What's On Scotland 11-18 Feb: Hebridean Dark Skies Festival & more

If you can make your way over the the Isle of Lewis this month, the Hebridean Dark Skies Festival is making an appropriately twinkling return, with a two-week programme of arts, astronomy, and the intersection between the two. Taking place 11-25 February at An Lanntair and across the Isle of Lewis, this uniquely Scottish festival is a glorious celebration of the natural world and the creativity it inspires, and offers a beautiful new perspective on the dreariness of winter.

For a perfect example of the festival's blend of science and arts, look no further than The Edge of The Sky (Oir Nan Speur), a dazzling bilingual theatre adaptation of the acclaimed Roberto Trotta book telling the history of the Universe using only 1,000 common words. Other highlights include art and photography exhibitions from Casey McIntyre, Mhairi Law, and Trish Bell, and the Isle of Lewis debut of Bright Club, a long-running comedy night where academics turn research into stand-up comedy.

Tickets can be bought through the An Lanntair website - browse the full programme here.

Love 2 Love: Loves 2 Perform
Embassy, Edinburgh. 12 Feb, 6pm
For a deliriously sexy and soppy celebration of romance, look no further than this Valentine’s Day extravaganza: an evening of weird and wonderful performance to coincide with Eden Dodd’s solo exhibition Love 2 Love: Severance. From queer cabaret to intense physical theatre, this is love at its sharpest and messiest. Image: Craig Manson.

Nova Twins
King Tut's, Glasgow. 11 Feb, 8pm
Made up of lead vocalist and guitarist Amy Love and bassist Georgia South, this dynamic duo are taking the punk rock world by storm. With a cathartically grungy sound and electric, no-fucks-given stage presence, their shows are a glorious celebration of live music. Bring your brightest lipstick and most anarchic attitude. Image: Nova Twins.

ADVERTISEMENT | Paisley Book Festival
Paisley. 17-26 Feb
There is less than one week until the third annual Paisley Book Festival! Have you got your tickets yet?

This year’s programme consists of more than 50 unique events running between 17-26 February 2022. As well as Victoria McNulty’s residency, Louise Welsh and Denise Mina contribute to a packed programme of workshops, author events, book launches. With opportunities for both established and emerging writers to showcase their work on the international stage.

Tickets on sale now: https://paisleybookfest.com/

Radiophrenia: crys cole + Oren Ambarchi + Amaya
CCA, Glasgow. 15 Feb, 7pm
A two-week radio station set up at the CCA, Radiophrenia explores soundscapes, spoken word and found sound. Performed live in CCA to an audience and broadcast on the waves, this week features multi-instrumentalists crys cole, Oren Ambarchi and Amaya. Image: Dawid Laskowski/Mark Vernon.

Katie Goh Presents...Disaster Film Season
Summerhall, Edinburgh. Until 25 Feb
Based on their excellent book The End: Surviving the World Through Imagined Disasters, author and film critic Katie Goh has programmed a chilling series of apocalyptic cinema for Summerhall's cinema, featuring the likes of Mad Max: Fury Road, Children of Men, and High Life. Image: Warner Bros.

ADVERTISEMENT | SCO presents New York Counterpoint
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh. 6 Mar, 3pm
Soak up the pulsing energy of New York City in one of Edinburgh’s iconic music venues, The Queen’s Hall.

Launching his three-concert Scottish Chamber Orchestra residency in typically unconventional style, Finnish Firecracker, and violinist Pekka Kussisto weaves together some of the most exciting music by his friends in America’s most vibrant city –The National’s Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly and Steve Reich – with artists from closer to home – including Edinburgh-based DJ’s xivro and Rowan McIlvride.

Whether a regular attendee or new to classical performances, experience orchestral music in a fresh and exciting way. In association with The Skinny and EH-FM.

Henrik Håkansson: 'The Circle of a Square and the Effect of a Butterfly'
The Modern Institute, Glasgow. 11 Feb-12 Mar
Employing the figure of the butterfly as a symbol for climate change, this new body of work by Henrik Håkansson is a profound and disorienting mediation on the intervention of the human into the ecological, through a single immense hanging structure in the gallery space. Image: Henrik Håkansson.

PUSH IT: Dirrty!
Stereo, Glasgow. 12 Feb, 11pm
A delicious pop extravaganza designed to get the pulse pounding and the cheeks blushing, this Valentine's club night at Glasgow's Stereo hits all the right musical notes - from the sweet to the sleazy - that your heart might desire. Image: Jamie Allan Shaw.

ADVERTISEMENT | The Glasgow Barons present: LIVE TODAY & PRESSURE HIP HOP EXTRAVAGANZA
The Grand Ole Opry, Glasgow. 20 Mar, 7.00pm

Steg G’s LIVE TODAY and new album SURFACE PRESSURE (drops Friday 18 March)
Feat. Solareye | Empress | CCTV | Freestyle Master | and many more.

Sunday 20 March | 7.30pm
The Grand Ole Opry | 2-4 Govan Road, Glasgow G51 1HS

Tickets £10 on the door or by Eventbrite
https://surfacepressure.eventbrite.co.uk

Adult DVD
Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh. 16 Feb, 7pm
For fans of LCD Soundsystem, Soulwax and Metronomy come Adult DVD, the cheekily named Leeds six-piece band known for their irresistible synth-pop vibes. Born out of lockdown, their music is the perfect antidote to boredom: dance-y and upbeat and, yes, wonderfully infectious. Image: Adult DVD.