What's On Scotland 4-11 Feb: Honor Swinton Byrne Q&A, Jamali Maddix and more

Joanna Hogg’s much-anticipated followup to her heartbreaking, semi-autobiographical drama The Souvenir hits cinemas this weekend and we suggest getting along to this special screening at the Cameo. Honor Swinton Byrne, who’s brilliant in the film as Julie, a young film student processing the loss of her older boyfriend and navigating her way through the constraints of the British indie film scene in the mid-80s, will be in town for a post-film Q&A.

We can confirm Swinton Byrne has good chat: we spoke to her in the February issue and her enthusiasm for the film and for her character is infectious. “I view Julie like a friend, like a really best pal,” she told us. “And I was just really heartbroken to watch her go through something so tough. And so the second part was, for me, like this phoenix rising from the ashes. It was like a fucking reboot.”

You can hear The Skinny team discuss The Souvenir: Part II in the latest episode of The CineSkinny, our new film podcast. As well as singing the praises of Swinton Byrne’s naturalistic performance and Hogg’s crisp direction, we also posit the crackpot theory that The Souvenir is to Alien as The Souvenir: Part II is to Aliens. 

Cameo, Edinburgh. 6 Feb, 3pm

Balkanarama
Biscuit Factory, Edinburgh. 5 Feb, 10.30pm
Back for the first time since the advent of COVID-19, beloved DJ-led club night Balkanarama is teaming up this month with the equally riotous live music outfit The Baghdaddies. Bringing together Balkan, gypsy and klezmer music with stringent beats, belly dancing, and glitter stalls, clubbing rarely gets more joyous or eclectic than this. Not, this event is now taking place at Biscuit Factory, rather than its usal home of Summerhall.

Maisie Peters
The Caves, Edinburgh, 6 Feb, 7pm
Twenty-one-year-old Maisie Peters’ songwriting is like a fresh sunburst of cheery, brutally honest pop. An ode to the messiness of youth – its heartbreaks, confusion, and ever-optimistic coming-of-age – her debut album You Signed Up For This is as dreamy and hopeful as it is wise and unflinching. This Edinburgh gig is the best way to experience the rising star’s music: an intimate album launch in the cosiest of venues. image: Assai Records

ADVERTISEMENT | Aisha and Abhaya
The Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. 10-12 Feb
Don’t miss Aisha and Abhaya, the must-see dance event of the season. It's an intense, intoxicating theatrical rush, fusing dance, film, sound and music. Rambert’s fearless dancers take centre stage performing Sharon Eyal’s fierce, pulsating choreography to an original soundtrack of driving techno from Ori Lichtik and GAIKA. Book now: capitaltheatres.com/whats-on/rambert-aisha-and-abhaya

Jamali Maddix
The Glee Club, Glasgow. 7 Feb, 7pm
A regular on Taskmaster, Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Jamali Maddix is fast becoming a staple of the British comedy scene, combining sharp observational humour with the deft political investigation of his VICE documentary series Hate Thy Neighbour. New show King Crud builds on his liminal space across both worlds, examining ideas of morality and justice with razor-sharp wit. image courtesy of Jamali Maddix

The Life and Times
Dundee Rep. 11-12 Feb, 7pm
After premiering to digital audiences in 2021, Scottish Dance Theatre’s acclaimed production The Life and Times comes to Dundee Rep’s physical stage this month – as well as screens across the country. A hybrid performance both live in theatre and streamed into homes, this stunning physical theatre piece brings together phantasmagorical visuals with a decadent Baroque soundtrack. image: Tao-Anas Le Thanh

The Power of the Dog on 35mm
Glasgow Film Theatre. 11-13 Feb
There's something perverse about a film by Jane Campion, one of the most visceral and sensual filmmakers working, only being available on Netflix. So it's wonderful to see her latest, The Power of the Dog, returning to the big screen for a short run on 35mm at one of our favourite cinemas. Even if you've streamed this menacing Western already, we compel you to make time for it on glorious celluloid. 

Ailbhe Ní Bhriain: An Experiment with Time
Glasgow Centre for Contemporary Art. 4 Feb-19 Mar
As the climate crisis continues to destabilise our ideas of time – the certainty of futurity, the collapsing timescales between the human and nonhuman – this new exhibition by Irish artist Ailbhe Ní Bhriai takes an appropriately dreamlike and fragmentary approach to our current reality. Blending film, tapestry, print and installation, An Experiment With Time considers and problematises how humans have, throughout history, tried to control their experience of the world. image: courtesy of the CCA

249 Launch Night
Ooh Mami, Edinburgh. 11Feb, 8pm-1am
Edinburgh lands itself a new cabaret and club night as ramshackle queer party 249 makes its bow at Ooh Mami in Leith. We're told to expect a cosy launch night with a lineup featuring local talent like Groundskeeper Fanny and Hiba as well as some open mic slots to kick off the proceedings.