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A R O U N D T O W N Foodies are nibbling on news of this year’s Taste festival at Inverleith Park, Edinburgh, from 28–30 May. Highlights include a special Chefs’ Table Event, allowing visitors to grill their favourite chefs, and an appearance by author and TV presenter Rachel Allen, who will offer a masterclass in making the perfect cherry crumble cake. Over in Glasgow, Glasgow City Council’s Executive Committee is considering potential future uses for the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena complex, following the closure of the Museum of Transport this month. Options include an Enhanced Community Sports Centre, a research facility or a museum store.
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O T O H P BOOKS The Scottish Book Trust have launched this year’s Young Writer’s Award, affording budding wordsmiths the chance to visit a top London publisher and get expert advice on how to develop new work. For application details see www.scottishbooktrust.com/youngwritersawards. The application deadline is 31 May.
FESTIVALS EIF HQ has reported a record start to sales for this year’s Edinburgh International Festival, with early signs suggesting that the European premiere of Opera Australia’s Bliss, New York’s The Gospel at Colonus, the National Theatre of Scotland’s world premiere of Caledonia and Opéra de Lyon’s Porgy and Bess will be among 2010’s hottest tickets. See www.eif.co.uk for more.
MUSIC Glasvegas have announced the departure of drummer Caroline McKay, with singer James Allan 8 THE LIST 15–29 Apr 2010
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ARTS AND CULTURE NEWS COVERED IN TWO MINUTES Glasvegas drummer Caroline McKay has decided to leave the band
saying of the split: ‘She is one of the coolest drummers around, but we respect her decision and say goodbye with all our love and luck.’ The band is currently in LA writing their second album, with plans to start recording this summer. Teenage Fanclub are studio bound this spring to record new work, with a single Baby Lee and album Shadows set to be released on their own Pema label, this May. Catch them live on 2 Jun at Glasgow’s ABC or on 3 Jun at Edinburgh’s Picture House.
In festivals news, Blondie have confirmed to play RockNess on Sunday night alongside Vampire Weekend and The Strokes. Littler event Tigerfest will set out its stall in Fife this May. Based largely in Dunfermline’s Carnegie Hall, this year’s line-up includes Ambulances, The Fence Collective, Malcolm Middleton, Withered Hand and more. Look out too for info on special Tigerfest gigs in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. See www.tigerfest.co.uk for details and tickets. THEATRE And finally, following concerns over funding, the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland has announced a contribution from the Mackintosh Foundation, the charity set up by theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh to promote and develop dramatic arts. The Foundation has pledged £3000 over the next three years. Technical services company Northern Light will also donate £500 a year until 2012, as well as lending their support to the award for Best Technical Production. The List is pleased to announce that they will co-sponsor the event which will have its awards ceremony at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, on Sun 13 Jun.
Channel Hopper
Dispatches from the sofa, with Brian Donaldson
■ He might have a name that suggests boy band membership and a tweed/bow-tie look that screams late 70s geography teacher, but judging by the wave of acclaim which has greeted his Timelord debut, Matt Smith could have gotten away with being clad in a gimp outfit and speaking his lines in Norwegian. In the first episode of this all-new eleventh Doctor Who (BBC1, Sat, 6.20pm), Smith got to say relatively flaccid self-reflexive stuff like ‘Trust me, I’m the Doctor’ and ‘The Doctor will see you now’, but Paisley’s Steven Moffat hit the mark better when penning lines such as ‘You’re Scottish, fry something!’ when the Timelord implored the young Amy Pond to help him find his taste buds. The later, grown-up strippergram assistant played splendidly by Inverness’ Karen Gillan was allowed to hit back by dubbing her new ‘boss’ as a ‘mad man with a box’.
Matt Smith: could have got away with wearing a gimp outfit At the end of 65 minutes of time- juggling horseplay, the over-riding emotion for Moffat, Smith and the legions of fans desperate for this post-Russell T Davies era not to crashland would surely have been immense relief. Smith has pitched himself accurately as loopy-funny while Gillan’s Pond hit the right notes of fruity-caustic, and while they both run a bit funny, that never harmed Liz McColgan. For those who were raised on Dalek- fighters with white hair and one foot in the grave, all this will be one step beyond. For the modern breed, all week they’ve been Twittering ‘David who?’