Boxwars (i)
Sometimes it's one of those days when you just want to batter someone with a postal tube. Fortunately for this country’s angry types, Scotland is home to Boxwars; an evening of childish entertainment heralded as punk’s answer to therapy. The premise is simple: make yourself some armour using cardboard and parcel tape, being as imaginative as your life permits you. Then, in a sweaty club with a band pumping up the energy, batter those around you until you’re all left panting amongst the shredded remains of the battleground. Founded in October 2005 by two veterans of the Australian scene, Boxwars UK has grown steadily in popularity, with events attracting large crowds of fight-hungry revellers. The atmosphere is akin to Fight Club, with the crowd roaring for more as cardboard robots headbutt dragons, while dodging the advances of a shoebox knight. Although the website carries a warning to participants, injuries are few because of the mutual respect and acknowledgement of the
boundanes.
It’s a fun way of letting off steam, not a bloodbath, and the biggest warning of all goes to that packaging you were going to chuck in the bin: fight or be recycled. The choice is yours. (SBe)
Mark Hathaway
and Robert Jones 0 V OPERA PRODUCERS Behind the scenes at Scottish Opera. these two staff producers get up to all sorts of things that are bringing opera to a new audience. Whether as
assistant directors on productions from T he Ring to Rosenkava/ier. or Hathaway's work with young students at the RSAMD. they are critical figures in the success of opera in Scotland. But above all it's for their ground breaking Unwrapped project that Hathaway and Jones make our list this year. Watch out for more next year (CM)
rlj l . 5‘
Indian Summer (-) MUSIC GiVing a Scottish music festival such a moniker was always going to tempt late. But the driz/le did little to deter revellers. drawn to Glasgow's leafy Victoria Park by the refreshing lineup of
20 THE LIST M Der: 2000 4 Jan 200/
diverse acts. Yo La lengo. The I all. the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Antony and the Johnsons and Hot Chip inclusive. Small in Size. big in heart. we're hoping this One Will return over and over and over and over and over again. (JG)
Catherine Lockerbie H V FESTIVAL DIRECTOR Under Lockerbie's directorship, the Edinburgh International Book festival continues to grow in si/e and reputation. enjoying its most successful year in 2006. With ticket sales up 8% and almost 60% of events selling out.
highlights included sessions With Harold Pinter and Seamus Heaney. lively political debates and a brand new Autumn mini-festival. featuring Margaret Atwood and Gordon Brown. (AR)
Peter Capaldi (-)
TV/FILM ACTOR & DIRECTOR Glasgow born actor',’writer/dirrx;tor Capaldi has been as busy as ever this year. On TV he did unsurpassable WOrk With his portrayal of the Alistair Campbell ish spin-doctor in The Thick of It. and in the excellent drama Pinochet in Suburb/a. He also made a return to Scottish cinema as a lascrvrous priest in low budget werewolf flick Wild Country. He has also Just started work on his second directorial feature the Great Pretender starring Ewan McGregor. lPDi
Ianet McBain (-)
FILM ARCHIVIST Winner of this year's BAI’TA Scotland Outstanr'ling Achievement in Film award. archivrst McBain finally got the recognition she deserved. For the past 25) years she has collated. curated. cleaned and organised the phenomenal Scottish Screen archive. a unique and Widely used collection of over 32.000 films and Videocassettes. Scotland‘s cultural history stands or falls on the work of great ladies like this. (PD)
King Creosote (t3)
SONGWRITERS Kenny Anderson's folk—flocked tunes finally broke into the mainstream. thanks to major label backing and a year gigging his ass off at every venue and festival imaginable. His own label. Fence Records, flourished. and both he and the Fife-based I once Collective Which he spawned continued to produce the coolest music in the country. (DJ)
Francis McKee (-) CURATOR As lecturer, curator, art writer. critic and director of the (XJA, it's hard to beat l rancis McKee. He successfully began to turn round the flagging institution around after taking over the helm after a series of dodgy decisions (made by
the prevrous governor) that had left the art world glitter'ati and Viewing public very cold indeed. And on top of that he brought together the increasingly influential Glasgow International. (AK)
Phil Kay 0
V COMEDIAN He's always been something of a big kid. albeit one With a strageg board. but this year he wooed adults and children alike With his Fringe shows. Gimme Your 1 eft Shoe charmed the weans While his new life by the seasir'le inspired more iriiprovrsed derring-do after the watershed. (BID)
Timorous Beasties
(-) DESIGN STUDIO Glasgow's favourite textile designers are Paul Sullivan and Alistair McAuley.
otherWise known as Irrnorous Beasties. l ast year they may have been shortlisted for the Designer of the Year prize at the Design Museum in l ondon With their Glasgow Ioile fabric that included pictures of drug-addled Glaswegians among the pastoral scenes. but in 7000 the Beasties capitalised on their notoriety. designing a new collection of lace which won an I lle Deco award. Next year they'll be even hotter. thanks to a solo exhibition at DCA. (NB)