The Handmaiden

Adapted from the novel Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters, Korean director has moved the setting from Victorian England to his own country in the 1930s, then under Japanese subjugation.  The film is quite self-consciously divided into three parts, and each one layers on the complexity and deceptions of the characters' relationships.

A young Korean woman, Sook-hee, leaves her family to take up a post as a domestic in the house of wealthy bibliophile Kouzouki.  The housekeeper, very much an Asian Mrs Danvers, briefs her on her duties as handmaiden to her master's niece, the beautiful and naive Hideko.  A hard up Japanese aristocrat, Count Fujiwara, arrives to help Kouzouki create fakes of valuable old books, and give art lessons to the young woman, in whom he begins to take a considerable interest.

In flashback we learn of the first level of deceit, as it is revealed that the 'count' is an aspirational Korean con-man who has recruited Sook-hee, from a gang of pickpockets, to aid him in seducing her mistress into marrying him so that he can make off with her considerable fortune.  And that Hideko is less in control of her destiny than we'd thought, being very much under the control of her sadistic uncle.

Part one, largely scene from the handmaiden's point of view, ends with an unexpected double cross.  From then on the layers of chicanery and mistrust build upon one another.  Part two relives many of the same scenes, but this time from Hideko's perspective, and fills in the background of her own life to show why she isn't quite the ingenue first portrayed.  As the relationships become more convoluted it is less clear who is manipulating who, and to what ends.

In the final part the action follows on from the first two, with further plot twists and, eventually, some clarity as to who are the winners and losers in this battle of wits and lies.    Even at the final resolution, not everyone gets what you expect.

The Handmaiden is a wild mix of historical romance, thriller, eroticism, art house and psychological drama.  It might even be seen as feminist, with two strong female leads who get to run rings around the confused men.  In the background lurks the occupying power, and the decisions the local population have to make in how far to go with collaboration, how much to resist.  Under a colonial regime nobody can afford to just be themselves, and deception is as much a part of the society as it is in the lives of the main characters.  The subtitles are in white when Korean is being spoken, yellow for Japanese, and the mix helps reflect the snobberies, allegiances and role playing that are an integral part of foreign occupation.

It's also a very sexy movie, teasingly so in the early scenes, moving on to some intense couplings later.  These do have a whiff of male fantasy about them, but ultimately justify their inclusion through their adding to our knowledge of the shifting balance of power and faith between the characters.  It might also contain the most erotic dentistry scene you'll ever watch!

At near enough two and half hours it could be a long haul for the viewer, but the twists and turns of the plot are more than enough to hold the interest, and it's never clear until the titles roll if there are any further scorpion stings to hit home.  I found myself thinking I could happily watch again, now relieved of the need to pay close attention to the subtitles and able to soak in the intense visual experience.  It's a beautiful film to watch, especially round the sumptuous the interiors of Kouzouki's vast home, a fantasy mix of Japanese and English architecture, with it's very own deception built in.

It might stray into the ridiculous at times - what was that giant octopus doing in there? - but underlying all the smart cinematic dazzle is a strong storyline and all the curveballs you could want to keep you guessing.  Highly recommended.

Kris Drever, Queens Hall

No support act tonight, just 2 sets of Mr D, ably assisted by Euan Burton on double bass, and Louis Abbott, of Admiral Fallow fame, on drums, backing vocals, occasional keyboard, and a bit of left thigh!  Mostly familiar songs to Drever fans, drawn from his three excellent solo albums, with one new number he'd written for a commission from the BBC about the First World War.  A good mix of self penned material, and songs from a variety of sources, covering the personal and political, romantic and bleak, thoughtful and rousing.

Changes to phrasing and arrangements brought a bit of freshness to the sound.  Burton's sympathetic bass playing was both unobtrusive and essential, while Abbott was clearly enjoying himself on the drums with a great contribution heightening the drama of The Allegory.  Of course Kris is now recognised as one of Britain's finest guitarists, and his accompaniments and solos were inventive and absorbing.  His voice might not have the widest of ranges, but is always distinctive and full of character, and he chooses his material wisely.  A joy to listen to.

The introductions were kept short, but Drever's dry humour was evident throughout and he delivered a couple of background tales with some style.  All too soon the gig came to an end with, as encore, a rousing rendition of Boo Hewerdine's classic Harvest Gypsies.  A great night's entertainment.

My Country : A Work in Progress, Traverse

Britney - sorry, that should read Britannia - is having a meeting, a sort of gathering, and she's invited her closest friends - Caledonia, Cymru, Northern Ireland, and the South West, North east and East Midlands of England.  It's a gathering to watch the big decision being made, and there's no chance that they'll all go away happy.

Following the EU referendum last June the National Theatre collected interviews with people of all ages from across the UK.  Many of their statements are wound into the fabric of the drama, plus the words of some of the more prominent politicians involved.  The result doesn't tell us anything new, but it is very entertaining.  Wonderfully funny in places, with a bit of a song and dance thrown in, it's a well constructed ninety minutes.  But it's striking how many of the voices are, even after the vote, still so ill informed about the subject.  One of them has even gone on on to become Foreign Secretary.

Led by Penny Layden as Britannia, it's an impressive ensemble performance.  there's complex physical and verbal choreography throughout, as the representatives show up their differences and bring out the voices of the interviewees.  All six have to bring to life a range of characters and voices, often crossing over one another and sometimes descending into rabble.  Layden has the most fun, imitating the political figures - Cameron and Gove are hard to tell apart at times, but then neither has much of a personality.  Her Niggle Fuhrage is suitably bombastic (and swiftly brought my anger to boiling point saying "without a shot being fired" - a photo of Jo Cox popped up early on as a reminder of how hollow that nonsense was).  There's a brief appearance for May towards the end, as meaningless as ever, but she has by far the greatest fun with Johnson and his ludicrous affectations.

There are no great revelations, but it's an effective illustration of just how bitterly divided and broken the UK has become.  Worth a look.

Lady Macbeth

Katherine (Florence Pugh) has been sold into a loveless marriage to live a lonely existence in a house dominated by the cruelty of her father in law.  Ignored by her husband, she is forced into a life of tedious routine.  When both men are away for a long period she takes the chance to reawaken her love for the outdoors and desire for a more exciting existence.  This leads into a passionate affair with Sebastian (Cosmo Jarvis) one of her husband's employees, a path that can only lead to conflict.  But Katherine proves to be the stronger personality over all those who seek to put obstacles in her path, and has no qualms about taking whatever actions she thinks necessary to protect the life she wants to lead.

Based on a nineteenth century Russian novella, and transposed to northern England in the 1860s, this Lady Macbeth is ambitious for herself, not her husband.  She's determined to break through the patriarchal system that denies her humanity and tries to stifle her needs.  Even if that means committing the most brutal of crimes.

It's real slow burner of a drama.  There's a great deal of silence and repetition to establish just how dull her married existence is, and a slow increase in the suffocation of her personality.  When she's released to live her own life it is literally a breath of fresh air as the camera opens up from the claustrophobia of the house onto the distant horizons of the moors.  It's easy to understand why it would be impossible for her to return to the old regime.  But at any cost?

Pugh is magnificent as the central spindle which others must cling to or be thrown away.  Even as her crimes become as monstrous as the title suggests, she is able to retain a shred of sympathy from her audience for the injustices she suffered that put her on this road.  A feminist anti-hero.

The film is also notable for showing the Britain of the time as a more racially diverse place than is usually represented on screen, but doesn't shy away from the racism that existed either.

It's a bleak and dark tale, but with a fascinating and complex central character who holds the attention throughout.

Rura, TradFest, Summerhall

They're still very young, but Rura are already a well established force on the folk scene.  This was their first gig without vocalist Adam Holmes, but they had an excellent replacement in Dallahan's Jack Badcock.   As they also did with Holmes, the singer doesn't take the stage for the opening sets of tunes, only joining the others for the songs.  This does lend a curiously disjointed feel to the performance at times.

Which does nothing to detract from the music itself.  Right from the start this band show they know how to raise the spirits.  Well balanced sets of tunes, a mix of traditional and modern, varied tempos and instrumentation, and imaginative arrangements make for high octane traditional style music.  Adam Brown's guitar provide a solid backing to the melodies of fiddle, whistles, flute and highland bagpipes.  Add in David Foley's subtle bodhran playing and you have driving rhythms and powerhouse sound.

Badcock's voice is softer than that of Holmes, and the sound man wasn't doing him any favours at times, but the band have chosen well and he fits right in.  Even those already familiar with Adam's delivery of establish Rura favourites like Mary and Allegory could have no complaints about Jack's renditions.  Brown and fiddler Jack Smedley took on most of the introductory duties to give us a bit of background to the numbers, and Foley provides some amusing interjections.

Rura are developing into one of the best live acts on the folk scene delivered an exciting night of music.  There's nothing quite like the rousingly muscular sound of the bodhran and pipes to get the blood pumping.

Donegal to Dun Èideann, TradFest, Storytelling Centre

Amy Geddes of Galloway and Liz Doherty from Donegal, two women to whom fiddle playing looks as natural as breathing.  Ably backed by the serene Kevin Mackenzie on guitar, they provided and hour of tunes from their own native traditions, the music of Cape Breton, and some contemporary pieces.  Clearly delighted to be playing together again, there was a good mix of the the slow and the fast.  A beautiful slow air from Geddes stood out for it's emotional impact, but it was the faster reels and jigs that got the toes tapping - literally in the case of a guest step dancer who joined them on stage for a few numbers.

There clearly hadn't been a lot of time to rehearse as a trio, so the gig had a charmingly shambolic element, the two feeding off each other's falterings to introduce the sets.   But that just added to the fun.  It's a pity that the small audience was so inhibited,for the performance deserved a rowdier appreciation.

A delight for anyone with a love of traditional Celtic fiddle playing.

Fourth Moon, TradFest, Summerhall

A band that came into being when a Frenchman, an Austrian, an Italian and a Scotsman met up in Ireland, so there's a real hotchpotch of influences going into their music.  The result feels fresh and ofttimes exhilarating.  With a nod towards the pioneering spirit of Lau in showing how traditional musicianship and instruments can be used to produce a truly original sound, Fourth Moon take a mixture of tunes, many of them self penned, and put together sets that play around with styles and tempos and deliver the unexpected.  Guitar, fiddle, concertina and flute and whistles are a reassuringly trad lineup, but serving a very contemporary form of music.

They're a cheerful bunch on stage, showing obvious delight in playing together, and joking with the audience and each other.  Scot Mohsen Amini, who did most of the talking between numbers, was informative and funny, but all four are comfortable chipping in to add variety.

Whilst there are some beautiful slower passages, it's the fast stuff that bring both band and audience fully to life and gets the pulse racing.  These are seriously talented musicians who have found in each other a chance to experiment and extend their own musical experiences.  It's a shame there was no CD to take away, this music would benefit from further listening to better appreciate the complexities, so I hope there will be an album in the near future.  Definitely a band I want to see again.

Here's an example of what they can do.

Final thought.  Fourth Moon are a living allegory for the benefits of Scotland being closely integrated with our European friends.  Just sayin'....

Wayward Jane, TradFest, Storytelling Centre

A young four piece Edinburgh band who describe their music as 'old time Americana a bit mashed up'.  Their source material is largely from the back catalogue of US folk music, with some self penned tunes and a bit of Hank Williams, filtered through their own influences and tastes to arrive at their own unique arrangements.  Fiddle, flute, banjo, guitars and double bass provide the music, with all four contributing to the vocals, and I've no complaints to make about their abilities.  All four show considerable talent and the primary lead singer has a wonderful voice.

As a live act, there's still something missing.  The first half set was pleasant enough, but lacked any real excitement.  It all felt a bit one-paced, some tunes went on longer than seemed ideal, and the introductions were laboured and lacked confidence.  The high spot came when they brought up an older musician to the stage to add a bit of Dobro to the sound.

And if I'd left during the interval that would have been my review.  But this turned out to be something of a Jekyll and Hyde evening.  There was an irony during the interval when over the speakers came Dallahan, the band I'd been to see the previous evening and noted purveyors of high energy performances.  Maybe some of that energy transferred itself to Wayward Jane....

The second half felt like it came from a different gig.  Some traditional tunes from this side of the Atlantic brought some life into the proceedings, followed by some singalongs and a better mix of tempos.  The intros remained shambolic, and needed an injection of personality, but suddenly the event moved beyond 'pleasant' and became genuinely enjoyable.  When they manage to spread that enjoyment across a whole gig they'll be a good band to watch.

Dallahan, TradFest, Summerhall

Having reviewed Dallahan gigs last year and the year before there isn't much to add to my earlier words.  A new bass player has added a jazzier edge to the backing sound, and Jack Badcock's vocals seem to get better every time I hear him.  The band have just that bit more stage presence, a touch more confidence perhaps, after successfully touring in the US.  There's still the same energy, inventiveness and the lushness of Jani Lang's Hungarian fiddling.  Dallahan just keep on getting better and better.

My only carp would be over the lack of new material, as much as anything because that means their third album must be some way off.  Talking to Ciaran Ryan afterwards he says plans are in place and there should be a new release next year.  Something to look forward to in 2018.  Dallahan remain one of my all time favourite bands, and a thrilling live act.

Safe Place, A Play, a Pie and a Pint, Traverse

It's 4am and someone is knocking at Martine's door.  A stranger, a young woman seeking shelter and a safe place to be.  But why is she so reluctant to reveal details of her past, and what drew her to seek out this particular door?

Martine is a veteran of feminist activism, a weel kent figure in the national media, and write of an article in which she said she'd happily shelter women in her own home if they were escaping danger.  Rowan has a copy with her, challenging the older woman to live up to her rhetoric.  But she poses other challenges too, which will force Martine to confront and examine some of her own beliefs.

Then there's Nina, Martine's agent, who feels her client should be acting in the interests of her 'brand' as much as her beliefs.  Martine's going to have to decide where she stands....

With much of the script being used to explain the background to the conflict there's a sense of earnestness that pervades.  Nevertheless it's an entertaining fifty minutes that raises a lot of issues which deserve to be seen by a wider audience.

It's impossible to write more without giving away the main plot twist so SPOILER ALERT.  If you plan on going along you may want to stop reading now.

Martine is being labelled as a TERF and finding that her once prominent voice is being sidelined.  Rowan is a transgender woman who feels Martine's attitude denies her right to be considered a 'real' woman.  With Nina exemplifying commercial considerations there's a three way conflict of interest.  As suggested above, the writer, Clara Glynn, feels audiences may need an introduction to some of the issues being tackled, and that leads to too much of the dialogue sounding polemical.  It all feels a bit too time constrained to properly explore the subject and this really should be the seed of a full length drama.  But for now it does it's doing it's bit in promoting openness, understanding and acceptance, and gives a hint at how difficult life can be for trans people.

Jennifer Black is a wonderful Martine, both defensive and inquiring, conscious of her status in the feminist panoply, smarting from her recent rejections.  Shane Convery, in his first professional stage role, excels as Rowan, a self centred teenager who wants to change the world.

Defintely worth seeing, if a little frustrating to watch.

Lankum, TradFest, Traverse

One of the less positive outcomes of the folk revivals of the fifties and sixties was the image non-folkies had of the performers, with the idea of 'four old guys in chunky pullovers' becoming the standard cliche.  Thankfully that notion is pretty well dead and buried, and if you needed further evidence then Lankum are a good place to start.  Looking like a heavy metal band that picked up Rasputin's wee brother along the way, they quickly demonstrate that they're the real deal, with a deep knowledge and understanding of Irish traditional music underlying everything they do.

Brothers Ian and Daragh Lynch combine with fiddler Cormac Mac Diarmada and multi-instrumentalist Radie Peat to produce fresh interpretations of Irish standards and Dublin street songs, with a bit of Americana and their own writing thrown into the mix, and all delivered with accomplished and imaginative musicianship, three strong lead vocalists and impressive harmonies, and a lot of humour.  Even in singing a lengthy murder ballad, or playing a simple fiddle tune repeated with minor variations in the arrangement, they have the talent to keep the audience interested throughout.

There's no flashiness to the playing, just well conceived arrangements and a common understanding of their craft.  It's rare to hear the harmonium played as well as this (by Peat), so that it's much more than just a background noise, and Daragh's guitar added some beautiful single note accompaniments.  The siblings aren't just quality musicians and singers, but genuine entertainers, and the stories they tell to introduce each number strike a good balance between information and comedy.

Rousing, irreverent, respectful, funny, Lankum delivered a memorable evening of music and laughter.  Highly recommended.

Redwood Mountain : Transatlantic Crossings (Dean Owens and Amy Geddes), TradFest, Summerhall

Well established Leith singer/songwriter Dean Owens was given a 1960s collection of  American Folk Songs.  He was so taken with some of the lyrics that he wrote his own melodies for them and set about recording the results.  He's been joined in this project by long time collaborator Amy Geddes to form the new duo, with this gig marking their debut.  Guitar, fiddle, harmonica and two excellent voices combine to bring these old songs to life.

Owens spent time explaining the background to the concept, and also to each song.  He's an engaging, amusing speaker and the anecdotes added to the sense of exploring the past.  The patter's not quite slick enough yet, but that will improve with time.

The lyrical subject matter is often on the gloomy side, with plenty of lost love, death and grinding out hard lives.  But the melodies frequently belie the content and there are some very catchy and memorable tunes in the set.  It certainly helps that Owens encourages the audience to join in a number of the choruses and brought a sense of fun to the proceedings.  His voice is as smooth as ever, and just about passed the test of some surprisingly low notes in a song about the mass slaughter of the buffalo, a genocidal campaign to starve the native Americans.

Geddes' understated fiddling enhanced without dominating, and she provided sympathetic vocal backing.  Sharing the lead on one of Owens' own composition was reminder of what a beautiful, if not terribly strong, singing voice she has, and her  musicality was shown to the full in a couple of haunting tunes, one penned by Owens, the other a traditional piece from her own Galloway.

The crowd would happily have stayed for more by the end.  A mix of fun, history and excellent music.

I couldn't resist buying the CD, and it lived up to the expectations generated by the gig.  Redwood Mountain deserve to be heard widely.