AROUND TOWN

In literary event Murder Ballad & The Unrecovered (Thursday 14 August) you can find out more about the titular mystery titles when authors Lucy Ribchester and Richard Strachan swing by Edinburgh’s Argonaut Books.

Now running as part of the Fringe, A Johnnie Walker Whisky Show (until Tuesday 26 August) promises an hour-long sensory experience led by whisky experts who will provide you with a personalised cocktail.

It’s time to get your geek on as Film & Comic Con (Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 August) returns to Glasgow with stalls, cosplay, comics and a line-up of fan favourites, including actresses Anita Dobson, Camille Coduri and Dani Harmer.

MUSIC

King Tut’s Summer Nights Festival (until Saturday 30 August) continues this weekend at the Glasgow institution, presenting a plethora of up-and-comers that could just be the next big thing. Featuring Fog Bandits, Dirty Faces and Mercy Girl, amongst many others.

At Stereo, rising Scottish indie stars The Frowns (Saturday 16 August) will be returning for a hometown gig, which marks their last with their current line-up.

Led by Evan Dando and best known for their breakout album, It’s A Shame About Ray, old favourites The Lemonheads (Sunday 17 August) will be rocking up at Glasgow’s SWG3.

STAGE

Fusing musical theatre and circus fun, Cirque: The Greatest Show – Reimagined brings together West End showtunes with spectacular stunts. Catch it at King’s Theatre, Glasgow.

Part of TravFest25 at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, Nowhere (until Sunday 24 August) is an intricate and playful solo show from actor and activist Khalid Abdalla, inspired by his involvement in the 2011 Egyptian revolution and experience of the counter-revolution that followed.

And making a splash at this year’s Fringe is former Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Cat Cohen (until Sunday 24 August) with her new show Broad Strokes, her most personal to date, which turns the New Yorker’s medical misfortune into musical comedy.

SCREEN

If you loved Past Lives as much as we did then you’ll be desperate to see what director Celine Song has done next and turns out it’s something of a surprise. The Materialists is a romcom infused with characteristic intelligence that interrogates and skewers the modern dating scene, while providing some old-fashioned romance of its own. Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal star.

Meanwhile, Glasgow Film Theatre continues its CineMasters strand by taking a look at the films of Rob Reiner – from This Is Spinal Tap to The Princess Bride, with the magnificently macabre Misery (Saturday 16 & Tuesday 19 August) as this week’s offering.

And you’ll be spoilt for choice for fantastic cinema at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival (Thursday 14 – Wednesday 20 August). It features the world premiere of Ben Wheatley’s Bulk and UK premieres of the likes of Sorry, Baby and Brides.

PODCASTS

Hot on the heels of the Oasis reunion frenzy, Talk 90s To Me features broadcaster Miranda Sawyer taking a deep dive into the eponymous decade – covering everything from Cool Britannia, Cantona and Kate Moss to the Chemical Generation.

In BBC Sounds’ Gangster: The Story Of The Black Widow, Livvy Haydock takes a look at notorious British gangster Linda Calvey who took on her husband’s criminal enterprise when he was killed by armed police and served time alongside the likes of Myra Hindley and Rose West.

And Katherine Ryan is back with the second series of Write Me Dirty in which celebrities have to come up with erotic stories based on some pretty random prompts. Stevie Martin, Lou Sanders, Harriet Kemsley and Fatiha El-Ghorri are amongst the game guests.

VISUAL ART

Presented by the National Galleries Of Scotland, Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years (until Sunday 2 November), now showing at Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Academy, is a major, large-scale exhibition from the artist featuring more than 200 works and including installations made in response to the RSA building, as well as older material dating back to the mid-1970s.

Also new to the RSA this month is So Many Summers (until Sunday 7 September) which, taking its title from the poem by Norman MacCaigh, invites viewers into a season of visual reflection as it celebrates the many moods of a Scottish summer.

And finally, Dalkeith Palace & Country Park will be playing host to the inaugural Visual Arts Scotland Artist & Makers Market (Friday 15 – Sunday 17 August), a free creative showcase which will transform the palace and its grounds in a hotbed of inspirational artistry.