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Traverse Theatre at 50: A history of the Scottish theatre institution
17 May 2013
A historical overview of the Edinburgh theatre that became the home of new writing
You can expect a bombardment of birthday celebrations this October when the National Theatre turns 50. But before London’s luvvies go wild, there’s another new-minted quinquagenarian closer to home worth championing: Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre. Yes…
Director Neil Jordan and actor Gemma Arterton talk vampire feminism in Byzantium
17 May 2013
The thriller is 'a continuation' of Jordan's earlier Interview with the Vampire
‘There have been too many vampire films lately,’ laughs Neil Jordan, perched on a chair in London’s Soho Hotel. You might say the director of Interview With the Vampire only has himself to blame. Without his 1994 take on Anne Rice’s novel, starring Tom…
Interview: Camera Obscura set for Rockness 2013
17 May 2013
Glasgow band whose recent history takes US recording sessions, cancer and pregnancy
‘It’s the ultimate test,’ begins Camera Obscura singer and songwriter Tracyanne Campbell, in describing how the band assessed the roadworthiness (literally) of new album Desire Lines. ‘The studio intern Michael had this crappy little car. Every time we…
Scottish festivals 2013 - An A-Z of the best summer festivals
17 May 2013
The best festivals of music, film, food, cycling and more taking place in Scotland 2013
When it comes to festivals, Scotland really doesn’t hold back. From Orkney to Byres Road, muddy fields to stately homes, the growing number of them cater to all tastes, styles and budgets. Our A-Z guide profiles Scotland’s best summer jamborees, the…
Opinion: does the Royal Lyceum's new season display a gender bias?
17 May 2013
Critic Hannah McGill takes a look at the theatre's 2013 programme and finds it lacking
Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, Scotland’s largest producing theatre, just announced its 2013–14 programme. Artistic Director Mark Thomson is proud to have mounted ‘in tough times… a season of work that celebrates the inspiration of great thinkers…
The best European music festivals you've never heard of
17 May 2013
Featuring Electric Elephant, Unsound, Oya and Sunsplash
1 All Tomorrow’s Parties Iceland Sadly coming to an end in the UK, hipster holiday camp hideaway ATP is once more branching out overseas, starting with this weekender on an ex-NATO air base starring Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Fall, Deerhoof and…
Misadventures in Wonderland: Rock'n'Roll Ping Pong
17 May 2013
Our intrepid columnist Alice tells us what she learned at Bongo Club's table tennis club night
1. I’m not entirely negative. Before all my previous challenges for this column, I’ve been a real dick about it. I don’t know if it was the vast amount of attention I was getting from telling people that I was going to an amateur ping pong night in the…
The newly-opened Blackfriars does justice to the memory of Black Bo's
17 May 2013
The new restaurant is established on the site of the hip, arty and vegetarian institution
Don’t be misled by the blue Bo’s sign still hanging over the front door – you’re in the right place. The new Blackfriars, you see, has history. Co-owner and chef Andrew Macdonald, former sous chef at Restaurant Martin Wishart, was an art student before…
Profile: Olivier Assayas, director of Something in the Air
17 May 2013
The writer-director specialises in period pieces that don't slide into nostalgia
Born 1955, Paris Background The son of a screenwriter father and a painter mother, Assayas worked as a critic for Cahiers du Cinéma, before making his directorial debut in 1986 with Disorder. A writer-director with an impressive ability to work…
Traverse Theatre at 50: Upcoming playwrights from Scotland to watch
17 May 2013
Upcoming writers Drew Taylor, Kris Haddow, Michael O’Neill, Molly Innes and Sylvia Dow
When the Trav called out for new playwrights to become part of the Traverse 50, they received over six hundred applications. Staging fifty short plays by way of an introduction to the winners, they selected writers from across Scotland and beyond…
Fast & Furious 6
17 May 2013
If you like your stunts outrageous and your plot soapy and undemanding, this won't disappoint
For a franchise with simple tastes – gleaming cars, well-oiled muscles and bikini babes – the Fast & Furious series has always been ultra-willing to re-tune its engines. This time, we’re in London – a first – and the gang, led by Vin Diesel’s Dom…
Matias Aguayo set for Electric Frog 2013 set
17 May 2013
DJ and producer whose live sets make use his voice as singing and percussive instrument
‘Travelling to different countries and meeting people who speak other languages and have different codes of behaviour, has made me more flexible in the way I communicate and act towards others; I think this is somehow, unintentionally reflected in the…
The Stoker (Kochegar)
17 May 2013
A stange, dark and clever Russian black comedy with an unexpectedly forceful moral message
Edinburgh’s beloved Filmhouse cinema has chosen an unusual and intriguing curio for its first release as a distributor. Directed by the prolific Alexey Balabanov - known for his unflinching but darkly comic fables of the Russian criminal underworld…
The Iceman
17 May 2013
Impressive mafia-themed dramatic thriller starring Michael Shannon, James Franco and Ray Liotta
Is there no film Michael Shannon doesn’t excel in? Here the star of Take Shelter plays real-life New Jersey hitman Richard Kuklinski, who – upon his arrest in 1986 – is thought to have committed over 100 assassinations. Directed by Israeli-born…
The Henderson’s 50/50 Food Festival puts an emphasis on family-friendly good food
17 May 2013
The vegetarian restaurant celebrates good, healthy eating in this 50-day food extravaganza
Information on healthy living comes at us from all quarters today, but when these two cuties were growing up there was only one person they needed to look to for advice – their mum. For Oliver and Catherine Henderson, having food pioneer Janet…
The Stone Roses: Made of Stone
17 May 2013
Shane Meadows' rockumentary fails to satisfy either as a concert film or fly-on-the-wall doc
To borrow from an old Stone Roses B-side, the Mancunian band’s much-hyped reunion may well have been ‘what the world is waiting for’, though it’s hard to claim the same for this accompanying Shane Meadows-directed documentary. The director of Dead Man’s…
Five reasons to head to the Southside Film Festival
17 May 2013
The Glasgow film fest does a great line in Scottish films and site-specific screenings
You can discover forgotten former cinemas Glasgow’s Southside may be lacking in cinemas today but that hasn’t always been the case. Take a meander around the area’s architecturally-diverse former picturehouses on a walking tour with the knowledgeable…
T-Break stage line-up announced for T in the Park 2013
17 May 2013
Upcoming bands selected include Machines in Heaven, Honeyblood and Hector Bizerk
Time for the reveal. The annual announcement of the unsigned Scottish bands chosen to play at T in the Park went out this morning. Not unlike the official T line-up on the main stages, which this year covers old and new US hip hop, synth-melting…
The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish
17 May 2013
The theatre production, adapted from Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's book, is performed with gusto
Sitting in a dark room and keeping quiet for an hour isn’t for everyone – especially if you’re under ten. Promenade theatre solves that problem, with movement actively encouraged and the odd noise generally tolerated. So on that front, The Day I…
Lorraine McIntosh, actor in stage production of Let The Right One In - interview
17 May 2013
The erstwhile Deacon Blue singer has a love for big dogs and Bruce Springsteen
First record you ever bought ‘Cavatina’ by The Shadows. Last book you read The Blind Man’s Garden by Nadeem Aslam. First film you saw that really moved you Shenandoah with Jimmy Stewart. Last lie you told ‘Oh, I can’t make that night, I’m…
Five reason to love... David Shrigley
17 May 2013
The 2013 Turner judges praise his ‘macabre intelligence and infinite jest’ - here's why we love him
He’s a homeboy at heart In an interview with The List in 2010, Shrigley spoke of his love of the Dear Green Place: ‘I moved to Glasgow as a teenager, and I’ve lived here more than half my life now. I don’t consider Leicester, where I’m originally from…
The cream of Scottish music to play goNORTH 2013
17 May 2013
The creative industries festival features performances from Alarm Bells, Roman Nose and Fat Goth
Important figures from across the creative industries - and more importantly, a heap of great bands - are once again flocking to Inverness for the annual goNORTH festival. There are over 70 live acts already on the bill, many of whom have already caught…
Rockness 2013: Bus information timetables
17 May 2013
Bus routes and times from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Dundee
Glasgow Outward Friday 7 June 8.45am–1pm 9.15am–1.30pm 9.45am–2pm 10.15am–2.30pm 10.45am–3pm 11.15am–3.30pm 12.15pm–4.30pm Saturday 8 June 9am–1.15pm Sunday 9 June 9am–1.15pm Return: Friday 7 June 1am–5.15am Saturday 9…
Also released round-up: Gold Panda, Mount Kimbie and CocoRosie reviewed
17 May 2013
Releases from Attic Lights, Scott Walker, Woodenbox, Gastric Band and Three Blind Wolves also rated
Gold Panda - Half Of Where You Live (NOTOWN/Ghostly International) ●●●● The Berlin-based Essex boy returns with the follow-up to 2010 critical smash Lucky Shiner. Still well in touch with his muse, he punches all the right buttons of distressed…
Gillian Anderson and Eve Myles return to TV in non-sci-fi roles for The Fall and Frankie
16 May 2013
The stars of The X-Files and Torchwood respectively play a homicide detective and cheery nurse
As a serial killer gently bathes the corpse of a woman he has just strangled, the investigating officer on the murderer’s trail is getting intimate with a burly Belfast cop in her hotel room. It’s not a scene for the faint of heart but The Fall has…
