THEATRE
Cyprus Avenue, Tron Theatre, until March 25
David Ireland’s pitch-black absurdist Belfast comedy about sectarianism gets its Scottish premiere where, let’s be honest, it will ring more than a few bells. David Hayman plays Eric, a loyalist who believes his five-week-old granddaughter is actually Gerry Adams. What follows is shocking and hilarious, often at the same time.
FICTION
Squeaky Clean, Callum McSorley, Pushkin Vertigo, £16.99
Tartan Noir can always do with a fresh injection of blood, so time to welcome Callum McSorley whose debut Squeaky Clean is a smart, nasty and really rather heartbreaking thriller set in and around a Glasgow car wash. Our introduction to DI Alison McCoist (yes, yes, she’s heard all the jokes) and likely to be the first of many.
MUSIC
Graham Gouldman, Saint Luke’s, Glasgow, Wednesday
You’re too late to get tickets to Self Esteem in Glasgow or Edinburgh this week. And Rozi Plain’s show in Leith is also sold out. But if you hurry you might bag a ticket for Graham Gouldman’s show at Saint Luke’s on Wednesday. Gouldman has a songwriting pedigree that dates back to the 1960s when he wrote hits for The Yardbirds and The Hollies. He then joined 10cc, co-writing many of the band’s biggest hits, including I’m Not in Love, Rubber Bullets and Dreadlock Holiday. And in the 1980s he teamed up with American singer Andrew Gold in the 1980s to form Wax. In other words, you’ll probably be able to sing along with every song he plays.
POETRY
StAnza, various venues, St Andrews, from Thursday to Sunday
Jenni Fagan, Don Paterson, Helen Mort, Hollie McNish and Linton Kwesi Johnson are just some of the names attending this year’s international poetry festival in St Andrews. The theme this year is “wildness” and along with the usual mix of poetry readings and workshops there will be film screenings, exhibitions, live music and even a guided walk with artist Juliana Capes. There will also be a celebration of the great Scottish poet Douglas Dunn. Visit stanzapoetry.org
COMEDY
Jon Richardson, Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, Friday
The star of Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Meet the Richardsons kicks off the Scottish leg of the long-delayed The Knitwit tour in Dunfermline (with gigs in Dundee and Aberdeen to follow next weekend). What can we expect? “I have made a deliberate attempt to make this tour a string of the funniest things I can think of to say that make our two hours together an escape from everything else.” Now that’s a promise. Richardson will be back in April for gigs in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
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