Mogwai, King Creosote, Django Django and The Jesus and Mary Chain are among bands that will be performing at the Edinburgh International Festival's "Light on the Shore" programme in Leith this August.
Sixteen events across 14 nights will bring together an eclectic line-up of artists, running from alt-folk music to post punk, from ambient electronica to new wave.
All of the gigs, apart from a tribute to Martyn Bennett’s Bothy Culture at the Playhouse, will take place at the Leith Theatre which has been closed for almost 30 years.
Ground-breaking works by Scottish artists are reimagined in three orchestral concerts. Martyn Bennett’s Bothy Culture features The GRIT Orchestra in a live performance of the celtic-fusion pioneer’s final album at the Edinburgh Playhouse; Berlin’s classical collective s t a r g a z e rework Scottish electronic stars Boards of Canada’s 1996 classic Hi Scores for 12-piece orchestral ensemble, and Southbank Sinfonia join Anna Meredith with new arrangements for electronic and orchestral forces to expand her Scottish Album of the Year Award-winning Varmints. Meredith also provides the soundtrack to the EIF’s Opening Event, Five Telegrams.
Guest curators from festivals and collectives across Scotland bring their own perspective to Light on the Shore in a series of bespoke events. Hidden Door, which is holding its annual multi-arts festival in the Leith Theatre for a second time in May, are back in August to present alt-indie legends The Jesus and Mary Chain, headlining a bill which segues from the shoegaze scene to pastoral indie folk and features Glasgow bands Honeyblood and Spinning Coin.
Neu! Reekie! present two evenings inspired by "the anarchic spirit of cult heroes": the first evening features a legend of New York’s 1970s no wave scene, Lydia Lunch, Edinburgh’s own post-punk icons Fire Engines and Kraut-rock pioneer Michael Rother, leader of Neu! and an original member of Kraftwerk; whilst the second brings together Scottish alt-rock icons The Vaselines and The Pastels with dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson.
TeenCanteen singer Carla J Easton shines a spotlight on Scotland’s forgotten girl bands in Since Yesterday: The Unsung Women Pioneers of Pop which features Sacred Paws, Bossy Love, and The Van T’s.
Glasgow record label Numbers presents an evening of innovative electronic music, with live performance and DJ sets from a selection of national and international guests.
The Celtic Connections festival presents Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis with Quebecois band Le Vent du Nord, the coming together of two of the most engaging acts from the world of folk and world music.
Inhabiting spaces throughout the Leith Theatre are electronic-folk pioneers Lau, whose day to night presentation of Lau-Land sees them joined by a host of friends and collaborators including the American singer-songwriter Joan As Police Woman, Egyptian electronica artist Nadah El Shazly, folk singer Alasdair Roberts, the psychedelic sound of James Holden, the traditional pipes of Rona Lightfoot and Brighde Chaimbuel, chamber-folk quartet RANT, acapella traditional singers Landless and the Whitburn Band.
Light on the Shore’s final event is an evening hosted by Scottish actor turned cabaret performer Alan Cumming. Alan and his band return to Edinburgh, after a successful run at the Festival in 2016, to present Club Cumming, closing the season with what is described as "a raucous mix of dance, drinks and debauchery in his party to end all parties".
"Light on the Shore has been a wide-ranging collaborative effort,” said International Festival Director Fergus Linehan. “The support of the Expo Fund through the Scottish Government and our sponsors Edinburgh Gin have allowed us to present a hugely diverse and far reaching programme; the work of the Leith Theatre Trust and festivals such as Hidden Door have brought this magnificent venue back to life; and the curatorial talents of many of Scotland's greatest artists and promoters have delivered a truly unique snapshot of Scottish music and its wide-ranging interconnectivity."
The International Festival also has a new partner Edinburgh Gin Seaside as sponsor of the season, which is produced with Leith based technical partners Black Light and The Warehouse, and in association with the National Museum of Scotland’s exhibition Rip It Up: The Story of Scottish Pop.
Tickets for Light on the Shore with Edinburgh Gin Seaside go on sale on Friday 4 May at 10am at eif.co.uk, by phone on 0131 473 2000 or in person at The Hub.
Light on the Shore Programme
King Creosote
Thursday 9 August 7pm
3hrs 30mins approx
£25 (fees apply)
Django Django + C Duncan + Happy Meals
Friday 10 August 7pm
3hrs 30mins approx
£20 (fees apply)
Anna Meredith with Southbank Sinfonia
Saturday 11 August 7pm
1hr 30 mins approx
£20 (fees apply)
Numbers Showcase
Saturday 11 August 10.30pm
3hrs approx
£15 (fees apply)
Neu! Reekie! #1 . . . Lydia Lunch + The Fire Engines + Michael Rother (Neu!)
Sunday 12 August 7pm
4hrs approx
£25 (fees apply)
Celtic Connections presents . . . Le Vent Du Nord + Julie Fowlis
Monday 13 August 7pm
3hrs 30mins approx
£25 (fees apply)
Hidden Door presents . . . The Jesus and Mary Chain, Honeyblood + Spinning Coin
Tuesday 14 August 7pm
5hrs 30mins approx
£25 (fees apply)
Karine Polwart's Scottish Songbook
Thursday 16 August 7pm
2hrs approx
£20 (fees apply)
Neu! Reekie! #2 . . . The Vaselines + The Pastels + Linton Kwesi Johnson
Friday 17 August 7pm
4hrs approx
£25 (fees apply)
Lau-Land: Lau + Joan As Police Woman + James Holden + Nadah El Shazly + more
Saturday 18 August 7pm
6hrs approx
£25 (fees apply)
Martyn Bennett’s Bothy Culture performed by The GRIT Orchestra
Tuesday 21 August 8pm
2hrs approx
Playhouse Theatre
£30 - £35 Please note this event is being held at the Playhouse Theatre due to the scale of the performance
Mogwai
Wednesday 22 & Thursday 23 August 7pm
3hrs approx
£30 (fees apply)
Since Yesterday: The Unsung Women Pioneers of Scottish Pop
Friday 24 August 7pm
6hrs approx
£20 (fees apply)
Boards of Canada’s Hi Scores performed by s t a r g a z e ensemble
Saturday 25 August 5pm
1hr approx
£20 (fees apply)
Alan Cumming presents Club Cumming
Saturday 26 August 10.30pm
4hrs approx
£25 (fees apply)