What's On Scotland 23-30 Jan: Queer Cinema Sundays & more

As part of Glasgow Film Theatre’s Queer Cinema Sundays, the Cineskinny podcast (hello, that’s us) are programming a one-off screening of irrepressible Canadian auteur Xavier Dolan’s Matthias & Maxime at Glasgow Film Theatre this Sunday 26 January. A vibey hangout drama following two childhood friends whose relationship shifts after they kiss for a student film, it's a film that encapsulates a fluid, liminal experience of queerness rooted in the shifting sands of friendship and masculine codes, complete with a killer soundtrack (Arcade Fire! Britney!).

Released during the COVID pandemic, Matthias & Maxime went straight to streaming, which makes this one of the rare opportunities to see the film on a big screen as God (Dolan) intended. The screening will be followed by a discussion on queer cinema with the hosts of the podcast (who are very smart and funny just fyi x).

Moving Cloud with TRIP & Brìghde Chaimbeul
Theatre Royal, Glasgow. 25 Jan, 7:30pm
Scottish Dance Theatre bring back Moving Cloud in a new collaboration with Celtic Connections that sees the piece performed alongside Glasgow legends TRIP and award-winning Scottish piper Brìghde Chaimbeul in a dazzling blend of Celtic sound and movement. Image: Brian Hartley.

Nicola Dinan – Disappoint Me
The Portobello Bookshop, Edinburgh, 28 Jan, 7pm
Nicola Dinan’s debut Bellies was one of the best books of 2023, and their follow up Disappoint Me – a tender yet incisive exploration of queer desire – is being launched in style at The Portobello Bookshop next week, with an author Q&A, audience questions, and a signing table. Image: The Portobello Bookshop.

Bethlehem Calling
Tramway, Glasgow. 25 Jan, 7:30pm
This supergroup of Palestinian and Scottish musicians and artists (including Paul Thomson formerly of Franz Ferdinand and the Palestinian Arab Orthodox Scout pipers of Beit Jala) draw on diaries by teenage girls growing up in Bethlehem during the Second Intifada. Image: Courtesy of Celtic Connections.

Potpourri
Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh. 23 Jan, 11pm
From the team behind iconic queer club night Femmergy, Potpourri is a new collaboration between DJs Annafleur and Sweet Philly and is set to be a mainstay of the Cowgate. Get yourself down to Sneaky's for sexy queer dance tracks, hyperpop and fast-paced edits. Image: Courtesy of Sneaky Pete's.

ADVERTISEMENT | Be inspired by Everlyn Nicodemus
National Galleries Scotland: Modern One, Edinburgh. 10am-5pm. Free
Prepare to be inspired by the powerful free exhibition, Everlyn Nicodemus, open now at National Galleries Scotland: Modern One. This five-star exhibition is the Edinburgh-based artists first-ever retrospective. Enjoy over 80 joyful, vibrant and defiant drawings, collages, paintings and textiles, made throughout her 40-year career from 1980 to today. Marvel at Everlyn’s bold and courageous use of colour, form, light and shade, inviting you to explore and question your understanding of identity, belonging and faith.

↪ Jacob Alon
The Caves, Edinburgh. 29 Jan, 7pm
They only have two songs officially out, but Jacob Alon is fast becoming one of Scottish music’s rising stars. Their songs are tender and brimming with emotion, delicately spinning out tales of intimacy, desire and loss with an arresting sincerity.

→ We Will Hear The Angels
Fruitmarket, Edinburgh. 24 Jan-6 Feb, 7pm
Award-winning Edinburgh theatre company Magnetic North return with a show that explores the paradoxical power of sad music as an uplifting force, using song, words and movement to consider the intersection between music and melancholy.

→ Haram Haram x Sub Club: Manara + Hu-Sane + DJ DAKILEI
Sub Club, Glasgow. 24 Jan, 11pm
South Asian and SWANA club night Haram Haram returns to Sub Club, with an iconic headliner in the form of BBC Asian Network legend Manara. Expect deep club cuts, pop and garage and Bollywood samples, with support from Hu-Sane and DJ Dakilei.