Posts Tagged ‘review’
Fringe: 3, 2, 1… you’re back in the room
Call me a spoilsport, but I’ve always been a little sceptical about anything involving mind readers and hypnotists. Quite frankly, I can’t decide if a night with a Ouija board would make me want to run away screaming in fear or just make for a good night of entertainment among friends. So when I was…
Read MoreA history of the Borders – delivered on foot
In compelling study Walking The Border, Ian Crofton documents his trek along the Anglo-Scottish Border, on foot or by train, digging deep into historical archives and listening to the stories of those along the way. In a larger sense, Crofton calls into question the borders which encircle us, restrict us, define us in a world…
Read MoreLight fantastic celebrates Scotland’s unspoiled beauty
A testimony to Scotland’s impressive array of unspoiled places of beauty is showcased in Scotland’s Still Light. Andy Hall’s well accomplished photography is coupled with the words of Scottish literary giants such as Liz Lochhead, Norman MacCaig and Edwin Morgan. Their contributions nicely supplement the curves and crags, the skies and shores of Scotland’s wholly…
Read MoreWhen the Vikings came to Strathclyde
Strathclyde and the Anglo-Saxons in the Viking Age is critical exploration of early medieval Strathclyde. It examines the neighbouring peoples that challenged its authority, taking into account the multitude of corrupted sources that distort our understanding of this period. From the Damnonii of the Clyde, to the emergence of Alba, which combined Pictish and Scottish…
Read MoreFringe: Refreshingly clean comic to make you laugh
The world is divided into two types of people, according to the likeable 26-year old comedian Ben Pope: those who are punctual, and those who are late. He falls into the latter category, as witnessed by the fact that he arrives in a newly bought Edinburgh t-Shirt and his PJ bottoms. The Punctuals are saddos…
Read MoreCelebrating the wonderful sights of Scotland
Pete Irvine steps off the beaten track with this Scottish guidebook, Scotland: The 100 Best Places. The author is most famous for his Scotland the Best books, but this handsome coffee table homage to Scotland gives readers the chance to share his favourite ‘magnificent’, ‘reflective’ and ‘human’ places in this great land. Packed with gorgeous…
Read MoreFringe: The art of satire is far from dead
Satire is defined as the ‘use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.’ Melinda opens the show by describing herself as a satirist, there was no need as that was apparent from the first verse of the…
Read MoreA collection of a Gaelic family’s works of poetry
The Glendale Bairds is an epic collection which brings to life the celebrated works and biography of Gaelic poet Niall Macleòid, as well as the unsung poetry of Macleòid’s brother, Iain Dubh, and their father, Dòmhnall Nan Òran. Together, the Macleòids tackle a plethora of themes, from the bare rudiments of human existence – love,…
Read MoreFringes: They can be Heroes – just for one day
Heroes is a production aimed at families with an engaging tale told by Beverly Grant and Tony Mills. A production aimed at children is certainly one of the most difficult to pull off as children are a very discerning audience and if bored are prone to twitch, yawn and chatter. None of these happened, the…
Read MoreWhen Scottish steam drove the country forward
Scotland shaped the railway industry; the railway industry shaped Scotland. Respected photo journalist Keith Langston looks at the local and national contributors to Scottish locomotive production, for example, Dübs & Co, which elevated Scottish steam to the world’s stage. A thorough insight into the different classes of railway that emerged from the late 19th to…
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