TOP TIPS: WEEK 1 Top Tips | FESTIVAL MUSIC
Some music highlights from the first week of the Fringe, in a handy chronological guide
1PM
A CASE OF YOU: THE MUSIC OF JONI MITCHELL
Paradise in Augustines, 7–26 Aug (not 13, 20), 1.20pm, £12 (£10). A touching tribute to the music of Joni Mitchell, presented by Caught and Spark Productions, who take in her life and legacy along the way.
4PM
AKIKO OKAMOTO IN CONCERT St Andrew’s and St George’s West George Street, 8, 10 Aug, 4.30pm, £10 (£8). The international piano maestro plays a repertoire that includes works by Chopin, Mozart and Bach, as well as Mussorgsky’s ten-piece suite, ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’.
CARLA LIPPIS: CAST A DARK SHADOW
The Boards, 7–26 Aug (not 24), times vary, £12 (£11). Rock’n’roll given a cabaret makeover – Carla Lippis’ Cast a Dark Shadow is a Tarantino- esque slink through original music and recontextualised classics.
5PM
THE GREAT HIPSTER SONGBOOK The Jazz Bar, 4, 8, 15, 22 Aug, 5.30pm, £7 (£5). Angus Munro and his backing trio perform modern indie songs in the style of American songbook-style classics.
ALL THE KING’S MEN C, 2–22 Aug, 5,40pm, £10.50–£12.50 (£8.50–£10.50). One of many, many
MAGIC NOSTALGIC The Magic Nostalgic folks let punters take control: every half hour, Danny and JP stand aside and someone (you, if you’re lucky) gets on stage to spin the wheel to reveal the next genre of music. It could be boy bands vs girl bands, it could be Britpop, it could be karaoke – you’ll only know if you pop along. Gilded Balloon at Rose Theatre, 5, 12, 19 Aug, 11.30pm, £10.
a cappella groups that flood the Fringe each year, All the King’s Men are straight from King’s College, Cambridge, and are widely touted as one of the best of their type. 7PM
NONSILENCE theSpace @ Jury’s Inn, 7–12 Aug, 7.10pm, £9 (£6–£7). English-Irish solo piano singer-songwriter, Emer O’Flaherty, blends jazz and trad music in songs inspired by Norah Jones and Aimee Mann.
BWANI JUNCTION PERFORM BBC SCOTTISH SYMPHONY
PAUL SIMON’S GRACELAND ORCHESTRA
The Liquid Room, 9–11, 16–18 Aug, 7pm, £18 (£14). After selling out their shows at last year’s Fringe and Celtic Connections, a 12-piece band accompany Bwani Junction as they perform Paul Simon’s much-loved Graceland album in full.
8PM
JAMIE MACDOWELL AND TOM THUM
Assembly George Square Studios, 4–20 Aug (not 9, 15), 8pm, £12–£14. Previews 2 & 3 Aug, £9. Beatbox sensation Tom Thum (who you’ll know from his TEDx talk – the most-watched of all time) joins musical forces with singer-songwriter Jamie MacDowell for an evening of experimental and exciting music.
NEHH: LEMON BUCKET ORKESTRA & BEN CAPLAN
Summerhall, 8 Aug, 8pm, £12. Why not carry on Canada 150 celebrations with Canada’s only balkan-klezmer- gypsy-party-punk band? Buskers- turned-guerilla folksters, LBO tread the line between intimate and rowdy, and home and away.
THE OPENING CONCERT Usher Hall, 5 Aug, 8pm, £15–£49. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Edinburgh Festival Chorus present the opening concert for the EIF, performing Haydn’s ‘Symphony No 94 Surprise’ and Mendelssohn’s ‘Symphony No 2 Lobgesang’.
9PM ELSA
Assembly Hall, 5–27 Aug (not 14), 9.30pm, £10–£11. Previews 3 & 4 Aug, £7. A round of satire, comedy and storytelling from Isobel Rogers, whose Elsa character makes up songs about the people she 3–10 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 99
Usher Hall, 8 Aug, 7.30pm, £13–£47. Conducted by Thomas Dausgaard, the Orchestra perform three pieces that ponder our place in the universe: Schubert’s ‘Symphony No 8 Unfinished’, Schumann’s ‘Piano Concerto’ and Strauss’ ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’, aka the theme to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
KARINE POLWART TRIO Queen’s Hall, 9 Aug, 7.30pm, £20 (£18). Polwart is joined by her trio for a rare intimate show, highlighting her poetic and intelligent folk-roots sound.
PIANOLOGUES Summerhall, 4–20 Aug, 7.40pm, £12 (£9). Preview 2 Aug, £9 (£6). The latest show from Fringe stalwart and piano virtuoso Will Pickvance is another showcase of his poetic talent.
CELL BLOCK SOWETO: AN A CAPPELLA GANG SHOW
Ghillie Dhu, 7–9, 15–17, 21–23 Aug, times vary, £12 (£10). A fairly light-hearted musical journey telling the story of five prisoners in a Johannesburg jail, weaving in the history of South Africa through a mixture of African and western music.
NOAH NOAH A wee bit of indie, a wee bit of electro, and a wee bit of poppy rock, Edinburgh’s Noah Noah have only been around since last year but are banging out the gigs, singles, and festival appearances, and now touting their high-energy sound at the Fringe. Angels Share, 5, 12, 19, 26 Aug, 9.30pm, free.