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Swallows and Amazons THEATRE The latest adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s much-loved Lake District story is presided over by War Horse director Tom Morris, with a slew of new songs provided by the Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon (a fan of the original novel himself). See review, page 101. Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Tue 31 Jan–Sat 4 Feb. The Descendants FILM Director Alexander Payne hasn’t made a film since 2004’s Sideways, so it’s about time we had another of his well-observed character pieces. George Clooney stars as a man whose wife falls into a coma after an accident, leaving him to take on his thus-far-neglected fatherly duties. See review, page 64. General release from Fri 20 Jan.
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Harry Papadopoulos VISUAL ART Retrospective paying homage to the great but underappreciated Glasgow-born music photographer, who snapped countless post-punk icons including The Associates and The Birthday Party during his tenure at Sounds magazine. See review, page 105. Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow, until Sat 25 Feb (not Fri 23 Dec–Thu 5 Jan). Nick Helm COMEDY While actually being quite a pleasant bloke in real life, Helm’s stage persona is shouty, sweary, aggressive, and responsible for winning him the Funniest Joke of the 2011 Fringe (‘I needed a password eight characters long so I picked Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’). See Five Things, page 61. The Stand, Glasgow, Thu 26–Sun 29 Jan.
Arika12 FILM / FESTIVAL The first of three ‘episodes’ from experimental arts company Arika. Subtitled A Film is a Statement, the weekend features screenings, performances and talks from international artists. See preview, page 16. CCA, Glasgow, Thu 19–Sun 22 Jan. Burns Night AROUND TOWN The annual shindig celebrating Scotland’s Bard is upon us once again, with haggis, whisky and poetry readings taking place around the country. See feature, page 42. Various venues across Scotland, Wed 25 Jan.
Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy TV Having courted authorship with his Madcap Shambleton and painted the windows at Urban Outfitters, Fielding returns to televised comedy with a semi-animated character based project. See interview, page 14. E4, late January.
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Steven Severin: Vampyr CHOSEN BY MALCOM DICKSON, DIRECTOR OF STREET LEVEL PHOTOWORKS
The multi-talented Steven Severin has been composing alternative film soundtracks for several years now, for both early silent works such as Cocteau’s Blood of a Poet and more contemporary experimental films such as Nigel Wingrove’s banned sensual fantasy Visions of Ecstasy. Audiences across Scotland can catch him in a live performance of his new work for Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1932 horror Vampyr, based on the novella Carmilla by J Sheridan Le Fanu (the third in Severin’s ‘Music for Silents’ series). His original and intriguing sound dovetails with his post-punk gothic origins, established through work with Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Glove (featuring The Cure’s Robert Smith). Haunting and atmospheric, it promises to resonate perfectly with the chill and darkness of January. Steven Severin: Vampyr, Cameo, Edinburgh, Thu 12 Jan, then touring. Harry Papadopoulos, Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow, until Sat 25 Feb (not Fri 23 Dec–Thu 5 Jan) – see Realist pick 4, above, and review, page 105.
5 Jan–2 Feb 2012 THE LIST 5