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Frightened Rabbit
37 Karla Black SCULPTOR
2009 was bookended by major solo exhibitions of work by the Glasgow- based artist. At Mary Mary in January her exhibition featured sculptures created from found household ingredients such as body moisturising cream, chalk dust, cotton wool, Sellotape, paint, eggshells and broken glass. In November, her exhibition of new sculptures at Edinburgh’s Inverleith House revealed an artist at the height of her powers. (AR)
36 David Leddy THEATRE MAVERICK
The ever-busy Leddy kicked off 2009 with Sub Rosa, a delicious gothic Victorian melodrama promenade piece performed in the hidden nooks and crannies of the Citizens Theatre’s backstage spaces. Leddy was in equally innovative form at the Fringe, reworking his audio-theatre piece Susurrus for the Botanics, while the haunting White Tea required its audience to dress up in kimonos and drink tea before embarking on an imaginative journey from Paris to Japan. (AR)
35 The Phantom Band NEW FAVOURITE BAND
Ask around. Checkmate Savage is on an awful lot of people’s Album of the Year lists for 2009. Possibly your own. And after listening to it — a rolling, constantly mutating blend of krautrock, Scot-rock, folk and experimental bleepery — it’s not hard to see why. A brilliant debut from a promising Glasgow band. (CS)
34 Vox Motus PIONEERING THEATRE
COMPANY
The Glasgow-based company led by Jamie Harrison and Candice Edwards that created last year’s award-winning Slick topped that achievement in 2009 with the wonderful touring production Bright Black. The inventive, visually arresting piece of physical theatre focused on a woman struggling to cope with the sudden death of her fiancé, counterbalancing the heavy 28 THE LIST 17 Dec 2009–7 Jan 2010
and Samantha Morton’s directorial debut (made for TV) The Unloved. With assassin actioner The Tournament still to be released and a major role in SGU Stargate Universe coming early in 2010, Carlyle may soon find himself a new fan base. (PD)
29 Rockstar North VIDEO GAME GIANTS
They may be busy working on Agent (a new exclusive title for PS3, which will be beyond huge in 2010) but Rockstar North still found time to unleash another entry in the expansive world of Grand Theft Auto with Episodes from Liberty City, featuring a brand new chapter: The Ballad of Gay Tony. (HN)
28 The Sad DOWN ON THEIR Twilight
SOUND
These Kilsythers do a good line in misery-drenched post-rock, and have been steadily drawing fans since their stunningly dark debut, Thirteen Autumns and Fourteen Winters. They’ve been busy touring America (supporting the mighty Mogwai) and returned this September with Forget the Night Ahead — another roaring, powerful downer. (CS) 27 Robert & Nicky Wilson, Jupiter Artland PUBLIC ART LOVERS
subject matter with some stunning theatrical flourishes. (AR)
33 Lindsay Duncan TELEVISION THESP
The Edinburgh actor proved her reputation for gravitas in two wonderful, utterly diverse high-profile telly roles for the BBC, tugging at the heartstrings in Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars, while in Margaret she was all delicately nuanced hubris, managing to actually make us feel sorry for the Iron Lady. (KI)
32 We Were Promised Jetpacks
YOUNG INDIE UPSTARTS
After years of touring the central belt, WWPJ finally unleashed their debut album, These Four Walls. Critical acclaim and widespread touring followed, including a US stint with label-mates Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad. (NB)
31 Daniela Nardini AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS
New Town, her second collaboration with writer Annie Griffin, brilliantly skewered Edinburgh’s obsession with property. Nardini brought a hefty dose of the Miss Jean Brodies to icy estate agent Meredith McIlvanney, netting herself a Scottish BAFTA for Best Performance in Television. (KI)
30 Robert Carlyle VERSATILE ACTOR
Hardworking and always surprising in his work choices, Carlyle proved his acting chops this year in Gilles Mackinnon’s TV drama Zig Zag Love The husband and wife partnership created this ambitious public art project in the grounds of their Bonnington House estate. The
popular initiative combines a beautiful outdoor setting with some first-class environmental sculpture by artists such as Antony Gormley, Andy Goldsworthy and Cornelia Parker. (AR)
26 Christopher Kane OUT-THERE DESIGNER
The young Motherwellian continues to revolutionise high fashion with his roaring gorilla print, based on Planet of the Apes and seen on every edgy red carpet. He also designed a range for Versace and dressed fashionistas
like Rihanna and Carine Rotfield. (KI)
25 Frightened Rabbit BORDERS BAND
The Rabbits celebrated the success of last year’s Midnight Organ Fight by recording a live acoustic version of it at the Captain’s Rest.
They’ve also released a new single, ‘Swim Until You Can’t See Land’, to promote next March’s album,
The Winter Of Mixed Drinks. Currently on a UK tour with
Modest Mouse. (NB)
24 Andy Clark UBIQUITOUS STAGE
ACTOR
Widely considered to be the best thing about Gregory Burke’s Hoors, Clark also gave wonderfully detailed performances in Alan Bissett’s The Ching Room and Rona Munro’s The Last Witch, and after dripping poison into the Moor’s ear as a thuggish Iago in the Citizens’ Othello, ended up in a frock in the Tron’s Ya Beauty and the Beast. (AR)