What's On Scotland 28 Jan-4 Feb: Manipulate Festival & more

This week, Manipulate Festival returns to physical form with a stellar programme of puppetry, circus, and dance theatre. Elsewhere, Callum Easter takes over the Sneaky Pete's Stage and Frazi.er makes his Dundee debut.

Feature by Anahit Behrooz | 28 Jan 2022
  • Short and Sweet, Manipulate Festival

For fans of the weird and wonderful, puppetry, visual theatre, and animation festival Manipulate is back with another fascinating programme of theatrical curios. After last year's festival headed entirely online, this year sees the welcome return of shows in Summerhall, Festival Theatre, and The Studio in Edinburgh, albeit with a slightly smaller programme than originally planned (shout out, as ever, to Omicron).

Still, there's more than enough innovative theatre - the likes of which you probably truly haven't seen before - to be getting along with. Head to the circus with Sadiq Ali’s devastatingly beautiful aerial piece The Chosen Haram, exploring ideas of faith, sexuality and addiction through Chinese pole and physical theatre. For fans of Julie Ducourneau's Raw and Titane, meanwhile, there's EAT ME: a powerhouse take on female power and cannibalism from Scottish collective Snap-Elastic. And for more bite-sized treats, virtual reality installation Acqua Alta and anthology piece Short & Sweet make the perfect introduction to Manipulate's fantastic world.

Tickets to individual shows can be bought on the website - check out the full programme here. Image: Glen McCarty.

Go Dance
Theatre Royal, Glasgow. 1-4 Feb, 7:30pm
A glorious celebration of communal creativity, this four-day dance spectacle sees community groups across Scotland – from schools and colleges to emerging choreographers – take over Glasgow’s Theatre Royal stage. The dynamic programme of bite-sized performances spotlights the enduring resilience of Scotland’s performing arts scene, and is a perfect way to experience the full spectrum of dance in all its forms. Image: Theatre Royal, Glasgow.

Consciously Rising
Glasgow Women's Library, Glasgow. Until 5 Feb
This week is the last chance to view Consciously Rising, an exhibition of prints created collaboratively and individually by members of the Glasgow Women's Library community. Drawing on work made by a group of women who met together digitally during lockdowns, the exhibition explores different ways of crafting and nurturing a feminist ethics, using personal experiences to think through political realities. Image: Glasgow Women's Library.

ADVERTISEMENT | Celtic Connections
Various venues, Glasgow. Until 6 Feb
Celtic Connections banishes winter blues with lively programme of gigs and events

There’s around 60 vibrant gigs and a string of eclectic events happening across Glasgow from Thursday 20th January to Sunday 6th February at Europe’s premier winter music festival, showcasing the brightest stars of traditional folk, roots, Americana, jazz, indie, soul and world music.

You can enjoy the incredible range of concerts, talks, exhibitions and intimate filming sessions on offer throughout the bustling city centre, as well as the exciting online programme, at Celtic Connections 2022!

IDLES
Barrowlands, Glasgow. 3-5 Feb, 7pm
Unabashed punk rockers IDLES head to the Barras for a dose of appropriately enervated and enraged music over three separate days. Featuring relentless, mounting beats and furiously political songwriting, this is music perfect for that 2020s vibe. Image: Lindsay Melbourne.

Mohammad Barrangi: Anything Is Possible
Edinburgh Printmakers, Edinburgh. Until 27 Mar
Incorporating details from Persian mythology, calligraphy, and contemporary culture, Mohammad Barrangi’s fantastical small-scale prints and floor-to-ceiling murals are an invitation into another, more elusive world - at Edinburgh Printmakers now. Image: Mohammad Barrangi.

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Legless Presents Frazi.er
Fat Sam's, Dundee. 28 Jan, 10pm
Glasgow-based techno artist and one of the biggest names in the contemporary clubbing scene in Scotland Frazi.er heads to the east coast for his Dundee debut, promising a night of high intensity, raw beats and hypnotic lights. Image: Michael Hunter.

ADVERTISEMENT | RSNO: John Williams Birthday Celebration
Usher Hall, Edinburgh + Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow. 11-12 Feb, 7:30pm
Nobody does film music better than the great John Williams! Join the Royal Scottish National Orchestra as they celebrate the composer’s 90th birthday with a special programme including music from Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Jaws and more.

Tickets from £19 here.

The Saturday Show
The Stand Edinburgh, Edinburgh. 29 Jan, 7:30pm
For a somewhat lighter evening, look no further than The Stand Comedy Club. Their regular Saturday evening show, aptly titled The Saturday Show, sees a giddy line-up of four stellar acts - changing every week - take to the stage. Image: Jaime Jacob.

Callum Easter
Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh. 3 Feb, 7pm
Edinburgh multi-instrumentalist Callum Easter plays a hometown show that promises all his usual genre subversion and maximalist sound. Nominated for a Scottish Album of the Year Award and having played with Young Fathers, his work is on the cutting edge of the local music scene. Image: John Mackie.