Ahead in this guide we have plenty of recommendations for where to get your fix for all things music and museum, culture and cabaret, books and bashes between now and the winter holidays. Looking at these venues’ social media pages and websites can be a good place to start to fill up your social and arty cup. Across these pages are just a handful of highlights.
MISCHIEF MAKAR
8th, 11th, and 20th September, and 11th October, Scotland, Various Locations
The dreaded ‘poetry voice’ – you know the one where they drone and emphasise the end of every line in the same way and after several minutes of this you can’t tell any more what’s real and what’s a parody of a cheesy American poetry slam? Kevin P. Gilday’s performance style eats that poetry voice for breakfast, obliterated and crumbled over his porridge. Gilday artfully combines poetry, comedy, and chat to create a bloody good night out and lines that reverberate around you long after the night is over.
HEBRIDEAN TREASURE: LOST & FOUND
2nd till 22nd September Scotland, Various Locations
Celtic and Carnatic music and theatre unify in this show, drawing connections between Scottish and Indian poetry and prayer. It gives a message of hope, set against the historic spiritual background of nineteenth-century Scottish isles. Lead artist and dancer Kirsten Newell collaborates with storytellers and musicians to offer up this telling of ancestral grief, love, mythology, and more.
SMART WORKS SCOTLAND POP UP SHOP
20th September 5pm-8pm and 21st September, 10am-5pm, The Social Hub, Glasgow
In collaboration with The Social Hub, this pop-up shop has all funds going towards the Smart Works Scotland charity, which supports unemployed women with the coaching and clothing they need to get the job. Two-thirds of their clients go on to gain employment within a month of their appointment. Fresh threads and for a good cause!
NO A MEAN CITY
7th September The Rum Shack, Glasgow
A collaboration between MB Events, Scottish Music Collective, and 432 Presents, this celebration of Glaswegian inclusivity is in aid of Refuweegee, a charity that provides a warm welcome to folk who have been displaced here. The night features Soapbox, PVC, Martha May & the Mondays, and more to get you rocking, plus special guest speakers to celebrate the city’s rich history of supporting refugees and rejecting hate speech.
THE STAND
2nd September till 31st December Glasgow and Edinburgh
You can enjoy An Evening of Swearing and Shouting with Gavin Webster. Yes, that’s exactly what it’s called – it’s always nice when a show does what it says on the tin. Andrew O’Neill has penned a bestselling book on heavy metal, supported The Killers, performed in the Good Omens TV show, and their limitless talents mean they have now brought you a comedy show, Geburah – a surreal offering of regicide, politics, and the occult. Travis Jay has performed alongside some of the best and his place is well-deserved, with his work both polished and astute – check out his show Travisty. Emma Doran’s show Dilemma! is wonderfully mad and asks questions you never thought to ask but now you cannae stop wondering about.
Both The Stand venues also have plenty of regular nights too, including the very fun and affordable Red Raw, where you can see fresh and upand- coming comedians and say you saw them here first.
THE QUEEN’S HALL
3rd September till 22nd December, The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Whatever your jam is, you’ll find it here. There’s the sweet strawberry of pop and rock, from the likes of Will Young and Maximo Park, the tart lemon curd of comedy from folk including Ed Byrne and a Christmas special line up, the rich onion chutney of chamber and orchestra such as The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, and the tangy Branston pickle of evenings with people like Michael Palin and Ron Sexsmith.
LANTERNHOUSE
5th September till 10th December Lanternhouse, Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld is a hop and skip away from central Glasgow, and there’s much to offer. In early September, Short Attention Span Theatre present six new plays by early career playwrights, based loosely around themes of civic life. One such is Fluffy Clouds by Stephen Brackenridge, which employs Brackenridge’s usual witty wordplay to explore the politics of three generations of a family. You can also catch shows like Love Beyond, the story of Harry, who has dementia and has started forgetting sign language just as his determined nurse has started to learn it. Check out their cinema too – lots of new and classic movies to see.
FACE/OFF
18th till 22nd September, Leith Makers, Edinburgh
Photographers were matched at random and each pair was tasked with photographing the other’s portrait, in their own styles, with all kinds of artistic temperaments and preferences blended together and coupled up. A cool creative way to expand and collab.
SUMMERHALL
1st September till 3rd October, Summerhall, Edinburgh
Alt-pop in an ex-vet school’s old lab: what a combo. On 14th September, see Josephine Sillars, supported by Elizabeth Elektra and Karys, for a hypnotic night of heavenly hyperpop and a first look at Sillars’ debut album. More music is on offer from Gum Takes Tooth, a duo whose bass does backflips through the brain, and they are supported by Faex Optim. Throughout this sprawling venue, discover lots of different exhibitions too, including The Medium of Madness and Flux. The former displays paintings of Robert McDowell’s from 1968 to 1998 and the latter uses scraps to create fascinating sculptures that look like they’re one breath of fairy dust away from creaking about and traversing the rooms. See more of what’s on offer on their website.
AMPLIFI
3rd September till 22nd December, The Queen’s Hall
AMPLIFI should be on your list of events if you wan to discover your new favourite musician. Artists are hand-picked by Arusa Qureshi and Halina Rifai, and this September’s event has a wonderful roster of solid stars. Fifidiny pulls together her Madagascan and Highlander roots to convey captivating cantrips – her songs will spellbind.
Jeremy Mbiba is known for creating completely a cappella records that use harmonies and vocal layers and travelling between genres and for making people fall in love with him from a single performance. Sinathi Maphalala takes gospel and R&B as a mere starting point, and elevates them together in his tracks. See what else is on at Queen’s Hall – a mix of comedy, music, and more.
thequeenshall.net/whats-on/amplifi
SQIFF
8th till 12th October, CCA and GFT, Glasgow
SQIFF is back and essential as ever. Highlights across the five day celebration of queer-made cinema include lyrical lesbian documentary Lesvia; the first ever Scottish screening of pioneering vintage Japanese road trip film Bye Bye Love; and an abundance of shorts programmes covering all aspects of queer life.
They will also host an installation representing Glasgow’s beloved queer workers co-operative, Bonjour, a queer craft fair featuring local makers, and performances and workshops.
DIRTY LAUNDRY
Every Thursday + Networking event 17th Sept, McChuills, Glasgow
Every week, you can discover a new slew of emerging talent at McChuills. The venue provides more than just a space – 100 percent of ticket sales goes to the artists, plus they have full use of the sound systems, equipment, security, and more. A vanishingly rare beast, this is the kind of venue to support so in turn the artists can flourish too.
FRESHERS FESTIVAL GLASGOW
17th September, Platform, Glasgow
A day of free food and free drink, free tickets for a free day out. Did I say it was free already? It’s also a day to connect with local organisations, hear about jobs and opportunities and see what this city has to offer. Plus there are giveaways, games, and prizes, so not only is there free stuff, but you could walk away richer than you went in.
freshersfestival.com/freshers-festival-glasgow
ST JAMES QUARTER’S STUDENT SHOPPING NIGHT
19th September, 4pm-8pm, St James Quarter, Edinburgh
Bountiful bargains on everything from bobble hats to beauty bits to juicy burgers, plus banging tunes from bewitching bands, playing live for your entertainment. A jam-packed night of live entertainment and sizzling offers to kick off autumn term with clothes for the new year, new you.
stjamesquarter.com/event/student-shopping-night
Main Photo: Hebridean Treasure – Kirsten Newell (credit Mark Richards – AuroraFindhorn)
