Issue 585

The hot young things of Scottish theatre

6 Sep 2007

Who: Hannah Donaldson, 23, who graduated this year from RSAMD What : Will be playing the lead role in the Tron’s production of Antigone, directed by David Levine, and can also be seen in the upcoming series of Rebus. Sunny, pretty and immediately…

Ian Rankin interview

6 Sep 2007

So this is the end, then. Well, perhaps not quite. Exit Music, the much trumpeted latest work from Ian Rankin sees his world famous cynical copper Detective Inspector Rebus handing in his warrant card for the last time and retiring permanently to the…

Scottish Dance Theatre

6 Sep 2007

In the past ten years, Scottish Dance Theatre has commissioned over 30 works, none more captivating, emotive and engaging than Liv Lorent’s Luxuria. So it’s little wonder that for its 21st anniversary tour, the Dundee-based company has chosen to…

Dating - Love is in the air

6 Sep 2007

Not so very long ago, the idea of one of your friends owning up to joining a dating agency would have been unimaginable. Most of us would rather have walked over hot coals or lie on a bed of glass than admit to something which carried such social…

Control wins List screenplay award

6 Sep 2007

Forget all the other festival awards: there is only one that counted this year and that was The List and The Writers’ Guild’s Edinburgh Writing Award for Best Screenplay of a New British Film. There were 11 UK films at this year’s Edinburgh…

KT Tunstall interview

6 Sep 2007

Looking around the room gives a clear indication of the reason behind KT Tunstall’s remarkable success. Crammed into the boardroom at XFM Scotland’s headquarters in Glasgow are two dozen competition winners being treated to an intimate acoustic show…

An Audience With . . .Nick Nairn

6 Sep 2007

Up until now, the most terrifying moment in Nick Nairn’s career was during the height of the recent foot and mouth crisis, when he interviewed the First Minister live on the BBC programme Landward. However, Nairn likes to push himself, and so to kick…

Small Engine Repair - interview with Iain Glen

6 Sep 2007

It’s the eyes. I’m sitting in an Edinburgh member’s club, and I’m looking at the 46-year-old Edinburgh born actor Iain Glen. I’m trying to work out what has compelled me to follow his career since his remarkable turn as poet, artist and Barlinnie inmate…

12.08 East of Bucharest

6 Sep 2007

On 22 December 1989, the Romanian Revolution that was to see the end of Communist rule and the execution of long-standing Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu had spread to most major cities. It was a day of rebellion, demonstration and change that few…

3.10 to Yuma

6 Sep 2007

Pitting Russell Crowe and Christian Bale head-to-head guarantees a bout of intense, tortured manliness and this glowering, gripping remake of Delmer Daves’s 1957 Western (adapted from an Elmore Leonard short story) practically fires rounds of solid…

Adrian Tomine

6 Sep 2007

GRAPHIC NOVEL The fine lines that comprise Adrian Tomine’s expressive monochrome frames may seem spindly, but they hold a weight of meaning. It is the spaces between the action and dialogue that make Tomine’s stories so effective – the pregnant…

Alan Moore & Various

6 Sep 2007

SUPERHEROES A lot is made of the genius of Alan Moore, and we can never discredit the man who gave us The Watchmen and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen or took Swamp Thing to new celestial heights. But that doesn't mean his every utterance is…

Also Published - 5 Travel Paperbacks

6 Sep 2007

• Robert Carver - Paradise with Serpents The author follows in the footsteps of his great uncle as he finds adventure and intrigue in the lost world of Paraguay. Perennial. • Felipe Fernandez-Armesto - Pathfinders This one is a 'history of…

Also Released - Music

6 Sep 2007

50 Cent - Curtis (Interscope) Lead single ‘Ayo Technology’ promises much – Justin Timbertoes and Timbaland guesting – but is hardly ‘If I Can’t’ or ‘P.I.M.P.’ The rest struggles to maintain his previous momentum. Jacknife Lee - Jacknife Lee…

Arches Live!

6 Sep 2007

By now, the Arches Live! mini-festival has become something of a post-Edinburgh Festival institution, if such a term can be applied to so experimental a jamboree. This year, there’s as great a diversity as ever, and too much to mention in one short…

Arnab Chanda

6 Sep 2007

Be funny about things that you know is one of the most common pieces of advice that young comics are given by more experienced stand-ups. Arnab Chanda, then, should have a wealth of funny stuff at his fingertips purely from the places he’s lived during…

Atonement

6 Sep 2007

There’s a visually astounding set-piece at the centre of this adaptation of novelist Ian McEwan’s superb tragic romance set before, during and after World War II. It’s a lengthy tracking shot of the beach at Dunkirk during the Allied troop withdrawal…

Behind the scenes at Scottish Ballet

6 Sep 2007

As Scottish Ballet gears up for a move to its new permanent home in Tramway, the company is throwing open the doors and inviting the public in to see exactly what they do when not putting on performances. As well as demonstrating how they intend to…

Bumpin' & Stompin'

6 Sep 2007

Northern soul events may no longer go on all night but the scene is still alive and well in Scotland, and September welcomes the return of long-standing soul-a-thon Bumpin’ & Stompin’. Run by soul-boy duo Jolly and Shaz the club set out as a humble…

Butcher Boy

6 Sep 2007

With corporate indie currently riding high in the charts and flash in the pan, fashion-obsessed tykes pervading the blogs, Butcher Boy are more than a breath of fresh air. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of their musical company, first album Profit…

Caribou

6 Sep 2007

PSYCHEDELIA Once in a while we all need to try something new . . . and no one knows this better than Dan Snaith. The chap otherwise known as Caribou was forced to embrace change in 2004 when ancient rocker Richard ‘Handsome Dick’ Manitoba filed a…

Charlie Hunter Trio

6 Sep 2007

JAZZ Guitarist Charlie Hunter changes tack with this trio outing, which moves even further into rock territory than its more funk-oriented recent predecessors, and consequently, further from Hunter’s earlier and more overtly ‘jazz’ work as well. The…

Clare Stephenson: Bandaged Heads

6 Sep 2007

After a successful exhibition as part of a group show of work at Stirling’s Changing Room, Clare Stephenson returns to Glasgow to continue her examination of performativity and the exaggerated poses that we adopt in our everyday lives. These new…

Daedelus

6 Sep 2007

ELECTRONICA ‘My background is in more orchestral music and cinematic stuff,’ says Los Angeles electronicist Alfred Darlington aka Daedelus. ‘So my recording for Ninja Tune is an attempt to marry their dance aesthetic to what I normally do; to…

David Thewlis

6 Sep 2007

BLACK COMEDY When Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker came up with Nathan Barley on Channel 4 a couple of years back, many people were perturbed that its main sticking point was in poking fun at a group who seemed no longer ripe for satire. Surely…

Destiny of a Man

6 Sep 2007

Probably best known for his six hour adaptation of War and Peace (also recently released on DVD), Sergei Bondarchuk’s 1959 debut feature is no meagre effort. As he tells the story of a Soviet citizen, Andrei Sokolov (played by the director himself…

Disturbia

6 Sep 2007

When Kale (Shia LaBeouf), a teenage rebel haunted by the memory of a traumatic car smash, punches out his Spanish teacher in class, he ends up electronically tagged and trapped in his suburban home. His activities are further curtailed by his concerned…

Dot Allison

6 Sep 2007

POP This album is nice. It’s nice to have on in the background, and it’s nice to fall asleep to. In fact, the latter is hard not to do as Dot Allison’s tender vocals wash over you, evoking Sarah McLachlan without the melodrama. While the album’s…

Drawing Room

6 Sep 2007

It used to be called the Brewery Tap, which was simple. Turn tap on, punters (students, largely) come to drink. Turn tap off, punters leave. Often shambolically. Now it’s Drawing Room, and a bit more complex. There are puns happening, because they…

DVD Round-up

6 Sep 2007

The stand-alone DVD rental and retail markets have been buzzing over what turned out to be a perfect summer for home entertainment. As we move into September, the box-set heavyweights move in to fill the hole in those darkening nights. You really can’t…

Exposure - Rachel Unthank & the Winterset

6 Sep 2007

The all-girl folk quartet, famous for singing in their gorgeous Geordie accents, are back with The Bairns, the follow-up to 2005’s Cruel Sister, which received a hearty thumbs up from folk purists and mainstream radio alike. How do you follow up a…

Get on course

6 Sep 2007

Dance Edinburgh A vast range of courses from salsa and ballet to breakdancing and street dance are available at Dance Base along with various pay on the day classes. Book before 29 September for the autumn term. Classes run from beginner to advanced…

Half Life - interview with Angus Farquhar

6 Sep 2007

It doesn’t take long in conversation with Angus Farquhar to realise that he’s not a great fan of Time Team. The artistic supremo of NVA has, for a good few years now, presided over a succession of multi arts projects, which might sit as comfortably…

Hitlist - The best books, comics & events

6 Sep 2007

David Peace, one of Britain's finest young writers. James Kelman with the relaunch of his epic The Busconductor Hines. Ian Rankin, the clock is starting to tick on Rebus. Joe Matt, following in the confessional footsteps of Robert Crumb and Harvey…

Hitlist - The best rock, pop, jazz & folk

6 Sep 2007

] Devon Sproule Beguiling, understated country filled with quirks and an old fashioned sensibility from this 24-year-old from Charlottesville, Virginia. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh 9 Sep; ABC, Glasgow, Mon 10 Sep. (Rock & Pop) • Operator Please…

Hitlist - The Best Comedy

6 Sep 2007

Ross Noble Everyone’s favourite Geordie japester, above (unless you retain a soft spot for the bearded teacher in Byker Grove ), offers up Nobelism , his latest freeform extravaganza. Playhouse, Edinburgh, Sat 8 Sep; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Sun 9…

Hitlist - The Best Dancefloor Action

6 Sep 2007

Damaged Goods Sleazys are putting on some stellar club nights in the coming months. This offering from David Sinclair (Killer Kitsch), David Barbarossa (Optimo) and Some Young Pedro's Mark Donaldson looks like a right old knees up. Punk to reggae to NY…

Hitlist - the best events, talks and sport

6 Sep 2007

Merchant City Festival Glasgow’s well-heeled cultural quarter comes into its own again, with a four day festival of fashion, theatre, clubbing, food, music and visual art. Look out for the giant maze popping up in the middle of George Square, the cream…

Hitlist - the best exhibitions

6 Sep 2007

Frances Richardson: Internus, Picasso on Paper, David Batchelor: Unplugged, David Rokeby: Silicon Remembers Carbon

Hitlist - the best films & DVDs

6 Sep 2007

12:08 East of Bucharest Clever and funny satire of delusion in which a group of Romanian men try to remember the revolution of 1989 live on radio. GFT, Glasgow from Fri 7–Thu 13 Sep. Superbad Hugely enjoyable comedy about two teenagers search for…

Hitlist - the best theatre

6 Sep 2007

Subway Vanishing Point’s splendid fringe hit begins its tour, complete with a strong Kosovan band and two stand-out performances. The story of a young man’s role in a revolution starting in Leith 15 years in the future, this piece is full of comedy…

In the Hands of the Gods

6 Sep 2007

Forget the ‘Brand Beckham’ circus bringing ‘soccer’ to the States. This journey of five working-class football freestylers who pitch up in New York to busk their way to their idol (the devious genius Diego Maradona, in Argentina) captures the genuine…

Islay Jazz Festival

6 Sep 2007

JAZZ The Islay Jazz Festival seemed a risky proposition when it was first launched back in 1999, but it took off in no uncertain terms. Guitarist Martin Taylor declared it ‘the best wee jazz festival in Scotland’ after the inaugural event, and there…

Jeanette Winterson

6 Sep 2007

SOCIAL FABLES The Stone Gods offers up four stories about civilisations destroying themselves, and the individuals who find unconventional love among the ruins. Some of these work better than others, with Winterson ill at ease and over-explaining…

Jimmy Van M

Techno/House clubbing

6 Sep 2007

The DJ known only as Jimmy Van M is a man with a nomadic history. Born in Belgium and currently based in Barcelona, he first made his name as a DJ in Florida, after his family moved to the Sunshine State when he was ten years old. ‘A friend of mine…

Joe Matt

6 Sep 2007

AUTOBIOGRAPHY Joe Matt’s painful but hilarious autobiographical strips bring confessional cartooning a la dirty old sod Robert Crumb and grouchy elderly codger Harvey Pekar to a new and entertaining low. A generation younger than Crumb and Pekar, the…

Justice Interview

The French revolution

6 Sep 2007

More than just the latest duo to traverse the English channel to blow our minds, David Pollock reckons Justice are at the vanguard of a new musical movement

Karine Polwart on Thank You For the Music

6 Sep 2007

When choosing eight Scottish songwriters to profile, the BBC Radio Scotland series Thank You For the Music wisely eschewed yer flashier, more tabloid-friendly Tunstalls and Fratellis, focussing instead on low-profile, home-grown indie and folk heroes…

King Creosote

6 Sep 2007

FOLK POP His prodigious output thas been celebrated no end in the past but Kenny Anderson has now been ingested into the musical machine in earnest now but has lost none of his wayward spirit. Sure, this could be argued as his most conventional…

Klaxons interview

6 Sep 2007

The List It’s been the buzzword in the music press for the last year. But what does the term ‘new rave’ mean to you? Simon Taylor-Davis I don’t really think the term new rave has anything to do with the actual music: it’s terminology for an attitude.