Sounds and words

Sorry about not having written in a while! :( Let’s go straight to the good stuff: I’ve been to a couple of literary/musical events in the last month, let me tell you about them! :)

Rally & Broad

Venue: Tron Theatre

Price: £5

Date: 28^th May

I knew about this event because one of my classmates was performing at it. Knowing her, I expected this to be amazing, but it surpassed my expectations! The hosts were excellent (a bit too enthusiastic and shouty for my taste, but that’s because I’m a bore, haha), and the performers even more so! The Rally&Broad people are hosting another event at the Tron this Wednesday 25th June, you can read about them here.

Katy Hastie’s reading was a great mix of sexist stereotype smashing, howling laughter, nostalgia, word ritual and macabre humour. I’m sure everyone in the room remembers the piece for which she had to invite over a male friend to read bits of “advice” from an old magazine for teen girls, while she shouted, from the back of the stage, a reactionary sexist’s guide to understanding women / getting sex from them. The last thing she read was a short story about a “game” her family plays at funerals… Hearing about new ways to show love is always welcome. Death, love and playfulness all together. Human condition right there, guys. :)

Alan Bisset performed an extract from his new play. He played all the characters (from Scottish folk tales) masterfully, to the point that he felt like a total stranger when I walked up to him after the show to talk to him. We hadn’t seen the least bit of him during the performance. I still think he should record that bit and upload it on YouTube… it’d make him a worldwide star. Also, it’s a really clever way of looking at the “Better Together” campaign’s arguments: there was no need for counter-arguments. [Note: about the independence debate, check this out]

Katherine Leyton is a poet from Toronto. Her poems felt like colourful pebbles: rounded, polished, smoothly creased, beautiful little things you can hold in your palm. Actually, that idea might be stolen from one of her poems, and that’s why I associate it with them. If so, please tell me! :) I think she didn’t get all the applause she deserved (because she didn’t say “thanks” at the end / make a pause / indicate, or maybe her indications were too subtle for us…). So, in order to make up for it, please receive a written HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE from me!!! She also founded the How Pedestrian project.

The last appearance of the night was a different kind of writer. Shambles Miller is a singer-songwriter (or is it singer/songwriter?) from Glasgow. His songs are honest, unpretentious, hilarious, witty, sweet, playful, sensitive and full of pop culture references. Here, see for yourselves:

I bought “How to Be a Ghost” from him. It’s a comic book he wrote and his friend Neil Slorance illustrated. Again, it’s cute, intelligent and funny, and it even has a feel-good message/advice (slightly cheesy for me, but that’s because I don’t have a heart, and that doesn’t make it any less true). Plus it features the best ghost dog you’ve ever seen. What else can you ask for? :) You can check out Neil's stuff here.

New Writing Showcase

Venue: Cottiers

Price: Free

Date: 12^th June

This event was part of the West End Festival, which I have to say I haven’t made the most of. Again, I knew about this thanks to Katy! I trust her taste, you see. Again, I had a great night! To start with, the theatre at Cottiers (church reconverted into pub/venue) is a beautiful place (stained glass windows and all, mind you). Katy was playing "compère" (I don’t know how this is different from host, but that’s the word they used). The performers were members of the creative writing programme at the University of Glasgow, they were all very different, but all of them were great! The first performer was Agata Maslowska, who played the guitar and sang two songs, one of them from Poland, and the other one of her own. Her voice, the guitar, the stained glass windows… You should have been there! After this lovely opening, there came the readings: Alice Seville, Molly Vogel, Jordan Mulligan, TC, Rose Ruane, Martin Cathcart Froden and Jonathan Walker all wowed us! My memory when it comes to coupling poem/author is not very good, so by way of general comment: you should see them live. I’m sure their poems look great on the printed page and they also sound great in your head, but the way they read them… So much passion and talent! I'm looking forward to hearing/reading more about them! :) You can take a look at the Facebook event here.

Shambles Miller + Reverieme

Venue: 13^th Note

Price: £1

Date: 17^th June

The venue was a basement, it had no windows, it was incredibly hot for Glasgow. But there was cake, smiley faces and great music (and happy dogs). None of my friends came to this concert with me (thankssss guuuyssss…^^’), but I had a great time and ended up making new friends! :D

I’ve already talked about Shambles Miller in this post, so I’ll make this short. Highlight: he broke one of the strings on his guitar mid-song and had to use someone else’s. Also, he doesn’t seem to be content with all of the good stuff people like me say about his music (fair enough), and his new song “Worriers” makes it clear that he can do thoughtfulness too (which everyone already knew, but then again, I understand his discomfort with being labelled as a “comedy musician”). As a mark of respect for both his funny and his serious stuff, here’s “Worriers” (around 13:30, but you should listen to the whole thing!):

The main act of the night was indie pop band Reverieme (Airdrie). I am SO glad I went to see them live. I am going to go on and follow them around like a crazed fan from now on. I kept swinging my head to the music and closing my eyes, and the people around me must have thought I was high, but I was just taken away by the beauty of their music. The lead singer’s voice is mesmerizing, as are the lyrics and the tunes. Their lyrics remind me a little of REM's lyrics: fragmentary, eloquent and suggestive. I can’t recommend them enough. Only “bad” thing: they kept making self-deprecating jokes which were absolutely out of place given their awesomeness! :) Here you have a couple of their songs:

 The blog won't let me post the YouTube video for "Get to Know Me", but you can watch it here.

I hope not to have overwhelmed you with so much good stuff! If you have any recommendations, or if you didn't know about the people I've written about here and are glad you do know them now, please tell me in the comments section! :) I'm away to London on Wednesday and until Saturday, so that'll probably be the next thing I write about!

Blood and burnt popcorn

Here you have my opinion on the last two films I've watched! :)

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

IMDB

Country: UK / Germany

Director/screenwriter: Kim Jarmusch

Rating: 7/10

I had read this film was a ‘different take to vampires than Twilight’, and I have always loved the genre, so I decided to give it a try. It is visually very beautiful, and the music is fantastic. Tom Hiddleston (Adam) and Tilda Swinton (Eve) are two of my favourite actors, and they do a very good job in this film.

However, I couldn’t help feeling disappointed about the film overall. Yes, this is not a Twilight-like movie, but it still has some stereotypes that I wish had been taken out of the writing: mainly, that what gives ‘meaning’ to these two vampires’ lives is their love for each other. I understand that it is very difficult to imagine what can possibly keep you going after many centuries, but I kind of hoped it wouldn’t be romantic love in marriage. The other possibilities that are presented to us are Eve’s younger sister Ava, who lives out of partying, and Kit / Christopher Marlowe, who seems to live out of memories of better times.

I wish the film had let me see more of Eve’s lifestyle (when she’s not nursing her depressive and teenage-like lover or caring for her reckless sister), Adam’s involvement with music and literature (this is my professional bias), and Adam’s relationship with the outside world through rock fan Ian. Maybe this is one of the film’s achievements (that it left me wanting more), but I am inclined to feel that it is more of a limitation that they gave so much weight to ‘romantic love’.

Starter For Ten (2013)

IMDB

Country: UK / USA

Director: Tom Vaughan

Writer (novel&screenplay): David Nicholls

Rating: 3/10

First of all, a confession: I like quiz shows. I also like James McAvoy (Brian), and, having recently seen him in Filth, I thought this movie might have something in it for me. It doesn’t, or it doesn’t have much of it anyway. It is very common for comedies to exploit stereotypes (exaggerating them is one of the things that make us laugh), but this movie went past the line of what is funny (to me, of course).

The best part of this film was Benedict Cumberbatch’s character, Patrick Watts. Uptight, competitive and passionate beyond boundaries about something as silly as a TV quiz show called ‘University Challenge’, his body language and his ridiculous-looking blonde hair made him the best character in the film. His lines were also pretty good: “I might not have been entirely faultless” was his ridiculously over-British way of apologising. Mark Gatiss also appears in this film as the quiz show host, and he did a very good job of it. Hats off to the dress/clothes/makeup technicians! There’s no better way of showing you what I mean than this:

This paragraph contains spoilers, so don’t say you weren’t warned! The most unnerving bit of the film was Rebecca (Rebecca Hall). Simply put, they have written her as having no self-respect. The movie’s main plot involves Brian’s dilemma around a blonde and a brunette (first bad sign). Rebecca, the brunette, is passionate about demonstrating (yes, seemingly more about demonstrating than about the causes behind it). She is breath-takingly beautiful, but hey, how can a brunette be prettier than the prettiest blonde, Alice (Alice Eve)? After a falling out with Alice, Brian spends New Year’s Eve at home with Rebecca. They are having a good time (silly flirting, and I say silly because of it being stereotypical too), but when the clock strikes 12 and they kiss, Brian calls her by the other girl’s name. Rebecca leaves, finally seeing what she is to him (just second-best when compared to Alice). Then, she starts talking to him again (OK so far). After a row in a bar involving Patrick and Brian’s best friend, he is sitting under the rain (when there’s a bridge right next to him where he could take shelter and still be alone and melancholy…*sigh*), Rebecca goes up to him to ask him how he feels. He has the nerve to ask her about Alice, but she doesn’t show any sign of being offended by his lack of tact. He runs to Alice’s flat, only to find she has just had sex with his best friend. After this, he weighs up Alice’s pros and cons (pro: hot blonde, con: not trustworthy), and, though he keeps talking to her (and to his friend), he decides that he prefers a reliable (even though not-so-hot) brunette, Rebecca. The worst of all of this is that she takes him back!

What can I say? I was sourly disappointed in this movie. I expected to encounter a university comedy that was even slightly above the genre’s shortcomings, but I didn’t.

 Have you seen any of the two? What did you think about them? Any other recommendations? =)

Morvern Callar

Title: Morvern Callar

Author: Alan Warner
Publisher: Vintage

Year: 1995 (I read the second edition, published 1996)

During the last semester, one of my lecturers asked the class whether we had read Alan Warner’s novel Morvern Callar (1995). After our heads made a negative gesture, he said something like: “What are you doing studying in Scotland and not having read it? Get out of my class and read it now!”. He also explained most of the plot, but still I wanted to read it, he had made it sound worth it.

It definitely is. It’s gripping, macabre, funny, poetic, sexual, unpretentious, moving and, first and foremost, wildly alive. Most of these definitions also apply to the novel’s protagonist, Morvern. Her unprejudiced, wild, truthful, shameless, casual and often lyrical take on the world around her is one of the most attractive aspects of Warner’s book.

Language and slang are also in the list of the book’s appealing qualities. Warner builds personal voices that you would recognise should you encounter them again (and you can, as Morvern appears in other Warner novels). Music is a constant presence throughout the book. Someone has even gone as far as to try to build up a Spotify playlist out of all the songs mentioned! I've also found out that there was a film made out of the novel in 2002.

Publishers and literary agents are said to believe that a good opening sentence/paragraph is what makes a lot of readers decide whether or not to buy a book (along with other factors such as the author’s fame, the critical reception, the cover, the blurb, etc). Well, Warner’s first paragraph decidedly makes you want to read on, if only because of the gorey scene described:

“He’d cut His throat with the knife. He’d near chopped off His hands with the meat cleaver. He couldnt object so I lit a Silk Cut. A sort of wave of something was going across me. There was fright but I’d daydreamed how I’d be.” (1)

Morvern’s life takes a drastic turn after her unnamed boyfriend’s suicide on the first page, and the novel goes on to show us more about it. One of the first things one notices is the appalling village life. The only palliatives at hand are alcohol/drugs, sex and laughter. Morvern herself puts her possibilities very eloquently as “working in a supermarket; waking up on cold mornings knowing it’s thirty-nine years to go till pension.” (161)

Her fosterdad, Red Hanna, is also a working-class philosopher: “The hidden fact of our world is that theres no point in having desire unless youve money. […] Yet what good is all the money in the world to me now when all I want to do is stare out the bungalow window at the mountains? Money would destroy what I’ve learned to accept over the years. In plain language, I’m fifty-five: a wasted life.” (45)

But His death gives Morvern a chance at something different from the limiting village life: “The massive pale lips of a girl seemed to turn up to the night sky ready for kissing and you could see the light from the screen flicker on the leaves. I turned facing the sea. You heard a drip come offof my hair. I closed my eyes there in the quietness just breathing in and breathing in. I hadnt slept for three days so I could know every minute of that happiness that I never even dared dream I had the right.” (210) 

Have you read Morvern Callar or seen the film? If the answer's a "no", go ahead and do it! :)

'Aye Write!' - Glasgow's Book Festival

This year's 'Aye Write!' festival lasted from the 4th to the 12th of April. Among a variety of events, I chose the following:

A. L. Kennedy - All the Rage

Venue: Mitchell Library - Burns Room

Author: A. L. Kennedy
Book: All the Rage (Jonathan Cape, 2014)

Date: 8th April

Price: £8    

I have read some of Kennedy's short stories, as well as a number of her articles/reviews, so I decided to give this event a shot. Also, I had recently discovered that she is a stand-up comedian, so I thought: literature + humour = winning combination! I really had a great time at this event. The host's liveliness contrasted with the writer's dark wit, and I thoroughly enjoyed her reading aloud from her new collection of stories. The story she read was 'This Man', in her own words an attempt at writing something 'happy' (after which word she made a pause and added, with a mischievous half-smile: 'ish'). The story itself is a wonder of attention to detail (she said she's not a very good observer in real life - but she can make up the details in fiction). It focusses on a female character on a first date with 'this man', and on how she over-analyses every little gesture, sound, smell. It was sweet, awkward, thought-provoking and funny all at once. If these weren't enough positive words about her and her work, here you have more: I checked her website to find out about the publisher/date of All the Rage, and I discovered that she lists both good and bad reviews about her books (and also 'silly' ones), and that she replies to some of them! Priceless.

Bernard MacLaverty - The Collected Stories

Venue: Mitchell Library - Mitchell Theatre

Author: Bernard MacLaverty
Book: The Collected Stories (Jonathan Cape, 2013)

Date: 9th April

Price: £8 

I read MacLaverty's novel Cal as part of one of the courses in my undergraduate degree, and loved it. I like open endings (unlike one of my best friends, and a lady in the audience), provided they're well-written. In this occasion, he read two of his short stories, included in The Collected Stories: 'On the Roundabout' and 'Words the Happy Say'. The first centers around a violent incident and the telling of it afterwards, the second revolves around a calligrapher and a lady in love with the Emily Dickinson poem the title of the story refers to. His reading voice is fantastic, I'm so jealous of his grandchildren! He also talked a bit about his native Belfast (which he described as both a wonderful and horrible place) and he recommended other writers' work, such as Gerard Manley Hopkins, Michael MacLaverty (no relation of his), Mary Flannery O'Connor or Paul Muldoon, among others. The only downside to this event was the host, she was a bit too stiff and formal for my liking. I'll leave you with the poem by Emily Dickinson:

The words the happy say
Are paltry melody

But those the silent feel

Are beautiful —

Emily Dickinson, 1750

The Untold Story - By Our Own Tongues

Venue: Mitchell Library - Burns Room
Authors: Ivory Kelly, Joanne Hillhouse, Martin MacIntyre

Books: Pepperpot: Best New Stories from the Caribbean (Peekash Press, 2014)

Dannsam led Fhaileas / Let Me Dance with Your Shadow (Luath Press, 2006)

Ath-Aithne / Re-Acquaintance (Clar, 2004)

Date: 11th April

Price: £4 (drinks incl.)

This event brought together three writers, who read bits of their work and talked about it with the host, Dr Gemma Robinson (University of Stirling). The panellists were: Ivory Kelly (Belize), Joanne Hillhouse (Antigua) and Martin MacIntyre (Scotland). Kelly and Hillhouse read from their short stories included in the anthology Pepperpot. MacIntyre read from his poems (Let Me Dance with Your Shadow) and stories (Re-Acquaintance), in Gaelic and in English. The main topic for discussion afterwards was language and the position of their work within the English-speaking world. Kelly said she chose to use a hybrid between standard English and the standardised Belize creole, with enough of each to be understandable and still have the taste of Belize. Hillhead talked about the acceptance of creole languages as something legitimate (not like a 'bastard child', in her own words), she said she believes this is a way for creole speakers to learn to accept their own identities. MacIntyre talked about his personal relationship with Scottish Gaelic: his grandfather was monolingual in Gaelic, his father spoke both Gaelic and English, MacIntyre learnt Gaelic as an adult. The three of them talked about how privileged they are to feel the freedom to write about whatever they want, in whatever language (or mixture of languages) they want. This event was organised by the British Council, the Commonwealth Foundation (Commonwealth Writers), and The Gaelic Books Council. 

Of course, I think it's great that the 'Aye Write!' festival included events such as this one, with speakers that are 'minor' authors (in terms of sales/media promotion). However, I still had the uncomfortable sensation that this event had been marketed as 'exotic' or 'marginal' literature (were the low price and the free drinks incentives to an otherwise uninteresting event in the eyes of the general public?), and the ghost of colonialism was definitely in the room (interestingly enough, the Gaelic community was included in this). As a speaker of a 'minority' language (Catalan, which has more than 10 million speakers), I feel part of that uncomfortable situation. I recently read (in an academic analysis of publishing called Merchants of Culture, by John B. Thompson) that more than half of all books written in English are translated into other languages, but only 6% of books written in other languages are translated into English. English native speakers are also, apparently, among the least interested in learning other languages. Is it that they don't know what they're missing, or that they don't care?

As a general comment regarding the three events I went to, I have to express my surprise at the fact that I was only among the 5% of the audience that were under 50 years old. This might mean that 'Aye Write!' organisers advertise very effectively for a 50+ audience, but somehow I doubt that. I'm sure they advertise for as wide an audience as possible. Is it the prices what make young people not attend? Is it the events themselves? Are they not interested? Do they prefer to spend their money on the books themselves rather than go listen to the authors? Do I have a weird taste for someone my age? I don't think I do...

As always, I welcome any comments about the authors/books/issues I talked about here! =)

This Wide Night + Glasgow Film Festival

I have been busy with essays and other stuff lately so I haven't been able to write here! Today's entry is about theatre and film, I hope you enjoy it!

This Wide Night

Venue: Tron Theatre
Play: This Wide Night
Playwright: Chloë Moss
Director: David Greig
Price: £8 (preview)

On the 21st of February, I went to the Tron Theatre here in Glasgow to see This Wide Night, a play by Chloë Moss directed by David Greig, with whom you'll already be familiar if you have read my other entries in this blog. I wrote a review for VOIX Magazine which you can find here.

You can also take this opportunity to browse through their page. This magazine is a young and promising project with lots of talent and enthusiasm behind it! You can also check out their Facebook page here.

On the anecdote side, I tweeted a link to this review, and David Greig himself retweeted it, haha! =) If you don't believe me, you can see it here.

Photograph by John Johnston Photography.

Glasgow Film Festival

You may remember I caught the Glasgow Short Film Festival by the skin of my teeth. I was ready for the Glasgow Film Festival, but there was so much on offer I had a hard time picking which screenings I went to!

I was too late to get tickets for the opening night screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel, but I have heard incredibly good things about this film. If you have watched it, you can tell me about it in the comments! I finally chose these two:

LFO

Venue: Cineworld
Movie: LFO (2013)
Screenwriter/Director: Antonio Tublén
Country: Sweden/Denmark
Language: Swedish
Price: £6.50 (student)

A weird Scandinavian middle-aged guy discovers that Low Frequency Oscillator sound waves can alter people's behaviour. With this powerful and very dangerous tool in his hands, he will try to change his life and, later, the world. This movie is hilarious, sad, creepy, intimate and thought-provoking all at once. The dialogue is brilliant and Patrik Karlson, who plays the protagonist, does a GREAT job both with his face and his voice. I definitely recommend it!

A Touch of Sin

Venue: Cineworld
Movie: A Touch of Sin (2013)
Screenwriter/Director: Jia Zhangke
Country: China
Language: Mandarin
Price: £6.50 (student)

This film follows the paths of four characters in contemporary China, as they are pushed to their limits by corruption, degradation, misery and a restrictive society and government. Visually and music-wise, this movie is amazing. I also think this director has a special way with silences, they're one of the most beautiful things about this movie. I kept expecting the four stories to come together at the end, but they don't (except by the fact that they all suffer the miseries of living in contemporary China). Don't waste your time trying to find clues and connections between them like I did, you'll enjoy the movie more. I was slightly dissatisfied by the first story of the four (with actor Jiang Wu as the protagonist), because I didn't feel his reactions were properly scaled: it all felt a bit too rushed and, at points, gratuitous. The other three were exceptional and not to be missed!

I went to see both films on the same day, and I had a great time! When I came back home, however, someone had tried (and thankfully failed) to break into my flat! *sigh* Anyway! Did you go see This Wide Night? What did you think of it? Also,if you've watched any of this films or other films that have a connection with these, I'd be more than happy to hear what you have to say in the comments! =)

Glasgow's book festival 'Aye Write!' is on just now, so that'll be the next thing I'll write about! I'm going to see writers A. L. Kennedy and Bernard MacLaverty, and I'll be going to a panel session with Caribbean and Scottish Gaelic writers. I'll tell you more about it in a few days' time! =)

Glasgow Short Film Festival

The Glasgow Short Film Festival was scheduled this year for 13-16 February. Sadly, I heard about it a bit too late, so I was only able to attend the awards ceremony, where the 4 winning short films were also projected. 

The venue was the fantastic Centre for Contemporary Arts, a place with a very 'Bohemian' atmosphere. The contrast between the visible iron girders (which made it look like an artist's studio) and the colorful light bulbs hanging from end to end of the bar downstairs (which I just found out is called 'Saramago Café') gave it a look in between youthful charm and slight cheesiness.

The first 'short film' we saw was a conversion of popular film Top Gun into a short film (they took out the key scenes and you got the 'plot' perfectly well), this made us laugh a lot and got us in the mood for some more! You can see their official account of the prizes and winners here. I'll make a list of prizes and winners and I'll tell you what I thought about them:

• The Bill Douglas Award for International Short Film 2014: 
• Winner: 'The Questioning' by Zhu Rikun

It can easily be understood why this piece won the prize. Besides the political implications about the regime in China and its easily transferable points about authorities around the world and pointless ritual bureaucracy, this film deserved the price for the very palpable tension it created. The angle at which the camera recorded the movements of the real policemen also added to this. However, its being a recording of a real-life event (even though the filmmaker was put at risk by doing this), undermines the artistic effort the other filmmakers put into their creations, especially since the runner-up ('How to Abandon Ship' by Robin McKay) was an animation film.  

• International Audience Award
• Winner: 'Yak Butter Lamp' by Hu Wei

This piece dealt with the clashing of traditions and industrialisation. Both funny and touching, it also made a point about ephemeral human relationships (in this case, those of Tibetan nomads with a passing photographer and his assistant). An uncomplicated beauty. You can watch a short clip from it here:

http://vimeo.com/77272938

• Scottish Short Film Award 2014
• Winner: 'Getting On' by Ewan Stewart

This was a perfect example of Scottish sense of humour. The first part of the short deals with a working class woman as she deals with little housewife tasks such as making breakfast for her family as they wake up one by one. After that, she goes to the shops and buys some groceries which she takes to her mother's. Up until this point, the film seems to be about how hard and unfulfilling her life is. While not denying this point, the film takes a sudden humorous turn that makes it a brilliant piece of work. The broad Scots accent present throughout is also a plus. Here's a short clip from it:

http://vimeo.com/34625642

• Scottish Audience Award 
• Winner: 'Exchange & Mart' by Cara Connolly and Martin Clark

A very pretty tale about growing up in the Highlands in the 1980's, based on real events. This piece revolves around the life of a girl boarder as she deals with the rather universal problems of teenage years. Told with sensitivity and kindness, it offers an unique insight into a small private world and the little moments that shape one's life. Really enjoyable. 

It was a very good night, the organisers were lovely and friendly, and the shorts were really good! It's a shame I didn't get to see more of them (especially the runner-ups they mentioned, they sounded very interesting!). I'm really looking forward to the (long) Film Festival this week! =)

Celtic Connections + Burns Night

From January 16th to February 2nd, Glasgow was home to the world-famous Celtic Connections festival. The festival celebrates Celtic and folk music in its many variations (including, of course, fusion between genres and cultures), and their function as cultural bridges. I attended three of the maaaany events I could choose from (a very difficult task, let me say!). Here's what I thought of them!

Folk Nations + James Duncan Mackenzie

Date: Friday 24th January 

Venue: Mitchell Library auditorium

Price: £12

I cannot begin to say how much I enjoyed this concert. I chose it partly randomly (because I didn't know most of the artists that were invited to the festival), and I have to say I am very happy I chose this one. The concert had two parts: first, it was the turn for James Duncan Mackenzie, and then for Folk Nations.

James Duncan Mackenzie plays the Highland bagpipe and the flute. He has just released his first solo album, and he and the accompanying band played some of the tunes included in it. I'm terrible at remembering names, but I particularly enjoyed the song about second sight (which, if I'm not mistaken, is the fourth fragment in the album taster on the webpage). Apparently, the concept (and the experience) of second sight is part of the Gaelic culture in Lewis, where he is from. I don't have such a gift (or curse), but the song itself made you feel like you were touching something otherworldly with the tips of your fingers. It was really beautiful. He was also very entertaining when presenting each one of the songs, and you can do nothing but laugh when someone tells you they composed a song about a pair of piper's socks and another one about a UFO sighting! I look forward to seeing him play again, on his own or with Breabach, the band he's a member of.

Here's a video of him (far left) with Breabach, even though this does not make justice to a live concert:

Folk Nations is actually not the name of a band, but the name of a British Council project "aiming to bring together musicians, creative producers and practitioners from the UK and the South Asia region" (as the project webpage explains). This gave me and the rest of the audience the opportunity to listen to a rather curious medley of musicians, with a very interesting mixing of backgrounds and traditions. Some of the pieces they played were truly amazing (especially those in which they made traditional British and Indian or Bengali tunes match perfectly). Lots of talent and musical beauty!

I can't find a video with the six of them together, but you can get a taste of some of their work for Folk Nations in the following videos:

(Suhail Yusuf Khan and Saurav Moni)

(Patsy Reid, who apparently used to be a member of Breabach!)

Here's a list of the members of the band on the night I got to see them, and some links to their personal webpages, in case you're curious:

- Hannah James (English; voice, accordion and clog dancing)
- Suhail Yusuf Khan (Indian, sarangi)
- James Mackintosh (percussion)
- Saurav Moni (Bengali, voice and percussion)
- Patsy Reid (Scottish, fiddle)
- Georgia Ruth Williams (Welsh, harp and voice)


International Burns Conference

Date: Saturday 25th January

Venue: Mitchell Library

Organisers: Centre for Robert Burns Studies & Mitchell Library
Price: £16 (afternoon session)

I was expecting a conference centered around literary criticism, but this conference offered different and multidisciplinary perspectives on Burns's work. The first presentation dealt with Burns's lyrics writing for the tunes Stephen Clarke collected and arranged as part of the Scots Musical Museum project (led by James Johnson). Katherine Campbell went as far as to sing parts of the songs! After that, Richard Finlay gave a very interesting talk about Burns's legacy and its influence within the 'Commonwealth' (which he justly chose to call by its more historically accurate name, 'Empire'). This made us all reflect on why Burns's subversive messages (most famously, 'a man's a man for a' that') did not spark revolutions in all the corners of the British Empire where his poems were being taught as one of the 'highest' forms of so-called 'superior' British culture.

After a short break for tea (no biscuits...), George Smith gave a very enlightening (as well as highly entertaining!) talk about Antique Smith (no relation, or so he says...), a 1880's forger of fake Burns manuscripts. Apparently, some of his forgeries are still about, being mistaken for the real thing... He told us that, after using old paper from old books with a low market value, he resorted to making them look old by using tea stains! He then rounded the talk off by making us bid for two 'Burns' manuscripts, one of them real, the other an Antique Smith forgery... Had the auction been for real, someone would have gotten a really cheap Burns manuscript, and someone else a really expensive Antique Smith! Murray Pittock gave a plenary lecture about his research on and edition of the Scots Musical Museum, with which they are trying to determine which of the songs in the collection were written/edited/compiled by Burns. After that, there was a reception in the Burns Room to view the new Burns manuscript the Mitchell library has acquired. Let's hope it's the real thing! ;)

International Burns Concert

Date: Saturday 25th January

Venue: SSE Hydro

Price: £25 (expensive, but well worth it!)

This concert was just a joy to attend. The mixture of artists and traditions, as well as their great quality and energy, made this a very enjoyable night. The set included Capercaillie, of whom I've already talked about in this blog; wonderful Dougie MacLean with his fantastic voice; Raghu Dixit (member of Folk Nations); the feathery-soft Mae Trio; Karine Polwart and her very moving voice; jovial Fèis Rois; folk/salsa fusion band Salsa Celtica; heartbreaking Rachel Sermanni; terrific Alkinoos Ioannidis; the Mahotella Queens (whose very energetic music lost points with their sexist statements about how to keep a husband...), and some others (for example, John Spillane recited Heaney but you can't see that in the video for some reason). All of these artists were accompanied by the wondrous Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

You can watch most of the concert here:

I enjoyed it very much, but I could have done without the all-too-obvious political nuances. I firmly believe music (and all forms of art) should be a way of connecting peoples and cultures, and I cringe at its being used for political ends (even if I agree with the political ideals being pursued...). Still, it was a heartwarming night; being testimony to human capacity for beauty always does that.

I am very thankful for the opportunity of attending all these events and for the memories that I will keep of them. Thanks to the organisers of Celtic Connections (especially Capercaillie's Donald Shaw) and, of course, the performers and speakers! =) Also, I have to give a shout-out to my flatmate Scott for making Burns night dinner (the traditional haggis, neeps and tatties) on the following day, since I wasn't home on the 25th! Thanks Scott, it was delicious! =)

I hope you enjoy the vast array of music I have mentioned, as well as the conference trivia!