Jason Hall from Jason Hall Hairdressing in Edinburgh has been shortlisted for the prestigious Scottish Hairdresser of the Year title at HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards 2022, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional.
Now in their 38th year, the awards are an annual celebration of hairdressing excellence, recognising the remarkable achievements of stylists from across the United Kingdom.
Regional categories honour the finest hairdressing talent from across Britain with a separate category for International Collection of the Year, while seven specialist categories reward specific areas of hair expertise including Afro, Men’s, Avant Garde and Colour.
New for 2022 is the Session Hairdresser of the Year award which is by nomination only and see the very best stylists from the world of session put forward their favourite images of the last 12 months. The most anticipated award of the evening – British Hairdresser of the Year* – is by nomination only and is widely regarded as the industry’s greatest accolade.
Judged anonymously by over 100 leading hairdressers (including celebrity stylists, session stylists, salon owners, previous winners and Hall of Fame** members), all winners will be announced at a Black-Tie event to be held on Monday 28th November at Grosvenor House, a J W Marriott Hotel on London’s Park Lane.
Jason Hall was named as one of only six finalists in his region after submitting four photographic images demonstrating the breadth of his hairdressing expertise, showcasing evidence of both technical skill and creative ability. He will now submit a further four images for the final round of judging, which takes place in September. Both stages of judging are strictly and independently audited and verified.
‘This is such a proud moment for me’ says Jason. ‘These awards always bring together such exceptional talent and to see my name alongside those shortlisted is mind-blowing.
“I’d love to bring the trophy back to Edinburgh and hope the judges will recognise the love and hard work that has gone into my collection.’
Jayne Lewis-Orr, Executive Director of HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards said: ‘Every year, HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards serve as a reminder of the passion, artistry and expertise that this incredible industry has to offer, and it is a privilege to celebrate the talent and brilliance of creative individuals from across the country.
“In reaching the finals, Jason has demonstrated excellence in all areas of their craft, and an ability to bring together the magical elements that make a photographic collection stand out from the competition.’
Schwarzkopf Professional are the sole sponsor of the event and have been since its launch in 1985.
Julian Crane, General Manager for Henkel Beauty Care Professional UK & Ireland said: ‘As always, Schwarzkopf Professional is delighted to sponsor this revered event and we thank all participants for their continued support.
“My sincere congratulations to the finalists who once again have raised the bar with the standard of entries – the passion and creativity of this phenomenal industry never fails to impress.’
One woman’s quest for tortured beefcake, 80s action and raw sexual power
Pre-pandemic Rosy became the world’s first female time-travelling doctor in her multi-award-winning theatre debut ‘Passionate Machine’. Now this feminist powerhouse is Musclebound to examine our most shameful sexual secrets.
When bodybuilders and 80s action films unite, you can always count on one thing: a good hard flogging! And for a five-year-old Rosy, witnessing live action film characters like He-Man and Conan the Barbarian being stripped, beaten and humiliated by their male antagonists sparked an odyssey of secret obsession that would shape her erotic life forever.
Now forty, with a string of disappointing relationships behind her and her own grown-up daughter about to leave home, a chance re-watching of He-Man reignites the spark of Rosy’s lust, setting her off on a mission to replenish her sexual power. But can tortured beefcake really be the key to her salvation? Or does a more uncomfortable sexual truth lurk, waiting to be reckoned with?
Join Rosy in this intelligent, provocative and terrifically funny real-life story, as she goes to any lengths to find out – even if that means asking Dolph Lundgren and Arnold Schwarzenegger themselves …
‘It’s about me getting to grips with my childhood passion for watching these incredible scenes of hyper-muscular men being abused’, says Rosy.
‘About why that dynamic felt so powerful. Musclebound takes a playful, candid and highly singular look at sexual power, female pleasure and the politics and principles of orgasm-faking.’
Rosy is forced to ask herself: what are the sexual lessons we want to pass on to our daughters – and what do we still need to learn for ourselves? Is it ever OK to objectify people?
Rosy Carrick is a writer, actor and translator. Her critically acclaimed play Passionate Machine won theawards for Best Design and Best New Playat Brighton Fringe in 2018, and The Infallibles Award for Theatrical Excellence at Edinburgh Fringe. She has co-hosted the poetry stages at Glastonbury, Latitude and Port Eliot Festivals for the last decade.
Her debut poetry collection Chokey was published in 2018 and its follow-up, 26 Letters, is due for release in 2023. Rosy has a PhD on the Russian revolutionary poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. She has released two books of his work in translation, and is currently working on a third, which will be published in 2024 by The 87 Press. www.rosycarrick.com
Musclebound is directed by Fringe First winner Katie Bonna. Katie won the Most Promising New Playwright award at the 2018 Off West End Awards (for All The Things I Lied About).
In 2021, her queer comedy The Entertainment was nominated for OFF Fest’s Best Online Theatre production, and her short film IRL was nominated for Best Comedy at the Cannes Shorts Festival.
Part of the prestigious BBC Comedy Writers Room course 2019/2020, Katie is currently under commission from BBC Radio 4 and RADA.
‘Intelligent, articulate, funny’ Scotsman (on Passionate Machine)
Listings information:
Musclebound
Venue: Assembly Roxy (Venue 139)
Dates: 3-29 Aug (not 10, 16, 23) First review date 3 Aug
Road Policing Officers are appealing for information following a serious road traffic collision in Edinburgh.
Around 10.35pm last night (Saturday, 30 July, 2022), officers received a report a 35-year-old man having been struck by a black Mercedes-Benz A Class car in Colinton Road.
Emergency services attended and the male pedestrian was taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Medical staff describe his condition as critical.
The 20-year-old driver of the car was uninjured.
A section of the road was closed for around six hours to allow crash scene investigators to conduct their enquiries.
Sergeant Iain McIntyre said: “We believe the area would have been busy at the time and are keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the collision.
“In particular, we are keen to speak to the driver of a black cab, who was either dropping off, or picking up, passengers in Colinton Road at the time on the incident.
“We would also be keen to speak to those passengers as they may have information which could be vital to our enquiries.
“I would ask anyone with dash cam devices to check their footage as it could hold images, which could prove to be significant in our enquiries.”
Anyone with information can call 101, quoting reference 4406 of Saturday, 30 July, 2022, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The new ‘smart’ bin hubs at Pitt Street in Leith have been visited by Lorna Slater MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity.
The visit highlighted the Council’s new scheme alongside the Scottish Government’s £3.4 million national investment from the Recycling Improvement Fund.
These new bins use digital sensors to reduce overflowing waste. The Pitt Street communal bins, along with litter bins in The Meadows and Lanark Road West mark the start of a citywide campaign to install intelligent sensors in over 11,000 communal and litter bins.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Environment Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Keeping the Capital looking at its best is a top priority for us so it’s great the Scottish Government is coming to see our new city-wide bin hubs in action. They are being introduced across the city to improve waste collection reliability and recycling provision for around 130,000 residents.
“We’re rolling out bin sensors as well in Edinburgh so that we’re alerted when litter bins need emptied and this will help us to make sure the city is looking at its best for residents, businesses and the millions of visitors we welcome from all over the world every year.”
PM writes letter of support to England’s Lionesses
Scottish Government gets in on the sporting glory act too
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has written to the England Women’s Football team, wishing them luck in the Euro 2022 final:
At least he didn’t mention the War …
All-female crew to lead RAF flypast over Wembley for Euro 2022 final
A C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, crewed by three women, will be flanked by two Typhoon fighter jets as they fly over Wembley Stadium before England’s historic fixture with Germany.
The aircraft will fly over at 4:57pm, immediately after the national anthems, before kick-off. The Hercules will fly from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and both Typhoons will take off from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “I wish the best of luck to the Lionesses as they take on Germany at Wembley.
“It’s a landmark day for English football and women’s sport and it’s fantastic that the Royal Air Force will be marking the occasion with a flypast featuring an all-female aircrew.”
The Hercules is captained by Flight Lieutenant Lauren who has been in the Air Force for 12 years. She has deployed all over the world, including Afghanistan, where she helped train the first female Afghan pilots.
Speaking about the flypast, Flight Lieutenant Lauren said: “I am proud to be piloting the lead aircraft for the flypast over Wembley. I’ve flown missions all over the world with the RAF, but this will be one of the most memorable.
“It’s been inspiring to watch the Lionesses progress and I will be loudly cheering them on as soon as I land back at RAF Brize Norton.”
Ahead of the match, the RAF and RAF Coningsby station Women’s football teams sent good luck messages to the Lionesses.
The Hercules aircraft flies a wide variety of operational missions including the delivery of humanitarian aid, with the ability to airdrop a range of stores and can operate from natural surface landing zones. To conduct these missions, it is vital that Hercules crews are highly skilled in low-level flying. Recently the aircrafts have been supporting NATO exercises in Eastern Europe, airdropping stores for the troops on the ground.
The Typhoon Fighter Ground Reconnaissance Mk 4 (FGR4) is the RAF’s fourth Generation Multi-role combat aircraft. The Typhoon provides Quick Reaction Alert with Crews on 24/7 readiness in defence of the UK, and the aircraft has been flying daily NATO air policing missions in Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile our Scottish Government is also keen to be associated with sporting success:
SUPPORTING THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Athletes representing Scotland at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games have the full support of the Scottish Government, according to Culture Secretary Angus Robertson.
Speaking ahead of arriving at the 2022 Games, Mr Robertson said he hoped Team Scotland would be inspired by their record success at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and looked forward to supporting those hoping to bring medals home in badminton, boxing, table tennis, lawn bowls, gymnastics, basketball, swimming and mountain biking.
The week also marks one year to go until Scotland hosts the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
Mr Robertson said:“Scotland is fully behind all those representing our country at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and I want to offer my best wishes to competitors from across the Commonwealth taking part in this year’s games.
“The 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow was a superb, inspiring and enriching event for us all and I hope that many of the athletes competing in Birmingham will draw on that inspiration – including inspiring those Scottish athletes to bring medals home.
“Major events enrich our cultural and sporting life, and the start of Birmingham 2022 also coincides with a countdown to the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. From 3-13 August 2023, Scotland will host the biggest cycling event ever held with 13 World Championships combining into one mega event – so let’s capitalise on the excitement of this year’s Games and look forward to the Championships next year.”
Sports Minister Maree Todd said: ““It has been a pleasure to be at the Commonwealth Games to welcome the athletes competing on behalf of Team Scotland. Seeing their dedication and hard work paying off as they participate at this sporting level is inspiring.”
During her time in Birmingham, Ms Todd has officially opened Scotland House, the Scottish Government’s Games base, and has attended the opening ceremony of the Games.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf will be at the Games next Saturday (6 August) to catch some of Team Scotland in action, as well attending the launch of Athletics Trust Scotland’s campaign to transform lives through the power of athletics at Scotland House.
Puck, the mischievous sprite from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, would be suitably impressed by the idyllic Argyll woodland trail that bears his name.
Puck’s Glen, just a five minute drive from Dunoon with its ferry links to Greenock and Gourock, is one of a number of historical and natural landmarks that form part of the East Cowal Heritage Outdoors (ECHO) trails.
Dotted around a small peninsula that forms part of the spectacular but little known Cowal region of Argyll, the ECHO Trails represent an effective ‘packaging’ of an area that really could lay claim to being a geographical and geological gateway to the Scottish Highlands. The project was officially launched in July 2022 with the help of partner organisations that include the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, Forestry & Land Scotland, Historic Scotland and the Argyll & Isles Tourism Co-operative.
Accessed by both foot passenger and car ferries from Greenock and Gourock respectively, as well as by car through the stunning Rest & Be Thankful mountain pass, east Cowal comprises of a number of small settlements including Kilmun, Ardentinny, Strone, Blairmore and Lochgoilhead and loops around the banks of Holy Loch and Lochs Long, Goil and Eck.
This is an area, originally part of the kingdom of Dalriada, that has played a pivotal role in the moulding of Scotland through the ages with early Christian faith playing a part alongside some truly grim and gruesome clan rivalries.
The gorge that Puck’s Glen meanders through was developed by the Laird of Benmore, James Duncan, in the 1870s. The 2.8km walkway, categorised as a strenuous trail, is an enchanting and mystical journey through a lush habitat that’s rich in mosses and ferns and punctuated with delightful waterfall after delightful waterfall. It also showcases the finest aspects of the Argyll Forest, the UK’s oldest managed forest that dates back to the 1930s.
Just down the road in Kilmun there’s a clearly signposted arboretum with a number of walking trails of differing length and challenge that features trees from five different continents. It’s a showroom, if you like, for the forest as a whole but one that reflects the international roots associated with Argyll and this corner of Cowal specifically.
There’s Elizabeth Blackwell for starters. Starter of a revolution in the field of healthcare as well as being a social reformer and genuine changemaker. She forged a path in the mid 19th century as one of the first female doctors in the world, opening up opportunities for millions of women ever since and breaking down barriers wherever she worked in the US, France and across the UK.
Elizabeth was laid to rest just a few yards beyond the arboretum at St Munns Church, now home to the Historic Kilmun community and heritage organisation. It also hosts Faith in Cowal, an organisation that’s established a number of popular pilgrimage trails across the entirety of the Cowal peninsulas.
There’s a wealth of local stories to be found at this church-come-museum with visitors exploring Kilmun’s fascinating heritage as well as the resting place for countless Dukes of Argyll and Campbell clan chiefs.
Further on down the A880 coast road, pier pressure begins to tell with Kilmun, Strone and Blairmore’s marine promontories piercing the shoreline of the Holy Loch and Loch Long. All date back to the Victorian era when this part of the world became the ‘go to’ place for thousands of Glaswegians. They still do but are now joined by visitors from across the UK and much further afield enticed by that mystical grip that Scotland’s lochs and mountains exert on the human soul.
Further on, the village of Ardentinny has a wealth of history and nature to draw the visitors in. From the beach, a wild camping magnet for responsible campervanners with a network of different walks, to the Dun Daraich stone age fort that’s all but hidden from sight.
From here, overlooking the Coulport nuclear submarine base, there’s a 5 mile shoreline walk to the 17th Century Carrick Castle, now a private residence but another site resonant in conflict as a focal point for the many grisly feuds between the Campbell and the Lamont clans. Time it right and you’ll be able to get the minibus back!
Follow the road over to the Whistlefield Inn and you’ll be rewarded with some truly iconic vistas over Loch Eck. It’s money shot after money shot for those photographers with a fondness for exquisite natural compositions…as well as a decent pint and quality food in what is a supremely located, 17th Century drover’s inn! It’s up there with the Clachaig in Glencoe and the Sligachan on Skye as Scotland’s finest hostelries.
Turn right here onto the A815 and you’ll soon be at Lauder Monument, an impressively positioned shrine to John Lauder, a victim of World War One and son of Harry Lauder who purchased the Glenbranter estate in 1916. Harry was an international superstar at the turn of the 20th Century, performing all over the world and becoming the highest paid entertainer on the planet.
Glenbranter, just beyond the conclusion of Loch Eck, also offers a range of paths for all abilities that snake their way through a vibrant forestscape.
Head back towards Dunoon past another exquisite, picture postcard hostelry, the Coylet Inn. You’ll soon be back at Puck’s Glen but not before coming across the fantastic Benmore Gardens. It’s a large botanical paradise spread across the foothills of Beinn Mhòr and a heavenly haven for anyone with a passion for plants in their myriad forms.
There are 10 key locations within the ECHO Trails along with a number of places of interest as well as woodland walks, hikes and cycling trails across this small part of a small part of Argyll. There is so much to see and do in what is a microcosm of everything Scottish Highlands…but a wee bit closer to home.
When describing the humans entering his woodland fairy realm, Puck utters one of his most famous lines “What fools these mortals be”. You’ll beg to differ. Spend a few days exploring this forested and loch fringed world and you’ll be feeling far from foolish …and decidedly pucker!
Our new programme is live & starts on Monday 22nd August 2022.
If you live in the Leith area, have at least one child under the age of 5 you can sign up to some of our fantastic groups. Dads are welcome to join us too!
The type of activity primary school children do in PE lessons can affect how well they are able to focus afterwards, a new study has found.
Published in the British Journal of Education Psychology, the research found that physical activity performed as part of a group, rather than alone, had the greatest impact on children‘s attention scores.
Games-based activities also resulted in participants being better able to control their impulses.
Lead researcher of the Spanish study Dr Josune Rodriguez-Negro, who is a PhD researcher in the physical education and sport department of the University of the Basque Country, said: “The study findings highlight not only that physical education in schools can improve children’s attention and impulse control, both of which are linked to academic success – but also that different types of content can produce different results.
“Therefore it seems right to increase the amount of time children spend doing PE and for children to do PE first thing in the mornings to get the best results. Also, school leaders should select activity for lessons based on what they are looking to influence.”
A total of 135 children aged between six and eight took part in the study in a Spanish state school. They were split into three groups and each group was assigned to one of three intervention programmes: a balance intervention programme (BIP), a games-based programme (GBP) and a drama learning programme (DLP).
In the BIP intervention, children performed individual balance activities, like standing on one leg for a minute, whereas the other two interventions were group-based.
The study is believed to be the first to compare the effects of BIPs, GBPs and DLPs on children’s perception of the intensity of the intervention, how they felt and their cognitive functions.
The intervention programmes lasted eight weeks and were held during the school’s regular 90-minute weekly PE lesson, so there was no change to the structure of the school day.
Researchers found that after each intervention programme, children in the GBP and DLP groups ‘significantly’ improved their attention test scores.
Children in the GBP group also improved their impulse control scores.
However, children in the BIP group showed no improvement in either attention or impulse control scores. However, children in this group thought the activity they did was more intense than children in the other groups.
The type of activity children did had no bearing on how they felt during the intervention, they enjoyed it equally, whichever group they were.
Over 3,300 shows now available to browse online ahead of the Fringe’s 75th anniversary this August
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Societyis delighted to announce that tickets for a further 146 Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows are now available to browse and book at edfringe.com.
This is the fifth set of tickets to be released for 2022, with the first 283 shows revealed in March, 796 in April, 1,281 in May and 1,047 in June. In total, there are 3,385 shows now available.
The 75th anniversary of the Fringe takes place from 05 – 29 August 2022 and will feature an exciting range of performance, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events, children’s shows and more all featured in the programme so far.
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released so far can be found at edfringe.com.
Theatre
At Summerhall, Dykegeist “will shift between a supernatural thriller, a sci-fi spider lair, a haunted club scene, a social situation to discuss threat/consent/otherness”, and Peaceophobia is “an unapologetic response to rising Islamophobia around the world”.
An outdoor performance of “Shakespeare’s timeless comic masterpiece” A Midsummer Night’s Dream is at Fisherrow Links, and at Paradise in Augustines, 12th Night Lite is a “true love story for the ages”.
A selection of online shows will include In a Cave, a Voice at C venues, where “a Neolithic girl seeks comfort in imaginary friends”, and Willy’s Lil Virgin Queen explores Terra Taylor Knudson’s “passion for Shakespeare, and connects classic characters with modern experiences”.
Olding is a “multi-story, multi-character solo show, written and performed by Johanna Courtleigh” on Fringe Online, and What Am I, Chopped Suey? is also online, where “Meg Lin shares a raw personal account of growing up Chinese American that is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching”.
The Calligrapher is on at Greenside @ Infirmary Street, where an artist is “followed by the walking, talking, blood-drenched Quran that has haunted him” since he created it, and Elementa is “a one-woman show about a planet-saving superhero who’s lost her mojo” in the same venue.
Shows at ZOO Playground include Chips and Ice Cream, a show about a father-son relationship and the “struggles, the laughs, the joy and the inevitability of the mistakes that every parent will make”. Don’t Shoot the Albatross is where “pop music meets poetry in this new monologue about city lights, queer night life and large seafaring birds”.
At House of Oz, John Bell: A Few of my Favourite Things is “a relaxed hour with Australian living legend John Bell, as he rummages through his swag of favourite things, fishing out poems, stories, backstage gossip”.
Fan/Girl is part of PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth and charts a “tongue-in-cheek ride through adolescence against a backdrop of nineties football”, and A Lady Does Not Scratch Her Crotch is “a look at gender, sexuality, and the near impossibility of growing up”.
At theSpace @ Niddry Street, Laura J Harris presents Bella Donna, “an original queer comedy filled with unexpected twists and turns and more than its fair share of sass”, and theSpace on North Bridge hosts Pool (No Water), “a visceral and shocking play about the fragility of friendship and jealousy inspired by success”.
Sweet FA at Tynecastle Park is “a play with songs exploring the remarkable popularity of women’s football in the early 20th century”, and A War of Two Halves is at the same venue, telling the journey of “the Hearts from the football fields of Gorgie to the battlefields of the Somme.”
Cabaret and Variety
Figs in Wigs: Astrology Bingo is at Assembly George Square Studios, a show which plays “with bingo cards generated from your favourite celebrity’s astrological birth chart”.
Disenchanted: A Cabaret of Twisted Fairy Tales is online at C venues and asks, “Why was the Wolf in Grandma’s bed? Did Sleeping Beauty have an opinion on consent? Were the Ugly Sisters’ feet really that big?”
At BlundaGardens: BlundaBus, Ash and Lisa: Band Practice welcomes you “to this dismantling of music and sanity” in their musical improv show. And for film fans, at Brioche Dundas Street there is See It On Screen Summer 22, “three original short films made in Edinburgh”.
At House of Oz, OZmosis: The Great Australian Variety Pack presents the “hottest line-up of all-Australian talent on the Fringe”, Dolly Diamond’s Bosom Buddies sees the “award-winning, sharp-tongued cabaret diva” return to Edinburgh, and at the same venue, Geraldine Quinn: BROAD explores how “Quinn grew up idolising bold, brassy older women. Now she’s becoming one.”
Pick of the Fringe is at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, presenting “a mixed bill of comedy, music and variety, alongside the finest cocktails and drams in Edinburgh”.
At Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Accordion Ryan’s Pop Bangers brings music from “artists from all across the pop music spectrum… in a way you’ve never heard them before”.
Chris Cook: Reflections asks, “What advice would you give your younger self?” with a magical twist at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms. At Absurd: A Live Cabaret Panel Show, you’re invited to “join host and magician Ava Beaux, and magical team captains Kane & Abel, for an array of games, buzzer rounds, and cabaret acts”; that’s at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Roti. At Planet Bar is Miss DQ Prides Again, an inclusive LGBT show.
“World-renowned songsmith and pianist extraordinaire, John Thorn, returns to the Fringe with a sublime collection of new original songs exploring the meaning of life and the future of humanity” in John Thorn Dirt An Existential Songbook at RSE Theatre.
At the Voodoo Rooms, Mr.B: Twerp in Progress “will feature some chap-hop classics, interpretations of vintage rap ditties and perhaps even some bits made up on the spot”.
99 Red Kitties is at theSpace @ Niddry St, “a highly energetic amateur burlesque show, which is sure to tantalize the audience”.
Children’s Shows
Online at C venues, Risas de Papel is a show created by 11 artists from Mexico and Chile, “fusing clown, gestural theatre and live illustration in a show for audiences of all ages”.
Spontaneous Potter Kidz: The Unofficial Improvised Parody is at Gilded Balloon at the Museum, “an entirely improvised wizarding comedy show, based on your suggestions”. At House of Oz, Dolly Diamond’s Storytime “helps stimulate children’s imagination and expand their understanding of the world”.
At Paradise in Augustines, The Red Thread We Are Holding takes audiences on “a journey of culture, love and free Taiwanese desserts”.
The Mermaid and the Cow is at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, telling the tale of how “adventurer and children’s author, Lindsey Cole mermaided the length of the River Thames to highlight the plastic pandemic.”
Comedy
In comedy, Adam Kay: This is Going to Hurt… More (Work in Progress) brings diary entries “as well as some disgusting favourite stories” to Pleasance, and at Pleasance Dome Drag His Ass with Mary Beth Barone is a “deconstruction of modern dating culture”.
At Laughing Horse venues, Love and Sex on the Spectrum “explores all of the awkward firsts that come with dating, sex and love from a late bloomer’s perspective”. In From Ukraine, “Dima Watermelon (it’s his real name) and Pavlo Voytovych (writer at Comedy Central)” bring “the best comedians Ukraine has to offer”, with all donations going to organisations in Ukraine.
Jew Talkin’ to Me? seesRachel Creeger and Philip Simon live record their “unashamedly Jewish podcast enjoyed by everyone” at Assembly George Square Studios, and Róisín and Chiara: Sex on Wheels is “a whirlwind of synchronised, audience-tickling, stream-of-consciousness mischief”, at the same venue.
At BlundaGardens: BlundaBus, there is “extreme nonsense from award-winning idiot Dan Lees” in Dan Lees: Mustard or Custard?, and at Gilded Balloon at the Museum is Spontaneous Sherlock, an “entirely improvised Sherlock Holmes comedy play, based on a suggestion of a title”.
The In-Laws is at Greenside @ Infirmary Street, a one-man show where you can “join Paul as he meets his in-laws for the first time”, and at House of Oz, Gabbi Bolt: I Hope My Keyboard Doesn’t Break tackles “climate change, feminism, why small towns have too many pubs”.
The Necrobus hosts Fright Bus Service, “an award-winning theatrical sightseeing tour around the darker side of Europe’s most haunted city on a classic 1960s Routemaster bus”.
As part of PBH’s Free Fringe, Mimi Hayes: 20-Nothing details the story of an old woman who’s “sucked into the story of a 20-something who can’t catch a break”. Faces of Glasgow “is a scabrous and salacious satire of modern Glaswegian city life and its idiosyncratic inhabitants”.
The Scottish Comedy Festival presents Ah! My Name is Yoky Yu, about “healing, trauma, love, shame, guilt, mom, intimate relationships, and sexuality”, and The Lunch Rush gives “a taste of some of the best new comedy talent on the Scottish circuit” with Kathleen Hughes.
At The Stand’s New Town Theatre, Des Clarke: One O’ Clock Fun presents “a lunchtime showcase of Edinburgh Fringe legends, celebrity guests and the most exciting new talent around”, while Mark Watson: More Banging on About Time and Similar Issues (Work in Progress) explores “what it means to live and die, and what the hell we’re meant to do with the rapidly passing time in between”.
Trashfuture: Live at the Fringe is at theSpace @ Venue45, covering everything from “nonsense start-ups to the evil tech zillionaires and our garbled nonsense of a culture.”
At Underbelly, Dr Brown: Workdsff intlsdjfj Progressdsdfdfn the “multi award-winning comic” comes to Edinburgh “after a decade in hibernation”.
Call Me Me is at ZOO Playground, a show where Maryellen takes audiences through “stories of medical malpractice, being pigeon-toed, mansplaining in escape rooms”, and Platonic Love Triangle – A New York Stand-up Comedy Show sees comedians “Wyatt Feegrado (Bettor Days on Hulu, Amazon Prime), Lukas Arnold (2 million+ followers on Tiktok) and Otter Lee (Fairview on Comedy Central) present an afternoon of stand-up comedy”.
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus
At Dancebase, an “elaborately costumed dancer performs a tap dance ritual accompanied by a musician” in Le Flâneur, and A Something! No Dragon No Lion! is “a Kung Fu contemporary circus made in Hong Kong”.
Cirk La Putyka and Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Art collaborate on Boom at Underbelly, a “show about family, freedom and borders” where 12% of ticket income will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee.
At ZOO Southside is 40/40: “Kat has always danced, but she has never before been a dancer. But then, she’s never been 40 before either. This is the result of 40 years of joy and hardship, laughter and tears, super tunes and super moves.”
Musicals and Opera
On Fringe Online, Feeling Pretty “tells a story of women reclaiming their power” and at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, The Canterville Ghost: The Musical is a “family friendly comic ghost story” adapted from the Oscar Wilde story.
Spoken Word
At the Stand’s New Town Theatre, Politics and Poetry with Corbyn and McCluskey is an event which “traces the evolution of their political lives and how poetry and modern culture has provided inspiration, enlightenment and comfort”.
In 12 Angry Women, on Fringe Online, “women are on trial by the audience (the camera), they express their monologues and themselves through dance/movement”.
Aural Picnic is at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth where a “local lass brings to life contemporary stories with humour and vigour performed in anthropomorphic characters from nature and myth.”
At Pleasance at EICC, Iain Dale: All Talk with Nicola Sturgeon brings the LBC presenter and the First Minister together for “incisive insight on current affairs”.
Shot in the Face Marvin Herbert is at Shout – Scottish Music Centre @ 111 Holyrood Road, where Marvin discusses having “investigated over 24 murders and eight shootings. Shot five times, axed in the head, stabbed, beaten and bruised” in the service of “reducing re-offending by inspiring, motivating youths and changing lives”.
Music
At ZOO Southside, sanni-leena brings “jazzy covers” with a voice which “will hit you right in the soul – no matter what style she takes on”, and at ZOO Playground, I Dreamed a Dream: The Hunt for a Husband is “an evening of musical comedy, horrendous dating stories, and a relatable truth that we all need to hear.”
At Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC, Jeremy Dion from Boulder, Colorado presents his “blend of folk, bluegrass and Americana”, and Baul, Troubador and Verses on Love, Lust and Flame directed by Ahmed Kaysher “offers the ecstasy and sublime beauty of Indian Vaishnav, Baul and Troubadour music with its interpretation through a haunting presentation of Sufi, Bengali and Greek poetry”.
Duelling Piano Heroes is “an unrivalled, 21st century duelling pianos experience” at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Liquid Room Annexe/Warehouse.
10 Years of Hot Dub Time Machine promises “a night of high energy and non-stop fun and Tom’s incredible selection of the very best tracks from the last 70 years” at Royal Highland Centre.
At RSE Theatre, Bonnie Thorn Little Jazz Bird “showcases Bonnie’s vocal talents with selections from the Gershwins to Amy Winehouse and beyond”, and at St Cuthbert’s Church, Pitchcraft: The Pitch Is Back! is a showcase of “uniquely crafted acapella arrangements, each with its own twist, delivered with humour and passion”.
There is a Lunchtime Organ Recital with free admissionat Stockbridge Church, where “Marion Lees McPherson plays a selection of German, French and English organ music on the theme of Pain and Glory.”
Kings of the Blues: Electric Blues Tribute is at The Brunton, “honouring three masters of the Blues: BB King, Albert King and Freddy King”, and Kyle Falconer in The Old Dr Bell’s Baths with Support from The John Rush Band, The Laurettes and Hunter & McMusard is at The Old Dr Bells Baths where “Kyle, backed by his full band, will be playing a set combining his solo music and classics from The View’s back catalogue.”
The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps hosts Music for the Festival with Newtongrange Silver Band, “a traditional mining village brass band from the outskirts of Edinburgh, but their repertoire is far from traditional”.
At Underbelly, Bristo Square, Symphonic Ibiza celebrates “some of the most famous Ibiza club anthems from the last 30 years”.
Grigoryan Brothers: This Is Us is at the House of Oz. “To mark the National Museum of Australia’s 20th anniversary, the nation’s most respected classical guitarists, the Grigoryan Brothers, composed 18 musical works inspired by items from the museum’s vast collection.” At the same venue, BIRDEE “blends her own lineage of Chinese, Greek and Russian origins to craft her own sound and stories”.
Motorists can now pick up and drop off rental vehicles in the heart of Edinburgh’s East End at the prestigious St James Quarter
Perfectly located for local residents as well as visitors arriving by train, plane, bus or tram, Europcar’s new Edinburgh location in St James Quarter offers business and leisure drivers a great solution for journeys in and around the city and for exploring the Scottish landscape.
Available to rent from just a day to longer-term, visitors, residents and hotel guests can choose from a wide range of vehicles, including hybrid and electric cars.
“Opening in the prestigious St James Quarter is an exciting step for us in Edinburgh, making car rental a convenient option for residents and visitors alike,” commented Ron Santiago, Managing Director, Europcar Mobility Group UK.
“Our rental desk on the ground floor of this great multipurpose development, and car parking spaces in the car park directly under St James Quarter’s Galleria, means customers can hire and drive away immediately.”
Edinburgh is high on the international visitor destination list, with St James Quarter providing an inspiring, attractive, and vibrant destination for locals and visitors to live, shop, eat, sleep and play. And, with drivers now able to collect vehicles from Europcar at Edinburgh Airport or from the centrally located St James Quarter, business and leisure travellers have the ultimate in flexibility and convenience.
St James Quarter’s location also means local residents can make the most of a wide choice of vehicles for easy-access mobility when they need it, rather than owning their own car in the city.
Nick Peel, Managing Director at St James Quarter, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming Europcar to the St James Quarter family. The Quarter is already one of Edinburgh’s most sought-after locations adding to the City’s established tourism offering and this service will allow us to continue to expand on that.
“We pride ourselves on connecting St James Quarter to guests who are keen to visit the capital city but also explore the rest of Scotland’s beautiful countryside and tourist destinations.
“Designed to both integrate into and enhance Edinburgh’s City Centre, St James Quarter is a lifestyle destination for the future and we are excited to be part of the Quarter from the beginning”, added Ron Santiago. “We look forward to enhancing the services we can offer to visitors and residents in the future, as the Quarter continues to grow and evolve.”
Europcar can be found on the Ground Floor of St James Quarter, with the desk open for bookings and vehicle collection six days a week (closed on Sundays).
