“If you can’t go to Africa, Africa comes to you.”

So says Samba Sene, speaking between numbers during his support slot at the Voodoo Rooms. And he’s right.

Tonight we’re treated to the rhythms, emotion and joy of some top quality world music in Edinburgh, courtesy of Senegalese Samba and main act Vieux Farka Touré from Mali.

More normally fronting his full band Diwan, tonight Samba Sene sits on the stage with an acoustic guitar, accompanied by a single musician on an African mandolin. Together, they perform a set of low-key, personal numbers, dealing with Samba’s loves & losses. Samba’s playing and singing is emotive and subtle, as his rich voice effortlessly fills the Ballroom to an appreciative audience.

Proving he’s as comfortable in an intimate and personal setting as he is when leading Diwan through their gloriously upbeat numbers, Samba is a pleasure to watch and listen to, particularly when he wins over the crowd with his song devoted to his now hometown of Edinburgh.

Vieux Farka Touré is recognised as one of the finest guitarists on the world music scene today, and on the strength of tonight’s performance it’s easy to see why. Backed by a bassist and percussionist, his songs are long, hypnotic affairs, weaving their rhythms between the dancing feet of the packed crowd.

The length of the numbers allows Vieux’s musicianship to shine: whether adeptly blurring his fingers in a series of impressive solos; or bouncing his playing off his fellow band members, trading rhythmical snippets of music as if passing a ball between them.

Throughout, Vieux’s obvious passion for the music beams out, as his infectious and joyful stage presence spreads waves of warmth around the room.

Back outside in the cold air of a February evening in Edinburgh, Samba and Vieux have indeed brought a little piece of Africa to us: more than enough to keep us warm all the way home.

Samba Sene and Vieux Farka Touré played at The Voodoo Rooms, Tue 7th Feb

Newhaven cafe

A warm welcome and excellent food at The Haven cafe

There’s nothing more than we like than trying out a new place for food and at lunchtime today, we visited the recently opened cafe, The Haven at Anchorfield (directly opposite the Chancelot Mill).

A warm welcome ensued as we tucked ourselves beside a radiator and started reading the papers and glossy magazines on offer for customers.

The menu has all the usual breakfast suspects with rolls starting at £1.80 (sit-in price) and £2.10 for a doubler. A bowl of porridge will set you back £1.90 and scrambled eggs on toast £2.40.

There are freshly made soups and sandwiches up for grabs, but we couldn’t see past the all-day full Scottish breakfast with tea (or coffee) included, for a bargain price of £5.95.

A steaming large mug of tea was served to the table followed by the wonderful sight of  bacon, black-pudding, sausage, haggis, free-range egg, mushrooms, beans, tattie scone and toast on a plate. We opted out of the tomato which is normally included and was impressed with both the quality and quantity that had been served.

Impressive full-Scottish breakfast

Other diners were tucking into bowls of soup and half a sandwich (£4.20 for the combo) and we also eyed up the blueberry pancakes (special of the day). All the food served is available in smaller portions for children and highchairs are available making this a family friendly place.

Despite eating more calories than we care to think about, we of course managed a slice of home-made cake. There’s lots to choose from including classics such as empire biscuits, chocolate cake and scones, but we plumped for a piece of Victoria sponge (£2.50).

We were served a door-stop sized wedge of the light and fluffy sponge which caused the neighbouring tables to comment in envy and ask if it would be finished. Of course the answer was yes.

Other warming drinks are available such as the usual coffees (£1.70 for an americano and £1.80 for a latte) and hot chocolate (£2.20) and fruit shoots for little ones (70p).

By the end of our visit (1pm ish) the majority of tables were full with lunchtime workers and pensioners as well as the local school kids coming in for a takeaway lunch.

We really can’t fault any aspect of this cafe. The prices are very reasonable, the surroundings comfortable and the food excellent.

Recommended from us.

Impressive Victoria sponge

Information

The Haven Cafe - 9 Anchorfield, Edinburgh.

Free wi fi.

Opening hours – Monday to Friday 0730 – 1700 hrs and Saturday and Sunday 0900 – 1700 hrs

The Haven are on facebook and on twitter @thehavencafe

Suitable for disabled? Yes the door and cafe is on ground level, but the bathrooms are located up a set of four steps.

The Haven features on our Edinburgh Cake Trail.

This picture courtesy of The Haven

Inside the cafe

Edinburgh-based grunge rockers Art of Privilege unleash four minutes of piledriving rock with new single The Crawler, a no-nonsense, no-apologies blast along the metal motorway at a million times over the speed limit.

The single has a raw and relentless feel which suits its theme of nights in sleazy bars with easy women. Drums and bass keep the engine running behind some blistering and accomplished guitar licks which rev things up nicely between choruses which kick like double JDs on the rocks.

The Crawler shows Art of Privilege are a band who’ve studied hard at the School of Rock – but manage to make things sound effortless as they speed past with a track which makes you want to hit repeat as soon as it’s over.

The Crawler is out now on iTunes

Creation & Play gives the chance for three leading Scottish puppeteers to be paired with a trio of theatre directors: and given free reign to create whatever form of visual theatre they wished. With the emphasis very much on the ‘play’ aspect, the pieces give an opportunity for their creators to experiment in a low-risk environment, allowing them to flex their creative muscles in a sandbox environment – quite literally in the case of one of the performances.

Pac A Mac by Shona Reppe and the Lyceum’s Mark Thomson is the most avant-garde of the slices of playfulness on offer, with a surreal mood-piece featuring Reppe as a bewildered balloon modeller haunted by a disembodied voice in a cardboard box. Like a lost scene from Eraserhead, Reppe danced amidst the balloon animals, trying in vain to ignore the sense of foreboding and claustrophobia which closes in around her.

A visually interesting piece with Reppe’s performance emphasising the sense of the absurd, the theme is a little too sleight to make it anything other than a diverting performance as fragile as one of the balloon figures she pops beneath her shoes.

Easter Island: It’s A Rapanui by Ailie Cohen and Communicado Artistic Director Gerry Mulgrew is at the other extreme of the spectrum, being a humourous spoof scientific presentation about the mysteries of the giant stone heads on the tiny island. Cohen and fellow Puppet State Theatre Company collaborator Rick Conte have fun mugging their way through proceedings, aided and abetted by some effective shadow and small-figure puppetry.

It’s a likeable and light-hearted sketch: though whether it develops into something larger and more long-lasting remains to be seen.

A showing of Anna Ginsburg’s stop-motion animation video to Bombay Bicycle Club’s How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep? follows: a delightful and appropriately dream-like film with echoes of Le Petit Prince, well suited to the band’s indie folk style.

Grit by Tortoise In A Nutshell and Citizen Theatre’s Dominic Hill is the most traditional of the performances this evening, as the puppeteers bring a small, vulnerable male figure to life on a sand-strewn table.

His short journey is a rite of passage from innocent wonder to the misplaced bravado and futility of conflict, and Tortoise’s puppeteers succeed in portraying the tale with pathos and emotion, particularly in the poignant opening and closing scenes which frame the piece.

Creation & Play is an encapsulation of everything the manipulate Festival sets out to achieve: bold experimentation in an environment where freedom of expression can flourish. And whilst the pieces on show tonight are variable, they are united by those common goals, showing what creativity and playfulness can produce when given space to breathe.

Creation & Play – part of manipulate’s Snapshots – played at The Traverse Theatre on Feb 3 2012

England’s Invisible Thread give us a glimpse into a playful and at times disturbing world with Liz Walker’s Plucked…A True Fairy Tale, part of the manipulate Visual Theatre Festival at the Traverse.

Taking inspiration from myth and legend – most notably the maiden, mother, crone archetype – two almost life-size puppets interact in an abstract and expressive style, operated by three onstage puppeteers.

In the first section, male and female energies attract and intertwine, resulting in a trio of surreal births which emphasise themes of love and loss. With their spindly limbs and billowing white skirts, the puppets evoke a sense of otherworldiness and mystery: part childlike, part alien as they interact with the sparse set of wooden ladders and planks – and with each other.

Humour is present, mostly due to the surreal nature of the pair’s coupling and the subsequent offspring: from toy trains to television sets, each of which literally fly the parental nest. This gives rise to the thematic thread of the second half, where the lone female character is transformed into a terrible crow-like figure after undergoing a journey of self, seeing her reign from a mechanical tower from which she dispenses swift and terrifying vengeance on those who come to court.

Live ink painting projection and a music-box style soundtrack add to the dreamlike mood of the piece; and the sensory experience of Plucked as a whole overcomes the shortcomings in its often obtuse narrative.

Unique and challenging at times, Plucked is also perhaps a little over long – not helped by a necessary interval where the audience are asked to leave the auditorium to allow a scene change between acts.

As the images seep in and settle though, the haunting world of Plucked…A True Fairy Tale lingers in the mind like the echoes of a barely-remembered dream.

Plucked was performed as part of the manipulate Visual Theatre Festival at the Traverse Theatre on Jan 31.

Inspired by two real-life Victorian spiritualist performers, The Infamous Brothers Davenport opens a box filled with magic and memory in this world premiere at the Lyceum, co-produced with Glasgow’s Vox Motus.

Written by Candice Edmunds, Jamie Harrison and Peter Arnott, and directed by Harrison and Edmunds, The Infamous Brothers Davenport is a showy and technically-complex production, but one which hides layers of emotion in its plot’s many hidden compartments.

Before the lights dim, Lady Noyes-Woodhull (Anita Vetesse) greets the ‘invited guests’ at tonight’s demonstration, inviting some onstage to examine the spiritualist apparatus for signs of trickery or subterfuge before the main event.

Ira and Willie Davenport (Scott Fletcher and Ryan Fletcher) are two young American brothers who, with the assistance of manager Mr Fay (Gavin Mitchell), turn the experiences of their past into a stage phenomenon: claiming to present the grief-stricken and the curious with evidence of life beyond the grave.

The piece opens with a humourous flourish, with Mitchell relishing the role of showman as he introduces the mysterious brothers. Stagecraft and magic techniques are used – with the help of a few willing audience members – to provide the ‘evidence’, sought no more strongly than by Lady Noyes-Woodhull herself, whose husband has been missing in Africa for years.

Soon, the magic disperses and the brothers’ ‘spirit box’ transforms into a stage within a stage, where Ira and Willie’s background is played out. Vetesse and Mitchell take on the roles of Mama and Papa, and we learn that the brothers’ most precious secrets are not the ones they use to create the effects in their act.

The Infamous Brothers Davenport is visibly the sum of its parts, and at times not all of them connect. The stage show reenactment is technically well-done and played in pastiche style, though this at times this jars with the human tragedy played out behind the box’s doors. In the second half, things come together with a little more cohesion, as the piece’s themes of truth and deception reach a satisfying climax.

Performances are excellent throughout, particularly from Scott Fletcher, who plays Willie with an innocent and otherworldly demeanour. Mitchell has the most fun, alternating between the exuberant showmanship of Mr Fay and the Bill The Butcher-style domineering of Papa Davenport.

Mention must also go to Harrison’s design and David Graham’s technical management: this is a production which relies heavily on more-than-usual amounts of stage magic to suspend the audience’s disbelief, and does so with flair.

Touring after this premiere, The Infamous Brothers Davenport is an ambitious production which mostly hits the magical mark it sets itself. And with its tale of hidden doors and hidden secrets, it shows that voices from beyond the grave echo into our lives whether you believe in spiritualism or not.

The Infamous Brothers Davenport runs at the Lyceum until 11 Feb. More details are on the Lyceum website.

Of Ash & Water - Emissary

Close your eyes whilst listening to Emissary‘s debut EP and their music evokes the airbrushed landscapes of 70s fantasy artist Roger Dean. And, with their complex and accomplished songs which conjure up the spirits of Rush and Wolfmother, the band’s sweeping and epic sound is well-placed to inhabit them.

A four-piece post-metal band formed from the ashes of Visperas, Aos Si and other groups on the Edinburgh rock scene, Emissary emerge newly-forged with guitars slung over their shoulders like weapons, chiselled jaws jutting towards the horizon and their eyes fixed on the setting twin moons of Asengard (or something).

Standing Stone opens things in suitably gargantuan fashion, with explosive guitar riffs which shake the earth from its orbit. ‘You struck the fear of god into me,” sings vocalist Luke, as the music crashes and swirls around him like a vortex.

Indeed, Emissary understand the power of an almighty riff, and all four tracks on offer here bristle with hooks and refrains like they’re preparing for some full-on guitar-based assault.

It Was Always You is perhaps the best example of the Emissary sound. The first half is a delicate, baroque composition; which then lets its hair down and hurtles towards a tumultuous and fiery conclusion. The song has a metal-melting ferocity of the kind that the Gods of Rock intended when they first bestowed electric guitars upon the world.

If you’re a fan of sweeping and epic rock but are struggling to find anyone on the local scene to satisfy your urges, Emissary have arrived after an epic journey at the gates of Edinburgh with an impressively writ-large missive of hope.

And the Gods of Rock are pleased.

Stuart Paterson’s Christmas shows at the Lyceum make only the briefest of nods to pantomime, instead choosing to focus on capturing all the magic of fairytale on stage. Neil Murray’s direction of Beauty & The Beast is no exception, providing a captivating two hours of charming festive entertainment with its timeless tale of love’s ability to conquer all.

Beauty (Ruth Milne) lives a Cinderella-like existence with her impoverished father (Lewis Howden) and her wicked sisters Hazel and Hannah (Karen Traynor and Nicola Roy) with only her new friend Martin (Andrew Rothney) to confide in. When her father ends up at the mercy of the terrifying Beast, selfless Beauty takes his place as the monster’s prisoner. Meanwhile, evil witch Crackjaw (Angela Clerkin) watches as her evil plans fall into place…

Milne puts in an appealing performance as Beauty, quickly becoming everyone in the audience’s favourite big sister. Rothney is similarly likeable as the brave Martin; and the relationship between the two leads is strong enough to carry the tale. Howden brings world-weary gravitas to his role, and the scenes between father and his favourite daughter are touching rather than saccharine.

As is often the case, the baddies have all the best roles…Clerkin plays child-hating Crackjaw with relish, appearing to have stepped straight off the set of a Tim Burton movie with her wild hair and billowing black dress. Traynor and Roy probably have the most fun however, and their chavtastic performances as the vain and scheming sisters provide Beauty & The Beast‘s best comedy moments.

Mark McDonnell as kind-hearted goblin Dunt is also there for comic relief, though he seems to have been studying Andy Gray’s camp panto performance style a little too closely at times. And Billy the Dog will appeal to younger audience members, providing plenty of faithful companion and ‘aww’ moments. Murray’s illustrative set design gives the production a suitably storybook feel, and costumes range from the flamboyant fun of the sisters’ ‘big city’ outfits to the potentially child-scaring towering black bull-headed beast.

There are other places you can go in Edinburgh to watch men dressed as women, hear jokes about the trams and catch innuendos flying over the heads of children in the audience. With Beauty & The Beast however, you can go and be treated to a big-hearted and spellbinding piece of charming theatre which will appeal to the child within, no matter how old you are.

Beauty & The Beast runs until 31 December. Dates / times vary – details are on the Lyceum website.

In Jo Clifford’s poignant yet playful imagining, Adam Smith (Neil McKinven) and David Hume (Gerry Mulgrew) are blessed with an enlightening opportunity to see how their philosophies have borne fruit, as they wake up resurrected in the 21st century.

Guided by modern-day Eve (Joanna Tope), their eyes are opened to the result of free thought and free markets: and how not everything in this utopian Garden of Eden is as rosy as they first think.

Clifford’s script is lyrical and wordy, managing to put convincing words in the mouths of these fathers of the Enlightenment: even when Smith uses his second chance at life as an excuse to indulge in his previously-suppressed hedonistic excesses.

Hume remains more philosophical, his eyes slowly opening to the reality of progress. Throughout, they are aware of their situation: and of the ‘sleek’ and ‘clean’ audience watching their metaphysical adventures in the afterlife.

Ben Harrison’s direction keeps things tight on a minimal set by Ali Maclaurin, allowing Clifford’s wordplay and premise to take centre stage. Devotees of Smith and Hume will find much to enjoy in her script; those less familiar with their work will still be led forward by Eve’s guiding hand.

The trio on stage give enjoyable and convincing performances, McKinven’s joy at being able to let off a lifetime of steam being particularly amusing to watch. Tope copes well with revealing truths to her companions and the audience alike, her expository role never feeling forced.

An unashamedly intellectual alternative to the more traditional seasonal fare currently on offer on Edinburgh’s stages, the play’s premise – that knowledge burns as brightly as any star – is just as uplifting.

The Tree of Knowledge runs until 24 December. More details are on the Traverse website.

In Simon Jackson’s enjoyably fast-paced “noir thriller” directed by Andy Corelli, tabloid photographer Ian Thompson finds himself the focus of undesired attention after witnessing an Egyptian diplomat being thrown from a fifth-floor window. As he recounts the series of events to a pair of police interrogators, we learn that whilst the camera never lies, the photographer may be being more creative with the truth.

The first performance in the new space at Ocean Terminal, Turning to the Camera is a technically ambitious production, featuring video projection sequences helping to put the action in context. On the whole, this works well – and is cleverly-deployed in places, such as when two characters stoop down, Gulliver-like, to peer into the windows of a projected bungalow. The sequences where the streets of Edinburgh are used to indicate the characters are car-bound are perhaps less effective, bringing to mind the effects of early Hollywood movies: but in general the filmed sequences add to the piece rather than detract from it.

Ian Sexon is superb as the paparazzo, exuding just the right amount of sleaze and questionable morals without verging on caricature. Sexon brings a manic physicality to the role – which is perhaps just as well, as his character spends around half the play’s 65 minute length clad only in his boxer shorts.

The other three actors play multiple roles, as characters in Thompson’s tale enter and exit. Adam Tomkins has a similar commanding presence to Liam Brennan and shows his versatility with roles as diverse as a threatening gunman and an eccentric professor. A slightly-underused Adrienne Zitt has less to do, but she brings an effortless touch of female strength to her walk-on parts, helping to counter Thompson’s male bravado.

Lewis Hart breathes life into the piece’s most intriguing character: a Welsh Muslim extremist. Again steering clear of caricature, Hart injects Bilaal with an intelligence and vulnerability which transforms him into one of the play’s most sympathetic – and morally true – characters.

The ink on Jackson’s script is still wet (there are references to the late Ken Russell; and to the November 30 strikes); it is also tightly-plotted with just the right number of twists and turns to stop it being confusing. Some political points are skirted over a little too briefly, and there is a slightly jarring mini-lecture on the history of defenestration, but on the whole the piece gels together well. And as Jackson also shot the film sequences and composed the noirish jazz-based soundtrack, it is certainly an impressive showcase for his talents.

Turning to the Camera proves to be sharply-focused and well-developed thriller with enough comic asides and interesting characters to stop it being heavy-handed. And as a snapshot of what Siege Perilous are capable of, it comes highly recommended.

Turning to the Camera runs until 3 Dec at Ocean Terminal. More details are available on the play’s Facebook page.

The latest single from Edinburgh-based alt-country noir rock band Augustalia is a dark little ditty which wouldn’t sound out of place on David Lynch’s car stereo as he goes cruising down Mulholland Drive at 3 in the morning.

“You’re not afraid of me now but you should be” sings Hannah O’Reilly, her sweet-sounding vocals edged with razor-sharp menace as she tells the tale of bloodletting and stilettos (daggers or heels, possibly both). This is a song which wants to wake you up in the middle of the night, whisper nightmares in your ear, then slip you something to make you fall back asleep again.

Musically, things start off with gentle strummed guitar punctuated by a smattering of drums sounding like thunder in the desert. Then, Stiletto begins to creep up on you: every time you turn round, it’s a little bit closer, until the production reaches its murderous crescendo, with guitar, bass, drums and Hannah’s harmonies all competing for the privilege of delivering the final blow.

Take the lyrical content away and Stiletto is a brooding and atmospheric spinetingler. Add in the tale of vengeance and murder, however, and it turns into a gloriously dark trip into Augustalia’s noirish head – but fortunately a head with its tongue still firmly in its cheek.

Making some of the most distinctive and original music on the Edinburgh scene, you may not be aware of Augustalia now – but you should be.

This isn’t a whodunnit? – more of a why do we do it?

In Paddy Cunneen’s original and gripping Watching The Detective, we are all present at a crime scene presided over by the Detective (a faultless Stuart Bowman). By the end of this hypnotic piece of deconstructed theatre, we’re less silent witnesses than active voyeurs; and our preconceptions of why we enjoy a good crime story have been crept up upon and assaulted.

Bowman prowls round the minimal stage, part Rebus, part CSI Edinburgh. Between cordoning off the Traverse 2 in crime scene tape, he pauses his internal monologue and phone calls to turn his investigative lights upon the audience.

“Who do you think I am?” he asks. It’s a good question.

Is he an actor playing a part; the personification of our fascination with ‘abjection’; or something else entirely? It’s a fascinating premise, well handled by Cunneen who also directs. And although those expecting a cut-and-dried case may be disappointed, Watching The Detective‘s line of questioning stays with you long afterwards.

The last in this year’s season of Plays, Pies and Pints at The Traverse, don’t be misled by Watching The Detective‘s premise – there’s plenty to see here.

Watching The Detective runs at The Traverse until 12 Nov. More details on the Traverse website.

1-5 November 19:30 (21:15), 2 & 5 Nov. matinees 13:30 (15:15) @ King’s Theatre. More details on the King’s website

Review by Danielle Farrow

Simon Callow has a strong association with Charles Dickens having long played the author, who – himself – gave public readings, bringing his characters to performed life. In Dr Marigold and Mr Chops, Callow presents two different stories directly, through one-man plays in which a manager talks about his employee and friend Mr Chops and one Doctor Marigold speaks about his own life.

Mr Chops is a telling tale, centred upon a performer in a freak show, focusing on dreams, celebrity and exploitation. It is full of rich observation and human feeling, some of which is described directly and some conveyed more subtly through the nuances of Dickens’ writing and Callow’s performance. It is the shorter piece, something of a cameo, with a few sweeping brushstrokes giving background to sharper detail.

Dr Marigold is a travelling salesman, who has a performance aspect to his work which is beautifully physicalised by Callow, and one who has known harsh times as well as better ones. Marigold the man grows along with his tale, creating a rewarding journey for an audience living through his travels with all their pain, fear, shaming mistakes and generous triumphs, and appreciating human relationships and spirit along the way.

Christopher Woods’ set serves both pieces well, creating a somewhat dusky setting. Dark red velvet curtains drape along the back and the material covers a free-standing wall and the floor of an angled raised dais, which is an abandoned stage for Mr Chops and then Dr Marigold’s footboard, where he sells from his cart. A few slatted wood tabs create a couple of ‘walls’, with pictures, frames, posters and general neglected niknaks strewn about. Nick Richings’ lighting uses various states, especially subdued, to fine empathic effect and sound (by Dominic Bilkey) can be suitably harsh for a circus barrel organ while yet supporting and punctuating Callow’s performance.

Simon Callow himself is obviously not just an experienced actor. That experience is clear and welcome in his command of material and delivery, but there is still more to his performance – so much so, that occasional stumbles and the odd plummy vowel inconsistent with his characters’ accents does not detract. The descriptive detail of Dickens is mirrored in the detail of voice, body and manner with which Callow creates his characters, those of his speakers and the others met along the way. Also, the care for humanity that characterises Dickens’ writing is integral to Callow’s performance, bringing rich feeling, warming humour and a sense of understanding and empathy which envelops the audience as well.

Callow is a true performer, able to fill the theatre with his presence and hold complete attention with his delivery, and he moves his audience, attaining a level of truth that makes strong connection possible. The combination of Dickens and Callow is indeed a brilliant one, layered and poignant, drawing tears and laughter, and full of life.

God Bless Liz Lochhead is an actor’s play. Set against the challenge of cultural cuts and with a ‘can’t beat ‘em‘ approach to the competition from TV, three middle-aged actors reunite after 25 years to stage a three-handed version of Lochhead’s Tartuffe.

Andy Gray, Juliet Cadzow and Kate Donnelly all play exaggerated versions of themselves, to great comedic effect. Bemoaning their ‘eclectic’ CVs and strings of bit-parts in Taggart, they squabble and bicker as they rehearse Danny’s (Gray) unique version of Locchead’s work, all the while being filmed by a reality television crew.

Martin McCardie’s script is full of satirical slings and arrows targeting the Scottish theatre scene; with an obvious but affectionate nod to the power and influence of the Makar herself. Co-directed by McCardie and Gray, God Bless Liz Lochhead will appeal to anyone with a passion for Scottish theatre: although some of the references are less likely to hit home with a more casual audience.

That said, the combination of farcical scenes and comedic monologues tears along at a great pace, with Gray’s desperate thespian preening and Donnelly’s ineffective anger management techniques providing most of the laughs. Redheaded Cadzow is also enjoyable, particularly with her comic swipes at Scotland’s other ‘flame-haired’ actress, Siobhan Redmond.

With its self-mocking tone and light-hearted chips on its shoulder, God Bless Liz Lochhead is uniquely Scottish, in tone and in subject matter. Witty and mischievous and with three perfectly-pitched comic performances, only its slight lack of accessibility to an audience not overly familiar with the homegrown theatre scene stops it being a classic.

God Bless Liz Lochhead runs until 5 Nov at the Traverse Theatre. Ticket information is on their website.

Slow Burner - Al Shields

Tonight’s gig at The Voodoo Rooms is to celebrate the launch of Al’s debut long player ‘Slow Burner’, a collection of self-penned songs steeped in the 20th century Americana which he obviously loves so much. With titles like Travelling Man and Had A Little Lovin’, you get the sense Al would be more at home in some dustbowl diner in the mid-west rather than a grand ballroom in the east end of Edinburgh.

Kat Healy

Support comes from Edinburgh singer songrwriter Kat Healy, whose short but sweet set of country-hued acoustic songs set the mood perfectly. Joined by guitarist Rory Butler, Kat has a stage presence which mixes vulnerability with good humour and has a voice and songs which drip with fragile emotion. The harmonies with Butler are something special; but Kat has an undeniably strong impact solo too, when her lone presence on stage emphasises her ability to take an audience on a heartfelt journey through her music.

Guitar men: Al Shields and Matt Norris

What comes as more of a surprise is the fact this band doesn’t really exist – it’s been created specifically for this launch gig. So – although Duncan and Shields are long-time collaborators – the level of tightness on display from Norris and the others is impressive, coming across as if this band have been travellin’ the railroads together for a long time.

Shields acknowledges his good fortune at having such talented friends; but the night is his, and his set of songs about bad work, bad luck and bad lovin’ shows his ability not only to evoke the spirit of the lone bluesman, but also to pen some mighty fine tunes into the bargain.

As the band depart, leaving Edinburgh’s Man In Grey alone on stage playing a couple of his songs solo, Al Shields has launched his album in style – and turned the Ballroom of the Voodoo Rooms into a little long-lost state of America.

David Watson’s You Cannot Go Forward From Where You Are Right Now is as much an experiment of form as it is an examination of the impact of technology on our lives.

Three actors (Rebecca Elise, Jack Reid and Rachel Ogilvy) take on a multitude of parts, almost running at times to keep up with the jump-cuts in Watson’s script. From a pair of daytime radio DJs to a father trying to understand his daughter; police rushing to the scene of a road accident to an old man propping up a bar with his dog at his feet: the cast have their work cut out, but cope admirably with the piece’s demands.

Initially, things are a little confusing as the action cuts from scene to scene. Once it hits its stride however, we see the different strands are all leading towards the same point, and are linked together by a web of technology. Sound and lighting are therefore appropriately used to add static cuts between scenes, with the cast providing their own radio play style sound affects and narration throughout, creating a strange and slightly disjointed mood. Rather than detract from things however, this serves to reinforce the themes of the piece: of how our lives are constantly dominated by snippets of briefly-caught information which we try to make sense of.

You Cannot Go Forward From Where You Are Right Now disappoints slightly with an ending which veers into science fiction territory – keeping its focus on the human condition throughout would have had a greater impact. However, as a clever and imaginative piece of of short theatre with an interesting premise, it is well worth setting the satnav for the Traverse Theatre and catching before it ends its run on 22nd October.

Scotland is a country as much in a struggle with itself as it is with its southerly neighbour in Tony Cownie’s bold and brash staging of Liz Lochhead’s Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off at the Lyceum.

A co-production with Dundee Rep Ensemble, the piece loses none of the Scots wit and guile of the 14 year-old original, proving its irreverent yet insightful history lesson and dissection of schisms is as relevant today as it was in the late 1980s.

The cast relish the chance to strut into Lochhead’s dramatis personae. A spiky-haired Ann Louise Ross caws and preens punkily as Corbie; and Shauna Macdonald and Emily Winter as Mary and Elizabeth show women not only on different sides of the border, but with different approaches to female strength and desire.

Macdonald’s Mary is a seductive creation, her hybrid French-Scots accent giving the character a unique trait to match her striking look. Winter’s Elizabeth shows a more cunning nature, as she schemes against her cousin whilst attempting to retain a regal demeanour. Both actors are well cast in these strong roles, though it is Macdonald’s convincing portrayal of pride, compassion and conviction which shines the brightest.

Neil Murray has designed an interesting world for Mary’s characters to inhabit: a strange burlesque of glitzy modernism and urban grit, where giant crucifixes lie next to skips and statues of John Knox are topped off with traffic cone headgear. With its contradictions and lack of airs and graces, it’s a set as Scottish as the play itself.

Cownie’s production is enjoyably well-paced – though, with its loud music, explosions and burst of violence, is perhaps not for the faint-hearted. However, the Lyceum’s new season opener gets things kicked off with a sharp and punchy production which slices through any hint of historical stuffiness and shows us how little we – and our nation – have changed.

Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off runs until 15 Oct at The Royal Lyceum Theatre. More details are available on their website.

By Danielle Farrow

A spotlight before the raising of the curtain centres on a solo male singer whose gyrations make you wonder what kind of show Rhinestone Mondays really is, but certainly stimulate the predominantly female audience – and actually it is just a slightly raunchy rendition of a country song to start this light comedy.

The singer then moves into the set, a sparsely-furnished bar whose back wall is chopped off so that the street and stairs behind can be seen. This is the Warbleswick Social Club, it is Monday night and the members of the All Star Line Dancing Club start filing in. The solo singer is divorced Tom, the only real customer barkeep Brian has, who is in nightly to sing karaoke. The teacher of the line dancing, Annie (played by Faye Tozer), is a single mother and rather likes the sound of Tom’s voice, but a promising start soon becomes a strained and not particularly credible romance, its best parts being Brian’s attempts to help Tom in his wooing.

Annie and Tom’s relationship, along with a sidestep of Lyn Paul as the slinky, slightly bitchy Sophie (who also has an interest in woman-shy Tom), provides the ‘love’ part of the show’s tagline “Love, Life… & Line Dancing!” The ‘line dancing’ itself, though sometimes rather energetically flat in execution, is part of the action on stage throughout and does provide some fine participation at the end, fueled by the energy of the audience itself. For, onstage, ‘life’ is only found in the performance of Shaun Williamson as Brian – strong, energetic, amusing and in fine voice – with help from Anthony Topham’s believable and funny Tom. Some characters manage fine singing at times (Paul in particular, along with Tozer) and give quirky performances, but these can seem rather disconnected. Pace initially suffered from slow reactions and nothing can hide the fact that the plot is as thin as the sound of the pre-recorded music.

Aside from Annie and Tom’s difficulties, the focus is on a planned line dancing weekend and preparing for that, with questions about people‘s commitment and ability to learn the moves. There is entertaining humour in this, with Ian ‘H’ Watkins adding some camp fire, Ally Holmes mostly managing to move beyond caricature as a comedic struggling dancer, Phil Pritchard hamming up his character’s Clint Eastwood impressions and Pauline Fleming providing some bodily functions’ humour.

Overall, there is a hollow feel to Rhinestone Mondays and its direction, with a slim plot and slightly irritating sound, the cast’s energy not being in sync and not quite filling the Festival Theatre (Williamson being the outstanding exception). However, there is also entertaining humour and some very familiar country songs that will have people singing and dancing their way home, including Crazy, Stand by Your Man, When You’re Hot You’re Hot, Achy Breaky Heart and, of course, Rhinestone Cowboy. And the audience were very happy to start that singing and dancing for the finale.

Runs until 24th September at Edinburgh Festival Theatre.

An adaptation by Rob Evans of Barry Hines’ novel A Kestrel For A Knave, Gill Robertson’s new production of Kes is a masterful depiction of the power of the human spirit to fly: and of the ability for theatre to captivate and enthrall, whether it is pitched at adults or at children.

Billy (James Anthony Pearson) appears condemned to a life without hope, trapped in a Northern mining town with his seldom-present mother and bullying brother. With no friends and teachers who don’t understand him, he seems lost – until he finds Kes, an abandoned kestrel chick which he sets himself the challenge of taming.

Pearson is joined on stage by the Man (Sean Murray), who accompanies – and consoles – Billy on his journey of self discovery. Murray also portrays all the other characters in the piece: from the sadistic gym teacher taking grim pleasure in forcing his pupils to shower in freezing water; to Billy’s mother, more concerned with where her next cigarette is coming from than the welfare of her own son.

Pearson and Murray put in excellent performances. Whilst Murray’s versatility impresses – as does his touching portrayal of the older, wiser Man – it is Pearson who excels, with a performance which perfectly captures the angst and frustration of adolescence, his wide-eyed and open-mouthed sense of joy when he is alone with Kes being truly uplifting.

The bird itself is absent from the stage: but Danny Krass’ evocative sound design and Jonathan Charles’ striking film projection ensure the spirit of the kestrel is always present. Sound, video and lighting combine to suggest the freedom of the bird and to hint at the hope it represents. And Pearson and Murray also take on Kes’ qualities at points, physically portraying its strength and grace in some beautifully choreographed moments.

Kes is yet another triumph from Catherine Wheels. Proving that theatre for a younger audience needn’t lose any of its strength or impact, their latest production soars with an emotional power which sweeps down and grabs the audience, yet never loses sight of its central themes of hope and salvation.

Kes was at the Brunton Theatre on 17 September. Now on tour, it returns to Edinburgh at The Traverse on 1 and 2 November.

In Jubliee Gardens

Stockbridge Market opens for business

Stockbridge Market opened for business today in Jubilee Gardens.

Open from 10am – 5pm every Sunday, the market aims to get bigger and better, encouraging locals to do their shopping there. If the market is a success, it will also be open on Thursday evenings from 3pm – 8pm.

There was a good selection of producers today including a fish stall, meat stalls, jams, baked goods amongst many others.

Artisan Roast had a cute corner where you could buy one of their excellent coffees accompanied by a slice of Cake (from North Berwick).

Stoats had a stall selling their excellent porridge oats and bars and also in attendance was Real Foods and Ziggy’s Really Good Food (vegetarian specialists).

We were pretty impressed at the selection for this inaugural event and there was certainly enough choice to buy Sunday lunch and dinner and into the start of the week.

Not just food

A handful of stalls selling soap, cashmere gifts, jewellery and handbags complete the market and judging by the amount of people in attendance around 12noon – the market is going to be very popular!

Suitable for disabled? Yes, on ground level with ample room around the stalls.

Artisan Roast

Liddlesdale Selection

Freshly baked bread

Jams and chutneys

One of the cake stalls

Fish and seafood

A selection of mushrooms