Things to do in Scotland this week
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Music: Edwyn Collins
Monday: The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen; more info
Wednesday: Strathpeffer Pavillion; more info
Thursday: ABC, Glasgow; more info
Another joyous visitation from the ex-Orange Juice man turned top-drawer troubadour, whose latest album, Understated, is stuffed with Northern Soul-infused stompers extolling the beauty of the simple things in life and his own deep gratitude at living at all in the wake of a serious stroke eight years ago.
Comedy: Henning Wehn
The Stand, Edinburgh
Wednesday, 8.30pm, £12; more info
The self-styled “German comedy ambassador to Great Britain” and Fringe favourite is back in Edinburgh with his new show Henning Knows Bestest. Wehn’s deadpan wit has been enjoying more regular air-time on TV panel shows, and most of his tour so far has sold out, so get your seats booked for this introduction to Teutonic tittle-tattle.
Theatre: Doctor Faustus
Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
Until 27 Apr; more info
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Hide AdFirst seen in London in 1594, Christopher Marlowe’s Dr Faustus is based on one of those stories that has become part of everyday language, so powerful is the image of the restless, discontented scholar, and his fatal pact with the demon Mephistopheles. In this new co-production from the Citizens’ Theatre and West Yorkshire Playhouse, though, the play is radically updated to a 21st-century world in which Faust is a celebrity magician, moving through our own age of outrageously overpaid bankers, media moguls and politicians.
Art: RSA New Contemporaries
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
Until 8 May; more info
Each year the RSA selects an exhibition from the degree shows of the five Scottish art schools and six schools of architecture and calls it New Contemporaries. The fifth in the series opens on Saturday. The show includes painting, sculpture, filmmaking, photography, printmaking, architecture and installation and can justly claim to offer “a unique opportunity to see the best of Scotland’s emerging talent under one roof”.
Classical: Scottish Orchestras’ Guide to Benjamin Britten
Various venues; more info
As part of Benjamin Britten’s centenary, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Ensemble are teaming up to put on a fortnight of concerts dubbed “the Scottish Orchestras’ Guide to Benjamin Britten”. Starting this Thursday, there will be performances in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth and St Andrews.
Film: Daniel Day-Lewis Season
Filmhouse, Edinburgh
Until 19 May; more info
Having just picked up his third Oscar, Daniel Day-Lewis’s status as The Greatest Actor of all time™ gets a timely showcase courtesy of this Drambuie-sponsored season of his work at Edinburgh’s Filmhouse. The award-winners are all here –My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood and Lincoln –but there’s also a chance to see his magnificent breakthrough performance in My Beautiful Laundrette, his Scorsese collaborations (The Age of Innocence and Gangs of New York) and, best of all, his action hero turn in Michael Mann’s epic adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans.
Clubs: Zip @ Sensu
Sub Club, Glasgow
Friday, 11pm-3am, £10; more info
Haven’t heard of Zip before? You’re probably not alone. Zip, aka Thomas Franzmann, does not produce music, nor does he DJ extensively outside of his native Germany. He does, however, run one of the most vital imprints in electronic music, Perlon. His entry for long-running mix series Fabric last year was his first ever commercially released CD – between that and a rare appearance in Glasgow’s Sub Club, ignorance is fast becoming inexcusable.
Music: Record Store Day
Various venues
Saturday; more info
Whether this annual campaign to get people back into record shops will actually reverse the decline in physical sales is doubtful at best, but regardless of its effectiveness, it’s still an enjoyably communal get-together, with plenty of in-store gigs thrown in. We can’t list them all here, but among the highlights will be Glasvegas (playing afternoon sets at both Avalanche in Edinburgh and LoveMusic in Glasgow), and an eclectic line-up at VoxBox in Edinburgh, including Rob St John and eagleowl.
Sport: Coral Scottish Grand National Festival
Ayr Racecourse
Friday and Saturday, £16 – £42; more info
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Hide AdWhile not as high-profile as its Aintree cousin, the Scottish Grand National at Ayr Racecourse is still a major event on the horse racing calendar. The arena will welcome around 18,000 punters and the doors are open for two days of racing and entertainment, with hospitality packages available for those who want to do it in style.
Music / Performance: Outskirts Festival
Platform, Glasgow
Saturday, 3.30pm – 11pm; more info
A festival with a difference comes to Glasgow this weekend in the shape of Outskirts. Music, performance and art, united by dint of the fact that they all “sit on the boundaries of their form”, is the order of the day at Platform, a venue that itself lies on the outer margins of the city. Artists confirmed so far include A Hawk and a Hacksaw, The Crying Lion, Florence To and Frisk Frugt.