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Just For Culture

Nightlife Review: Famous First Words (Preview Show), 4 August, Gilded Balloon Teviot, Edinburgh Fringe, 11pm

5/8/2017

Truth be told, we fucked it.

We could’ve been in the final.

All we had to do was sing the famous first words of Total Eclipse of the Heart into a microphone and we would’ve been in the final. But we got too excited. We counted our metaphorical chickens before they had metaphorically hatched. We got too excited that we knew the words to the song, and forgot to actually sing the words to the song.

“Get off the stage,” said presenters Tim and Gendle, as Bonnie Tyler jumped in to sing her part perfectly on time, what with her being a recording and all.

The stage was exited. A chance to become a legend and reach the final of Famous First Words, destroyed.

Famous First Words is exactly that - the opportunity to become a legend for about 15 seconds, or slightly longer if the audience like the song. It's described as the boozed-up lovechild of Don’t Forget the Lyrics and X-Factor. And it's not karaoke.

Basically, Tim and Gendle stand on the stage and play the introduction to a song. The first one in the audience to shout out that they know the song then raises their hand and gets to go up on stage. Tim and Gendle then restart the song, and then the person who raised their hand gets the chance to try and sing the famous first words.

Travel: 5 Things to do in Hamburg, Germany

1/6/2017

What To Do in Hamburg, Germany

Planning to nip across to the continent for a weekend?

We managed to fit in a quick trip to Hamburg recently and thought we should share our newfound wisdom on what to do in the German city known for its history and nightlife.

5. Go for a walk along the Elbe

Having been a country in its own right not that long ago, Hamburg's port is still a strong economic centre, and you can't miss this fact. You can get tours around the port and harbour (some are even included in day tickets for public transport - 11.80 for a group of up to five people) but we recommend you just spend a couple of hours taking in the sights from the shore. In particular look out for the Elphie (a striking concert hall built on top of an old warehouse).

4. The Five Main Churches (Hauptkirchen)

A strongly Lutheran state, Hamburg has five Cathedrals, known as the Hauptkirchen, which served the entire city up until the 19th century. Four still stand in their entirety, but all five are worth a visit.

St. Jacob's (St. Jackobi)
St. Catherine's (St. Katherinen)
St. Paul's (Petrikirche)
St. Nicholas's (Nikolaikirche)

Damaged badly in allied bombing raids during WW2, only the tower of St. Nicholas's still stands. Briefly the world's tallest building, the tower now acts as a memorial to those who died in the bombing raids, and in atrocities carried out across Europe.

St. Michael's (Michelkirche)

Possibly the most striking of the churches, and certainly the largest inside, 'Michel' has the grandeur of a concert hall. It's the newest of the five churches, and is in the town's new town. But don't let that put you off, it's only a fifteen minute walk from the town hall, and well worth it.

Live Review: Bongo's Bingo - Canal Mills, Leeds, 24 May 2017

25/5/2017

Photo: Justin Gardner / Bongo's Bingo

We had heard a lot about Bongo’s Bingo before we went along. If you’ve never heard of it then let us enlighten you. It’s the bingo meets cross-dressing meets disco rave night out that you never knew you needed. So we decided to head along and check it out for ourselves.

With regular nights organised across the north of England, we went along with some Bingo-veterans to try out the now infamous extravaganza.

What followed was one of the strangest yet most enjoyable evenings we have had in a long time. Starting ludicrously early, we got to Canal Mills at 6.30pm to make sure we got a seat. By 7pm I was glad that I was with folk who knew what they were doing, because the place was bouncing - literally. Far from the intense and silent bingo your Gran plays, Bongo's is basically a rave on benches, with two fluorescent transvestites reading the numbers.

Opinion: Is Everyone Just Fed Up With Nightclubs?

24/10/2016

“Wow, I haven’t been out out in ages.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

“No. I mean literally AGES.”

This is becoming a familiar conversation in certain circles. Saturday night comes around and you’ll find yourself at a pub, a friend’s house, at the cinema… but not at a club. Are we just getting older and more boring, or is everyone just a bit fed up with clubbing?

This year the government has stopped including nightclub entry when working out the official inflation figures. Now before we lose our readers completely by mentioning inflation, it’s actually not that complicated. Every year the government makes a “What’s Hot” list (officially known as the Consumer Price Inflation Basket of Goods) and checks if the prices are going up or down. It’s a good way to see what people are spending money on, so you can also figure out what’s popular. The list for this year added items that we’re now spending more money on, like nail varnish, coffee pods and microwavable rice. It also removed things from the list that people aren’t spending as much money on anymore: CDs, rewritable DVDs and nightclub entry.

Take a moment to think about how miserable that is – nightclubs are being replaced by microwavable rice.

Of course, nightclubs have been a hot topic in the news recently after the closure of London superclub Fabric. Officials are arguing that Fabric was creating a dangerous environment after two drug-related deaths occurred in the club over the summer. There’s been uproar in the clubbing community and a lot of people believe that the tragic deaths are being used as an excuse to get rid of the club so that the site can be turned into a high-profit property development. Less dancing and music for us, more money for the big corporations. DJs, fans, the major of London and numerous drug charities have spoken out against the closure. Drug awareness groups are worried that closing big clubs will just drive people to poorly regulated clubs or house parties where drugs will be a far bigger problem.

Whatever the real reason for closing Fabric, it’s true that there are almost 1,500 fewer nightclubs in the UK now compared to ten years ago, and a global research firm recently found out that only 25% of millennials go to a club more than once a month. So it’s pretty obvious that we are all staying in more, or going for a few quiet drinks at the pub instead of going out dancing. But why?

Coming Soon to Glasgow: Revolución de Cuba

15/10/2016

We don’t know when, and we don’t know where, but the rum and cocktail bar Revolución de Cuba is coming to Glasgow.

Just a few days ago, our favourite South American themed bar announced that they are opening their very first Scottish venue. Ten Revolución de Cubas already exist across England, so we went and visited a couple to let the good people of Scotland know what’s up.

The atmosphere in the Revolución de Cuba in Manchester was electric, and this was 5pm on a Saturday. We’d been expecting a few quiet drinks, assuming that most people would be at home getting ready for their nights out – we were wrong. Unluckily for Scotland, the busy bar and amazing buzz might have been because Rev de Cuba offers generous happy hours six days a week (3-7pm Monday-Friday, and 5-7pm Saturdays) which have been illegal in Scotland since 2009. Never fear though, there is plenty to recommend these bars apart from their drinks deals.

The venue itself deserves some discussion first of all. While the bar is Cuban themed – the name is a bit of a give-away – it’s not tacky or in your face. Mosaic tiles surround the bar, and wooden barrels acting as tables are scattered between regular high tables and stools. Near the huge windows, a fantastic band plays salsa music and as it gets later a few tipsy couples get up to dance.

review: Neu! Reekie! Celts - By National Museums Scotland

26/9/2016

Evenings at the National Museum of Scotland are becoming quite the trend in Edinburgh. We decided to get along to check out the Neu! Reekie! takeover on September 23.

The evening and the line up were arranged around the ‘Celts’ exhibition on show at the museum, and included performances from the likes of Glasgow spoken-word maestro Loki, legendary Scots Makar poet Liz Lochhead, Ette, the solo project of TeenCanteen’s Carla J Easton and the headline act, Charlotte Church, bringing “The Late Night Pop Dungeon” – yup, it’s a weird name, but it was great. We’ll get onto that later.

First thing is first. The venue was a striking visual spectacle; acts performing with stunning exhibitions thousands of years old all around them. It brought an atmosphere unlike any other we’ve stepped foot. The Celts exhibition was fascinating; with everything from jewellery and weaponry to chariots on show and a range of other exhibitions also open on the first floor which design or fashion students might have found particularly intriguing.

While the main hall was stunning, there was a bit of echo on the acoustics when Charlotte brought her Late Night Pop Dungeon to the stage. But man, was that a crazy show. Picture a 10-piece band looking like they’ve raided a fancy dress clothing rack, stick Church at the front, and you’ve got what we’re talking about.

Charlotte Church sure can sing. She opened up with some opera-trained talents before changing the tone drastically – oh so drastically – to a cover of Nine Inch Nails ‘Closer’ and singing, however harmoniously, the lyrics: “I want to fuck you like an animal / I want to feel you from the inside”, before diving straight into David Bowie’s ‘’Girl Loves Me’.

IT WAS WEIRD. But that set the for the rest of the set. Clearly anything goes in Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon. And to be fair, what do you expect from an act with the words ‘late’, ‘night’, ‘pop’ and ‘dungeon’ back to back in their title?

Seriously though, it was an incredibly fun performance. The covers ranged from R Kelly’s ‘Ignition’ and ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ to Amelie’s ‘One Thing’, Neutral Milk Hotel’s ‘Holland, 1945’ and hits from Beyonce, Sugababes and a whole host of different acts from all sorts of genres.

The range of songs was as far and wide as you can dream up, and it was primetime for a sing-along. If you’ve ever been to Fingers Piano Bar in Edinburgh, imagine that but with a 10-piece band and fronted by Charlotte Church. It was great fun!

Our favourite act of the night though was hip hop artist Loki, a Glaswegian wordsmith tying together social truths and hard-hitting punchlines over a wonderful vocal and guitar-based backing from Becci Wallace.

Loki had the crowd gasping, laughing, and hanging on his every word. He’s sure got some stage presence. It was a powerful performance and it’s awesome to see such an act get such attention even after August.

On the downside though, it was awfully difficult to get into the Auditorium, where the likes of Loki were playing. The queue was huge and some had been in it for up to an hour, which for a three hour event is hardly ideal. A re-think of performance spaces may be an idea for future sessions at the venue, as we ended up forced to stay in the main hall for the latter half of the night as a result.

It was a fantastic event nonetheless though. A great line up as diverse as it was talented, and a stern reminder from Neu! Reekie! And NMS that culture doesn’t leave Edinburgh with the Fringe Festival.

Stuart Kenny

Live Review: Calyx & TeeBee, DJ Zinc, Special Request - Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh, 6 February 2016

8/2/2016

It was about 2.40am when Calyx & TeeBee blasted smash hit ‘Long Gone’ around the Edinburgh Liquid Rooms on 6 February 2015.

Even for what was already a rowdy as hell night, it’s safe to say that this was a defining moment. The moment Calyx’s voice came on the track, eyes opened even wider, feet shifted slightly faster, endless grins darted from side to side. Half the people in the front row were dumbstruck to the point that they looked as if they had stolen their own bodies and were about to be caught out.

Questionable dance moves were being thrown in every direction. The dance floor was taking a beating. You could say that the place erupted when ‘Long Gone’ dropped, but the truth was, it was already long gone before that – no pun intent ended (f*ck it, pun intended). To be honest, the entire night was absolute carnage.

Special Request (aka Paul Woolford) took to the decks early doors and didn’t exactly provide a tame start. The thing about a drum and bass night, you see, is that there’s an awful lot of drum and bass. And drum and bass doesn’t tend to be too gentle. Certainly not in this case.

Woolford brought some filthy basslines. They were absolutely unrelenting; dirtier than a night out with David Cameron during the pig years and filthier than George Osborne’s immortal soul.

Speaking of Mr. Cameron, we noticed that our Prime Minister was trending on Twitter this morning for claiming the “Brexit could bring ‘jungle’ to the UK”. Dave clearly wasn’t at Liquid Rooms at the weekend, because the jungle is already here. DJ Zinc unleashed a specialist jungle set at 1am and easily could’ve headlined on the strength of it. The man almost tore the roof off when he dropped a remix of Fugees – Ready or Not.

Calyx and TeeBee took over for the final hour, and if you’d think the crowd would be a bit shattered by then, you’re probably a sensible person. Of course, given that it was physically impossible for most of the attendees to stop moving at this point, spirits couldn’t have been higher, and the biggest duo in drum and bass coming onto the decks was only going to get the crowd going even more so.

Phones were in the air, high fives were flying, feet where stomping, ‘Where We Go’ caused a moshpit, ‘Pure Gold’ caused chaos, ‘Elevate This Sound’ was a thing of absolute beauty.

All round, this was probably one of the most full on nights Edinburgh has had the privilege of hosting in 2016. Not for the feint hearted, but for those full of heart, it was not to be missed, and it certainly left the capital crying out for more.

Nightvision Series 4 continues on Saturday 13 February as Skream & Ame take to The Liquid Rooms. Check out the official Nightvision website for the full line up and tickets.

Review: FLY Edinburgh w/ Tom Trago & William Kouam Djoko - Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, 4 December 2015

6/12/2015

Fly Club, Cabaret Voltaire. The venue was always going to be perfect. There’s something about descending into what is effectively a collection of old brick tunnels in the old town of Edinburgh which will never get, well... old.

Fly Club has been providing the soundtrack to the freshest Friday night in Edinburgh for some time now. Their resident Theo Kottis has been picking up regular play time on BBC Radio One recently, the place is pretty much always rammed, and when the Fly team do book guest slots, they tend to do so rather well.

On 4 December it was the turn of Dutch duo Tom Trago and Willam Kouam Djoko to take to the decks in the Scottish capital. The latter has been toning his trade on the Amsterdam club scene for years and making a name for himself far from just the Netherlands.

The former, of course, is a huge name on the electronic scene, and one of the best known in Amsterdam. Trago has three albums under his belt which have all warranted vast acclaim, his list of collaborations makes for impressive reading, and his ability to work a crowd has earned him the right to do exactly that on a regular basis all over the world.

Trago and Djoko fitted together perfectly on stage; similar ideas and music philosophies which blended wonderfully, all of which resulted in a set almost definitely dissimilar to any other on offer in the capital that night.

Catchy hooks circled down the main room over thumping backbeats, floor-shaking speakers funnelling well-thought-through electronics to the packed out audience.

House was the central theme of course, with the loops inspired by elements of hip-hop and jazz, possibly some African roots and the toe-tapping touch of Trago flowing firm and fluently throughout.

The crowd in attendance will no doubt have been drawn to the night either through a long-term following of Trago and his progression through the house scene in recent years, or perhaps even just on the strength of his single releases – the likes of ‘Hidden Heart of Gold’, above, a track so cool that it'll make you feel like Ryan Gosling, even when the only thing stopping your hangover from progressing to certain death is half a leftover chippy lurking ominously next to your bed.

Either way, they – and the JFC team – turned up expecting energy, originality and a set delivering something more than just bassline after bassline. We’re glad to say that we were not disappointed.

The other possibility of course is that the clubbers in the capital have simply learnt to trust in Fly Club to deliver the goods, no matter what the name on the poster. Fly can now add Trago and Djoko to the impressive list of those who have spun under their banner, and they continue to reinforce the point that on a Friday night in Edinburgh, there’s only one place to be.

Review: Annie Mac Presents - Corn Exchange, Edinburgh, 28 November 2015

1/12/2015

There aren’t many club nights in Edinburgh outside of the old town that serve up carefully selected, banging basslines alongside your vodka and coke.

It often feels like it’s difficult to get away from the same old places if you want new beats. Ironically, the old town tends to be the saving grace for new music, while the new town charges you £20 for a shot of WKD and insists on making you listen to David Guetta songs from 2010.

The team at Nightvision have been shaking up the capital club scene for over a year though, bringing some huge electronic names and huge nights to the city. Fittingly, these are normally based in the old town, which is why we were particularly intrigued to see Annie Mac and her ‘AMP’ circus scheduled to shake the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on November 28.

The Irish electronic music idol always smashes it when she comes to the Scottish capital, spinning fresh beats and irresistible loops in front of sell out crowds – and bringing some cracking new acts to warm up the audience as well.

Annie unleashed an hour and a half of what Edinburgh so often misses when she takes her hand off play

This time though, it was a little different, with her usual jamming ground of the HMV Picture House shut since earlier this year – something the JFC team are still rather bitter about – Annie took to the aforementioned Corn Exchange, which presented a few little problems.

The first little problem is that the place is freakin’ massive. It’s more of a hall than a club venue, though Annie brought a big enough turn out to make this a non-issue.

We met one guy at the bar who had travelled down solo from Aberdeen for AMP. Is that weird? Of course it is. But it also shows the cult status of these nights. Either that or that Annie Mac has a stalker or two based in the north of the country.

If there’s one thing we can guarantee anytime you go to the Corn Exchange though, it’s that if you don’t arrive seven hours early, you will never see the middle or the front of the dance floor. Of course, this is normally because of the whole ‘smash-your-way-to-the-front-and-trample-on-little-people’ vibe so common at gigs in Scotland, but it held true for the length of the night at Mac, giving the night a much more music-centric focus.

This, unsurprisingly, was partly down to the fact that the bulk of the audience wanted to stare at Annie Mac as she blasted the chockablock dancefloor with beat after beat, and partly due to the fact that she absolutely killed it.

Coming on around 12.30 after grime-upcomer Stormzy had earned himself a new set of fans, Annie unleashed an hour and a half of what Edinburgh so often misses when she takes her hand off play; big melodies, bigger basslines and a knowledge of the modern music scene so deep that not a single track misses the beat.

The only drawback from her set? Well, that comes in our third and final problem with the Corn Exchange; the license. The venue was only open until 2am, which let’s not lie, is a little bit shit.

It’s already bad enough that the latest club in Edinburgh is only open till 3am, so delivering Annie and then taking her away so early was like being given half a can of Irn Bru for your hangover the next morning - sure, it’s great and you’re going to make the most of it, but it’s not going to last long enough to stop you vomiting in your bathtub in a couple of hours.

Needless to say Annie didn’t put a foot wrong throughout her set, but the night was lessened by that age old problem of a lack of appropriate venues in the capital. Let’s hope that next time, they give her the castle.

Review: The Best Cocktail Bars in Aberdeen

15/10/2015

When you think about Aberdeen, cool and sophisticated cocktail bars might not be the first thing to spring to mind – or the second thing, or the third or the fourth for that matter. But fortunately for you, we’re here to tell you that if this is the case, you’ve been missing out.

If you know where to look, Aberdeen has a handful of lively, chic bars serving delicious and imaginative drinks. Here’s the Just For Culture guide to everything you need to know.

Best for Beginners: Amicus Apple

If you’re new to the cocktail scene (where have you been?), then Amicus Apple is the best place in Aberdeen to get acquainted with these fun and flavourful drinks.

While the menu offers a fairly decent list of beers, ciders, and wines, the cocktails are what make this bar stand out. Tantalising ingredients such as marmalade, green tea syrup, or blood orange liqueur are mixed with fruity flavours and topped with fun and inventive garnishes to make easy-to-drink cocktails. Rather than experimenting with complex drinks which people keep telling you are ‘an acquired taste’, Amicus Apple gives the people what they want: cocktails that look fun and taste good, simple as that.

The bar itself plays it safe with neutral but attractive décor, although the simple clean lines and coloured lights are saved from being boring by the bare brick walls behind the bar and the feature-wall covered in real moss. A favourite with students, couples, and after work drinkers, Amicus Apple is a great place to try out cocktails and just have a good time with friends.

Best Venue: 99 Bar and Kitchen

In an enviable location just off Union Street, 99 Bar and Kitchen is the ideal place for a pre-dinner drink, or the perfect setting for a romantic date.

Its cocktail menu changes seasonally, but is always a balance of the classics you’d expect, and some fun and quirky drinks that you’ll enjoy trying out. Unlike Amicus Apple, however, some of the cocktails at 99 are better left to those who are a bit more familiar with which spirits or flavour combinations they like. While cognac, port, whiskey and ‘home made winter Falernum’ sounds like an intriguing mix (the Smoking Bishop cocktail, currently on their winter menu), some of us soon realised that it’s not something you can gaily down while gossiping with your girlfriends like a Cosmopolitan.

99 is serious about its cocktails, and their daring concoctions may not all be to your taste. Don’t be put off though – swapping drinks and trying each other’s, because you just need to know what apricot and fig infused gin tastes like (found in the Pedro Paramo), is all part of the fun! Plus, even if you end up choosing one of the safer classics, this bar is still a favourite with the JFC gang. Decorated with dark wood, and furnished with an eclectic mismatch of armchairs, pouffes, and stools, the bar feels classy and chic, while still being cosy and comfortable. A winning combination in our eyes!

Best Menu: Dusk

Luxury cocktail bar meets gothic boudoir: in a good way! Your first thought when entering Dusk is, ‘wow, it’s black’. Black walls, black floor, black furniture. However, rather than seeming dark and depressing, Dusk manages to make it decadent and, we’re just going to admit it, a little intimidating.

However, make your way past the opulent mirrors and large flatscreen showing extreme sports (an odd but not unwelcome choice), sit down on one of the black, studded leather sofas, and open a menu. All is forgiven.

Flip past the champagne list (we told you it was decadent) and take your time looking through the many, many cocktails available here. As well as the old favourites, Dusk offers twists on the classics, like an elderflower and Hendricks mojito. They also have a great selection of their own cocktails with something for everyone, no matter what kind of spirit or flavours you prefer. The bartender tells us that the Flirtini is considered their signature and most popular drink and we soon see why: a delicious, fruity mix of Chambord, strawberries, and raspberries, topped with Prosecco.

Once your eyes adjust, you can relax and take your time picking a yummy sounding drink from their long list. While the black leather and chandeliers make it a bit over the top for a first date, Dusk is a great place for a girls’ night out, or some late night drinks on the weekend.

Best Atmosphere: The Tippling House

Advertised simply by a smart window display with the words ‘The Tippling House’ across it in gold, this bar may not be much to look at from the outside, but nip down the stairs into the cellar bar and you’re in for a real treat.

Smartly decorated with solid, wooden booths, hanging lamps and a wood-panelled ceiling, it puts you in mind of an old speakeasy, using words like ‘dapper’, and ‘slick’. We seat ourselves at a table and a waitress comes across with a smile and a couple of glasses of water. The menu has an impressive list of whiskeys and some unusual but appetising snacks, which I make a mental note to come back and try some time – white crab mac ‘n’ cheese sounds a bit more interesting than the usual crisps and peanuts! But what we are really here for is the cocktails, and they look at least as good as the food.

My friend goes for the Bohemian Milk Punch, but I just can’t decide. When the waitress comes back though, it turns out that this isn’t a problem! When I ask for more time with the menu, she suggests that the bar can make something up for me if I tell them which spirit and flavours I like. I go for something fruity with gin, and she comes back ten minutes later with our drinks. And what drinks they are! The Milk Punch is sweet and creamy without being sickly, and my drink is just what I would have asked for if I’d known it existed.

Later, we order gin martinis which are a bit pricey, but expertly made, and who can put a price on perfection? As it gets a bit later, the bar starts to fill up and we’re glad we came early enough to grab one of the comfy booths. With a brilliant combination of a chic interior, delicious drinks and helpful staff, this bar has got to be one of our favourite places to drink in Aberdeen. Perfect for a casual drink with friends, a quick one after work, or a romantic date if you’re quick enough to get a seat!

Anna Williamson