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'The Comedy Explorers' Alternative Comedy Club' and 'Comedy and Cocktails'
15 May 2013
Jay Richardson talk us through the hot new comedy clubs in Glasgow
The current slow-down in gig attendances, suggesting even comedy isn't recession-proof, puts new nights under pressure to be distinctive. Two ambitious ventures launched in Glasgow recently take diametrically-opposed approaches to persuading punters…
Toro Y Moi set for 2013 UK tour with third album Anything in Return
15 May 2013
South Carolina's Toro Y Moi on his musical influences and latest album Anything in Return
‘I want to make music that people should hear, not what they want to hear,’ says Chazwick ‘Chaz’ Bundick, the South Carolina native who records a selection of boundary-pressing intelligent dance tracks under the alias Toro Y Moi, amongst many others.
Interview: NYC comedian Judah Friedlander set for 2013 UK dates
15 May 2013
He’s not here to deliver a message. Even if he has a presidential campaign to run
For those familiar with Judah Friedlander from 30 Rock or any number of movies from American Splendor to The Wrestler, you will no doubt picture a slightly doleful-looking dude with much hair, thick glasses and an array of trucker hats. Rather than…
Discopolis, Dems and Jonnie Common among highlights at Big Day In
15 May 2013
Inaugural Edinburgh indoor mini-fest: Wan day, hunners o’ bands
Having successfully assembled an astounding line-up of electronic indie talent from across the UK, the initial concern for Electric Circus’s inaugural Big Day In mini-festival was getting people through the doors, especially given that the…
Glasgow to host UCI Juniors Track World Championships cycling event
15 May 2013
Track cycling event at Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome features group rides and races for young visitors
Remember the Olympics last year? Remember how even the hardiest sport skeptics were swept along in a wave of communal feeling as the 10 days of the Games unfolded? Remember how track cycling became the surprise hit of the London 2012 televised…
Curtis Sittenfeld - Sisterland
15 May 2013
A tense, gripping narrative let down by hard-to-swallow racist and homophobic tendencies
When Kate’s identical twin sister, professional psychic Vi Shramm, has a premonition that a giant earthquake is about to strike their hometown of St Louis, Kate begins to set in motion a plan to protect her family. As Vi gets carried away by the media…
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - King Tuts, Glasgow, Wed 1 May 2013
15 May 2013
Infectious, hallucinatory reveries, marred slightly by too much sound desk tweaking
Perhaps it is shell-shock after their recent propulsive success at SXSW, or possibly their own astonishment at selling out King Tuts on their first UK headline tour, but Unknown Mortal Orchestra turn up tonight as nervous as if it were the first day at…
The National - Trouble Will Find Me
15 May 2013
A great sixth record, but not one which parades the fact before you
(4AD) The idea that much of the music here was written by guitarist Aaron Desner while bedevilled by bone-aching fatigue and sleepless nights following the birth of his baby daughter is a compelling one. It ties into the sense of a band shattered…
Siobhan Davies Dance: Every Day
15 May 2013
Solo dance act by Siobhan Davies focuses on the daily movements we take for granted
A table, a chair, an umbrella and a stool – ordinary objects we come across on a daily basis. But a new exhibition is asking us to look at those objects, and others, with fresh eyes. Not only that, but a live element will encourage visitors to…
Dirty Beaches - Drifters/Love is the Devil
15 May 2013
A beguiling, globe-trotting, genre-spanning lo-fi album from Alex Zhang Hungtai
(Zoo Records) Alex Zhang Hungtai’s peripatetic lifestyle has taken him from Taiwan to Canada and then around the globe, and his lo-fi compositions as Dirty Beaches have a sense of dislocation that is both engaging and unnerving. There is no real sense…
Sparrow and the Workshop - Murderopolis
15 May 2013
Third album from Glasgow rock-noir trio has psych-rock heart
(Song, By Toad) This album starts with the words ‘when love was the greatest thing’ - and it is all you need to unravel the third long-player from a Glasgow rock-noir trio who variously conjure The Bad Seeds, The Shangri-Las, Johnny Cash and Melanie…
Glenn Jones - My Garden State
15 May 2013
Album of John Fahey-esque impressionistic storytelling from American Primitive guitarist
(Drag City) For an artist whose compositions are entirely instrumental, Glenn Jones has a special talent for impressionistic storytelling. Like a musical translation of a haiku or imagist poem, his finest songs reflect on an image or idea, bringing…
Young Fathers - Tape Two
15 May 2013
Textured and intriguing album from Edinburgh hip hop group who have come of age at last
(Anticon) As if their breakthrough release of Tape One earlier this year on groundbreaking Los Angeles intelligent hip hop label Anticon wasn’t vindication enough of the promise that Edinburgh trio Young Fathers have been putting in the bank for…
Juan Atkins & Moritz Von Oswald - Borderland
15 May 2013
Engaging, if slightly underwhelming release from two of techno’s most iconic figures
It’s something of an event when two of techno’s most iconic figures, Juan Atkins and Moritz Von Oswald, join forces in the studio. Intriguingly, they’ve offered scant information regarding their motivations behind Borderland. Perhaps we shouldn’t be…
Optimo: The Underground Sound of Glasgow
15 May 2013
Tracks from Golden Teacher, Auntie Flo and Debukas feature on mix compilation showcasing the city
(Glasgow Underground) The mouth waters and the ears tingle at the thought of this, the first in a series of compilations showcasing the sound of a city by someone who knows it well. The producers have chosen well here, for they could have no more…
Hector MacMillan’s 40-year-old play The Sash remains relevant
15 May 2013
Scottish revival of MacMillan's play reminds us that sectarianism still survives
This revival of Hector MacMillan’s 40-year-old play feels bittersweet. While most playwrights might revel in the enduring appeal of their work, MacMillan has recently commented that he’d be happier if the sectarianism portrayed in The Sash was no longer…
The Fall - Re-Mit
15 May 2013
Suggests insistent inter-band chemistry despite there being no real surprises here
(Cherry Red) Whoa-whoa-whoa, etc! Don't ever underestimate Mark E Smith, The Fall's founder, writer, vocalist and sole surviving member since they formed 35 years ago. Some may dismiss him as a past-his-best drunken parody of many former glories, and…
Peles Empire: F X G
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15 May 2013
Multidimensional reproduction of a Peles Castle's ceramic sculpture by established artists
One possible first thought upon entering the gallery and witnessing this exhibition is that its hanging doesn't appear to have been finished. Against the austere walls of this old industrial space, featureless rectangles of concrete hang unlabelled and…
Dance piece Sutra inspired by skills of Shaolin monks
15 May 2013
Breathtaking show performed by 17 Shaolin monks and Ali Thabet
As a young boy, Ali Thabet was fascinated by Kung Fu. So it’s no surprise to hear him say that spending three months in the Shaolin Temple, with some of the finest martial artists in the world, was an ‘incredible and unique’ experience. Belgian dancer…
Comedian Helen Arney talks geeks and nerds
15 May 2013
The physics graduate/musical comedian is back with her new dream gig
A quick glance at Helen Arney’s June gig list says everything you need to know about the kind of audience she attracts. Among them are Lab Notes and Call My Genetically Engineered Bluff at the Cheltenham Science Festival, while in Scotland she has two…
Neil Young & Crazy Horse set for 2013 UK tour
15 May 2013
Neil Young and Crazy Horse visit UK for what is probably their last outing together
A grizzly bear of a man wrings sublimely heavy tones from a battered old Les Paul and a chain of massively overdriven amps while his seasoned companions sweat and toil to forge the most elemental of grooves: such is the lumbering majesty of Neil Young…
Julie Brook's made, unmade
15 May 2013
Fascinating multimedia installation calling upon all senses to enter landscapes' wilderness
For this large-scale multimedia collaboration with Dovecot Studios, Julie Brook has attempted to bring the wilderness with her and site it within a darkened gallery space. Although she lives on Skye, it’s the hot desert tones and ambience of her working…
The Great Gatsby
15 May 2013
Baz Luhrmann’s lavish adaptation of Fitzgerald’s novel finally arrives
A far cry from the drab pastel shades and muffled emotion of the 1974 Robert Redford/Mia Farrow film, Baz Luhrmann’s new version of The Great Gatsby aims to put the ‘great’ back into F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel. Many have tried and failed to…
RockNess 2013 Bluffer's Guide
15 May 2013
Guide to the wide array of musical genres present at this year's RockNess
Musical genres can be tricky things at the best of times so here’s out cut out a keep guide in case you find yourself out of your depth while chatting to a musical trainspotter Techno Do Say: ‘While you have to respect the innovations coming out…
Cottier Chamber Project features some of Scotland’s favourite chamber ensembles
15 May 2013
Pavel Haas Quartet, Daniel’s Beard and Red Note Ensemble among programme highlights
Sometimes described as ‘the music of friends’, chamber music usually brings to mind small scale and intimate. No doubt that’s the case with individual performances in this year’s Cottier Chamber Project, but otherwise we’re talking big. Now in its third…
