Issue 589

Ian Rankin's favourite culture snacks

1 Nov 2007

My 15-year-old son and I have a weekly pilgrimage where we go into HMV, Virgin, Game, Game Station and Waterstone’s. He gets his games and magazines and I get my CDs, DVDs, books, magazines, newspapers. That’s all I spend my money on. That and…

Ian Rankin interviews Aidan Moffat about comics

1 Nov 2007

Rankin When did you start reading comics? Were you a DC Thomson lad (Bimbo, Dandy, Beano, Victor, Hotspur)? Moffat I was definitely a Beano boy because it always seemed more edgy than the Dandy, but I insisted I got the Dandy as a sort of light…

Scottish crime writing

1 Nov 2007

‘Ah, well. If you’re Scottish, and you’re writing crime fiction, at some point someone is going to hail you as “the new Ian Rankin” until they remember, no, actually Ian Rankin is still there. Alex Gray has been described as the Glaswegian Ian Rankin.

Hitlist - the best events, talks and sport

1 Nov 2007

Bonfire Night Fireworks Displays Come on, who doesn’t love the cheap thrill of banging sparkly things? Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh. Glasgow Green, Glasgow, both Mon 5 Nov from 6.30pm. Glasgow Craft Mafia Massed gathering of emergent Scottish…

In England - interview with Don McCullin

1 Nov 2007

Don McCullin might seem like some kind of anachronistic beast among the top photographers today. Not for him the simpering vanities of celebrityhood; he has always been far more interested in the real problems that face ordinary people on a daily basis.

Spanning the void

1 Nov 2007

Think of post-war Eastern European modernisation and what comes to mind? Invariably, it is the drab, rashly executed housing blocks, service pavilions, train stations and shopping centres that inspire Monika Sosnowska, leading the Polish artist to…

Hitlist - the best gigs

Recommended

1 Nov 2007

* Ian Rankin's choice Idlewild and The Twilight Sad Yes, we could have picked a number of other homegrown treats of early November, but instead, we are going for the final night of this tour, a band at the top of their game, joined by arguably the…

Grub's Up

1 Nov 2007

CHILDREN’S THEATRE Platform, Glasgow, Sat 3 Nov; GilmorehillG12, Glasgow, Thu 8 Nov The smell of fried onions wafts through the air as a pot of tomato soup takes shape before our eyes. No, it’s not Ready, Steady, Cook, but the latest offering from…

Bill Bailey

1 Nov 2007

STAND-UP SECC, Glasgow, Wed 7–Fri 9 Nov It seems clear that Bill Bailey has never minded looking somewhat foolish in the pursuit of his chosen career path. Back in the early days when he was a mere West Country boy trying to earn a modest showbusiness…

Numbers

1 Nov 2007

ELECTRONIC DANCEHALL/GLITCH Glasgow School of Art, Fri 2 Nov Modeselektor are two electronic geniuses from Berlin by the names of Gernot and Szary. The pair has just released Happy Birthday!, the follow up to their debut album Hello Mom, and are…

Hitlist - The best LGBT events

1 Nov 2007

Scott Capurro’s Premature Gift The San Francisco funnyman is back with a huge comedy gift for Glasgow. The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 11 Nov. Robopop Trendy Wendy and pals visit Edinburgh’s newest gay venue every Thursday with a bag-full of records. GHQ…

Denise Mina & Leonardo Manco - review

Horror

1 Nov 2007

While Ian Rankin is writing his own Hellblazer story, due in 2008, the current scribe bringing occult anti-hero John Constantine to life is fellow Scots crime author Denise Mina. In this direct sequel to her Empathy is the Enemy collection, the Empathy…

Hitlist - the best theatre

1 Nov 2007

*Ian Rankin's picks Tamburlaine Must Die A modern thriller in Elizabethan guise. Louise Welsh’s adaptation of her novel revisits the life, and mysterious death of Christopher Marlowe. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 3–Sun 11 Nov. Whipping It Up…

Remote Control

1 Nov 2007

I’m seriously starting to believe that Stephen Poliakoff has got some pretty incriminating photos in his possession. I can’t see any other reason for the BBC continuing to pour resources his way when he comes up with depressingly disappointing efforts…

Into The Wild

1 Nov 2007

TRUE STORY/DRAMA (15) 140min Sean Penn steps behind the camera once more, to write and direct this robust yet freewheeling adaptation of journalist John Krakauer’s non-fiction book about the extraordinary experiences on the road of young American…

BBC Good Food Show in Scotland

1 Nov 2007

This has been the year of the food fair. Events organisers up and down Scotland have sniffed the air and have, in their droves, turned to food and drink as a way of celebrating local identity and drawing crowds young and old. Numerous towns around the…

Stars of CCTV

1 Nov 2007

Fifteen-year-old Natalie glowers with resentment as she watches plain-clothed PCs Adam Dyer and Andy Johnson of Leith’s Youth Action Team pouring the half bottle of vodka and litre of cider that she had been planning to share with friends down the…

Secondhand record shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh

1 Nov 2007

Shopping and I have always had a love-hate relationship. But we put aside our differences for record shopping: that ritualistic, solitary activity that’s at once sombre yet exhilarating. Secondhand records possess the same mystique as old books; they…

The Rankin files - St Jude's Infirmary

1 Nov 2007

Firstly can you introduce yourselves? OK, we are Grant Campbell (bass, vocals), Ashley Campbell (guitar, vocals), Emma Jane (vocals), Mark Francis (guitar, vocals) and Alun Thomas (drums). How is the second album progressing? It’s been…

Crime & punishment - breaking the virtual rules

1 Nov 2007

These days, when we talk about crime in the cyber world we’re not referring to the joyriding depicted in Need for Speed or the multiple murders of Manhunt. These are crimes against computer controlled characters within games. This may sound…

Adapt or die - from page to screen

1 Nov 2007

THE BEST The Godfather Mario Puzo had three novels under his belt before he penned the tale of Don Vito Corleone and his Family/family in 1969 which was immortalised in movie form by Francis Ford Coppola three years later. One bit of advice: if an…

Gareth Sommerville

1 Nov 2007

Given the often niche-based appeal of many of Edinburgh’s most enduring clubs past and present – from techno (Pure) to drum & bass (Manga) and retro (Big Beat) – it makes a change to be able to celebrate the life of a night with broad appeal, and which…

Crime Scene: Edinburgh - the Ian Rankin exhibition

1 Nov 2007

There’s a pleasing circularity to this exhibition at the National Library. Ian Rankin wrote much of Knots and Crosses, the first Rebus book, in the reading room here, thanks to a PhD thesis on Muriel Spark that fell by the wayside. With Rankin’s famed…

The Verve - reformed and on tour

1 Nov 2007

Of all the seminal bands to have announced their reformation this year, The Verve are perhaps both the most and least in need of a revival. Although each of the group’s four founder members would no doubt welcome the wage packet – even Richard…

Andrew Garfield

1 Nov 2007

Unless you happened to catch fresh-faced actor Andrew Garfield on the London and Manchester stages – where in the last three years he’s won various newcomer awards for well-received performances in plays by Enda Walsh and Mark Ravenhill – chances are…

Richard Wilson

1 Nov 2007

‘One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is you end up being governed by your inferiors.’ Given that Plato’s comment was made two-and-a-half thousand years ago, it’s astonishing how fresh it sounds today. Yet, for all the great…

Singles & Downloads

1 Nov 2007

This issue’s singles and downloads have a distinctly local tinge, with our whirlwind tour of new Scottish bands beginning in the company of Vale’s The Casuals. ‘Confusion’ (No Carbon - 3 stars) certainly wins the prize for the most inadvertently apt…

The Restaurant Bar & Grill - review

1 Nov 2007

The name betrays either supreme confidence or a dearth of imagination. But, while The Restaurant Bar and Grill may not sound as exciting as its predecessors – Zinc and étain have been merged into one – there is a sense of self-assurance running…

Funny lady

1 Nov 2007

The Glasgay! comedy wagon rolls back into town this year with a cargo of comedic talent for your pleasure. Wicked Wenches features Lucy Porter, AL Kennedy, Susan Calman and the utterly charming Zoe Lyons, a finalist on Channel 4’s So You Think You’re…

Staff Show: Borders, Crossings and Settlements

1 Nov 2007

The fourth annual exhibition of staff talent at GSA presents an extremely patchy round-up of photographs, prints, and electronic media by a collection of some of the school’s technicians. The show includes work by eight artists: Stephen Jackson, Ian…

The Proclaimers - gig preview

1 Nov 2007

Whichever way you look at it, it’s been an astonishingly successful year for The Proclaimers. It’s 20 years since the Reid twins’ groundbreaking appearance on The Tube led to a string of hits, but 2007 finds their stock at its highest ever level. First…

DVD Round-Up

1 Nov 2007

November is upon us and it may be time to mention at least one film on one of the new DVD formats. Monty Python’s Life of Brian Blu-Ray (Sony ••••) is a good place to start your high definition collection. The difference in quality is noticeable but not…

Living Quarters

1 Nov 2007

UK PREMIERE Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 17 Nov Anyone who has lived beyond a certain age may be confronted with memories of decisions taken in earlier life that are destined to haunt them, and be they something done to another or to…

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

1 Nov 2007

DRAMA/HISTORY (12A) 114min The allure of the Virgin Queen continues. It’s 1585 and Queen Elizabeth I of England (Cate Blanchett) is being besieged by possible suitors, sedition and the Spanish superpower led by bow-legged arch Catholic fundamentalist…

Celtic Connections 2008 line-up announced

1 Nov 2007

Celtic Connection launched in impressive style last week as organisers claimed success in 2008 could lead to the music event being super-sized for 2009. The 2008 event, held throughout January, will mark the festival’s 15th anniversary and boasts a…

Profile - The Mighty Tabot Sound System

1 Nov 2007

Name The Mighty Tabot Sound System Who? London/Wolverhampton dub and roots soundsystem featuring dub plate builder Ras Muffet, Ras Gabre on the mic and Ras Kinfe working the system. Ras Muffet was part of Jah Shaka’s crew back in the 70s, supplied…

Interview - Andrew Margolies Mezvinsky

1 Nov 2007

Alexander Kennedy talks to Andrew Margolies Mezvinsky about his new work at Glasgow’s Fridge Gallery, Southside Studios

A Midsummer Night's Dream

1 Nov 2007

CLASSIC King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, run ended Since its premiere in New Delhi in April 2006, Tim Supple’s multilingual Dream seems to have conquered the resistance of every audience it has played to. Its first (though surely not last) appearance in…

Bill Carrothers Trio - gig preview

1 Nov 2007

American pianist Bill Carrothers has never played in Scotland before, but he has earned a reputation not only as an inventive jazz improviser, but also as an ambitious creator of unusual and ambitious large-scale projects linked to historical subjects.

Interview

1 Nov 2007

DRAMA (15) 84min Pierre Peters (Steve Buscemi) considers himself to be a serious political journalist but his star is fading. When his bosses send him off to interview star actress and celebrity magazine fodder Katya (Sienna Miller), old school…

Also Released - Film

1 Nov 2007

30 Days of Night (15) 112min ••• In an isolated Alaskan town, which is plunged into darkness for one month every year, bloodthirsty vampires start appearing to feed on the town’s residents. Local Sheriff Eben (Josh Hartnett), his estranged wife Stella…

Only The Men

1 Nov 2007

NEW WORK Touring A play that deals with the emotional intricacies of father-son relationships is certainly nothing new. Reeling and Writhing’s new work inspired by the landscape and history of remote Sanna Bay in Ardnamurchan, explores the issues…

The Not Dead

1 Nov 2007

DOCUMENTARY Channel 4, Mon 12 Nov, 9pm There’s always a danger that with the constant barrage of rolling news coverage, dramas and documentaries that we may become immune to the horrors of the world, particularly the terror of warfare. But while…

Tamburlaine Must Die

1 Nov 2007

ELIZABETHAN THRILLER Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 3–Sun 11 Nov Considering she hasn’t even seen the script, Louise Welsh is remarkably relaxed about the upcoming Glasgay! production of her 2004 novella, which trails the playwright and spy…

Flight Path

1 Nov 2007

NEW WRITING Traverse, Edinburgh, Tue 6–Sat 10 Nov David Watson’s new play, presented by Out of Joint, explores Britain’s youth from a multi-generational perspective. The piece presents 12 months in 12 scenes depicting the life of an 18-year-old…

Hitlist - The best dancefloor action

1 Nov 2007

• Clutter House Studio 24 celebrate their semi-relaunch with a double bill of quality old school acid and rave featuring 808 State and DMX Krew. Studio 24, Edinburgh, Fri 2 Nov. • Ivy Weekender: Part 1 Boom Monk Ben and Ninja Tune’s Hint get the…

Hitlist - The best exhibition

1 Nov 2007

Keith Farquhar: Remade Farquhar recreates two major works by Matisse and Keith Haring: Matisse’s mural of the ‘Virgin and Child’ from the Chapel of the Rosary and Haring’s illegally painted ‘Crack is Whack’ mural, New York. The Edinburgh-based artist…

Relentless

1 Nov 2007

TECHNO Sub Club, Glasgow, Fri 2 Nov Relentless by name, but, alas, not quite relentless by nature, the techno club that first put Ben Sims on a stage in Glasgow is hanging up its headphones after one final bash at the Sub Club, the club’s home for…

Richard Alston Dance Company

1 Nov 2007

CONTEMPORARY DANCE Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 13 Nov Music – some choreographers can’t start work without it, while for others it’s the final piece in the jigsaw. But for Martin Lawrance, dancer and choreographer with Richard Alston Dance…

Robyn - gig review

1 Nov 2007

Since storming to number one earlier this year, Swedish pop star Robyn isn’t that worried about being remembered for her brief dalliance with the charts in the 90s. ‘It was such a long time ago I don’t know if people remember,’ she says of her old hit…