News and Niki Boyle

Famous Spiegeltent to close off George Street

The venue will be linked to the recently-refurbished Assembly Rooms

18 May 2012

Part of George Street will be closed off to traffic during August to make way for The Famous Spiegeltent. The venue, which has been a fixture at the Fringe since 1985, will be erected as part of a pedestrianised terrace in front of the newly refurbished…

New Brave trailer showcases Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly's roles

24 Apr 2012

A new trailer for Disney-Pixar's Brave is available, revealing a little more of the Highland-set story line. In it, we see a lot more of the dynamic between impetuous heroine Merida (Kelly Macdonald), her indulgent father King Fergus (Billy Connolly…

New Prometheus viral features Michael Fassbender as 'David'

Fassbender plays the robotic David in Ridley Scott's upcoming sci-fi blockbuster

17 Apr 2012

Following on from their previous viral clip - a futuristic TED talk delivered by Weyland Industries founder Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) - the folks behind Prometheus have delivered this clip of Michael Fassbender in character as David, a robot built by…

Shinji Somai retrospective announced for Edinburgh International Film Festival 2012

PP Rider, The Catch, Typhoon Club and more to screen at EIFF 2012

11 Apr 2012

Japanese director Shinji Somai will be the subject of a major retrospective at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival. The director, who died in 2001, is greatly admired in Japan, and is slowly starting to achieve international…

Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass star in indie comedy Safety Not Guaranteed

A time-travel romcom with impeccable indie credentials

2 Apr 2012

It's not often we get to have a look at indie trailers well in advance of their release - smaller-budget films from outside the UK are less certain of overseas distribution, so we often don't hear about them until they're practically upon us. However…

On the Road trailer unveiled

Jack Kerouac's road novel adapted for the screen by Walter Salles, starring Sam Riley

12 Mar 2012

The trailer for Walter Salles' On the Road has been unveiled, featuring Control's Sam Riley, Tron: Legacy's Garret Hedlund and Twilight's Kristen Stewart. The original novel was written by Jack Kerouac, and is seen as a definitive text for the beat…

First raft of shows from 2012 Edinburgh Fringe programme

Stewart Lee, Jimmy Carr, Rhod Gilbert and more to appear at Fringe 2012

5 Mar 2012

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has revealed around 60 shows to take place at this year's event in August. The announcement comes weeks before the full line-up announcement on Thu 31 May. Comedy shows form the bulk of the latest show announcements…

Creamfields 2012 line up announced

deadmau5, Avicii, Tiësto, David Guetta and Skrillex confirmed for dance music fesitval

5 Mar 2012

deadmau5, Avicii, Tiësto, David Guetta and Skrillex have been announced as headliners at one of the UK’s biggest dance music festivals this year. Creamfields 2012 will take place at Daresbury in Cheshire from Fri 24–Sun 26 Aug, and will also feature…

Ellie Harrison and Oliver Braid collaborate on weekly podcast The Ellie & Oliver Show

An informal approach to discussions of art, pop philosophy and more

5 Mar 2012

The Ellie & Oliver Show is the result of a collaboration between Glasgow-based artists Ellie Harrison and Oliver Baird. Running since the start of the year on Culture Lab Radio, the episodes are broadcast every Friday lunchtime and discuss topics such…

Gary Numan announces UK tour

The 'Cars' singer will pull over in Glasgow on Wed 23 May

9 Feb 2012

Electronica icon (and licensed aircraft pilot) Gary Numan has announced a full UK and Ireland tour to take place this summer, in celebration of his new album Machine Music: The Best Of Gary Numan. The tour features just one stop in Scotland, at the O2…

Edinburgh's Bongo Club eviction threat

The venue's lease to be terminated early by landlords Edinburgh Uni

7 Feb 2012

Out of the Blue, the charity organisation that runs Edinburgh venue The Bongo Club, has been served eviction papers by the venue's landlord, Edinburgh University. A statement on the Bongo Club's website said: 'This notice terminates the lease a whole…

Madonna announces Scottish date for 2012

The Queen of Pop will visit Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium on Sat 21 July

7 Feb 2012

Pop empress Madonna has just announced a world tour which will call in at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Saturday 21 July. The 'Sticky & Sweet Tour' comes off the back of a busy period for Madge: she's just directed period/contemporary romance W.E.

Edinburgh's Cabaret Voltaire venue to close for refurbishment

Owners G1 promise 'a wholly new look' for club and music venue

3 Feb 2012

Veteran Edinburgh club venue Cabaret Voltaire is due to close for six weeks, from Mon 20 Feb–Sun 1 Apr. The club will be subject to a major refurbishment according to a statement released by G1 Group, who have owned the venue since July 2011: ‘A six…

Red State survey reveals loss of morals in UK

A questionnaire promoting Kevin Smith's Republican-skewering horror flick has interesting results

29 Sep 2011

Kevin Smith is well-known for baiting controversy - his apocalyptic comedy Dogma drew massive complaints for its depiction of a shallow Catholic church, while latest release Red State focuses on a group of serial-killing Christian fundamentalists.

Film adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy to premiere at Toronto Film Festival

20 Aug 2011

The premiere of Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy will take place at the Toronto Independent Film Festival WHEN, which takes place from 8–18 September. The film is directed by music video director Rob Heydon, making his big screen debut, and stars Scottish actors…

Noel Gallagher announces solo tour dates

The High Flying Birds set for Dublin, Edinburgh and London in October

2 Aug 2011

Noel Gallagher has announced that he will be playing with his new High Flying Birds project in a series of dates around the UK in late October. The singer-songwriter had previously announced the Dublin date on the tour at a press conference; further…

Red Hot Chili Peppers 2011 UK tour dates

Dublin, London, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham dates in November 2011

26 Jul 2011

Veteran California funk-rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced their first tour of UK and Ireland since 2006. They’ll be playing at various venues around the country throughout November, stopping in at Glasgow’s SECC on Sat 12 Nov. This will be…

New episode of Doctor Who to be screened at Edinburgh Television Festival 2011

New episodes of Fresh Meat, The Killing and Comic Strip also on offer

7 Jul 2011

The MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival unveiled its programme for 2011 yesterday, marking the festival’s 36th year in operation. The series of lectures, preview screenings, masterclasses, interviews and networking parties, which…

Attention all Edinburgh Fringe performers: We take bribes!

Are you desperate for publicity? Are you willing to pay for it?

7 Jul 2011

Are you desperate to get your show publicised? Are you hungry for that extra bit of exposure that will turn your no-budget show into the 5-star, million dollar production it deserves to be? And most importantly, are you willing to pay for it? We at…

Major record labels to release singles as they receive radio airplay

25 Jan 2011

Record labels Universal and Sony Music have announced that singles from their artists will be available to buy as soon as they receive radio airplay. This is a major change from the traditional model, where songs are played on the radio up to six weeks…

The xx, Biffy Clyro and Dizzee Rascal among favourites for 2010 Mercury Music Prize

Spotify playlist: Mercury Music Prize 2010

20 Jul 2010

The shortlist of contenders for this year's Mercury Prize was announced today. The £20,000 prize is awarded to the best album of the last 12 months, as chosen by a panel of music industry members. Among the 12 acts competing for this year's prize are…

Edinburgh festival 2010: Where to drink

The Edinburgh bar guide you need for the 2010 Festival

16 Jul 2010

It’s almost impossible to spend an August in Edinburgh without indulging in one of its watering holes. Niki Boyle takes the ultimate pub crawl, so you don’t have to

Edinburgh International Magic Festival launched

8 Jul 2010

Edinburgh welcomed a new addition to its festival calendar on Tuesday night: the first ever Edinburgh International Magic Festival was launched at The Scottish Book Trust, just off the Royal Mile. It was a very swanky affair, with a few neat…

Flight tickets hidden inside sand sculpture on Castle Street, Edinburgh

20 May 2010

Scottish artist Kate Robinson is set to recreate some of the most famous landmarks from Edinburgh and Barcelona in Edinburgh city centre. The project is sponsored by the airline Spanair, who have just introduced a direct route between the two…