The REALIST
4 KIDS / MUSIC Kelburn Garden Party
5 FILM The Big Sick
Set in amazing surroundings, this is a weekend fiesta of kids entertainment, bars, pools, a secret forest and music from the likes of Be Charlotte and DJ Food. There’s even a Twin Peaks Cabaret Tent. See Highlights, page 85 and 98. Kelburn Castle and Country Centre, Largs, Fri 30 Jun–Mon 3 Jul. An impressive Fringey cast (Bo Burnham, Kurt Braunohler and the movie’s co-writer Kumail Nanjiani are all in there) help tell the story of a couple in crisis for a film which has already stormed its way through the festival circuit. See review, page 79. General release from Fri 28 Jul.
6 FOOD & DRINK Edinburgh Food Festival Street food, talks and the finest Scottish
produce are all on hand to help usher in the capital’s festival season with an event that’s expected to pull in some 25,000 hungry visitors. See Side Dishes, page 51. George Square Gardens, Edinburgh, Wed 26–Sun 30 Jul.
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R O B B M C R A E
7 KIDS Mister Maker
8 AROUND TOWN Glasgow Comic Con
9 VISUAL ART ArchiFringe
CBeebies Mister Maker takes Circle, Square, Rectangle and Triangle (aka The Shapes) on tour for an audience participation-heavy gig which promises noise and entertainment aplenty. See preview, page 84. King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Sat 15 Jul.
It should be a magnificent seventh year for Glasgow Comic Con as the event prepares to welcome the legendary likes of Pat Mills, Frank Quitely and Metaphrog while talents such as Elsa Charretier and Amy Reeder are also in town. See preview, page 65. Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Sat 1 Jul. Initiated by engineers, photographers, curators, musicians and (unsurprisingly) architects, this year’s independent platform for new projects once more explores exactly how architecture touches all our lives. See Highlights, page 109. Various venues, Scotland, Sat 1–Sun 23 Jul.
10 CHOSEN BY AUTHOR PETER ROSS ZZ Top
ZZ Top (in my head, in my heart) are one of a holy trinity of bands – together with Slade and Half Man Half Biscuit – whose greatness is masked by the air of novelty that surrounds them. Those beards, those cheap sunglasses and the heavy reek of booze and cheese prevent us from seeing them as they are: geniuses of rock’n’roll. Unquestionably, almost half a century into their career, ZZ Top are trading on past glories. But what glories! The songs from their imperial phase – ‘Legs’, ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’’, ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ – are undeniable pop pleasures. It’s the material from 1973’s Tres Hombres, though, which establishes them in the pantheon. ‘Waitin’ for the Bus’, ‘Jesus Just Left Chicago’, and ‘Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers’ have some claim to being the best run of opening tracks on any LP, and then you’ve got the mighty sleaze-blues of ‘La Grange’ coming up on the flip. For one night only, Texas is coming to Glasgow. Be there. ZZ Top, O2 Academy, Glasgow, Wed 26 Jul; Peter Ross’ The Passion of Harry Bingo: Further Dispatches From Unreported Scotland is published by Sandstone Press, Thu 17 Aug.
1 Jun–31 Aug 2017 THE LIST 7