The Joshua Hotel to headline Stereo in Glasgow this weekend
The Joshua Hotel, an Inverness-based trio fronted by multi-instrumentalist and producer Joshua Mackenzie, will play at Stereo on Saturday, June 14.
The trio is completed by guitarist and drone specialist Louis Slorach, and drummer and percussionist Joshua Gilbert.
Read more: Glasgow artist releases 'infectious' new track crowned 'Single of the Week'
Currently, the band is building momentum ahead of the release of their debut album Rapture Party, due out this September.
The album, produced and mastered by Jason Shaw at Fuzzface Studios in 2024, has a distinctly Scottish influence having been written in the Highlands and recorded on the West Coast in Largs.
(Image: Supplied)
It features guest vocals from Shanine Gallagher, a long-time friend and collaborator who previously released music under the moniker Ess_Gee.
Described as a "last dance at the twilight of millennial youth," the album tackles themes of love, friendship, sexuality, self-identity, mental health, and mortality amid the shifting political and cultural climate of the past 25 years.
Read more: Singer behind huge 1970s hit announces Glasgow gig
Their latest single, Show Me Around, is set to be released on July 4 and has been described as "a sun-kissed slice of propulsive indie disco with stylistic nods to Bronski Beat, Depeche Mode and Daft Punk."
Originally a solo project launched by Mr Mackenzie during lockdown, The Joshua Hotel evolved into a trio in 2023 with the release of their EP Oblivion Days.
That project has since attracted support from Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music, Gary Crowley on BBC London, John Kennedy on Radio X, and Vic Galloway on BBC Radio Scotland.
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Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Festival Fringe: The producer who contacted 100 firms for 'missing out' Scottish comedians
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A comedy producer has told how she contacted over 100 Scottish companies looking for Edinburgh Festival Fringe funding for local comedians 'missing out' on fame. Katie Palmer, of Brass Tacks, decided to create a fund to pay for the costs of performing at the Fringe after realising Scottish comedians were being under-represented at a national and international level, in part due to the rocketing costs of performing at the event. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad After sending out a sponsorship proposal to around 100 Scottish companies she believed might be a good fit to support local comedy, Ms Palmer heard back from only ten - with all of them refusing to fund the idea. Jack Traynor is from Cumbernauld but still felt he could not afford to perform at the Fringe. | Jack Traynor Eventually, she sent out a letter on spec to drinks giant Red Bull UK, which offered her £4,000. She has since managed to find match funding from Glasgow comedy club Blackfriars of Bell Street to allow her to sponsor two comedians Jack Traynor and Ayo Adenekan, who were among more than 50 applicants. 'We had over 50 applicants, which was incredible to see,' she said. 'But [it was] also devastating to see that 50-plus Scottish comedians felt like they could debut this year, but couldn't afford it.' The idea for the fund was born during last year's Fringe. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Palmer said: 'It really came to light in my head during the Fringe last year of the lack of support for Scottish comedy. It just feels as though there's very rarely a Scottish comedian who will be nominated for any awards or get big TV opportunities off the back of the Fringe, despite the Scottish comedy scene being genuinely incredible.' Ayo Adenekan is to receive money from the Brass Tacks Debut Fund. | Colette Ms Palmer added: 'At this point, it feels as though the comedy industry in the UK should be over-represented by Scottish acts, but it's not. People who watch Live at the Apollo or go to comedy in London or Birmingham should be thinking 'how come so many of these people are Scottish?' Because we have the biggest festival in the world on our doorstep and Scottish comedians should be over-represented in that. But I think in many ways, it's the opposite, they're missing out.' Ms Palmer started Brass Tacks Comedy in January last year, and has produced a range of successful shows at the 2024 Fringe, including Amy Annette's sell-out run with extra shows added, and Grace Mulvey, who was named one of the top 12 shows of the Fringe by Rolling Stone. The producer said: 'The fact that Jack Traynor felt the Fringe was not on his horizon and he was completely priced out of it, despite living in Scotland, was unbelievable. He lives in Cumbernauld and he just wasn't planning to ever come here. It just wasn't - and couldn't be - in his plans.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Katie Palmer of Brass Tacks. | Katie Palmer of Brass Tacks. Mr Traynor said: "There's no two ways about it - if I didn't have the backing of Blackfriars and Brass Tacks, I wouldn't be doing the Fringe. 'The Fringe is a different beast and trying to compete with the finances … even though I live in Scotland, it's easy to just get left behind.' Mr Adenekan said: 'I applied because this was an amazing opportunity - being able to make my Fringe debut without having to bear the financial burden was a major factor for me. 'The fact the fund was created for Scottish acts, by a Scottish company, made me even more eager to apply because I feel the Scottish scene is often overlooked, even on our own doorstep.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Edinburgh Live
2 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh dad's new career after going viral on Facebook 'by chance'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A working class Edinburgh dad-of-two has told how he won't listen to the doubters as he continues on his journey to country music stardom. Sean Mearns, 40, from Clermiston, is father to his two boys, Robbie, 10, and Luke, five, and husband to wife Kerri, 36, and has already had his music played on UK radio stations. Working as a maintenance worker, he has told how he is aiming for the stars after a chance Facebook Live has led to him eyeing up a 12-night-run, playing country music classic for 6,000 Fringe festival goers. Sean, who specialises in Scottish, Irish and American country music, is hoping his own journey can inspire others to follow in his footsteps. 'It all started four years ago when I felt like I was just plodding along in life,' he said. 'I felt my brain was wasting away so I decided to learn how to play the guitar and got some lessons. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. 'I started playing in the snug in my house and went from there," he said. "My brother Jamie had his 40th in Liverpool and his pal Dennis (DelBhoy) came along. 'On the minibus he was playing away and my brother and his mates goaded me on to give it a go. I sang Callum Beattie's 'Salamander Street' and everyone loved it. 'Dennis was blown away and asked my story but I said I just play in my room and mind my own business. Little did I know my brother had Facebook Live'd me and my wife told me it was everywhere back home. 'Dennis asked me to come see him when I was home but I thought nothing of it.' Sean moved on with his life and continued to play for himself until he saw some sage advice he offered to his Robbie rebounded back at him. It was at this point the dad thought he had nothing to lose. 'My boy Robbie was playing footy but was doubting himself,' he said. 'I told him he's amazing and he is doing the right thing and back himself. 'Then he turned to me and called me out. 'How about you back yourself too dad.' 'So we agreed I'd go see Dennis and he'd crack on with his football and we'd both smash it. That has been the deal ever since.' With the help of Dennis, Sean got out gigging, and he dived in deep playing in front of 120 people in the Midyoken pub. Two and a half years later, he has not looked back. 'The difference between me and other people, a lot folk talk a good game, but I just do it. My motto is we go big or we go home. 'I don't shy away from anything and when the opportunity came to perform at the Grand Lodge on George Street during the Fringe, I jumped at it. We will be performing in front of 500 people a night for twelve nights, hopefully selling 6,000 tickets. 'We will be doing a Country Music All-Stars show, playing classic covers from over the years.' As a working class resident of the capital, Sean notes people from his community often do not see the Fringe as for them, but he sees no reason why that should be the case. 'We have a mindset it is not for us, but why not?', he said. 'I started off doing covers but then I recorded my first single 'She wanted him' with Dennis. 'My music started taking off, I've had 60,000 streams, and 100,000s of views on TikTok. It was surreal getting comments from people in America loving the music. 'My family have also been amazing, they are just embracing what I am doing, even though they are a bit shocked. No one was expecting me to go down this route. 'It is definitely picking up momentum, folk are stopping me in town and asking for a picture. After the Fringe show I'll probably look to do a Scottish tour.' Sean said he often meets older men in pubs who live with regrets they did not pursue their dream and he details how he does not want to be one of them. 'If you have a passion for something you want to do, go and do it,' he said. 'No regrets and I say that to my sons. 'Sometimes you have to take a big step and it is easy for others to judge. As Scottish folk we like to knock people who try things, but we should support them, and let people thrive. 'Life is too short. There is a stigma around failure but why can't we succeed?' Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Sean is also keen to give back with the maintenance man regularly playing free shows at nursing homes and charities. 'It's just an hour of my time and sometimes it makes their day or even their week.' To explore Sean's music visit his Facebook here.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
When Billy Met Alasdair: Alan Bissett on new Edinburgh Fringe show
Alasdair Gray is one of the towering figures of Scottish letters, Billy Connolly is the nation's greatest comic. Stature aside, they might seem like slightly unusual bedfellows, writer Alan Bissett told the Sunday National, but the two men had more in common than might first be assumed. Bissett's one-man play When Billy Met Alasdair at this year's Fringe follows the lives of both men, culminating with their meeting at the launch of Gray's magnum opus Lanark at the Third Eye Centre in Glasgow in 1981. 'In some ways, they're a study in contrasts because they're from completely different worlds: Billy's an entertainer, worked in the shipyards; Alastair's very highbrow and learned. It's like he absorbed the whole canon of Western literature,' said Bissett. 'Those contrasts are what drew me towards them. But actually, they are more similar than you think because Billy is also a very well-read person and he has a very keen eye for the arts – he's a painter as well. 'He's an incredibly articulate and intelligent man and cultured. And Alastair's also very funny. So while they seem like they seem like two very contrasting figures, underneath it, they've got much more in common than you think.' (Image: Gordon Terris / The Herald) Bissett (above), the writer behind The Moira Monologues and novels such as Boyracers and Lazy Susan, was inspired to write the play when he found a photograph of Connolly having his book signed by Gray. 'Because the two of them have meant so much to me individually, to see a photograph of the two of them in the same in the same shot, to see Billy getting his book signed by Alastair at the launch for Lanark, I was just always really fascinated by what they might have talked about or how Billy ended up there – what that shot meant, basically,' he said. Researching the script was the most time-consuming aspect of its writing says Bissett, digging into his friend Rodge Glass's biography of Gray, informed by his work as the author's secretary, as well as books by or about Connolly. 'You can feel the material to start to sing to you, it lifts out of the pages of research and the characters come with it and you might get some scenes that present themselves or lines of dialogue and that starts to gradually coalesce,' he said. 'It's almost like the project telling you that you've been prepping long enough and now it's time to give birth.' Redrafting was done partly in rehearsals with the play's director Kirstin McLean, who helped Bissett with his portrayal of both men. Playing both parts, plus a third, unnamed character, poses its challenges: 'If you forget your line and you're the only person on stage – wow. 'You just need to jam for a bit until it comes back to you.' Bissett's passion for both men is evident, describing them as his heroes. 'Billy Connolly has been a part of my life since my childhood, watching his videos with my family, all of us pissing ourselves laughing – probably the same story everyone in Scotland can tell,' he said. Meanwhile Gray loomed over him for some time as a young writer and Bissett described Lanark's reputation as being like a 'mountain that had to be scaled'. 'Then you get to the top of the mountain and there's this incredible view,' he said. Speaking about performing, Bissett takes on an almost religious edge. 'There's a really interesting phenomenon when you've performed in front of an audience for long enough, you get to be able to read a silence,' he said. 'Even if there's complete silence in front of you, you can tell the difference between a bored silence and an engaged silence. There's something about the quality of that silence that transmits; either frustration on the audience's part or willingness to go with you. You have to be able to react to tiny pressures in the room that are coming from the audience and that then feeds your performance. 'The audience gives you energy; if you're getting absolutely nothing from them, it's difficult to keep going. I mean, you do keep going but if you get the feeling the audience are warm and encouraging, it gives you so much power in your performance that it becomes a pleasure and that's why a performer does it, it's for that feeling.' Alan Bissett performs When Billy Met Alasdair at the Scottish Storytelling Centre at the Edinburgh Fringe from Thursday, July 31 to Saturday, August 23, with no shows on August 1, 6, 8, 13, 14, 20 or 21. To find out more or buy tickets, go to
