Posts by Kenny Smith
Testing the Land Rover Defender in Scotland’s waters
After a run of 67 years in production, making the Land Rover Defender came to an end on January 2016. We turned back the clock, to when the Scotsman’s best friend was put on test in a watery playground. My right foot’s planted but the engine note drops to a dull, sickening groan. It’s walking…
Read MoreFrom Pitlochry to the big screen with director David Mackenzie
Engineering and the military’s loss is movie-making’s gain as Scottish film director David Mackenzie blazes a trail. At age 19, David got the chance to build a trunk road. ‘I was offered a job as a trainee concrete engineer because I had a physics higher,’ he recalls. ‘It was when they were taking the A9…
Read MoreNew year: new start – what are your resolutions?
Follow in the footsteps of these Scottish stars and make a fresh start for 2020. 1. Give up the booze Scotland may be known for its hard drinking but you’d be surprised at how many hell raisers have now given up the booze. Ewan MacGregor, the Star Wars actor, went teetotal in 2001 after his…
Read MoreA book celebrating the Secret Life of Tartan
When we think of tartan, wedding finery and shortbread tins might first spring to mind. But in The Secret Life of Tartan, tailor and fashion designer Vixy Rae shows how our national cloth is worth so much more than a pastiche or parody of Scottishness. By exploring the origins of tartan and its deep connection…
Read MoreMaritime music at this year’s Celtic Connections
Scotland’s unique marine environment will be celebrated in a special performance at Celtic Connections to mark the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020. Scottish Natural Heritage has commissioned acclaimed traditional musician Ingrid Henderson to create Message in a Bottle, a new musical composition inspired by the movements of ocean currents. The audio-visual performance with music,…
Read MoreBig names heading for Glasgow Comedy Festival
International comedians and joining the best of Scotland at this year’s Whyte & Mackay Glasgow International Comedy Festival. The hugely popular event in the city’s cultural calendar returns 12–29 March, and 60 venues across Glasgow are taking part – the most ever in the festival’s history. The 18-day comedy extravaganza features international stars Trevor Noah,…
Read MoreBalvenie bringing Aussie bartenders to Scotland
The Balvenie Single Malt Whisky is kicking off January in style with a series of innovative takeovers at leading UK bars, including The Kelvingrove Café in Glasgow. The Balvenie Stories UK Tour will see six of Australia’s leading bartenders descend on the UK to share their cocktail creations and stories with consumers. The drinks are…
Read MoreThe King and I is coming to Glasgow’s King’s Theatre
An unmissable production of Rodger and Hammerstein’s The King and I will run in Glasgow later this month as part of a UK tour. Direct from the London Palladium, the critically acclaimed Lincoln Centre Theatre Production, opens at the King’s Theatre on Tuesday 28 January until Saturday 8 February. The King and I is a…
Read MoreA selection of teas can help with the New Year detox
With the arrival of the New Year, many of us are still looking for new ways to get healthy. Brand new detox health teas by award-winning Scots firm Eteaket have been released. Eteaket was founded by leaf tea expert Erica Moore has been ethically sourcing and blending teas since 2008. She travels the world visiting…
Read MoreExtra tickets available for KT Tunstall’s Scottish gigs
Scots music star KT Tunstall is set to return to her roots this January with a string of one-off charity gigs around Scotland in celebration of the countdown to Lidl’s 100th store. The week-long Lidl Live tour will see the Suddenly-I-See-singer perform to thousands of fans in towns and cities around Scotland, taking in Aberdeen,…
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