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Magic Eye / Le Thug / Zed Penguin / Plastic Animals - Split 12”
19 Apr 2013
Four-band snapshot of Scotland’s more gloriously, and at times wilfully off-piste musical treats
(Song, by Toad) Eclectica abounds on this four-band snapshot compendium of dispatches from some of the country’s more gloriously, and at times wilfully off-piste musical treats. Each provide two songs for this limited edition vinyl, alongside more of…
Scottish National Jazz Orchestra - In the Spirit of Duke
19 Apr 2013
Live recording an impeccably performed, if conservative, affair
(Spartacus) Compared to William Parker’s Essence of Ellington, an inspired avant-garde reinvention of Sir Duke, this live recording by the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra is a rather conservative affair. Led by Tommy Smith, the SNJO’s arrangements are…
Death Shanties - Nunatak
19 Apr 2013
Free jazz outfit featuring Alex Neilson, Sybren Renema and Lucy Stein
(Self-released CD-R) When Alex Neilson launched his folk-rock project Trembling Bells, he spoke of having fallen out of love with improvisation, preferring to focus on songwriting. Five years on, the drummer fervently reconnects with free music…
Bombino - Nomad
19 Apr 2013
Young guitar hero from Niger soups up his sound with classic rock flourishes
(Nonesuch) Bombino, the young guitar hero from Niger, has become a breakthrough star of Tuareg desert blues. Here, he’s hooked up with producer Dan Auerbach of garage blues duo The Black Keys, who soups up his sound with classic rock flourishes and a…
Jerusalem In My Heart - Mo7it Al-Mo7it
19 Apr 2013
Gauzy enigma of echo-drenched Arabic vocals, twanging buzuk, and grainy, over-saturated electronics
(Constellation) Best known as the home of apocalyptic post-rockers Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Montreal’s Constellation label also presents an intriguing strand of contemporary Arabic-influenced music, including Sam Shalabi’s Land of Kush project and…
Record Store Day 2013 - But if the world has moved on, why should we care?
18 Apr 2013
Recorded music is about more than objects, but we should still value the culture that surrounds it
Record Store Day 2013 is approaching, but the world has changed - and what if your local record store isn’t worth supporting? Hamish Brown argues that music is more than objects, so let’s celebrate recorded music in all its forms and the culture that…
I’m So Excited
18 Apr 2013
Pedro Almodóvar returns to the brassy style of his earlier films
The new comedy from beloved Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar begins with a message assuring us that the film ‘is fiction and fantasy, and has no connection to reality’; a provocation to assume the opposite is true if ever there was one. But while there…
Interview: Robert Newman on latest novel The Trade Secret
18 Apr 2013
Writer also known for stand-up comedy publishes new novel set in 17th Century
Writer Robert Newman – who is perhaps better known for his stand-up comedy - will see his latest novel The Trade Secret hit bookstores this week. Published in hardback by Cargo, and also available in ebook format by Cargo Crate, Newman’s eagerly awaited…
First and last: AL Kennedy interview
18 Apr 2013
Author and comedian on Leo Sayer, chestnut soup and funeral conga lines
First record you ever bought. I can’t recall. Maybe something by Queen. Probably something embarrassing like Showaddywaddy, or Slade. Last extravagant purchase you made. A new suit. They lend confidence. And prevent troubling choices. First film you…
Interview: Terre Thaemlitz to perform at Arika Episode 4/5
18 Apr 2013
Politically-engaged DJ and producer set for gender-themed Arika event in Glasgow
There’s a story Terre Thaemlitz, aka DJ Sprinkles, tells in a footnote to a recent address she gave at Tate Modern. Now published on Thaemlitz’ website, it recalls her DJ-ing a deep house set at the closing party of a queer and transgender cultural…
Five highlights from Arika: Episode 4 - Freedom is a Constant Struggle
18 Apr 2013
Including Daniel Carter & William Parker and Amiri Baraka & Henry Grimes
Daniel Carter & William Parker. Bassist William Parker and saxophonist and trumpeter Daniel Carter revisit the duo format they explored to thrilling effect in the late 1970s, as documented on last year’s incredible Centering boxset. Carter’s anarchist…
Eli Roth and Landon Liboiron discuss new horror series Hemlock Grove
18 Apr 2013
'It takes all those gothic characters and rips them open which makes them a lot more raw and real'
Hemlock Grove is the new TV series form horror maestro Eli Roth (the twisted mind that gave us Cabin Fever and Hostel). It’s also one of the first original productions form streaming site Netflix. We caught up with Roth and star Landon Liboiron to find…
Evil Dead II, Stitches, The Man With the Iron Fists - DVD & Blu-ray round-up April 2013
18 Apr 2013
A selection of the best (and worst) horror and action movies released this month
Time for another trip into the darker recesses of the DVD release schedule. With a remake about to hit the cinema it’s prime time to revisit Evil Dead II (Studio Canal) ●●●●●, and it’s still an absolute classic. It’s the archetypal ‘cabin in the woods…
The List Eating & Drinking Guide Awards for 2013 announced
18 Apr 2013
Winners of the annual Best Newcomer Awards in Glasgow and Edinburgh
With the publication of its Eating & Drinking Guide for 2013, The List announced the winners of its annual Best Newcomer Awards. Selected from restaurants opening in Edinburgh and Glasgow since April 2012, the winners are chosen by the guide's…
Director Hal Hartley discusses the legacy of his 1990s indie masterpieces
18 Apr 2013
His early films Amateur, The Unbelievable Truth and Simple Men are set for DVD and Blu-ray release
To those who recognise it, the influence of Hal Hartley can be discerned in the work of many a current filmmaker who came to maturity in the 90s, from mainstream comedies through arty Oscar-baiters to the indiest of hipster indies. Though Hartley is too…
Imaginate 2013 puts an emphasis on storytelling through movement
18 Apr 2013
Dance and physical theatre forms a large part of this year's kids' theatre festival
When you’re programming an international festival, language is always going to be important. Will the audience understand the words and dialect? Does it matter? But this year, it’s body language rather than foreign language that’s pre-occupying…
Misadventures in Wonderland: Aerial yoga
18 Apr 2013
We sent Alice to try aerial yoga, which takes place in hammocks, in a gym near Arthur’s Seat
1. It’s not in the cosmopolitan Manhattan style loft conversion hide-out you’d imagine. I used to date a really pretentious guy who told me about these PH-balance water cafés in LA. That’s the kind of nonsense that comes into my mind when I hear of any…
Gays in Space promises LGBT-friendly clubbing with a cosmic theme
18 Apr 2013
DJ Space Cadette talks us through the disco night's ethos
‘What’s in a name?’ your man Shakespeare once said. Well, a lot apparently, if you are Gays in Space, one of Glasgow’s newest gay nights. ‘People’s initial reaction is often a bit confused, thinking the name sounds really stupid,’ admits organiser Hazel…
Sophie Kromholz, one of the founders of TYCI, shares the group's Record Store Day plans
18 Apr 2013
The women's collective is hosting performances by Jo Mango, Siobhan Wilson and Kitty the Lion
Like many good stories, the tale of TYCI starts in a bar. A group of witty wild things were in the throes of discussion (and beverages of various alcoholic percentages), when the following issue was raised: people still make a really big deal out of…
James and Twin Atlantic announced for Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival 2013 line-up
18 Apr 2013
The fest will also host The Straits, Noisettes, Admiral Fallow, The Horrors and Dougie Maclean
Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival’s 10th anniversary with be headlined by Manchester indie rock band James and Glasgow rockers Twin Atlantic. James, formed in 1982, produced one of the Bella’s most celebrated performances in 2007. 12 studio albums…
Olympus Has Fallen
18 Apr 2013
The Gerard-Butler starring action flick is a derivative throwback to straightforward action movies
Will anyone welcome Kim Jong-Un’s flirtation with nuclear apocalypse? Well, Gerard Butler might, as the new Dear Leader has provided the mother of PR gifts to this piece of action-disaster cinematic imperialism. Butler plays Mike Banning, head of the…
Benjamin Britten to be the focus of the next Children's Classic Concert
18 Apr 2013
Owen and Olly are reworking the British composer's Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Had he not checked out a little prematurely in 1976, Benjamin Britten would have been 100 this year. Birthday celebrations are taking place across the UK, but Children’s Classic Concerts’ Britten and Beyond is the only family event dedicated to one of…
Bernie
18 Apr 2013
Jack Black and Shirley Maclaine star in this nicely-mounted but ultimately oddly bloodless comedy
We’re all familiar with the clear-cut outrage that follows a heinous crime perpetrated by a dark, twisted monster against a dewy innocent – but what if it’s the other way round? What if someone hugely popular does something terrible to someone widely…
Mud
18 Apr 2013
Part adolescent yarn, part yearning love story, starring Matthew McConaughey and Reece Witherspoon
Jeff Nichols’ third film, Mud, arrives with much expectation. His second, Take Shelter, was a marvellous study of the inner turmoil of Michael Shannon’s blue-collar worker, a man haunted by apocalyptic visions. By comparison, Mud feels more prosaic.
Prom on the Prom promises a fun, family-friendly fiddling frenzy
18 Apr 2013
The public musical performance encourages kids to pick up an instrument
Despite the name of their organisation, the founders of Fun Fiddle are well aware that learning a musical instrument doesn’t come easy. ‘We’re called Fun Fiddle, but let’s face it, it’s not always fun,’ says Gica Loening of the Portobello-based group…
