In our latest big weekend round-up, we’re catching Tenement Trail’s hottest new acts, diving into the immersive world of Concerned Others, taking a trip to the 1970s with East Is East, and getting our fill of Ken Russell’s gloriously bonkers Tommy. Plus, Martyn MacDonald of SAY-Award nominated Valtos tells us what he has planned over the next few days.

AROUND TOWN 

Author: Evie Glen 

From tomorrow (Friday 9 October) Summerhall Arts presents a new immersive exhibition by environmental artist Elizabeth Ogilvie and filmmaker Robert Page titled ‘Conversation With Our Ocean’. Head to the depths of Summerhall’s Dissection Room for an all-encompassing experience of the deep sea. On Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, a series of talks from leading scientists and workshops for young people will explore the functions of marine ecosystems and the vital role they play in the environmental health of our planet. With redevelopment plans posing a fresh threat to Summerhall, the exhibition is a great chance to show your support for a cornerstone of the arts in Edinburgh. 

For something lighter, Glasgow hosts a Still Game Quiz hosted by none other than Isa and Tam. All proceeds are going to Back Onside Mental Health Charity, so get revising your Jacks from your Victors and mosey on down to The Clansman (Drygate Brewing) on Sunday 11 October for a sharp 1.30pm start. ‘Et tu, Isa?’

MUSIC

Author: Danny Munro 

This Saturday 10 October is one of the most exciting days in the Glasgow music calendar thanks to Tenement Trail festival. Over the course of ten hours, seven East End venues will play host to 50 emerging artists, with each ticket granting access to every gig, a handful of secret sets and an afterparty at St Luke’s. There’s a lot to choose from on this busy line-up, though I’ll be advocating for those in my group to join me in checking out the soon-to-be-very-famous singer-songwriter Paulie Swan, Scots Gaelic rapper Limonead, and Oedipus And The Mama’s Boys, the Edinburgh eight-piece drawing many a Black Country, New Road comparison. Pints are expensive these days, so if you happen to bump into your favourite Something For The Weekend contributor on Saturday, please think charitably. 

Over in the capital, Sneaky Pete's and Edinburgh Independent Music Society have teamed up for the General Meeting: All Dayer, which takes place in Sneaky Pete’s and Mash House from 3pm onwards on Sunday 11 October. For anyone who can’t make it through to Tenement Trail the day before, this is another chance to catch a number of artists on the bill, including Mr Swan and the Mama’s Boys. Alt-rock Dublin duo Burglar will also be sticking around in the central belt for Sunday’s all-dayer, one of 13 acts you can catch for less than £20 in Auld Reeky. Barry.

STAGE 

Author: Rachel Morrell

Take a closer look at culture this week with personal stories from the often unseen. Stepping into a miniature world which we all need to take notice of, Concerned Others (until Saturday 10 October) is a multi-dimensional tabletop performance at Summerhall which blends physical and digital media to create a detailed picture of Scotland’s addiction crisis that is sure to hit home. 

In Ayr’s Gaiety theatre, there’s a chance to travel to 1820s Orkney as Marion, Elsie and Bess’ husbands set sail in search of fortune in The Whaler’s Wife (until Saturday 10 October). But the Arctic wilderness isn’t the only terrain to survive, as a woman mysteriously disappears from the island and the trio are forced to confront a secret washed ashore by the sea.

South Asian heritage is on show at Citizens Theatre where, alongside four stories of culture in Thursday’s New Sauce Scratch Night, you can find Ayub Khan Din’s comedy classic East Is East (until Saturday 17 October), which brings tumultuous family relationships, tradition and fabulous flares from the 1970s to the stage with hilarious and poignant results. (Rachel Morrell)

SCREEN 

Author: Kevin Fullerton

As the nights draw in, almost everyone I speak to is digging into some long-running, gore-tastic horror series or other, but Andrew Wasylyk and Tommy Perman are entering the fray with a different kind of chiller. The composing duo will be travelling the country with their original score for the silent classic The Phantom Of The Opera, best known for Lon Chaney’s spectacularly strange make-up. The new score is a masterclass in atmosphere and breathes new life into Chaney’s somewhat creaky creation. Check the official site for full details of the tour.

Back on the festival trail, Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival has begun its initial run at Glasgow Film Theatre and The Pyramid At Anderston. I’ll be finding time in my schedule for Béla Tarr’s masterpiece Werckmeister Harmonies (Saturday 10 October) and Vlad Petri's Between Revolutions (also Saturday 10 October), an epistolary romance and political essay on the uprisings in Iran and Romania.

Since I’ve chosen quite a few monochrome misery fests, let’s head to Edinburgh’s Cameo for a dash of colour with Tommy (Friday 9 & Saturday 10 October), Ken Russell’s kaleidoscopic (and vaguely mad) adaptation of The Who’s pinball-loving album of the same name. A topless Roger Daltrey, a sequinned woman writhing around in baked beans, Tina Turner as a hallucinogenic drug addict, Oliver Reed in a knobbly-knees contest; if you haven’t witnessed this excitable wonder-scape of Russell’s Pop Art-addled imagination, you’re in for a treat. 

EAT & DRINK 

Author: Ailsa Sheldon

Is Edinburgh trying to play catch-up to Glasgow’s sandwich culture? Pat’s Deli has opened in Portobello and is already experiencing early sell-outs. Get in there quick for packed focaccia sandwiches, like hoisin mushroom with cucumber or apple, and barbecue pulled pork with slaw, and plenty of other tasty goodies. Also Toscano has opened a third outlet Toscanino on Forrest road, for budget-friendly mini Tuscan schiacciata to go. Kultura has just launched in Glasgow bringing Filipino favourites to 196 Bath Street. Already a well-known name in Aberdeen, I’m keen to try the pinoy sweet and sour seabass, and the spicy adobo ribs. And for something a bit different, Sloan’s, Glasgow’s oldest bar, has opened a new ‘time-travelling’ immersive dining experience after a £500,000 refurbishment. Expect moving portraits, a ‘haunted’ grand piano, costumes to choose from, and… a macaroni cheese trolley.

VISUAL ART 

Author: Greg Thomas

Ever imagined what it would look like if someone took apart a white Ford Transit van then rebuilt it around one of the internal pillars of a gallery? Maybe in an old warehouse space in a Bridgeton-type way? Well imagine no longer: Zayd Menk’s solo exhibition Van, which runs at David Dale Gallery until Saturday 7 November, was one of the zingers of the recent Glasgow Art Weekend.

I probably don’t need to outline what the show consists of, but one additional thing to mention is that, if you look inside the ajar back door of the poor marooned vehicle, you can see a big pile of wires and busted electronics and stuff. Menk’s work is about the often imperceptible but utterly all-consuming ways in which technology shapes our lives. That’s as may be, but there is also a can’t-believe-they-did that, Damien Hirsty swagger to the whole thing.

My other Glasgow recommendation is Esyllt Angharad Lewis’s dreamy abstract prints at Verse Café. And if you’re over in The Other Place, be sure to check out a one-weekend-only presentation by Edinburgh Palestine Community Wellbeing Group, Building Branches: Collective Wellbeing at Collective Space (Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 October). It includes work by, amongst others, artist and psychotherapist Zeinab Wasfy, musing on themes of displacement, grief and care.

THE HOT SEAT: Martyn MacDonald from Valtos

He’s one-half of the Celtci fusion duo Valtos, who’ve just picked up a SAY Award nomination for their excitable album The Last Light. So, what’s Martyn MacDonald up to this weekend? 

On Friday 9 October, I'll head down to Stereo in Glasgow to watch Gaïa perform. Gaïa is a wonderful French songwriter based here in Glasgow that we met during our performance at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. I’ve not been to one of her own shows before so I’m excited to see it. 

On Saturday 10 October, I’ll no doubt end up in my favourite haunt, the Park Bar, in the West End of Glasgow. A true home for the Gael in the city, it’s a good place for live west coast music, and Gaelic gu leor. 

On Sunday 11 October, I plan to watch the new Tom Cruise movie Digger in the wonderful Grosvenor cinema on Ashton Lane, perhaps with a little pre-dinner pick-me-up in one of the West End's finest bars and restaurants.

Valtos' album 'The Last Light' is Longlisted for the 2026 Scottish Album Of The Year Award alongside the likes of Barry Can't Swim, Biffy Clyro, Sian, Swim School, The Twilight Sad and more. Music fans can 'have their SAY' and vote for their favourite album to guarantee its place on The SAY Award Shortlist; voting is free and opens on Saturday 10 October for 72 hours via www.sayaward.com; Valtos tour this December in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Inverness. 

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