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FESTIVAL NEWS COVERED IN TWO MINUTES AROUND TOWN Fair Trade on the Fringe runs from 13–21 Aug and will be hoping to exceed the 30,000 visitors it enjoyed in 2010. Check it out on Castle and Princes Streets.
BOOKS Book lovers rejoice! Five of the authors of the Booker Prize long-list are to appear at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival. Look out for Alan Hollinghurst, Sebastian Barry, Carol Birch, Stephen Kelman and A D Miller at edbookfest.co.uk. COMEDY There’s no denying that Sarah Millican should enjoy a plentiful following this Festival, what with her becoming something of a household name thanks to guest slots on ITV’s Loose Women, a Radio 4 series under her belt, and basically just being really rather funny. Happy days then that additional dates have been added to her EICC run. See edfringe.com for more.
FESTIVALS The Festival of Spirituality and Peace can often be overlooked as media attention is pointed elsewhere, which is not to say that it doesn’t deserve its own column inches. Look out for 300 activities and 200 events across 15 venues from 6–29 Aug, including workshops, exhibitions, films and more. See festivalofspirituality.org.uk for more.
L A V I T S E F MUSIC Musos should hop along to the Scottish Independent Record Fair on Sun 7 Aug, 1–7pm at Summerhall. Music, drinks and listening are all up for grabs, with stalls from Chemikal Underground, Fence Records, FOUND and more.
SHOP Festival fever may be upon us but there’s always time for some retail therapy, and here at List Towers we’re excited to hear that the ever- wonderful fashion boutique Arkangel & Felon have launched exclusive new brands, including Paul by Paul Smith for women and Sportmax Code. Check them out at 4 William Street or at arkangelandfelon.com. 10 THE LIST 4–11 Aug 2011
LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL
Life is a cabaret, old chum
Fascinating Aïda’s Dillie Keane cries three cheers for the addition of a cabaret genre at this year’s Fringe
G ood God, there’s a cabaret section! I can’t begin to describe the delight that AT LAST, we misfits have been recognised and awarded a category of our own. Fascinating Aïda have been practising what the legendary New York producer Donald Smith calls ‘the fragile art of cabaret’ for nearly three decades whilst being regularly told that the art form was dead. OK, so it wasn’t exactly throbbing with life, but there were a few of us holding a guttering candle against the gale force of stand-up comedy, which occasionally threatened to obliterate us.
So how do you define cabaret? Kit Hesketh- Harvey, another of the redoubtables who refused to lie down and die, defines a cabaret song as a song without a fourth wall. In other words, the singer sings the song straight to the audience as it if were a monologue. But that’s just a part of the picture. Cabaret is the theatre of the oddball; there must be
music, possibly ineptly played or poorly sung (I’ve been hoodwinking audiences into thinking I can sing for aeons) and there must be humour. It’s usually performed by performers too impatient to wait for parts, too angry with the world not to jump up and comment, too quirky to be cast in M i d s o m e r Murders. At best, it’s dark, louche, moving, brave, silly and hilarious. So I’m thrilled at the rebirth of my beloved art form. After all – what is stand-up comedy but Performer + Observations + Microphone? Sure, there are some dazzling comics out there – but the formula is wretchedly identikit. Select a cabaret show, though, and you have no idea what’s going to hit you.
Fascinating Aïda: Cheap Flights, Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 6–29 Aug (not 7 or 17), 6.45pm, £12.50–£14 (£11.50-£13). Previews 3, 5 Aug, £7.
CLOUD 9
SoundCloud have created an online sonic map of Edinburgh, and you can contribute In addition to this fine magazine helping to keep your finger on the festival pulse, we recommend you check out a nifty wee invention from the folks behind web sound platform, SoundCloud. A collaborative project, their Sounds of Fringe map (see soundsoffringe.com) allows anyone to post or stream audio from anywhere in the capital throughout the Fringe, the fruits of which will be tagged to a map and available to access online. Look out for a host of samples from this year’s Fringe performers, journalists and more, as well as a variety of sounds and impressions from regular Fringe-goers. If you want to get in on a little piece of the action, you can add your own comments, sounds and audio too. Simply download the SoundCloud app for Android or iPhone, start recording, and include the word ‘Fringe’ in the title of any sounds you upload. Head online to see the map and for more instructions. (AM)