Various venues,
Edinburgh
Four stars
In the shadow of Luke
Jerram’s installation, Museum of the Moon, which hangs over the interior of St
Giles’ Cathedral, a fanfare is sounded from behind a screen. An overhead
projector beams out a series of miniature cut-out models as a four-part chorale
sings of ancient things. This is Disarming Reverberations, a one-night-only
experience that formed part of the Burns and Beyond mini festival’s Culture
Trail, which hosted events across eight city centre venues over four hours on
Saturday night.
Curated by Lau’s Martin
Green and featuring Alba Brass and the group Landless, Disarming Reverberations
evoked a spirit of after-dark mystery which fed through the other venues. While
across town Lost Map Records founder The Pictish Trail recreated the label’s
Howlin’ Fling nights in the Freemason’s Hall, and the Gilded Balloon presented bite-size
comedy sets at the Rose Theatre, at Greyfriars Kirk, spoken-word night Neu!
Reekie! co-founder Kevin Williamson’s performed his punky take on Tam O’Shanter.
This was accompanied by dancers from the Kixx Collective and guitarist Craig
Lithgow. Kathryn Joseph’s series of short sets proved equally spellbinding.
At Assembly Roxy, another
member of Lau, Aidan O’Rourke, reimagined Enlightenment era howf, Lucky
Middlemass’s Tavern. Mrs Middlemass herself was brought to life with gallus
brio by actress Nicola Roy, with potman Archie inhabited by Matthew Zajac. O’Rourke
and piper Brighde Chaimbeul played short sets inbetween songs by Deacon Blue
singer Ricky Ross, Alasdair Roberts, who premiered a new piece called Europe, and
poems by Nadine Aisha Jassat. Ross was joined by O’Rourke on Green Grow The
Rushes, while Zajac kept things contemporary with a couple of Tom Leonard poems.
Over at the Caves, The
Red Rose Club programmed a superb-sounding showcase of female DJs. Sets by
Nightwave, Sofay and Ribeka, plus three-woman hip-hop troupe The Honey Farm may
have been more appropriate for late-night revels, but they nevertheless gave a
pointer to a poetic future that can be about music as much as words.
The Herald, January 28th 2019
ends
Comments