LOVE LETTERS EDINBURGH
St Anthony’s Chapel
Derek Kelly Drummer, Isa & the Filthy Tongues There are so many reasons I love Edinburgh: the view from Calton Hill to the Forth, the Port O’ Leith pub, St Anthony’s Chapel in Holyrood Park, the Innocent Railway and tunnel from St Leonards; it goes from dark to light in the blink of an eye and it’s not that easy to find. All the contradictions: New Town/Old Town, Deacon Brodie, Jekyll & Hyde – all hidden round corners and down closes. It sums up what’s brilliant about Edinburgh. ■ Isa & the Filthy Tongues new album Dark Passenger is out now, available via Amazon. See www.myspace.com/thefilthytongues 20 THE LIST 4–18 Feb 2010
Sarah Tanat-Jones Singer, Come on Gang! Whenever I stand on the venerable old cobbles of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, waiting for the number 35 bus, I feel something akin to love – as close as it gets when talking about transit, at least. It’s best at dusk, when the sky is lavender coloured and all the windows have an amber glow, and you manage to get the best seats in the house – front row, top deck. The bus sails down the Royal Mile and towards my Leith flat, and all the cobbles and wonky rooftops quietly remind me why living in this city has moments of magnificence. ■ Come on Gang!’s album will be out later this year. www.myspace.com/comeongangmusic
Keith Gray Author Five minutes from the West End is Dean Village, yet another of Edinburgh’s celebrated secrets. Bridged by Telford, bordered by waterfalls and cut through by the Water of Leith, it’s a bewildering splash of peace and quiet in the heart of the capitol. All but one of the ancient mills is gone, although the old school still stands. As a newcomer to Edinburgh I rented one of Well Court’s attic rooms. I opened my single window to listen to the river, and to toss out spiders the size of my fist – some surely big enough to concuss unlucky ducks below. I met my partner there. The calm valley was the perfect retreat for a new couple. Telford’’s massive strides carried the city’s fuss far above our heads. And we were a perfect match too. She’d warn the ducks while I wrestled the spiders. ■ Keith Gray’s Ostrich Boys won the Royal Mail Scottish Children’s Book Award 2009
Sarah Tanat-Jones on the 35 bus
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