The Scottish Enlightenment

Retreat IV - Pilrig St Paul’s Church, Edinburgh, Sat 27 & Sun 28 Aug 2011

Glorious fourth appearance from the indie DIY pop fest

1 Sep 2011

All Sunday afternoons should be like the one at this year’s Retreat DIY pop festival: tea in our hands, bacon rolls in our bellies, and eagleowl gently blowing our minds. That was before a toddler joined them onstage and stole our hearts; before the…

Edinburgh's Retreat festival 2011

A fine August ending to Edinburgh’s annual festival hoopla

27 May 2011

It’ll be the fourth year running for the pocket-sized festival, which the organisers describe as ‘an independent micro music festival celebrating Edinburgh’s contribution to the international pop underground.’ And by ‘pop underground’, last year that…

The Scottish Enlightenment - St Thomas

Scottish post-rockers' tremoring and reverbing at the brink of eruption

15 Dec 2010

(Armellodie Records) Scottish post-rock is unique in its ability to give overblown orchestral compositions a flavour of brash reality, with the use of the harsh accent harnessed so well by bands like The Twilight Sad. The Scottish Enlightenment’s…

Labels of Love: Armellodie Records

14 Jul 2010

Launched in early 2007 by Al Nero and Scott Maple of blissful guitar slingers Le Reno Amps, Glasgow rock ‘n’ pop cavalry Armellodie has but one vital mission: Say No to Bland Records. What musical treasures do you bring us? ‘Our current line-up…

Sanford Wurmfield: E-Cyclorama

Rainbow in the round

14 Aug 2008

New York based artist Wurmfield’s new creation is a sight to behold. He channels the colour theories of the great Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell by way of Goethe, the Scottish Enlightenment (there is a reason this work is being premiered in the…

Tigerfest

8 May 2008

This year’s Tigerfest once again brings some of the most exciting Scottish acts to Dunfermline and Fife, but also branches out with gigs in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Names like Twilight Sad, Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake and Paul Haig will all be gracing…

The Scottish Enlightenment, The Debuts and Callel

Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Sat 3 Mar

13 Mar 2007

The crowd are still filtering in when the openers take the stage, but are slowly drawn towards The Scottish Enlightenment (●●●●●) - a Dunfermline four-piece with the menace of Joy Division and the slacker indie cool of Pavement. Whether it’s their…