The List Issue 793

TRNSMT

Citizens Theatre

Caleb Landry Jones

Dogs

Ballet Nights

Such Brave Girls

Mella Shaw

Chile

Sufi Festival

Sam Retford

Bottom

The Life Of Chuck

Bry CaN’t Swim

Taking the plunge with Scotland’s powerhouse DJ

FIGURES

We could have written lots of analysis about why it’s even happening or gathered up celebrity-fan views of their work or cobbled together a piece featuring all their amazingly brilliant and hilarious quotes over the years. But in the end, why bother with Oasis and the Gallaghers? Will they even be on the same side of the stage at the same time as each other? Will this tour, in fact, put Abba Voyage in the shade when it comes to hologram art? Edinburgh councillors probably deserve a bad rap for any number of things but one leaked memo contemplating the physical attributes of seasoned Oasis devotees showed that they might occasionally hit nails on heads. The fact that in his response Liam failed to correctly spell ‘stunning’ is, I suppose, neither here nor there.

Ok, that’s enough about them and you won’t read another word on the Murrayfield Mini-Festival Of Dynamic Pricing at any point across this mag. What we do have is quite a bit about dogs. Douglas Maxwell’s new play discusses canines, isolation and one man’s post-pandemic struggles, while Barklove is a new one-day Glasgow event all about giving dogs space to be themselves. Even our cover star, Barry Can’t Swim aka Joshua Mainnie, is pictured in our interview feature with a droopy-faced pooch. Plenty of folk will consider it unbearably cute.

Other enticements across our pages include a look at 27 of the acts appearing on Glasgow Green for TRNSMT (it’s sort-of but not quite a definitive A-Z), a peek behind the scenes of the all-new Citizens Theatre, some chat about Chile, a Q&A with Caleb Landry Jones, and a piece about the everlasting joys of Rik and Ade’s Bottom. In our reviewing slots, we pass judgement on the latest works by David Cronenberg, Mella Shaw, Rival Consoles and Catherine Simpson, and dish the stars onto one-word wonders such as Sparks, Nessie, Savages, Smoke and Pushers

And there’s absolutely nothing further on the O people.

Brian Donaldson EDITOR

Dates & Venues Programme

1 August

Perth Concert Hall

(World premiere of Galvanic Dances)

2 August

Royal Liverpool

Philharmonic Hall

3 August

Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden

6 August

Konzerthaus, Berlin (Young Euro Classic)

This Midnight Hour Anna Clyne

Galvanic Dances Jay Capperauld

Symphonie Fantastique Hector Berlioz

Conductor Catherine Larsen-Maguire

Soloist Ryan Corbett (accordion)

Catch Scotland’s national youth orchestra on the road this summer!

front

Imouthpiece

f I had the money, time, basic competence and social skills to mount my own Fringe show, it’d be called The Critic Sleeps Tonight. Each night at around 11pm, a reviewer would bumble onto a stage in a low-lit cavern, climb into a single bed, rest their head on a thin and unsatisfying pillow, and close their eyes. Upon entry, audience members would be given a ring binder featuring every article the reviewer has written and encouraged to creatively heckle them with the feverish abandon of an impulsive hanging in the Wild West.

An ideal crowd would consist of every performer that critic has been even passingly dismissive of, all of whom will be allowed to hurl insults at the onstage snoozer for any deficiency, real or imagined (writing style, personal hygiene, deceased relatives: you name it, you can shout it). These primal-scream sessions will be a public service enacted by critics, drinking verbal effluent in the way that sewermen of the 17th century mopped up the faecal secretions of a city, or pious clerics silently listen to the sins of their flock.

Few of my peers have been enthusiastic about this pitch, unwilling to risk a crowd potentially bum-rushing a stage and Saddaming them through the streets. Many already had horror stories of their own, usually from rage-fogged comics who took to social media to express their dismay at a middling write-up. ‘UK scientists have discovered the world’s biggest cunt,’ tweeted a US comic about a writer I know. ‘His name is [NAME REDACTED] and he writes for The List.’ Another erstwhile List scribbler once affectionately referred to the

Reviews are our bread and butter, but what happens when a performer kicks up a fuss? Our resident columnist Kevin Fullerton tootles his opinion horn and decides to martyr himself on behalf of critics everywhere

fans of a popular sci-fi sitcom as ‘geeks’ (which they are) and endured an old-fashioned dog pile on Twitter (RIP) when its co-creator publicly called him out. Many moons ago, there was even a publication called Fringepig which prided itself on reviewing reviewers, a source of venomous laughs that grew a mean spirit when bullets were fired towards student journalists.

Before any of you start playing tiny violins in my honour, let me make my stance clear: if your job involves sitting in the back row of a darkened room and critiquing a performer’s work, they have every right to sling a Thrilla In Manila-style onslaught of snide your way. As long as you’ve written a thoughtful, honest and well-informed piece, backlash isn’t your concern. A well-liked critic probably isn’t a discerning one, and every effective reviewer should be endowed with enough of a personality disorder to relish the occasional grievance. When you’re receiving free tickets all day and PRs are trying (and failing) to hobnob you for coverage, a constructive kicking every now and again is well-deserved.

To put my money where my mouth is, I’ve set up the email address givekevinakicking@hotmail.com. If you’ve received a review from me that you didn’t like, I give you permission to get in touch and hurl as many insults as you wish in my general direction. The address is real and, provided you don’t send anything illegal, I may even respond. I have thrown shade, and for that I will willingly atone.

That address again: it’s givekevinakicking@hotmail.com

Two letters mean double the fun (or half the opportunity) for cultural words beginning with them to get an airing here. Here’s your little lot: Alasdair Gray is a Scottish arts legend who is unlikely to lose his appeal over time; nine of his works have just gone on display at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum while his lettersake Alan Bissett is set to bring us an Edinburgh Fringe show about that time the Lanark writer met another Caledonian cultural behemoth, Billy Connolly. Whoever suggested to Alice Cooper that

he should get the band back together has seen that idea come to blood-soaked fruition with a new album from the original line-up, The Revenge Of Alice Cooper, which guillotines our way in late July. See them at Edinburgh Playhouse (23 July) if you dare. Talking of dinosaurs (were we?), the Jurassic franchise continues to chomp up those box-office takings. Jurassic World Rebirth is the latest instalment featuring our column-friendly stars such as Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali.

PlayList

It’s double issue time, which means double the fun and double the sensory experience! Though not really: we do this every month. Still, jump on board a sonic safari making stops at Barry Can’t Swim, Confidence Man, Biig Piig, Sparks, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Nilüfer Yanya and plenty more besides

Scan and listen as you read:

from the archive

We look through The List’s back catalogue to see what was making headlines this month in decades gone by

Welcome to the year 2009, when the Challenge 25 ID law arrived and Jupiter Artland first opened its doors to the public. Both of these made it into our front pages, followed by an interview with director Lars Von Trier ahead of his notorious Antichrist, and a feature on the rise of political and social activism, spotlighting individuals speaking out about everything from climate change to big tech (if only they could see us now, eh?). Elsewhere, Adam Thirlwell chatted with us about his novel The Escape and we previewed Perth’s Southern Fried Festival dedicated to all things Americana.

 Head to list.co.uk/archive for our past issues.

In this series of articles, we turn the focus back on ourselves by asking folk at The List about recent cultural artefacts that touch their heart and soul. This time around, Jennifer McLaren tells us which things . . .

Made me cry: My eight-year-old daughter’s new favourite Taylor Swift song is ‘Never Grow Up’, so I’d require a heart of stone not to get a little teary whenever she listens to it.

Made me angry: In my hometown of Dundee, a small but mighty spectacles shop recently had to rebrand due to a copyright spat with the Sex Pistols. Originally called Spex Pistols for over a decade, owner Richard Cook decided to change the name to Land O’Spex after receiving a cease-and-desist notice. Looks as though the punk rockers have forgotten the ethos of their own movement.

Made me laugh: I caught playwright Alan Bissett’s final Moira Trilogy tour before its retirement. Three whole hours with Falkirk’s hardest woman can’t fail to cheer and shock in equal measure. I’m now looking forward to seeing his new show at this year’s Fringe.

Made me think: I watched the documentary Steven McRae: Dancing Back To The Light about the Royal Ballet principal dancer’s lengthy recovery from a ruptured achilles tendon. It’s astonishing the limits to which athletes like Steven can push their minds and bodies.

Made me think twice: I’ve been listening to the audiobook of Breaking News: The Remaking Of Journalism And Why It Matters Now by former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger. Published in 2018, it documents a period in recent history when social media became the overriding source of people’s ‘news’. Now it’s essential that everyone learns how to critically evaluate the information they see, not just journalists.

WHERE IDEAS COME ALIVE

Barry Can’t Swim but he’s certainly surfed a huge wave of success in the last year. With his second album bobbing into view, the Scottish producer and DJ talks to Becca Inglis about the rise of AI and treading a darker path

Barry Can’t Swim’s introduction to clubbing is a familiar tale for Edinburgh’s ravers. At least three times a week, the producer-inwaiting was roaming Cowgate, frequenting its notorious diminutive sweatbox (‘I was exclusively at Sneaky Pete’s, pretty much’) or heading across the road to The Bongo Club. ‘Nick [Skillis] ran a night called Headset,’ he recalls. ‘My mate would often DJ at it, playing garage and that sort of stuff.’

When prompted on how the club floor felt in those fledgling days, Edinburgh’s small-town flavour shines through. ‘It felt pretty tightknit,’ he says. ‘Having all those decent clubs there meant everybody poured out at 3am afterwards. You could very easily run into X, Y and Z: people I knew, but I didn’t really know, from being at the same clubs.’ From there, he’d bump into the same faces at the afters. ‘That was a really nice way to get stuck into dance music and feel like you’re part of a scene. Not that I was even putting nights on. I was just always there.’

Things look somewhat different today for Barry Can’t Swim (otherwise known as Joshua Mainnie), whose debut album accrued nominations last year for a BRIT Award, the Mercury Prize, and Scottish Album Of The Year Award. For one thing, his clubbing days are largely in the past, bar his transition behind the decks. ‘I’ve always seen myself as more of a producer than a DJ, even though I’m DJing a lot, and I love DJing.’

For another, he’s filling vastly bigger rooms. Though he never DJed Sneaky Pete’s (he started mixing later, after relocating south), he did once perform an early-career music project in the 100-capacity venue. Now he’s headlining behemoths such as Manchester’s Warehouse Project and planning his biggest ever transatlantic live tour. ‘I still spend quite a lot of time up in Edinburgh,’ says

Mainnie. ‘I DJed at my dad’s 60th birthday, which is pretty jokes.’ But London’s pull is undeniable. ‘It’s very easy to get inspired here. There is so much to stumble upon and randomly discover, and things you just hear. I love that about it.’ Mainnie’s taste for eclecticism is evident in his listening habits. Just this past year, he’s had Fontaines DC, High Vis, Pink Floyd, and classic dance albums by Orbital and The Chemical Brothers on rotation.

‘It’s been nice listening to albums the way I would with a band, but with electronic artists. Sometimes nowadays, electronic musicians make albums and it feels like an opportunity to showcase singles and then some filler.’ Is crafting a cohesive album something he applies to his own music? ‘Definitely. That was the same with the first record, and it’s the same with this one.’

‘This one’ being Loner, Barry Can’t Swim’s second album, which darkens the warm, soulful tones he established on Where Will We Land?. It’s serendipitous that he’s brought up Headset. Some of his new tracks sound like they could have been released by Skillis’ label, brimming as they are with gnarly bass and skittering breakbeats, particularly ‘Different’ with its foghorn bassline. ‘I didn’t set out to do really heavy stuff,’ says Mainnie. ‘I’m always intrigued by different kinds of music. I reckon whatever I do next will be different to the second thing, because I get bored quite quickly of doing the same things.’

It was only after Mainnie started writing that Loner’s themes, which explore the loneliness and alienation which cloud our techdriven zeitgeist, presented themselves. ‘Sometimes you need to put pen to paper before you realise what it is you’re even saying.’ The opening track, ‘The Person You’d Like To Be’, proved ‘revelatory’ and set the tone for this new record. ‘There’s a vocal throughout that track. I decided to take more vocals like that, chop them up and scatter them throughout the album.’

The track resembles Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Wear Sunscreen’, distorting kindly life advice into a monologue infused with paranoia. Lines such as ‘the best way to be liked is to be funny, make sure to be funny’ smack of self-optimisation culture, where a preoccupation with working on ourselves masks deeper anxieties. ‘A lot of what I wanted to talk about in the track was self-help and self-work,’ says Mainnie. ‘The moment you start talking about yourself with affirmations and ways you can improve yourself, you’re fundamentally saying there was something inherently wrong with you in the first place.’

The track sprang from Mainnie’s desire to collaborate with Séamus, a poet he’d watch at spoken-word nights around Edinburgh. ‘He doesn’t have any music online. He doesn’t have his poetry anywhere. He’s just mad talented.’ To brief his friend, Mainnie recommended several documentaries. ‘I was looking at meta-modernism and watching a lot of Adam Curtis,’ particularly All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace, the filmmaker’s 2011 opus on failed tech utopias. Just as the beauty and terror of technology shapes Curtis’ aesthetic, so Loner oscillates between darkness and tranquility, contrasting dance music’s artificiality with organic sounds.

On a largely electronically produced album, that sounds like an oxymoron. ‘Where do you draw that line? It almost doesn’t exist,’ Mainnie agrees. ‘I would include a piano in that, though that’s still, in a sense, been made by a machine. It’s just not a digital machine.’ To evoke ‘humanness’, he describes layering foley recordings of voices (ironically captured on his iPhone) as background sound. On ‘Kimpton’, he incorporated co-producer O’Flynn’s catalogue of vinyl scratches and live drum loops. ‘They’ve been played by a human, so you still have that feel even though you’ve made it on software.’

NEW BEER DRIPPING IN FRUIT

NOW AVAILABLE IN

A LIGHT & REFRESHING beer DRIPPING in GUAVA

It would be easy to interpret Loner as purely a critique of technology, but this juxtaposition suggests nuance. ‘I imagine that around the industrial revolution, people were terrified of trains and these different things coming in. Then you’re born in a generation that didn’t know the time before, and you’re like, what of it? Now you see kids on iPads and it’s the norm.’ The same could be said of today’s debates around AI, which veer between visions of a supercharged workforce and mass redundancies.

For Mainnie’s part, he maintains a measured outlook. ‘I think, like any technology, it’s scary at first, but we learn to work with it.’ While he hasn’t used AI to write hooks yet, he did feed Séamus’ voice through an AI voice generator. ‘There’s a push and pull between him and this other person, that’s kind of the same person, and they’re both fighting for space.’ He compares using AI to sampling, which was once treated with suspicion but is now prolific in dance music. ‘It changes the goalposts and means we can maybe write things in different ways.’

Another side to the alienation on Loner is less about tech and more Mainnie’s abrupt rise to celebrity. ‘I had my own dealing with self-doubt and imposter syndrome; nerves of being on stage and getting up in front of that many people. It’s mad to say this because I’ve been given the job that I do, but I don’t love being in front of lots of people.’ Mainnie’s attempts to calm himself triggered some dissociation. ‘I created a separation from myself as Josh, and Barry as a performer, to try and cope with that. It wasn’t the right thing to do, I realise that now, because actually it made me feel quite detached and isolated.’ Though he is quick to clarify that ‘90% of the change has been massively positive,’ writing Loner became a way to process everything. Thankfully, with his second album imminent, Mainnie has reconciled his two selves. ‘Now I feel like I step onstage as Josh.’

To reconnect with himself when he’s not touring, Mainnie opts for a quiet life. ‘When I’m back from show stuff, I like to do really ordinary, normal things,’ he says. Things like cooking, running, hanging out with mates. But it’s not easy to switch off from making music. ‘It would probably be helpful if I had more hobbies other than music, but I’m not really into much else, apart from football.’ Who’s his team? ‘I’m an Everton fan, unfortunately,’ he answers ruefully.

As for the rest of us, does Mainnie have any suggestions for overcoming the isolation that technology has pushed on us and finding connection? His clubbing days may be done, but for those still out dancing, could the answer lie in spaces like Sneaky Pete’s? ‘I think club culture is doing that right now,’ he states. ‘You see that especially with people who are going to clubs for music. A lot of the time, there aren’t loads of phones out. I think people are really there to experience something and share a moment together. That’s what dance music is about, and has always been about; sharing a moment in time with a bunch of people you’ve never met before and never seeing them again. There’s something really beautiful about that.’

Loner is released by Ninja Tune on Friday 11 July.

ONLY CONNECT

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Douglas Maxwell’s play Man’s Best Friend has dogs at its heart. But equally it’s about isolation and the importance of companionship. To kick off a two-part canine special, the playwright talks to Gareth K Vile about combining comedy and tragedy, and the intimacy of one-person shows

CONNECT

From its origins as part of A Play, A Pie And A Pint’s programme at Òran Mór, Man’s Best Friend has become a celebrated example of playwright Douglas Maxwell’s distinctive style. Balancing naturalistic characterisation and fantastical elements, this one-man show follows the adventures of ‘the world’s worst dog-walker’ on a fateful day when he loses all the dogs under his care, only to discover some home truths.

Maxwell admits that the script’s creation was a little traumatic as he ‘grew up with a dog. And at the time of writing, we did have a dog.’ When he was asked by director Jemima Levick to provide a solo show for Jonathan Watson, Maxwell says he wrote it ‘quickly and almost subconsciously. And when I watch it now, it is clear that therapy is happening.’ Initially hoping to have Watson perform the canine voices, when the actor asked for ‘something serious and dramatic,’ Maxwell shaped a drama that he calls ‘the usual thing from me. It is very comic to begin with and then the comedy allows sadness and self-realisation.’

The protagonist Ronnie, now played by Jordan Young (from River City and Scot Squad), hasn’t emerged from lockdown; he’s using his job as a dog walker to avoid his disconnection and convince himself that he is contributing to society. ‘A lot of people got dogs in lockdown,’ says Maxwell. ‘We wanted to connect, we wanted stuff to do, to get out. And a lot of this play is about wanting to be of service. We want to be useful, and the play pivots on acts of generosity. Dogs can help you to do all that.’

Five years on and Ronnie still hasn’t properly re-emerged into society. ‘He had a loss in lockdown, stuff happened and the ceremonies weren’t there to let him move on, so he feels trapped in amber,’ Maxwell continues. ‘Some people pretend lockdown was a dream

and then went on with their lives. But Ronnie’s still in the dream.’ Maxwell recognises the potential absurdity of a one-person show, acknowledging that there needs to be a reason for the monologue. For Ronnie, talking to himself appears to be the only way that he can process his experience.

‘This character is a stranger to himself and other people and there is no way he would tell you this stuff if we weren’t in his head.’ But Maxwell is also sensitive to the traditions of Scottish theatre, as well as stand-up, where the techniques of breaking the fourth wall make the solo show familiar and a showcase for remarkable performers.

He draws comparisons with the work of iconic Scottish companies such as Wildcat or 7:84 who used informality and direct address to tackle huge subjects, and even the rambling style of ‘national treasure’ Billy Connolly. ‘Very often, Scottish performances are confessional, testimonial, venting: we are used to the styles and tropes of one-person shows,’ Maxwell explains. ‘There has to be more to it than it’s cheap. And there is no other way to tell the story. The intimate connection between audience and performer makes it better.’

For this touring show, Levick and Maxwell have expanded the script, returning to an earlier version containing an additional act. And with Young stepping in (a younger performer than Watson), the disorientation that Ronnie experiences has become all the more confounding and intense. Man’s Best Friend represents the immediacy of the best Scottish theatre, promising a journey that can accommodate the tragic and the comic, allowing Young to show his skills while reflecting on a very contemporary social anxiety.

Man’s Best Friend, Tron Theatre, Glasgow, until Saturday 12 July, then touring Scotland throughout September.

Jenn Nimmo-Smith has long wondered why there wasn’t a festival for dogs and their human pals. So, she created Barklove, a one-day celebration of all things pooch-shaped. Aashna Sharma discovers what treats are in store

PAW PATROL

Wrhat happens when you blend the energy of a music festival with the beautiful chaos of a dog park? You get Barklove, a festival for dogs and dog lovers. Created by events specialist Jenn Nimmo-Smith, Barklove is wagging its way into Glasgow city’s cultural calendar. ‘I’ve always been a massive dog lover,’ Nimmo-Smith says. ‘And I just kept thinking, why hasn’t anyone made a whole day that’s for dogs, not just dog-friendly?’

She wanted to go a step further than the usual café-with-a-water-bowl setup. ‘I wanted to create something for dogs and dog parents but also for people who don’t have a dog of their own but still adore them. There was a real gap in Glasgow for something like this. I imagined a day full of wagging tails, happy faces, and those feelgood moments you only really get around dogs. So, I made it happen.’

Of course, launching a festival from scratch isn’t easy. But it helps when your co-founder is Scout, Nimmo-Smith’s own pet Golden Retriever, professional meeting crasher and the unofficial face of Barklove. Scout has been there every step of the way. ‘Venue visits, brainstorms, emotional support on stressful days,’ Nimmo-Smith smiles. ‘She’s even in our artwork; she’s a huge part of the story.’

Designing a festival for dogs means rethinking every detail, and nothing has been overlooked, from logistics to layout. All to ensure each dog gets the VIP (Very Important Pup) treatment. ‘It’s a very different beast from your typical event. You’ve got to consider things like noise levels, safe spaces, hydration

and even toilet logistics: for dogs and people.’ And then there’s the dog’seye view. ‘I’ve genuinely caught myself walking around venues trying to think like a dog, sniffing corners, wondering what gaps they’d try to squeeze through.’

These small considerations add up. It’s what sets Barklove apart, as the entire experience is tailored to how dogs move, feel and explore the world. If Barklove is a festival, then the true headliner is the dog-loving community that will help shape it. ‘They’re some of the kindest, most passionate people I’ve met,’ Nimmo-Smith says. From independent traders to dog massage therapists, the event is powered by an incredible mix of enthusiasm, knowledge and creativity. ‘Everyone’s been so generous with their time and ideas. There’s a real buzz and it feels like we’re building something really special.’

And the momentum is only growing. With early interest from other cities and a strong local response, Barklove could soon become an annual fixture. ‘I’d love to see this pop up elsewhere one day. We’ve got plenty of ideas, and I really believe it could grow into something special.’ From a curated marketplace and wellness sessions to educational talks, a fun-packed agility zone, dog-themed tarot readings, interactive art, and the crowd-favourite pawtrait photo studio, there truly is something for every dog lover to explore at Barklove. ‘Whether you’ve got a dog or just love them, it’s going to be a brilliant day. I’ll probably spend most of it just grinning at all the ridiculously cute dogs I’ll get to spot.’

Barklove, SWG3, Glasgow, Sunday 6 July.

A special season of films celebrating Glasgow Pride month

Pride - Tue 15 July

Rafiki - Sun 20 July

My Beautiful Laundrette and Queer Desi's Book Launch - Thu 31 July

Don't miss our Queer Cinema Sundays screenings the last Sunday every month

“ It feels like the national theatreof Glasgow!

More than seven long years after the curtain came down on the last performance at Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre, the stage is set for this legendary venue to finally re-open.

Mark Fisher recounts a story of lengthy delays, global pandemics and spiralling budgets, and meets a creative team revelling in the possibilities that a £40m rebirth might bring

Where were we? Oh, yes. It was April 2018 and the Citizens Theatre was rounding off its inhouse spring season with Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night. It was a cracking show, with an explosive George Costigan as the patriarchal James Tyrone, marking yet another tough, intelligent production by artistic director Dominic Hill. The idea was the Glasgow theatre would then close for refurbishment (fix all those leaks where the rain got in, restore the crumbling walls, reconfigure the foyer) and spend a couple of years in exile up the road at Tramway. After that, it would return to a fancy new building in the autumn of 2020.

Was that wishful thinking? It’s rare for a big building project to run to schedule and this one was certainly big. The initial budget was £19.4m and promised the largest structural changes since the theatre was built in 1878. Indeed, it took less than a year for the budget to be revised upwards to £21.5m and the return date put back to summer 2021.

That was before the contractors had moved in. A building that originally opened as Her Majesty’s Theatre And Royal Opera House with a production of Ali Baba And The 40 Thieves (beset by technical problems of its own) was bound to offer a few snags along the way. And there were snags: who knew the safety curtain would be full of asbestos? Who knew it would have to be sliced apart before being taken out? Who knew the delays that would follow?

But that was not all. Cataclysmic forces were at play. Far beyond anyone’s control was the double whammy of Brexit and the pandemic. One created labour shortages. The other ground everything to a halt. Both sent costs spiralling. Throw in a rate of inflation that peaked at 11.1% in 2022 and you start to see how the two-year refit turned into seven and the budget more than doubled. The estimate is now a reported £40m.

All of which means when the Citizens finally reopens in September, we will be in a different era. The last time any of us saw a show there, Theresa May was prime minister, Keir Starmer was serving in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet, Succession was yet to be broadcast, and a Chinese app called TikTok was just catching on. We had never used the words covid, deepfake or Lewis Capaldi, and we didn’t know who Greta Thunberg was.

You only have to look across the road through the big glass windows of the roomy new Citz foyer to see the changes. It is not just the peoplefriendly bus gate and cycle lane outside that are new. When the theatre closed, the rubble was still being cleared away from the demolished tower blocks of Laurieston. They, in turn, had replaced the terraces that had made the Gorbals one of the most densely populated areas in Europe. Now, housing has returned.

In 2025, the Citizens opens to find itself once again at the heart of a community. Residents of the 900 new red-brick apartments and town houses are eligible to see any show for £5 at the famously egalitarian

theatre. They do not even have to go inside to see the first change. In recent times, the building’s yellow-brick exterior had merged blandly with the front of the procurator fiscal’s office next door. Now, thanks to architects Bennetts Associates, it has a frontage of its own: an imposing oblong block. Its black bricks contrast with six gleaming white stone statues breaking the horizontal line at the top. They were part of the 1878 façade and more recently stationed in the foyer. Below them, the theatre’s name is written in extravagantly large letters. This is a theatre that proclaims its presence.

It also trumpets its past. The statues (four Greek goddesses plus Burns and Shakespeare) are only the first reminder of what has gone before. Although the foyer has been rationalised into a single-level unified space, with no awkward corners or varying heights, it also retains a rough-andready character by exposing the sandstone of the original Victorian exterior. The walls bear the scars of bricked-up windows, joist holes, former staircases, and nearly 150 years’ worth of wear and tear.

‘It’s had an awful lot of TLC,’ says Graham Sutherland, head of production, proudly showing off the building. ‘But we didn’t want to tidy it up too much. The stonemasons were appalled, but we didn’t want it to feel like a church. As you go around the building, you can see the exposed stone, so it orientates you.’ The auditorium, of course, is all history, the place of so many theatrical memories, not least from the 33-year reign of Giles Havergal, Philip Prowse and Robert David

MacDonald. From the early 1970s, this triumvirate established the company as a European powerhouse, the kind of place you could see Pierce Brosnan, Anita Dobson, Rupert Everett, David Hayman, Glenda Jackson, Ian McDiarmid, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Tim Roth and Mark Rylance, often in neglected masterpieces.

‘The artistic heritage of the theatre is there all the time,’ says Dominic Hill, whose production of Small Acts Of Love, a Lockerbie drama by Frances Poet and Ricky Ross, will re-open the theatre in September as part of what he’s calling a homecoming festival. ‘We can’t replicate that heritage, but we can maintain the sense of it being a really important theatre in Glasgow that produces the most exciting work for everybody. We still have the great productions of the classics and the participation programme that has been there since the 70s. There is now also a greater emphasis on new work, new artists, and work that represents Glasgow. The variety of work is going to be greater than before.’ Further productions before the end of 2025 include Douglas Maxwell’s So Young, Kieran Hodgson’s Voice Of America and Barrowland Ballet’s The Gift Wisely, they have kept the auditorium as audiences remember it, save for improved wheelchair access and a refurbished upper circle that has increased total capacity from 451 to 654. Even keeping it the same was a major job: they had to dig up the floor of the stalls to install a natural ventilation system and upgrade the walls to improve fire safety. On the other side of the curtain, there is a new fly tower, a stage with

a standard 1:24 rake and space enough for actors to make comfortable entrances from all corners. Out in the public corridors, there is yet more history: interior windows overlook the construction workshops, the dock door and a rare collection of Victorian stage machinery, all ropes and wooden fly wheels with the charm of a Heath Robinson cartoon. The interpretation areas are a key part of the redevelopment.

‘We’re building heritage work into lots of our homecoming activities,’ says Catrin Evans, director of the Participate community programme. ‘It isn’t just teaching people about the Citz, it’s about using this building as a starting point for teaching people about the Gorbals and the wider heritage here.’ Her work with local schools and other neighbourhood groups is one of the big beneficiaries of the refit. At her disposal is an upstairs rehearsal room and a second mixed-use participation space at ground level. She is delighted.

Just as exciting is a handsome new 150-seat studio theatre. Its inaugural production will be Close, devised by the Young Co with writer Jenny Knotts, and inspired by another slice of history: the experimental Close Theatre Club that ran here in the 1960s. ‘The studio changes everything,’ says Hill, hoping to fill some of the void left by The Arches and enable artists to create small-scale work. ‘There isn’t another space of this size in Glasgow. There is potentially a little touring circuit with us and the

studios at Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Pitlochry and Inverness.’ The changes are not just about space, much of it reclaimed from empty areas that once belonged to the neighbouring Palace Theatre (demolished in 1977) and by extending a few metres on the building’s south side. The changes are also about flow. Gone is the hotchpotch warren of corridors and offices and, in its place, a more logical arrangement that should mean easier circulation and a sense of everyone sharing the same space.

‘The Citz does bring lots of different communities and lots of different shows together,’ says Evans. ‘Because of the flow of the building, I feel like people are going to be saying hello to each other and seeing what’s going on. It encourages it to feel animated.’

‘Seven years is a long time and so much has changed,’ says Hill. ‘What feels unique is you’ve got a theatre in the central belt that houses everything: a studio, workshops, rehearsal rooms and an extensive participation programme. As a focal point for artists and communities creating work, it feels exciting, new and unlike anywhere else. It feels like the national theatre of Glasgow!’

Small Acts Of Love, Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Tuesday 9 September–Saturday 4 October; Close, Citizens Theatre Studio, Glasgow, Wednesday 8–Saturday 11 October.

Bagpipes, Beats and Banter:

Nearly 1,000 pipers are calling visitors to the UK Pipe Band Championships this July for what promises to be a spectacular day of piping, drumming and traditional Scottish music fun for all the family.

Taking place for the first time at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, on Saturday 12 July, the event will showcase musical talent and celebrate cultural heritage, thrilling audiences with performances, workshops and world-class bands.

1,556 pipers and drummers of all ages will be taking part in the competition at the Royal Highland Centre, Scotland’s largest indoor and outdoor venue. More than 60 bands are competing, with participants travelling from as far as Melbourne,10,542 miles away, to take part.

The family-friendly event is expected to attract 12,000 spectators, and its free for children under five. Plenty of delicious food and drink stalls will also be on offer, to make it a full day out for everyone. Car parking

the UK Pipe Band Championships is set to drum up a spectacular show

is available, but those travelling locally are urged to consider taking the tram or dedicated 98 Lothian Bus service.

Mark Currie, director of venue, Royal Highland Centre, said: ‘We are thrilled to be working in partnership with the RSPBA on this prestigious event for the first time. From the first march to the final

flourish, this event brings together incredible talent, proud tradition, and an unbeatable atmosphere for audiences of all ages. Royal Highland Centre has always been dedicated to providing a platform to home-grown organisations, like The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, for example, and so we couldn’t be prouder to be hosting their UK Championships.’

Visit the Royal Highland Centre website for more information and to purchase tickets - www.royalhighlandcentre.co.uk

To The A From The

As the three-day TRNSMT behemoth descends on Glasgow Green once more, Danny Munro takes us on a (sometimes tenuous but always enjoyable) alphabetical journey through the festival’s 2025 line-up

F unlikely

A#One of the many men headlining this year’s festival, 50 Cent is the only numerically titled artist on the TRNSMT bill and one who requires no introduction. Be it ‘Candy Shop’ or ‘P.I.M.P.’, expect to hear a sleek rundown of the Queens veteran’s extensive greatest-hits collection.

Fresh from supporting Dua Lipa on a 23-date arena tour, Alessi Rose’s knack for penning love songs and break-up ballads laced with wit and selfeffacing humour have helped her garner an impressively large following at the age of just 22. Catch Rose at Glasgow Green before she starts selling out stadiums on her own.

BA two-time Scottish Album Of The Year Award nominee, local rapper Bemz will draw a sizeable crowd to the BBC Introducing Stage on opening day. Always grinning between bars, Bemz radiates infectious positive energy and a palpable passion for live performance.

C

Confidence Man have spent the last two years being the ‘it’ group of the electronic music world, and they don’t appear to be disappearing anytime soon. Amid another busy summer of festival hopping, the upbeat Aussies have pencilled in a stop at the King Tut’s Stage, and you’re unlikely to see them in a more intimate environment anywhere else.

DFresh off the back of her debut single ‘That Beat’ and a coveted slot at Terminal V festival, 2025 has been an exciting year so far for Dominique Always fast-paced and unrelenting, you’ll certainly never be bored watching a Dominique set.

Dominique set.

EEva made headlines in 2023 after admitting she thought she had been victim of a ‘bam up’ when asked to play TRNSMT. Two years on, with sets at FLY and SWG3 under her belt, DJ Eva is back for round three.

FFourth Daughter is the alias of Emily Atkinson, an Edinburgh-based electro producer with an incredible knack for crafting songs from scratch at an impressive speed. Always armed with a drum pad and mic, Fourth Daughter elevates her DJ sets into performances. Think Fred Again, but less annoying.

G Indie rock duo Good Neighbours were catapulted from obscurity last year after debut single ‘Home’ hit an unprecedented 400 million streams. Now the BRIT nominees are set to rock King Tut’s Stage just days after a coveted Glastonbury appearance.

H A noisy trio hailing from Hastings, HotWax are the cool band from school who have actually managed to make things work. Earplugs may be necessary, but you won’t regret sticking around and waiting for the young colourful-haired triad to leave their mark on you.

KQ

KJIWhile perhaps booked for younger gig goers, Saturday attendees needn’t be put off by the adolescent crowds. Now three albums deep, Inhaler are well versed at winning over eclectic festival audiences and will certainly hold their own on the Main Stage.

Current darling of critics, girls, gays and anyone who appreciates good pop music, Jade is one of the most exciting names on the bill. Her debut album is set for release in September, and this time next year she may well be a headliner.

I could have sworn there was an act beginning with the letter K we were excited about, but can’t seem to find them on the line-up anymore . . . oh well, for anyone else experiencing the Mandela Effect, emerging electronic duo KuleeAngee should help take your mind off things.

LLa La has more than ten years’ experience of entertaining Scottish crowds. As ever, the local DJ’s summer calendar is fully booked, with a hometown TRNSMT appearance squeezed between glamorous sets in Tokyo, Amsterdam and LA.

MAnother artist firmly on the rise, Matilda Mann is a singer-songwriter with the world at her feet. Gathering great momentum thanks to her honest brand of pop-folk, Mann’s sensitive ballads should have the Glasgow crowd swaying.

N

NOFUN! are a nine-person strong, LA-based collective who, in spite of their name, are actually quite a laugh. Fusing rock, hip hop and everything in between, you’ll never remember each member’s name, though you will leave humming their tunes.

O

PThere is no artist beginning with the letter O on the line-up, but Nimino ends in O and, while a gossamer-thin link, it’s certainly not a stretch to say that his breakout single, ‘I Only Smoke When I Drink’, will sound phenomenal blaring out of the Dance Stage speakers.

A starlet of the NiNE8 Collective, Biig Piig (it has a P in there: get over it) is the stage name of Jessica Smyth, an all-rounder who will have no difficulty holding the attention of the King Tut’s Stage throng. Whether rapping or singing, speaking in English or Spanish, Biig Piig never sounds boring.

Q

Armed with one of the sharpest tongues in the UK’s blossoming altpop scene, Chloe Qisha will leave you wondering about your past situationships as you queue for your £7 festival pint.

SRGet yourself down to King Tut’s Stage early on Sunday, or risk missing the ‘Scottish country folk fairy’ known as Downey, an artist who has already played on the Glastonbury Pyramid Stage and looks set to continue that upwards trajectory.

TA modern-day West Coast hip-hop legend, Schoolboy Q inexplicably finds himself billed below The Script in what is a rare Scottish appearance. Get in the mood for 50 Cent’s headline slot with the help of Q’s bumper collection of hits.

Country music has been missing from this list so far, but Tanner Adell is here to remedy that. A Nashville resident, you may have heard Adell on Beyonce’s ‘Blackbiird’, an instantly iconic Beatles cover that would sound mighty fine ringing out towards the Gorbals.

UAmong a multitude of up-and-coming DJs are scene stalwarts Underworld, who require no introduction. Yes, they’ll play that song, but their bangers don’t start and end at ‘Born Slippy’, with the duo having nearly 40 years’ worth of slammers to choose from.

VWhat do you get when you cross three Glaswegians and two Dutch musicians with techno, punk and hardcore? You get Vlure, a beautiful, sweaty amalgamation of high-tempo noise, making for a breathless live experience.

WAn esoteric Southampton quintet, Welly write witty tracks about suburban life and don’t take themselves particularly seriously. Beneath the irreverent lyrics, however, lie impressive guitar licks and intriguing prangs of electronica, assuring listeners this is more than just a quirky experiment.

X

Tenuously scooping up the letter X accolade is Nxdia, an Egyptian-born, Manchester-raised indie pop star. A proudly inclusive artist, Nxdia pens queer anthems and their Sunday slot should provide a moment of self-affirmation for all who are seeking it.

Y

Commuting from the other end of the M8 for a Saturday slot on the BBC Introducing Stage are Fright Years (we respectfully refer the reader back to our P justification). A four-piece formed out of art school, they craft guitar-laden soundscapes that ebb and flow gracefully between feelings of melancholy and euphoria.

Z

Capping off our list is Hayley Zalassi, trusted for both her stellar disc-jockeying skills, and for always stepping in to be the letter Z on lists like these. Producer, DJ, radio host: Zalassi does it all exceptionally well.

TRNSMT, Glasgow Green, Friday 11–Sunday 13 July; full line-up details at trnsmtfest.com

T X W lyrics, Z

Paisleyradio.com is a multi award winning online radio station with over 7 million listeners globally every month. All the way from Paisley to Peru!

With their studio in Paisley town centre, they are based right in the heart of their local community and have homegrown presenters bringing their listeners news and stories directly from the local and surrounding areas.

If you have news or a story that you’d like the world to hear about then please let us know. You can contact us by emailing studio@paisleyradio.com

ONDINE OYSTER & GRILL

After displaying the patience of saints with the never-ending building works that essentially hid his entire restaurant, Roy Brett finally shuttered Ondine in Edinburgh earlier this year and set sail for the coast. Ondine Oyster & Grill has landed in luxe new boutique hotel Seaton House, where diners can push the boat out with a whole East Neuk lobster or just pop by for some oysters. The marble-topped bar is perfect for a casual pit-stop after a blustery walk on the West Sands and it’s also slap-bang beside thon famous golf course, if that’s your thing. (Jo Laidlaw) n Seaton House, 76 The Scores, St Andrews, seatonhouse.com

eat & drink

GOING THE EXTRA

By a roadside in South Lanarkshire, the cheesemaking Errington family create ways to engage with food from the surrounding landscape. Donald Reid stops by

First, there were food miles. In fact, before that, there weren’t food miles, because for much of human history the impracticality and cost of bringing food from further away than necessary held sway over matters of provenance. Professor Tim Lang’s 1990s food-miles concept crystalised how modern systems see groceries travelling further and further to meet expectations of low cost and greater convenience, all to the detriment of the environment and, it turns out, culture. As food disappeared out of sight over the horizon, so it went out of mind.

Re-attaching ourselves to local food, and its links to identity, landscape and community, is an active theme within Scottish hospitality. In city restaurants, fine-dining destinations and many tourist itineraries, you’ll find claims of local sourcing, name-checked suppliers, hyper-local foraged items highlighted, and farm-to-fork approaches venerated. So far so good, even if committed practitioners may still find themselves shaded by those happy to pay lip-service, to window-dress or to simply deceive. That makes engaged thinking, away from the city lights or well-

worn tourist trail, even more worth noticing. Drive 45 minutes south-west of Edinburgh on the A701 (the route linking the capital to the M74 and the south) and, as Tinto Hill dominates the skyline, you’ll find Errington’s Barn, halfway between West Linton and Biggar.

If the name’s familiar, it’s part of the same operation as Errington Cheese, makers of Lanark Blue, Corra Linn and some increasingly admired raw goat’s milk cheeses, including Elrick Log and Blackmount. Run by Selina and Andrew Cairns, the farming and cheesemaking happen a few miles up into the South Lanarkshire hills, but the barely 18-month-old Barn is where they aim to complete that oh-so-simple yet oh-so-challenging circle of local food, making it relevant to the public right by the roadside.

The Barn isn’t quite as agricultural as it sounds. Pull off the road and you’ll find a smartly turned-out café, a small deli with cheese counter front and centre, a takeaway hut for coffees and breakfast rolls, outdoor tables, plus 80 acres of neighbouring woodland. Within this are some simple trails with rare-breed piglets rooting away, scions of the farm’s herd that feed on whey from the cheesemaking and supply the Barn’s small butchery unit,

MILE

which in turn provides the café with sausages, bacon, ham and other porcine bounty.

Helming the café is Ed Murray, one of the chef-founders of the muchmissed Gardener’s Cottage in Edinburgh. He’s deeply committed to the field-to-fork ethos; not just the connections from soil to grass to animal to farmer to cheesemaker or butcher, but all the way to the table. For him, the connections only truly come to life if the food is ‘fun, accessible, nourishing and, of course, delicious.’

The roadside location is also key. While inspiration in Britain is scant (Little Chefs still have a lot to answer for), Murray suggests French truck-stop bistros are ‘examples of places where some local cheese, a bit of homemade charcuterie, tasty bread and a fresh salad are appreciated.’ In this way, the relatively simple daytime menu of soups, tarts, omelettes, handmade pasta specials and cheese boards form part of the immersive experience of being on the move through the landscape. It also provides a decent bite on your travels. You might be counting the miles until you get to your destination, but they won’t be food miles.

Errington’s Barn, South Melbourne Farm, Elsrickle, daily 10am–4pm (takeaway shed 7.30am–2.30pm), erringtoncheese.co.uk

side dishes

Summer’s here and the time is right for dining al fresco. Jo Laidlaw tells you where to go

Food festivals are brilliant places to learn new skills, attempt new dishes or just try a new bottle of wine with your pals in the summer sun (we can wish, right?). Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival returns to George Square (Friday 18–Sunday 27 July) in the now traditional yearly warm-up for outdoor eating à la Fringe. There’s an array of food vendors, workshops, masterclasses and tastings, with plenty to keep the kids occupied, and regular folk performances to please your ears. Foodies Festival is back too, visiting both Edinburgh (Friday 1–Sunday 3 August) and Glasgow (Friday 8–Sunday 10 August) with their blend of MasterChefs, Michelin star-holders, Bake Off winners, bars and bands. If you’d rather stay inside, why not hit up some new openings? In Edinburgh, The Captain Darling is ready for action in Stockbridge, with an appealingly simple good-pub-grub menu sitting alongside grill specials. Or hedge your bets at W Edinburgh, where the rooftop W Deck is now open all week (you can always head inside when the sun goes down). Over in South Queensferry, The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack hits a lot of bases, with everything fishy on the menu from oysters to suppers.

Glasgow sees Scran going through a reincarnation: they’ve closed at London Road and are moving to Saltmarket to become Scran + Roadie, a New York-style pizza joint. Meanwhile Pasticcio has opened in Byres Road, promising pasta made in-house and that rarest of rare things: a decent feed for under a tenner.

INDIAN CELESTIA

Velvet booth seats and wine glasses winking in soft light welcome you to Celestia. Located in the former home of New Chapter on Eyre Place, its décor is dark, dramatic and undeniably stylish, just like its predecessor. The food is just as eye-catching, served with sprinklings of pomegranate seeds and edible flowers, but the kitchen doesn’t rely solely on dishes being photogenic: they taste good too.

To start, spicy garlic Kerala prawns pack some heat: fat, juicy and cooked just right. For mains, lamb in signature biriyani flakes like it’s been slow-cooked for hours and comes with a cooling raita to quench the satisfying heat. Vegetarian options are plentiful and plant-eaters will not feel left out: starters include jackfruit and sweet potato kebab, which comes with a moreish sweet and sour chutney, and mains include a filling urlai roast potato curry, nicely balanced with smoky, sharp masala. Garlic naan is served crispy, rather than fluffy, and laden with butter. The drinks menu holds few surprises, but Bombay Bicycle IPA satisfies that classic beer-and-curry combo with a little more class than a Kingfisher (also available), and there’s a nice selection of affordable and crowd-pleasing wines. Celestia sits comfortably between fine dining and casual; the kind of place that’s great for impressing a date or celebrating a birthday, without having to plan and book months in advance. A tasting menu is coming soon, but hopefully the focus will remain on flavourful dishes in this classy space. (Suzy Pope)

n 18 Eyre Place, Edinburgh, celestiarestaurant.co.uk; average price £35 for starter, main and side.

SPANISH CORNER SHOP

Spoiler alert: this is not a corner shop, but a wine bar and eagerly awaited opening. There’s lots of love around town for proprietor Conor McGeady, previously of The Gannet and Fallachan, and a prime location on Old Dumbarton Road has added to the anticipation for foodies. Inside, it’s a gorgeous corner unit, with bold pops of red and green set against natural wood finishes. An accessible wine list includes nearly 40 bottles and loads by the glass.

But (second spoiler alert) this feels much more like a restaurant. If the inspiration is Catalan tapas bars, it’s certainly the fancier ones. Set up for food, every nook and cranny has been turned into a spot for two covers to squeeze in. Some are a tad tight for all your small plates, but you’ll make it work. And you should, because lots of it is very good, especially things on bread. You’ll go a long way to find better pan con tomate; yellow and red varieties, briefly fermented, are intense but still vibrant, and the bread stays crisp while loaded with oil and garlic. Elsewhere, chorizo toast sees a cider sauce doing stellar work as it soaks its way up towards grilled sausage on the surface. Clever, skillful, tasty.

Some dishes frustrate: ham croquetas are elevated to the point of being neither croqueta-shaped or jamon-y enough, and the tortilla, while perfectly fine, seems to lack a bit of air. But they do nail a mighty hunk of halibut which is juicy, flaky, sliding off the bone into a butter sauce, with mushrooms adding a savoury counterpoint. Melon and ham is a joyous throwback, all swirls of nutty serrano and juicy pops of cantaloupe. While a couple of details feel like they might still be works-in-progress, no spoilers: Old Dumbarton Road’s got a good one here. (David Kirkwood)

n 45 Old Dumbarton Road, Glasgow, cornershopglasgow.co.uk; average price £32 for a selection of tapas.

TipList

BEST OF 2025 (SO FAR)

Our TipLists suggest the places worth knowing about in different themes, categories and locations. For summer, we’re tipping the new arrivals that have caught our eye so far this year. Also shiny and new is Eat & Drink 365 Edinburgh, our guide of over 50 TipLists covering eating and drinking in the city. Find it where you find your copy of The List and look out for the Glasgow version in October

Glasgow Edinburgh

CAFÉ XO AT INN DEEP

445 Great Western Road, inndeep.com

Pop-uppers Café XO took over the kitchen at Inn

Deep in March, elevating it from a great bar to an exceptional one. The menu flits around East Asia, showing plenty of imagination and skill, from sandos and rice bowls to tatties, tempuras, braised brothbased veggies and mighty meaty treats.

THE REAL WAN

10 Clincart Road, instagram.com/ therealwanglasgow

‘South-Western Chinese street food café’ is a bit of a mouthful, but you’ll find dishes here you won’t find elsewhere: fried prawn dumplings on a bed of tempura or gloriously sticky wide-ribbon noodles with lurking heat and Szechuan peppercorns.

SISTER MIDNIGHT

61 King Street, instagram.com/sister_midnight_glasgow

Flavours zing and pop at the Trongate’s new sandwich shop from Laurie MacMillan, aka Ms Cafe Strange Brew, aka Glasgow’s Brunch Queen. We’re talking focaccia sarnies of mortadella, hot honey and peppers or chicken caesar with crispy onions and an unashamed anchovy dunt.

SUB ROSA PIZZA

Unit 34, Enterprise Park, 147 Drakemire Drive, instagram.com/subrosagla

An unlikely but head-turning pizza joint based in an industrial unit at the edge of Castlemilk. A Detroit feeds two (the cheese-climb frico is majestic, crisp and defies gravity), while round pizzas are thinner, crispy and equally nailed.

TROPICAL CAFÉ

51 Bell Street, tropicalcafe.co.uk

In an attractive corner spot in the Merchant City, you’ll find excellent bone-in chicken alongside curries, burgers and fish plus nicely done staple rice and peas, sweet potato fries and crispy/gooey plantain slices. Soak up the calypso music and sip a rum cocktail or Red Stripe. All’s good. (David Kirkwood & Jay Thundercliffe)

BARRY FISH

62 Shore, barryfish.co.uk

Chef Barry Bryson makes the shift from pop-up to permanent with an unapologetically fish-forward menu, moving from ‘low-tide’ snacks and lunch, through to ‘big snacks’ then dinner. Try lobster agnolotti in a smooth bisque-like brown butter sauce with the pleasing zip of fennel and capers.

LITTLE CAPO

18 Howe Street, instagram.com/little__capo ‘Italian-ish’ Little Capo is all about feel-good, dropby neighbourhood vibes. The menu is short, with a few snacks and charcuterie alongside four or so mains, at least two of which are veg based: grilled aubergine with caponata is rustic and punchy, and there’s always a hearty pasta on offer too.

MOSS

112 St Stephen Street, mossedn.co.uk

Chef Henry Dobson’s farm-to-table venture arrived in Stockbridge with a story to tell. The well-priced à la carte features some exceptional dishes with distinct character, incorporating over 90 products sourced directly from his family farm near Dundee.

THE PITT

20 West Shore Road, thepitt.co.uk

The Pitt’s global street-food market re-opened in Granton late last year, heading for more spacious outdoor and indoor pastures by the sea. Current traders include The Buffalo Truck (buttermilk chicken) and Choola’s (Nepalese dumplings and curries), with guest vendors, coffee, music and even a sauna all part of the promising mix.

PROJECT CANELÉ

150 Dundas Street, instagram.com/ projectcanele

A lovely wee café-bakery in the New Town serving pretty speciality cakes from south-west France called canelé: moist custardy vanilla sponge with a ribbed, carmelised crust and background flavours courtesy of a tot of rum in the mix. They eat (and Instagram) very nicely. (Ailsa Sheldon, Donald Reid, Suzy Pope)

Dougal Gordon, Glenfiddich Brand Ambassador, shares his three favourite new bars

CHANCHO

7 Bernard Street, Edinburgh, instagram.com/chancho_edi

Chancho opened last summer and when I stumbled on its bright yellow façade, I immediately knew it was something special. Edinburgh’s only agavededicated bar feels like discovering a hidden piece of Mexico in Leith. The Hey Palu team have created pure magic: just show up and let their mezcal expertise transport you.

THE CLARENCE

168 Hyndland Road, Glasgow, theclarenceglasgow.co.uk

All the atmosphere of a traditional pub, plus the inviting charm of a neighbourhood dining experience means The Clarence strikes the perfect balance between casual and refined. Expect sophisticated comfort food in a candle-lit setting that feels modern and cosy. Ideal for everything from intimate dinner dates upstairs to casual drinks downstairs.

VESSEL

73 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, vesselbars.co.uk

Leith’s Pilot brewery has expanded its offering in the form of Vessel, but this isn’t just another taproom. Serving delicious small plates with their excellent beer, Vessel brings something unique to the centre of Edinburgh. If beer isn’t your thing, they do cocktails too. Whether it’s for lunch, early-doors drinks or an afterdinner beer, it’s worth checking out.

The Clarence

Ask EADith

Got a food dilemma? Need a killer rec to seal the deal? Or just want the inside track on Glasgow and Edinburgh’s eating and drinking scene? Then why not ask EADith, our Eat & Drink team’s helpful agony aunt. This month, she revisits a Maryhill institution, all in the name of a movie milkshake

Dear EADith

I’m a big movie fan and know Glasgow has been the location for many films over the years. Anywhere with some celluloid links that you recommend for a bite to eat?

Dear FilmFanBoy

FilmFanBoy

You’re right, Glasgow has been the backdrop for lots of films, from the movies of local talents Alexander Mackendrick and Lynne Ramsay to Hollywood blockbusters such as World War Z and a recent JJ Abrams shoot. One of the most famous is 1996’s Trainspotting starring Ewan McGregor, ostensibly set in Edinburgh but, as all true fans know, mostly shot in a real city. Many of the film’s Glasgow locations have disappeared, but one big exception is Café D’Jaconelli (aka Jaconelli’s) where Spud shares a milkshake with Renton before his speed-laced job interview (don’t try that at home, FilmFanBoy).

Little has changed at this Maryhill institution, despite a fire last September (during its centenary, of all years). Donations from patrons saw the café reopen just seven weeks later, back to its familiar glory: red curved banquettes around five tables (you’ll often share), ice-cream counter, sweetie-jarstacked shelves, jukebox, and fish tank. Owner James Evans is in the kitchen, keeping an eye on diners and calling out to regulars who shout back; it’s as if the late great Norm from Cheers (that’s off the telly, FilmFanBoy) walks in a hundred times a day. It’s a proper Glasgow kaleidoscope, from grannies chatting and workmen queuing, to schoolkids grabbing cones, couples dating, and weans in prams getting many kisses. They make the same ice-cream that founder Mario Jaconelli made in 1924: an excellent creamy gelato crafted into a few other classic flavours. There are cones to go, or sit in for the knickerbocker glory featuring homemade raspberry sauce. Food is café comfort: breakfast fry-ups and rolls, plus toasties, burgers, tatties, chips, and mac and cheese. It’s all diligently prepared and juggled with skill by staff keeping it cheery. And so cheap; like actual 1990s cheap: a quarter-pound burger and chips plus a sundae will get you change from a tenner to put towards your next cinema ticket.

(As told to Jay Thundercliffe)

 Café D’Jaconelli, 570 Maryhill Road, Glasgow, instagram.com/jaconellis; average price £9 for two courses.

BAR FILES

Creative folks reveal their top watering hole SINGERSONGWRITER JOSIE DUNCAN

Over the past few years, The Machair has become my favourite pub in Glasgow, which was unexpected as a southside girl! With twinkly fairy lights, charming wooden furnishings and friendly staff, it has old-school cosy pub vibes but somehow feels modern; especially with its delicious vegan options. I host a monthly informal Song Session there, and we always feel warmly welcomed. It’s the ideal place for music whether you’re dramming or not (but I can vouch that the drams are great). Even though my work means I’m often travelling far and wide, I make a huge effort to be at The Machair every month for that session because the community we’ve built and the setting feels so homely; especially with a cold crisp glass of Prosecco in my hand!

 Josie Duncan’s latest single ‘The Wee Hours’ is out now; she appears at HebCelt on Isle Of Lewis, Friday 18 July.

ART CAR BOOT SALE

Art Car Boot Sale returns to SWG3 in Glasgow for its seventh edition. One of Scotland’s biggest annual contemporary art events, it features over 70 artists (including Rachel Duckhouse, Scott Myles and Toby Paterson) and artist-led organisations, from established award-winners to total newcomers. It’s a great place to find a unique piece for your home while supporting local artists by buying directly from them. With street-food vendors and a DJ, Art Car Boot Sale has all the makings of a fantastic day out. (Isy Santini) n SWG3, Glasgow, Sunday 13 July, instagram.com/artcarbootsale_glasgow

travel & shop

WanderList: San Pedro De Atacama

With its 2700 miles of length, Chile has an enormous variety of landmass to explore. From the major metropolis of Santiago to Torres Del Paine in Patagonia, there truly is a region for every biome enthusiast. But among its plentiful natural wonders is the otherworldly Atacama Desert. Located in the northeast by the Bolivian border, the Atacama region sits at an altitude of 2400 metres and spans over 40,000 miles. These numbers explain the initial light-headedness you feel on arrival, but somehow still don’t accurately embody the vastness of this landscape.

Many tourists choose San Pedro De Atacama as their base, a lively village a few hours away from the city of Calama, home to the nearest domestic airport with regular flights to Santiago. I’d recommend renting a car from El Loa Airport to freely explore the breathtaking scenery (shuttle services are also available for non-drivers); many of my favourite moments were spent gawking out of the car windows at red-tinged canyons and herds of llama while googling ‘was The Martian filmed in Chile?’ (the answer is no but I think the location scouts missed a trick).

Despite its extreme landscapes, altitude and temperatures, Megan Merino is utterly awestruck by Chile’s northern desert region

you’re only a short walk to the charming town square and many restaurants: Adobe serves a superb high-end meal and La Picada Del Indio is vibey and great value.

Top tip: local herbs like rica rica and coca (leaves from the cocaine plant, not actually cocaine) are natural remedies for altitude sickness (thanks to the Atacameños for figuring that out) so make sure you order them in every pisco sour. Or in tea form if you’re being sensible.

Once in San Pedro, you’ll notice two things in abundance: charming adobe buildings and stray dogs. Enjoy the cuteness of the latter at a distance as you head to the hotel-heavy Caracoles Street (I stayed at Hotel Don Raúl which was excellent) where

Souvenir shops and tour agencies dominate most of the streets (alongside the pooches). Agencies all offer similar services so take your pick and book onto an epic stargazing tour (there’s a reason so many space centres are located here) and a trip to see the geysers: prepare for an early start, high altitude and negative temperatures.

Other must-sees include the Puritama Hot Springs’ cascading pools each with their own waterfalls, and the Lagoons Of Baltinache, a beautiful salt-water bathing experience. The latter also doubles as a flamingo-spotting site at key moments of the year (we just missed them in late April). Finally, head to Piedra Del Coyote to watch the sun set over the valley and ogle at the endless beauty of this barren yet abundant desert.

sanpedroatacama.com

Scotland’s Tastiest

Adventures Await

If you’re drawn to food, stories, and unforgettable experiences, you’re in the right place. From foraging feasts and wild dining to farm stays, distillery tours, and hands-on workshops, Scotland is full of rich, immersive food and drink adventures. Think cuddling Highland cows before a local produce breakfast, crafting your own gin, or cooking over open flames with new friends.

Scotland’s food tourism scene is thrivingoffering not just a taste of place, but a true connection to the people and passion behind ever y bite. And we at Scotland Food & Drink, with par tners like VisitScotland, are helping businesses deliver just that: authentic , memor y-making experiences.

Curious what’s out there? We’re here to inspire your next booking, recommendation, or spur-of-the-moment escape. Dive in, eat well, and make memories.

Tasty Experiences to Try

Lobsters at Lunan

Feast on fresh, locally-caught lobster and crispy baked potatoes with Rae’s of Montrose, right on the stunning Lunan Bay coastline. Book here: raesmontrose.com/bookableexperiences/lobsters-at-lunan

Wilson’s Farm & Kitchen – Scottish Borders

From field-to-fork tours to BBQ feasts, enjoy local produce and warm hospitality at this third-generation farm in the beautiful Borders. Book here: wilsonsfarmandkitchen.com

Pictured: Lobsters at Lunan and Scottish Tea House

Oyster Tours – Argyll Coast

Go behind the scenes with the Caledonian Oyster Company, learn how to shuck, and sample the f reshest oysters straight f rom the sea. Book here: pierhousehotel co.uk/offers/oystertours

Inside Holyrood – Edinburgh

Take a distiller-led tour through this innovative city-centre distiller y, crafting spirits with heritage malts and bold techniques. Book here: holyrooddistiller y co.uk

Tea Tour – Lanarkshire

Explore how tea is grown in Scotland with a tour of the Scottish Tea House garden, sensor y tastings, and a delightful afternoon tea.. Book here: scottishteahouse com/copy-of-teahouse

Feel free to tag @scotfooddrink, @visitscotland and use #ScotFoodTourism to share your own delicious discoveries!

my favourite holiday

Comedian Ayo Adenekan relives how an unexpected rise in histamine levels on holiday ruined his chances of becoming a professional footballer

When it comes to holidays, I don’t have a wealth of experience. Probably due to my early adult years being clouded by a certain worldwide incident restricting travel across the globe. Or maybe because my passport expired and getting it renewed is still on my long to-do list. That being said, one holiday memory that sticks out from my youth was when I was about 12. My mum, my older sister and I went on a wee trip to Barcelona. It was a fun holiday; we stayed in an apartment where the TV only played in Spanish but it had the Disney channel so I got to watch the classic show Good Luck Charlie, or should I say Buena Suerte Charlie

Anyway, the first few days of the holiday were class. We did all the touristy stuff; went on the open-top bus tour and all that jazz. But the trip took a turn the day we planned on going to FC Barcelona’s stadium, the Camp Nou, and I woke up with the worst heat rash you’ve ever seen. My face had doubled in size, I could hardly see and I was so itchy. I was absolutely gutted. Not because we didn’t still go to the stadium (we did), but because naive 12-year-old me thought I’d definitely meet Pep Guardiola on the tour and he’d ask me to play for Barcelona. Imagine how distraught I was when we never met Pep and I never ended up playing for Barcelona. Maybe it was the rash; maybe it was my lack of footballing ability. I guess we’ll never know.

Ayo Adenekan: Black Mediocrity, Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, Saturday 5 July, Wednesday 30 July–Sunday 24 August.

on your doorstep

Looking for a film tour with a difference?

Kevin Fullerton aims his clapperboard at some remote locations across Scotland that will make even the most ardent cinephile ditch the silver screen for a day and lace up their walking boots

PENNAN

This sleepy coastal village in Aberdeenshire, which stood in for the fictional village of Ferness in Local Hero, loses none of its charm in real life. The film’s famous red telephone box is still there, and many a cinephile has visited the village to use it. It’s even got status as a listed building.

n visitabdn.com

CORROUR STATION

Danny Boyle crafted plenty of iconic shots in Trainspotting, but few beat the sight of its four troubled scallies hunched on the platform of Corrour Station. It’s a short walk from the station to Leum Uilleim, the grand vista where Renton exclaimed ‘it’s shite being Scottish!’ while swigging a quarter of Glen’s.

n corrour.co.uk/station-house

HOSPITALFIELD

Guillermo del Toro heavily features this former hospitalturned-arts haven (which offers tours of its vast grounds) in his upcoming adaptation of Frankenstein featuring a gorgeous, floppy-haired Oscar Isaac in the title role. Beat the del Toro buffs and sample its house, garden, memorial chapel and café before the gothic odyssey comes out this winter.

n hospitalfield.org.uk

Is there a sustainable and affordable way to buy and sell luxury cashmere fashion? Apparently yes, as Danny Munro discovers when speaking to the founders of Second Cashmere

Second Cashmere is an online haven for repurposed premium fashion, founded in 2020 by Lotti Blades-Barrett.

An Ethics In Fashion graduate, Blades-Barrett has devoted the last five years to mending, repurposing and rejuvenating discarded cashmere garments alongside her creative partner, Emily Smit-Dicks.

From her studio space in Glasgow, Blades-Barrett reveals that the decision to launch the brand was inspired by the eye-opening lessons she received about the reality of cashmere production while studying for her master’s degree. ‘Cashmere should be a luxury item because the amount of resources that go into producing cashmere is wild,’ she explains, contextualising the reason why your mum’s favourite cardigan cost £100. ‘The issue with the overconsumption side of things is that, while cashmere used to be very much found in luxury markets, you can now get it in Tesco or Asda. While that doesn’t necessarily always mean the quality of the cashmere is lower, it means that there’s more pressure put on a supply chain that’s already quite pressurised, because people are trying to drive down the price.’

While cashmere is typically expensive, Second Cashmere sources its materials from local textile recyclers, allowing the business to charge affordable prices. It also encourages Smit-Dicks, the brand’s creative lead, to be imaginative when it comes to reconditioning whatever second-hand treasure comes her way. ‘If we were creating mittens, we would use the sleeve of the jumper because we would make use of the rib; or we would use maybe the body of a jumper with the rib at the bottom to make a hood or a balaclava,’ adds Blades-Barrett. ‘It’s about using different aspects of what’s already there to turn into something new.’

Beyond fixing things themselves, Second Cashmere also runs mending workshops, with the aim of teaching consumers important revitalisation skills. ‘It’s all about empowering people to repair their cashmere for themselves. I think it can be a little bit overwhelming if you don’t know how to do it. But the reality is that learning how to darn your knitwear at home is not like some magic trick. You just need to know how to start.’

4 Rogart Street, Glasgow (by appointment only), instagram.com/secondcashmere; secondcashmere.com

shop talk

GREYFRIARS ART SHOP

For over 200 years, Greyfriars Art Shop has been supplying the people of Edinburgh with the best quality art supplies. Despite its impressive history, the shop remains welcoming and reasonably priced, stocking a wide range of paints, charcoals and calligraphy materials that knowledgeable staff will happily guide you through. n 1 Greyfriars & 20 Dundas Street, Edinburgh, instagram.com/greyfriarsartshop; greyfriars-art-shop.co.uk

THE YARN CAKE

This is not your average yarn shop but rather a dedicated knitting café. Enjoy a slice of cake and a coffee as you work on your latest

DARN GOOD

Get the creative juices flowing as Isy Santini selects three independent spots for art and craft lovers

masterpiece, whether knitting, crocheting, spinning or felting. Their twice-weekly knit nights are a great environment to meet likeminded friends.

n 201 Crow Rd, Glasgow, instagram.com/ theyarncake; theyarncake.co.uk

REMODE COLLECTIVE

Selling handmade, one-of-a-kind products, Remode Collective is dedicated to repurposing textiles sustainably and helping the community. They offer sewing workshops for people of all abilities, as well as a free tailoring service.

n Out Of The Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh, instagram.com/ remodecollective; remodecollective.com

BAO BUN WORKSHOP

STAND 1 STAND 2 STAND 3 STAND 4

A KICK UP THE ARTS | ANJA ATKINSON | AMANDA DWYER

BEE BABYLON | BRUCE FUMMEY | CATIE WILKINS

CHRIS FORBES | DANIEL KITSON | DARREN MCGARVEY

DEAGE PAXTON DEAN T. BEIRNE | ED PATRICK

ELAINE ROBERTSON GARETH MUTCH | GAVIN WEBSTER

JAY LAFFERTY | JO CAULFIELD | KAI HUMPHRIES

KELLY RICKARD | LIAM FARRELLY | MARIA MCAVEETY

MARK THOMAS MATERIAL, GIRL | PAUL MCCAFFREY

PAUL MCDANIEL | PAUL SINHA | PHIL O’SHEA

RALPH BROWN | RICHARD BROWN | RICHARD HERRING

ROBIN GRAINGER | ROBIN INCE | SEYMOUR M ACE

SIMON MUNNERY | TAM COWAN | TERRY CHRISTIAN

TOM STADE | VLADIMIR MCTAVISH | THE WEE MAN WHO AGREES? & MORE!!

SUPERMAN

In these times of ‘strongmen’ leaders cosplaying as representatives of working folk when they’re really just all in it for themselves, who will fight for the common people? If he was real, then Clark Kent probably would. He returns for another reboot as Superman, this time with David Corenswet in the role of the phone box-visiting hero as he attempts to reconcile his Krypton and Kansas identities. A supporting cast to die for, Rachel Brosnahan will be marvellous as Lois Lane, while Nicholas Hoult morphs meanly into Lex Luthor. (Brian Donaldson)

 In cinemas from Friday 11 July.

going out

“ I got the opportunity to do things

f ilm • mlif lif• m •

I’d

What attracted you to make Harvest? The attraction was Athina as a filmmaker, as someone who has her own voice as a filmmaker, and I think doesn’t take any shit from anybody. I don’t think she can be controlled or will ever be controlled. She makes cinema for herself in the sense that she believes in what she is making, and for her to make something, it’s going to be extremely important to her. That’s the same for me.

Where were you shooting in Scotland? How did you find it? We were staying in Oban, but everything took place a two-mile walk from where we were living.

Had you been to Scotland before? No. I’ve been to Ireland, and I thought that was the most beautiful place I’d ever been. And then Scotland kind of went ‘hey, we’re a bit bigger. We got a little bit more land over here!’

Caleb Landry Jones is one of the most unique actors in cinema and has worked with some of the best indie directors around, including the Safdie Brothers (Heaven Knows What), Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Justin Kurzel (for his Cannes-winning turn as a real-life killer in Nitram). Now, Texas-born Jones stars as Walter in Harvest, the new film from Athina Rachel Tsangari, a mysterious, ethereal drama set in rural Scotland in the Middle Ages. He talks to James Mottram about innocent beginnings, waving swords around and getting his hands dirty feeling

How did you prepare? I bought a bunch of books from a Waterstones about bugs and trees. I don’t have a very good memory, so none of it really stuck, but I was trying desperately to figure out which birds were which, and which trees were which, because I needed to know these things for the film. I had different plants on flashcards so I could remember what this did and what this did and what this did. But I’m not so good at retaining information in that way. Luckily for me, Walter was a character that was more about sensing things and feeling things and so, for me, it was a similar approach. At some point, I just had to leave the books alone. It was more about just getting out there all the time and talking to people and hitching a ride from this person who would later be in the film, and trying to help shear sheep. Never actually shearing sheep, but rolling some wool with one of the families who are also in the film. It was just an incredible experience . . . it almost demanded you get your fingernails dirty.

never thought I would

When you started out, how innocent were you when it came to Hollywood and the film business? I came out to LA wanting to work with people like Lindsay Anderson. And I was so stupid in that regard. When I got an agent, I gave him [Visconti’s drama] The Leopard and told him ‘this is the kind of stuff I want to make.’ And he still hasn’t watched the movie! So I was very delusional in the sense of what Hollywood was. I had no idea. Didn’t even know what Los Angeles looked like. I just heard it was cheaper than New York, so I went there!

How do you reflect on your career now? I’ve been so lucky. I’ve gotten to travel the world; I’ve gotten these great opportunities. But these are all choices you make yourself. I was going out to Los Angeles, not knowing anyone . . . with this delusion that I’m going to become an actor, and it will work, and I will be a part of films. Most of my friends are musicians and artists and they also have this in them.

You’ve also released four albums. Do you have a yearning to do more? There’s a few albums out that nobody buys. So I guess it’s not that commercial.

A couple of years back, you won Best Actor in Cannes for Nitram. How gratifying was that? Extremely. That was an incredible moment for me. I mean, I didn’t do very well when I got up there and tried to remember people’s names. But no, that film was extremely important for me.

You’ve reunited with director Luc Besson, with whom you made DogMan, on his new film Dracula: A Love Tale. What can you say? It’s a much bigger scale than DogMan, for sure. But Luc has a way; it’s very intimate. And I got the opportunity to do things I’d never thought I would. I was on horses and waving a sword around and wearing armour!

Harvest is in cinemas from Friday 18 July.

GAELIC CULTURE

MAIDEN MOTHER MAGE

Culross Abbey is the setting for Maiden Mother Mage, three poetic monologues about sixth-century noblewoman Thaney (better known as St Enoch of Glasgow, mother of St Mungo). She is reborn via the pen of Rebecca Sharp, inaugural artist-in-residence at St Andrews University’s Centre For Energy Ethics. Her verse play (a site-specific performance with an original live score) is published by Matecznik Press in July and the production will travel to Glasgow Cathedral in September.

‘There have been various claims to her story, but never in her own words,’ says Glasgow-born, Fife-based Sharp. Yet Thaney’s voice is set to reverberate in venues encountering her contemporary visage. ‘We meet her in triple form,’ says Sharp: as Maiden, a young exiled girl played by Israela Efomi; as Mother (Taylor Dyson) ‘making sense of things at Culross’; and as Mage (Fletcher Mathers and Heather Cochrane taking the roles in separate productions) ‘setting the record straight in Glasgow.’

Threefold too is the linguistic weave: the text combines English, Scots and Gaelic as a confluence of language, culture, time and place. Dispelling historyplay tropes, Sharp’s protagonist slips in and out of contemporary speech, becoming ‘a guide for the times we’re in, rising against violence and abuses of power.’ Community engagement is key to the project and curated work from participants can be explored at both performances in Thaney’s Haven: Stories Of Refuge And Recovery, Sharp’s initiative with women’s groups in East Lothian, Fife and Glasgow, in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland. (Marcas Mac an Tuairneir)

 Culross Abbey, Thursday 17–Saturday 19 July; Glasgow Cathedral, Thursday 18 September.

Go trainby

Discover hidden gems and iconic attractions when you go by train.

3 mins

• Dundee • V&A Dundee

VIC’S PICKS

IBBC broadcaster, author, actor, musician, DJ, and now a List columnist, the lad Galloway flicks through some music listings to choose top gigs across July and August in variously sized rooms and across different genres . . .

f you were to hand the auspicious title of Party Band At The Gates Of Hell to anyone, it should probably go to Warmduscher. These punk-funk debauchees emerged from the swamp over ten years ago in the shadow of South London subversives Fat White Family, and against all odds have become a genuine marvel both on wax and onstage. Join characters such as Clams Baker Jr, Quicksand, The Witherer and Mr Salt Fingers Lovecraft for a golden shower of sleazy, chant-along, dirty disco and dodgy dance anthems, as they draw from their five full-length albums at Glasgow Queens Park Arena (Saturday 5 July). It feels so bad, it has to be good for you.

Salt a Arts

If eccentric, unique pop is your thing, yet more legends grace our land in the form of Brazilian psych-lords Os Mutantes. Don a kaftan, lysergically enhance your mind, and take a skip down to Òran Mór in Glasgow (Wednesday 23 July) for a dissident dose of tropicalia. Originally active from the mid 60s until the late 70s, the band returned in 2006 and have been around ever since. Bossa nova, freaky fuzz guitars, tripped-out harmony vocals, and an array of unusual, outsider instruments all vie for your attention across a stunning back catalogue. Their 1968 self-titled debut is a classic.

As we move into August, it isn’t just the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe that should be grabbing headlines. Music fans do actually exist outwith the central belt, you know! Those true believers at Big Rock Records have delivered a mouthwatering line-up for their sophomore Lughnasadh Festival in the Forgan Arts Centre, Newport-On-Tay (Saturday 2 August). Witness the cream of contemporary Scottish indie, jazz, dance and experimental pop from the likes of Kathryn Joseph, corto.alto, Sacred Paws and Free Love.

Another gathering taking place for a second year, and the brainchild of local lads Mogwai, Big City happens across Kelvingrove Bandstand and the QMU in Glasgow (Saturday 16 August). As the ’Gwai take a backseat this year, headliners include doomfolk collective Lankum and Super Furry Animal-gone-solo, Gruff Rhys, with worthy support arriving from recently reformed shout-popsters Prolapse, and Luke Sutherland’s dreamy Rev Magnetic among others. This summer, as you can tell, the counterculture is certainly alive and kicking . . .

 Listen to Vic Galloway every Monday and Wednesday night on BBC Radio Scotland; he is co-curator and host for the Wavelength music film festival as part of Fringe By The Sea, North Berwick, Friday 1–Sunday 10 August.

OBITUARY

GEORGETTE RENWICK

We are sorry to report that Georgette Renwick, The List’s first accounts manager, has died suddenly after a fall. She kept the show on the road through the magazine’s early difficulties and went on to stay for 26 years. Georgette joined the company in 1986 when the magazine was in its infancy; they were exciting but tough times and the accounts department were under more pressure than anyone, with substantial trading losses coming up against limited resources.

Georgette would always remain extremely calm and optimistic even when sheriff officers were calling in at the office to seize computer equipment which they threatened to confiscate and sell at auction (they were chasing payment for the rates and for HMRC). But there was simply not enough money to go round. Georgette had been told to prioritise staff and individuals ahead of the government and local authorities. But this was easier said than done with cheques bouncing, bank managers fretting and creditors demanding all at once.

Georgette’s remarkable resilience and strength of character never faltered. These qualities had enabled her to triumph over numerous challenges from her childhood. In time, we began to earn enough to pay our way and eventually cleared our debts. Georgette was able to relax and would lead the way in celebrating the good times, dancing the night away at many List parties. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to her husband George, her daughter Caroline, her son George Michael, and to her grandchildren. (Robin Hodge).

STEPPING UP

Celebrating emerging artists and seasoned dancers, Ballet Nights aims to offer something new to audiences. Kelly Apter learns from the project’s director Jamiel DevernayLaurence that this new concept is all about balancing the palate

They may have been born outside Scotland, but when Sophie Martin (France), Constance Devernay-Laurence (France) and Eve Mutso (Estonia) step onto the Theatre Royal stage in Glasgow, it will be a homecoming of sorts. All three spent years dancing with Scottish Ballet and graced that same stage on countless occasions. Back then, however, they were one of many; this time they’ll be stars of the show.

Conceived and directed by Jamiel Devernay-Laurence, Ballet Nights is a new concept that aims to put dance and dancers exactly where they belong: in the spotlight. A former dancer with Scottish Ballet himself, he quickly discovered upon leaving the company that the life of a freelance dancer isn’t easy. And, despite the enormous amount of training required, the strict lifestyle and short career, the recompense is in a different universe to comparable careers like football.

Devernay-Laurence’s aim with Ballet Nights is to showcase young, up-and-coming talent alongside seasoned dancers, in a way that lets the audience know exactly who’s on stage and how they can follow them. ‘Very rarely does anyone stand up and actually tell people what they’re seeing, who they’re seeing, and where they can see them next,’ he says. ‘So, we’ve

become this kind of taster platform, that should have already existed and that’s present in every other ecology and economy but doesn’t really exist in dance in the same way yet.’

Alongside the three former Scottish Ballet principals mentioned before (who’ll be performing works by David Dawson, Christopher Wheeldon, Peter Darrell and Kenneth MacMillan), we’ll also see Royal Ballet principal Steven McRae dancing his own piece, ‘Czárdás’. They’ll be joined by Caspar Lench (who recently won Emerging Artist at the National Dance Awards), contemporary dance duos Ekleido and BlacBrik, and this year’s graduates from the BA Modern Ballet Programme at the Royal Conservatoire Of Scotland.

‘I’m looking for balanced curation and we’re definitely a platform that experiments and tries new things,’ explains Devernay-Laurence. ‘The ballet gala format, which is the only real comparison found across the world, tends to be pas de deux after pas de deux, and it can become repetitive. You don’t actually want to see the best bits of Don Quixote or Giselle back-to-back; it doesn’t balance the palate. And there’s so much more to the dance story and the dance fabric. So, we have emerging artists, legacy classics, modern

masterpieces and world stars. And we celebrate new voices alongside big names like Sophie Martin and Steven McRae.’

As for his role as compere, Devernay-Laurence fell into it by accident when they couldn’t afford printed programmes for the first edition of Ballet Nights back in 2021. Discovering that audiences responded to his introductions, and that it helped convey just who the talented artists on stage are, he built it into each performance. The concept has come a long way since then, attracting financial investors, receiving the backing of the UK’s big ballet companies, and branching out into theatres across Europe.

‘The format is king because it protects the audience from having to sit through too much of one thing,’ says Devernay-Laurence. ‘It’s quite a big ask to say to someone that’s never been to dance before: you’re going to sit through a three-hour Sleeping Beauty. So how do we edge audiences towards that? Well, we introduce them to a taste of everything. That’s why we have such support from dance companies, because we’re not there as competition.’

Ballet Nights, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Friday 4 July.

DARA Ó BRIAIN

COMEDY MY COMEDY HERO GIANMARCO SORESI

So many of my comedy heroes have let me down in the past few years, whether it be due to their political leanings, increasingly hacky material and/or their movie about breakfast pastries. But if there’s one comedian who has maintained integrity in the face of an industry that begs us to stretch ourselves too thin it’s Anthony Jeselnik. Never one to rush his work or delivery, each of his specials is a testament to just how much a punchline can surprise the audience.

And then there’s his persona. In a landscape where being yourself and sharing your true feelings is commercially possible (thank god, for my sake), the character of Anthony Jeselnik is as much a creation as Rodney Dangerfield’s ‘I don’t get no respect.’

Except Jeselnik respects nothing, allowing him to say things that ‘this is who I really am’ comedians could never do lest their laptops get confiscated by the authorities. Comedy becomes dated very fast but, in the same way that Dangerfield routines are so well written that they hold up today, I believe Jeselnik’s jokes will stand the test of time.

I should also mention two other comedians: Geoffrey Asmus and Chris Fleming, who I’m too close in age to call ‘heroes’ but whose work fills me with deep insecurity that, like shit used as fertiliser, helps me grow.

 Gianmarco Soresi: The Drama King, Glee Club, Glasgow, Sunday 17 August; Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, Monday 18–Sunday 24 August.

THEATRE CHICAGO

West coast lovers of jazz and sequins, fear not; if you missed the pizzazz of the recent Edinburgh leg of the longest-running American musical, Glasgow now gets to embrace the sultry sin and fishnets of Chicago. Alongside show-stopping numbers ‘Cell Block Tango’ and ‘When You’re Good To Mama’, audiences have further reason to see this production, as West End and TV star Darren Day and international recording artist Sinitta join the cast in leading roles as Billy Flynn, top criminal defence lawyer, and Mama Morton, shrewd prison matriarch with an eye out for her girls (at a cost). Strictly’s Janette Manrara takes the plum role of Roxie Hart, while returning cast members include scene-stealing Djalenga Scott as Velma Kelly.

The razzle-dazzling decadence of the roaring twenties spills out in Chicago’s seedy underbelly of crime, passion and media spin as Roxie (a housewife who murdered her lover) dukes it out with rival cellmate Velma for the tabloids’ affections. No stranger to playing the show’s silver-tongued lawyer, this will be Day’s return to the role while Sinitta is also familiar to long-time musical fans after performances in Mutiny! and Cats. (Dominic Corr)

 King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Monday 18–Saturday 23 August.

Kindred SPIRITS

Sufi Festival is returning to Glasgow, expressing the vitality and creativity at the heart of this particular branch of Muslim spirituality. Gareth K Vile talks to organiser Tariq Mahmood about the key role women play in the festival and his hope that audiences will feel a spiritual connection across the weekend

Although Tramway is best known for its adventurous programme of performance and visual arts, the upcoming Sufi Festival speaks to the venue’s eclectic and bracing curation, as well as expressing the vitality and creativity at the heart of a specific branch of Muslim spirituality. With events ranging from a qawwali concert (a form of devotional singing) to academic speakers and storytellers, the festival is a vibrant celebration of Sufism which, for its previous outing in 2019, had the character of a community gathering combined with a religious festival.

‘There’s a hadith [a saying by the prophet Muhammad] that “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty,”’ says Tariq Mahmood, chair of Sufi Festival. ‘Sufism is very much about the kind of deeper aspirational and optimistic hopes that human beings aspire to; and to be able to see the deeper meaning of existence in life . . . arts and artform expressions are a way of being able to manifest those ideas and ideals.’

One festival strand is the presence of female storytellers, lecturers and poets. ‘Islam has been portrayed as excluding women; actually, they absolutely play a significant role. We have an excellent combination of female contributors this year and I’m really proud of that,’ says Mahmood. ‘Sit down and listen to Jumana Moon, who we have returning to the festival for the third time, and you are totally in awe. She is absolutely amazing.’

Across the weekend, the breadth of Sufi spiritual creativity is thoroughly represented. On the Saturday evening, a panel of invited speakers explore the philosophy and concepts of Sufism, including a lecture from British Sufi slam-poetry queen Sukina Noor, who will also be performing the following day. On the Sunday night, the closing qawwali concert features Hamid Ali Naqeebi, while the Istanbul Sema Group (Turkey’s premier independent whirling dervishes) offer a ritual ceremony.

‘One aspect of Sufism is around meditative states of artistic expression,’ explains Mahmood. ‘There’s something really hypnotic about qawwali and the whirling dervishes, so it draws audiences into that connection with beauty, the divine, the universal, or whatever you want to call it. But it’s real; you can feel it!’

Sufi Festival, Tramway and The Hidden Gardens, Glasgow, Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 July.

MUSIC THE GLASGOW BARONS

Encouraged by their first Early Music Festival’s success last year, The Glasgow Barons return with more. Bringing together some of Scotland’s finest early-music artists, there are free concerts at lunchtimes as well as ticketed evening events, all within the magical setting of Govan Old Parish Church, home to the remarkable 9th/10th-century Govan Stones.

‘Everything we do is about the regeneration of Govan and bringing people into Govan,’ says artistic director Paul MacAlindin. ‘It’s an area of deep, multiple deprivation with Govan Old slap bang in the middle of it.’ An ancient site of Christian worship, the church is ideally suited to the festival’s medieval and baroque programming. ‘We tested it with a vocal quartet and it just lit up, with voices pinging off the back wall,’ explains MacAlindin. ‘We’ve now built up a well-curated festival of local artists, people who specialise in early music in Scotland. In doing so, we have a hyper-local approach, always looking to our doorstep first.’

Right on that doorstep are vocal group Luchair Ensemble from Glasgow University, focusing on medieval repertoire, and Dunedin Consort with baroque trios. MacAlindin is particularly excited by The Wallace Collection with Steampunk Brass. ‘They don’t often get to play on their personal collections of unusual instruments. They’re all complete nerds and I asked for their nerdiest; the stuff no one ever sees or hears.’ Last year, the concerts were highly popular and MacAlindin anticipates the same again. ‘It’s not about an early-music audience, it’s about people loving the vibe. This is happening at a particular time in Govan’s history when people are really curious. But it’s also meditative and healing through the fit between music and place.’

(Carol Main)

DANCE RAMBERT

Rambert, the UK’s oldest established dance company, is back with a new double-bill: Kismet will pair two very different works for a show that celebrates the art of embracing the unknown, and places a fresh voice alongside an established favourite. Inspired by the Spanish word for ‘breeze’, dance veteran Johan Inger’s cult ‘B.R.I.S.A.’ lands on British stages a decade after its premiere in the Netherlands. Inger marshals 12 dancers into a joyful leaf-blower maelstrom of movement, wry humour and Amos Ben-Tal’s guitar riffs channelling Nina Simone classics.

‘Gallery Of Consequence’ is a new commission from Dutch choreographer and relative unknown Emma Evelein, who makes her UK company debut with a street-meetscontemporary work about the chaos and confusion found in airports, and the connections we discover in transit. The work promises striking visuals created with AMIANGELIKA’s video design, and features a soundscape by Raven Bush (yes, Kate’s nephew).

Kismet fits Rambert’s long-standing brief of showcasing the latest new voices from around the world. Recent years have seen programming swing between canny crowd-pleasers (see their recent Peaky Blinders tie-in) and more introspective works, a breadth of scope which has left some critics unsure where the company’s artistic centre really lies. Even so, Rambert’s dancers remain renowned for their athleticism and precision, making most outings a safe bet for anyone after an accessible night of contemporary dance. (Dom Czapski)

 Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Thursday 3–Saturday 5 July.

 Early Music Festival, Govan Old Parish Church, Glasgow, Friday 25–Sunday 27 July.

GOING OUT FURTHER AFIELD

Get yourself away from the central belt and out into various parts of Scotland where the cultural landscape is just as rich and varied. Among the upcoming highlights are a classic modern musical, a sperm-donation cabaret comedy, an exhibition of Palestinian clothing design, and a legendary Glaswegian singer

ABERDEEN

SIX

One of the biggest new musical hits of this century, the show about Henry VIII’s wives reclaiming their stories started as a minor Fringe hit and now merrily winds its way to iconic status.

n His Majesty’s Theatre, Tuesday 5–Saturday 9 August.

LITTLE SQUIRT

As part of the Lemon Tree’s International Season comes this comedy cabaret about sperm donation, which follows the journey of musical comedian Darby James after he clicked on an IVF clinic advert.

n Lemon Tree, Friday 29 & Saturday 30 August.

DUNDEE

THREAD MEMORY

Marking Dundee’s 45-year twinning with Nablus, this exhibit features contemporary embroidered dresses, including newly commissioned pieces from Palestinian fashion designers who build upon their cultural traditions.

n V&A, permanent exhibition.

DUNFERMLINE

LULU

The shouty wee lassie born Marie Lawrie in 1948 has long enjoyed national-treasure status and brings effervescent energy to live performing that is the envy of folk half her age.

n Alhambra Theatre, Thursday 17 July.

INVERNESS

DEEP WHEEL ORCADIA

From the sci-fi verse novel by Harry Josephine Giles comes this fusion of performance and music from production company Scissor Kick, and featuring the likes of violinist Catriona Price and cellist Atzi Muramatsu.

n Eden Court Theatre, Friday 25 & Saturday 26 July.

PAXTON

MUSIC AT PAXTON

Another summer festival of chamber music hits the Borders with sitar supremo Jonathan Mayer, Carducci String Quartet and pianist Pavel Kolesnikov among those doing their thing.

n Paxton House, Friday 18–Sunday 27 July.

PITLOCHRY

HEADS UP

Told through a mix of theatre, film, beatbox and rap, this coming-of-age adventure is performed by a cast of young artists from refugee backgrounds, telling the tale of a younger brother trying to get his missing older sibling’s story published.

n Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Friday 25 July.

STIRLING

HANNAH RARITY

Coming on leaps and bounds since scooping the 2018 Young Traditional Musician Of The Year Award, Rarity’s voice will haunt and her songs will spellbind. n Tolbooth, Friday 29 August.

TOBERMORY

THE IMMORTAL SISTERHOOD

After a debut outing in New York’s Lincoln Center and ahead of a bigger project coming up in 2026, Gemma Cairney, Mele Broomes and Simone Seales are among those producing a collaborative work about six important figures from history.

n An Tobar, Friday 1 August.

Known chiefly as a horror helmer, and one of the best in the grisly business, Mike Flanagan turns his attention to something far sweeter. Following his adaptations of Stephen King novels Doctor Sleep (a sequel to The Shining) and psychological thriller Gerald’s Game, Flanagan takes on the author’s sci-fi short The Life Of Chuck (from his 2020 collection If It Bleeds). This is not the King of nightmares but the one behind such poignant stories as Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption

Narrated by Nick Offerman with ample avuncular charm, this film tells the tale of the titular American in inventively surreal, backwards fashion, beginning attention-grabbingly with the apocalypse. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan are Marty and Felicia, exes in the world’s dying days, who are drawn back together just as society falls apart; there’s an air of grim inevitability to it all, with the shellshocked populus seemingly worn down after a diet of relentless doom and gloom.

Although environmental catastrophe has a role in events, something much more mysterious is at play, as humanity is hastened to its demise. This mystery is epitomised by the presence of messages thanking someone called Chuck for ‘39 great years’, with this apparently unremarkable character popping up on billboards, radio advertisements and even on the emergency broadcast, to the bafflement of everyone. It’s a deliciously intriguing opener.

The film then skips back in time to fill us in on Chuck’s story. Played by Tom Hiddleston, he is a happily married accountant who also happens to be a surprisingly gifted dancer, as we see when he performs a spectacular, spontaneous routine in the street to the breathtaking beats of a busking drummer (nicely portrayed by social-media drumming phenomenon The Pocket Queen). In his exuberant, crowd-attracting efforts, Chuck is joined by Annalise Basso’s recently dumped Janice. We’re then taken back in time again, this time to Chuck’s childhood where he’s played by Cody Flanagan (the director’s son), Benjamin Pajak and, as a teen, by Room’s Jacob Tremblay. We meet the

A crowd-pleasing, life-affirming end-of-the-world movie? Emma Simmonds reckons that’s exactly what director Mike Flanagan has created with his Stephen Kingpenned The Life Of Chuck

grandparents who raised him, charmingly portrayed by Mia Sara and Mark Hamill, learn about both the tragedies this family has endured as well as the mystery of their home’s carefully locked cupola. Flanagan’s wife and frequent collaborator Kate Siegel pops up in a small role as a hippy, dippy schoolteacher.

Flanagan’s CV includes heinous horrors such as Absentia, Oculus and Ouija: Origin Of Evil, plus chilling Netflix serials The Fall Of The House Of Usher and The Haunting Of Hill House. Here, he eschews such terrifying tension for more of an 80s event-cinema feel, a magical, Spielbergian tone (a little like the one Jeff Nichols employed in Midnight Special), while the film owes a debt to Robert Zemeckis’ Back To The Future series too. Although it’s often rather lovely, Flanagan steers largely clear of overt sentimentality while the supernatural element ties it nicely to the rest of his oeuvre.

The Life Of Chuck won the People’s Choice Award at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, a prize often seen as a precursor to success at the Oscars (previous winners include Nomadland, Green Book and 12 Years A Slave, while the likes of Parasite and Anora have been runners up). But this arrives in the heat of summer, outside of awards season, a probable reflection of the fact that it feels less like an awards contender and more of a crowd-pleaser. That’s no bad thing, of course, with this narratively ingenious, reliably entertaining piece striking a satisfying balance between seismic drama and intimate emotion.

Despite mentions of the cosmic calendar and some light philosophising, there’s not a great deal of intellectual heft here (yet the cast give it weight), and an accessibility largely works in its favour. Will this film stay with you in the way it so clearly wants to? Perhaps not. It’s unlikely to actually change your worldview, though it’s nice to watch it try. And it sure is impressive how Flanagan, like King before him, spins something so life-affirming from the end of the world.

The Life Of Chuck is in cinemas from Friday 22 August.

film of the issue

THEATRE NESSIE

Something is lurking in the dark waters of Loch Ness. It’s vile and grotty, slithering its way through the depths. But there’s more litter than legend at play in Shonagh Murray’s new musical Nessie, which tackles the fight for a cleaner environment. Aimed at younger audiences, its quaint take on the Loch Ness Monster fable bubbles with original scoring, puppetry and colour. The show’s engaging narrative follows a young Highland lass (played with enthusiasm by Caitlin Forbes) who feels displaced in a messy and lonely world; emotions she might share with the real Nessie.

A significant portion of the whimsy and life in this production comes from Ella Mackay’s puppets, each more adorably marketable than the last (Keith Macpherson’s Oggie The Otter by far the runaway winner in any hypothetical ‘cuteness’ contest). Joined by Alyson Orr as Heather The Heron and Eden Barrie as Nessa, the trio are in fine form, working with any script limitations to impart energy. Beth Morton’s steady direction works within confines to precisely deliver its dual intentions of environmentalism and camaraderie.

The inaugural piece from the Musicals Commissioning Hub (a partnership between Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Nessie generates enough ripples in the pool of Scottish musicals, though the waves may not carry it much further afield. But there’s still enough creativity lurking under the surface of this charming piece to appeal to younger audiences and aspiring conservationists. (Dominic Corr)

 Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Wednesday 9 July–Saturday 16 August; reviewed at The Studio, Edinburgh.

MUSIC

SPARKS

Sparks: possibly the most German-sounding American band in history (unless you count post-techno millennials who moved to Berlin and bought drum machines, and honestly, you shouldn’t). As the two brothers, Russell and Ron Mael, respectively 76 (!) and 79 (!!), and their band of four step onto the stage in Hammersmith, the speakers belt out the last bars of John Adams’ ‘Short Ride In A Fast Machine’, which is about as highbrow and theatrical and American an intro as you could reasonably expect from a pop gig. Surrounded in a golden LED haze, the band then launch into ‘So May We Start’ from Leos Carax’s musical Annette; another highbrow detour, and one of many cultural resurgences in their long, illustrious career that has somehow never remained stuck in the past.

It’s a well-balanced show, with flashy, angular tunes such as their seminal 70s hit ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us’ interspersed with more melancholic songs like the dreamy ‘Please Don’t Fuck Up My World’. The evening soars in moments when Ron leaves his keyboard to sing ‘Suburban Homeboy’, alone on stage like a schoolboy at assembly. Later, during a musical break in ‘The Number One Song In Heaven’, Ron is up again to perform a running man shuffle, much to the crowd’s delight.

When they lean into this theatricality, the duo are marvellous. Without it, the pithiness can wear thin. Russell’s sprechgesang, pastiche-heavy delivery sometimes flattens into sameness (though others would call it an acquired taste). It’s also a shame the band playing behind the brothers isn’t drawn more into the action. But to their credit, it’s all in service of the fans: the connection between the Maels and their enraptured crowd is, at times, so electric you’d forgive them for never looking back. (Dom Czapski)

 Edinburgh Playhouse, Friday 18 July; reviewed at Eventim Apollo, London.

THE SHROUDS

‘Things are getting weird’ grumbles Vincent Cassel’s Karsh in David Cronenberg’s latest, and he’s not half wrong. The Shrouds is the Canadian auteur’s earnestly intentioned tribute to his late wife (film editor Carolyn Cronenberg who died in 2017), an intellectually curious, boundary-breaking oddity that’s bonkers even by Cronenberg’s own elevated standards.

Following the death of his own wife, a devastated Karsh dedicates himself to honouring her memory, causing a global stir with a complex called The Shrouds which combines a high-tech graveyard with a sophisticated dining space. Karsh has embedded a system called GraveTech into the tombstones, which broadcasts a live feed of each occupant’s decaying corpse to those watching, with his own wife Becca (Diane Kruger) buried in this way. Becca has an identical twin called Terry (Kruger again), a veterinarian/dog groomer, while Guy Pearce appears as the dishevelled Maury, Karsh’s tech guy and Terry’s embittered ex. After dipping his toe back in dating waters, an act of sabotage sends Karsh spiralling, with rivals and environmental groups suspected.

The film’s interrogatory nature is to be applauded; this is evidently Cronenberg getting to grips with loss using the body-horror tools at his disposal. How far and how bizarre he’s willing to go is impressive. He intelligently explores the desperation to possess a loved one (even after their death) and our unhealthy obsession with tech in the film’s engaging early scenes, while some of the eerie imagery is up there with the director’s most interesting work. However, other moments significantly cheapen things, including a clumsily realised virtual assistant. And ultimately, the classy cast struggle to make things work as the conspiracy-theory plot drags on. The Shrouds is admirable but exhausting. (Emma Simmonds)

 In cinemas from Friday 4 July.

ART

SARAH ROSE: TORPOR 

Sarah Rose’s new exhibition proposes a speculative ‘feminist energy system’ using found materials, many retrieved from industrial and corporate environments, to power sound and light networks imbued with ideas of exchange and recycling. An intricate arrangement of objects and equipment in the front gallery at Tramway includes fish tanks filled with light-absorbing organic dye (‘Torpor’) and a solar powered sound-work channelled through repurposed automobile electronics (‘Daylight Drive’). There are beautiful prints in acrylic and glass fragments, too, which reveal the spectral silhouettes of moths, while the extruded shape of a flower runs in diagonal lines suspended from the ceiling (‘Roadside Flowers’).

Glass is the stated leitmotif of the show, but rest and nocturnal life are interesting by-played themes too: nocturnal environmental recordings, nightblooming flowers, sleeping beasts. Lumps of what looks like inert porous matter on the shelves next to the fish tanks gradually reveal themselves to be models of birds and a fox in a state of summer ‘torpor’ (energy-preserving dormancy). These sculptures are almost submerged in piles of crumbled glass, as if swallowed up by sleep. In The Hidden Gardens at the gallery’s rear are solar-powered, prototype animal shelters.

There’s a lot happening in Torpor, particularly given the overlay of feminist and post-humanist concerns. If there’s a practical criticism to draw, it’s that at times the viewer is heavily reliant on the accompanying text to figure out how it all fits together. But rich auditory and visual evocations of animal life tenderise the work’s intellectual layers, allowing moments of rich sensory immersion. (Greg Thomas)  Tramway, Glasgow, until Sunday 7 September.

THEATRE CALAMITY JANE

Blowing in from the Windy City, Calamity Jane brings many a western drawl (and a few stray accents) to a packed Festival Theatre. This is one of those shows which, a bit like its post-Golden Age Hollywood roots, shimmers with a fond memory or two, but outside of a few hummed ditties and feelgood moments, there’s little impact to be felt from the production’s cracked whips and admittedly impressive visage.

The Watermill Theatre’s revived vision has much to do with its success, honing squarely in on the nostalgia, and with a crowbarred sense of humour. It’s lifted by Carrie Hope Fletcher’s enthusiasm and draw-power as the titular frontierswoman. Coiled like a rattlesnake, ready to lash out, Fletcher certainly meets many of the audience’s expectations. But as so often happens with the star-vehicle mindset, her presence takes away from others. Not an issue for co-stars Seren Sandham-Davies (Katie Brown) and Samuel Holmes (Francis Fryer) though, who develop a more absorbing side story of fame and blossoming romance.

And by the time the third (or seventh) reprisal of ‘The Black Hills Of Dakota’ rolls around, the entire theatre seems to have succumbed to the ache of it all: their wagons hitched, a steady stream of humming voices puttering out of the theatre as Calamity Jane saddles up for further stops on its tour. (Dominic Corr)

 King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Tuesday 1–Saturday 5 July; reviewed at Festival Theatre, Edinburgh.

eht erta •the atre •

FILM SAVAGES

Anyone who’s seen My Life As A Courgette knows to expect gorgeous animation from a Claude Barras film, but his latest project takes it to a whole new level. Set in the tropical Borneo rainforest, Savages is full of vibrant colours and painstaking detail brought to life by stop-motion animation. The film follows Kéria (Babette De Coster), an indigenous Penan girl without much interest in her heritage who lives on the local plantation. As tensions ramp up between local logging companies and the Penan, Kéria’s cousin Selaï (Martin Verset) is sent from his home in the rainforest to live with her. Selaï’s initially unwelcome presence alongside the adoption of a very adorable baby orangutan begin to open Kéria’s eyes to the importance of her heritage and the horrors of deforestation.

The Penan’s struggle against predatory logging companies has been ongoing since the 1960s, and while it’s heartening to see a film tackle this topic, the environmental commentary can come across as naïve. The Penan’s well-documented non-violent approach to protesting is portrayed here, but it also conflates simple illegality with violence and suggests that social-media visibility is all that’s needed to save the rainforest. In real life, these issues have been visible on social media for years, and the problem is still ongoing.

Savages is at its strongest when focusing on Kéria and her journey from an insecure, occasionally cruel child to a brave and caring member of the tribe. It isn’t a straightforward journey, however. Kéria’s father (Benoît Poelvoorde) is terrified of his daughter reconnecting with her heritage, and Kéria learns that what she at first dismisses as overprotective behaviour may have something to do with the death of her mother. The film shines in this relationship, depicting both father and daughter with empathy and realism as they grow to understand each other. Savages may struggle as an environmental call-to-action, but as an indigenous coming-of-age tale, it’s beautiful. (Isy Santini)

 In cinemas from Friday 1 August.

art of the issue

Mella Shaw’s ceramic installation exploring the often-deadly consequences of sonar on whales makes a powerful statement about the impact humans continue to have on the natural world, says Jennifer McLaren

The choice of The McManus in Dundee as the venue to host artist and environmental activist Mella Shaw’s award-winning installation Sounding Line is fitting. Here, the city’s past as a major 19th-century whaling port fuses with Shaw’s bid to raise awareness of the devastating effect marine sonar can have on deep-diving whale species that use sound to navigate underwater.

Sonar is used to explore the ocean through sound waves. Utilised in industries such as shipping, oil and gas, as well as by the military, it can cause major disruption for whales that use echolocation to move around safely, resulting in them being disorientated or stranded. This body of work is Shaw’s response to a devastating mass beaching which killed nearly 100 whales across the Hebrides and west coast of Scotland and Ireland in 2018.

Divided into two spaces, her small but powerful exhibition has an interactive element, with visitors invited to touch parts of the display in order to experience the effects of sonar for themselves. In the first space, six large, white sculptural forms are bound by vibrant red marine ropes, suspended from above. These are the sounding lines of the title:

navigational instruments used to determine the depth of water beneath a vessel. Gallery-goers can hold on to these ropes and, if you give it a little time, you begin to feel vibrations as sound waves pulse through them. Some are barely distinguishable, while others rumble fiercely in your grasp.

Shaw’s sculptures are based on the shape of whales’ tiny inner-ear bones, which are essential for their ability to echolocate. Each work is made from a unique clay body containing whalebone ash. With permission from NatureScot, she used the remains of a northern bottlenose whale that became beached on the west coast of Scotland in 2021.

In the same room is a series of photographic prints taken on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. Next door is the skull of a Cuvier’s beaked whale from the museum’s own collection, along with a six-minute film made by Shaw. In it, she wraps red rope round one of her unfired sculptural forms and slowly drags it across the beautiful white sands of An Doirlinn beach. Drawing a physical and metaphorical line in the sand as the drone camera rises upwards, the sculpture is submerged in a shallow part of the water, slowly broken apart by waves. A time-lapse shows its disintegration.

Sounding Line won the highest award for ceramics in the UK at the British Ceramics Biennial in 2023. It is perfectly placed within the context of The McManus which tells the story of Dundee’s whaling past in its permanent displays as well as housing the 40-foot skeleton of the famous Tay Whale, an ill-fated humpback that swam into the Firth Of Tay during the winter of 1883.

Sunday 18 January.

OTHER THINGS WORTH GOING OUT FOR

If you fancy getting out and about this month, there’s plenty culture to sample such as a Hollywood icon’s return to the directing chair, a loud show which proves that science is our saviour, and a touring play that hails a trio of comic legends

COMEDY

SCOTTISH COMEDY COLLECTIVE

A trio of top Caledonian wags converge for a night of hilarity well away from the Auld Reekie chaos: Jay Lafferty, Elaine Malcolmson and Cubby are your funny folks.

n Òran Mór, Glasgow, Friday 29 August.

FILM

HOT MILK

Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw and Jessie Buckley star in this drama based on the 2016 Deborah Levy novel which concerns a mother and daughter seeking a cure for a strange illness.

n In cinemas from Friday 4 July.

MODIGLIANI

Subtitled ‘Three Days On The Wing Of Madness’, this marks Johnny Depp’s long-awaited return into the director's chair and retells (as that subtitle suggests) a wild 72 hours in the life of the bohemian artist. Al Pacino, Antonia Desplat and Stephen Graham are in this.

n In cinemas from Friday 11 July.

KIDS

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE

To prove that ‘science saved the world’, this anarchic event delivers liquid nitrogen clouds, exploding balloons, ignited methane and a self-built hovercraft. It’s going to be a busy show.

n King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Monday 28 July.

MUSIC

NEW YORK PIG FUNKERS

A hometown reunion gig from the punk-funk outfit who had tracks with names such as ‘Tomato Grosso’, ‘Be That Snake’ and ‘Organ’. This one-off includes a set from DJ Fred (the lad Deakin). n Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Thursday 3 July.

THE BOOKSHOP BAND

Not many bands create tunes for a Robert Macfarlane book or are produced by Pete Townshend, but the Ivor Novello-nominated duo of Ben Please and Beth Porter come under that umbrella.

n Paisley Arts Centre, Sunday 13 July; Pianodrome, Edinburgh, Monday 14 July.

LAUDER

To mark 155 years since the birth of the tartan-clad showbusiness legend, Scottish Opera lay on a musical treat with Jamie MacDougall fronting this one-man music affair.

n Portobello Town Hall, Edinburgh, Monday 4 & Tuesday 5 August.

THEATRE

THE LAST LAUGH

Tommy Cooper, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Morecambe may represent a very different era of entertainment, but their collective genius is captured in this poignant and funny show.

n Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tuesday 15–Saturday 19 July.

CHUNKY JEWELLERY

Two friends, one year, two births, a death, 18 bursts of laughter, 68,000 tears (in total, approximately) and one piece of chunky jewellery. This Barrowland Ballet produced show is a celebration of female friendship and battling against the odds.

n Tramway, Glasgow, Tuesday 29 July.

WEDNESDAY

Battling it out with Mia Goth to claim the crown of today’s most fearsome scream queen, Jenna Ortega edges back into the lead as she swaps mythical unicorns for disembodied hands to be Wednesday Addams for another slice of Nevermore-based nihilism. Technically, her Wednesday smirks more than screams as she attempts to navigate the contemporary world (airport security in the hilarious opening scene) while wishing to pretty

much burn it all to the ground. (Brian Donaldson)

Available on Netflix from Wednesday (obviously) 6 August.

staying in

REAR VIEW •stsacdop

Three decades on, there’s still plenty of love out there for anarchic sitcom, Bottom. The woman behind a podcast dedicated to the show (plus an upcoming book and live Fringe event) tells Jay Richardson there was depth to the pair’s puerility

With the greatest respect for their considerable body of work together, Bottom remains Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson’s enduring masterpiece, argues superfan Angela Pearson. The lunatic BBC sitcom about two unemployed degenerates living in a waking nightmare of squalid co-dependency continues to delight audiences more than 30 years after Richie Richard and Eddie Hitler first commenced their brainsick reign of endless knob gags and excessive violent reprisals. ‘Of course, Bottom wouldn’t exist without The Young Ones but Bottom is the more perfect mix of strong writing: a nihilistic take on life and existential angst, married with cartoon violence and fantastic pratfalls,’ Pearson maintains. ‘It’s rude and crude. Watching it as a kid, it was the most outrageous stuff; the most exciting, energetic comedy.’

Critics were initially sniffy about the show’s toilet humour. Yet Pearson, who hosts the Talking Bottom podcast with Paul Tanter and Mat Brooks, suggests there is a ‘lot more depth’ to its superficial puerility. The trio’s new book, Talking Bottom: A Guide To The Cult Sitcom, is a loving trawl through every episode of its three series and spin-off stage shows, featuring insights from Mayall and Edmondson’s co-stars and crew, while drawing out the comedy’s connections with Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot (Mayall and Edmondson starred in a 1991 West End production of the play), the sitcoms of Galton and Simpson, and the performance styles of Laurel and Hardy.

Sneery dismissals of Richie and Eddie’s outré stupidity and ultra-violence as ‘just’ slapstick ‘used to really, really annoy me,’ says Pearson. ‘It’s a hugely difficult craft to get right. And Rik and Ade were taking their influences, reshaping them and turning them into this magnificent beast that was their double act. They’re absolutely untouchable. I don’t think there’s been anyone since who’s come close to matching them.’ Published in the wake of Edmondson’s recent autobiography Berserker! and the inaugural Rik Mayall Comedy Festival in the late comic’s hometown of Droitwich Spa in Worcestershire, the Talking Bottom book was fan-funded, proving that affection for the pair shows few signs of waning. Ultimately, Pearson hopes to establish a semiregular Bottom convention.

But she and her podcast mates have already begun hosting live episodes. Their chat with Bottom producerdirector Ed Bye at the Mayall festival is to be followed by an Edinburgh Fringe interview of Lee Cornes, who played Richie and Eddie’s unpleasant pub landlord, Dick Head. ‘Given the success of the Rik Mayall Comedy Festival and all the people I’ve spoken to who have a story about meeting Rik or Ade, there’s clearly an appetite for Bottom events,’ Pearson enthuses. ‘And I’d love to set up something with cast and crew Q&As, maybe over two days rather than one. But for now, we’re looking forward to sharing the book.’

 Talking Bottom podcast is available on most platforms; Talking Bottom: A Guide To The Cult Sitcom is published by Boundless on Thursday 3 July; Talking Bottom Live, Underbelly Bristo Square, Edinburgh, Sunday 24 August.

LISTEN BACK

Our alphabet-themed series of album recommendations continues apace: it’s like Sesame Street but with better tunes (come at us, Elmo!). This time around we’re jovially jaunting through some albums beginning with J

An acoustic record from Bill Orcutt is a very rare and special thing, and Jump On It (2023) proves why. His languid playing on these improvisational numbers steers listeners into a warm bath while handing them a strong shot of whisky, sparking conversations in the mind without ever insisting on a topic. A choppy roughness tends to lie at the heart of Orcutt’s electric work, but here he resists his contrarian impulses to render serene and intimate hymnals on the history of the guitar.

From the frantic snares of ‘Spellbound’ to the goth-stomp psychedelia of ‘Voodoo Dolly’, a firework energy flashes through Siouxsie And The Banshees’ Juju (1981), their fourth and finest marriage of Siouxsie Sioux’s baroque howl and John McGeoch’s fidgety guitar. Theatrical without descending into camp, technical without eschewing passion, poetic without shirking from a singalong chorus: there’s a good reason that this is viewed as the defining album of postrock’s first wave. (Kevin Fullerton)

 Other J listens: Jeopardy by The Sound (1980), Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast (2021), Just As I Am by Bill Withers (1971).

Lfuture sound

Our column celebrating new music to watch continues with cross-continental duo April Four. The pair tell Fiona Shepherd how they created a debut album from opposite sides of the world and share their thoughts about physically getting back together to record its follow-up

ucia Morales Urcola (you can call her Lu) and Brian ‘Doc’ Docherty of April Four have only ever worked face-to-face on a handful of occasions back in 2017 when Urcola was visiting Glasgow on a tourist visa from her native Chile. What they created together in a short space of time, with Urcola on vocals and Docherty on modular synth soundscapes, was enough to stay with both of them as they went their separate ways: Urcola back to Santiago to work at a tech company and Docherty to his sound production and composition projects.

Pulled back to music, Urcola contacted Docherty again in 2021 at the very moment he unearthed their unfinished track. With the pandemic pushing them into remote collaboration as much as any geographical distance, they kept up a productive transatlantic exchange for the next 18 months, completing their debut album Amendment

‘It’s a collection of stories that might have happened a long time ago,’ explains lyricist Urcola. ‘It’s about different life adventures. Some are about me but then it went totally fictional. As a whole, it’s someone’s life; memorable things they have gone through.’

‘It’s also us getting to know each other,’ says Docherty. ‘We have a solid foundation now and we can express ourselves freely.’

‘I’ve never been interested in writing a pop hit,’ adds Urcola. ‘I write my feelings. I pour my soul into it. I don’t even think about it. It’s like journaling to me but it makes you self-conscious. I like writing in English because it’s not my first language, so it feels less vulnerable.’

While April Four is Urcola’s first group (‘I was always interested in music as a child but never brave enough to pursue,’ she says), Docherty is a veteran of a number of Glasgow bands, playing bass with The Bluebells and Adventures In Stereo before diverging into soundtrack work for film and theatre. Plus he has his own solo endeavours as Scientific Support Dept and The Wayne Devro Set.

The challenges of remote working across continents were laid bare when a first attempt at interviewing the duo by Zoom was foiled by a massive power outage in Santiago. While they have made a virtue of their online collaboration, Urcola is excited by her upcoming visit to Glasgow. By the time you read this, she will be back in the city which birthed April Four for a concentrated period of activity involving gigs, promo, snapping their first group photographs, and recording their already written second album in Marco Rea’s Barne Studio in Duntocher.

‘We might have to get some boxing gloves up in the studio,’ jokes Docherty about the prospect of creating in the same space. ‘I think we’ll bounce off each other. I take a while to get something I think is good. Being in the same room, there’s a good chance we’ll get to that point sooner but we respect you need the space to figure that out.’ Urcola is fired up at the prospect: ‘We’ll prioritise the main thing but we’ll scramble anything else we can fit into our schedule.’

Amendment is released by The Barne Society on Wednesday 30 July; April Four play Bloc, Glasgow, Wednesday 30 July; The Tolbooth, Stirling, Saturday 2 August.

first writes

In this Q&A, we throw some questions about ‘firsts’ at debut authors. For this issue, we feature Allison King, author of The Phoenix Pencil Company, the story of a reclusive coder and the single pencil which leads to a hidden family history and a world of espionage

What’s the first book you remember reading as a child? The first one I remember reading by myself was one of the Nate The Great books, about a boy detective who has great breakthroughs in cases by eating pancakes.

What was the book you read that made you decide to be a writer? I read a lot of the Redwall books by Brian Jacques as a kid. When I was 12 or so, I spent a summer in Taiwan with my cousin. We hadn’t spent much time together before then, but we discovered that we both loved Redwall and we started playing games where we would pretend to be the hares and hang out with the warrior mice. That’s the first time I remember creating a story. My cousin and I are both writers now!

What’s your favourite first line in a book? It’s really hard to beat Demon Copperhead: ‘First, I got myself born.’ It’s so short, but you immediately get the character’s voice and the situation he’s in, that he’s had to do everything himself including the most basic things we take for granted.

Which debut publication had the most profound effect on you? I adored Lulu Miller’s Why Fish Don’t Exist, which is simultaneously a memoir and a sort of biography. It expanded both my view of structure versus chaos and of narrative forms.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up on a writing day? I usually read when I wake up. I like to keep two books next to my bed: a ‘sleeping’ book and a ‘wake-up’ book. The ‘sleeping’ book is usually some sort of non-fiction book, and the ‘wake-up’ one is usually fiction. I can never read too long though, since the cat will start asking for breakfast.

What’s the first thing you do when you’ve stopped writing for the day? Often I’ve stopped writing because my cat has come to sit on my notebook, so I end up playing with her. If I’m being good, I’m writing before work. Once I’m done writing, I start working at my full-time job as a software engineer. If my habits have fallen apart that day, then I’m writing at night.

In a parallel universe where you’re the tyrant leader of a dystopian civilisation, what’s the first book you’d burn? As an American, I find this question hits a bit too true! I can’t think of any book I’d want to burn all copies of, so I’ll say probably my copy of some math textbook that brings back bad memories.

What’s the first piece of advice you’d offer to an aspiring novelist? Attend author events. They’re a lot of fun and are often free. I find it a great way to meet authors and to hear them talk about craft and the publishing industry.

The Phoenix Pencil Company is published by Fourth Estate on Thursday 31 July.

TV DEXTER: RESURRECTION

It’s nearly 20 years since actor Michael C Hall first brought the ‘acceptable’ face of serial killing into our living rooms. Yes, we all knew it was wrong to commit murder, but those nasty folks he chopped up really did have it coming. As Dexter progressed through eight seasons, and the tangled web of lies became more and more compelling, viewing figures steadily grew to over three million. And while online chat about the final episode was far from favourable, 2021 follow-up series Dexter: New Blood, and last year’s prequel Dexter: Original Sin both pulled in the viewers.

Now, having shaken off his Miami past and moved to a ‘simple’ life in the woods for New Blood, Dexter is back in action. Set in New York City, Dexter: Resurrection is a glorious mix of old ghosts and new victims. Miami Metro homicide detective Angel Batista is back on the trail, determined to prove that former colleague Dexter Morgan was indeed the infamous ‘Bay Harbor Butcher’. Dexter’s dad Harry (he of the ethical killing ‘code’) also returns as the constant imagined companion. And we see the return of Dexter’s son Harrison who, it transpires, is a chip off the old block, so we’re getting a two-for-one deal there.

But, excitingly, a whole host of newcomers are also heading our way, including Peter Dinklage as a serial-killer fanboy and Uma Thurman as his long-suffering assistant, plus Neil Patrick Harris, Krysten Ritter, Eric Stonestreet and David Dastmalchian as a collection of serial killers. Sounds like rich pickings for Dexter. (Kelly Apter)

Starts on Paramount+, Friday 11 July.

GAMES TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 3+4

The name Tony Hawk prompts a hugely nostalgic response in gamers of a certain vintage. This American former pro skateboarder was down on his luck (and practically unknown on these shores) when he put his moniker and likeness to Neversoft’s 1999 skateboarding simulation, spawning a beloved series of ten games over 16 years (plus numerous spin-offs and remakes).

The original was hugely successful because it was really easy to pick up and very hard to master. It was also blessed with one of gaming’s best-loved soundtracks, comprising punk, ska, hardcore and alternative rock from bands including Dead Kennedys, The Suicide Machines and Goldfinger, whose supremely upbeat track ‘Superman’ is indelibly linked to the game.

The first two Pro Skaters were remastered and paired for release in 2020, and now parts three and four (originally released in 2001 and 2002) are getting the same treatment from remake/remaster experts Iron Galaxy. As well as a 4K resolution, the games will feature enhanced textures, better animation and improved lighting effects. Controversial Jackass star Bam Margera was initially omitted from the line-up of 32 pro skaters until an intervention from Hawk himself. Other playable characters include Bob Burnquist, Steve Caballero and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Michelangelo. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 was a superb update (and welcome boost during the summer of 2020) and this follow-up looks set to recapture the series’ anarchic spirit yet again. (Murray Robertson)

 Out on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch and Switch 2, Friday 11 July.

tv times

In this column, we ask a telly person to share their viewing habits and favourite small-screen memories. This time, we hear from actor Simone Lahbib, currently appearing as Viv Barton in River City

What is your first memory of watching TV? I remember watching Doctor Who from behind the sofa when I was a little girl. I know it sounds like such a cliché but I actually did. The Daleks and the Cybermen terrified me. Although my parents didn’t let me watch an awful lot of TV as a child, they let me watch Doctor Who because I was such a huge fan. Tom Baker was my Doctor, and I was thrilled to work with him many years later on Monarch Of The Glen

Which programme that’s no longer on screen would you love to see return? I miss loads of TV shows: The Sopranos, The Walking Dead, Mad Men, The Closer and so many more. But if I had to choose, it would probably be The Handmaid’s Tale, which was a masterpiece in my opinion. Based on the book by Margaret Atwood, the high-stakes drama had powerful storytelling, brilliant performances and relevant themes; it was also aesthetically stunning, thanks to the fabulous design and cinematography. Six seasons may have been enough for some but not nearly enough for me.

Which sitcom have you laughed at the most? Only Fools And Horses still makes me laugh out loud. My daughter works with Tessa Peake-Jones (who played Del Boy’s girlfriend, Raquel) on Grantchester. I think she has to be one of the loveliest humans in showbusiness.

What’s the best TV theme tune ever? It has to be The Persuaders by John Barry.

What was the last show you binge-watched? I loved Dept Q and binge-watched the whole series on Netflix a couple of Saturdays ago. I was completely invested in the story and loved the characters. It was great to see so many strong Scottish actors on it. The casting was perfect, the writing brilliant, and I loved the design and cinematography. Ten stars from me.

Who is your all-time favourite fictional TV character? Has to be Columbo. Peter Falk was such a phenomenal talent. Lieutenant Columbo was a seemingly forgetful, bumbling homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. He was wonderfully quirky, flawed but utterly brilliant. His clumsiness put the perpetrators at their ease while he was preparing to take them down. I used to love the reveals.

River City is on BBC Scotland (Monday & Wednesday) and BBC One Scotland (Tuesday & Thursday), with all episodes available on iPlayer; see much more of this Q&A at list.co.uk

SCOTTISH FOOD & DRINK SEPTEMBER

1-30 September 2025

Scottish Food & Drink September is month-long celebration honouring the people, products, and produce that make this sector so special.

CAMPAIGN AIM

The core aim of the campaign is to showcase the variety and quality of Scottish produce, drive increased sourcing and sales across retail and foodservice channels, and champion the producers and manufacturers at the hear t of the industry.

GET IN TOUCH

If you would like to get involved, or have any collaborative oppor tunities around the theme of innovation, please get in touch with the Brands and Communications Team at Scotland Food & Drink.

2025 THEME

This year’s campaign theme is innovation - a chance for Scottish food and drink businesses to showcase the forward-thinking approaches they’ve embraced across all aspects of their wor k It’s an oppor tunity to shine a spotlight on Scotland’s dynamic and innovative food and drink industry, and we aim to celebrate innovation at every level of the sector and throughout the entire supply chain.

Book of the issue

Strong stomachs might be required to get sensitive readers through the ten tales of terror within Oddbody. Brian Donaldson believes that the effort is well worth it to understand the serious points being made by Rose Keating

All shades of red burst out of short-story collection Oddbody from rising Irish author Rose Keating. Maroon, scarlet, cherry and even pink fill the mind’s eye and scorch your psyche, each of its ten tales delivering a fresh (or more accurately pungent) shock that ups the ante on the previous chapter’s jolt. Merging literary horror with gothic surrealism and injecting it straight into the vein marked ‘social conscience’, Keating doesn’t just deliver jarring thrills for their own sake; there is a point to the gore and a rationale behind the ickiness, as she fires a bazooka at societal norms and plants landmines underneath the patriarchy.

Arguably, the least bloodthirsty tale, ‘Notes On Performance’, is the one that hits home the hardest, aiming its shots towards the culture of film sets and male directors who have tortured and coerced vulnerable women for far too long. Even in this post-Weinstein world, you wonder how much has really changed. Across the book, men are forever seeking to maintain control, whether it’s the doctor in ‘Next To Cleanliness’ who prescribes a radical cleansing treatment to his female patients, or even the worm-dad in ‘Squirm’ who has effectively stolen his daughter’s life as she cares for a non-human who lives in a compostfilled bath; trips to a less than empathic vet don’t look like they will do much good either.

In something a little lighter such as ‘Bela Lugosi’s Not Dead’, the HungarianAmerican star who fought a long and largely unsuccessful battle to shake off the typecasting he felt blighted his career as a serious actor just comes across as a bit of a douche. And the seemingly charming ghost who co-habits with Doireann in the eponymous yarn is no less a cad.

Throughout it all, few holds are barred as the body horror cranks up with an artist helping subjects literally step out of their skin or live with an attachment more suited to a bird; analysis of eating disorders in this book is more likely to feature someone crunching into and swallowing a mobile phone; by the time you reach an instalment about pregnancy or teeter towards a sheep-shearing scene, your mind might well have raced in retreat to a haunted corner. This may be the ultimate beauty of Keating’s writing. She puts just enough onto a page so that visceral reactions are wholly justified and expected. But the zones where that reader’s mind may be led off to outside of the story are just as terrifying. Add in the bite of savage satire and a stab of social commentary, and Oddbody becomes a collection that is as vital as it is vile.

Oddbody is published by Canongate on Thursday 3 July.

Sounds Good

July

16th

17th

18th

19th

20th

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival: Julian Lage Trio featuring Jorge Roeder and Joey Baron + support

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival: Curtis Stigers

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival: Colin Steele: STRAMASH

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival: corto.alto + support

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival: A Very Special Evening with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and the Legendary Bobby Rush

24th

Dexys’ Kevin Rowland - A Life Story In Conversation with special guest host Stewart Lee

August

9th13th

Karine Polwart: Windblown

16th Lindisfarne

17th18th

Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ with the Transatlantic Ensemble

21st Withered Hand and Friends

22nd PP Arnold - ‘Soul Survivor’

31st

Edinburgh Psych Fest 2025

thequeenshall.net 0131 668 2019

PODCASTS

FUTURE TENSE

(Audible)

Filling the void vacated by Jon Richardson And The Futurenauts for a podcast in which popular-science writers indulge a neurotic comedian’s technophobia, Future Tense sounds great in theory and is an easy, entertaining listen. But the initial six episodes lack ambition and haven’t fully nailed its concept. With the premise that comic Richard Ayoade and actor Warwick Davis have been invited to the Future Tense laboratory, standup and science broadcaster Helen Keen is their affable guide to the most important scientific advances.

Balanced between utopian and apocalyptic visions, the podcast variously explores robots, immortality, holidays, food, cars and relationships, with the impact of AI the recurring thread running through virtually every episode. Ostensibly, the set-up is that Davis is an open-minded embracer of new developments, mindful (on occasion) of how they might assist him with his dwarfism, while Ayoade is the instinctive sceptic. In practice these roles alternate, with the latter attracted to AI companions that will help him keep other people at arm’s length.

There’s an amusing running gag about Davis’ impeccable sci-fi screen credentials overshadowing Ayoade’s, while Radio 4 veteran Keen is the perfect booking. Knowledgeable and accessible, she’s adroit at engaging with Ayoade’s selfeffacing, misanthropic shtick, as he dryly interjects humour into the trio’s chats with experts. These are generally well selected, even if their vested interests aren’t always rigorously interrogated. Distractingly though, Davis’ contributions are measurably fewer than his colleagues. There’s also little discussed that would be unfamiliar to anyone keeping even a casual eye on scientific breakthroughs, though perhaps future series might cover less obvious phenomena in greater depth.

(Jay Richardson)

 All episodes available now.

ALBUMS

RIVAL CONSOLES

Landscape From Memory (Erased Tapes)

Rival Consoles is the alias of Ryan Lee West, a prolific electronic musician famed for his ability to craft complex soundscapes layered with equal measures of melancholy and euphoria. Fresh from an uncharacteristically long break from production, West has rejuvenated his passion by repurposing previously disregarded musical scraps and ditching his trusty personal studio, drawing inspiration from the process of crafting tracks while on the move instead. West’s revamped approach helped birth Landscape From Memory, his ninth studio album on which fleeting feelings of ecstasy are interspersed with haunting moments of uncertainty in typically eerie Rival Consoles fashion.

The record starts off strong as West glides through the opener ‘In Reverse’, easing listeners in with elegant synths before rising up to an understated climax. ‘Catherine’ follows: one of the album’s more strippedback cuts, it builds from a simple melody and drumbeat combination into a glistening crescendo, justifying its lead-single status, and making a fitting tribute to West’s partner. ‘Jupiter’ and ‘In A Trance’ form a rather dreamy back-to-back pairing, and West’s ingenious ability to transport listeners to new realms has seldom been better evidenced than on ‘Soft Gradient Beckons’, a track strong enough to imagine as the soundtrack of a sci-fi epic, or blaring from mounted speakers in an East London warehouse. It’s no secret that West has been one of the most consistently innovative electronic artists in the UK for nearly two decades now. While his unique artistry shines through in a handful of moments, Landscape From Memory is hindered by too many tracks which fail to leave a lasting impact. For every high point on the LP, there is an ambient offering that, while passable, refuses to leave much of an impression even after several listens.

(Danny Munro)

 Released on Friday 4 July.

TV SMOKE

(Apple TV+)

The opening of Smoke is tense and terrifying. Firefighter Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton) is trapped inside a burning building, running out of oxygen and consumed by panic. Mesmeric shots of roiling flames engulf the screen. In its first five minutes, the series reaches a crescendo that it fails to match throughout the rest of its run.

When we return to Gudsen a couple of years later, he’s an arson investigator on the trail of two serial firestarters. He’s had little success in his search and is far more invested in kickstarting a career as a crime novelist. Enter Jurnee Smollett’s Detective Michelle Calderone, relegated to Gudsen’s department after an affair with her superior officer (Rafe Spall) soured. Neither Gudsen nor Calderone are happy about their situation: both have big ambitions and even bigger egos. Surely the pair are primed for cracking crime-caper chemistry?

Unfortunately not. Writer Dennis Lehane relies too heavily upon overplayed tropes, with stilted dialogue seemingly drawn from Gudsen’s own half-baked noir. Smollett is dealt the worst hand: her cold ex-marine (dogged, naturally, by childhood trauma) is more stereotype than believable character.

Meanwhile, the hunt for the arsonists is strangely paceless, a symptom of a story stretched too thin. It jostles for attention alongside messy subplots involving Calderone’s past and Gudsen’s home life. Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine’s Freddie, a reserved fast-food employee hiding a burning resentment, is the most compelling element but constitutes only a small part of an uneven whole. Smoke is not just muddled, it commits the cardinal sin of television: it’s boring. (Eve Connor)

 New episodes available on Fridays.

BOOKS

CATHERINE SIMPSON

Hold Fast: Motherhood, My Autistic Daughter And Me (Saraband)

Lancastrian memoirist and novelist Catherine Simpson reflects on raising a family where her eldest daughter Nina was diagnosed, aged ten, with Asperger’s. Reading about how Simpson prepped for motherhood (with Laura Ashley nursery curtains and neat shelves of Ladybird books) is a nostalgic trip down a lane she didn’t realise would lead her to anguish and appointments with the headmaster. Those sections where medical experts and school staff gaslit Simpson for years when she persistently flagged concerns are excruciating; anyone who has tried in vain to get social workers or health professionals onside will sympathise.

Simpson, raising her family in and around Edinburgh, was often blamed for her child’s behaviour and she looks back on some outmoded parenting advice from the 80s and 90s in horror. The bureaucracy, the impact of autism on a sibling, family in-jokes, empathetic pals, the rollercoaster of exhaustion, and guilt for the primary caregiver: Simpson covers it all. She writes with down-toearth candour, still questioning herself now on many aspects of her mothering, when clearly a more devoted parent would be hard to come by.

The central narrative of Nina’s sensory sensitivities and agonising feeling of not fitting in sometimes gets buried in other stories. Simpson’s previous autobiographies One Body and When I Had A Little Sister respectively dealt with her breast cancer diagnosis and her sibling’s suicide. In Hold Fast, Simpson continues to explore her upbringing, wondering aloud if people-pleasing and perfectionism impacted her parenting. It’s all relatable, human stuff, and we follow her dogged quest to become a writer despite her carer duties.

But it’s page 142 before we actually get Nina’s autism diagnosis. Hold Fast feels like a few books rolled into one, and Simpson’s journey through parenting an autistic child would be a very compelling and awareness-raising standalone story. Falling in love with her daughter’s idiosyncrasies, translating constantly between the neurodiverse and neurotypical worlds, struggling to find her own identity among it all; perhaps that complicated co-mingling of stories is parenthood in a nutshell. (Claire Sawers)

 Published on Thursday 14 August.

RELAX + GLIDE TO THE AIRPORT BY TRAM

Scan the QR code to buy tram tickets online and save!

TV of the issue

Is cosy comedy your thing? Then don’t bother with Such Brave Girls. For those who want something reeking of a far stronger flavour, Brian Donaldson reckons that Kat Sadler’s wilfully awkward and properly offensive show will be right up their avenue

The comedy of cringe has long been a dominant force on British TV with many citing David Brent and Alan Partridge as figures who turned a switch on this genre.

Others will insist that Basil Fawlty is the godfather of sitcoms where you peer through your fingers at the ludicrous antics of, usually, a tormented man tying himself into even more entangled knots. What they all have in common is a febrile concoction of shame, self-delusion, humiliation, regret and rage, which is always on the simmer and forever threatening to implode.

This dangerous game was given a new spin in the hands of Julia Davis whose Nighty Night and Sally4Ever (plus the podcast Dear Joan & Jericha) turned up the psychological terror to way past 11. Throw in portrayals of twisted sexual desire that verge on the callous and cruel, and audiences were suddenly knee-deep in dark terrain which made a tall Torquay hotelier’s rants about Europeans seem quite genteel.

Such Brave Girls is cut from the very same frayed cloth as Davis’ output. Dubbed ‘Britain’s most gleefully offensive comedy’, it features the small lives and big issues of sisters Josie and Billie (played by real-life siblings Kat Sadler, who created the show, and Lizzie Davidson). Narcissism, anxiety, obsession and suicidal ideation are just the tip of a depressive iceberg that the pair are constantly slipping and sliding over, the abyss never too far from view. They are ruled over by their dreadful mother Deb (Louise Brealey: as far from Molly, her lovable Sherlock

character, as anyone could possibly get) whose husband went out for teabags a decade earlier and has yet to return. Not likely to ever be in the running for Mum Of The Year, Deb has a clear favourite in Billie, blaming Josie for everything from her dad’s disappearance to ruining the libido of Deb’s new man Dev (the brilliantly expressive Paul Bazely) due to her having a sad face. For his part, Dev is grieving his late beloved wife, so blinded by his misery that he concludes Deb to be a wonderful mother.

As the second season dawns, wedding bells seem to be tolling with Josie forced into the needy and possibly psychotic arms of Seb (Freddie Meredith), despite it being clear to everyone that her sexual tastes veer in a different direction. Meanwhile Billie, finally realising that the man she yearned for throughout the first season is a lost cause does what any sane person would do: chucks themselves into a coercive relationship with a much older partner.

If your comedy preference requires feeling all warm inside, it might be advisable to steer well clear of Such Brave Girls. But if being challenged to sit through shocking ideas and wilfully tasteless punchlines is what gets you through an evening, strap in for a savage ride into oblivion. You might even earn points for your own bravery.

Available on BBC Three and iPlayer from Thursday 3 July.

ALBUMS BRAD MEHLDAU

Ride Into The Sun (Nonesuch)

Pianist Brad Mehldau has always come across as a musician who is inspired as much by the singer-songwriter genre as by the Great American Songbook and jazz tradition. His first Scottish concert in the late 1990s memorably included a beautifully conceived solo reading of Nick Drake’s ‘River Man’, and he sees Drake as a visionary godfather to the ill-starred singer, songwriter and guitarist Elliott Smith, whose songs form the basis of this moving and involving collection.

To the ten Smith originals he has selected, Mehldau has added ‘Sunday’ from Drake’s second album Bryter Layter, and Big Star’s much-covered ‘Thirteen’, plus four compositions of his own which are essentially responses to Smith’s work. At nearly ten minutes long, the closing ‘Ride Into The Sun: Conclusion’ is the most ambitious and episodic (in a good way) of these. Here, Mehldau is particularly expressive on the piano’s top notes as the chamber orchestra, which features strongly but never intrusively across the album, evokes landscapes reminiscent of those that informed Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden’s Beyond The Missouri Sky

Mehldau can convey a song’s mood and message with just his fingers but he calls on Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen to sing, characterfully, ‘Tomorrow Tomorrow’ and ‘Southern Belle’. Mandolin genius Chris Thile also adds his very individual vocal interpretation and instrumental magic to the exhilarating bluegrass romp of ‘Colorbars’.

That Mehldau knew Smith and understood his work (the pianist often sat in with him at the Los Angeles singer-songwriter haven, Largo) is evident throughout the album. This familiarity gives poignancy and depth to ‘Sweet Adeline Fantasy’ (a solo piano response to ‘Sweet Adeline’) while the piano, bass and drums reading of ‘Between The Bars’, complete with a fine bass solo, shows complete collective sensitivity. (Rob Adams)

 Released on Friday 29 August.

smubla • albums •

PODCASTS EASY MONEY (Apple Original)

It’s not always desirable to become a household name. Early 20thcentury white-collar criminal Charles Ponzi is synonymous with lies, cons and financial deception; his legacy is to have baptised a money-grabbing scheme that most people, even if they can’t explain it, know is a very bad thing. But what of the man behind the scam? New eight-part podcast Easy Money aims to delve into Ponzi’s life, balancing an investigation into his actions and motives with dramatised reconstructions of key moments along his path to notoriety.

Episode one opens with host Maya Lau introducing Scott Gnecco, great nephew of Ponzi’s ex-wife Rose who left him a cache of letters from Ponzi, many addressed to ‘my dear little girl.’ Interestingly, Gnecco reveals that Rose wanted them to be destroyed after her death, but this is breezed over by Gnecco’s claim that they are ‘part of history.’ Throughout the episode, you sense a rigour and genuine curiosity from Lau who cites newspaper articles, court records, memoirs and biographies as her research. And it is a colourful listen, shot with swing music and snappy dialogue in the dramatised sections.

But the decision to start the story in 1919, when Ponzi was 37 and had already been jailed twice for fraud and trafficking, feels odd in a bio podcast. It’s as if we’re missing some of the key backstory that demonstrated his growing appetite for crime. This is, however, an opening with both intrigue and gloss, that (a little like the man himself) hooks you in. (Lucy Ribchester)

 All episodes available now.

ALBUMS

NILÜFER YANYA

Dancing Shoes (Ninja Tune)



London-based musician Nilüfer Yanya continues a relaxed quest to reel listeners into her one-woman alt.rock world. Having supported Adele at her Hyde Park extravaganza in 2022 and poised to join Lorde on UK arena dates, Yanya is piquing interest in appropriate places even if her trip features a more contained, intimate and slow-burn sound.

Her latest EP, Dancing Shoes, comprises four new tracks which follow seamlessly in style if not quite in substance from her 2024 album My Method Actor. The musical language is spartan yet warm, just right for sinking into a sun lounger. There is a winning ache to Yanya’s vocals as she ruminates over a repeating guitar pattern and shake of tambourine on ‘Kneel’, while an elegant string arrangement draws on her Turkish roots.

‘Where To Look’ is typical of her sultry summer vibe, its austere beat contrasting with the undulating guitar and breathy alto vocal before building in the closing moments, enveloping Yanya in a fuzz-rock blanket of sound.

‘Cold Heart’ is cut from the same cloth, with pattering pulses, rhythmic guitar lines, a sparse but effective string arrangement, Yanya sounding even huskier as she reflects on the loneliness of being frozen out of a relationship.

‘Treason’ is the barest of them all, just the sensation of percussion and a sonorous semi-acoustic guitar backing Yanya’s soulful murmurings, with wan pedal steel-guitar tones and plangent synths added like a splash of grenadine to a summer cocktail. (Fiona Shepherd)

 Released on Wednesday 2 July.

TV PUSHERS (Channel 4)

Emily Dawkins has cerebral palsy. However, because Emily doesn’t fit a stereotype (she can take care of herself and does not require round-theclock care), her benefits are being cut. Devastated by this news, Emily doesn’t know how she’ll cope. The debts are mounting and her father’s meagre salary as a journalist at the local rag won’t make a dent. Enter Ewen, a local small-time criminal with some gear to shift. So begins Pushers, created by comedian Rosie Jones and writer Peter Fellows.

In Emily (Jones), Ewen sees the perfect patsy. Who is going to suspect a frail, probably dim, and very innocent-looking disabled woman of delivering drugs? Absolutely no one. Alongside a ragtag group of acquaintances, each with their own flavour of ‘otherness’, Emily and Ewen (played wonderfully by Ryan McParland) set about selling off a fair quantity of cocaine with an end goal of starting their lives afresh. Well, that’s the plan anyway.

Pushers isn’t here to make your life easier, but don’t worry: unlike the systems it rails against, the show is inclusive. Just be prepared to have a mirror held up to those prejudices you tell everyone you don’t have. A few of the jokes are almost too easy, but they’re trumped by those that toe-dip over the line. The series also explores myriad complex relationships amid the chaos without overanalysing.

Jones is terrific (unflinching, bold and tender) while McParland is the unlikely ally we all need. The rest of the cast frame this series nicely, providing both heart and comic timing that make it impossible not to laugh. Pushers probably won’t change the world, but with the whole spectrum of love, loyalty and friendship on display, it sure as hell deserves to take up some space. (Louise Holland)

 All episodes available now.

smubla • albums •

OTHER THINGS WORTH STAYING IN FOR

A packed month of things to do indoors or consume on your travels include a triple whammy reissue from a cult band tapping into their dark side, a meditative memoir about the philosophical joys of being in the water, and an action comedy exploring the so-called Special Relationship

ALBUMS

WET LEG

No longer just hanging around on a chaise longue, this Isle Of Wight pair are absolutely belting about on an upward trajectory towards glory with new album Moisturizer, which even features a track called ‘Davina McCall’.

n Domino Records, Friday 11 July.

GRINDERMAN

Not one, not even two, but in fact three re-issues in one volley of untethered early 21st-century nostalgia from The Bad Seeds folks. Raw and primal were the watchwords here for Cave, Ellis and co. n nickcave.com, Friday 18 July.

PATTY GRIFFIN

Crown Of Roses is the name of the Grammywinning singer-songwriter’s first album in six years. The record was initially written during the pandemic, then ditched before being rescued and carved into its final shape.

n PGM Recordings, Friday 25 July.

BOOKS

LEANNE SHAPTON

Swimming Studies, a memoir about living life mostly in the water from a Canadian author who made it to Olympic trials twice, looks at how swimming is a way of experiencing time and perspective.

n Daunt Books, Thursday 14 August.

GAMES

METAL GEAR SOLID: SNAKE EATER

The action-adventure stealth game is back with a remake of its 2004 iteration as our shadowy hero aims to damage a foe’s nuclear programme (topical) and work out who’s double crossing who.

n Unreal Engine 5, Thursday 28 August.

PODCASTS

LONG SHADOW: BREAKING THE INTERNET

This award-winning pod is back to ask: when did you last feel good about the internet? If you answered ‘all the time!’, then this show about violence, bullying and bigotry might not be for you.

n Episodes available at longshadowpodcast.com

TV HEADS OF STATE

Idris Elba, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and John Cena star in this streaming-only action-comedy film about the UK PM and POTUS setting aside their natural animosity to save the world from a global conspiracy. Please note: this is not based on a true story.

n Prime Video, Wednesday 2 July.

UNTAMED

This is a character-driven mystery series revolving around National Parks special agents attempting to uncover the truth about an unexplained death in Yosemite. Eric Bana, Lily Santiago and Sam Neill are in there.

n Netflix, Thursday 17 July.

CHIEF OF WAR

A new drama about an untold story: the unification and colonisation of Hawai’i from an indigenous perspective. The mainly Polynesian cast is led by Jason Momoa who also co-created the show.

n Apple TV+, Friday 1 August.

back

THE Q& A WITH SAM RETFORD

Best known for playing Cory Wilson in Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge, actor Sam Retford has nabbed the coveted role of young Dougal MacKenzie in upcoming Outlander prequel, Blood Of My Blood. But first, he tackles our hard-hitting Q&A in which he reveals his fear of moths, lack of nicknames and inability to win a raffle

Who would you like to see playing you in the movie about your life? Who do you think the casting people would choose? Well if the job’s going, I’d certainly love to have a go. In reality, no idea . . . but I wish them luck!

What’s the punchline to your favourite joke? It’s a great one. I can’t give away the punchline as it’s too good, but the build-up is an epic novel. So if you ever catch me in the pub and we’ve half an hour to spare, I shall bestow it.

If you were to return in a future life as an animal, what would it be? So many great options. Most definitely something aquatic, though I know I wouldn’t want to be a male anglerfish (worth a Google).

If you were playing in an escape room, name two other people (well-known or otherwise) you’d recruit to help you get out? Well I suppose if I could choose anyone, I’d go for Alan Turing and Leonardo da Vinci. They might find it all a little odd but I’d just let them crack on with it.

What’s the best cover version ever? Impossible to answer. ‘Killing Me Softly’ by The Fugees, ‘Hurt’ by Johnny Cash, ‘Imagine’ by Eva Cassidy, ‘Gloria’ by Patti Smith: so many.

Whose speaking voice soothes your ears? Blindboy, for sure. I adore his podcast. I often fall asleep and wake up whilst he’s on some absurd tangent about the origin of socks or something.

Describe your perfect Saturday evening? Cook up a good meal, maybe a barbie with some mates, a sunset motorbike ride and an early night.

Tell us something you wish you had discovered sooner in life? Audio books. I grew up telling myself I was a terrible reader and so never really pursued it. But recently I’ve been really enjoying listening to some old non-fiction adventure stories.

If you were a ghost, who would you haunt? Probably my pal Ben. But I’d be a nice ghost; he’d love that.

If you could relive any day of your life, which one would it be? I read this and thought of many, and am grateful.

What’s your earliest recollection of winning something? I wasn’t a particularly high achiever in school but I did taekwondo as a kid and I was always very proud of getting a new belt or competing. We don’t really ‘win’ things as adults now. I’ve still never won a raffle.

Did you have a nickname at school that you were ok with? And can you tell us a nickname you hated? Never had a nickname! Fuming. I always, subtly, try to make them stick but it never works.

If you were to start a tribute act to a band or singer, who would it be in tribute to and what would it be called? No one should have to hear me sing. But I love Roxy Music, so I guess . . . Fauxy Music (terrible).

When were you most recently astonished by something? We are currently running an expedition to explore this flooded mine in Wales, one of the oldest in Europe. It is truly astonishing under there. Unfathomable.

What tune do you find it impossible not to get up and dance to, whether in public or private? Anything by The Cat Empire.

Which famous person would be your ideal holiday companion? Keanu Reeves. Motorbike trip!

As an adult, what has a child said to you that made a powerful impact? Everything from kids is just pure gold. I always try to copy their ability to be themselves. A true lack of inhibition.

Tell us one thing about yourself that would surprise people? I love everything outdoors, but I just can’t stand moths.

When did you last cry? On the train home last weekend: beautiful day, beautiful song, very grateful.

What’s the most hi-tech item in your home? Diving equipment. I’m working with Apeks as one of their global ambassadors, so I’m lucky enough to be testing out some of their new gear at the moment.

What’s a skill you’d love to learn but never got round to? Free diving. What an epic way to see the world.

If you were selected as the next 007, where would you pick as your first luxury destination for espionage? Madagascar. And then I’d ‘call in sick.’

Outlander: Blood Of My Blood starts on MGM+, Saturday 9 August.

hot shots

1 2 3

They call it ‘the hottest party of the year’ for good reason: Hot Dub Time Machine, aka DJ juggernaut Tom Lowndes, slams into Glasgow’s SWG3 (26 July), North Berwick’s Fringe By The Sea (1 August) and Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange (15 August) for many hours of non-stop hits from the 50s all the way up to now.

The Surge Festival is back in Glasgow’s Merchant City (18–20 July) for its usual array of innovative and unique outdoor arts and street entertainment. Acts include Be Flat (pictured) delivering an acrobatic journey through the city and Pitch’D Productions with the story of an Instamodel and a no-nonsense older lady.

This year marks ten years since the release of the late Sophie’s influential Product singles-collection album. A new deluxe vinyl edition features posters for each song and a couple of bonus tracks. Vocalist Nabihah Iqbal is seen here showing off the Sophie sunglasses.

FEATURING:

PAD THAI / MASSAMAN CURRY / PANANG / YAM SAM CROB / MEE

GRATIAM / GAENG PHA TALAY / SEABASS MAEKLONG / NUA TOM

TING THAI/ GOONG FRONG BEER / KHOA POD TOD / GAI CHA PLU / PAD SEE-EW / PAD KA-PHRAO / TOM KHA GAI