Latest news with #KathrynJoseph
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
EIF music reviews: Up Late With Kathryn Joseph Up Late with Alabaster DePlume
Up Late with Kathryn Joseph | Jess Shurte Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Up Late With Kathryn Joseph ★★★★ The Hub We were all up late, Kathryn Joseph was on stage, facing off with her favourite sparring partner Lomond Campbell, and there were beanbags - the EIF cannot get any more informal. So informal that when Joseph apologised to one side of the auditorium for having to gaze at her rear end for the duration two fans crossed the stage to sit on the other side of the room. Up Late with Kathryn Joseph | Jess Shurte This is the leavening pantomime of a Joseph show because, while she is wickedly funny when she talks, she sings with a witchy whisper, quavering gravity and soaring anguish over plangent electric piano chords and Campbell's doomy synths about twisted desire, hellacious abuse and maybe even, debatably, about f***ing dead animals. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And it seems she wanted it darker, saying 'welcome to my most paranoid show ever' as she asked for the stage lights to be lowered in her most undiva-ish way. Much of the set was drawn from her most recent album WE WERE MADE PREY. Nothing shouty here though. Her voice quivering, her purpose steely, Joseph offered gothic torch songs for a gothic hall. Under Campbell's spell, she has also emerged as an unlikely dancing queen, aspiring to rattle the beanbags with the throbbing electro grooves of What Is Keeping You Alive. Fiona Shepherd Vołosi ★★★★ The Hub A cultural hit squad from Poland's Beskidy Mountains, the five members of the supercharged string quintet Vołosi walked on, did the business (and how!), took a smiling bow and walked off, not a word spoken. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What did speak volumes, however, was the unfettered dynamism of their performance. Although steeped in tradition and frequently playing with gypsyish flamboyance, their technique was clearly classically informed but could also muster the attack of a rock band. Tunes (we were, of course, given no titles) might start off with sprightly pizzicato before taking on the keen heft of twin violins and viola, calling and responding to each other or shrilling together over a hypnotic pulse from cello and double bass; or they might deliver a csárdás-like set with dramatically switching tempi, sudden stops and manic fiddle breakouts. Occasionally they might slow down, gliding, perhaps, over stately descending bass into the kind of serene melody you could imagine as a TV drama theme. Then they'd be off again, players facing up to each other so closely you'd fear for an eye amid these whizzing bows, and emitting the occasional yell – venting the pent, as Samuel Beckett might have put it. Jim Gilchrist Up Late with Alabaster DePlume ★★★ The Hub 'With a name like yours, you might be any shape,' as Humpty Dumpty tells Alice. In fact Angus Fairbairn, aka Alabaster DePlume, maverick saxophonist, singer and activist, cut a lean, quaintly robed figure as he took the stage, draping a couple of Palestinian keffiyeh scarves over the mic stand – of which more later. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Accompanied by bass guitarist Rozi Plain, vocalist Ruth Goller and drummer Seb Rochford, he delivered a stream of his eccentrically rambling, cheerfully sweary imprecations of love for us all, before blowing his tenor sax over stealthy bass and drums to launch into Thank You My Pain. There's something almost spectral about DePlume's distinctively quavering saxophone vibrato, while his singing is more of an incantatory chant. After further declarations of love, there was more tremulous sax over tolling drums, DePlume, at one point, musing, 'I don't know what becomes of these f****ng songs.' A rousing sax melody over a steady drum beat built up into powerful squalling, Goller's vocals banshee-like, before subsiding into plaintiveness for DePlume to declaim Broken in a near monotone. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Then politics came to the fore as he declared, 'Some of my friends are facing annihilation,' and raised the controversial topic of the Festival's major sponsorship by financiers Baillie Gifford, currently being called upon to divest from links with Israel. 'This company that invests in Israel also invests in this festival – and thus funds me,' he added drily. He then launched into a quavering sax lament, threaded with market sounds recorded in Ramallah, before picking up a guitar to sing his sardonic carol Gifts of Olives: 'Bethlehem behold: the star will shine / On the genocide in Palestine.' They were joined by a sitar player in a final improvisation, sax floating languidly over sitar twang to a more equable close.
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
My Festival
The BBC Radio Scotland and Radio 6 Music presenter on giving local bands an international platform at the Fringe, why you should see Kathryn Joseph at EIF, and why he has conflicted feelings about the Reading Festival Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... There are thousands of shows in Edinburgh this month. Please tell us why we should come and see yours. There always seems to be a lack of quality local music in the morass of international shows at the Fringe. Our week of shows bucks that trend. It will be an intimate way to meet and experience renowned, homegrown, independent musicians in a really great venue. They will perform acoustically throughout the night, and chat to me about their lives and careers. Leith Depot is the perfect location for this too. It has a great bar and a tasty, reasonably priced restaurant, plus it's on Edinburgh's most vibrant street – Leith Walk – surrounded by great shops, pubs, music venues and cafes. Vic Galloway | Mike Wilkinson Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What will we learn from your show that we didn't know before? I think we will learn all about the inner secrets of some of Scotland's finest indie musicians, and how and why they create their art. I know most of the musicians appearing on the bill quite well, and have championed them on my BBC shows over the years, so hopefully the rapport between us will be natural and easy. With a glass of something in hand, acoustic instruments at the ready, and a relaxed atmosphere, I'm hoping we can hear some really personal, reflective stories and fun anecdotes… plus some great music obviously. Who or what was the biggest inspiration for your show? Putting local talent on an international platform. Often this is ignored in favour of out-of-town comedians, bigger names and TV stars. What I've always been passionate about is showing what talent we have around us in Scotland – musicians, comedians, actors, filmmakers and artists. This run of Fringe shows gives us the excuse to showcase a wee bit of that. What's the best review you've ever had, and the worst? We've not done the shows yet… but the reviews will be amazing… of course! Who or what are you most excited about seeing this year? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Outside of our own run of shows I'd recommend seeing Kathryn Joseph performing at the Edinburgh International Festival. She is always otherworldly and her new We Were Made Prey album is special. Also comedian Connor Burns doing stand-up. He is a rising star and was brilliant in 2024. Who do you most like spending time with in Edinburgh? My pal Olaf Furniss, who runs the Wide Days festival – he's always monstrous fun! We might go to eat Indian food at Desi Packwan and talk a lot of shite! Tell us something about you that would surprise people. I don't live in Edinburgh anymore… After years on the walk, I left Leith for rural Fife! It's been amazing so far… Gardening, DIY, barbecues … how rock 'n' roll! Make sure you keep up to date with Arts and Culture news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What are the best and worst things that have happened to you at a festival? Having my tent robbed while I was sleeping in it at Reading Festival was pretty bad. Years later, playing in a band at Reading Festival was pretty good. What's the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night? Morning – Strong black Coffee. Night – Turn off screens and read. Thanks for the interview! We'd like to buy you a drink. Where are we going and what are we drinking? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We're going to Leith Depot on Leith Walk, of course. Mine's a single malt whisky. Double please! Fankyouverymusch… hic…
The Herald Scotland
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Head along to the Lughnasadh Music and Art Festival
Head to Forgan Arts Centre for an afternoon and evening of live music and family friendly art activities in the centre's lush grounds. Following the success of last year's festival, Lughnasadh returns with an even bigger line-up featuring Scottish Album of the Year Award winners Kathryn Joseph and Sacred Paws; Mercury Prize nominee BBC Introducing Scottish Act of the Year Becky Sikasa and many others. Kathryn Joseph (Image: Kathryn Joseph) The Garden 1-30 August. Entry free. Stills, 23 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1BP. Artist Sian Davey and her son Luke spent three years transforming her garden into an immersive wildflower haven during which time their garden wall became a community space for shared stories. Inviting others in, they managed to capture moments of reflection, love and connection which lead to the birth of The Garden - a place for heartbreak, joy and everything in between. Coburg House Summer Open Studios 1-3 August. Entry free. Coburg House Art Studios, 15 Coburg Street, Edinburgh, EH6 6ET. This summer Coburg House [[Art]] Studios marks a major milestone - 20 years since it opened its doors to the public for its renowned biannual Open Studios events. Coburg House is home to over 70 artists, designers and makers and across its four floors of working studios, visitors can discover a thriving hub of creativity that has become one of Scotland's leading artist collectives. Andy Goldsworthy - Fifty Years 26 July-2 November. Entry free. Scottish National Gallery, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH2 2EL. Taking over the upper and lower galleries in the Royal Scottish Academy building for the summer is Andy Goldsworthy's Fifty Years exhibition. There's over 200 works such as photographs, sculptures and expansive installations as well as several major new works that have been created onsite specifically for this exhibition. Into the Wild 26-27 July. Entry free. Leith Makers, 105 Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH6 8NP. Featuring work from three Edinburgh-based artists, this exhibition explores the natural, mystical and dark aspects of the world around us. Dani's work explores the relationships animals have with their natural environment while Dee's work imagines creatures tasked with curating natural spaces and keeping their inhabitants happy and healthy. Jim on the other hand is influenced by the darker, more feral parts of nature. Switch Track 26 July-9 August. Entry free. Reid Gallery, Glasgow School of Art, 164 Renfrew Street, G3 6RQ. Victoria Morton – Switch Track (Image: Victoria Morton) The period between 1995 to 2025 represents 30 years of painting since artist Victoria Morton graduated from The Glasgow School of Art, with this exhibition featuring a selection of works from that spell. It carefully draws upon sketchbook materials, paintings and mixed media works from different points in time. There's painting, sculptural assemblages, photography and sound work which covers the variety of Morton's practice. Shifting Surfaces 28 July-11 October. Entry free. Dovecot Studios, 10 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1LT. Immerse yourself in the inspirations and collaborations between Victoria Crowe and Dovecot Studios and mark a major milestone in the career of one of Scotland's most distinguished contemporary artists. Journey through a rich relationship of texture and textiles while overlooking Dovecot's studio where these masterpieces were created. Millais In Perthshire 26 July-30 April 2027. Entry free. Perth Art Gallery, 78 George Street, Perth, PH1 5LB. New for 2025, this exhibition is a private collection of rarely seen artworks and personal belongings of prominent Victorian artist John Everett Millais and his Perth-born wife Euphemia 'Effie' Chalmers Gray. As part of a long-term loan from the artist's great grandson, this display explores the profound connections between Millais and Perthshire, a landscape that inspired several of his most celebrated works. We are the Witches, We are, Hear 1-30 August. Entry free. The House of Smalls, 103 Henderson Row, Stockbridge, EH3 5BB. Discover textile artwork from 70 female artists who aim to use their craft to challenge, disturb and disrupt. Running throughout the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the exhibition explores the concept of the witch as female divinity, female ferocity and female transgression. Eden 26 July-11 August. Entry free. The Briggait, 141 Bridgegate, Glasgow, G1 5HZ. Rooted in the language of nature, Michelle Campbell's work uses the natural world as a source and platform to navigate and express her own experience of the world. The exhibition charts the meeting points between mind and matter, feeling and form, chaos and clarity and invites viewers to enter not only into the natural imagery but into a way of seeing, and sensing that is fluid, raw and vivid.
Scotsman
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Kathryn Joseph confirms late night Edinburgh International Festival show in support of new album 'We Were Made Prey'
Glasgow-based singer-songwriter Kathryn Joseph has announced a very special late night show at The Hub on August 9 as part of this year's Edinburgh International Festival, in support of her new album 'WE WERE MADE PREY.', out now via Rock Action Records. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Since winning the Scottish Album Of The Year award in 2015 for her debut record, Kathryn Joseph's music has evolved from intimate and delicate to something altogether more intense, skilfully combining raw emotion with piano, keyboards and electronic elements. Joined by longtime collaborator Lomond Campbell, Joseph ventures into darker, more experimental territory, marking a pivotal shift in her artistry. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Returning to the Edinburgh International Festival on August 9 after her acclaimed 2021 performance, she invites fans into a space where vulnerability and beauty collide in profoundly moving music. Kathryn Joseph New album WE WERE MADE PREY. dances on the knife-edge: of action versus inaction, of want versus wanting, of self-fulfilment versus shame. Continuing her creative partnership withproducer Lomond Campbell, recording took place in the remote Black Bay Studios on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides last winter. Joseph's fourth long-player is both a reaction to and reprieve for the animal within. Eleven songs that accept her whole being, with all its hunger, lust and rage, and its devastating tenderness too. Through her hunt for answers to punishing choices, 'the kind that can absolutely f**k up your life,' the Glasgow-based singer-songwriter has come out the other side with something new to say. Joseph's pursuit of truth is the red thread that winds through each of her albums. It's there among the agonising beauty of bones you have thrown me and blood i have spilled, her Scottish Album of the Year Award-winning debut. It's there, too, in 2018's from when i wake the want is, sewn into the primal grief and grasping of the songs. And it made its presence felt again in 2022's for you who are the wronged, her powerful exploration of abuse in all its twisted shapes and guises, acclaimed for its 'luminous brand of minimalism' (Pitchfork) and as 'an outright masterpiece of emptiness and full-to-bursting-ness at the same time' (The Quietus). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Joseph has also just announced a full UK headline tour for autumn 2025, taking in 12 dates across England to follow her Edinburgh International Festival appearance. In between, she will return to the road in support of labelmates (and bosses) Mogwai for a run of European shows in August-September. Lomond Campbell will be performing with Joseph at all shows.
Scotsman
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Kathryn Joseph confirms late night Edinburgh International Festival show in support of new album
Scottish singer-songwriter Kathryn Joseph has announced a very special late night show at The Hub on 9th August as part of this year's Edinburgh International Festival, in support of her new album 'We were made prey', out now via Rock Action Records. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Since winning the Scottish Album Of The Year award in 2015 for her debut record, Kathryn Joseph's music has evolved from intimate and delicate to something altogether more intense, skilfully combining raw emotion with piano, keyboards and electronic elements. Joined by longtime collaborator Lomond Campbell, Joseph ventures into darker, more experimental territory, marking a pivotal shift in her artistry. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Returning to the Edinburgh International Festival on 9th August after her acclaimed 2021 performance, she invites fans into a space where vulnerability and beauty collide in profoundly moving music. Kathryn Joseph New album We were made prey dances on the knife-edge: of action versus inaction, of want versus wanting, of self-fulfilment versus shame. Continuing her creative partnership withproducer Lomond Campbell, recording took place in the remote Black Bay Studios on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides last winter. Joseph's fourth long-player is both a reaction to and reprieve for the animal within. Eleven songs that accept her whole being, with all its hunger, lust and rage, and its devastating tenderness too. Through her hunt for answers to punishing choices, 'the kind that can absolutely f**k up your life,' the Glasgow-based singer-songwriter has come out the other side with something new to say. Joseph's pursuit of truth is the red thread that winds through each of her albums. It's there among the agonising beauty of bones you have thrown me and blood i have spilled, her Scottish Album of the Year Award-winning debut. It's there, too, in 2018's from when i wake the want is, sewn into the primal grief and grasping of the songs. And it made its presence felt again in 2022's for you who are the wronged, her powerful exploration of abuse in all its twisted shapes and guises, acclaimed for its 'luminous brand of minimalism' (Pitchfork) and as 'an outright masterpiece of emptiness and full-to-bursting-ness at the same time' (The Quietus). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Joseph has also just announced a full UK headline tour for autumn 2025, taking in 12 dates across England to follow her Edinburgh International Festival appearance. In between, she will return to the road in support of labelmates (and bosses) Mogwai for a run of European shows in August-September. Lomond Campbell will be performing with Joseph at all shows. Check out for a full list of UK live shows and to buy tickets.
