THE HOT 100
BRAVE FACES Niki Boyle looks back at Disney-Pixar’s Brave, one of the defining Scottish cultural events of the year
Just casting a glance over
our Hot 100, you can see how
pervasive Brave’s influence is. Kelly Macdonald (#3) and Billy
Connolly (#51) took leading roles as Highland princess Merida and
her father King Fergus; Gaelic-
language singer Julie Fowlis (#81) performed two songs on
the soundtrack; and the film had
its UK premiere at the newly- revived Edinburgh International
Film Festival – a welcome
choice from the festival’s artistic
director, Chris Fujiwara (#15). In order to hold back from
entirely reformatting our list as the Brave 100, there were
a few names that didn’t quite
make it, but who did no less an
admirable job. Actors Robbie Coltrane, Craig Ferguson and
Kevin McKidd brought some
perfectly-executed comic relief
in the shape of three clan- leading noblemen (McKidd
performed two roles as both
Lord MacGuffin and his Doric- spouting heir), and composer
79 EVE MUTSO BALLERINA WITH
CHARACTER
In April, Mutso took on the role of a lifetime, playing the delicate and damaged Blanche DuBois in Scottish
Ballet’s adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. The production, and Mutso in particular, was a i ve-star triumph. (KA)
78 ANN LOUISE ROSS STAR TURN
Ross gave a heartbreaking performance as Mill Lavarello in James Brining’s haunting revival
of Zinnie Harris’ Further Than the Furthest Thing, winning the CATS Best Female Performance award in the process. Ross went on to play Caliban in Dundee Rep’s The Tempest and was a poignant Angeline Sauve in the Lyceum/NTS revival of The Guid Sisters. (AR)
77 DOMINIC HILL PUTTING ON THE CITZ
I
K C R D L O G C M N N O M A E
: O T O H P
In his i rst season as Citizens Theatre boss, artistic director Hill delivered an ambitious programme of classics that included a consummate production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, which won him the Best Director award at this year’s CATS, and a triumphant King Lear with veteran David Hayman in the lead. (AR)
Patrick Doyle created the score for the film, following high-profile
76 THE ETHICAL SHELLFISH COMPANY
soundtracks for Thor and Rise of SUSTAINABLE SUBMARINER
the Planet of the Apes.
The main star, of course, was Scotland itself. Scottish
locations, including the Calanais
Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis, Urquhart Castle on Loch
Ness and Kildrummy Castle in Aberdeenshire were visited by
the Pixar production team in
preparation for the film, and their
influence can be felt strongly
throughout. Scotland’s own oral folk tale traditions also played a
large part: Brave is Pixar’s first fairy tale, a major divergence
from their typically contemporary
fare.
The film is by no means
flawless – our lead film critic Hannah McGill gave it three
stars in her review back in June – but it’s impossible to deny the
cultural impact Brave has made.
(Niki Boyle)
14 THE LIST 13 Dec 2012–24 Jan 2013
Scallop diver Guy Grieve harvests some of Scotland’s i nest shelli sh from the chilly waters of the Sound of
Mull and, having seen the underwater evidence i rst-hand, campaigns passionately and persuasively about the devastation of the marine environment by scallop and prawn dredging. (DR)
75 FOLK SIMPLY UNDERSTATED
CLOTHING
Steadily growing their reputation for over a decade, London menswear label Folk took exciting steps this year. Following a Scottish Fashion Awards nomination in 2011, the brand – founded by Cumbernauld’s Cathal McAteer – added womenswear,
celebrity clients and new standalone stores and stockists to the mix. (CS)
74 EWAN MORRISON ANALYSING SOCIETY
The restless Mr Morrison had two very different books out in 2012. First up was Tales from the Mall, an incisive look at the inexorable rise of the shopping precinct while his latest novel was Close Your Eyes, a stark tale of family and society. (BD)
73 NUMBERS NOT BY NUMBERS NIGHT
Their label action slowed this year, with only one EP from Lory D and a re-release of Unspecii ed
Enemies’ Multi Ordinal Tracking Unit, but the bleeding edge Glasgow squad’s role as promoters and (particularly in Jackmaster’s case) DJs stepped up several gears at parties across Europe and America. (DP)
72 LUCKYME EVER-FORTUNATE
DANCEFLOOR FILLERS
As well as hosting parties in Glasgow, London, Edinburgh and at Sonar in Barcelona, this excellent Scots label stepped up their releases courtesy of
EPs from artists including S-Type, Machinedrum, Cid Rim and Baauer, as well as the TNGHT (Hudson Mohawke and Lunice) co-release with Warp. (DP)
71 FENCE RECORDS FIFE FOLK COLLECTIVE
Anstruther-by-way- of-Eigg label and concert collective Fence Records were busy this year, as Eye o’ the Dug in St Andrews replaced their Homegame event, Eigg’s Away Game returned and they took over the Aberfeldy Festival for a day. Plus there were releases from Rozi Plain, Randolph’s Leap and Fence overlords Pictish Trail and King Creosote. (DP)
70 CRAIG COULTHARD PITCH PERFECT
As contributions to this year’s Cultural Olympiad go, Coulthard’s Forest Pitch was one of the most high-concept. The artist created a full- sized football pitch in the middle of a Scottish Borders forest and staged a tournament featuring players who are either recent British citizens or who have been given ‘leave to remain’ in Scotland. (AR)