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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Suzanne McLaughlin

What's on in Scotland this week? Seven things for seven days

In this picture taken on November 8, 2018, Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh poses during an interview with AFP in Hong Kong. - Twenty-five years ago Irvine Welsh's debut novel "Trainspotting" burst out of the housing schemes and back alleys

1 THIS week sees a very special event. Bubbles: A Story Cafe Special at the Women’s Library in Landressy Street, Govan, a belated launch celebration of a special book by the very brilliant Laura Bissell.

Laura has written an empathetic and enthralling book Bubbles: Reflections on Becoming Mother.

Prior to the pandemic that word only brought connotations of the nicest of things, shimmery spheres of fun beloved by babies or images of celebratory glasses of French champagne, and then everything changed. Laura talks about her bubble of three and how they navigated a new baby, catching

Covid and writing a book whilst she balanced motherhood with academia and her husband edited newspapers. Warm, compassionate and utterly enchanting. The event is Thursday September 1 at 1pm Tickets available (Free) at the venue or by clicking HERE. 

2 If you’re not already connected – make it happen. It’s the last day of the rejuvenated hugely successful Connect Festival today with a banging set including Mogwai and The National (as if you needed another reason to go!). The festival is taking place at The Royal Highland Centre Showgrounds from midday and tickets are available via ticketmaster HERE.

The festival celebrates some of Scotland's best homegrown talent - Credit: Graham MacIndoe

3 IT’S almost the end of the summer and to celebrate the gang at SWG3 in conjunction with Gin & Juice are throwing an old skool hip-hop bbq. Doors open 3pm. This is one for the true old school hip-hop heads. Expect eight hours of banging tunes, BBQ food vendors and a state of the art sound system. For more info, click HERE.

4 IN every single ‘best of the Fringe’ review or Merchant City Marxist dinner party table – one show is on everyones tongue and it’s Medea. The the National Theatre of Scotland’s spectacular staging of Liz Lochhead’s retelling of Euripides’s Medea. The addition of snarling Scottish dialect makes it all the more brilliant. Get tickets and go. Do not miss out on this triumphant production. Its on at The Hub in Edinburgh and tickets are still available HERE.

5 The Fringe is still going and so this column is inevitably full of Edinburgh stuff (apologies, normal service will resume next week). And of everything happening in Auld Reekie this month one of the greatest things has to be Sir Ian McKellen and Hamlet. Its on at the Ashton Hall 7pm tonight. The greatest actor of his and many other generations on stage in front of you for 30 notes. Result.  Be warned, very few tickets remain. They are available HERE.

6 IRVINE Welsh,the man, the myth, the legend is off to the most beautiful bookshop in the world Topping & Company in the super smashing town of St Andrews. He’s yakking about his new book The Long Knives. Tickets start at a £5 and maybe if you speak nicely he’ll sign a copy. Irvine is one of our finest – go hear his chat. Booking available HERE. And follow Irvine on the socials @irvinewelsh

7 RUN,don’t walk, log on right now and snap up tickets to see the one and only Kevin Bridges at the Hydro. Tickets start at £76. Yup its pricey but so so worth it. How will he beat hoose rice? You will need to be there to witness it and find out. For tickets and information, click HERE.

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