning this month.

Our cover takes inspiration from mashup art collective Soda Jerk, who return to Glasgow Short Film Festival on 25 March with Hello Dankness, a post-truth brain-melter made up of a collage of archive TV and movie scenes that retell the delirious story of the Trump era. The Aussie duo discuss their labour-intensive sampling craft and creating digital art about the first US President to be more meme than man.

Earlier in the month, GSFF’s bi er sister, Glasgow Film Festival, will be showcasing the best contemporary cinema from home and abroad. Falling into the first camp is survivalist horror The Origin, set 45,000 years ago in the Scottish Highlands. Fitting the latter bill is curious Icelandic music doc Band. We dig into both films with their respective directors, Andrew Cumming and Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir.

We also get excited about the return of Bo’ness’s lively silent film festival HippFest by meeting Ukrainian musicians Roksana Smirnova and Misha Kalinin, who will be providing a new score to the poetic Kyiv documentary In Spring. They explain the importance of screening In Spring – a glorious celebration of Ukrainian identification and culture – at this moment as an act of solidarity with their homeland.

Monster Mashup

Soda Jerk, mashup heroes of our times, take satire to higher levels with Hello Dankness, a hilarious collage film retelling the Trump era using the rejuvenated ashes of your favourite stoner movies

Words: Eleanor Capaldi

Soda Jerk are a New York-based arts collective made up of Sydney-born-and-raised siblings Dan and Dominique Angeloro. Their practice involves sampling and remixing hundreds of clips from cinema and TV history to create wild works of speculative fiction. Previously they brought us the blistering Terror Nullius, a dismantling of the Australian national psyche featuring Mad Max, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and Picnic at Hanging Rock. That film opened the Glasgow Short Film Festival in great style back in 2019, and they return to the festival this year with their new work Hello Dankness, which sees Soda Jerk turn their attention to the other side of the Pacific, taking on the perils of America.

It’s been quite a time since their previous visit to GSFF. “Since we last spoke it feels like the whole trajectory of history got sucked into a pandemic vortex and neoliberalism was upgraded to an even more crushing and sinister cyber-feudalism,” they say. “These feel like distinct and different times that demand a radically new arsenal.”

Hello Dankness focuses on the mind-bo ling years of 2016-2021 in American politics, and Soda Jerk’s approach rips those years apart, before reassembling them anew. The film takes place in an American suburb, where everyone has a different political preference, from Hillary supporters to Bernie birds to flag-raising Republicans. Soda Jerk’s radical interpretation recontextualises not only films but familiar faces in a

quixotic cast, bringing together Tom Hanks, Annette Benning, Seth Rogen and Bruce Dern to portray the neighbours. The film’s meta layers grow as actors play fictional characters, people play themselves, and actors play real people, like Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg. These dizzying permutations can be read as expressing the levels of reality/unreality at play in the virtual/real world we are occupying together.

Pre-pandemic times could seem like a field of rose-tinted wheat compared to where we are now, but the ground was already shifting in 2016, and it’s from that quagmire that Hello Dankness emerged. “Ever since the unprecedented dumpster fire of 2020, it has become easy to forget the already strange WTF feels of the year 2016,” Soda Jerk explain. “Our wager was

“Trump is both shitposter and shitpost personified. He is the first meme to hold office in the White House”

Soda Jerk

that this weirdness was not ultimately about a particular cast of political characters but about the cumulative effect of the internet on the structuring of experience.”

Ah, the internet, that vast digital extension of humanity, a rolling wave of deep fakes and darkness, co-existing with a bright democracy of open contribution and shared knowledge. Social media in particular is ubiquitous. We’re one step away from scrolling the skin of our palms (someone is surely working on how to embed mobile tech into our flesh), and algorithms govern our feeds, while tech bros decide the nutritional standards. How quickly Cambridge Analytica’s harvesting of private Facebook data has faded. Soda Jerk document this unreality, and by doing so ask what it “might obscure or reveal about the material realities and power structures of the current moment.”

Described by the duo as part political satire, part disaster movie, part buddy film and part zombie flick, Hello Dankness explores an era in politics that represents a culmination of social and political change in what they refer to as the memetic aesthetics of the internet.

Politics is known for embodying elements of performance; the oratory, the presentation, invoking repetition (recall the Obama era of “Yes we can”, and Labour’s winning refrain of 1997 in the UK, “Education, Education, Education”). “Obama’s cool demeanour and deft oration connect him to the era of television, whereas Trump’s scattershot presence is more suited to the virology of the internet,” says Soda Jerk. “Trump is both shitposter and shitpost personified. He is the first meme to hold office in the White House.” Move aside TV – memes are the new sound bites.

Hello Dankness is a collage on film. Invoking the intertextuality of linking separate settings, characters and stories alongside each other by its nature re-frames and shifts the perspective. Soda Jerk explain: “For us, images are not just representations, they are vectors for the accumulation and circulation of memories, effects and knowledge systems… All our films deal with the politics of images, but Hello Dankness also deals with the image sphere of politics.”

Soda Jerk tell us that Hello Dankness leans heavily into stoner films and musicals because they are the two cinema genres most committed to the exploration of “bent realities”. The samples are primarily drawn from suburban dramas of the 80s and 90s “because they capture the dark heart of normie neo-liberalism.” In total there are over 300 different film and TV sources sampled across the film, and 250 audio sources. It’s a visual feast, and an impressive organisational feat too. “The total amount of sources we’re working with was well over a thousand,” they tell us. “So things can get unruly really quickly, and we rely on elaborate spreadsheets to keep track of timecodes and transcoding data.” Assembling this into a cohesive narrative seems like a geometric exercise. “Trying to squeeze classical continuity from different samples is really challenging, and the only effective strategy that we have found is to mount a brute-force attack. We sample as many films as possible and relentlessly attempt to generate as many alternate edits and script ideas as we can think of.”

Each sample chosen or not chosen opens or closes entire new avenues of story ideas. While it’s not unheard of for filmmakers to edit while filming, the typical process is to come to the editing after production. For Soda Jerk, “we’re constantly in a loop of writing, sampling, editing and rewriting throughout our entire process. There’s a gross amount of wasted labour in this workflow, as you might be trying to realise a scene that you’ll never find the pieces for, or have the perfect sample that just can’t be worked in.” (It’s a similar story with this article, where a discussion of a specific technique Soda Jerk use – rotoscoping – doesn’t quite flow.)

Towards the closing stages of Hello Dankness, two mice from The Witches voice “I want a dyke for President”. These mice, originally children who have been transformed by the laced chocolate of the Grand High Witch, end their recitation on not wanting to have to choose between the lesser of two evils. Yet it often seems that it is the choice, whatever may be hoped for – which political option is “less worse”. Hello Dankness su ests that the dawn of a left-leaning political leader alone won’t necessarily be the panacea needed.

While Soda Jerk’s work can seem like a form of antidote, they say: “We generally try to resist the idea that artists should be the custodians of hope. We don’t have answers, and are not here to persuade anyone that everything is going to be alright… Perhaps we will all be forced into tending the fields of cyberfeudalism, or uploading our consciousness to A.I. overlords, or maybe we will all rave our way to revolution and use the bones of our oppressors to fertilise the dreams of Acid Communism. We don’t know, but if anyone has any arguments in favour of optimism, we are ready to be convinced.”

“These feel like distinct and different times that demand a radically new arsenal”

Soda Jerk

Doc ‘n’ Roll

Described as performance art meets Spinal Tap, Band follows a real-life Icelandic female punk collective during a creative crossroads. We speak to Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir, the director of Band and a member of the band, about blending fact and fiction

Interview: Tony Inglis

The three members of The Post Performance Blues Band are huddled around a laptop, talking to a potential manager about their time as a group. “The ball started rolling,” says Álfrún, the most forthright of the trio, “but it only rolled a little bit.” It’s a line that sums up their journey making performance art together – one that has been stifled, attempting to do something they love in the cracks between everyday life.

After a particularly demoralising gig as a support act that draws a tiny crowd, the band’s three women – the aforementioned Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir, Hrefna Lind Lárusdóttir and Saga Sigurðardóttir – give themselves an ultimatum: after a year of concerted effort, if they’ve not managed to break big, they’ll bring The Post Performance Blues Band to an end.

All of this is captured on film, directed by Örnólfsdóttir in her almost-documentary, Band. As hinted by its title, it’s a universal story, exploring what it means to be successful when you are pursuing an artistic practice, and how that is especially tough when you’re outsiders in an industry that doesn’t reward taking risks.

“It was this survival mechanism because the band wasn’t doing so great,” says Örnólfsdóttir about embarking on this project. “I felt I was too old to be playing in shitty pubs for only ten people without getting paid. But I still loved the band. So I had to find a way to justify to myself to keep going. It became somehow worth it if there was a camera present; all these failing moments would be great dramatic material.”

It is often dramatic – and funny and surreal. But it is not a mockumentary, Örnólfsdóttir points out. PPBB are a real band, and the travails of its

members in their attempt to “make it” actually happened, even if certain scenarios were reproduced when they took place off-camera. It makes for a heady mix of fly-on-the-wall observation and more stylised sequences.

“Our lives in that moment felt like fiction,” explains Örnólfsdóttir, “so I wanted it to be in this grey area. [Through staging] there is kind of a lie in there, but it is there in search of the truth. I was taking the parts of our lives that asked bi er questions and making a dramaturgy out of it.”

Chief among them is the question of succeeding and failing on stage. At the beginning of the film, PPBB are very much shown to be failing. They’re playing to disinterested crowds, have just lost a key member, and their music, though idiosyncratic, lacks direction. That’s juxtaposed with scenes of the three women trying to organise their domestic lives, secure childcare, earn a living, and socialise, all while trying to eke out an existence as a very eccentric live band.

“I mean, I’m just looking at my life,” says Örnólfsdóttir. “This is what was happening. We were running around, trying to be great mums, responsible adults, and still doing our weird art. You can have these multiple realities happening at the same time – you’re making dinner for your kids and then putting on false eyelashes and running through town in a shiny jumpsuit. It was funny and exciting. Then it became about this idea: can we begin again? Are we allowed to do that at our age?”

To do so, they attempt to reinvent themselves, open up to outside influences, and reach for what seems like impossible goals. For anyone with a semblance of how the music industry chews

up and spits out those who tussle with it, they seem doomed to fail.

Along the way, there is a radical feminine energy to how Örnólfsdóttir and her bandmates confront intra-band conflict, from compassionate scenes of motherly understanding to disagreements that borderline on music-documentary cliché. In a dramatic film, these would be refreshing narrative choices. For Band, it’s just the dichotomy of a film that skirts the line between documentary and fiction.

When things got tough, Örnólfsdóttir had to make a decision to stop or keep going, and when it’s your friends involved, that makes it complicated. “Initially, everyone agreed it was exciting,” she says. “But then it’s like, can I come all the way into your life? That became more personal and more problematic. When you’re with your friends, and there are vulnerable moments, for the film something’s happening. And as a director in those moments, you think, ‘Keep the camera rolling, this is great stuff’. But as a friend, you’re like, ‘Oh my god, I’m such a shit person, what am I doing?’”

By the end of the film, in its most visually arresting and ambiguous moment, the audience is left wondering if PPBB even need to “make it” at all. “In a way, the band doesn’t have to succeed now because the film has,” says Örnólfsdóttir. “And that kind of makes the band immortal.”

Band screens at Glasgow Film Festival on 8 and 9 Mar at CCA, Glasgow. Following the screening on 9 Mar, The Post Performance Blues Band will headline BAND: THE MUSIC SHOW, a gig at Nice N Sleazy, hosted by Nice N Sleazy and Radio Buena Vida

Origin Story

Andrew Cumming’s debut The Origin takes us back to paleolithic Scotland where a band of early humans are being picked off one by one by a mysterious threat. We speak to Cumming about his early influences and honing his craft in unlikely places

Interview: Jamie Dunn

The Highlands have become a playground for ruddy-cheeked tourists looking for beauty and adventure but can you imagine landing here 45,000 years ago by boat without many provisions and sans your North Face jacket? That’s the premise of Andrew Cumming’s gnarly debut feature The Origin, which imagines the plight of a small band of people arriving in paleolithic Scotland and finding a cold, desolate, near-primordial place with no shelter or food, and something mysterious stalking them in the dark.

Early reviews from the London Film Festival, where The Origin had its world premiere, su ested the film was indebted to the work of Robert E ers. While it does shares some superficial similarities to films like The Witch and The Northman, the comparison is a bit of a red herring. Cumming’s chief influence was a film he devoured as a teen: Ridley Scott’s Alien

“I’ve always felt [Alien] was more than the sum of its parts,” says Cumming via Zoom from his home in Kirkcaldy. “It is ‘Jaws in space’, but the attention to detail, the craft, the casting, the world-building, the suspense, the tension, the creature design... that was jaw-dropping at the time and is still really iconic.” Whenever Cumming would get tied up in knots while writing The Origin’s outline (with producer Oliver Kassman), or while working on the script (with co-writer Ruth Greenberg), he’d refer back to that 1979 classic. ”Oliver and Ruth and I were constantly asking, what would Ridley do?” The result is a film that feels both otherworldly but familiar, and it’s the kind of muscular survivalist thriller that’s rarely made on these shores.

I’d planned to ask Cumming about other influences during our interview but as soon as our Zoom window opens, one of them is clear to see: a beautiful, framed poster for Katsuhiro Otomo’s anime masterpiece Akira is hanging over his left shoulder. “I convinced my dad to buy it on VHS for me because he thought it was a kids’ cartoon,” he recalls. “So while all my friends were watching Disney, I was watching cyberpunks in post-nuclear apocalypse Tokyo.”

As a 90s kid, Cumming also dug other teen-cinephile faves like Trainspotting and Se7en, but he didn’t initially have any ambitions to be the next Danny Boyle or David Fincher. “I wasn’t one of these kids who got access to a camera at eight years old and knew filmmaking was for them,” he says. “I thought it was so wildly impossible that you could make films growing up on the east coast of Scotland.” As an adolescent, though, he loved to draw and studied art throughout high school. Then, when touring Duncan of Jordanstone school of art at 18, he stumbled across their animation department. “That was the beginning of me making shorts and learning the basics of storytelling,” says Cumming. “But the emphasis was still on animation and keyframes. I quickly realised that that was a very laborious process that wasn’t for me. I felt like I was working in my own little cocoon, not really collaborating with anybody. So it was around that time I started mucking around with DV cameras with some of the guys in the animation course.”

These early dalliances with live-action filmmaking were a world away from the high-concept genre thrills of The Origin “Oh, those films were very much about what’s in front of me, what have I got access to,” he says. “So it was kids down on their luck in an ex-mining town on the east coast of Fife.” Back then he worked part-time in a supermarket, and talked his manager into letting him use the shop as a set. “I sort of loosely fit a story around a guy who worked in Sainsbury’s. It was probably the most autobiographical film I’ve made. And that’s probably why I haven’t made another one, because who needs to hear that story twice?”

Cumming applied to the National Film School with that scrappy odyssey about a Sainsbury’s employee. It didn’t get accepted, but he was encouraged. “Lynne Ramsay was on the panel that year and said some nice things about the film. So even though I got knocked back I felt this great legitimacy, like I’d been accepted into that world. I just kept truckin’.”

He eventually made it to the National Film School, but after graduating in 2013 the graft continued, taking the unglamorous route to filmmaking with a stint on Glasgow soap River City. It proved a baptism of fire, and a great training ground. “Being at film school is like learning to drive,” he says, “there’s always somebody who’s got the foot on the brake just in case. But then going and doing River City, where you’re shooting anywhere between 11 and 18 pages a day, that’s like being on the motorway for the first time. You’ve got to be so prepared for anything.”

We’re so used to filmmakers bursting out of the gate in their early twenties, bankrolled by credit card debt or their famous parents. Cumming, by contrast, was 39 when The Origin began shooting. He’s happy with his circuitous path, however. “Some precocious talents do break out early, but you’ve also got the Michael Hanekes or the Ridley Scotts of the world, who did something else and got really good at that and just learned their craft quietly. And then when they got their first film, they were ready to go. I couldn’t have made The Origin when I was 21. I couldn’t have made it when I was 31. I had to go through the hard knocks of television, just to get better at my craft, in order to stand in front of all these people and say, ‘Right, we’re gonna make a Stone Age horror film.’”

Cumming returns to the small screen soon with Payback, a crime thriller starring Morven Christie and Peter Mullan and produced by Line of Duty’s Jed Mercurio. It sounds like he’s itching to get back to making movies though. “I just love the vastness of the cinema screen,” he says, “putting characters in a world and then just trying to grab the audience and keep them in a chair for 90 minutes, not letting them move or breathe, and turning the screw to make them really viscerally feel something. That’s what I get excited about. That’s the dream: how can I torment people for 90 minutes and get away with it?”

“How can I torment people for 90 minutes and get away with it?”

Andrew Cumming

Hot Tickets

Ten unmissable films at this year’s Glasgow Film Festival

Words: Jamie Dunn

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

A ragtag of fresh-faced environmental activists (including Lukas Gage and Sasha Lane) take to Texas with a plan to blow up an oil pipeline. Daniel Goldhaber’s film is so detailed you might feel you could do your own bit of eco-terrorism by the end of it – and with news of Shell’s profits this year, who could blame you? – but what makes this timebomb thriller really tick is its sly structure, which intermittently interrupts the mission to flash back to why each activist has turned to Semtex for justice. 2&3 Mar, GFT

I Like Movies

This early-00s-set coming-of-age comedy is sure to have a few members of GFF’s audience squirming at the toe-curling behaviour of its teen protagonist, a nerdy PTA-wannabe who lands a job at a video rental store where he pushes Todd Solondz movies onto unsuspecting couples looking for a nice rom-com. But after the initial cringe, Chandler Levack’s sharply composed debut reveals itself to be a much more interesting examination of grief with a tonne of Kubrick references thrown in.

8&9 Mar, Cineworld

Ramona

Lourdes Hernández is fantastic as the smartmouthed Ona, an aspiring actress who finds herself caught in a love triangle with two men: her easy-going chef boyfriend and her director, who she initially meets while day drinking at a Madrid cafe and sparks fly. There are definite Worst Person in the World vibes to this black-and-white romantic comedy that periodically bursts into Almodóvarian colour, but Ramona has its own distinct flavour. 7&8 Mar, GFT

Dog Days

Is there a harder-working and more exciting young filmmaker in Scotland than James Price? He’s been dubbed the Springburn Scorsese but the title is well-earned: his soulful short films are an electric blend of Glasgow grit and American swa er, and we hope this has carried over to Dog Days, the

debut feature he’s assembled from a series he’s made for BBC Scotland. Neds’ Conor McCarron, who was brilliant in Price’s Groundhog Day-meetsScarface short Spiral, stars as a musician living rough on the streets of Dundee looking for a sliver of redemption. 5 Mar, GFT

My Name is Alfred Hitchcock

Is there a harder-working and more exciting documentary filmmaker in Scotland than Mark Cousins? He’s got two films in the GFF programme. There’s The March on Rome, his searing archive film looking at the roots of fascism in Europe, and this playful study of the Master of Suspense which sees the legendary director (voiced by Alistair McGowan) rewatch his classics.

As is often the case with Cousins’ films, even if you think you know all there is to know, the director has found fresh angles through which to explore these familiar subjects. 2&4 Mar, GFT

Skin Deep

Writer-director Alex Schaad’s intriguing sci-fi seeks to explore what makes us us. We follow Leyla and Tristan, a young couple embarking on an unusual summer holiday: they’re switching their consciousness to different bodies, taking them for a test spin. The high-concept premise su ests Get Out by way of Midsommar, but rather than horror, Schaad seems more interested in questions of mental health’s connection to our corporal form as well as questions about transgender identity and the concepts of soul mates. Colour us intrigued. 4&5 Mar, Cineworld

Sanctuary

Christopher Abbott, long one of the most interesting actors working on the US film scene, is one of the reasons to run to this kinky two-hander exploring the dynamic between a roleplaying sex worker and her long-term client. Abbott plays the heir to a hotel chain who’s become reliant on regular bouts of humiliation; Margaret Qualley plays the beguiling dominatrix who clearly relishes making this tycoon feel like a worm. Word is this is

a wickedly fun battle of wills with plenty of heat. 4&5 Mar, Cineworld

Typist Artist Pirate King

A new film from Carol Morley is always a wonderful surprise, simply because there’s no telling where this idiosyncratic filmmaker’s career will veer. Her latest sounds particularly eccentric, telling the untold story of schizophrenic avantgarde artist Audrey Amiss by imagining a road road trip she might have taken with her long-suffering psychiatric nurse. As ever with Morley’s work, Typist Artist Pirate King is anchored by phenomenal female performances. Kelly Macdonald plays the nurse, while Monica Dolan is reportedly extraordinary as Amiss. 8&9 Mar, GFT

The Origin

Think the Scottish weather is inhospitable? Imagine arriving here 45,000 years ago and trying to eke out an existence. That’s the premise of Andrew Cumming’s muscular survival thriller The Origin, which sees a group of early humans stru le to survive on one of our wind-blasted moors, and that’s before some mysterious entity starts picking them off one by one. The action filmmaking is brutal and free of fat, the performances are fierce and there’s a sly twist that’s as existentially troubling as it is narratively satisfying. 5&7 Mar, GFT

BlackBerry

The story about the rise and catastrophic demise of the world’s first smartphone doesn’t sound like it has the makings of a rollicking comedy, but that’s the early word out of the Berlin Film Festival, where BlackBerry has just had its world premiere. Films like Jobs and The Social Network were tragic dramas that painted their subjects with a mix of scorn and awe, but Matt Johnson seems to have found a refreshingly more playful angle to tell the story of the B-list tech moguls behind BlackBerry (played by Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton). 3&4 Mar, GFT

Full Glasgow Film Festival programme at glasgowfilm.org

Unlocking the Past

Ukrainian duo Roksana Smirnova and Misha Kalinin will be providing a live new score to the poetic Kyiv documentary In Spring at this year’s HippFest. They discuss the experience of representing their nation during its brutal invasion

Words: Carmen Paddock

Performing live scores for silent films merges history and creation, past and present.

Ukrainian musical duo (and real-life couple) Roksana Smirnova and Misha Kalinin have been bringing their instrumental, compositional and improvisatory skills (Roksana on piano, Misha on electric guitar and effects) to live screenings since 2021. They make their Scottish debut at HippFest 2023, performing the UK premiere of In Spring

This 1929 documentary is an avant-garde love letter to Kyiv. Its director, Mikhail Kaufman, is the brother of Dziga Vertov, whose Man with a Movie Camera (also 1929) is often considered the best documentary of all time. In Spring is just as vibrant, kinetic and boundary-pushing as its contemporary. It seems strange they are not mentioned in tandem until Roksana explains In Spring was lost until 2005, when a copy was discovered in an Amsterdam archive. “Maybe this film was lost because it was something they wanted to hide,” she offers, su esting language is key. The title on posters is often given in Russian – Весной (Vesnoi) – rather than the original Ukrainian Навесні (Navesni). However, every single word filmed – street signs, newspapers, shopfronts – is Ukrainian. Russian-led politics “intended to destroy our identification as Ukrainians,” says Roksana. “In this film, you can see the culture. It’s beautiful.”

“It’s amazing to see Kyiv at that time,” says Misha. He remembers growing up with “95%” of written communications in Russian as a consequence of the Soviet occupation. But the duo are as excited by the film’s artistry as they are by its history. “It’s amazing to see how Kaufman filmed,” Misha says, “how was it possible to find all those angles?” Kaufman puts his camera under and atop trains, captures trees and balconies from below, and glides over cities. “The camera was for him like a toy for a kid.”

“It feels like Kaufmann was so excited to have a camera,” Roksana agrees. “Each time we play it I find something new. It’s so dynamic.”

The duo have composed a score for 70% of In Spring and improvise the other 30%. Each time they add a new film to their repertoire, they watch it many times to feel its development. “We first improvise to the film, then we go deeper and fix what we improvise, and then we compose,” Roksana says. “In Spring starts with melting snow and finishes with people celebrating. When we created this music, we wanted to follow this to a dynamic crescendo.”

Working as creative partners and spouses facilitates a “constant creative process,” according to Roksana. “We composed the soundtrack long ago, but we transform it every time we perform. We are influenced by the places we perform in.”

They su est their audience listen to their album Whispers ahead of In Spring. “It’s really connected to the film,” Misha says. “It will give some glimpse of our musical language.”

“This film doesn’t show political things,” says Roksana. “It shows real lives and emotions.”

Watching ordinary life rendered with his creativity and energy is remarkable. “My grandmother was the same age as the small children in the film,” says Roksana. “I can imagine her as a child.”

“We can see those people have the same ups and downs as now,” Misha says. “At the same time, in 12 years, in 1941, they will face the Second World War. They have no idea.” It’s a connection to shared experiences and emotions

that is even more powerful as the invasion of Ukraine continues.

“When the war started, we lived in Kyiv,” Misha says. “After the first month, we got special permission from the minister of culture to represent Ukraine around Europe – especially to perform this film. This is the best way we can help our country in this very hard moment.” Misha describes their artistic work as a bridge, bringing the reality of the war from TVs into “people’s lives, minds, and consciousnesses. This is a war of old and new mentalities. People’s values are different from a hundred years ago. Everybody wants an opportunity to work and develop themselves. It is amazing to see people united in support of Ukraine.”

The pair are excited to be coming to the UK for the first time and honoured to be representing Ukrainian culture. “We support peace because it’s fragile,” Roksana says. “This war shows that peace is extremely vulnerable and we should all protect it. Only real resistance can bring a victory not only for Ukraine, but the whole world.”

In Spring screens at HippFest on 25 Mar, The Hippodrome, Bo’Ness, with Roksana Smirnova (piano) and Misha Kalinin (guitar) performing a live score

hippodromecinema.co.uk

A

Comedians’ Guide to Glasgow

Scotland-based comedians give their insider’s guide to the fair city ahead of Glasgow International Comedy Festival

Charlie Vero-Martin

Picnic (WIP), McChuills, 21 March, 5pm, £5

I have a real sweet tooth so I recommend Flying Ducks Vintage for home-baking and vintage treats and Big Bear Bakery for delicious fresh bread. I’m also desperate to try Whistler on the Green’s ‘Shuck and Suck’ happy hour… Yes, I know how that sounds.

And of course McChuills! I’m so excited to be doing my show here. It’s a great pub with a very relaxed, slightly grungy vibe and a lovely wee venue year round for anything live: comedy, music, cabaret – the lot.

There are so many incredible shows on. If you want to support local up and coming fringe comedy acts then check out Giulia & Shari (Doing Our Best, McChuills, 29 Mar, 9pm, £5) and Jake Baker (Caring is Creepy WIP, Van Winkle West End, 19 Mar, 8.30pm, £5). For the best in sketch, see what Max & Ivan (Work in Progress, The Old Hairdresser’s, 19 Mar, 8.30pm, £10) are cooking up and if you want to get really weird and wonderful then seek out Julia Masli (Choosh!, Blackfriars, 30 Mar, 8.30pm, £10-12), Vi o Venn (Club Comedian, Blackfriars, 30 Mar, 7pm, £12) and Stamptown (Òran Mór, 1 Apr, 7.30pm, £15).

entirely frequenting secondhand record shops all day long. Missing Records is still the best; it ain’t hip it’s just row after row of glorious physical media. My direction of trawling dictates that either Glasgow’s finest kebabs or gyros respectively are eaten and to which pub I settle in. So that’ll be; Shawarma King then The Belle, or McTassos then The Laurieston.

Pre-night bus dancing at Nice N Sleazys is available when you miss the last train.

For show recommendations, Soup Group! (Kids Show, The Stand, 25 & 26 Mar, 2pm, £6) are so inventively and joyously silly that their kids show will make a great introduction to live comedy for the weans (mine included). With Progranimate (The Old Hairdresser’s, 22 Mar, 8pm, £4), David Callaghan is doing something really fresh combining multimedia and Glasgow’s best stand-ups and I’ve heard great things about John A asild’s new show (Spring / Summer 23, Van Winkle West End, 25 Mar, 5.30pm, £5), so looking forward to catching that too.

Ruth Hunter

The Ruth is On Fire, Van Winkle West End, 18 Mar, 4pm, £6 Glasgow Necropolis has beautiful views of the city! I often wake up in one of the crypts after a night out. Sometimes, there’s someone there with me. Their body unmoving, their vital fluids completely drained. I love my job! Fifty thousand individuals are buried in the Necropolis. That’s loads!

Donny Vostok

Back (Parts 1 & 2), Van Winkle West End, 28 Mar, 8.30pm, £6

As a suburban Paisley father far from his Glaswegian homeland, following a mammoth 10 minute train journey I try to soak up as much of my former city’s culture as possible. This I do by

Being a succubus of chaos and death makes me thirsty. Drygate Brewery is just down the road from the Necropolis. Do they have a great beer selection? I wouldn’t know. I only drink the blood of man.

My comedy recommendation is Mr. Gabriel Featherstone (Being Alive is F*ckin’ Sick!!!, McChuills, 25 Mar, 9pm, £5). I actively do not murder him because I enjoy his comedy so much. Go see his show or I’ll find you.

Robin Grainger

Robin Time, The Stand, 2 Apr, 5pm, £10

Glasgow’s got lots of things going for it. Empire Ink on Bath Street is my favourite tattoo shop. Talented people and an amazing atmosphere. After, make sure to visit Paesano Pizza. They make the best pizza ever and you are bound to see comedians there before running off to a gig.

But my hidden gem is this: near Queen Street Station there’s a bar called Dow’s that does karaoke. I once saw an 80 year old man in a three piece suit walk in, absolutely SMASH a Sinatra song, pick up his weekly big shop and waltz off into the night in a haze of malt whisky and indifference. Beautiful.

My GICF recommendation is Philipp Kostelecky’s show (Daddy’s Home, Van Winkle West End, 1 Apr, 7pm, £7). He’s easily the best newcomer act I’ve seen in years.

Eleanor Morton

WIP (What is Happening?), Drygate Event Space, 30 Mar, 6pm, £8

For food: Hanoi Bike Club for delicious fresh Vietnamese food and Brel for Belgian food (it’s better than it sounds!), both off Byres Road (can you tell I went to uni there?). Also, if you can, take a look around the Glasgow Panopticon music hall, it’s a beautiful original building and they still put on shows!

I’m recommending Cerys Bradley (Not Overthinking Things 2019 (WIP), Van Winkle West End, 24 Mar, 10pm, £5). I saw their previous show, Sportsperson, at the Fringe and it was a joy.

MC Hammersmith

MC Hammersmith and Friends, The Stand, 27 Mar, 8.30pm, £10

One of my favourite restaurants in Glasgow is Akbar’s on Sauchiehall Street. South Asian food with naan breads bi er than a small child. The Bungo in Strathbungo is also a great bar and grill. I’d also like to shout out Steak Lounge & Grill in Springfield Quay, because I performed at their launch party and I’m now contractually obliged to recommend them. Their portions are fierce though.

Finally, speaking of fierce, get yourself to any Wetherspoons at 11.30pm on a Saturday for an authentic Glaswegian experience. A parting GICF recommendation:

Krystal Evans’s show (The Hottest Girl at Burn Camp, Van Winkle West End, 24 Mar, 8.30pm, £8) is outstanding. Absolutely unmissable.

Marjolein Robertson

Thank God Fish Don’t Have Hands, The Stand, 22 Mar, 7pm, £10 (Also on 22 Apr, The Stand, 5pm) / WIP, Van Winkle West End, 25 Mar, 2.30pm and 10pm, £5

I lived in the Soothside, so I may be biased, but one of my favourite cafes in the whole city is MILK Café on Victoria Road. It’s also co-run by a fellow Shetlander. More biases. But it is my favourite because the food is incredible, portions hearty and you could sit there forever. And it supports women of a refugee or migrant background so you’re doing some good at the same time.

Then if you find yourself in the West End, which is easily done when The Stand’s doon there; Chai Ovna. A peerie (little) haven of amazing teas, food and the feeling like you’re in your Aunty’s sitting room. She’s not your aunty, but you can call her Aunty. She’s also the woman who gave you your first joint.

I’d recommend going to see Gareth Waugh: Doozy (The Stand, 16 Mar, 7.30pm, £10). I saw it at the Edinburgh Fringe last year and it was hilarious. Not a single moment wasted and a fantastic end. And I owe him a pint. But after giving him a shout out I think we’re even. I’d say he owes me two now.

Laura Quinn Goh

Far East Enders (with Sylas Szabolcs), Basement @ Tennent’s Bar, 23 and 30 Mar, 8pm, £7

I go to People’s Palace Museum often because I live nearby. It’s less famous than Kelvingrove Museum

but I just love how it tells the story of Glasgow, from reflexive reflections on slave trade to the recent histories of East End.

For food, I’m almost too scared to share Glasgow’s best-kept secret because it’s my special place: Banh Mi & Tea in Partick. This no-frills gem is the most authentic Vietnamese restaurant in the city. Forget the pho – their bun bo hue has all the right ingredients and is massive!

You can’t go wrong with Billy Kirkwood: Energetic (The Stand, 1 Apr, 5pm, £12). I’ve never seen anyone energise a room like Billy. He’s like 15 cups of coffee with electric current running through it!

Kieran Hodgson

Big In Scotland (WIP), The Old Hairdresser’s, 19 Mar, 5.30pm, £10

As a tedious real ale enthusiast, I’m going to have to recommend a few great city centre pubs: The Pot Still, the Bon Accord, the State, Blackfriars of Bell Street. Ales out the wazoo, and the first two have an amazing whisky selection for fans of half and half. Glasgow’s also a fantastic vegan city so you’ve gotta check out Sylvan and Stereo and the Glad Cafe.

Finally, I’d su est visiting Speirs Wharf and walk the canal towpath to Maryhill, then recharge by watching my pal Tessa Coates at the Old Hairdresser’s – a wondrous show with a truly wondrous title (Get Your Tessa Coates You’ve Pulled, The Old Hairdresser’s, 19 Mar, 7pm, £14).

Glasgow International Comedy Festival runs from 15 Mar-2 Apr at various venues across Glasgow

Silliness and Wrestling

Critically acclaimed stand-up and author, Phil Wang, takes silly seriously and realises an unlikely influence on his act ahead of his new tour show, Wang In There, Baby!

Interview: Laurie Presswood

Phil Wang is letting himself be sillier (watch out, world). It’s not as if he were an austere man before (the sensible approach rarely wins hearts on Taskmaster), but looking back on old performances he wonders if he wasn’t a bit too deadpan. “Apparently when [Chris Rock] tries out new material, he does it with no performance element at all. He does it very straight, just to know that the underlying material is funny in and of itself.” Wang thinks he might have taken a version of that philosophy to an unhealthy extreme, so now he’s letting loose. Wang In There, Baby!, he says, is his silliest show so far.

What he really likes in a comedy show is the suspension of adult life – that the things outside of the room don’t matter while you are sat in it. Silliness cuts straight to the heart of this because it abandons the mores of mature society: “there’s kind of an innocence to it. That’s what silliness is: it’s inconsequential…ality…”

Goofiness is the closest the show comes to a running theme. He’s not trying to “say something”; there is no higher meaning. As with most of his sets, he’s exploring a series of more or less unrelated ideas (take the hot topics of ‘race’, ‘family’ and ‘nipples’ for starters). He’s spoken before about the pressure that exists on comics at the Fringe to work a poignant storyline into their shows – he feels he succumbed to that pressure with his 2015 show Philth, resulting in an hour he was ultimately unhappy with.

Clearly comedy reviewers play a huge part in this (leaving reviewers to ask themselves: “Did I do that?” Or, depending on which age bracket you fall into, “We’re all trying to find the guy who did this”). Last year The Guardian elicited backlash from the likes of Fern Brady and Mark Nelson after its 3-star review of Thanyia Moore’s Fringe show asked ‘Can a comedy set get by on laughs alone?’. Wang says this phenomenon is more or less unique to comedy festivals – particularly because there isn’t the same comedy reviewing culture in the States.

“I think the reviewers reviewing and the shows sort of work in tandem and produce an

environment where these narrative-based shows are encouraged, because it’s something that makes for good copy on your end and then on our end it makes for a good pitch. I think for some comedians that works really, really well. Some comedians are really suited to that kind of storytelling stand-up – I’m not one of those comedians.”

Wang’s of the generation of comedians for whom The Simpsons are a near-universal formative influence, but another has recently occurred to him. The first people to show him how to do public speaking? Who else but the great orators of the modern world: professional wrestlers.

Recently watching a match (it was the WrestleMania 38 Stone Cold Steve Austin comeback match, in case you’re interested) he was struck by how well they speak – they perform something akin to stand-up with a flawless rhetoric, without stumbling, hesitation or repetition (it’s a wonder more of them don’t make a living off Just a Minute appearances once their knees give in).

“They’re able to put across the storyline, they’re able to reiterate the relationship with the wrestler they’re talking about while also dropping in all the promo bits.” What’s more, so much of their dialogue is about hating one anothers’ guts, and they have to do it all in language acceptable to

a ten-year old. “‘You broke my back. You slept with my wife. You destroyed my favourite car. And now this Sunday I’m gonna destroy you, you nincompoop’. What?! He’s a grown man. And they’re calling each other nincompoops and candy asses.”

Nowadays he isn’t actively influenced by other comedians (although he references one particularly silly Glenn Moore joke that he wishes he’d written, and cracks himself up reciting it). “I’ve sort of lost my hero worship of comedians. I used to date comedy, and now I’m married to comedy.”

So what next then? Wang says he’s exploring scripted ideas – a good old-fashioned scripted comedy show with recurring characters and storylines, maybe even a couple more books. But stand-up will always be The One. “Live comedy is always the most visceral experience of comedy. That’s what I’ll always love.”

Phil also comes to Dundee’s Whitehall Theatre, 5 May and Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall, 6 May

Right the Ship

As Death Cab for Cutie return to Europe for the first time in four years, Ben Gibbard talks Asphalt Meadows, his relationship to Scotland and the legacy of Low’s Mimi Parker

Interview: Joe Go ins

“Iremember being on a call with the rest of the guys, in the depths of the pandemic, and saying, ‘I’m never gonna complain again about a Sunday show in some shitty town in middle America’.”

Ben Gibbard has missed us, even if it might have felt as if he never went away. Three years ago this month, as borders closed, businesses shuttered and the world hunkered down, caught in the eye of the COVID-19 storm, he began his ‘Live from Home’ streams; just himself, a guitar and a piano, in his home studio. What began as a way to pass the time and stay connected became both an impressive monument to his oeuvre (he played albums in full, took endless requests and aired covers old and new) and a testament to his everyman likability; he’d take questions, and acknowledge his nervousness at the long pandemic road ahead.

At one point, he talked about a long run he’d gone on through locked down Seattle, stopping along the way at all manner of musical haunts, past and present. You could almost picture him with his nose pressed up against the glass. No longer, though; as he joins us on Zoom for an overdue catchup, he’s in New Orleans, on the second leg of a tour behind Death Cab for Cutie’s best-received record in over a decade, Asphalt Meadows. “I’ve never felt so lucky to be doing this,” he says. “There’s a feeling that playing live is just this thing that rights my ship, and to be going out and playing material from an album that’s resonating with people – a lot of bands our age don’t have that opportunity. We’re grateful.”

Asphalt Meadows is a detailed, thoughtful chronicle of Gibbard’s experience of the last few years, one that speaks with nuance to both the anxieties of the global health crisis (I Don’t Know How I Survive; I Miss Strangers) and to the melancholy of ageing (Foxglove Through the Clearcut; Fragments From the Decade). Now, as the band prepare to cross the pond for the first time in four years for leg three of the tour, they’ve already reinvented the album, having recorded smart new arrangements of every track for an acoustic version.

“I might be biased in saying this, as a songwriter, but I’ve always thought that the best tracks are the ones you can boil down to just a voice and an instrument, and then let the narrative drive the bus,” he says. “I think what people ultimately keep coming back to this band for is the storytelling in the songs. So, we started with the sort of meagre goal of going in and doing an acoustic version of Pepper, which was going to be the next single, and which is pretty sparse anyway, but we went into the studio off the back of six weeks on the road, and we felt like we knew these songs front to back. I’m blessed with four other really musically literate members who were very capable of reinterpreting them.”

New takes on all 11 of Asphalt Meadows’ tracks comprise the acoustic version, from the relatively faithful (Rand McNally) to the radically different (Roman Candles). In addition, there’s a tender cover of the early Low song The Plan, included as a tribute to the late Mimi Parker; the two bands were long-time friends, and Low would have opened for Death Cab in the US last year had Parker’s illness not intervened.

They chose The Plan in part, Gibbard says, because it’s a Parker-led track from The Curtain Hits the Cast, Low’s 1996 third LP and a highly meaningful album to Death Cab, having been recorded in the same studio that would later become the Hall of Justice, where Gibbard would make much of his own masterpiece, Transatlanticism, in 2003. “I’ve been a fan of Low since 1994,” he says. “I went to see Sunny Day Real Estate and Velocity Girl at the OK Hotel in Seattle, this tiny 250-capacity place, and Low were opening. I was 17, and I had no idea who they were, or what I was about to see, because the setup onstage was two little amps and a snare drum and cymbal; like, what is this band going to sound like? And I was completely taken with them. I thought they were the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard.

“And recording The Plan just sort of reinforced Mimi’s magic, because she would sing these incredibly long-held notes that were so perfect in pitch, with this beautiful vibrato. We played our version a little bit faster than theirs, and I still found hitting those notes so difficult. So, I’ve got even more admiration for her. She was a really unique talent.”

Gibbard has a massive live year in prospect; in the autumn, he’ll pull double duty on a US tour

that sees him celebrate the 20th anniversary of both Transatlanticism and The Postal Service’s Give Up. Before then, though, Asphalt Meadows arrives in Europe, with two Scottish shows in the diary. “I’m not just saying this because I’m speaking to a publication based in Edinburgh – Scottish music has had a huge influence on all of us in this band. I think there was always much more of a kinship between the Scottish and American indie rock scenes than there was between the US and London, or whatever.

“The way we defined community within those scenes seems really similar, which is why we’ve always gotten on so well with so many Scottish bands. When I think of the bands from the UK that have been important to me, save for a little dip into Manchester, the overwhelming majority of them are from Scotland.” He references Teenage Fanclub, Frightened Rabbit, CHVRCHES.

He goes on to say: “Plus, I’m an American mutt, but my closest familial ties are Scottish. So there’s a nice feeling of there being a tracer of my own history when I’m there.”

Asphalt Meadows (Acoustic) is released on 10 Mar via Atlantic Records

Death Cab for Cutie play Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 22 Mar; Barrowlands, Glasgow, 23 Mar deathcabforcutie.com

“I think what people ultimately keep coming back to this band for is the storytelling in the songs”

Ben Gibbard, Death Cab for Cutie

Naming the Money

Words: Harvey Dimond

On 25 March 2021, the University of Aberdeen became the first institution in the UK to commit to repatriating a Benin Bronze to Nigeria. The sculpture, depicting the head of an Oba of Benin, was formally returned to its country of origin six months later in October 2021 at a handover ceremony in the city. This event signalled a wider motivation across Scottish museums to begin the process of repatriation.

The British Museum has become the epicentre of conversations around the repatriation of stolen goods, with diplomatic discussions relating to the ‘Elgin Marbles’ (stolen from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1812), becoming the focus of media attention. However, in the last few years, a number of museums across Scotland have already begun the process of repatriating stolen artefacts to their countries of origin.

In August 2022, Glasgow Museums became the first institution in the UK to return looted artefacts to India, with delegates from the Indian High Commission attending a ceremony where seven objects were handed over, including a tulwar (ceremonial sword) and a sandstone relief of a male figure. This is part of a wider and long-term

process of repatriation that will also see 19 Benin Bronzes handed back to Nigeria (stolen during a British ‘expedition’ to West Africa in 1897), where they will be displayed in the Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin City. In June 2022, Glasgow Museums welcomed a delegate from the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments to formalise this transfer of ownership.

Part of the glacial slowness of the repatriation of artefacts from European nations to their former colonies is a paternalistic view that countries of origin cannot care for their own art and artefacts. This problematic view is grounded in a defining aspect of European museum culture – an obsession with conserving and preserving objects for as long as possible. This does not take into account that different cultures understand and view time differently – and many have the view that works of art and objects of cultural significance are not supposed to last forever. They are supposed to break, to decompose, to be repurposed. While the looting and dislocation of these objects may have altered or destroyed their spiritual and cultural significance, their return ensures the restoration of foundational aspects of civilisational heritage.

The repatriation of these artefacts inevitably flows into discussions around reparative (or ‘restorative’) justice – or rather, the absence of it. While repatriation is certainly a significant act, communities in the global south are still reeling from over 400 years of extraction, exploitation and enslavement. The fight for reparative justice has been a decadeslong stru le but has gained little traction in Holyrood or Westminster. None of the four nations of the UK have formally apologised for slavery, nor provided reparations for the continued psychological, economic and social harm caused by colonialism. This is despite the fact that only in 2015 did Britain pay off the loan it borrowed to pay ‘reparations’ to former slave plantation owners – which was paid to them in 1833. Enslaved people, nor their descendants, have ever received reparations.

As the Commonwealth loses its significance and clout, and many former British colonies distance themselves from the UK (Barbados’s

decision in November 2021 to remove the British monarch as head of state signals a major shift), the argument for both repatriation and reparation is increasing in intensity. Scotland’s complex and violent historical relationship with many African and Caribbean countries (particularly with Jamaica) remains absent from popular and political knowledge. As the momentum for repatriation snowballs in Scotland, so must the momentum for reparative justice, to make amends for the harm inflicted on the nations in the global south.

As Scotland’s museums begin the process of repatriating stolen goods, the absence of discussions around reparative justice is glaringly obvious

“Communities in the global south are still reeling from over 400 years of extraction, exploitation and enslavement”

Portraits of Home

Matthew Arthur Williams’ revelatory exhibition Soon Come contemplates the meaning of home and how the labour of certain communities is rendered invisible

Words: Harvey Dimond

In the first gallery, a flat, square plinth sits at the centre of the space. Photographs show Williams’ grandfather’s bus service medals, rows of terraced houses and the chimneys that once served Stoke-on-Trent’s burgeoning ceramics industry. Williams curiously plays with scale, the photograph of a pin badge taking up as much space as that of the colossal, bottle-like chimneys. This experiment with scale is perhaps an attempt to question why histories of certain communities are made dominant, while others are rendered invisible. Histories of industry in places such as Stoke-on-Trent are often tied to whiteness, despite the fact that people of colour have been present in these spaces for centuries – and that the raw materials used in these industries came from other parts of the world, including the Caribbean. The exhibition contests the invisibilisation of the labour of people who came to Britain from elsewhere. This is the labour, yes, of the generation of people from the Caribbean who arrived in the UK as part of the ‘Windrush generation’ – but also of the prolonged histories of enslavement and indenture that built the financial, architectural and social fabric of Britain. These long histories intertwine post-industrial communities such as Stoke-on-Trent, Liverpool and Glasgow with communities in the Caribbean, and beyond.

Astriking black and white self-portrait of artist Matthew Arthur Williams greets you as you enter the first gallery space at Dundee Contemporary Arts. He looks directly at the camera, elbows balanced on his knees, arms gracefully crossed across his body – his right hand clutching the shutter release. This direct gaze, which bell hooks calls the ‘oppositional gaze’, both establishes the presence of the artist and invites the viewer to question the power that their own gaze holds. These self-portraits place Williams in succession, and in conversation, with queer artists using self-portraiture as an act of radical selfmaking and space-taking – including Ajamu X (who the artist has previously collaborated with), the late Rotimi Fani-Kayode and the visual activist Zanele Muholi.

Williams is a Glasgow-based visual and sound artist, DJ and photographer, and Soon Come is his first (and long overdue) solo exhibition in a major UK institution. The title Soon Come has many registers. It draws attention to the temporalities of the Caribbean, of differing attitudes towards presence and absence, arrival and departure. An attempt to become comfortable with the discomfort of the uncontrollable and the unknowable – influenced, perhaps, by the annual threat of the Atlantic hurricane season to the islands of the

Caribbean. Williams’ use of mostly analogue techniques draws attention to these wavering and warping temporalities. While precision in regard to the timing process of darkroom photography is fundamental, there is also a distinct slowness in comparison to the immediacy of digital techniques. Analogue processes also bare the influence of the artists’ hand and body, inscribing a physicality that is often absent from digital forms. Here, there is a clear refusal of forms of rapid making, with Williams highlighting the importance of a contemplative yet attentive process in making considered and critical work.

The central film and sound installation, installed across two opposing screens, fuse the sounds, landscapes and bodies of both Jamaica and Britain together. Images of landscapes left with the legacies of industry are overlaid with voices describing stories of migration and interconnectivity between these two islands. Next to the film installation, three vitrines are suspended from the ceiling, quiet and spectral. Containing a number of Williams’ photographic prints, they appear coffin-like, creating a duality with the image of a coffin-shaped hole in the ground, surrounded by polished shoes and formal attire.

Williams’ exhibition formulates a living, breathing archive, one invested in bodies and voices rather than written and institutional records. Indeed, many of the photographs displayed on the walls surrounding the installations are images from Williams’ personal photographic archive. As you leave the gallery, another of Williams’ self-portrait’s bids you farewell, a powerful invocation of an eternal ancestral presence –and perhaps an invitation to meet again soon.

Exhibition continues at Dundee Contemporary Arts until 26 Mar

“Williams’ exhibition formulates a living, breathing archive, one invested in bodies and voices rather than written and institutional records”

Print Shop!

This month we're teaming up with Sierra Metro to present a pop-up Print Shop featuring works by a selection of our favourite illustrators. All work on display is for sale - support your local independent artist / venue / arts publication.

Sierra Metro, 13-15 Ferry Road, Edinburgh Exhibition runs 25 Feb-9 Apr Open Tue-Sun 10am-2pm

Challenging Perceptions

Ahead of releasing their latest project Soft Like Steel, we catch up with 2021 Sound of Young Scotland winner LVRA to find out more Interview: Arusa Qureshi

The world that LVRA fashions through music is a glorious amalgamation of beauty and chaos. The latter is evident in the frenetic, club-ready maximalism of electronic, pop and industrial sounds that make up their sonic palette. But there is immense beauty and drama too, which lies in the artistry and aesthetics that illustrate the often otherworldly concepts within the music.

“I feel like I’m getting much closer to understanding who I am,” LVRA says, reflecting on the present. “But it’s like, how do I turn what I know I am now into the version of myself that I want to be?”

This question is one that permeates heavily in Soft Like Steel, LVRA’s new seven-track project, which is to be released via Eastern Margins, the London-based label platforming music from the margins of East and South-East Asia and its diaspora. It begins with the ominous Welcome and ends with a rebirth of sorts in Rising, the five tracks in between wrestling with the notion of selfhood, internal conflict and the natural progression of life. In the middle is lead single ‘anxiety’, a high-energy aural depiction of the recognisable feeling of the walls closing in, and of the inner voice that likes to sabotage. It’s a product of the mental gymnastics experienced alongside coming out of lockdown.

“I was feeling so much anxiety that I decided I needed to make a song out of this,” LVRA explains. “And I wanted the song to feel good when I performed on stage. I want to be able to scream those words and I want to almost mock myself, and mock this feeling and this little voice in my head for doing all these things to me that I don’t want.”

The EP on the whole is what LVRA describes

as a “collection of those moments”, with a narrative that is more broadly based around everyday stru les, from trying to figure out the correct next move to questioning whether the chosen path is the right one.

“Soft Like Steel is really about trying to challenge my perceptions,” LVRA says, “whether it be about my mental state and a stru le that I’m having with that or to do with how I feel about my body, or how I feel about bodies and beauty in general. It’s all just moments of me stru ling and trying to turn it into something that can be cathartic on stage.”

Since winning the inaugural Sound of Young Scotland Award in 2021, they’ve been working on refining their sound, experimenting with darker and more experimental textures, as well as visuals that match in terms of vibrancy. Soft Like Steel arrives alongside a three-part short film, shot by Oscar McNab, which opens with a William Blake quote: “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite.” What follows is a metaphorical and physical journey taken by a central character, with LVRA’s voice acting as the external dialogue.

“We wanted to create a physical story that represented that mental journey of overturning ideas,” they tell us. “The idea is when the protagonist walks through the door, they enter a new challenge, a new perception that they need to overcome.”

So in the ‘anxiety’ portion of the film, there’s a sense of claustrophobia, and overcoming that inner voice, while ‘venom’ features the protagonist literally peeling skin off, representing the removal of preconceptions about beauty and your body and how you should feel. It’s purposely visceral, which LVRA notes is exactly what they’re drawn to artistically. “I see a lot of beauty in things that maybe are stereotypically a bit disturbing; I have a curiosity for those things.

“I see visuals as just like another vessel you can use as a way of communicating those ideas,” they

continue. “My real passion lies in the world building aspect; I really wanted the EP to feel like it had its own world through the video. And that’s why we chose to do the short film as well as have the EP. It’s about having all the different elements of this world.”

The release of the project also brings with it two dates in London and Glasgow, which will mark LVRA’s first ever headline shows. There are inevitably nerves but LVRA is excited to add yet another element to this world that has been created. “I think it makes all of the ideas more believable, more visceral, it enhances all of the things that the visuals are trying to do. Because when you see it in the flesh, that’s probably the most sensory activity you’re going to get; when you’re hearing it and seeing it and touching it and feeling it and sweating and singing and dancing all at the same time.”

For the past few years, Chinese-Scottish artist and producer Rachel Lu has been on an upward trajectory under the moniker of LVRA, having succeeded in moulding a world that is uniquely theirs but at the same time, familiar in its interrogation of self and the multiplicity of certain experiences. Soft Like Steel is just the next step in their creative output but one that signifies a new era of comfort and confidence within. “We can do whatever we want really, and that can involve stru le, pain and suffering and sometimes it involves undergoing uncertainty.” LVRA says of the EP’s ultimate purpose, “I just want people to be more open to new things. The message is to not avoid the conflict, internally or externally, but to embrace it.”

Soft Like Steel is released on 22 Mar via Eastern Margins; LVRA plays Civic House, Glasgow, 31 Mar instagram.com/itslooroll lvra.bandcamp.com

“My real passion lies in world building aspect”

LVRA

“Soft Like Steel is really about trying to challenge my perceptions... moments of me stru ling and trying to turn it into something that can be cathartic on stage”

LVRA

“I see a lot of beauty in things that maybe are stereotypically a bit disturbing; I have a curiosity for those things”

LVRA

Sudan Archives

We chat with Cairo-born, Sudan-raised and Aberdeen-resident Leila Aboulela about her latest novel River Spirit, and the importance of re-examining the histories we are handed

Interview: Josephine Jay

In 2018, Leila Aboulela arrived at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Centre in Italy with plans to write a novel exploring Khartoum’s rebuilding following the 1898 British conquest of Sudan. What emerged was a different book altogether. River Spirit draws on the Cairo-born, Sudan-raised and now-Aberdeen-resident’s own experience living across three countries, carving important lines into the face of contemporary fiction with explorations of migration and identity. Weaving together overlapping voices to paint a portrait of a city and its people caught in the middle of imperialist power stru le, seven men and women – whose lives link in unexpected ways – join together to frame Aboulela’s narrative. The brunt of the action follows Zamzam from her girlhood in 1877 on the banks of Nile throughout her years of capture, bondage and love during the Mahdist period leading up to the first British flag raised over Khartoum in 1898.

“I used to be very secretive about my work,” Aboulela explains, looking back on her decadeslong writing career. “[The residency] was the first time I had to speak about my writing. And it was good – someone challenged me. She asked: ‘Where are the women? You need to find them, you need to make the effort.’ The reason you had all of these men crowding [the book] was because that is what you see when you open the history books. You have to go against that, you have to say well, no, my book is going to be different.”

Sudan’s Mahdist period is a cornerstone of such history books, and initially Aboulela was reluctant to delve into it. “There was too much war, too much action. I did not want to write a book about war,” she explains. Yet through writing, she discovered a desire to bring attention to the voices of women during the period, crafting her characters from the margins of history. Her inspiration for Zamzam was plucked from a bill of sale and details of a petition of an escaped enslaved girl returning to her former master. “I thought it was interesting,” Aboulela says, “this idea of someone going back to someone she had been with before

– why would she do that? And that sort of got my imagination going. With imagination you can give these women voices.”

Forays into intricacies of power lace through Aboulela’s writing. The character of Robert, an engineer and artist based on Scottish painter David Roberts, explores dynamics between sitter and artist, local and expat, man and woman, functioning as a conduit for the descriptions of a city in flux. As an artist, he buys Zamzam, entranced with the idea of capturing her beauty to relay back to Scotland. “I wrote a lot at the beginning about people coming to Britain and finding the weather weird. Then I realised I could do the opposite, I could explore this stranger having a response to a city. It works well with fiction because it feels natural to explain something from an outside point of view; why would someone in that culture describe that culture?

“I could see the situation from his point of view,” Aboulela adds. “I felt I understood his ambition, what he wanted to do. There have been a lot of studies on these men, these Orientalists and how they got access to [the women they portrayed] in the midst of conservative societies. The women in the paintings had to be either slaves or prostitutes. The way they are portrayed is like a harem, like typical middle-class families when really they are women from the margins. We have to think about this and look at these paintings from a different perspective.”

Pondering the idea that portraiture is always a form of possession, Aboulela considers, “I don’t think people will ever like how you portray them. It is always very different from how they see themselves – there is always a reduction that takes place, people become a type, a reduced thing. I never write about a specific person – they are compounds of different characters.”

Yet for all her caution about capturing people, River Spirit is – like the rest of

Aboulela’s oeuvre – flush with stunning, complex portraits of people. For Aboulela, her favourite character Yaseen, the merchant, speaks the most to her process. “I have had feedback that I write better about women than I do men, but I actually enjoyed writing men. I remember when I was a child there was a school janitor who was very kind to me. He was always nice to talk to – I was one of the very few Sudanese children at my school and I liked to speak to him in Arabic. I think he then became the basis of the character of Yaseen. While I was writing, I was completely unaware… You never really write with the intent of an audience. The only people I write for are people who read what I read, I imagine a room full of people who already know as much as I do. I suppose it can still be read by anybody.”

River Spirit is out on 7 Mar with Saqi Books

“I don’t think people will ever like how you portray them. It is always very different from how they see themselves - there is always a reduction that takes place”

Leila Aboulela

It’s A Good Life

Fast becoming a hub for Glasgow’s grassroots music and culture, we catch up with Southside-based community radio station Radio Buena Vida as they settle into their new studio and café on Victoria Road

Interview: Heléna Stanton

The Spanish phrase ‘buena vida’ directly translates to ‘good life’ – that’s what partners David Fleming and Suz O’Neill are trying to achieve. In October 2020, the pair decided to follow their dreams and set up an online radio station, intending to create their own ‘good life’ far away from mundane corporate jobs. Two and a half years have passed since Radio Buena Vida’s (RBV) first broadcast. Ambitiously, the station now hosts over 160 residents, with a multitude of genres across its DJs and selectors. What was once a holiday dream for David and Suz is a full-time job, bringing community radio not only to Scotland, but broadcasting to the world.

David, also known by his appropriate DJ alias Speedy RBV, has worked in music for over 20 years, always with a passion for Scotland’s scene. Suz, who’s never worked in music before, has been an avid gig attender and music connoisseur. Together whilst on holiday in Spain, admiring the culture surrounding late-night cafés and live music, they loosely formulated the idea for RBV. The pair came together sharing passions for what they both love; music and the ability to enjoy it in the small intimate café spaces often found in Continental Europe. Suz, with her extensive knowledge in hospitality, floated the idea of “how good” it would be to have a radio station and café in Scotland, “somewhere where you could get a cup of tea and a glass of wine whilst listening to music”. With David’s prior experience in music, it was evident to the couple how they could both use their strengths to realise their dreams.

as selectors, not just DJs,” David states. “One of the most rewarding aspects of the job is seeing someone come in and be a little nervous, then a few months later they’re confident, thinking about promoting and playing in clubs. It’s fulfilling.” Ultimately RBV is not just for those who are skilled in DJing, it offers a platform providing education for everyone who has a keen interest in music. Suz and David stress “it doesn’t matter if you’re into folk or club music – you produce radio content over at RBV, selectors are made here not just DJs”.

For Suz and David, having the opportunity to see relationships between other artists connect and flourish organically is one of the most rewarding aspects of the station. Suz retells a meeting between T-Kidd, one of the station’s volunteers, and Liam Shortall. “They were both chatting and crossed paths, as one was performing and the other volunteering. T-Kidd is a rapper whilst Liam produces pseudo-jazz in the band corto.alto. The ten-minute conversation turned into a collaboration, T-Kidd rapped on one of corto.alto's tracks. It was amazing to witness this connection in person.”

Over the past two years, RBV has moved twice on Victoria Road in the Southside of Glasgow. However, their new home is much more suited to Suz and David’s vision. Whilst being a fully functioning café, RBV prioritises making the space as accessible as possible. From a large open bathroom to a custom mixing desk with changeable heights, David and Suz want to ensure that the space can be used by everyone – the community is really at the forefront of RBV.

In terms of the future of RBV, Suz and David are keen to get back into hosting club events, allowing residents to showcase their talents. In collaboration with the Glasgow Film Festival, RBV will be presenting a night of Acid Tunes on 11 March. Running ‘til the early hours at Nice and Sleazy’s, this will act as a fundraiser for the station; the line-up is TBC. A second night on 9 March is being curated by Suz and David, which emphasises the sound of punk in Scotland.

change. However, in the future they'd “love the chance to pay volunteers or even bring someone on to help curate the running of the programme better; this is, however, in the future”. A Patreon has been set up for the station, with different tiers offering some perks relating to the station. “The Patreon is for anyone who likes what the station is doing and is in a position to support our continued work,” David says. “The residents and volunteers make Radio Buena Vida, not me and Suz, without them we’d never have gotten past lockdown to where we are today”.

Support Radio Buena Vida’s online Patreon at patreon.com/radiobuenavida

RBV offers up something unique to Scotland’s music scene, a chance for flourishing artists to learn, grow, and test new tracks before they’re necessarily ready for the club. “The cafe and studio are a place where people can develop

Radio Buena Vida is an organisation which truly is grassroots. Suz and David have relied on the kindness of strangers to help build their new studio – “folk who share a common goal with the station, a platform for the community”. The station is an independent and volunteer-run not-for-profit, something which Suz and David never intend to

Listen live at buenavida.co.uk, and listen to the station archive at soundcloud.com/radiobuenavida

Band: The Music Show, 9 Mar, Nice N Sleazy; I Am Weekender’s Acid House Night, 11 Mar, Nice N Sleazy (both part of Glasgow Film Festival)

“The residents and volunteers make Radio Buena Vida, not me and Suz”

David Fleming, RBV

Vernacular Opera

Scottish Opera’s upcoming production of Puccini’s Il Trittico situates the opera in a Scottish vernacular

Words: Kiera Wilson

In its 60th year, Scottish Opera has elected to tackle heaven, hell, and Glasgow. Tapping some of opera’s greats, including director Sir David McVicar, the company has taken on Puccini’s rarely-performed Il Trittico, a triptych of opera one-acts. This Dantean production – both in scope and in genesis – is rarely programmed in its totality, in part due to its length (the full show clocks in at nearly four hours, including two intermissions), but also because of the immensity of the show itself. At times, Il Trittico has a downright satirical tone, with crushingly real characters who seek to understand (and misunderstand) each other, but who allow their pride to get in the way. Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, the three one-acts that comprise the triptych, are intimate and at times claustrophobic portraits of the human reaction to and anticipation of death.

“There’s something so great about doing pieces like this in a space like the Theatre Royal,” says set designer Charles Edwards. “It brings such intimacy... but claustrophobia, this feeling of being stuck, came into the way I designed all three.”

That intimacy will be felt by Scottish audiences not only through the performances, but in the setting. General Director Alex Reedijk delights in how the creative team “came up with a response to the three pieces that landed them in a kind of Scottish vernacular... They’ve referenced the Glasgow tenements; they’ve referenced different eras.”

Edwards explains that he wanted his designs not to imitate Glasgow, but to evoke it. “It’s an

atmosphere… there’s [a need] to think about places other than Florence, or Tuscany.”

In some ways, Il Trittico’s original settings of Paris, Siena, and Florence align closely with Glasgow. Both Glasgow and Paris are cities built around a canal system, created as a mercantile hub. Edwards wanted to explore the “somewhat inhuman machine for workmen and working women” that a growing industrial city can become.

The correlations are not solely aesthetic. Parts of Il Tabarro, Edwards feels, sound almost like a workers’ rights declaration. “Nowadays, with our cost of living crisis and half the country on strike, there’s an element of that that feels really true.”

For costume designer Hannah Clark, the relatability of these characters was undeniable as well: “The people that we find in these pieces could be from Glasgow. They’re everyday people,” she says. “The brilliant thing about these pieces in particular is that they are so human.”

Human, indeed, but a massive undertaking nonetheless. With three distinct but interrelated operas, the question of how to build cohesion looms large. Their approach, says Clark, was highly influenced not only by Glaswegian aesthetics, but also time. “There’s this... 20th century progression.” The pieces are set in the 1930s, 1940s, and late 1960s, respectively. “Stylistically they do look different, and I think that’s important as an evening. I think it would be a bit exhausting if you really stuck with the same aesthetic all evening. But they certainly do speak to each other.”

Edwards, Reedijk, and Clark all seem to agree: there is no better time than right now for this fresh new approach to Il Trittico. “It’s a joyful, big piece of art,” says Clark. Edwards describes it as “a rollercoaster of an event,” a timely piece that is “bordering on extravagant.” After years of deprivation, it’s hard to think of an audience that isn’t craving extravagance and joy.

“As an audience, you go on this really intense emotional journey that does finally give you not just a sense of hope, but a sense of relief,” says Reedijk. “Part of our role as a company is to send people away... a little hopeful.”

It’s hard to think of something a contemporary audience may be seeking more than hope and relief. It would appear that a little (or a lot) of Puccini is just what the doctor ordered.

“The brilliant thing about these pieces in particular is that they are so human”

Hannah Clark, Scottish Opera

Lucky (& Radical) in Love

There’s something truly powerful about female friendships – the intimacy, the joy, the romance. 404 Ink’s BFFs by our very own Anahit Behrooz explores all this and more. We get an exclusive first read here

Words: Anahit Behrooz

Illustration: Ione Rail

Ihave always been unlucky in romance, and lucky in friendship. I almost wrote ‘unlucky in love’, but this is not true; yet the instinct exists – to pour all our experience of love into one particular vessel. The friendships in my life have been vast and structuring, framing all the important and unimportant moments in my life. There have been friends at parties and as neighbours and in hospitals and running errands and holding my hand, screaming off the edge of a sharp cliff. I don’t really think of them as family, because this implies that family is the only way to practise such strong bonds of care. They are just, in every way, crucial to my life: to the everyday and the grand future and everything in between.

Yet as I have aged and as these backups have passed through the charm of youthful friendship, their security in my life has become increasingly fraught. We have a tendency in our society to assign female friendships to childhood, and once we are past that point, there exist very few public structures in which to contain or mediate them. As critical theorist Lauren Berlant explains:

They are also something that I wanted very badly, even in the extreme shyness of my childhood. There was probably an element of idealism in that desire – I grew up on the boarding school novels of British children’s literature, and I just desperately wanted to belong. But I think I understood, even in that distracted childhood state where everything is taken at face value, that there was something vital in expanding where we find intimacy and community. There is, here, a line from the Hugh Grant comedy

About A Boy that I return to often. In it, a small Nicholas Hoult looks around at his tiny traditional family, his mentally unwell mother and his complete lack of support systems and has a revelation. “That’s when I realised: two people isn’t enough,” he says. “You’ve got to have backup. If there are only two people, and one of you drops off the edge, you’re on your own.” There were, granted, more than two of us in my very loving family, but there still existed an always looming potential for isolation – we were a small, first-generation family, had very few relatives nearby, and no community beyond ourselves. I understood this need for backup, the security it represented but also the richness; bright new threads pulled through an existing tapestry.

“Desires for intimacy that bypass the couple or the life narrative it generates have no alternative plots, let alone few laws and stable spaces of culture in which to clarify and to cultivate them. What happens to the energy of attachment when it has no designated space? To the glances, gestures, encounters, collaborations, or fantasies that have no canon?”

Love and attachment need somewhere to go, people to be poured into, a home to spread out and thrive. I think of Fleabag, heartbroken after her mother’s funeral.

“I don’t know what to do with it,” she sobs. “With all the love I have for her. I don’t know where to put it now.”

“I’ll take it,” her best friend tells her.

We need a wealth of people to absorb the sheer depths of our desires, and fixed spaces of culture to understand these intimacies. When these spaces are limited to only one kind of narrative, the people who live their lives according to other intimacies can become, as Berlant argues, “unimaginable, even often to themselves.”

Female intimacy has always been bound up in the patriarchy, and in particular the heteronormative, monogamous structures of relation that have kept the patriarchy afloat, tying women’s interior and intimate lives to the entrenchment of male

“Love and attachment need somewhere to go”

social, financial, and legal power. The horrifying chattel roots of marriage, in which women were passed between families to solidify political and economic contracts, are well known; yet marriage and the nuclear family – even in our ostensible golden age of modernity where women can keep their surnames and governments can still force them into childbirth and domesticity – continue to act in the service of maintaining patriarchal and capitalist forms of power. There is, even to my own ears, something cynical about this claim, but this is perhaps the point: the careful rehabilitation of marriage and the nuclear family in the past century has worked hard to obfuscate their continued use as tools of power.

As Tom Rasmussen explains in First Comes Love: On Marriage and Other Ways of Being Together, “[m]arriage remains a tool of the state: a way of keeping society in recognisable shape.” Marriage, monogamy, and the nuclear family, Rasmussen argues, have become, at least in Western society, an abdication of responsibility on the part of the government to care for its citizens; an extension in many ways of the slow decay of the welfare state; “a system that demands we prioritise one another so that the state doesn’t have to prioritise us.” The stress placed on marriage and the nuclear family, from the dominance of heterosexual stories on screen to the absence of safe and diverse sex education, is largely a means of ensuring free childcare, healthcare, and elder care from individuals in society, typically women. Romantic relationships should not necessarily rely on doing away with other forms of intimacy but, in a society where women continue to be seen as potential sources of free and unlimited domestic labour, they do. Keeping female intimacy tied to these structures is profoundly necessary for the maintenance of the patriarchal capitalist state and, by the same stroke, liberating it is profoundly radical.

How can we have a more expansive understanding of female intimacy and interiority – our capacities for community and desire and disappointment and attachment – if we resist the patriarchal modes of relation through which these have always been mediated? What kind of connections and systems of care might be allowed to thrive? How can we represent our

interior lives with the depth and complexity they contain, and in doing so, see ourselves anew?

I think of Berlant, about what can be made imaginable, when my two best friends and I pass amongst each other, like furtive digital contraband, a viral AITA (Am I the Asshole?) Reddit post about three friends who live on neighbouring farms, with dogs and goats and chickens running between their enclosures. In this post, one of the women frets about her other friends’ outraged responses when she prioritises the ones she lives with. “If she’s expected to put her husband first before her friends,” she asks, “then what’s wrong with me saying I need to put my friends who I essentially live with and share most of my life with?” Underlying her frustration is a crucial point about the types of relationships we are allowed to centralise; within it is also a glimpse of something now imaginable that my friends and I whisper to each other whenever we are sad, lonely, tired, or miss each other. “Just think of the chickens,” we tell each other, a strange shibboleth of our yearning for attachment and togetherness. “One day that’ll be us.” It likely won’t be, but there is a language of precedence now for the entanglement of our lives.

BFFs is available from 404 Ink in March Find two film seasons on female friendship curated by Anahit Behrooz at Glasgow Film Theatre (30 Mar-6 Apr) and the Cameo (17 Mar-5 Apr)

“Romantic relationships should not necessarily rely on doing away with other forms of intimacy”

Collective Duty

Words: Tomiwa Folorunso

On Sunday 3 May 2015, Sheku Bayoh was declared dead. Barely a couple of hours before, on a street in Kirkcaldy, there had been an incident between Sheku and Police Scotland officers.

It is likely that over the past seven years and nine months you have seen Sheku’s face. In the photograph that’s most often used, there are some festive lights glinting in the background as Sheku, wearing a black t-shirt, takes up most of the frame, sitting arms crossed at a restaurant table. The flash of the camera sparkles in his eyes as he looks directly into the lens, the teeth of a shy smile just visible.

It seems incomprehensible that this smiling man could be the same person described as six-foot-tall with a nine-inch blade that officers were called out to; Sheku was actually five-feetten-inches, weighing just over twelve stone, and the blade was five to six inches. When police arrived at 7:20am in response to calls from members of the public, he was no longer holding it. Then, within minutes, Sheku was on the ground, at one point restrained by six police officers. After being restrained for four minutes and 23 seconds, Sheku stopped breathing. At 7.33am an ambulance arrived and took him to hospital. At 9.04am Sheku was declared dead, and it took around six hours for anyone to tell his family. His sister Kadi Johnson found out at 3pm that afternoon.

This was one of the first moments of interaction between Sheku’s family and the police that led them to begin what is likely to be a decadelong fight for justice. No officer has ever been disciplined because of Sheku Bayoh’s death. No criminal charge has ever been brought.

In 2018, a BBC Disclosure documentary was broadcast which used evidence from the case to bring revelations to light. In November 2019, Humza Yousaf MSP, then Scottish Justice Secretary, announced a public inquiry would be held into the death of Shaku Bayoh. Part of the inquiry’s remit is to determine whether race was a factor in Sheku’s death.

In the summer of 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer and in Glasgow and Edinburgh, thousands took to the streets, collecting in parks chanting ‘Black Lives Matter!’, Sheku Bayoh’s name and image on placards. It was a tragic moment of hope: yes, Sheku and his story were present on the lips of communities across the country but it had taken over five years.

Finally, in May 2022, seven years after Sheku’s death, the hearings for the public inquiry began. But what’s been pointed out by Kadi, and many others close to the family and the inquiry, is the lack of support.

Courtney Stoddart is a poet and performer, who has been consistently vocal in bringing attention to Sheku’s death. She also performed in Lament for Sheku Bayoh, an artistic response to Sheku’s death, written and directed by Hannah Lavery, and first performed as a rehearsed reading in 2019. “It’s disturbing when you think about the massive turnout for George Floyd’s death across Scotland, yet we can barely muster a hundred people to show up for Sheku,’’ she tells me. Why do we so easily offer support and condolences to traumatic events happening thousands of miles away but seem unable to extend this same compassion to a similar case in our home communities?

The Scottish TUC has been very active and supportive of Sheku’s family, along with other grassroots and local community organisations but, overall, there hasn’t been a strong public presence

at the inquiry. “I think it’s reflective of where society and culture are currently,” Stoddart says. “We are inundated with distractions and unless something directly affects us, we often look the other way simply because we can.”

It has also been difficult to rectify the damage of early media coverage and reporting of Sheku’s death. “Much of the coverage around Sheku was limited at best, defamatory, untruthful, and racist at worst,” says Stoddart. “It’s been hard to pull that back in a way that demystifies the deeper-rooted issues surrounding Sheku’s death.”

In times of crisis it is vital that we foster and find collective hope and solidarity in community. And it is possible: the summer of 2020 proved people were willing, but then they ran out of steam. “It’s our duty to hold those in powerful positions to account for wrongdoing,” says Stoddart. It’s a duty we all must take on.

“Sheku’s death highlights so many broader issues, not only racism but insidious corruption at the very heart of Police Scotland. These are issues which affect us all,” Stoddart says. “What kind of country do we want to live in? What do we want to create and cultivate in our world for the generations yet to come? Surely it’s not a culture that stands idly by while people lose their lives at the hands of the state?”

Such questions are key as we look towards building further solidarity in the weeks to come. The inquiry resumed on Tuesday 28 February.

Details about how to attend the inquiry can be found at shekubayohinquiry.scot/ or follow @BayohJustice on Twitter for updates. For more information on the case, listen to Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry, a new podcast from The Ferret

As the public inquiry into Sheku Bayoh’s death resumes, we reflect on solidarity, coming together, and holding those in power accountable

“It was a tragic moment of hope: yes, Sheku and his story were present on the lips of communities across the country but it had taken over five years”

“It’s our duty to hold those in powerful positions to account for wrongdoing”

Courtney Stoddart

A 21st-Century Power Station

Civic House, former printing press for Glasgow’s political movements built in the 1920s, has been shortlisted for a prestigious AJ Retrofit Award after a radical transformation by its community interest company Agile City in collaboration with Collective

Interview: Stacey Hunter

At over 100 years old, Civic House is a pioneering example of how design can improve Scotland’s existing building stock to support a low-carbon, climate-ready future. In 2023, factories that once symbolised industrial growth can now support new green industries, and act as the micro-power stations of the future…

Now a co-working space, venue and canteen, the building is shortlisted for an AJ Retrofit Award in the category of ‘Workplace’ which recognises and celebrates the design expertise behind the renewal and repurposing of existing buildings, setting a precedent for ways to significantly cut the architecture industry’s carbon footprint. The building is now ‘energy positive’ meaning it has the ability to generate more energy than it consumes. Civic House provides work and event space for architecture, design, making, food, film and music. A co-working and studio space presents events and exhibits while the newly launched Parveen’s, a Pakistani-inspired canteen run by sisters Fariya and Sahar Sharif, offers a bustling lunch service four days a week and regular supper clubs in the evenings. The venue and project space can be hired out for events, workshops, conferences and

festivals like the Glasgow Short Film Festival, Counterflows, Architecture Fringe as well as gigs, performances and talks.

Agile City’s director Rob Morrison explains: “With recent global political and economic events, the need for more localised energy generation and networks is an issue that needs to be tackled from the scale of the personal to that of the building and the city. Having local energy means organisations can become more resilient to global forces; it allows us to invest in our facilities to support the work of our community working across architecture, design, food, music, film and social enterprise.”

Collective Architecture were commissioned by Agile City to undertake the refurbishment and thermal upgrade of the North Glasgow building. The core principle of the project was to create a leading example that demonstrated carbon reduction innovation as Scotland’s first retrofit ‘PassivWareHaus’.

“Glasgow has demolished large numbers of industrial buildings over the past 50 years. It is estimated that approximately 75% of the UK’s existing building stock will still be in use in 2050. If we want to help mitigate the effects of climate change, we need to drastically improve the efficiency of our existing buildings. Civic House is a compelling case-study for the repurposing of a post-industrial building, contributing towards an energy-efficient, low-carbon and climate-ready future, and improving our knowledge of how to upgrade the existing building stock.” says Collective Architecture’s Emily Koh.

After an extensive energy analysis and feasibility study the designers agreed on a stepby-step approach and Collective Architecture worked collaboratively with Agile City from the outset to find cost effective ways of retrofitting the building to high levels of performance. Keen to make the building an exemplar, the Civic House team were very hands-on and a key part of pushing the potential for the building to be retrofitted to the highest standards.

Using the EnerPHit model, the goal was to create a standard for an economically and ecologically optimal energy retrofit, for old buildings that cannot achieve Passive House Standard easily. In 2019 a design process was used to develop a Passivhaus Retrofit strategy. Passivhaus is a design process that uses some key principles to reduce energy demand for keeping buildings heated efficiently. It is founded on 5 principles: 1. high level of insulation, 2. airtightness, 3. no thermal bridges, 4. high-quality windows and doors, 5. ventilation (MVHR).

Since completion, Civic House has been able to reduce energy demand for heating by over 80%. The building is based in Speirs Locks, North Glasgow, an area that has been dramatically affected by the loss of industry and the construction of the M8 motorway in the 1960s. The Agile City team have worked in the area since 2011,

developing projects that respond to this context by considering sustainable approaches to re-purposing industrial buildings and addressing issues of vacant space through activation, testing and learning. The building has been designed around a communal kitchen which is ‘the heart of the house’ and is open daily to build connections with people working in the building and in the local area; one of Scotland’s unique cultural districts and home to institutions and places of cultural production, from The Glasgow School of Art and the Royal Conservatoire to the Glue Factory and Glasgow Sculpture Studios.

“The outcome of this work is allowing us to invest in facilities and projects that support the regeneration of our local area. In essence, some of the factories that once supported industrial growth can now support new green industries and knowledge exchange; creating ‘micro-power-stations’ of energy and ideas for the future” says Morrison.

With changes to global industry and manufacturing there is an increasing number of postindustrial buildings that are underutilised across the UK. Change needs to be rooted in context and respond to local skills, demands and assets. Civic House is a product of this ethos and hopes to inspire organisations and communities to take on their own retrofit projects by sharing knowledge through events, talks, articles, and future research publications. At over 100 years old, it is an inspiring prototype of how to retrofit post-industrial buildings to become energy positive and support a low-carbon, climate-ready future.

More infor at agile-city.com @civichouse_ @agilecity_ @collectivearchitecture @parveens_canteen @localheroesdesign

Album of the Month

Yves Tumor — Praise a Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)

Released 17 March

Travel back to 2016 and hear the confounding experimental music Yves Tumor put out with the PAN label and there seems to be no precursor to the bombastic rock star they’ve become. Delivering Safe in the Hands of Love for their Warp debut, it was the kind of fervently original music you’d expect from a bastion of forward-thinking electronic music, even if “electronic music” already seemed far too confined a signifier. Two years later on Heaven to a Tortured Mind, any expectation of the kind of music they “should” make was left smoking in a crater – is this carnal, sexy glam rock? What next?

But it’s clear now that expectation is not something Yves Tumor really cares about. Evolve and reinvent their wheel again? No, something more complex: they dig deeper into the phosphorescent persona they established to subvert the excesses of the white, heterosexual forebears of the “rock” genre, working within its confines to deconstruct it, all while resplendent with an album title that will cause havoc for every music writer’s word count.

Praise a Lord… is Yves Tumor’s most palatable music to date, and for those that have

enjoyed the hurricane horror of their production previously, the clean lines here will feel a little too neat. But with a new sense of clarity in sound comes a conceptual rigour: What if Blackness and queerness didn’t preclude a superstar from being on the posters pinned to every kid’s bedroom wall through the decades? From opener God Is a Circle, Yves Tumor draws a line from their own past in chaotic experimental sounds through rock’s signifiers, channeling it through their own vision and identity. It’s something they’ve honed in raucous live performances since lockdown ended, undeterred by camp or uncoolness – actually, both are integral to the success of this journey.

It helps that they’re so good at it. The songs here are awash with hooks and memorable riffs and, even if the production doesn’t feel as refreshing, it still packs a punch. The centrepiece of the record, Parody, drives home their point: ‘A parody of a pop star, you behaved like a monster / Is this all just makeup? What makes you feel so important? Can you spell it out for us?’ In fact, none of it is a pose. And in so being, Yves Tumor attempts to rewrite the history of the gods we idolise. [Tony

Albums

Deerhoof Miracle-Level Joyful Noise, 31 Mar rrrrr

Listen to: Momentary Art of Soul!, My Lovely Cat!, Sit Down, Let Me Tell You a Story.

Throughout their 28 years as a band, part of Deerhoof’s singular joy is their constant sense of wanting to reshape themselves as much as they can, whilst so rarely changing their lineup. It’s a shockingly linear progression this time. On MiracleLevel they maintain most of Actually, You Can’s palette of more traditionally rock sounds collaged and distorted by their playing until they’re essentially unrecognisable. It’s exciting, but at times you can’t help but miss the fun of guessing quite how they’ve managed to make the bass sound like custard oozing through a sock.

Their experimentation lies more structurally than sonically here. Take opener Sit Down, Let Me Tell You a Story. and its ever changing rhythm. It works brilliantly well, and the record as a whole fizzes with this energy of constant transformation, never settling for long, instead it feels like being pulled about by a giddy dog in a butchers. It also means that when they do lock into an extended groove it’s all the more impactful, be it the slinky The Little Maker, or the fractious firestorm that emerges in the middle of Momentary Art of Soul! [Joe Creely]

Kate NV WOW RVNG Intl., 3 Mar rrrrr

Listen to: confessions at the dinner table, d d don’t, meow chat

It’s hard to imagine a better title for Kate Shilonosova’s latest album than WOW. The Russian songwriter, best known as Kate NV, has always approached music with a childlike curiosity; her compositions wavering between a genuine post-internet pop and the iconoclastic product of outsider art.

Created using the Found Sound Nation’s Broken Orchestra sample pack (a catalogue of over one thousand dilapidated instruments sourced from Philadelphia public schools), WOW is a veritable magpie’s nest of xylophones, guiros, subtly daubed electronics and the amplified hiss of boiling water. Some tracks, such as d d don’t and confessions at the dinner table sound like they were recorded at an amusement park, their cartoonish bursts of noise the perfect soundtrack to a children’s party gone horribly wrong. Elsewhere, the featherweight electronica of songs like asleep and meow chat induces a Pavlovian longing for 16-bit video games and their promise of adventure.

Daft as it sounds, there’s an edge to this music that ensures it’s never merely wacky. Reminiscent of artists like Nobukazu Takemura, Alvin Curran, and James Ferraro, WOW blurs the line between intentional and incidental noise to celebrate the sonic richness of everyday life and the ability of sound to tri er memories. [Patrick

Lichen Slow Rest Lurks Rock Action, 10 Mar rrrrr

Listen to: Hobbies, Garden Gate

Creativity is not a solo pursuit; artists are always reinterpreting what’s come before in one form or another. But when creative paths come together, like they have in Arab Strap’s Malcolm Middleton and Joel Harries’ new project Lichen Slow, that space in between tends to offer something really interesting. Rest Lurks takes lead from the pair’s experienced musical backgrounds. Middleton peppers synonymously tongue-in-cheek humour across the album while Harries graces it with airy soundscapes à la his stripped back solo material. Star track Hobbies poignantly blends these styles together. Middleton’s melancholically sparse verses draw you near before Harries lifts the lid on the darkness with contrastingly celestial vocals, tackling stru les with mental health and depression in the process. Imposter Syndrome continues with lyrically topical themes alongside ja ed, distorted guitars. Pick Over the Bones is imbued with a sense of anxiety through frantic drum patterns, while Garden Gate closes the album with a teary, blissful ambience. Connecting all of the dots between the 12 tracks however is the sense of openly creative expression that Middleton and Harries have evidently embraced in their new project. Lichen Slow is the space between Middleton and Harries’ creative paths and their debut is rich in colour and character. [Jamie Wilde]

Msaki x Tubatsi Synthetic Hearts Nø Førmat!, 10 Mar rrrrr

Listen to: Madonna, Zibonakalise, Khanya

A warmth burns solidly throughout Synthetic Hearts, the collaborative debut from Msaki x Tubatsi. Formed of South African musicians Msaki, and Tubatsi Mpho Moloi, both bring influences from their distinct solo work – drawing from styles as disparate as folk and pop as well as South Africa’s mbaqanga and amapiano house. On the record, they are joined by French cellist Clément Petit, whose distinctive plucked cello evokes a unique playfulness.

Space is deeply considered throughout, with each instrument highlighted through minimalistic arrangements, while the vocals of Msaki and Tubatsi – harmonising, rhythmic and chanting in turn – are given space to breathe and flourish. The interplay between distance, connection and isolation carry through in both lyricism and arrangement. ‘I give you my word that I’ll hold the space / I’ll always be closer away’, Tubatsi sings on Madonna, harmonised by Msaki. Midway, track Khanya uses rhythm to mimic heartbeat, a constant pull under the warmth of plucked cello and harmonised layered vocals erasing the distance between listener and song.

Elsewhere, Winter In July builds a lush atmospheric haven punctuated with birdsong and twinkling instrumentation. Starkly beautiful and haunting in turn, Synthetic Hearts reveals itself in new ways on each listen. [Anita

LIES

Lies

Big Scary Monsters, 31 Mar rrrrr

Listen to: Resurrection, Broken, Camera Chimera

At this stage, the Kinsella family is so synonymous with the “emo” genre that they have a signature style of guitar playing named after them. Mike (and his brother Tim), as well as cousin Nate have been legendary figures in the scene for over 30 years, thanks to their work in Cap’n Jazz, Joan of Arc and, amazingly, the crossover-appeal of the recently reformed American Football. However, it is oft-forgotten how experimental and jazz-influnced some of their impressive ouevre is.

LIES is the latest project from Mike and Nate, born out of isolation from COVID as an off-shoot from American Football, and serves as a more synth-driven amalgamation of their established style. Long-time fans need not be disappointed, it is still chock full of the earnest lyricism Mike is known for, but LIES takes on a more brooding approach. Blemishes sets the scene perfectly, opening on vocal loops for the two cousins to layer over in textbook gorgeous fashion, yet it is in the run of Resurrection, Broken and Camera Chimera that the album really hits its stride. While far from their most iconic work, Lies is a promising debut from these emo veterans. [Adam Turner-Heffer]

In English, YIAN translates as ‘swallow’. It’s a fitting metaphor for an album that majestically soars to blissful plateaus, but the inspiration behind the title of Lucinda Chua’s debut comes from the name her parents gave her to preserve a link to her Chinese heritage.

Fever Ray Radical Romantics

Rabid Records, 10 Mar rrrrr

Listen to: Shiver, Tapping Fingers, Carbon Dioxide

Radical Romantics is an examination of love in all its multifarious machinations, but in the typically twisted way you’d expect from Fever Ray, so don’t expect any saccharine ballads. It also features the first collaboration between Karin Dreijer and brother Olaf (he co-produced the first four songs) since the disbandment of The Knife in 2014. Other producers and collaborators appear throughout the album, which makes for a decent amount of variety, though there are some tonal shifts that feel a little jarring.

Those first four songs are your “normal” Fever Ray: bloopy electronics, big drums that either pound or stutter and Dreijer’s vocals that manage to be both sweet and creepy. Lead single Carbon Dioxide arrives out of nowhere in the album’s back half with a recognisable beat and disco strings, a catchy song that demands movement, almost erupting into a eurodisco rave by its end. Just as quickly, North slows things down for the most contemplative song Fever Ray has ever made, while closer, Bottom of the Ocean is seven minutes of ‘ohs’ with some droning synths. The album may not be more than the sum of its parts, but thankfully those parts are packed full of enough weird and wonderful sounds. [Lewis Wade]

In a turn towards the bells and whistles of the dancefloor, Dutch Uncles have landed on an album that’s undoubtedly their most boppy yet. True Entertainment is considerably more galvanised than previous outings, with a bit of space still left to experiment with metre.

4AD, 24 Mar rrrrr

Listen to: I Promise, Echo

Using just her voice, piano and cello, the London-based composer has crafted an album of enchanting pop songs that grapple with difficult questions of culture, identity, and illusive memory. From opener Golden, written from the perspective of Chua’s younger self, and her experience of being a South London teenager with Malaysian and Chinese roots, to Echo, a piano driven ballad about living with the inherited trauma of her ancestors, these songs ache with a specific form of longing.

Bathed in a heavenly glow, it’s easy to let these songs wash over you, but Chua’s soothing vocals invite us to lean in and listen more closely. Something Other Than Years ends the album on a note both melancholic and tender: ‘Show me how to live this life’ she pleads, as the spotlight slowly fades; her voice echoing and forlorn through a delicate fug of strings. The track, like the rest of the album, weighs heavy with emotions. [Patrick Gamble]

Dutch Uncles True Entertainment Memphis Industries, 10 Mar rrrrr

Listen to: True Entertainment, Tropigala (2 to 5)

Duncan Wallis is pushing his vocals further than they’ve gone before, resulting in a lot of new wave warbling that pairs nicely with the pulsing and wi ling electronic landscape behind it. His lyrics are heavy with inter-musical references, with Tropigala (2 to 5) featuring a reversed tribute to who else but Dolly Parton. It’s also sonically all 1975, with a chorus built around jumpy staccato and spanky guitar.

The problem is that beyond the singles which dominate True Entertainment’s Side A, the band seem at a bit of a loss as to what to do with their newfound dancefloor credentials. The second half of the record rests on an at-times plodding and repetitive rhythm section, without enough excitement in the melody to buoy it up. This is then topped off by the use of the word ‘coinkydink’ in the final track, which no matter how charmingly cheeky Dutch Uncles are, is unforgivable.

Music Now

Words: Lewis Robertson

Firstly, February’s offerings that we missed last issue: Valentine’s Day had us falling hard for Unconscious Rivals from Hairband, Maybe I’m Alone by Town Centre and Pinc Wafer’s A Romantic Trip to the Brain and Back EP; the following day Fast Patterns showed off the velveteen vocals of Neev, and Nova teamed up with Psweatpants for new track Red Flag. We were pretty pleased with other February singles from Doss (The Mullets Are Moving In), Starsky-Rae (Fake It), Gefahrgeist (Reach), Health and Beauty (Never Us), Brenda (Cease and Desist), Declan Welsh & the Decadent West (King of My Head), Post Coal Prom Queen (Wheeling Through the Void), Withered Hand (Waking Up) and CHVRCHES, who returned with Over.

March gets moving when Rest Lurks, the debut album by Lichen Slow, drops on 10 March and kickstarts the newest musical project from Arab Strap’s Malcolm Middleton, with Joel Harries. Go get the lowdown of its eclectic vibe on p58, before flipping back here.

Expect a burst of sonic energy several weeks in, when Chinese-Scottish producer LVRA brings us Soft Like Steel, a seven-song techno-cabaret releasing alongside a mind-bending short film on 22 March. The EP takes listeners to the most frenetic edges of its artist’s mentality, with Soft Like Steel built on a grimelike base, intermixed with whispered lyrics of alienation and unreality.

It’s replete with bangers; venom blends harsh, electronic textures with a dizzying, hypnotic rap that will infect any audience with a love for LVRA’s use of noise; animalistic rhythms, spliced against a tinny, vibrant wavelength, suit themes of the crossovers between body with mind, and organic with synthetic, especially on numbers such as clones or god is dead. Find out more about LVRA and Soft Like Steel in our full feature on p42.

Ayrshire group brownbear unleash their second fulllength, Demons, on 17 March. Opener All I Want made a particularly soulful single back in January, and the whole album’s upbeat ethos will provide a suitable soundtrack for the transition into the sunnier months. The record’s keystones are memorable riffs, which power the high-octane indie beats and are sure to stick in your head well into the end of summer.

That’s not to say these songs lack substance – Little White Lies, and the titular Demons, show off the insightful lyricism of songwriter Matt Hickman, and provide the album with its central subject of relationships that manage to be both messy and magnificent. Even in Unity, with Hickman at his most austere, the

frontman preaches solidarity and becomes animated by clapping hands and backing vocals. Winter blues? Meet brownbear.

The 17 March is proving to be a big day for demons. It’s also the title of Steg G’s newest record, aptly named for the inner demons the Glasgow-based rapper faced in the isolation of lockdown. This work of hip-hop auteurship is achingly personal, but even in dark, bassy monologues exploring his own sunken psyche, Steg still succeeds in utilising the popular artists around him – Gerry Cinnamon gets sampled in Voices, and Solareye features in Livin Devilish. Two very different types of Demons, but both we would be happy to play at the summoning circle.

The following week Jon Cooper, aka Turtle, releases Landmass (24 Mar), an album that interweaves a touching composition of strings with playful, cosmic effects. Inspired by serene Argyll countrysides just outside his studio, as well as childhood conversations with his physicist Uncle, Cooper keeps the tracks modulating in esoteric ways; Earth and Game are elaborate and industrial, but Moon and North slowly build using subtle, sci-fi notes. Don’t let this charming study of the synthesiser escape your orbit.

The month’s end sees Alasdair Roberts release Grief in the Kitchen and Mirth in the Hall (31 Mar), a collection of traditional Scottish folk ballads dutifully resurrected thanks to Roberts’ intimate mastery of the guitar. Not only is the album’s authentic style sure to transport listeners back to Scotland’s pastoral, mythical roots, but great care has been put into the curation of these songs. Astonishingly niche items from the archives of Celtic folklore offer ancient wisdom on topics as prescient as gender (Eppie Morrie is a saga following a woman kidnapped by a band of patriarchs, who refuses to kowtow to their oppression), and politics. The Wonderful Grey Horse depicts an immortal steed who is ridden by kings through the ages, but swaps sides to stand with Ireland against British a ression.

Other March releases include Lamplighter by Tommy Ashby (3 Mar), the same day that The Beta Band’s Steve Mason gives us Brothers & Sisters. On 27 March Gurry Wurry drops Not As Bad As It Sounds (sounds pretty good to us!). Cult record We Are Urusei Yatsura by Urusei Yatsura gets a 30th-anniversary reissue (3 Mar), plus a tenth-anniversary edition of Frightened Rabbit’s Pedestrian Verse, containing a reprint of Scott Hutchison’s notebook, is available from 17 March. Finally, shorter listens include the Enshroud EP by post-metal Glaswegians Void of Light (24 Mar), on top of singles Calamity by Blush Club (3 Mar) and Babestation by Logan’s Close (26 Mar).

From electronic dance hits that explore the intersection of mind and body, to folkloric anthems brought into the 21st century, March has it all

Film of the Month — God’s Creatures

Director: Saela Davis, Anna Rose Holmer

Starring: Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Aisling Franciosi, Declan Conlon, Toni O’Rourke, Lalor Roddy, Brendan McCormack

RRRRR

Released 31 March by BFI

Certificate 15

theskinny.co.uk/film

What would you do to protect your family? That’s the uncomfortable question at the heart of God’s Creatures, a film that highlights the communal bonds that allow sexual predators to escape the consequences of their actions.

Aileen (Emily Watson) is a shift manager at a seafood processing plant in a small Irish village. She is delighted when her prodigal son, Brian (Paul Mescal), returns from Australia, but her joy proves short-lived when Brian is accused of raping one of her colleagues. When she’s asked to provide him an alibi, she finds herself lying to protect him.

It’s a morally reprehensible thing to do by any standard, but the moment of untruth, when it comes, is played so subtly by Watson that it would be easy to miss. It’s less of a deliberate choice than the instinct of a mother who feels her child is in danger. Placing the audience in the interrogation room with Aileen, it becomes easier to understand why she’d make such a snap decision in the heat of the moment, even as the consequences of her actions become increasingly clear.

Directors Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer skilfully capture the insularity of a small Irish fishing village. It is a delicate ecosystem, one in which any disturbance must be quickly dealt with. As a result, the victim, Sarah, finds herself excluded from the community and is refused service at the only pub in town while her attacker shares drinks and jokes with the landlord.

Thanks to his perfect portrayal of a father stru ling with depression in last year’s Aftersun, Mescal has become the It boy of indie cinema, and God’s Creatures will only further his already burgeoning reputation. From the moment he wanders into a pub during the middle of a wake, a twinkle in his smile and a grin on his face, it’s clear that Brian is the light of his mother’s life. Yet Mescal never flinches from the character’s darker, sleazier side. He’s a restless soul, trapped in a claustrophobic community and unwilling to clarify what made him leave Australia and return to Ireland. Though the script deliberately doesn’t state what Brian has done, his guilt is never in doubt. The ending, when it comes, feels bleakly inevitable, so perfectly has it been foreshadowed by Shane Crowley’s script. Though most of the film explores the complexities of being close to someone who is accused of rape, Davis and Holmer are smart enough to centre the final moments on Sarah, giving her a voice denied by both the law and her fellow villagers.

God’s Creatures resists the urge to provide any kind of easy answer. There are no monologues full of righteous anger, no cathartic court scenes, and little hope for systemic change. If there is a message, it’s that when it comes to deeply personal cases such as this, sacrifices have to be made for there to be any hope of justice. [Nathaniel

Screening at GFF 2-3 Mar

Scotland on Screen: Luke Fowler

Glasgow-based artist, filmmaker and musician Luke Fowler tells us about his new film Being in a Place – a complex portrait of fellow Scottish filmmaker Margaret Tait – and his passion for experimentation

Filmography (selected): For Dan (2021), Patrick (2020), Cézanne (2019), Enceindre (2018), Mum’s Cards (2018), Depositions (2014), To the Editor of Amateur Photographer (2014, codirected with Mark Fell), The Poor Stockinger, the Luddite Cropper and the deluded followers of Joanna Southcott (2012), All Divided Selves (2011), An Abbeyview Film (2008), Bogman Palmjaguar (2008), Pilgrimage From Scattered Points (2006), The Way Out (2003, co-directed with Kosten Koper), What You See Is Where You’re At (2001)

w: luke-fowler.com

“It was incredible,” says Luke Fowler of his journeys up to Orkney to capture the locale for his new film Being in a Place, a portrait of Scottish artist-filmmaker Margaret Tait and, crucially, the area that she called home and so often filmed herself. “It’s a place that’s steeped in history,” Fowler says. “There are standing stones, early settlements, the Italian Chapel – which was where they kept prisoners of war during WWII. It’s a place that cruise ships come into in the summer, there are waves of tourists coming into Orkney to see these sites.”

You won’t see these awe-inspiring landmarks and vistas in Tait’s work though. “Margaret was never interested in filming those things,” says Fowler. “She was very disdainful of documentaries made in Orkney, just documentaries in general. When you go to Orkney as someone following in Margaret’s footsteps, you’re trying to see the shape of a place in the way that she captured it.”

This is perhaps all the more essential for Fowler’s film, which combines the footage shot during his pilgrimages with marginalia from Tait’s own archive. “There were some parts of the archive that the National Library didn’t want to take,” explains Fowler, “offcuts and rushes and alternative versions.” Writer and researcher Sarah Neely had, wisely, decided that these bits and pieces were too precious to throw away. These reels, which had only ever been seen by an archivist, seemed like a potential goldmine to Fowler. “This was a vital way of understanding Margaret – through the things that didn’t end up in her films, that were left on the cutting room floor. You can start to understand her process. So, I proposed that we should make a film about this ‘unofficial’ archive.”

There were all sorts of treasures to be unearthed in the collection – from a sound version of These Walls (1974) which had previously only been known as a silent piece, to offcuts and outtakes from other well-known films like Land Makar (1981), Happy Bees (1954), and A Portrait of Ga (1952). “And another portrait that was never finished, of her father,” reveals Fowler, “called Daddy at Harray Loch.” After digitising them, these fragments became his material before a template by which to shape it appeared in the form of a short proposal Tait had submitted, unsuccessfully, for a Channel 4 film called Heart Landscape

“The particular ‘heart landscape’ that she drew out on this map was the road from her house to her studio,” says Fowler.

“It’s a microcosm of Orkney; it contains heathland and moorland, vast swathes of untouched countryside, but then also has these like little towns like Dounby and places like farms and foundries where they’re making the steel fences for cattle. It’s quite a localised, specific landscape. The more that you get out of the car and actually look, and go there regularly, and see things in different seasons, the more you start to realise that your view of a place is based on specific time.”

In this observation, Fowler seems to be acknowledging that Tait’s sensibility, of looking away from the obvious into the quotidian minutiae, seems to chime quite well with Fowler’s own filmmaking approach. “I’m interested in this idea of Cubist cinema,” he explains, “which was something raised in the 70s – how to make an equivalent of Cubism within cinema. Using multiple exposures, or multiple perspectives, that are shown within a prism or diffracted – multiple fragments of place that are seen in sort of bursts, rather than in long shots.

“It’s going against the idea of the picturesque,” he

continues, “against this idea of a preferred perspective, a romantic landscape. This is much more like using the camera to show 360 degrees; to show slices of air, to show the contingent nature of the landscape, and how time and the body changes the way we view landscape. Everyone is seeing things differently. It’s very personal, and it’s conditioned by what you do: a farmer sees the landscape in a different way than a tourist would see that landscape.”

When asked whether he actively seeks to embrace the artistic vision of his subjects in portraits like this, Fowler professes more of an affinity to the fundamental nature of the experimental. “I think it’s sort of like radical politics,” he suggests. “People seem to think that the avant-garde is something you grow out of as your films mature and that you have to aspire towards making feature-length, narrative films. I don’t believe that; I think that’s a commercial disease driven by financial pressures, this idea that we have to aspire towards making a Netflix series or something like that, and that’s a sign of success. For me, the experimental – experimental art like Duchamp, John Cage, Blinky Palermo or Margaret Tait – is something to live by. It’s not something to gaze at in a museum, to have a fleeting view of, to grow out of; it’s a rule to live by.”

Being in a Place has its UK premiere at Berwick Film Festival on Sun 5 Mar

Pearl

Director: Ti West

Starring: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright rrrrr

Ti West’s follow-up to his 70s grindhouse-inspired horror X didn’t have much time to build hype. Filmed concurrently with its predecessor, this WWI-era technicolour prequel could hardly be more different stylistically, taking cues from The Wizard of Oz while diving deep into psychological horror. The result is a wonderfully camp yet disturbing flick that cements Mia Goth’s status as a genre icon.

Pearl (Goth) is a star, but the world doesn’t know it yet – and if you’ve seen X, you know it never will. Her inevitable descent into the crushing mundanity of life is made all the more uncomfortable by the glimpses of hope she, and we, are afforded. Pearl is a true slasher villain, a Pamela Voorhees for the TikTok era, but between Goth’s sweetly

unhinged performance, the cruelty of her life, and the gorgeous framing of the atrocities she commits, it’s hard not to feel a perverse affection for her.

Anyone who has experienced professional or artistic rejection may see an uncomfortable amount of themselves in Pearl, while West’s use of bizarre psychosexual scenes – a scarecrow is involved – essentially serves to remind modern audiences that humans have always been humans: selfish, sex-obsessed, and in desperate need of love.

See Pearl on the big screen if you can – these visuals shouldn’t be wasted on a TV or laptop. An empathetic, intelligent, and wholly unapologetic film, Pearl is the manic little sister of the horror family, welcomed into the fold with open arms. [Zoe

Released 17 Mar by Universal; certificate 15

Screening at GFF 5-6 Mar

Rye Lane Director: Raine Allen-Miller

Starring: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah rrrrr

South London rom-com Rye Lane plays like a great Sunday morning tune: a smooth, energetic track that leaves you grinning for no apparent reason. Raine Allen-Miller’s feature debut paints Yas (Oparah) and Dom’s (Jonsson) Peckham meet-cute through colourful strokes and naturalistic dialogue, with the odd incursion into the protagonists’ imagination by way of neon-soaked visions. Both have been dealt more than their fair share of heartbreak: confident, extroverted introvert Yas conceals her wounds, while Dom wears his relationship failures on his sleeve in an endearing, challenging portrayal of masculinity.

When Yas crashes Dom’s lunch with his ex-girlfriend, you’d be forgiven for thinking that she is a stereotypical female love interest, sweeping in to save the male protagonist and advance

his story. Luckily, Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia’s script quickly steers away from this tired narrative and allows Oparah’s character room to shine and be fragile in a relatable, magnetic combination.

Yas and Dom’s chance encounter morphs into an extended, seemingly aimless stroll which is about to become very eventful. With Before Sunrise in mind and a lengthy list of tropes to flip, Allen-Miller reclaims London as a rom-com territory to craft an effortlessly charming portrayal of Black love; one that features most of the Peckham staples, including a trip to the beloved Peckhamplex. Throw in an awkward chicken shop date that won’t end up on YouTube, a contagious karaoke session and a delightfully out-of-place A-list cameo, and you have a jazzy new entry into the UK’s romantic canon. [Stefania

Released 17 Mar by Disney; certificate 15, Screening at GFF 12 Mar

The Beasts

Director: Rodrigo Sorogoyen

Starring: Denis Ménochet, Marina Foïs, Luis Zahera, Diego Anido, Marie Colomb rrrrr

The Beasts, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s fifth feature film, transports us to rural Galicia, in northern Spain, where a recently relocated middle-aged French couple are trying to live a peaceful life away from the hubbub of the city. The family next door aren’t making things easy, however. An unpleasant incident with their neighbours throws the couple’s idyllic plan into disarray. From then on, a constant sense of danger threatens any hint of their stability, forcing them to always be on alert in their own home.

The tone is tense and oppressive, but Sorogoyen also incorporated some sly social discourse into the narrative. The best example is a conversation captured in a masterful long take where the script introduces

a fascinating debate about rural lifestyles and gentrification that makes us question everything that we’ve seen up until that point. Halfway through, though, The Beasts morphs and takes a different path. The gut-wrenching tension that builds during the first half mutates into something deeper – although perhaps something more hackneyed too. Even so, Sorogoyen remains faithful to his style, which navigates with ease between mainstream and arthouse, resulting in a psychological thriller that’s accessible and – for the most part – rewarding.

Despite its imbalanced nature, there is a lot to take away from The Beasts, from the excellent performances to the solid camerawork and its occasional sparks of brilliance. It may lose some narrative strength as it goes on, but its many virtues outway its flaws. [Fernando García]

Released 24 Mar by Curzon; certificate 15

Screening at GFF 3-4 Mar

Electric Malady

Director: Marie Lidén rrrrr

How do you visualise, or even explain, a condition that isn’t medically recognised or visibly caused by anything? Marie Lidén’s documentary on an isolated case of electrosensitivity uses the empathetic powers of filmmaking to connect us to William, who suffers an allergy to electricity and lives alone in a Swedish forest. His lifelines, largely his parents, have been tested greatly by the inexplicable illness, and doctors offer potential treatments and next steps.

Meanwhile, William stays hidden beneath a mass of blankets, putting a cake tin over his radio and expressing discomfort whenever Lidén’s presence causes it. His conviction for his unorthodox diagnosis is unwavering, but still there’s a vagueness to how it’s discussed by his circle. How do you articulate a pain that medical professionals

won’t acknowledge, and therefore won’t treat?

The resonance of Electric Malady is in its deeply-felt humanism. If William is so clearly suffering debilitating, isolating pain, why is he not treated as someone with a disability? If he is fated to be the most knowledgeable about his condition, can he engineer a way out of it? The outside world is framed purposefully: home movies on distorted, scratchy film; a flock of birds buzzing through the sky that reminds us of the electrical presence plaguing William. It’s a delicate film, and sometimes you wish there could be something firmer to grasp about the condition, but it’s difficult to ask anything more of such an open, vulnerable subject. Electric Malady works as a quiet communion.

CHORRITO SAUCE CO, LEITH

New to Leith Walk, some of Chorrito’s tacos are excellent – but they, quite literally, come at a heavy cost

Leith Walk is back! You can get the bus up *and* down the road! Let the good times roll! Seemingly endless roadworks and development have seen a whole bunch of changes in Leith, and in many ways those changes are typified by Stead’s Place. The sandstone block near the foot of the Walk has been a symbolic battleground in the push and pull between community and business – property developers Drum bought the building and the land around it a few years ago looking to knock it down and start

again, while the Save Leith Walk campaign, with Leith Depot at its head, resisted. And resisted. And resisted. The result is a building that’s been refurbished rather than razed to the ground, some chastened developers sloping off with their tails between their legs to redo their plans, and a bunch of new neighbours for the Depot.

One of those neighbours is Chorrito, makers of some pretty impressive all-natural hot sauces. Their space – a bright room with a long open kitchen decked out in metro tiles – pulls double duty, serving as a production kitchen two days a week and a taco restaurant the rest of the time, and it’s a hive of activity when we pop in on a Saturday lunchtime. A handwritten menu board is full of rustic, minimal tacos and other tortilla-based dishes, all served on incredibly nice and (warning) surprisingly heavy tableware.

From the board, the huevos rancheros is a perfectly fried e topped with some fresh pico de gallo. The black bean and feta taco is a bit on the plain side, but the refried beans are a pleasing stodge-onstodge combo of earthy beans and chunks of fried potato, with a spicy salsa kicking in from bite to bite. The chorizo quesadilla has a nice sweetness to it, courtesy of some pickled pineapple ketchup, but it’s also a typically oozy, gooey delight with paprika and sausage fat slowly turning the tortilla bright red. We haven’t had the best of luck with what we’ll call ‘slightly off-centre hot dogs’ recently, but Chorrito’s venison dog is incredibly meaty and unctuous, sitting on a smear of homemade salsa verde. You’ll dribble all over yourself, but you probably won’t regret it.

And yet, how do we put this? Friends, pals, comrades… it’s all far, far too expensive. A taco will set you back between five and seven pounds. Not a pair of tacos, not a plate of tacos – one (1) taco. Our quesadilla – remember, with the oozing and the gooing – was £6.50, and it was gone in about three bites. We aren’t naive

to the fact that small, independent food businesses are at the front of the queue for a kicking from capricious energy companies, or that rising costs of raw materials are least able to be borne by brand new folk on the scene. We also aren’t going to sit here and say “£6 for one taco, that’s a good deal” at a time when inflation is running wild and budgets are stretched thin, particularly when there are other independent places across town serving very similar dishes which are just as good for literally half the price.

The folk at Chorrito are nice, and it’s a cool place to be, but it’s also a tricky recommendation to make. The Leith Walk roadworks famously suffered from endless, almost comical teething problems and issues before they were finally finished – hopefully for Chorrito, the bumps in their road ahead can be smoothed over.

Your Driver Is Waiting

Damani – a driver for the RideShare app and the protagonist of Priya Guns’ Your Driver Is Waiting – focuses on three things: getting paid, taking care of her grieving mother and, time-permitting, building muscle. Overworked and exhausted, she collides with the picture-perfect Jolene. And it’s not long before Jolene and her (surprise, surprise) 5-star passenger rating end up in the back of Damani’s car. Shorter still before Damani is right there with her, kneeling in the footwell.

From the first drop-off point, it’s obvious that the two are worlds apart: while Damani is being exploited by a tech giant, Jolene writes platitudes on placards at ‘fundraisers’. Ostensibly a two-hander between two people in lust, the peripheries of Guns’ novel are swamped with people who just don’t seem to know what they’re campaigning for anymore. At the daily protests that block Damani’s path, “Workers' rights for ALL workers!” stand shoulder to shoulder with “Jesus had two dads!” in one consolidated shout into the void.

The chemistry between the central characters is violently vivid, each word precision-engineered to throw the reader when the differences prove too much, too scary, for Jolene. Yet when she enters selfpreservation mode, Damani’s network of drivers are the collateral damage. The rest is best unspoilt, but this is a novel about scope. When we make big things small, our actions – however small to us – have impacts beyond our control.

Radical Intimacy

What does it mean to build meaningful and collective intimacy and connection under the confines of capitalism? Sophie K Rosa’s Radical Intimacy rallies us to imagine these possibilities, primarily in the context of the UK, tracing historical and current examples of resistance against the individualisation of our personal lives. Radical Intimacy is not a blueprint of what radical intimacy should be. Rather, radicalism is used in terms of political radicalism, centring a feminist, abolitionist politics in both our political action and analysis of intimacy.

The book expertly details how and why capitalism has permeated our intimate lives, with familiar realms of intimacy used as helpful lenses to examine these dynamics. Self-care, family, home, romantic love and sex, friendship, and death have historically been collective spheres, argues Rosa. But from life to death, possibilities of communality – and therefore political transformation – have been systematically reduced by capitalism, which individualises, commoditises and dictates the very intricacies of our personal lives.

Rosa invites us to intentionally expand our political imagination beyond the commodification of selfcare, supremacy of heteronormativity and patriarchy, the atomised units of the nuclear family, and the individualisation of private housing. Radical Intimacy is a grounding, hopeful work that explores how we can build intimacy in abundance and richness – a reminder for people and political movements feeling the alienation and weight of capitalism that collective, radical, and profound alternatives are possible.

Pluto Press, 20 Mar

Wandering Souls

Cecile Pin’s timely debut novel explores the difficulty of telling refugee stories in a culture that has largely decided they must be either inspiring or horrific, rather than merely human. Wandering Souls tells the story of Anh, Thanh and Minh –siblings who escape war-torn Vietnam ahead of their family, only to discover after they arrive at their Hong Kong refugee camp that their parents and siblings have been murdered en-route. Anh, Thanh and Minh are then granted asylum in Thatcher’s Britain, a deeply racist country in the midst of an unemployment crisis. In this hostile environment, the siblings stru le to make a life for themselves, with Anh putting her own hopes and dreams aside to take care of her younger brothers.

Pin interweaves this main story with the voice of the siblings’ baby brother Dao, watching over them from the afterlife; as well as the workings of a fictionalised ‘author’ who gives us insight into the process of writing the story itself. Pin seems to feel most at home with the ‘author’, and indeed these sections of the book stand out in their authenticity and energy. In contrast, the main narrative sometimes lacks weight, with loosely sketched characters that are not quite believable. Despite this, Wandering Souls presents a piercing insight into the refugee experience, and reminds us that the UK’s present refugee policies have a long and disturbing history. [Eleanor

Couplets: A Love Story

Couplets: A Love Story is an adult novel-in-verse which details the demise of a relationship and the ups and downs of the new coupling that causes the break-up. Funny at times and a quick read, it’s an excellent place to start for those who haven’t read a novel-in-verse or want to read more poetry. It gets into the story quickly, but the plot is loose enough that it allows each poem to stand on its own too, and there are several individual gems of poems. The book leans heavily on its titular form, but not exclusively – in fact, when the author breaks away from couplets, the writing often becomes more intimate and vital. There’s something clever, though, in how the couplets reflect the narrator’s desperation to hold onto a closeness that eludes them.

It is a novel with a strong atmosphere – think queer sad-girl with all the angst, tenderness and melancholy that implies. For the most part, Couplets feels more dominated by grief than love. There’s a lot to resonate with here, but occasionally the writer delves so far into the specific that there’s a turn away from the kind of universal often couched within the specific in the most effective poetry. Cultural references and quotations of other writers ground the writing in a particular time and place, but perhaps too much so, as the best parts of Couplets have a timeless yet urgent quality. [Elspeth Wilson]

Fourth Estate, 2 Mar

Dream Gig

Suchandrika Chakrabarti, stand-up and co-host of the But Is It Funny? podcast with Brian Logan and Jamal Khadar, shares her heavenly Dream Gig with us

Illustration: Lily K

My best-ever gig was my second one. It took place at The Bill Murray in London, at the end of a six-week stand-up course that had given me the permission I didn’t know I’d needed to try out comedy. More specifically, the gig happened at the end of February 2020 so really propelled my live comedy career.

Even though it was 3pm on a Sunday, our friends and family had really come through, and the place was packed. Four of my close friends were set to bring their babies, with one of the four volunteering to sit out the gig and look after them in the bar area.

The atmosphere in the room was genuinely electric, with an edge of excitement that I’ve not encountered often since. Our teacher, Ben Target, opened the event, then MC Chris Betts did some material. I was waiting at the back of the room, feeling the adrenaline rise. I headed up onto the stage… and that’s when I found out that the childcare arrangements had fallen apart, and my friends had brought a baby into the room. Then the wailing began.

I was getting heckled by a baby. By a baby I knew! The betrayal. Still, my set was about imagining what the future would be like for my then 18-month-old niece, so it kind of worked for my material. The rest is a blur, but I loved the experience, and the audience was incredible.

The video of that performance changed my life. After the lockdown hit, I sent it into competitions and ended up placing in semi-finals and finals, which made me think that comedy could be more than just a hobby.

That baby is now four and I’ve forgiven her, but I’ll never forget – in fact, I worked that story into my first Edinburgh show last year.

My dream gig would take place in one of the candlelit caves that make up Gordon’s Wine Bar on the Strand in London, by the Thames. A wine-tipsy audience is probably the sweet spot for me. That electric feeling from my best-ever gig is in the air.

Natasha Lyonne is MC for the night. Anything she says in her iconic gravelly New York accent will get the crowd revved up; she’s hosted Saturday Night Live so this will be a breeze; plus, I love how she says the word ‘cockroach’ - “cock-a-roach”. She knows what she’s doing up there, and she’s more than capable of dealing with the chaotic characters on the line-up.

First up, we’ve got my friend and brilliant stand-up Fatiha El-Ghorri opening the show. She plays with her effect on the audience as a woman wearing a hijab who then comes out with a proper Hackney accent and surprisingly violent but endearing threats. Her stand-up taught me the phrase “throwing hands.” She’s already on TV and she’s going to be huge, so I’m honoured that she’s here.

Next up is her comedic opposite, Bill Bailey. He’s performing his classic Love Song (the metal version, if you’d like to know) The calm before the storm, because the next act arrives very suddenly towards the end of Bill’s set, shouting “Woof!” a lot – yep, it’s our boy Lord Flashheart, and making Bill’s metal melody his walk-on music. Flashheart’s set is pure joyous, slanderous filth that can never be repeated outside of that room.

Before he’s done, though, Oda Mae Brown, as played by Whoopi Goldberg, wanders onstage (MC Natasha Lyonne is not running a tight ship here, and she’s got the tone exactly right). Oda Mae’s set is kind of a weird seance with jokes, which does explain how we’re able to resurrect two people for the gig tonight (Rik Mayall of course, and then…)

… it’s a dream line-up, so naturally my dad has to be on it. He died in April 2003 (don’t worry, this hasn’t secretly been a dead dad show all along, I’ll keep it light), but he’d never miss a good party, and so much of the reason I do stand-up is because of him. He’s headlining.

I’m not on this mixed bill – it’s nice to sit this one out and just watch the shenanigans unfold. Post-gig, the performers get full on the free cheeseboard and Scotch e s which are being handed round and a couple of bottles of Beaujolais. I’ll be on the wine too, and we’ll sit down to talk about the afterlife until the candles flicker out.

Suchandrika Chakrabarti: Doomscrolling (WIP), Glasgow International Comedy Festival, Van Winkle West End, 22 Mar, 8.15pm, £4-5

But Is It Funny? is available from wherever you get your podcasts.

@suchandrika on Instagram, @suchandrikac on Twitter and Tiktok

Listings

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

Glasgow Music

Tue 28 Feb

MEEKZ

SWG3, 19:00–22:00

Rap from Manchester.

VIVIEN SCOTSON

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00

Singer-songwriter from Glasgow.

LAYLOW PRESENTS

NORMAN WILLMORE

THE RUM SHACK, 19:30–22:00

Jazz from Scotland.

Wed 01 Mar

BILK

KING TUT’S, 20:00–22:00

Rock from the UK.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK

MONO, 19:00–22:00

Rock from the UK.

THE BLACK ANGELS

QUEEN MARGARET UNION, 19:00–22:00

Rock from Austin.

ATTILA

CATHOUSE, 18:00–22:00

Metalcore from the US.

NO OIL PAINTINGS

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–22:00

Alt folk from Belfast.

THE WINDOW

SESSIONS (GABI

GARBUTT +

CATHERINE RUDIE +

GABRIEL MORENO)

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Singer-songwriters from London.

WILLE AND THE BANDITS

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:00

Blues rock from the UK.

Thu 02 Mar

INDOOR FOXES

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22:00

Indie from Edinburgh.

CALL ME KARIZMA

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Indie from the US.

FERGUS MCCREADIE

TRIO

ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00

Jazz from Edinburgh.

RACHEL SERMANNI:

TIED TO THE MOON

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Folk from Scotland.

SUN STAGS (HENS

BENS + SUBTOPIAN

PLANNING BOARD)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00

Indie from Glasgow.

CRAIG WEIR & THE CABALISTIC CAVALRY (SARAH MCMURRAY + DANIEL LADDS + MORRIE DOLAN) ROOM 2 19:00–22:00

Eclectic lineup.

Fri 03 Mar

YOUNG FATHERS

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Hip-hop from Scotland.

JOSHUA GRANT (DILLON SQUIRE + OWAN)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22:00

Indie pop from Scotland.

ROE SWG3 19:00–22:00

Indie from Ireland.

KERALA DUST

STEREO, 19:00–22:00

Psych rock from London.

THE COMET IS COMING

ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00

Jazz rock from London.

1 5 MONTHS + SOUND

THOUGHT

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–22:00

Eclectic lineup.

ARBOR GREEN (ROBIN

ADAMS + SARAH GALLAGHER)

THE RUM SHACK, 19:30–22:00

Indie folk from Scotland.

SOPHIE JAMIESON (PIPPA BLUNDELL) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00

Indie from London.

POETIC PROFANITY ROOM 2, 19:00–22:00

Eclectic lineup.

Sat 04 Mar

YOUNG FATHERS

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Hip-hop from Scotland.

NEONWAVES KING TUT’S, 20:30–22:00

Indie rock from Glasgow.

ETTA MARCUS SWG3, 19:00–22:00

Indie from London.

DAMEFRISØR BROADCAST, 19:30–22:00

Shoegazey punk from Bristol.

BULLET FOR MY

VALENTINE

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:00

Heavy metal from Wales.

WILL SHEFF STEREO, 19:00–22:00

Indie rock from the US.

COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS

ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00

Singer-songwriter from Arizona.

G.S.P

THE RUM SHACK, 19:30–22:00

Jazz and hip-hop lineup.

CREATURE

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00

Heavy from the UK.

HIPPY (KING OF BIRDS

+ BRIAN MCLACHLAN)

ROOM 2, 19:00–22:00

Indie from Glasgow.

Sun 05 Mar

PANCHIKO

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22:00

Indie rock from the UK.

CRAIG ROBINSON AND THE NASTY

DELICIOUS

SWG3, 19:00–22:00

Funk from the US.

Mon 06 Mar

THE SLOW READERS

CLUB

SWG3 19:00–22:00

Electro-pop from Manchester.

BLOOD YOUTH (CANE HILL)

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Hardcore punk from the UK.

BLACK DOLDRUMS

BROADCAST, 19:30–22:00

Dark psych from London.

SELF ESTEEM

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–

22:00

Indie pop from the UK.

LEFT TO DIE

STEREO, 19:00–22:00

Death metal from the UK.

•IROM (MAX

SYEDTOLLAN & CANK

+ FANTASY LAND)

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:00–22:00

Folk from Slovenia.

BURD ELLEN + RYLAN

GLEAVE THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Trad from Glasgow.

Tue 07 Mar

TAMINO

SWG3, 19:00–22:00

Indie rock from Belgium.

ARCHSPIRE

CATHOUSE, 18:30–22:00

Death metal from Vancouver. NEW PAGANS BROADCAST, 19:30–22:00

Rock from Belfast.

Wed 08 Mar

SIGALA

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Producer from the UK.

OLIVIA DEAN

KING TUT’S, 20:00–22:00

Pop from London.

DREAM EVIL

CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:00

Heavy metal from Sweden.

EROTIC SECRETS OF POMPEII (SLIME CITY ) BROADCAST, 19:30–22:00

Art rock from Bristol.

GRAHAM GOULDMAN & HEART FULL OF SONGS ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00

Art rock from the UK.

RACHEL BAIMAN

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 20:00–22:00

Bluegrass from Chicago.

CUA

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Folk from Ireland.

Thu 09 Mar

JAMES TW ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00

Singer-songwriter from the UK.

SIGALA

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Producer from the UK.

ORLANDO WEEKS (FOLLY GROUP) KING TUT’S, 20:00–22:00

Singer-songwriter from the UK.

JOHN R. MILLER + JP HARRIS SWG3 19:00–22:00

Americana from the US.

LUCIA & THE BEST BOYS SWG3, 19:00–22:00

Indie rock from Scotland.

ARON BROADCAST, 19:30–22:00

Indie from the UK.

COBY SEY STEREO, 19:00–22:00

Hip-hop from London.

CIAN DUCROT ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00

Singer-songwriter from Ireland.

THE K’S ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00

Indie from the UK.

THE RUNAWAY MODELS (THE CRAILS + MILANGE) THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–22:00

Rock from Glasgow.

RACHEL SERMANNI: SO IT TURNS THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Folk from Scotland.

BEN TUNNICLIFFE’S

NOWHERE ENSEMBLE (BIG HOGG)

THE RUM SHACK, 19:30–22:00

Jazz from the UK.

Fri 10 Mar

THE LATHUMS O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Indie from Wigan.

THE BACKSEAT LOVERS

QUEEN MARGARET UNION, 19:00–22:00

Alt rock from Utah.

LADYTRON SWG3, 19:00–22:00 Electronica from Liverpool.

MUSTBEJOHN

BROADCAST, 19:30–22:00

Brit pop from the UK.

NATI DREDDD ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00 Indie from Scotland.

GLASGOW DREAMERS: THE SONGS OF IVOR CUTLER FEAT. EMMA

POLLOCK & RICK

REDBEARD

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Eclectic lineup.

THE DREAM

SYNDICATE (ACOUSTIC RAIN PARADE)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00

Alt rock from LA.

Sat 11 Mar

THE UNDERTONES (THE REZILLOS)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Rock from Derry.

BEN OTTEWELL + IAN

BALL (BUDDY )

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22:00

Rock from the UK.

PERSONAL TRAINER (GIANT PARTY + NANOBOTS) BROADCAST, 19:30–22:00

Post-punk from Amsterdam.

DR. VEERS

THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:00

Alt rock from Glasgow.

HAYSEED DIXIE ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00

Bluegrass from Tennessee.

MY LATEST NOVEL

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Indie from Scotland.

Sun 12 Mar $UICIDEBOY$

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Rap from New Orleans.

ERRA

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 18:30–22:00

Metalcore from the US. FUZZY SUN BROADCAST, 19:30–22:00 Indie from Manchester.

SECOND SUNDAY

SIPPING SOUNDS

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 18:00–22:00

Eclectic ukelele lineup.

MY LATEST NOVEL THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Indie from Scotland.

Mon 13 Mar

YOURS TRULY KING TUT’S, 20:00–22:00 Alternative from Australia.

VV

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00 Goth rock from Finland.

FRAZEY FORD ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00 Americana from Canada.

H. HAWKLINE (EYES OF OTHERS) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00

Indie from Wales.

Tue 14 Mar

SUEDE O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Rock from London.

BERWYN KING TUT’S, 20:00–22:00

Hip-hop from London.

BEARTOOTH BARROWLANDS, 19:00–

22:00

Hardcore punk from Ohio.

HASH CAMMY STEREO, 19:00–22:00

Acoustic from Glasgow. NICO EV

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Singer-songwriter from Glasgow.

LAYLOW PRESENTS

BRODIE JARVIE

THE RUM SHACK, 19:30–22:00

Jazz from Glasgow.

FUCKED UP (BIG CHEESE) ROOM 2 19:00–22:00

Hardcore punk from Canada.

Wed 15 Mar

ALL TIME LOW

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Rock from the US. THE JOY FORMIDABLE KING TUT’S, 20:00–22:00

Alt rock from Wales.

ACRES

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Alt indie from the UK.

ENTER SHIKARI ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00

Rock from the UK. STATE OF THE UNION

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Indie from the UK.

Thu 16 Mar

MOZART ESTATE

STEREO, 19:00–22:00

Indie pop from the UK.

DAMIEN DEMPSEY ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00

Singer-songwriter from Ireland.

CRYPTIC NIGHTS: ENTWINE CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 19:00–20:00

Alternative from Scotland.

RACHEL SERMANNI

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Folk from Scotland.

Fri 17 Mar

PAUL DRAPER KING TUT’S, 20:30–22:00

Rock from the UK.

ALEX G SWG3, 19:00–22:00

Indie folk from the US.

JESHI

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Hip-hop from London.

SFVEN BROADCAST, 19:30–22:00

Producer from the UK.

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:00

Punk rock from Belfast.

WASTED YOUTH STEREO, 19:00–22:00

Post-punk from London.

GIFT

THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:00

Psych rock from Brooklyn.

LÅPSLEY ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00

Indie from York.

HINAKO OMORI

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Synth from London.

SLUG THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00

Indie rock from the UK.

Sat 18 Mar

THE TESKEY BROTHERS O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Blues rock from Melbourne.

FRANZ NICOLAY MONO, 20:00–22:00

Folk rock from the US.

FRANC MOODY SWG3, 19:00–22:00

Dance pop from London. THE LUTRAS SWG3, 19:00–22:00

Rock from Scotland.

CASSYETTE THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Pop rock from the UK.

MASTER PEACE THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Punk rap from London.

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:00

Punk rock from Belfast.

PETTY CASSETTES (OH ROMANCE + MAZ & THE PHANTASMS) ROOM 2, 19:00–22:00

Indie rock from Glasgow.

Sun 19 Mar

BIIG PIIG ( YUNE PINKU) KING TUT’S, 20:00–22:00

Rap from Ireland.

KERBDOG CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:00

Alt metal from Ireland.

EAMON IVRI (AKA

LIGHGHT) + JQ + HAN

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Eclectic lineup.

LIBRALIBRA THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00

Art pop from the UK.

Mon 20 Mar

TOM WALKER SWG3, 19:00–22:00

Singer-songwriter from Scotland. NIX NORTHWEST SWG3, 19:00–22:00 Rap from London. NICK MULVEY ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00 Indie from the UK.

Tue 21 Mar

W.A.S.P.

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00

Heavy metal from the UK. SAY SHE SHE (LAMAYA) KING TUT’S, 20:30–22:00

Soul pop from New York. SLEEPING WITH SIRENS SWG3, 19:00–22:00

Post-hardcore from the US. THE WAEVE ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00 Folk rock from the UK.

ANNA B. SAVAGE CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 19:00–22:00 Indie from London.

JAZZ AT THE GLAD (KAI REESU) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Jazz from the UK.

OTHER HALF (SHORT FICTIONS) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00

Post-hardcore from Norwich.

Wed 22 Mar

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO & THE RANT BAND ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00 Rock from the US.

I PREVAIL O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00 Rock from the US.

JOSHUA BURNSIDE KING TUT’S, 20:30–22:00

Folk from Belfast.

JULY JONES SWG3, 19:00–22:00

Electro-pop from the UK. CLAVISH SWG3, 19:00–22:00 Rap from London.

SAM RYDER BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:00

Alt rock from the UK.

THE PROTOMEN STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Rock from the US.

CHRIS SHIFFLET ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:00 Rock from the US.

GNAC (THE ORCHIDS) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30

Composer from the UK.

TMP SESSIONS 002 (CRAAIG B2B CADZOW + BRICKO + K2 + DRENNAN) THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 Techno and hard dance.

Sun 05 Mar

SHOOT YOUR SHOT: JASMINE INFINITI THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00 Dance and techno.

Thu 09 Mar

CÉLESTE SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 House and club. DESSERT? LUNCH CONCEPT CLOSING PARTY THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00

House and dance.

Fri 10 Mar PUSH IT

STEREO, 23:00–03:00

R’n’B and pop.

Sat 11 Mar

BEAT FARM (PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS + DOOG WEST) THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00

Dance and house.

Thu 16 Mar

THUDLINE: GLASGOW

DEBUT (NADIA SUMMER + ROY DON + BLEEN + GEORGE BEST)

STEREO, 23:00–03:00

Bass and Afrobeat from London and Glasgow.

FLY CLUB GLASGOW PRESENTS SAINT B*TCH SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00

Techno.

Fri 17 Mar

EROSION: PESSIMIST & SULLY STEREO, 23:00–04:00

Jungle and bass. CRUINNIÚ (FIXATE + BISHOP + MACDIARMADA B2B

KEY-IN)

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00

Drum and bass and jungle.

HIJACK 024 (LOWREE + FOURTH PRECINCT)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00

House and garage.

I LOVE ACID FEAT: SPACE DIMENSION CONTROLLER THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00

Acid and rave.

Sat 18 Mar

HEADSET GAY GARAGE STEREO, 23:00–03:00

House and techno.

LOST TRANSMISSION

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00

Techno.

MISSING PERSONS CLUB X NEVER SLEEP // GABBER ELEGANZA (ALL NIGHT LONG) THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00

Hardcore and techno.

Regular Edinburgh club nights

Cabaret

Voltaire

FRIDAYS FLY CLUB

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

SATURDAYS PLEASURE

Regular Saturday night at Cab Vol, with residents and occasional special guests.

Sneaky Pete’s

MONDAYS MORRISON STREET/STAND

B-SIDE/CHAOS

IN THE COSMOS/ TAIS-TOI House and techno dunts from some of Edinburgh's best young teams.

TUESDAYS POPULAR MUSIC DJs playing music by bands to make you dance: Grace Jones to Neu!, Parquet Courts to Brian Eno, The Clash to Janelle Monáe.

WEDNESDAYS

HEATERS

Heaters presents weekly local crew showdowns, purveying the multifarious mischief that characterises Sneaks' midweek party haven.

THURSDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)

VOLENS CHORUS

Resident DJs with an eclectic, global outlook

Thu 23 Mar

FLY CLUB GLASGOW

PRESENTS SARAH

STORY B2B VAN DAMN

SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00

Dance and club.

SAY SO THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00

Techno.

Fri 24 Mar

FUSE X STEREO

PRESENT: MADAM X (DIESSA + VAJ.POWER + DJ SYCLOPS (AKA

MAVEEN))

STEREO, 23:00–03:00

Bass and dubstep.

ILLES PETERSON + MC

GENERAL RUBBISH +

REBECCA VASMANT SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 House and dance.

Sat 25 Mar

TURBINES (XTEREA + DJ SRIRACHAS + AKUMU + MIELI.3)

STEREO, 23:00–03:00

Declub and hard drum.

LASSIE’S SPINNIN (EVA + KOPI O + NEEVA

NINE) THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 Trance and techno.

Edinburgh Clubs

Fri 03 Mar

POWERHOUSE (MECHANOID + LUCID + DARKALI)

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00

Techno, hardcore, industrial and acid.

HEADSET

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 UK techno.

INDIE DISCOTEQUE

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00

Indie pop.

SUPERSTAR FISHBAR

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00

Dance and club.

Sat 04 Mar

MEMBRANE (AIDAN + DAKSH + JOE PG)

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00

Oddball soul, dub and dance.

LUCKY DIP: TYGAPAW

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Techno from New York. THE MUSICALS PARTY

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00

Musical bangers.

SAMEDIA SHEBEEN

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 House.

FUSION

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Techno.

Wed 08 Mar

HOLI UV PARTY 2023

FRIDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH) HOT MESS

A night for queer people and their friends.

SATURDAYS (LAST OF THE MONTH)

SOUL JAM

Monthly no-holdsbarred, down-anddirty disco.

SUNDAYS POSTAL

Weekly Sunday session showcasing the very best of heavy-hitting local talent with some extra special guests.

The Liquid Room

SATURDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) REWIND

Monthly party night celebrating the best in soul, disco, rock and pop with music from the 70s, 80s, 90s and current bangers.

The Hive MONDAYS MIXED UP MONDAY Monday-brightening mix of Hip-hop, R'n'B and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

TUESDAYS TRASH TUESDAY Alternative

Tuesday anthems cherry picked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

WEDNESDAYS COOKIE WEDNESDAY 90s and 00s cheesy pop and modern chart anthems.

THURSDAYS HI-SOCIETY THURSDAY Student anthems and bangerz.

FRIDAYS FLIP FRIDAY Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect.

SATURDAYS BUBBLEGUM

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

SUNDAYS SECRET SUNDAY

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/handle on a Sunday.

Subway Cowgate

MONDAYS TRACKS

Blow the cobwebs off the week with a weekly Monday night party with some of Scotland’s biggest and best drag queens.

TUESDAYS TAMAGOTCHI Throwback Tuesdays with non-stop 80s, 90s, 00s tunes.

WEDNESDAYS XO Hip-hop and R'n'B grooves from regulars DJ Beef and DJ Cherry.

Thu 16 Mar

SIGNAL: MORAY LEISURE CENTRE B2B AIDAN GIBSON SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00

Techno.

Fri 17 Mar

PALIDRONE 5TH BIRTHDAY: HILLTOWN DISCO

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00

Electro from Dundee. THAT 70S CLUB LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00

Disco.

CLUB NACHT (SWOOSE (FEEL MY BICEP / AVA FESTIVAL) [3HR SET ])

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00

Techno.

PARABELLVM

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00

Techno.

Sat 18 Mar

THE MIRROR DANCE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 House.

DECADE

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Pop and punk.

OVERGROUND

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Rave and garage.

Sun 19 Mar

BIG FISH LITTLE FISH

LA BELLE ANGELE, 14:00–16:00

Family friendly rave.

Thu 23 Mar

MARGINS: MADAM X

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, 19:00

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

SATURDAYS

SATURDAY NIGHT COMEDY, 19:00

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

Regular Edinburgh comedy nights

The Stand

Edinburgh

Mondays RED RAW, 20:30

Legendary new material night with up to 8 acts.

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

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

Fridays THE FRIDAY SHOW, 21:00

The big weekend show with four comedians.

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, 19:00

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

Wednesdays TOP BANANA, 19:00

Fridays MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG FRIDAY SHOW, 19:00/21:00

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

Fridays DATING CRAPP, 22:00

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

THURSDAYS SLIC

More classic Hip-hop and R'n'B dance tunes for the almost end of the week.

FRIDAYS FIT FRIDAYS

Chart-topping tunes perfect for an irresistible sing and dance-along.

SATURDAYS SLICE SATURDAY

The drinks are easy and the pop is heavy.

SUNDAYS Sunday Service

Atone for the week before and the week ahead with non-stop dancing.

The Mash House

SATURDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) SAMEDIA SHEBEEN Joyous global club sounds: think Afrobeat, Latin and Arabic dancehall on repeat.

SATURDAYS (LAST OF THE MONTH)

PULSE

The best techno DJs sit alongside The Mash House resident Darrell Pulse.

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 UV party.

Thu 09 Mar

CANDY FLIP: A NIGHT OF TRANCE

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00

Trance and psych. GEORGE IV & MANGO LOUNGE PRESENT: GENTLEMENS CLUB SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Bass.

ZERO CHILL LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Club and dance.

Fri 10 Mar

OPTIMO ESPACIO FT. ISA GORDON SUMMERHALL, 23:00–03:00 House and techno.

CALIFORNIA LOVE LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Hip-hop and R’n’B. DICE 1ST BIRTHDAY THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Techno.

NOOK

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Rave.

Sat 11 Mar

HAND -MADE WITH LOVE: AUDREY DANZA SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00

Trance from Geneva.

REGGAETON PARTY LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00

Reggaeton.

CLUB NACHT THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Techno.

DILF

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Techno and house.

Wed 15 Mar

TEA ROOM RECORDS: FRAZER RAY SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 UK garage from London.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00

Techno from London.

Fri 24 Mar

MEANWHILE SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00

House.

CALL ME MAYBE -

2010S PARTY LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00

Pop.

METROPOLIS

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00

Techno.

MIGHTY OAK

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00

Roots and dub reggae sound system.

Sat 25 Mar

HOBBES MUSIC: AUNTIE FLO B2B HOBBES THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00

Afrobeat and techno.

HAAI: SNEAKY PETE’S INSTALLATION #008

THE LIQUID ROOM, 23:00–03:00 Techno from London.

MAGIC NOSTALGIA SUMMERHALL, 23:00–03:00 Eclectic pop, disco and soul.

PULSE X

JACKHAMMER: BEN SIMS

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00

Techno. THE BIG GREEN

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00

Climate positive party.

Dundee Clubs

Thu 02 Mar

REGGAE GOT SOUL KINGS, 22:30–03:00 Reggae.

Saturdays THE SATURDAY SHOW (THE EARLY SHOW), 17:00

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

Fri 03 Mar

DISTORTED CHURCH, 22:30–03:00

Emo, punk, and hardcore.

FLOOR ABOVE’S 4TH BIRTHDAY WITH SULLY & BAKEY

KINGS, 23:00–03:00

Garage and dub.

Sat 04 Mar

CALL ME MAYBE2010S PARTY CHURCH, 22:30–03:00

Pop. JKRIV X DICKY TRISCO ALL NIGHT LONG KINGS, 23:00–03:00 Disco and dance.

Fri 10 Mar

CALIFORNIA LOVE CHURCH, 22:30–03:00

Hip-hop and R’n’B. MUNGO’S HI-FI SOUND SYSTEM FEAT. TOM SPIRALS KINGS, 23:00–03:00 House and club.

Sat 11 Mar

COME CRY WITH ME

CHURCH, 22:00–03:00

Emo.

BETTER DAYS AFTER PARTY WITH GOING BACK TO OUR ROOTS KINGS, 21:00–03:00 Techno and house.

Fri 17 Mar

REGGAETON PARTY CHURCH, 22:30–03:00

Reggaeton. TECHNODROME KINGS, 23:00–03:00 Hard techno.

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

Thursdays SNEAK PEAK, 19:00 + 21:00

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

Sat 18 Mar

OPTIMO KINGS, 23:00–03:00 House and dance.

Fri 24 Mar NON STOP STYLES CHURCH, 22:30–03:00

Pop.

GLOSS ‘A QUEER CLUBNIGHT EXPERIENCE’ KINGS, 23:00–03:00 Techno and club.

Sat 25 Mar CALVIN HARRIS CLUB NIGHT CHURCH, 22:30–03:00 Disco and dance.

JUTE CITY JAM KINGS, 23:00–03:00

Disco and afrobeat.

Glasgow Comedy

Drygate Brewing Co.

LIAM WITHNAIL: WORK IN PROGRESS

18 MAR, 9:00PM

Scottish Comedy Award winner Liam Withnail brings a work in progress of his brand new show to Monkey Barrel.

KUAN-WEN: ILHA FORMOSA

16 MAR, 7:00PM –

8:00PM

Sharp stand-up about histories of migration. Part of GICF.

Saturdays MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG SATURDAY SHOW, 17:00/19:00/21:00

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

Sundays MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG SUNDAY SHOW, 19:00/21:00

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

CHARLES & STEVEN: THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS

18 MAR, 7:30PM –

8:30PM

Mainstays of the Scottish improv scene.

Oran Mor URZILA CARLSON

3 MAR, 7:00PM – 8:30PM

Brutally honest comedy from Australian legend.

JOSH BERRY: SEXUAL POLITICS

4:30PM

5 MAR, 2:00PM –

Interweaving the two topics that concern the comedian the most.

ZOE LYONS: BALD AMBITION

15 MAR, 7:00PM –

8:30PM

A look back at a monumental midlife crisis. Part of GICF.

KAYE ADAMS: HOW TO BE 60 LIVE

21 MAR, 6:00PM –

8:30PM

A funny take on the terrors of ageing. Part of GICF.

FRED MACAULAY: WHAT (EVER) NEXT?

26 MAR, 6:30PM –

8:30PM

Veteran Scottish stand-up comedian Fred MacAulay returns to Glasgow with a brand new show. Part of GICF.

GARY TANK COMMANDER PRESENTS GARY TALKS ( YOU'S LISTEN)

27-28 MAR, 7:00PM –

8:30PM

Just what it says on the tin. Part of GICF.

The Common Guild ANYWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE

1 MAR-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.

Tramway

IFEOMA U. ANYAEJI: IJEM NKE MMANWU M (THE JOURNEY OF MY MASQUERADE)

4 MAR-4 JUN, TIMES

VARY

Colourful, intricate sculptures created from non-biodegradable plastics that transform global pollutants into art.

Edinburgh

Art &Gallery

LILY MACRAE: REVERIE

1 MAR, TIMES VARY

A series of monochromatic blue and red portraits that blend photographic qualities with an otherworldly distortion.

MARY MORRISON: GAZING HEART

4-29 MAR, TIMES VARY

Fluid painting engaging with ideas of space, light, and elemental qualities unique to the Outer Hebrides.

Arusha Gallery

ROBERT FRY: REMAPPED

1-5 MAR, TIMES VARY

Paintings and etchings that interrogate our physical presence in the universe and the psychological, emotional, and spiritual experience of being embodied.

ELAINE SPEIRS: DISQUIET BEAUTY

9 MAR-2 APR, TIMES

VARY

Documenting the beautiful, the ethereal, the feminine and the elegant.

City Art Centre

GLEAN: EARLY 20TH CENTURY WOMEN

FILMMAKERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS IN SCOTLAND

1-12 MAR, TIMES VARY

Presenting work by 14 pioneering early 20th-century photographers and filmmakers and their relationship with the environments of Scotland.

RON O’DONNELL: EDINBURGH: A LOST

WORLD

1-5 MAR, TIMES VARY

Previously unseen photographs from the 60s and 70s by Ron O’Donnell paint an intimate, urban portrait of Edinburgh.

Collective Gallery

KATIE SCHWAB: THE

SEEING HANDS

1-5 MAR, 10:00AM –5:00PM

An interactive exhibition considering ways of exploring and expressing tactility.

MATTY RIMMER: PET ROCK

11 MAR-28 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM

An exploration of late-stage capitalism and ecological harm through the object of the corporate aquarium.

Dovecot Studios KNITWEAR: CHANEL TO WESTWOOD

1-11 MAR, 10:00AM –5:00PM

Bringing together some of the most influential knitwear pieces of the 20th century in a groundbreaking and cosy exhibition.

Edinburgh Printmakers

BERNIE REID: ORNAMENTAL BREAKDOWN

1-16 MAR, 11:00AM –4:00PM

Spray-painted works that push the boundaries of graffiti representation.

VIEW: SELECTED EP EDITIONS

1-16 MAR, 11:00AM –4:00PM

A retrospective of print editions produced by artists in the Printmakers studio.

Fruitmarket POOR THINGS

4 MAR-21 MAY, 10:00AM – 7:00PM

A group exhibition examining class structures through sculpture.

Ingleby Gallery

TWENTY-FIVE

1 MAR-1 APR, 11:00AM – 5:00PM

25 works by 25 artists celebrating 25 years of the Ingleby Gallery.

Open Eye Gallery

SARAH CARRINGTON: SEA SANCTUARY

1-4 MAR, TIMES VARY

A lush series of maritime landscapes.

JAYNE STOKES: RECOLLECTION

1-4 MAR, TIMES VARY

Small matchbox-like landscapes of home and habitations.

CHARLES MACQUEEN RSW RGI + CHRISTINE

WOODSIDE RSW RGI

10 MAR-1 APR, TIMES

VARY

Joint exhibition by two leading figures in Scottish contemporary art.

JONATHAN GIBBS: BENEATH THE MOON

10 MAR-1 APR, TIMES

VARY

An exhibition of new paintings, drawings and engravings by former ECA Programme Director of Illustration Jonathan Gibbs.

Out of the Blue

Drill Hall

CELESTE JOHN-WOOD: UNPROCESSED

1-18 MAR, 10:00AM –4:00PM

Stunning riso print work responding to urban ecologies, and the idea of the commons and connection.

Royal Scottish Academy RSA

RSA BARNS- GRAHAM

TRAVEL AWARD

1 MAR, TIMES VARY

A body of work by two of the most recent recipients of the RSA Barns-Graham Travel Award, exhibiting work developed in Marseilles and on the Isle of Eigg.

JOHN BYRNE

1-12 MAR, TIMES VARY

A showcase of historic and new prints by seminal Scottish artist.

RONALD FORBES: THE EVERYMAN

VARIATIONS

11 MAR-16 APR, TIMES

VARY

Collage-like work navigating the edges between illusion and reality.

RSA NEW CONTEMPORARIES

2023

18 MAR-16 APR, TIMES

VARY A meticulously curated exhibition showcasing groundbreaking work by 56 graduates from across Scotland’s 2021 degree programmes.

Scottish National Gallery IN THE FRAME: CONSERVING SCOTLAND’S ART

1 MAR-16 APR, TIMES

VARY

An exhibition showcasing the ambitious conservation work taking place at the National Galleries.

Sierra Metro

THE SKINNY PRINT

SHOP

1 MAR-9 APR, 10:00AM –

2:00PM

An exciting exhibition by The Skinny (!!) featuring prints from the magazine’s contributing illustrators.

Stills

JOHNY PITTS: ‘HOME IS NOT A PLACE’

10 MAR-10 JUN, 12:00PM –

5:00PM

A reflection on Black British culture, people and geographies, examining imaginations and realities of home.

Summerhall

BRIDGET IVERS COX

1-19 MAR, 12:00PM –

5:30PM

A major retrospective of groundbreaking portraitist Bridget Ivers Cox.

JAMIE JOHNSON: CIRCULAR SEAS

1-26 MAR, 12:00PM –

5:30PM

Abstracted paintings exploring how to convey impressionistic emotion on the canvas.

FEMININE FUTURES: UKRAINE

1-26 MAR, 12:00PM –

5:30PM

Short films exploring the war in Ukraine through choreography.

Talbot Rice Gallery

THE ACCURSED SHARE

17 MAR-27 MAY, TIMES

VARY

A dynamic group exhibition examining histories of debt and its entanglement with structures of capitalism and colonialism.

Upright Gallery

CHARLOTTE ROSEBERRY: SOOTHSAYER

11-31 MAR, TIMES VARY

Experimenting with the material process of painting and its magical, mystical outcomes.

Dundee

Art

Cooper Gallery

HARUN FAROCKI: CONSIDER LABOUR

1 MAR-1 APR, TIMES

VARY

The first major exhibition in Scotland of significant works by pioneering filmmaker Harun Farocki.

DCA: Dundee Contemporary Arts

MATTHEW ARTHUR WILLIAMS: SOON COME

1-26 MAR, TIMES VARY

Newly commissioned film and sound installations reform traditional portraiture by defying erasure and re considering what it means to document the Black queer experience.

Generator Projects

GENERATORPROJECTS

MEMBERS’ SHOW

2023

2-5 MAR, 12:00PM

5:00PM

A dynamic group exhibition with an accompanying programme of events and performances.

OKTAVIA SCHREINER + MURPHY SCOULAR: CERTAINTY // MAYBE

25 MAR-16 APR, 12:00PM

5:00PM

An exploration of boundary spaces and narratives of control, told through sculpture and installation.

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

1 MAR-30 DEC, 10:00AM

5:00PM

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 MAR-30 SEP, 10:00AM

5:00PM

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

V&A Dundee

DUNDEE TAPESTRY PROJECT

2-20 MAR, 10:00AM –5:00PM

A community-oriented project narrating stories from Dundee from 1850 to the present day.

The Skinny On... Kieran Hodgson

Ahead of his Glasgow International Comedy Festival work in progress, Big in Scotland at the Old Hairdressers, character comic Kieran Hodgson takes on our Q&A

What book would you take to a desert island?

I would take Malcolm Barber’s The Two Cities: Medieval Europe 10501320, a dense medieval history textbook and I’ve thought about this a lot so please let me explain why. Because I reckon all the lists of various Popes and Holy Roman Emperors and weird heretical cults and crusades and things would provide lots of inspiration for me to come up with stories and little plays and stuff that I could say to myself while doing endless laps of the island. You take one novel you’re screwed once you’ve read it a couple of times. Right?

Who’s the worst? Litterbugs.

What’s your favourite place to visit and why?

The entirety of the East Coast Mainline from King’s Cross to Edinburgh. The greatest train journey in the world with five visible cathedrals, though you really do have to work hard to spot Lincoln.

Favourite food and why?

Chips. Humble, unassuming but universally-loved. Can’t we all learn from them?

Favourite colour and why?

Royal blue and Birmingham City Football Club.

Who was your hero growing up?

Captain Sisko from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. High standards and he took things seriously.

Whose work inspires you now?

Limmy. Utterly unlike what I do and funnier than I could ever hope to be.

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

Simon Rattle, Jacinda Ardern and my friend Natalie, the funniest person alive. I’m cooking chips and serving a Central Otago Pinot Noir.

What’s your all time favourite album? Close To The Edge by Yes.

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

Sex and The City 2, and I’m confident that it’s the worst film I will ever see.

When did you last cry?

End of Home Alone at Christmas, when the family are all back and then the old man’s estranged son turns up at the house and Kevin waves at him through the window and it’s snowing and oh no here I go again.

What are you most scared of?

Making too much noise and annoying my neighbours.

When did you last vomit and why?

First time we were allowed in people’s gardens after lockdown. Went to a friend’s and drank rosé from 2pm until midnight. I was in tears before going to bed because I knew exactly what the next day would be like and it terrified me.

Tell us a secret?

I got a hamster when I was 11 and really loved it at first but then I was bored of it for basically the last year of its life and never played with it and then it died alone and unloved in a cage and I still feel so guilty about it and scared that it reveals some horrendous truth about my personality.

Which celebrity could you take in a fight?

That weird kid from Power Of The Dog, just.

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

Bowhead Whale. They have a mouth a third of the size of their body and live for 200 years. Imagine the chips you’d get through.

Big In Scotland (WIP), The Old Hairdresser’s, 19 Mar, 5.30pm, £10