What's On Scotland 11-18 Jul: Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival & more
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival kicks off this week with a host of gigs across the city's music venues. Elsewhere, Ponyboy throw a Pride party at Stereo and Hailey Beavis has her first solo exhibition at Sett Studios
Edinburgh's streets and music venues are getting taken over by the smooth smooth sound of jazz this week, as the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival descends upon the city once again, running from 12-21 July across various locations. It's perfect timing, really, as the iconic Jazz Bar has just reopened its doors: find the likes of Kimberley Tessa, Rosalind Orr and Nathan Somevi there, as well as various jam sessions and jazz evenings.
Elsewhere, big bands like Tom McGuire & The Brassholes play the Spiegeltent, Blue Giant Orkestar play the Piccolo, and a Mardi Gras party brings a taste of New Orleans to the Grassmarket. Grab your trumpet and bass and find the full programme with tickets to events here.
ADVERTORIAL | Nish Kumar: Nish, Don't Kill My Vibe
The King's Theatre, Glasgow. 12 Sep, 7:30pm
Nish Kumar – one of The Guardian and The Telegraph’s 50 Best Comedians of the 21st Century – is back on tour with his brand new politically-charged stand-up show. Expect jokes about climate collapse, income inequality and the emotional sensation of being a British Indian man who isn’t going to vote for a British Indian Prime Minister. It’s 80 minutes of sweet, sweet vibe killing, plus support act and interval.
Lost In Leith presents: Hiba, Ria, Ann Tweak
Lost in Leith, Edinburgh. 12 Jul, 9pm
For Lost in Leith’s first summer party they’re welcoming three local DJs: Scottish-based DJ and selector Hiba plays back-to-back with Femmergy resident Ria, spinning Arabic grooves, dancehall, amapiano, and baile funk, with support on the night from Edinburgh DJ Ann Tweak. Image: Charlotte Cullen.
Ibrahim Mahama: Songs About Roses
Fruitmarket, Edinburgh. 13 Jul-6 Oct
The first solo exhibition in Scotland by the acclaimed Ghanaian artist, these large-scale, site-specific works explore the social and cultural legacies of colonialism and global migration using materials collected from Ghana’s now obsolete railway. Image: Ibrahim Mahama/Edinburgh Art Festival.
Hailey Beavis: SOFT
Sett Studios, Edinburgh. 12-16 Jul
Painting, collage, and cut-up poetry by Edinburgh-based multimedia artist explore ideas of ephemerality and evolution, capturing the irony of trying to cement emotional memory as it shifts, blends, and erodes and giving form and voice to emotions and ambiguous narratives. Image: Hailey Beavis.
KEEP ON with SOUL JAM
La Cheetah Club, Glasgow. 14 Jul, 11pm
West Coast meets East Coast as La Cheetah night KEEP ON welcomes Sneaky Pete's regular night Soul Jam for a night of irresistible disco, funk, balearic, and groovy house with DJs Percy Main, Tuesday Gonzalez and David Barbarossa on the decks. Image: Alix McIntosh.
ADVERTORIAL | Ibrahim Mahama: Songs about Roses
Fruitmarket, Edinburgh.13 Jul-6 Oct
The first-ever solo exhibition in Scotland of the work of Ibrahim Mahama; a Ghanaian artist critically acclaimed for his evocative large-scale, site-specific installations that speak to the cultural and social effects of post-colonialism and global migration.
↪ Ponyboy Pride: Juliana Huxtable
Stereo, Glasgow. 13 Jul, 9pm
Iconic queer club night Ponyboy throw their second Pride extravaganza exploring themes of utopia: headlining is Juliana Huxtable, the co-founder of New York–based nightlife project Shock Value, with sets from the likes of Eyve, Miss Cabbage, and Luckybabe. Image: Triangle Agency.
→ Dean Atta launches Person Unlimited
Waterstones Argyle Street, Glasgow. 11 Jul, 7pm
Catch prolific writer Dean Atta in Glasgow this coming week to launch his gorgeous queer memoir Person Unlimited: An Ode to My Black Queer Body. Find him in conversation with Edinburgh Makar Hannah Lavery, as well as the following day at The Portobello Bookshop.
→ Good Vibes Relaunch Party
Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store & Studios, Edinburgh, 13 Jul, 7pm
Leith’s wee record shop with the eponymously best vibes has undergone a little refurb and they’re hosting a relaunch party on the weekend, with a lineup of gorgeous local DJs and an evening of live music from electro-pop duo Both Hands and indie artist Susan Bear.