An angelic sniper brings war home to us. - Edinburgh Festivals 1

Angel, by Henry Naylor, Gilded Balloon Teviot – until 29 August (*****)

Filipa Bragança is the Angel

Of all the definitions of ‘angel’, the least common would be ‘sniper’ – but that’s just what Angel, a new play from the pen of comedy writer Henry Naylor wants us to take on board.

The play, the last of his Arabian Nightmares trilogy, delivers a powerful and emotionally draining story about the ‘Angel of Kobanî’ – a legendary female fighter who defended the (mainly Kurdish) town from the hordes of ISIS fighters, shooting ‘over 100’ if truth is (unusually) not a victim on this occasion.

Filipa Bragança, a recent graduate of Drama Studio, London plays Rehanna, a young woman determined to leave her father’s farm and make her way as a lawyer. With little effort she also delivers, the ‘parts’ of her mother and father, herself at 12, her nemesis Waheed, and a number of other smaller characters.

It is no exaggeration to say that her performance is spellbinding, and is quite the crowning part of the play. She takes the packed audience through her life, and death on her own and with only a barrel for props. She never loses our rapt attention.

Tight writing ensures the retention of our concentration, and while there are moments of lighter humour, the grim reality of the war is never undercut. The second part of Naylor’s trilogy – Echoes -  also features Bragança and is still touring. Hopefully this too, will go on the road shortly. It is produced by Pipeline Productions.

It may be heavily booked, but if you can, you should try and see this play.

Revolution in the Magic Square. Ian Saville, Theatre Arts Exchange – Until 21 August (****)

Unprecedented! A socialist has been elected Leader of the Magic Square! As the only socialist

Who does this look like, again? Oh Yes.

magician, can Ian Saville fend off  the plots and coups of the people in the Square who hate, don’t like or are even lukewarm to him?

Can Karl help him? Or is he going to stick to telling him to ‘ask Gramsci.’? I know – why not ask an ordinary person? Can he overcome his natural reluctance? After all, he is a socialist – they don’t do that.

A new show – thinly based on events in another organisation which is definitely NOT the Labour party – oh no. Ian starts off slow, but when he warms up to a cracking pace the sparks fly. Try and see this show before it goes at the end of this week.

If not, well we’ll have to see what we can do to bring him back some time. Oh Jez we can!

Cuban Heroes visit Scotland

With all the sound and fury surrounding the PLP 'rebellion' against Jeremy Corbyn, it might be a salutory reflection to think what people elsewhere suffer for their beliefs. Rene Gonzalez and Gerardo Hernandez worked for Cuban Intelligence, as spies infiltrating the network of anti-Castroterrorist grouops based in the ex-pat Cuban community in Florida - especially the ones associated with Luis Posada Carriles - the former CIA agent widely considered to be guilty of the bombing of Cubana flight 455.

After the FBI used information provided by the Cuban government for the purpose of convicting Carriles to identify the agents, they were arrested and sentenced to terms ranging from 15 years to life.

After many years of campaigning against such hypocritical sentences for agents working to stop
terrorism, the 'Miami 5' - including Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González as well as Gonzalez and Hernandez - have now all been released.

Rene and Gerardo have now (finally) managed to get visas from the Home office (it took a High Court order btw) to visit Britain, and say thank you to UK campaigners for their release.

The only Scottish date is tonight at the STUC, where the Scottish Cuba Solidarity Campaign hosts them in a meeting and social occasion - free, but ticketed (here) - at 7.00pm. As the event will also feature latin-american band Voces del Sur, their lead singer Valentina Montoya Martinez, and rising Gaelic singer, Maeve Mackinnon it looks set to be a major occasion!

Other Cuban news hints at a welcome repeat of the Havana/Glasgow Film Festival being planned for November this year. Its inaugural run last year, was very successful, and provided an unusual outing for some excellent Cuban films, that rarely (if ever) get a showing ion the UK. A formal announcement on the programme for this year is awaited next month. Keep an eye on the website here.

Rebel Herstory of the Easter Rising

Cat Hepburn

This weekend’s Morning Star carries a Connolly Association supplement, marking the centenary of the Easter Rising. It is worthy of purchase for that alone, of course, but to ensure the Arts pages are ‘on message’, they have also published a nice interview with Cat Hepburn – the writer of Margaret Skinnider:Rebel Heart – the play whose rehearsed reading forms part of the Great MayDay Rising in Oran Mor on 2 May. Read it here, and get your tickets online (+bf) here or from the bar in Oran Mor.

The other feature of this evening that will make it irresistible is the musical presence of Arthur Johnstone, and alongside Arthur - those folk-punks, The Wakes. A package that is worth £12 of anyone's hard-earned cash!

Other events around MayDay are listed in the Glasgow Friends of MayDay programme, available on their website. http://may1st.org.uk/ . I’ll highlight some of them here as we get closer to the day.

And last, but by no means least, A little bird has whispered that an important political figure has agreed to join the Glasgow MayDay March on Sunday May 1! Assemble 11.00 George Square Glasgow.

Bellowhead - a pome

And now for something completely different.. a short poem what i wrote after seeing Bellowhead's Farewell Tour at the O2 ABC.

In Memoriam

So farewell then...

Bellowhead. 

 

There was a lot of you

And it must have been difficult

Getting all 11 of you together for a tour.

 

Like herding cats.

 

But your music was unique.

Not so much folk-rock,

As funk-folk,

 

You even introduced one set as, disco-seashanties.

 

It was a very English night,

But I think you got through to a Glasgow audience.

 

I didn't hear anyone say "Oh shite, there's eleven of them!"

So you beat Mike and Bernie Winters, and...

 

I've never seen a Glasgow crowd doing Morris dancing complete with handkerchiefs, before.

 

While you'll have musical careers as individuals

 

I can't help feeling - we won't see the likes of your music again.

C J Trab (aged 171/2)

The Red and the Green will be worn, side by side

Glasgow Friends of MayDay (GFoMD) have today announced changes for this year’s celebration of the International Workers' Festival in Glasgow. While the annual event at Oran Mor will take place again on the Monday holiday (May 2), its focus will change from a cabaret evening, to a night of drama and song.

To mark the centenary of Dublin’s Easter Rising, the title changes to the Great Mayday Rising and the first half of the evening will be the premiere of a new play produced by FairPley, about Margaret Skinnider – a Coatbridge woman who was wounded in 1916 fighting in Dublin for James Connolly’s Irish Citizen Army. The play – Margaret Skinnider:Rebel Heart - will be followed by sets by folk-punk band The Wakes, and the political doyen of folk, Arthur Johnstone.

We discussed the event and agreed that it seemed appropriate to mark the centenary by raising the profile of a lesser-known link between Ireland and Scotland during the rising. Plus to ensure that our traditional musical celebration gets a good airing, both the Wakes and Arthur will ensure that ‘the red and the green will be worn side by side’ as Hamish Henderson put it!

Arthur Johnstone

The play is written by Cat Hepburn, from research by Maggie Chetty, who also chairs the Committee set up to highlight the links between Scotland and the Easter Rising. It stars Clare Gray, Julie Hale and Erin McCardie. Maggie Chetty said “Margaret Skinnider was a remarkable woman. A schoolteacher, a markswoman, a revolutionary, a true rebel heart, but like so many women her story is obscure. I felt this was an appropriate time to celebrate her courage and her lifelong commitment to progress.”

This year’s Mayday marches will take place on different days around Scotland, with the largest on Sunday May 1 in Glasgow - this year it will rally in the Old Fruitmarket. Others will be on Sat April 30 (Aberdeen, Dundee and Fife) and Sat May 7 (Edinburgh and Irvine).

Other events during the two weeks either side of the MayDay weekend also reflect the centenary – with a walk entitled Glasgow and the Irish revolution looking at historical sites in Glasgow connected with struggle in Ireland - this one is already full, and Brian and Martin McCardie’s one–person play, Connolly, premiering on May 6/7 in the Tron as part of its Mayfesto season.

In addition this year sees the second Radical Film Network (Un)Conference in Glasgow over the weekend of MayDay, and its associated Film Festival includes a number of union and work-related films, mostly at the STUC Centre. In particular an event Blacklisting – demonstrating the use of film by those campaigning against their blacklisting due to TU activities.

The programme, and details of Margaret Skinnider:Rebel Heart are both available via the GFoMD website. http://may1st.org.uk/

Statue sculptor to be announced at Mary Barbour Concert

The five shortlisted statues

The name of the successful sculptor chosen to create the statue of Mary Barbour will be announced from the stage of the Gala Concert scheduled for this Sunday, 21 February in Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket, the Remember Mary Barbour Association (RMBA) said today.

Maria Fyfe, Chair of the Remember Mary Barbour Association said. “This concert is a part of raising the funds to commission the statue, so it seemed only right to announce the successful candidate here. At long last there will be a new statue of a woman of achievement - achievement not for herself but for the people of Glasgow. This concert will be both a celebration of the statues and of Mary’s life and work.”

In addition to the stars already announced, prominent Scottish actress Libby McArthur has joined the guest list to add drama to the variety of the concert. She will be delivering a speech from Julia Taudevin’s play, Mrs Barbour’s Daughters.

Compering the show is comedian and presenter, Susan Morrison, and the performers will include folk legends, Sheena Wellington, and Arthur Johnstone, rising singer and musician Siobhan Miller, Scottish legends The Whistlebinkies, Gaelic singing star, Maeve Mackinnon, harmonica supremo, Fraser Speirs, and folk-rock recording artists, The Wakes. A local Govan-based community choir – the Govan Allsorts, will bring Mary’s community centre stage!

Susan Morrison

Compere, Susan Morrison said “Too often we look at history and see the word hero linked only to men who did things in wars of dubious morality The women who stood with Mary fought for something greater. They fought for fairness, for justice and for their communities. They were kitchen table heroes and that is worth celebrating, to inspire a new generation of women to continue the fight.”

In addition to the maquettes of the statues, a new portrait has been painted of Mary Barbour, by Govan artist Daniel Fitzpatrick. He has donated the powerful and striking portrait to the RMBA. The portrait depicts her steely determination but also captures her warmth and compassion, and a series of limited edition signed prints are being created for sale - hopefully in time for the concert!! 

Mary Barbour by Daniel Fitzpatrick

Mary Barbour led the successful rent strike of 1915 and went on to play a leading role in the labour movement as a Glasgow Councillor and energetic social reformer. Following an extensive campaign to have her contribution recognised, five sculptors were shortlisted to create a statue of her to be placed in her community of Govan. So far each has created a maquette of a proposed statue . These were unveiled in November and have been toured across Glasgow for people to express their opinion. See them on the Facebook page here.

Details of the Gala Concert are as follows

Remember Mary Barbour Gala Concert , Sunday 21 February, Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, 7.30pm, Tickets: £25, from the Glasgow Concert Halls box office. http://www.glasgowconcerthalls.com/Pages/home.aspx#  0141 353 8000. For further information  - www. remembermarybarbour.wordpress.com/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RememberMaryBarbour/

Two acts at the peak of their powers - Celtic Connections 5

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Unthanks and Lau - ***** - GRCH

If anyone thinks that folk music is some immutable, traditional monolith, they need to see one of these two bands. Come to think of it, they need to see these two bands anyway.

Rachel (l) and Becky Unthank. photo Sarah Mason

Both the Unthanks and Lau take folk as a basis, and then add layers of invention.

The Unthanks pare songs back to basics - many of them, like Thursday night’s Testament of Patience Kershaw, or Died for Love, traditional songs – but they then add value, with a string quartet, trumpet or their own clog dancing rhythms! Incidentally, isn’t it interesting how many folk tunes work so well with brass accompaniment?

They are also wont to take material from other genres – on Thursday the honour of their pure delivery went to the King Crimson track – Starless. A peerless performance was topped off by the title track of the current album – Mount the Air.

Lau, on the other hand, while they also base their music on folk roots, use them as a jumping off

Lau (l-r Aidan O'Rourke, Kris Drever and Martin Green)

point for their compositions that build multiple layers of sound with electronic and traditional instruments, upon that base. They also used a string quartet, and in a nice touch the backing vocals to the first two tracks were provided by Rachel and Becky Unthank!

While Torsa harked back to earlier albums, most tracks came from their soon-to-be-released album The Bell that Never Rang. First Homecoming, and Ghosts showed what consummate musicians Lau are, while the title track formed the final hurrah to a hugely impressive concert. And the lighting was a joy in itself!