Outwith def: outside/beyond. It’s always refreshing to see more opening up outside of the central belt of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and great to see that Dunfermline’s Outwith Festival is going from strength to strength since its first dabble in 2015 when it appeared as a one-day music festival. It’s now a multi-discipline arts and music festival with curated visual art, spoken word, workshops, theatre (this year the National Theatre of Scotland’s ‘June Carter Cash’ turned up) as well as the music, making it a rich offering for Fife in September.
I personally only caught the Music All-Dayer on the Saturday, which didn’t kick off until 4pm around several venues in the city, giving me plenty of time to catch some of the visual art exhibited around the town, as curated by local Katie Strachan. In Pittencrieff House the works of award-winning artists Oana Stanciu and Claire Barclay were housed, giving space to conceptual sculpture and gothic, kaleidoscopic film. Over in Abbot House there was the work of two local artists, Robbie Hamilton and Steven Dick. Robbie’s skateboard influenced graphics with considered exhibiting has been seen previously in Edinburgh’s Sierra Metro whereas Steven’s watercolours were atmospheric and gloomy depictions of the sea. They offset Robbie’s pastel-oriented works.
The final exhibition space I ventured over to before getting involved with the live music was an unusual one. Independent cycle shop, Crush Cycles were exhibiting the photography of Craig McIntosh, which was specifically chosen to work for the space. Known for his portraiture, it was unusual to see Craig’s wide-angle landscapes, but not within the bike-shop setting – inspiration for the next buyer’s adventure. Stark and stunning, the photographs added life to the retail space.
And hitting four, it was then time to venture around the city of Dunfermline listening to the bands that had been programmed to play over the rest of the day, which was not short of an eclectic mix. From the power ballads of DOVV in The Monarch, the sweatiest venue in the city, to the soulful Edinburgh-based Megan Black, to the discordant jazz of Daysleeper, there was pretty much something for anyone’s tastes. DOVV were a hard act to follow, and the Arctic-Monkeys-influenced The Castros gave a razor sharp performance in The Brasshouse. Alt post-punk band Foreignfox were back performing, today at the Royal British Legion, as they are about to release a new LP next month. Lively, energised, this was one of the more memorable sets at a light and early time of 6:30pm.
Megan Black then played at The Monarch. Stirring and rebellious, she confided in the crowd about coming out and the difficulties that posed. ‘Sweet Bisexual’ was a standout track performance, seeing her audience take to the dancefloor.
The rest of the evening for me was in the Brasshouse with their venue hosting Edinburgh’s Daysleeper, Leith’s troubadour Callum Easter as well as a collaborative act I was desperate to catch, SAY Award winning Kathryn Joseph with the acclaimed Lomond Campbell on synth. Daysleeper, with Leo Bargery on vocals, Edwin McLaughlin on drums and tenor sax, was a surprising act. Discordant jazz with Leo’s Bruce Springsteen-esque vocals was a dark act to follow but if anyone could, it would of course be Callum Easter. On stage in a white suit performing tracks like ‘System’ and ‘Feelings Gone’, Callum does it yet again. Atmospheric, tense, Easter’s playing has all the vibes of an underground club – no bad thing before Kathryn and Lomond hit the stage for the headline set in this venue. Concluding a rich day of music, the pair mesmerised the audience. Lomond Campbell’s synths underscoring the prolific vocals of Joseph enhanced the creepiness and virtually drowned out the chatter of the Dunfermline drunken audience. And, thinking of the title, should this festival continue to grow, it would be great to see how it becomes a more professional outfit, or Fife responds to it, as it goes beyond itself. For now it seems on the edge of change.
Find out more about Outwith Festival via their website: outwithfestival.co.uk
Words by Keira Brown
