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Fence Gnomegame - Town Hall, Anstruther, Sat 6 & Sun 7 Apr 2013
16 Apr 2013
The Pictish Trail, eagleowl and Golden Teacher all play the micro-festival in Fife
’I know some of you are excited about this next band because we've already sold out of their records,’ declared Pictish Trail Johnny Lynch in advance of eagleowl’s Saturday afternoon set, whichpremiered material from their new album *3this silent…
Glasvegas - King Tut's, Glasgow, Wed 27 Mar 2013
16 Apr 2013
The rock'n'roll quartet perform secret, Beatles-themed gig as The Savage Stage Bells
In 1965, a distressed John Lennon penned the lyrics, 'Help! I need somebody! Help and not just anybody!' over the difficulties of coping with his rapid rise to fame. Over half a century later and in the belly of King Tuts, James Allan, adorned in a…
S-Type - King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, Sat 30 Mar 2013
16 Apr 2013
The LuckyMe-signed producer shows why US hip hop labels are after him
The Blessings’ Martyn Flyn and Dominic Flanagan and the acts on their LuckyMe label are more familiar with organising and playing at club nights, so it’s something of a surprise to find the duo hosting a gig at King Tuts, a venue better known for…
Jo Caulfield presents... The Speakeasy - Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Tue 9 Apr 2013
16 Apr 2013
This spoken word/comedy evening presents a more easy-going, relaxed alternative to stand-up shows
‘They don’t like this kind of thing on a Friday night at Jongleurs.’ It’s a statement that could apply to just about every act on The Speakeasy bill, but it’s spoken by Andrew Learmonth, a comedian who has just revealed the story of his prematurely-born…
Me and You (Io e te)
16 Apr 2013
Bernardo Bertolucci's family drama is a minor triumph, starring Jacopo Olmo Antinori and Tea Falco
Bernardo Bertolucci probably never expected to direct another feature film which is why the mere existence of Me and You is a minor triumph. Plagued by ill health over the past decade and now confined to a wheelchair, the director of Last Tango In Paris…
Everybody Has a Plan
16 Apr 2013
Viggo Mortensen stars in this schlocky-but-solemn, slow-paced Argentine noir
Not necessarily a good plan, though, eh? Viggo Mortensen here plays Agustin, a classy Argentinian paediatrician who, frustrated by his bourgeois life and his wife’s attempts to further pin him down by adopting a child, takes advantage of an unexpected…
Love is All You Need
16 Apr 2013
A syrupy, genre-led romcom-lite starring Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm
Love, apparently, is all you need, which could be why Susanne Bier has forgotten about nuance, character, wit and candour. Expectations were high for the Danish director of 2010’s Oscar-winning In a Better World, but she has let herself down with this…
In the Fog
16 Apr 2013
A stately, austere and richly atmospheric war film from director Sergei Loznitsa
‘I have done nothing wrong,’ insists railway worker Sushenya (Vladimir Svirskiy), when two local partisans Burov (Vladislav Abashin) and Voitik (Sergei Kolesov) call on his modest family home. We’re in occupied Belarus in 1942, and a group of saboteurs…
Kate Nash – Oran Mor, Glasgow, Sun 14 April 2013
16 Apr 2013
Nash and her all-female band provide a rousing, affectionate show
Nash and her all-female band provide a rousing, affectionate show – and for anyone who grew up in the 90s, both the songs and visuals feel sweetly nostalgic. Nash is best known for her first album, Made of Bricks, and particularly the single…
The Weeknd - O2 ABC, Glasgow, Thu 21 Mar 2013
16 Apr 2013
Abel Tesfaye's performance features flawless delivery tempered by a vulnerable stage presence
As a mysterious and media-shy artist (he's never given a full interview), The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) faced mixed anticipations at his debut Scottish appearance. Purposely performing a varied mix of songs from his dark and explicit compilation album…
Beth Orton - Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh, Tue 9 Apr 2013
16 Apr 2013
The ever-pegged queen of British folk is affably personable at this reasonably intimate show
Given the hype around Beth Orton’s sixth and latest release Sugaring Season you might expect the ever-pegged queen of British folk to be flush with confidence. Instead she’s sheepish, funny and affably personable; drinking herbal tea, pulling her jeans…
Emeli Sandé - Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Mon 1 Apr 2013
16 Apr 2013
The soul singer's homecoming show reinforces the notion that genuine talent makes for success
In an age where so many so-called ‘singers’ rely on dancers, costumes, visuals, audio effects (or scandal in their personal life) to add impact to their performances, it’s by all means impressive when an artist delivers an incredible show without using…
Rebellion
16 Apr 2013
A deft portrayal of the French Pacific 1988 Ouvea conflict from actor/director Mathieu Kassovitz
In Rebellion (L'Ordre Et La Morale), Mathieu Kassovitz revisits events on the French Pacific territory of Ouvea in New Caledonia in 1988 when a small local uprising was met by the full force of the French army. Kassovitz's hard-hitting reconstruction…
Conquering Animal Sound - Kinning Park Complex, Glasgow, Fri 29 Mar 2013
16 Apr 2013
A late album launch from the divine bedroom experimenters turned revered live act
Kinning Park Complex doesn’t get enough recognition on account of its versatility and slightly tattered charm. As much the ideal setting for dance classes and community meetings as it is for grassroots punk shows, and intimate musical experiences off…
James Blake - The Arches, Glasgow, Thu 9 Apr 2013
11 Apr 2013
The electronica producer delivers a memorable performance with material from second album, Overgrown
Having notched up five Glasgow appearances in three years, it certainly seems as though James Blake has a fondness for the place, or at the very least the enthusiastic reception he receives here; tonight’s relaxed turns at chat, including a jokey…
Oblivion
10 Apr 2013
Tom Cruise's latest sci-fi outing is visually splendid but features overfamiliar plotting
His first sci-fi since Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, there is a queasy sense of familiarity with Tom Cruise’s new film, Oblivion. It hardly helps that his character, a cocky blue-collar repairman, is named Jack Harper – which sounds uncannily…
Pippa Goldschmidt -The Falling Sky
10 Apr 2013
Cosmology-themed first novel shows potential
(Freight Books) Pippa Goldschmidt’s readable first novel is a character study of astronomer Jeanette who makes a discovery about the universe which could challenge the Big Bang theory. The discovery threatens to disrupt Jeanette’s life when bereavement…
Biffy Clyro – SECC, Glasgow, Mon 1 Apr 2013
4 Apr 2013
Simon Neil and co continue to smuggle hard rock weirdness past the arena anthems crowd
Given that Biffy’s ‘Many of Horror’ was (in)famously given the X Factor seal of approval back in 2010, it’s impressive that they continue to plough such weird and hard-rocking furrows alongside their more radio-friendly anthemic fare. Granted, the…
Simon Killer
4 Apr 2013
A sinister, smartly shot dramatic thriller starring Brady Corbet and Mati Diop
Antonio Campos follows his striking debut Afterschool with another cinematic punch to the gut. Simon Killer is a film which chills and confounds. Featuring a complex performance from Brady Corbet (Funny Games, Melancholia), it signposts its…
The Host
3 Apr 2013
This Stephenie Meyer-adapted sci-fi has some good ideas let down by dull scripting and wooden acting
Whoever decided to combine the talents of author Stephenie Meyer and writer-director Andrew Niccol should never eat lunch in this town again. Both have form in coming up with intriguing, high concept storylines: an adolescent human falls in love with…
James Blake - Overgrown
3 Apr 2013
Troubadour for the Burial generation revisits fey, enigmatic stylings on second album
James Blake provokes that kind of feverish excitement you’d mostly associate with the giddy hormonal urges of Beliebers, but instead he enchants the coolly-detached habitués of Boiler Room. It’s understandable. He is after all, an impossibly zeitgeisty…
Ghost, Gojira and The Defiled - O2 Academy, Glasgow, Tue 19 Mar, 2013
28 Mar 2013
Thundering triple bill of industrial, thrash prog and classic metal
It’s easy to be cynical about sponsored gigs, but Jägermeister have nailed their colours to the mast: they love and support metal. And when they are providing line-ups this solid at just £5 in, you can forget all the corporate bullshit and admit it’s…
All Things to All Men
28 Mar 2013
Formulaic cops and robbers thriller starring Gabriel Byrne and Rufus Sewell
The opening minutes of All Things to All Men suggest that something interesting could be in the offing. ‘It’s good to see you again,’ says a gun dealer as stony-faced thief Riley (Toby Stephens) concludes their transaction. ‘Just like old times,’ says…
Thursday Till Sunday
28 Mar 2013
A beautifully-crafted but directionless Chilean drama about marital strife
This South American drama depicts a four-day cross-country car journey taken by a family, for reasons kept intentionally vague, from the perspective of 12-year old Lucia (newcomer Santi Ahumada), travelling with her parents and little brother Manuel.
Papadopoulos & Sons
28 Mar 2013
Forgettable, unconvincing Anglo-Greek comedy drama starring Stephen Dillane
Tales of black sheep family members losing the strictures of stuffy respectability have been legion and the forgettable Papadopoulos & Sons has nothing fresh to enliven the familiar formula. Predictable plotting, stilted performances and…
