Regular readers of the site will probably be aware that we’re knee deep in Edinburgh Festival reviews right now, and it remains one of the most vibrant times of the year in Scotland’s cultural calendar. If you’re tourist-averse, then fear not; there’s still plenty to enjoy in the relatively calm environs of Glasgow. And we’re delighted to welcome the whip-smart comic Robin Grainger to our cultural Hot Seat this week for a selection of fantastic shows you can catch at the Fringe. Whatever you get up to, have a great weekend. 

AROUND TOWN 

Author: Evie Glen 

Edinburgh Book Fringe was created more than a decade ago in the spirit of the main festival, founded on the literal ‘fringes’ of Edinburgh International Festival as the city’s alternative literary event. It’s run each year by Lighthouse Books alongside a changing roster of indie bookshops across the city.

This weekend, there are two great talks at Lighthouse. On Saturday, British Vietnamese writer, Mai-Anh Vū Peterson hosts a discussion on East and SouthEast Asian solidarity while, on Sunday, journalist Gabriella Bennett will speak about her new book How To Build A City, always a pressing topic in Edinburgh in August.

Elsewhere, Argonaut Books is hosting a children’s story time on Saturday morning before an evening screening of the Czechoslovak sci-fi film Ikarie XB-1 in collaboration with Leith Kino community cinema nights. Top that off on Tuesday next week by heading to Greenhouse Records to learn all you need to know about medicinal herbs from Johanna Koen aka the ‘Foraging Gardener’.

MUSIC

Author: Danny Munro 

I was going to open this week’s recommendations with the 7am Oboe Rave (Saturday 22 August), an early-morning party inspired by Sebastian Bach’s coffee house concerts back in the days of yore but, like all of the zaniest things in Edinburgh this month, it’s sold out. For a more relaxing experience, check out Channel (until Sunday 30 August). Led by American sound artist Jack McGuire (aka Wet Hands), audiences are invited to step into a shipping container for a meditative journey of deep rest, soundtracked by an immersive electronic bath. I’m not entirely sure what most of this means but McGuire has described the show as an act of ‘radical listening’, which certainly does sound appealing.

Chicago indie rock legends Wilco are headed to Glasgow for the first time since 2019. This one’s at the Royal Concert Hall on Saturday and, at the time of writing, tickets are still available. Down the road at Stereo, local party planners Polyterror are hosting footwork legend DJ Paypal. There’s a Chicago tie-in with this one too as Paypal belongs to the city’s legendary house collective, Teklife, founded by the late DJ Rashad in the mid-2000s. This one is not to be missed.

STAGE 

Author: Rachel Morrell

Having experienced the swarming hordes of Calton Hill after the eclipse plunged us into (a rather underwhelming) darkness, I thought I’d suggest some apocalypses you can watch while the world (literally) burns. Joining us first, Last Laugh (until Sunday 30 August) brings us a humorous look at the end of the world in a bunker filled with queer improvised comedy, laughter, tears, puppetry and proof that the show must go on.

For those looking to unlock a new end-of-days fear, Werewolf (until Monday 31 August) at Summerhall is a horror comedy that imagines a battle of survival against a transformative outbreak. All the way from New Zealand, this party-game inspired interactive theatre has gained a worldwide cult following.

Speaking of cults, no apocalypse (or Fringe) is quite the same without one. So if your doomsday plan involves finding your own faction, look no further. Locals Nevermore Theatre have the perfect indoctrination tactics to suck you into their inner circle with the immersive Cult (until Sunday 23 August).

SCREEN 

Author: Kevin Fullerton

EIFF has wrapped but there’s still plenty of cinema to enjoy courtesy of this year’s Book Fringe. Leith Kino is presenting a trio of adaptations at the event, starting with The Inugami Family on Thursday 20 August, an intriguing mystery about a wealthy family battling over their inheritance in post-war Japan. Kino will also screen Ikarie XB-1 on Saturday 22 August (as mentioned in Around Town) and The Swimmer on Monday 24 August. 

Want something punchier (literally)? Reel Action Film Club is camping out in Glasgow’s Old Hairdresser’s with South Korean action thriller The Round-Up (Sunday 23 August), which became one of the highest-grossing films of all time in South Korea. It’s big, bolshy, wildly violent and more than a little bit thrilling.

The Edinburgh Film Guild and Grassmarket Community Picture House are presenting Le Quattro Volte (Monday 24 August), the second in their Cinema Italiano season. Revolving around an old Calabrian man as he tries to maintain his goat herd in rural climes, expect an uplifting and invigorating visual poem.  

EAT & DRINK 

Author: Suzy Pope

Glasgow’s Sticks n’ Sushi are really stretching the term ‘brunch’ with their Brunch Society Saturday offerings between noon and 5pm. Think maki rolls, yakitori sticks and not a slice of avocado toast in sight. Cocktail flights and evening DJ sets push it more into the realms of a Sunday session than brunch, but hey, I’m not complaining.

Wine experts Jonathan Heredia and Isla Mosquera have brought fancy French wine to Leith, opening Chez Bernard on The Shore. They want to recreate the French Atlantic idea of long lunches in Leith, with fresh oysters, dressed crab and (of course) lots and lots of wine, sipped slowly.

VISUAL ART 

Author: Greg Thomas

Edinburgh Art Festival is here, and the city is thronged with visitors. At this time of year, my mind often wanders back to an artwork by Peter Liversidge from 2013, which featured the word ‘HELLO’ on a series of white flags fluttering across the urban skyline. It feels, does it not, like we are welcoming the whole world?

Anyway, this year’s standout shows include a deeply moving exhibition of photography by the British-Jamaican artist Sandra George (1957–2013). Settling as a student in Edinburgh in 1980, George amassed an archive of more than 80,000 photographs capturing the communities of Craigmillar, Wester Hailes, and beyond, all while working as a respected community organiser.

The major solo-show Sandra George: Start From The Level, at City Art Centre (until Sunday 27 September), features a generous selection of shots from anti-racist demos, street scenes, family portraits and lots more. The sequence depicting George’s prematurely-born son Tyler, from the first days of his life to his attitude-laden teenage years, had me in floods. Highly recommended.

THE HOT SEAT - Robin Grainger

He’s the likeable comedian on a massive Fringe run with his new hour, Lemonade. So, what’s Robin Grainger up to this weekend? 

It’s the third weekend of the Fringe and the city is thrumming with magic and creativity. Flyers everywhere, carbs for most meals, and Vocalzone lozenge profits are through the roof.

At this stage in the game, you’ve seen all the shows you booked tickets for back in June or July. Maybe you loved them, maybe they were only okay; either way, well done for supporting them. This weekend, you should see some local acts. The quality of the Scottish comedy industry is great, so go to The Stand, Monkey Barrel or Gilded Balloon and just see any show, because they’re all good. If you want a proper Fringe experience, go and see David Correos: Noize Zealand (until Sunday 30 August) while his run is on. He’s unique, insane and very funny.

If you’re looking for a show that blends comedy, storytelling, poetry and music, go and see female-led production She Burns (until Sunday 23 August) at the Scottish Poetry Library. Edinburgh also has awesome museums and galleries and they’re free. I like wandering around the Portrait Gallery on Queen Street for the portrait of Billy Connolly alone. It’s nice to be somewhere quiet when everywhere else is loud.

Robin Grainger: Lemonade, Assembly George Square, until Monday 31 August. 

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