Issue 630

What goes around - Orbital

28 May 2009

Orbital were pioneers in the world of dance music, with brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll epitomising up the sound of the illegal rave scene with their marrying of ambient and techno, but perhaps more significantly they managed to turn this music – until…

Party On

28 May 2009

Our love of a good festival is by no means new. The desire to recharge – or more often, decharge our batteries – goes back to prehistoric times when people felt confused and scared by the forces of nature, so tried to keep on their good side by…

Terminator Salvation

28 May 2009

With a track record that includes Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and the straight-to-DVD We Are Marshall, McG was always going to have his work cut out proving he was the right man to reboot the Terminator franchise. Now his judgment day has arrived…

Tongs of praise

28 May 2009

Summer wouldn’t be summer without the irresistible smell of something sizzling away on a barbecue. Although the traditional BBQ may conjure up images of basic burgers and sausages, there are plenty of pubs now offering something more upmarket, whether…

Howard Chaykin - American Flagg!

28 May 2009

With a penchant for eroticism and violence, US comics visionary Howard Chaykin is releasing another groundbreaking work. Miles Fielder chats to him.

Balgay Hill - Simon Macallum

28 May 2009

Today we associate Dundee with the enterprising work of Dundee Rep’s ensemble, the world-class art at DCA and the tourist attractions of the City of Discovery. It’s a place the Victoria and Albert Museum can consider setting up a northerly outpost…

On the Record

28 May 2009

‘I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking …’ So begins Christopher Isherwood’s novel Goodbye To Berlin. While the book is now most famous as the inspiration for the musical Cabaret, the new exhibition of artists’ films…

You the jury

28 May 2009

You may have noticed that here at The List, we love movies. We don’t care if they’re contemporary or old, blockbuster or art house, we just want to witter on about them, compare them to each other and rejoice in all those spools of celluloid accumulated…

Life as a cabaret

28 May 2009

Calum Ritchie investigates the low-budget, cross-genre revolution happening on Glasgow and Edinburgh’s cultural scenes That’s not to suggest these nights are homogenous, because each…

Everything's Gone Green - Coloursfest'09

28 May 2009

These straitened times seem to be treacherous ones for festivals, but the last thing we need to get us in the mood for summer fun is a story about another call-off. How about a bit of feelgood news instead? ‘We’re already up 700 ticket sales on where we…

Tobias Sternberg: Review

28 May 2009

Those who have been through art college or a creative visual media course might have experienced the collage test at some point: the challenge being to use found images to create a composite with some kind of combined visual meaning. The aim is to…

Sleep Furiously

28 May 2009

The title comes from a phrase created by Noam Chomsky, meaning words that are grammatically correct yet semantically nonsensical. Giddeon Koppel’s film is no scathing polemic however, but rather a quietly compelling and melancholic portrait of life in a…

Led Bib

28 May 2009

Led Bib hit Scotland for a couple of small venue gigs this month on the back of their latest studio CD, Sensible Shoes, newly released on a new (American) label, Steven Feigenbaum’s Cuneiform Records. The London-based quartet has been attracting a lot…

Fete accomplis - The West End Festival

28 May 2009

The West End Festival, which has been going since 1996, is a community festival in the proper sense of the word, running free workshops and concerts, hosting events that involve local businesses and generally inviting residents to celebrate the various…

A View From the Bridge

28 May 2009

One of the gifts that made Arthur Miller such a significant dramatic writer was his ability to capture the world of Greek tragedy – on the face of it an unfamiliar theatrical landscape with its dark blood feuds, incest and primal passions – and make it…

Dock Life - The Leith Festival

28 May 2009

So what’s The Leith Festival, then? It’s an annual community celebration that takes in comedy, dance, film, literature, music, storytelling theatre, visual art and children’s events – in other words everything. A small affair, is it? Hardly. Its…

Aeroplane

28 May 2009

Location: Brussels, Belgium. Occupation: Cosmic orbiters of Planet Disco. Should I be excited? We think so. Having planted the magic beans in Glasgow with an infamous performance at H&P last September, Aeroplane return to spray their flourishing…

Bethany Black

28 May 2009

As the UK’s foremost goth, lesbian, post-op transsexual stand-up, Bethany Black worries about being pigeonholed. So it’s a ‘recovering alcoholic, drug addict and love addict too’ who will be showcasing material from her forthcoming Fringe show this…

Fermat's Room (La Habitacion de Fermat)

28 May 2009

Spanish filmmakers are cornering the market in intriguing, ingenious thrillers. Following on from the chronology-warping comic thriller Timecrimes (released on DVD only in Scotland) this murderous mathematical mystery arrives to confound and…

Round the World

28 May 2009

Just for Laughs Montreal, Canada, 16-26 Jul Legendary comedy fest brings together global superstars of comedy including Tommy Tiernan, Bill Cosby and John Cleese. www.hahaha.com Iceland Airwaves Reykjavik, Iceland, 14–18 Oct Weekend-long…

Capital - Edinburgh Festivals

28 May 2009

Not for nothing has Edinburgh garnered a reputation for producing some of the finest festivals in the world. Although Manchester and Melbourne are coming hot on its heels, the Fringe continues to dominate the festival calendar as the self-styled…

DJ Vadim

28 May 2009

The promised summer heatwave arrives early with sunshine beats and heavy hip hop sounds. Imagine the Notting Hill Carnival played out on a tropical island and you’re halfway to capturing the good time grooves of DJ Vadim. Bringing a full live set (with…

Small Wonder - The Wee Chill

28 May 2009

So, what’s The Wee Chill then? The Wee Chill is a small, relaxed festival that takes place in the atmospheric environs of the Glasshouse in Glasgow’s Queens Park. This one-day party is an official precursor to The Big Chill, which is, as the name…

Le Weekend

28 May 2009

A dubstep artist headlining at a left field music festival may have come about by accident, but the appearance of Jazzstepper and the Moody Boyz as the closing act of this year’s Le Weekend festival is as much of a coup as it is an eye-opener. Throw in…

Ghosts

28 May 2009

Of the two Ibsen revivals gracing Scottish stages at present, Dundee Rep and the National Theatre of Scotland’s award-winning Peer Gynt appears the more irreverent in its approach to the playwright’s satirical fantasy. On the surface at least, Jeremy…

5 Literary Festivals

28 May 2009

FEKP (Festival of the European Short Story) Expand your horizons at this laid-back, youthful and polylingual Croatian festival happening in and around the cafes, nightclubs and bars of Zagreb, often finishing up with a riotous night of gigging, and…

5 Things you might not know about - Derren Brown

28 May 2009

1. The man you have to initially blame/thank for the unstoppable rise of Derren Brown is Jerry Sadowitz. They first met in a magic shop in London and after swapping tricks soon became pals, with Sadowitz helping Brown get his first lecture gig for…

Spotlight on: Fringe By The Sea

28 May 2009

‘Oh I do like to be beside the seaside, oh I do like to be beside the seaaaaa…’ The List are pleased to report that Fringe by the Sea will return for its second outing following its debut outing last year. Events are based in North Berwick, and…

Cobra Starship - Garage, Glasgow, Thu 22 May

28 May 2009

This has been a long time coming for New York City-bred tykes Cobra Starship. Their last two dates in Glasgow were postponed, so third time lucky – it seems. It appears they may have booked the wrong venue however, with the crowd akin more to a youth…

Lord Cut Glass - Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline, Sat 16 May

28 May 2009

The least we could expect from a solo project of the man who sang with The Delgados is a bit of arch miserablism dressed up behind deceptively pretty pop songs. On both counts, Alun Woodward – the good Lord himself – delivered, but few might have…

Sonic Youth: The Eternal

28 May 2009

The whole ‘youth’ thing may raise a smile, but Hoboken’s finest have settled into a fairly consistent groove, much like their spiritual godfather Neil Young, determined to grow old disgracefully. The Eternal has the band beefed up to a fivesome (with…

Broken Records: Until the Earth Begins to Part

28 May 2009

Positively brimming with ambition, confidence and diverse songsmithery, this debut album from the Edinburgh seven-piece folk rock outfit sees them leaving behind early comparisons to Arcade Fire and growing into their own skins beautifully. Opener…

The Grassmarkets

28 May 2009

Summer’s (almost) here, and the time is right for shopping in the street. As David Bowie might have sung, were he a product of a more capitalist age. However, if you must shop, you could do worse than paying a visit to the newly refurbished Grassmarket…

Festival people

28 May 2009

THE PROMOTER Sid Ambrose, founder, Wickerman Having been involved in a range of events from raves to scooter rallies and punk events during the 90s, I started Wickerman eight years ago. It was hard going at the time. There was huge local…

Club Noir

28 May 2009

When Club Noir was first born to proud co-promoters Tina Warren and Ian Single five years ago, it stood in a field of one. Burlesque clubs weren’t the fashion then, or at least not outside of London, and the pair succeeded in their aim of presenting a…

Field of Dreams - Festival History

28 May 2009

Jay-Z, Glastonbury 2007 The announcement that Jay-Z was to headline Glastonbury was seen by some – mainly the weekend-hippie middle classes who have adopted their annual pilgrimage as self-serving statement of their true nature whilst working for…

Broken Records

28 May 2009

Glasgow has long been the focus in Scotland for all things indie, with Edinburgh a very poor second when it comes to generating quality bands, but there are signs that’s changing. You wouldn’t quite say the capital has caught up yet, but with more…

First Word - Terry Callier

28 May 2009

First record you ever bought The first record I ever bought was ‘Crying In the Chapel’ by Sonny Til and the Orioles. Last time you were chatted up The last time I was seriously chatted up was after a concert last year at Wayne State University…

DVD Box Set Round-up

28 May 2009

Film historian, writer, avant-garde underground filmmaker and occultist Kenneth Anger is one of the more interesting individuals to have emerged from California’s Santa Monica hills in the second half of the 20th century. Anger and his work were…

Errol White Dance

28 May 2009

Like a volcano about to erupt, Errol White is preparing to explode onto the Scottish dance scene. Familiar to audiences from his time with companies such as Scottish Dance Theatre, Phoenix and X Factor, White is finally taking the ultimate step as a…

La Serenissima

28 May 2009

Unobtrusively hidden away in the Cowgate, Edinburgh University’s St Cecilia’s Hall is not only the oldest purpose built concert hall in Scotland and the second oldest in Britain, but is also home to an extensive collection of early instruments…

Labels of Love - Flask Records

28 May 2009

Based in Dundee Roster Samoyed, Loops Haunt, sound artist Samuel Playford Greenwell, Mast (a collaboration between Samoyed and Greenwell), exponent of ‘quite Scottish’ techno DJ Shortbread, Bristolian MC Mr Mus. Bosses Although they’re a…

In the frame: Edinburgh Art Festival

28 May 2009

Never one to be outshone by its more established August counterparts, the Edinburgh Art Festival has announced a roster of talent, with major exhibitions from world-renowned artists, as well as an extraordinary programme of sculpture work, at over 50…

Club For Heroes

28 May 2009

‘A lot of clubs describe themselves as “sleazy” or “grimy”,’ says Club For Heroes’ founder, promoter and DJ, Simon Eilbeck. ‘I wanted to run a night which was a bit more aspirational, which held its head up higher than that. So I came up with Club For…

Before Stonewall

28 May 2009

(87min) Forty years ago a small bar called the Stonewall Inn in a corner pocket of New York’s West Village sparked the legendary Stonewall riots that spearheaded the global gay liberation movement. In 1984, seasoned documentarian Greta Schiller shot…

Site Specifics

The Hidden Gardens, Glasgow

28 May 2009

Not so loud. It’s a garden of peace, designed by artists and gentle green-fingered types, tucked away at the back of Tramway.

New Writing: Daisies & Fairy Dog

28 May 2009

Whether due to the success of the Oran Mor’s A Play, a Pie and a Pint series or the effect of the recession on arts budgets, stripped down lunchtime plays are shaking up Glasgow’s theatre scene – and this year’s Fiendish Plot season at the CCA is no…

Wayn Traub: Maria-Magdalena

28 May 2009

The best things come in threes. At least, that’s what fans of Wayn Traub will be hoping as the experimental theatre-maker returns to Scotland this fortnight with the third and final instalment in his Wayn Wash trilogy. Maria-Magdalena is cut from the…

De La Soul

28 May 2009

De La Soul got stung. For much of the two decades since the release of seminal hip hopera 3 Feet High And Rising, Plugs One, Two and Three have been at pains to put a significant margin between themselves and the care-free, cartoon mishmash of crunchy…

Classic Cuts: Medea

28 May 2009

Paddy Cunneen is fast cementing a reputation as the king of lunchtime theatre. Following recent A Play, a Pie and a Pint successes Fleeto and Waltz of the Cold Wind his affiliation with Oran Mor continues with this year’s Classic Cuts season, for which…