Niki Boyle

Sean Hughes: Ducks And Other Mistakes I’ve Made

Extremely embittered ranting from ex-Buzzcocks man

16 Aug 2010

For anyone who has only seen Hughes participate in light-hearted panel quiz shows, this performance may come as a bit of a shock. Alongside caustic diatribes directed at the Catholic Church (including one particularly eye-opening Bill…

Aleister Crowley: A Passion For Evil

Theatrical monologue from the renowned occultist

16 Aug 2010

Credited with being an inspiration to everybody from The Beatles to L. Ron Hubbard, there’s a great deal of celebrity allure surrounding Aleister Crowley. The show, starring, written and directed by Highland based actor and writer John Burns, aims to…

The 80s Movie Flashback

If you like self-aware tackiness, try it out

16 Aug 2010

Irish-American comic Bishop may be right when calls this ‘the most honest show at the Fringe’. His father’s recent terminal cancer diagnosis provides the launching-off point for a funny, insightful, and surprisingly tender journey through the life of…

Flor de Muerto

Mexico City via Cambridge

14 Aug 2010

Gabriel is an orphan who’d rather not celebrate the Day of the Dead for obvious reasons, but three ghosts and an alluring neighbour won’t leave him be. The ghosts are a neat narrative device: their enhanced powers during the Day of the Dead allow them…

Dead

Like an unintentional parody of bad plays

14 Aug 2010

Famous artist Pauric returns to Ireland for the first time since achieving artistic fame, with young wife Adele in tow. However, a number of shady characters from his past are less than happy to see him. The play seems like an unintentional parody of…

The List take Jonny Sweet, John-Luke Roberts and Alex Horne to the beach

The Invisible Dot comedians' collective hit the Edinburgh seaside

11 Aug 2010

The Invisible Dot comedians’ collective is planning to make a song and dance at the seaside this Fringe. But before that, they’re just content to make sandcastles. Niki Boyle takes a bus trip to Portobello beach with Alex Horne, Jonny Sweet and…

Of People and Not Things

An examination of break-up as apocalypse

11 Aug 2010

Going into this show without knowing anything about it can be disorientating: the play is set in the aftermath of a world-destroying event (a couple breaking up), although this is only alluded to obliquely. It’s longer than the average Fringe show and…

Unshakeable

Paul Betney jokingly describes his life with Parkinson's

11 Aug 2010

Paul Betney lived with undiagnosed Parkinson’s disease for 18 years before finally finding medication that helps suppress his uncontrollable shaking. With the aid of video clips, slide shows and jokes, he talks about his life pre- and post-medication.

The Day the Sky Turned Black

One-man show tells the story of the 2009 Australian firestorms

9 Aug 2010

Ali Kennedy-Scott retells the story of the firestorms that claimed the lives of 173 Australians in February 2009, acting out the testimonies of five survivors. Each character is convincingly portrayed, with Kennedy-Scott changing her mannerisms to suit…

The Tiger Lillies

Sideshow inspired death-gypsy tunes

8 Aug 2010

The Tiger Lillies are probably one of only a few proponents of the ‘Death Oompah’ genre. Frontman Martyn Jacques comes to the stage adorned with thick harlequin war paint and armed with songs of murderous circus freaks and decrepit prostitutes, sung in…

Edinburgh in August: Ten-step survival guide

Essential insider knowledge you'll need to survive the festivals

5 Aug 2010

Niki Boyle has compiled a list of festival insider tips to help you survive August as if you were from the city itself. Avoid queues at ATMs, dealing with flyerers, umbrellas, and places to relax.

Alan Warner and Howard Jacobson amongst nominees for Man Booker Prize

2010 literary award longlist announced

29 Jul 2010

The longlist of contenders for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2010 were announced yesterday. The prize of £50 000 is awarded to the best full-length novel by a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or the Commonwealth, is written in English, and is…

Inception

Nolan delivers near flawless mind-bender

28 Jul 2010

(12A) 147min. Christopher Nolan adds yet another mind-bending movie to his canon, following the amnesiac flashbacks of Memento and Insomnia's sleep-deprived trippyness. This time round it's dreams he wishes to explore: Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is…

Fringe performers: How to bribe your way to success in Edinburgh 2010

Bizarre promotional merchandise (or nice food) ensures coverage

23 Jul 2010

Chances are you’ll do just about anything to publicise your show. Luckily for you, The List isn’t interested in sexual favours or cash incentives (non-sequential bills in an unmarked envelope, ta). Instead, we’re jonesing for some bizarre promotional…

Work by photographer Chris Close returns to 2010 Edinburgh Book Festival

Portraits of visiting authors appear in Charlotte Square for second year

21 Jul 2010

Chris Close, the photographer behind last year's successful 'almost live' photography display at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, is set to return to Charlotte Square this year with a new series of portraits of visiting authors. Visiting…

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

T in the Park 2010: Daisy Dares You, Darwin Deez and Three Blind Wolves

T in the Park blog

11 Jul 2010

The day started off with Radio 1 A-lister Daisy Dares You (●●) in King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent, whose biggest hit to date has been the Chipmunk-starring ‘Number One Enemy’ (which she performed as her closing song). Daisy didn’t seem sure what image she…

T in the Park 2010: The anticipation and planning stage

T in the Park blog

11 Jul 2010

It’s the morning of T and excitement is at fever pitch. I don’t mind admitting that my music tastes are perhaps not as highly-developed as my List compadres’ – my most-anticipated act of today is krunk-pop superstars 3OH!3, who are playing the King…

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…

Au Revoir Taipei, Honeymooner and Third Star bring EIFF 2010 to a close

Edinburgh International Film Festival Blog

28 Jun 2010

Sunday 27 June. The closing days of the festival are a giddy affair: you realise that, after so many recommendations and bits of buzz floating about, the EIFF has mutated into this Cloverfield-like monster: there’s beautiful people wandering around…

Obselidia, Cigarette Girl and Chase the Slut among highlights of final stretch at EIFF

Edinburgh International Film Festival Blog

25 Jun 2010

On Wednesday night I had the pleasure of spending a few minutes talking with Diane Bell, director of ‘Obselidia’. She’s very enthusiastic, lapsing into her native Scottish dialect in moments of extreme excitement, and talking in what she describes as…

Stanley Pickle, Baby and Rita among winning films at EIFF new talent awards

Edinburgh International Film Festival Blog

23 Jun 2010

Monday was quite a sedate affair – after a number of days where going to bed late and getting up early was the norm, I treated myself to a lie-in before heading into town to catch a few movies (‘Postales’, at last, and ‘Chase The Slut’ – interview on…

Sean Connery on form as EIFF The Man Who Would Be King screening marks 80th year

Edinburgh International Film Festival Blog

21 Jun 2010

Yet another early start on Sunday, but I’d learnt my lessons from the morning after the Opening Gala, and hadn’t over-indulged at the Ghillie Dhu ceilidh the night before. Thus, I was fighting fit to attend Der Räuber (The Robber) at the Cameo, a…

Evil in the Time of Heroes and The Extra Man highlights of EIFF screening frenzy

Edinburgh International Film Festival Blog

20 Jun 2010

I was feeling pretty ashamed of my films-seen-to-days-attended ratio on Friday morning (as it stood at a paltry 1:1), so I went a bit crazy on the screening front. At the crack of dawn I attended ‘Mai Mai Miracle’ at the Cameo, a Japanese anime with…