What's On Scotland 4-11 Mar: Sonica Festival & more

Next week sees the launch of Sonica 2022, this year's edition of Glasgow's unique audiovisual festival which runs 10-20 March. This is unlike any other music festival you may have attended: blending experimental music with astonishing crafted visual installations, Sonica is an ode to the creative possibilities of crossover and juxtaposition, pushing the boundaries of both music and art.

Highlights from their remarkable programme include Erratic Weather, which uses meteorological data sets to generate a typhoon examining our current ecological instability, with an improvised storm by cellist Maarten Vos. We're also excited about a dreamy night out at The Rum Shack with The Golden Filter, a duo consisting of Penelope Trappes and Stephe Hindman whose work spans disco, alt-pop and grungey techno. Over at the CCA, meanwhile, is a festival-long exhibition entitled Bloom, an interactive installation where bright flowers spring to life and our symbiotic relationship with nature is interrogated.

Make like Sonic (I'm so sorry) and head over to Sonica's website for the full programme and to grab tickets for as many individual performances as you can.

ADVERTISEMENT | Hippodrome Silent FIlm Festival
16 Mar-20 Mar, Hippodrome Cinema, Bo’ness
HippFest returns to the Hippodrome with a star-studded programme of silent films featuring masked crusaders, ’nasty women’, slapstick fun, horror and love stories, accompanied by some of the world’s finest silent film musicians including broadcaster and TV presenter Neil Brand, film critic Mark Kermode from The Dodge Brothers, and live narration from acclaimed actor Paul McGann (Dr Who, Withnail and I).

Book now.

CHVRCHES
Fat Sam's, Dundee. 10 Mar, 7pm
Internationally adored Scottish artists CHVRCHES are on tour, and that includes a wee stop at Dundee. Having made their name almost ten years ago with The Bones of What You Believe, the synth-pop trio return with Screen Violence: a moody, horror-tinged mediation on the fear and loneliness of modernity, shot through with their signature bright electric tone. Image: Sebastian Mlynarski/Kevin J Thomson.

StAnza Poetry Festival
Various venues, St Andrews. 7-13 Mar
This year’s StAnza, St Andrews’ acclaimed poetry festival, takes as its theme “Stories Like Starting Points”, considering how we might rebuild, reconsider, or even start anew in all aspects of life - very apropos in this pandemic world. Headlining the programme is Scotland’s next Makar Kathleen Jamie, alongside performances by rapper Testament and author Harry Josephine Giles. Image: Humans of Leeds.

ADVERTISEMENT | LEVEL UP by Turing Fest
The Biscuit Factory, Edinburgh, 26 Mar
Are you looking to accelerate your career, pivot or a new job? LEVEL UP is Scotland’s Career Event for Tech Professionals and is taking place on March 26th at The Biscuit Factory in Edinburgh. Whether you want a new tribe or to grow your skillset, LEVEL UP will have something for you - with speakers, panels, roundtable discussions, networking and top tech & startup companies - all looking to hire! It’s a free but ticketed event. Apply today!

New York Counterpoint
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh. 6 Mar, 3pm
A delicious blend of modern and classic - including The National's Bryce Dessner, Bartók and Edinburgh DJ xivro - this year's New York Counterpoint is curated by Finnish virtuoso Pekka Kussito and directed by violinist Hugo Ticciati in a stunning reinvention of chamber music. Image: SCO.

Emma-Jean Thackray
Broadcast, Glasgow. 5 Mar, 7pm
Having spent six weeks at number 1 in the Official Jazz and Blues Album Chart with her debut album Yellow, Emma-Jean Thackray is one of the biggest names in the contemporary British jazz scene, blending remarkable multi-instrumentalist talents with a hypnotic, mellow voice. Image: Joe Magowan.

Headset: UNiiQU3
Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh. 7 Mar, 11pm
The queen of the Jersey Club movement makes her electric Scottish debut at Sneaky Pete’s. An effortless blend of hardcore bass, the smoothness of R&B and the giddy energy of hip hop, UNiiQU3 is setting the standard for club music everywhere. Image: UNiiQU3.

Michael Clark: Cosmic Dancer
V&A Dundee, Dundee. 5 Mar-4 Sep
The first major exhibition on renowned Scottish choreographer and dancer takes an expansive look at Clark’s impressive creative process, delving into the collaborations with artists, designers, musicians and performers that so defined his dynamic, fearless output. Image: Richard Haughton.

Dance International Glasgow
Tramway, Glasgow. 1 Mar-3 Apr
The spring season of Dance International Glasgow takes place over the month of March: check out pieces about the Caribbean roots of Carnival, or a hybrid digital performance centring on the Palestinian diasporic experience. Image: Matthew Arthur Williams.