What’sOn
■ Books ■ Clubs ■ Film ■ Comedy 98 99 103 113
113 ■ Theatre 114 ■ Kids 115 ■ Music ■ Visual Art 124
Around Town
OUTSIDE THE FESTIVALS Hitlist THE BEST EVENTS, BOOKS, LGBT*
✽✽ Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art Class The Glasgow branch of the worldwide burlesque lifedrawing phenomenon (pictured). See preview, left. The Arches, Sun 8 Aug. ✽✽ Gourmet Glasgow A series of dining offers and special events in restaurants across the city, run by the Glasgow Restaurateurs’ Association. See preview, left. Various venues across Glasgow, throughout August. ✽✽ Sloans Market Outdoor shopping market with stalls full of gourmet treats, vintage one- offs and classy crafty things. Argyll Arcade, Sun 8 Aug. ✽✽ Zine Workshop A chance to learn about the wonderful world of zines with Marceline Smith (Asking For Trouble) and Jen Collins. Have a go at making your own and browse a selection of classics. See preview, left. Welcome Home, Keith Street, Sun 8 Aug ✽✽ Fringe by the Sea Just a bus ride out of Edinburgh there’s pop-up poetry performances, concerts, theatre, walks, talks and kids’ activities, all in a delightful village setting complete with excellent fish and chips and good fresh sea air. See preview, left. North Berwick, various venues, Tue 10 Aug–Sun 15 Aug. ✽✽ Piping Live! This brilliant festival, celebrating the humble bagpipe, has become a major force in the Glasgow tourism landscape, and is doing great things for Scottish culture. See picture, opposite. Various venues across Glasgow, Mon 9–Sun 15 Aug.
The Restival S o, during the Edinburgh Festival the rest of the country is effectively closed for business, right? Er, wrong. Here’s our guide to great
Kirstin Innes puts together a Festival experience without setting foot in Edinburgh
August experiences outside the capital.
Rather than paying through the nose to sit passively in a darkened room with 12 uncomfortable strangers while some bloke who almost appeared on Mock the Week runs through a hastily shoehorned set of Raoul Moat jokes, why not express yourself? In Glasgow, Bar Bloc’s rather lovely interactive orchestra (yes, it’s called Blochestra) is carrying on regardless – bring any sort of instrument you’ve got hanging around the house (we suspect they may even accept a comb and paper) for a combination workshop and jam session led by Craig Grant from Union of Knives (Mon 9 Aug, Bloc, Bath Street, 9pm). More music-making at the Arches, where Scottish bhangra outfit Tigerstyle are running two workshops in creative music-making (Arches, Argyle Street, Thu 5 &12 Aug, 6pm, call 07811 097821). Welcome Home on Keith Street are running a Zine Workshop, led by Marceline Smith, who writes Asking For Trouble and Jen Collins (hellojenuine) for those who reckon this magazine publishing business looks pretty easy (Welcome Home, Keith Street, Sun 8 Aug, 2pm, call 0141 334 9598), while artists can either work their easels at GoMA’s potraiture workshop (Sun 8 Aug, 1pm) or at that hardy perenium – sorry, we mean perrenial – Dr Sketchy’s
96 THE LIST 5–12 Aug 2010
Anti-Art School, where burlesque dancers and drag artists reveal themselves for the pleasure of your pencil (Arches, Sun 8 Aug, 4pm, 0141 565 1000).
Foodie types in Glasgow should take advantage of the slightly quieter restaurants to pick up special offers: Gourmet Glasgow is a culinary festival with dining deals in restaurants across the city, including Red Onion, Alla Turca and Café Andaluz, as well as a number of special events throughout August (look out for the Sunday afternoon teas with string quartets in Two Fat Ladies at the Buttery). Full details at www.graonline.co.uk Finally, if you’ve sworn off Edinburgh but still need a bit of a Fringe in your life, take a wander down to North Berwick, where the Fringe by the Sea (Tue 10–Sun 15 Aug) will be recreating the Fringe atmosphere in a slightly more relaxed fashion. So, out with the screaming street performers, Dizzee Rascal, bloated stand-up programme and high falutin’ Book Festival, in with wandering Pavement Poem-Catchers, lo-fi folk gigs featuring Eddi Reader and Julie Fowlis, a select Scottish comedy programme and talks from Quintin Jardine and Simon King, OBE. We particularly like the look of the film festival programme, and the historical walking tours of the town. They’ve even got a Spiegeltent, and the fish and chips are guaranteed to be better. Probably no salt and sauce, though. See www.fringebythesea.co.uk for details.