MUSIC | Folk

HIGHLIGHTS

OF THE GLASGOW SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

Music & Film Discussions Three talks on the relationship be- tween sound and image open with Ruth Paxton and Dobrinka Tabakova (see interview, page 68). Former Y’All Is Fantasy Island vocalist Adam Stafford follows alongside sound designer Marcin Knyziak and composer Daniel Padden, who worked on Stafford’s film, No Hope for Men Below. Sam Firth and composer Fraya Thomsen end with a look at Stay the Same, in which Firth filmed herself in the same spot every day for a year. Frances Morgan from The Wire chairs the talks. CCA, Fri 14 Feb.

Niteflights

Artist and performer Michelle Hannah’s live-art multimedia night- club inspired by The Walker Brothers’ 1978 swansong ‘Nite Flights’ moves into a disused un- derground car park, where a dozen artists, including Douglas Morland and Linder Sterling (making her first visit to Glasgow since performing her 13-hour epic The Darktown Cakewalk at GI 2010) explore the gifts of sound and vision anew. Fleming House Car Park, Renfrew Street, Fri 14 Feb. Alex Neilson Scores

Percussionist and musical polymath Alex Neilson provides live accom- paniment to a trio of films with very disparate troupes. Saxophone / drums duo Death Shanties accompany Lucy Stein and Shana Moulton’s film Polventon, vocal harmony ensemble The Crying Lion and artist Oliver Mezger revisit Orkney- born filmmaker Margaret Tait’s 1966 short The Big Sheep. The grand finale comes with Trembling Bells’ raucous accompaniment to Rory Stewart’s portrait of legendary boozer the Port O’Leith. The Art School, Sat 15 Feb. Zoviet France / Konx-Om-Pax It’s more than a decade since Newcastle’s veteran electronic duo Zoviet France appeared at Tramway to perform The De- criminalisation of Country Music. Now in their fourth decade, these contemporaries of Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle blow the dust off their homemade kit for a bill that also features video with synth auteur Konx-om-Pax (aka Tom Scholefield), as well as a DJ set from Mark Maxwell of Glasgow’s Rubadub. The Art School, Sat 15 Feb. (Neil Cooper)

86 THE LIST 23 Jan–20 Feb 2014

Rantum Scantum Leith Folk Club, Victoria Park Hotel, 221 Ferry Road, 07502 024852. 7.30pm. £7. An eclectic mix of contemporary, Americana and traditional songs. Wednesday 29

Edinburgh Bowhill Players: The Joe Corrie Project Edinburgh Folk Club, Cabaret Bar, 60 The Pleasance, 650 2458. 7.30pm. £10 (£8; members £6). The poems of playwright Joe Corrie set to traditional and contemporary folk. Perth Trad From Scratch Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 7pm. £5. Dust down those instruments and get involved with a traditional session aimed towards beginners. Learn some tunes by ear and then develop your way up to playing the harmonies.

Thursday 30

Stirling Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys Tolbooth, Jail Wynd, 01786 274000. 8pm. £10 (£7). High- energy roots folk and Americana band featuring award-winning fiddler and dancer Gordie MacKeeman.

Saturday 1

Arbroath Songs of Angus: Violet Jacob’s Words in Song Hospitalfield House, Hospitalfield, 01241 656124. 8–10pm. £10. An evening of music inspired by the work of Angus poet Violet Jacobs. Hosts Lisa Simmons and Sheila Mann offer an insight into the poets life and work before introducing musical performances from Steve Byrne, Scott Gardiner and Lucy Pringle.

Sunday 2 Edinburgh Dere Street Wee Folk Club, Royal Oak, Infirmary Street, 557 2976. 8.30pm. £5. Original and traditional music from the folky trio.

Monday 3 Edinburgh Foakies The Royal Oak, 1 Infirmary Street, 557 2976. 8.30pm. £5–£8 (£3–£5). Singer songwriters and poets performing their own work on the first Monday of the month.

Tuesday 4

Edinburgh Mairi Orr Leith Folk Club, Victoria Park Hotel, 221 Ferry Road, 07502 024852. 7.30pm. £7. Scottish folk mixed with American roots. Ceilidh Club Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, 0845 874 3001. 8pm. £6. Ceilidh dancing, furious fiddlers and callers from the Edinburgh Ceilidh Club lead you through the steps. The Big Shoogle play live.

Wednesday 5

Glasgow Andy White Woodend Tennis & Bowling Club, 10 Chamberlain Road, 959 1428. 8pm. £10 advance; £12 on the door. A little bit of politics and a lot of wit from the perennially likeable Irish folk rock singer- songwriter. Edinburgh Nick Dow Edinburgh Folk Club, Cabaret Bar, 60 The Pleasance, 650 2458. 7.30pm. £10 (£8; members £6). Contemporary and traditional folk by the London-based singer-songwriter.

Perth Trad From Scratch Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 7pm. £5. See Wed 29. Bar, 60 The Pleasance, 650 2458. 7.30pm. £10 (£8; members £6). Scots- Irish vocalist Dymock teams up with guitarist Marra (The Hazy Janes).

Thursday 6 Glasgow A Night for Jackie Leven Woodend Tennis & Bowling Club, 10 Chamberlain Road, 959 1428. 8pm. £10. A tribute to the blues/rock vocalist who sadly passed away in 2011, featuring Andy White, Graham Skinner, Scott MacDonald and Paul Tasker.

Dunfermline Pauline Alexander and Edwin Gallacher Dunfermline Folk Club, Thistle Tavern, Baldridgeburn, 01383 721732. 7.30pm. £6. See Sun 26. Perth Trad From Scratch Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 7pm. £5. See Wed 29.

Friday 7 Thursday 13

Edinburgh Andy White Sneaky Pete’s, 73 Cowgate, 225 1757. 7pm. £10. See Wed 5. Balkanarama Studio 24, 24–26 Calton Road, 558 3758. 9.30pm–3am. £8 before 10.30pm; £9 after. A blend of klezmer, Balkan, gypsy punk and electronic beats featuring live music, bellydancing, VJs and a live jam session. Featuring Tantz, haunting all-female polyphonic Balkan choir Kuchke and DJ Kezzer.

Saturday 8 Glasgow Balkanarama The Art School, 20 Scott Street, theartschool.co.uk 10.30pm–3am. £8. See Fri 7.

Dundee Fundraising Ceilidh HMS Frigate Unicorn, Victoria Dock, 01382 200900. 7.30–11pm. £15. Fundraising ceilidh with live music from the Dundee Strathspey and Reel Society and other special guests plus a raffle, bar and light supper. All proceeds go to Megan’s trip to China where she is taking part in a community development project at a Chinese orphanage and studying at a Chinese University.

Peebles Southern Tenant Folk Union Eastgate Theatre & Arts Centre, Eastgate, 01721 725777. 7.30pm. £12– £14 (children £5). Gospel-influenced seven-piece with their own mix of old- time, bluegrass and Celtic folk music.

Selkirk Preston Reed String Jam Club, The Country Hotel, 1-5 High Street, 01750 721 233. 7.30pm. £tbc. Fusing blues, folk, funk and jazz to create aural pictures of Americana, the Girvan- based American is widely recognised as one of the world’s most gifted acoustic guitarists. Stirling Watt Nicoll Tolbooth, Jail Wynd, 01786 274000. 8pm. £10. Winner of Best Motivational Speaker in the World, Nicoll goes back to his musical roots with a night of folky goodness.

Sunday 9

Edinburgh Jack Burness Wee Folk Club, Royal Oak, Infirmary Street, 557 2976. 8.30pm. £5. Contemporary and traditional folk by the Beamish-based singer-songwriter.

Monday 10

Perth Ross Ainslie & Jarlath Henderson Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 8pm. £13. The multi-instrumentalists (but chiefly pipers) in concert. Wednesday 12

Edinburgh Barbara Dymock & Christopher Marra Edinburgh Folk Club, Cabaret

Edinburgh Café Voices Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. 7–9pm. £5. A relaxed session of oral storytelling, poetry by memory, music and song. Claire & Fergus McNicol share tales on the theme ‘Love Stories’ in celebration of Valentine’s Day, of course. Friday 14

Bathgate Double-Klix Regal Community Theatre, 24–34 North Bridge Street, 01506 630085. 7.30pm & 2pm. £5. The Bathgate duo play a nostalgic set of swing, country and easy listening. Saturday 15

Perth Scottish Fiddle Orchestra Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 7.30pm. £15–£16 (under 16s £5). The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra is the country’s foremost large ensemble for traditional music.

Sunday 16 Edinburgh Roots Showcase The Jazz Bar, 1 Chambers Street, 220 4298. 8pm. £5 (£4). Roots, R&B and blues from Toby of Black Diamond Express and friends.

Tuesday 18

Glasgow Matt Pryor Stereo, 20-28 Renfield Lane, 222 2254. 7pm. £9.50. Indie folk by the singer-songwriter from Lawrence, Kansas and member of The Get Up Kids and The New Amsterdams. Edinburgh North Sea Gas Leith Folk Club, Victoria Park Hotel, 221 Ferry Road, 07502 024852. 7.30pm. £9. Hugely entertaining Scottish folk band who combine guitars, mandolins, bodhrans, banjos, whistles and bouzoukis with fine vocals. Expect a mixture of traditional and original material and great craic.

Wednesday 19 Edinburgh Dan McKinnon Edinburgh Folk Club, Cabaret Bar, 60 The Pleasance, 650 2458. 7.30pm. £10 (£8; members £6). Canadian singer, guitarist and songwriter playing traditional music from the North Atlantic.

Perth Trad From Scratch Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 7pm. £5. See Wed 29.

Thursday 20 Edinburgh Fairport Convention The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 6.30pm. £20. Veteran folk group whose current line-up features founding member Simon Nicol with Gerry Conway, Chris Leslie, Dave Pegg and Ric Sanders.