1 EDINBURGH JAZZ AND BLUES FESTIVALPlenty to choose from on the first day of the capital’s annual jazz & blues bonanza, not least top-rated traditional jazz outfit The Syncopators, who have come all the way from Melbourne to pay
tribute to the greats, and homegrown sax virtuoso Paul Towndrow (pictured). For full festival listings visit
www.edinburghjazzfestival.co.uk• Various venues, Edinburgh, today until 3 August, 0131-473 2000
2 FESTIVAL: WICKERMANThe only music festival we know of that culminates in the burning of a 9m-high wicker effigy, this year’s Wickerman boasts big names such as Gary Numan and KT Tunstall as well as up-and-coming acts like Zoey Van Goey, Broken Records and Action Group. There are also one or two interesting accommodation options, including some brand new “Myhabs” – recyclable shelters that will hopefully put an end to large-scale tent wastage at festivals.
• Dundrennan, from noon today, ticket info 0844 884 2920
3 FILM: THE DARK KNIGHTThe Dark Knight is a film with a secret identity. On the surface it may look like another comic book movie, another studio-sanctioned sequel, but co-writer/director Christopher Nolan uses that guise to deliver something more: a genre-redefining crime epic for our freaked-out times. See Review, page 4
• Cinemas nationwide
4 FILM: WALL-EPixar’s astonishingly accomplished tale of a lonely rubbish-collecting robot is bold, ambitious and full of cinematic wizardry, but WALL-E swells the heart as much as it dazzles the eyes. It’s a film that is both visually sophisticated and admirably pure in terms of the basic story it is telling.
• Cinemas nationwide
5 MUSIC: GIRLS ALOUDThey may have been assembled for a reality television programme but after six hit-strewn years, Girls Aloud are a delightful part of our pop DNA. They’ve reportedly pulled out all the stops on this latest tour, so expect more smoke and mirrors than a reflecting cigarette factory and a set based on current album Tangled Up.
• Edinburgh Castle, 7pm, 0870 1690 100
6 THEATRE: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHINGGlasgow’s Bard in the Botanics season is one of the great survivors of Scottish theatre, undeterred by tempests, cash crises, and the recent Kibble Palace refit. The intrepid outdoor company here offers the second show of its 2008 season, a promenade version of a favourite Shakespeare comedy.
• Botanic Gardens, Glasgow, 7:45pm, 0141-330 5522
7 THEATRE: ANNIEThe story of the redheaded orphan who wins the heart of businessman Daddy Warbucks through the medium of song and dance. This amateur production is brought to you by Edinburgh Playhouse Stage Experience, featuring 100 local 10- to 21-year-olds. Includes singalong favourites Tomorrow and Hard-Knock Life.
• Playhouse, Edinburgh, 7:30pm, 0844 847 1660
8 THEATRE: SHE STOOPS TO CONQUEROliver Goldsmith’s famous and gorgeous 1773 comedy details the amorous adventures of a young blade called Marlow, who is frightfully shy with women of his own class but a right lad when it comes to wenches from the lower orders.
• Pitlochry Festival Theatre, 8pm, 01796 484626
9 VISUAL ART: IMPRESSIONISM AND SCOTLANDIn this five-star show, work by famous French Impressionist painters is hung alongside work by their Scottish contemporaries. It’s thoughtfully assembled, and demonstrates this country’s contribution to a revolutionary art movement.
• National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, 10am-5pm, 0131-624 6200
10 THEATRE: ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ACCORDIONISTAnother tour date for this enduring Highland Festival show, which can also be seen at the Edinburgh Fringe at the Acoustic Music Centre @ St Brides. Nothing to do with Dario Fo, despite the pun, it’s a comedy ceilidh murder mystery that’s full of manic energy.
• Carrbridge Village Hall, 7:45pm, 01479 841211
The full article contains 652 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
