AROUND TOWN

Welcome the year of the Wood Dragon at the Burrell Collection’s Lunar New Year celebrations, where you can indulge in face painting, dance workshops, Chinese storytelling and many more activities (Sunday 18 February).

If you’re struggling to entertain the kids this half term, the National Museum Of Scotland is hosting a Wild About Wildlife event (until Sunday 18 February) where families can go on a Rewilding Trail to learn fascinating facts about animals and nature.

Dundee Science Festival kicked off earlier this week, bringing with it a range of STEM-related workshops, exhibitions, talks and events to Dundee Science Centre and beyond until Sunday 25 February. Check out the full programme here.

MUSIC

Grammy-winning alt-pop princess Kim Petras is coming to Glasgow’s O2 Academy on Thursday 15 February with her Feed The Beast world tour. Best known for her contribution to Sam Smith’s hit single ‘Unholy’, Petras is a prolific recording artist in her own right, having released two genre-spanning albums last year alone.

If foundation-shaking folk is more your jam, the trans-European band Blue Giant Orkestar are playing at Summerhall (Saturday 17 February) promising tunes from Hungary, Serbia, Scotland and more. 

Meanwhile, Liverpudlian indie four-piece Courting are bringing their bouncy, guitar-backed tunes to The Mash House in Edinburgh (Friday 16 February) and King Tuts in Glasgow (Saturday 17 February) this weekend. If you’re a fan of The 1975 or Declan McKenna, these guys are for you.

STAGE

Despite entertaining audiences for more than two decades, Jeff Innocent is embarking on his first ever UK tour with the show Smart Casual. Catch the East Londoner at The Stand, Edinburgh, this Sunday 18 February (or The Stand, Glasgow, on Monday 19 February).

Tom Bailey’s award-winning performance company Mechanimal are taking over the Traverse Theatre with their tragicomic exploration of endangered life. They’ll be attempting to represent 26,000 species in one hour with a fusion of clowning, visual art, soundscape and poetry in Vigil (Thursday 15–Saturday 17 February).

Beloved musical comedian (and Strictly Come Dancing champion, lest we forget) Bill Bailey stops off in Scotland this weekend with his Thoughtifier tour. At Glasgow’s SEC on Friday 16 February, the former Black Books star’s latest show describes itself as ‘a magical, musical mystery tour of the human mind.’ 

SCREEN

Starring Dakota Johnson in the titular role, Madame Web is Marvel’s latest comic-inspired blockbuster. Part of the ever-expanding Spider-Man universe, this film stars a plethora of young stars, including Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced and Celeste O’Connor. Out in cinemas now.

Dubbed as Denmark’s answer to Twin Peaks, Lars von Trier’s surreal hospital-set drama has emerged into the cultural conversation once again following its re-release as a complete box set. We gave The Kingdom Trilogy fours stars, calling it ‘a series that infuriates and exhilarates in similar doses’. All episodes are also available now on MUBI.

From Danish telly to the big screen, Mads Mikkelsen is 19th century army captain Ludvig Kahlen in Nikolaj Arcel’s new biopic The Promised Land. After premiering in Venice last year, this historical Danish western hits UK cinemas this Friday 16 February. 

PODCASTS

Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative is a new Radiotopia podcast diving into the ethics of documentary filmmaking. After receiving a number of story submissions from the public, Jess Shane explores whether sharing your story is as empowering as we’re made to think it is. All episodes are out now.

You’re Booked sees novelist Daisy Buchanan interviewing a huge range of successful authors, from Ian Rankin to Ottessa Moshfegh. We gave the pod four stars for its varied and intimate atmosphere. Read the full review here. 

Hot off the heels of a Chortle award nomination for Best Podcast, Christopher MacArthur-Boyd and Liam Withnail’s podcast Enjoy An Album has been a favourite at The List for some time. Dive into the archive to listen to episodes with Ed Night, Amy Matthews, Marjolein Robertson and many more. 

VISUAL ART

Opening up at Modern One this Friday 16 February is the new exhibition Tracing Time by South Korean artist Do Ho Suh. Thread drawings, paper sculptures and watercolours are just some of the disciplines Ho Suh uses to explore the concept of ‘home’.

Art In Healthcare: Stories Of The Collection at the Scottish Storytelling Centre showcases a collection of artworks once housed in healthcare settings across Scotland. Each work was originally selected for their potential to help make people feel better, and this exhibition will tell how these works impacted visitors who came into contact with it.

Finally, the travelling Scottish Portrait Awards show is coming to a close at Glasgow Art Club this Sunday 17 February. Displaying 80 works from a pool of contributors living or studying in Scotland over the age of 16, this exhibition proves Scottish portraiture is a thriving artform.