CABARET
Vegas! The Grand Hogmanay Ball, Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, tomorrow
How are you planning to see in the New Year? You’re not watching Hootenanny again, are you? If you fancy a change you could always see if there are tickets left for tomorrow night’s Grand Hogmanay Ball at the Voodoo Rooms. You are invited to dress up and swing into the New Year in the company of The Jive Aces and Blues and Burlesque (featuring erstwhile Dexys member Pete Saunders), plus many more. Georg Tormann will be singing Rat Pack classics and you can expect glittery costumes and feather boas. How can Jools Holland compete?
ART
William Gillies, Modernism and Nation, The Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, Monday until January 28
This year sees the 125th anniversary of the birth of the Scottish painter William Gillies (and the 50th anniversary of his death). To mark the occasion, the RSA has mounted this substantial exhibition of the work of the Haddington-born painter which seeks to reframe his work in terms of its relationship to modernism throughout his artistic career. Alternatively, you can simply enjoy it for Gillies’s eye for bold colour and pattern. NB, there is also an exhibition running in parallel at the John Gray Centre in Haddington, Gillies’ home town, which continues until April.
CLASSICAL
SCO Viennese New Year, Usher Hall, Edinburgh Monday, 3pm
Presuming you’ve already done the Loony Dook in the morning you can warm up with an afternoon of Viennese waltzes courtesy of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. There will also be a Czech flavour to proceedings thanks to the music of Dvorak and today’s conductor Jiri Rozen. Soprano Jennifer France will also be on hand and it’s just possible The Blue Danube will get an outing. The SCO will then tour the show to Aberdeen (Tuesday, 7.30pm), Perth (Wednesday, 7.30pm) and Ayr (Thursday, 7.30pm).
MUSIC
First Footin’, various venues, Edinburgh, Monday
After its revival last New Year’s Day, Edinburgh’s day of free live music returns again for the start of 2024. Musicians taking part on Monday include Lau, Fergus McCreadie, Herald Magazine favourite Kathryn Joseph, SAY award nominees Bemz and Becky Sikasa and Sound of Young Scotland winners No Window. We’re also promised a DJ set from Hot Chip. For more information visit edinburghshogmanay.com
King Tut’s New Year Revolution, until January 27
Returning for its 13th year, Glasgow’s iconic venue is once again hosting its New Year Revolution festival in January celebrating the best and brightest new bands in the Scottish music scene. Kicking off on Wednesday with Inverclyde’s The Wits (teenagers one and all), other names to look out for include Majesty Palm next Friday, Tina Sandwich (January 6), and the very promising electropop of Fourth Daughter (January 11). But there is probably something for every musical taste right through to January 27 and the appearance of queer punk/country/art rock outfit Junk Pups. The future starts here.
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