Reviews by Conor Matchett/

War is a constant in our lives; a part of the combined human experience that while intensely distressing seems an integral and inherent aspect of what it is to be human. Most of us will never fight or experience war beyond what you read and hear on the news, but Beethoven in Stalingrad is a piece of theatre that brings you close to the mindset of a soldier living his final days.The play takes 12 true stories of men from the frontline in Stalingrad, with their final undelivered letters providing the basis of the script. The letters, sent from Gumrak airport, were censored by the army due to the fact that only two percent of them were positive towards the war. Twinned with the knowledge that these letters have unknown authors and recipients, this fact provides Arin’s production with excellent subject matter.The emotive and powerful performance of Jesper Arin provides the focus of the play with his dramatic interpretations of letters sent to family and friends from the German frontline in Stalingrad, proving intensely brutal in its emotional honesty.The themes of the letters are universal, and that’s exactly what makes this piece of theatre so powerful. The authors of the letters speak of love, trauma, grief, religion, and fear, and while the letters are distressing or hopeful, they all convey the same ultimate emotion, one of complete and utter distraction from what was about to happen – their death.The music in the show is perhaps undervalued by the production, for the majority of the performance the sounds coming from Ian Peaston are eerie and ethereal, setting the mood for Arin’s performance. However Peaston is guilty of using the effect button too much, with the music often sounding more like a car alarm than a violin.Peaston, and the show as a whole is saved by the final five minutes. Arin, reading one of the letters, speaks about how someone began to play Beethoven on a piano to the soldiers squatting in Red Square, and as the lights dim, Peaston’s beautiful violin playing finally comes to the fore and brings home the messages of the piece.

This was a talk for the footballing purist – a no-frills, brief chat with two of the footballing world’s most renowned authors. Taking place at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, the talk included Tom Maxwell, author of the critically acclaimed The Lone Rangers: An English Club’s Century in Scottish Football, and Ron Ferguson, author of what was dubbed “the best Scottish football book ever”, Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil.The talk was a mixture between questions from the chairman and extracts from the two author’s books, with Maxwell being the first to be questioned. His still relatively young life as a football fan was an interesting one, especially considering the oddity that is Berwick Rangers FC, the only club in Scotland that is actually in England. His answers to questions were certainly relatable as a fellow football fan and gave a great insight.Ron Ferguson was undoubtedly the star of the whole show. The extracts from his book were masterfully read and his life, both as a fan of Cowdenbeath FC and as a Church of Scotland minister, was brilliantly brought to life by his excellent storytelling ability. Ferguson, a native of Cowdenbeath gave vivid descriptions of the old mining town, and paralleled the town’s personality with the quality of the football on show.This was not a bad talk, but it did feel slightly out of place within the whole Fringe, and by not taking away anything from him, the inclusion of Maxwell as a panellist was probably unnecessary as Ferguson would have easily held his own for the whole hour.Despite both panellists talking at length about their time as football fans, the questions posed by the chairman often felt too formalised, as if he was missing the point. The fact that the Q&A session was supposed to happen downstairs one-on-one over refreshments rather than onstage, was also a disappointment. 

Listening to Charlotte Green talk for an hour on any subject is an enjoyable way to spend any afternoon, but hearing her talk about her long and distinguished career as a newsreader for the BBC is definitely one of life’s great pleasures.As a one-off talk put on by the Assembly Rooms, Green talks about her life as a child reading the newspaper out loud so her sister would deliberately play the piano to drown her out, her time as an actor while at school, and of course her time with Radio 4 at the BBC.Green’s life story is interesting, but when she talks about her time at the BBC it becomes fascinating. She tells stories about her time working with her friend and mentor Laurie MacMillan with delightful nostalgia. The insight gained when hearing her talk about the smoke-filled newsroom of the 1980s is exceptionally interesting, and of course is told with that voice.The highlight of the whole talk is without doubt the brief but very moving anecdote about how the newsroom and Green coped with the 7/7 bombings in London, including when Green described the moment she had to evacuate Television Centre after a credible bomb threat.With stories about the Today Programme, the News Quiz, and the Shipping Forecast, this was a talk aimed at lovers of Radio 4. For those who love the news-based radio station the most pertinent piece of analysis came right at the end of the talk. An audience member asked Green about the upcoming renewal of the BBC charter, and with the BBC under threat from the Murdoch news empire, the response that the loss of the BBC would be “an act of cultural vandalism” managed to sum up the importance and the connection she has with the place she made her name.

Skeptics on the Fringe, a free show in the belly of Banshee Labyrinth, is a daily show based around the more general theme of science, rationality and logic. The talks vary day to day, and the quality is likely to be mixed, but watching a man talk about the cognitive abilities of chimps with the background of whether you can put a chimpanzee on trial is an excellent way to spend an evening away from the comedy and theatre grassroots of the Fringe.Dr Lewis, Dean of St Andrews, proves an exceptionally intriguing lecturer, talking at length about the differing ways chimpanzees interact with each other and with the wider world. He starts out the talk by outlining the case law in the United States that has provisionally given some apes habeas corpus – which in simple terms means autonomy over their body – which has led to a ban on keeping chimps in captivity.This base brings about an interesting thought: can a chimp be put on trial for murder? Dean, an accomplished stage presence, captivates the audience early on, discussing the two main parts of what we in the UK consider necessary conditions for being guilty of murder: malice of forethought and a degree of moral understanding.While at the end of the talk Dean had explained that is close to impossible to show that chimps have either of these qualities, the extensive discussion and examples of how chimp’s cognitive abilities differ from humans in the way of understanding others false belief, exhibiting empathy, among others was captivatingly outlined.As a concept, Skeptics on the Fringe is a really great idea. By showcasing scientific, political and philosophical ideas during the Fringe, they open themselves and the public to a complete change of emphasis, and execute it close to perfection. The talks are not patronising, nor do they fly straight over the head of a casual observer: they have clearly been cleverly picked and curated to provide a wide and intriguing variety of topics.

Toby Mottershead presents an excellent selection of blues tracks in a 50 minute display of musical talent in the SpaceTriplex venue on Nicolson Square. The show is a superb exhibition of differing styles of the early blues and is a joy to watch, with Mottershead as at ease on stage as he is playing the music you hear.Mottershead is a supreme talent, with musicianship on the slide and acoustic guitar of the highest quality. He’s eminently watchable with an extremely well-rounded stage presence. He’s not too polished to come across as overly serious, and not too rough to feel overly staged, and he is more than comfortable interacting with an expectant audience.For those who enjoy the blues, or any sort of folk music, Mottershead’s set is a varied and vivid journey through the differing styles of blues music, with the usual morose slide-guitar heavy sounds featuring prominently in the early stages of the show with songs from Blind Willy Johnson, Charlie Patton and Fred MacDonald.It’s not all just what you’d instantly recognise as blues either, with Mottershead including train songs that bring about a lovely change in emphasis and tempo, quickening up the overall feel of the show.Undoubtedly the highlights are when he abandons his instruments and relies solely on his voice. Firstly the opening song, Short Time Here, Long Time Gone is a superb exhibition of his raw and emotive vocals. In the middle of the set is an example of ‘chain gang’ music with the song Rosie which is a beautiful and haunting performance. Finally, and fittingly, he gives us a rendition of The Parting Glass, a Scottish folk song, and leaves us with the message “good night, and joy be with you all”.The show is a superb exhibition of blues, which, twinned with a focused and knowledgeable guide, makes it a real highlight of the Fringe’s music offerings.

“Gospel is the music of the soul” says Apphia Campbell midway through her romp into the music of Nina Simone. With a voice echoing the very same heart and soul of gospel music which Nina Simone has come to personify, Campbell’s performance is a powerful and captivating journey through her and Simone’s life.The audience is sat in a mixture of the traditional cabaret style circular tables and more conventional theatre style seating. Greeted with a night-sky backdrop of sparkling lights, Campbell completely and totally mesmerises.A selection of brief anecdotes detail how Campbell’s life was influenced and paralleled the life of her musical icon, which punctuate a selection of Simone’s songs. It’s a feel-good odyssey of gospel; Campbell is completely at ease in her performance, sharing with the audience intimate and often hilarious stories about her life, all the while belting out the iconic songs of Nina Simone. Campbell’s stories about moving abroad and working in China, about her minister of a mother, about love, frame the music to perfection.Campbell’s extraordinary, pulsating and frankly astonishing vocal talent is on full show, and never falls short. Fan-favourites such as Sinner Man and My Baby Just Cares For Me make their crowd-pleasing appearances, but it is the performance of Simone’s Four Women that simply takes your breath away. It’s a devastating, truly moving performance that removes any possible doubt of Campbell’s love for Simone’s music. Simone has not just informed Campbell’s life; it has helped her define herself, come to love herself, and set her free from the prejudice and intolerance she has experienced. It is a lesson on empathy and self-love delivered with the panache and emotion of a truly exceptional performer.

The Soweto Spiritual Singers are at the Fringe with two shows, this later one at the Assembly Rooms called The Return, is an uplifting and enjoyable hour of African spirituality.The South African singers and musicians put on a show that is full of energy and African culture. With a wide ranging song choice, from starting the show with a rendition of Our Father, to more traditional African music, the show is never boring.The singers showcase the material that has made them famous, including the song they sang at the opening ceremony of the first football World Cup to be staged in Africa in 2010. The energetic choreography that comes with the music is also a great exhibition of their performing prowess.Unfortunately, (and maybe I’m showing my own personal music taste too much here), the band that provided the background music to the exceptional singing too often sounded like something you might hear if you got lost in London and ended up in an elevator in the ‘60s. This lounge music sound detracted from the overall beauty and power of the singing and when stripped back to the absolute basics, the show improves immeasurably. The show and the ensemble really do shine, with each singer given the opportunity to show off their individual skills; the soloists impressing with both their range and ability to perform with such a large set of singers.Overall the show is enjoyable and the poignancy of the message behind the music; one of joy, acceptance and tolerance, really comes to the fore throughout. It’s a fantastic celebration of South Africa, its music and dance and is brilliantly uplifting.

Declan Zapala is one hell of a talented guitarist. If you imagine that Nick Drake and Jimi Hendrix had a love-child, taught it to play classical guitar and do whatever he felt would sound great, that’s essentially the skill level of Zapala.His show, based around the concept of the ‘multiverse’ theory, where we live in one of many different iterations of the same Universe, each only minutely different from the next, is a superb showcase of Zapala’s immense musical talent.Performed in the suitably atmospheric and ethereal St Columba’s By the Castle, Zapala takes the audience on a journey through the different ‘multiverses’ of guitar playing. Heavily influenced by musicians such as Eric Roche and Benjamin Verdery, Zapala approaches each song with an energetic fervour. By using the guitar in less conventional ways as an integral part of the percussive side of his songs, Zapala truly mesmerises from start to finish.Not to be outdone by his own music, Zapala builds a healthy and amusing rapport with the audience despite not coming across as the most confident of stage-men. There are interesting and often potent stories that go alongside his music, especially the history of the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland alongside his own relationship with his mother that influence his song Philomena. These add an extra layer of interest to the performance but also take away the focus on the music.When in full flow however, Zapala’s clearly evident talent and innovation with the guitar is enthralling to watch. His performance of Prelude No.1 from the Well Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach, arranged by Austrian guitarist Thomas Leeb sits just as easily as his more fractured, modern original Broken Rhapsody does, and that’s before he gets started on the Jimmy Page original. His original pieces are the most impressive moments from the show,Sleeping Gently, a song inspired by his now four-year-old nephew is a complicated and intimate tune solely devised using harmonics. The aforementioned Philomena showcases his inventive percussive use of the body of the guitar alongside a beautiful melody.However, Zapala does have a tendency to over-complicate, perhaps unsurprising considering the intricacies involved in the way he plays the guitar, but while rare it is a noticeable and unfortunate blight on an otherwise excellent performance.On the whole, Zapala’s music will give your soul a long, loving hug that makes you feel deliriously happy while simultaneously feeling intensely nostalgic for something, somewhere. It’s an eclectic assortment of some of the finest and most intriguing classical guitar around: a real treat.

When you sit down for a show named as ridiculously as Kraftwerk Badger Spaceship, you should be ready for the surreal. KBS, a show put on by Manchester comedian Fat Roland, certainly lives up to that billing.Badger Spaceship is a ridiculous, inane, stupendously silly romp through the depths of a very strange man’s head (that’s meant in the nicest possible way). The show is punctuated by superb audience interaction twinned with some excellent improvisation work – without doubt the highlight of the whole performance. Fat Roland’s deadpan inanity twinned with the often hilarious additions of sketches held up on cardboard (including a trip into the mouth of a robot) is superbly executed.It’s hard to say whether it is a homage to electronic music or rather someone railing against it and everything the hipster-loving indie music industry of today loves, regardless of which side of the fence you fall, Fat Roland weaves in music references brilliantly, making this show a must-see for any fan of music. In addition, if you detest everything that comes with the word ‘hipster’, Badger Spaceship’s skit starring two elephants from the film Jumanji is a superb piece of (possibly unintentional) satire about the Indie industry.Badger Spaceship does however fall short in a few aspects, the constant and unnecessary ‘amusing’ misspellings on the cards held up throughout the show feel mildly patronising, the messages from the various ‘helplines’ also fall flat, yet both are aspects of what can only be called Marmite comedy.If you, like me, love the ridiculous, the inane and the downright silly you will love this show, if you like music on top of that you will be reluctant to leave. However, if you are expecting anything serious, or even vaguely resembling a coherent line of thought then that’s not what you will get. Badger Spaceship is a seriously excellent piece of music-based comedy, and is a delight to sit through, but then again I would also say that there is nothing better in this world than a cheese and Marmite sandwich. 

If you like classical guitar and want to escape the bustling madness that is the Mile at 1pm in the middle of the Fringe, then you are going to enjoy Jonathan Prag’s hour long recital. The recital may be nothing unique, but it is simple and enjoyable enough to be worth the admission fee.The pieces Prag plays are all pleasant. He starts off in the 17th century with two pieces by Turlough O’Carolan, both close to indistinguishable from each other unless you are paying extremely close attention, which is a shame for casual audiences. Prag follows that up with the latter two movements from Bach’s Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, which he tells us was thought to have originally been written for the lute.Prag continues through the ages, landing in the early 20th Century and performing the vividly introspective piece, La Catedral, by Augustin Barrios. The performance is excellent, close to perfect when it comes to execution, but once again the show lacks any real excitement and up to this point feels very much in Prag’s comfort zone.The absolute highlight of the show comes next with the eccentric and emotive piece by Nikita Koshkin, Usher Waltz. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, Koshkin’s epic composition is the most impressive and complicated of all the pieces and is head and shoulders above the others Prag recites, with the guitarist truly excelling. The last piece, Suite del Recuerdo is another comforting piece. If I sound slightly underwhelmed, this is down to the fact that despite my overall enjoyment of the show, the very reserved performance from Prag himself takes away some of the emotion that the music conveys. For a piece as emotive as Koshkin’s Usher Waltz, which really is a fantastically interesting and enjoyable example of contemporary classical guitar, those emotions of fear, tension and horror should be bursting through the seams of the performer. All in all, Prag’s recital is an escape from the madness of the Fringe and a much needed one. It is enjoyable and worth the money and is a well-worked exhibition of classical guitar playing.

Music has a way of providing the most honest portrait of a person, be it someone listening to an opera in the Royal Albert Hall or someone moshing in the belly of Bannerman’s, music always manages to discover the most intimate aspects of anyone.Michael Burdett’s spoken word performance of Strange Face is similarly revealing. Despite the lack of any Nick Drake music in the show, the storytelling ability of Burdett alongside the terrific portrait photographs that are beamed onto the wall by a projector are more than enough to totally engage the audience with what is an exceptionally interesting story.Honesty, however, is probably the best policy. I have history with Nick Drake, he’s one of my all-time favourite musicians and I would wish, more than anything, to hear the lost recording that the photos personify the emotions of. But it doesn’t matter if you have never heard of Nick Drake, Burdett’s wordsmithery immediately draws you into the Nick Drake story, with his brief synopsis of Drake’s life giving even the most passionate of Nick Drake fans an extra insight.Burdett has also got impeccable comedic timing, and while this is definitely not a comedy show, there are enough laughs throughout for the audience to not be completely bowled over by the melancholy that so often comes with anything surrounding what has always portrayed as an infamously morose Drake.The main body of the performance – selected stories of the people who were randomly selected to hear the lost recording – are as beautiful as it is revealing, and each story manages to fully replicate the emotion that person felt while listening to the song.The show is truly enthralling, despite the slightly cheesy music choice at the start and end, and offers a supremely mesmeric description and insight into the life of Nick Drake, and into the life of the people who listen to Nick Drake. For a free show, it is without doubt worth your time, and with the majority of the bucket contributions fundraising for musical therapy charity Nordoff Robbins, any money that is put towards it goes towards an excellent cause.The lack of any actual Nick Drake may be a disappointment for some, but that would be missing the point of what is a fantastic show of photography, music, and above all else, people. 

If you’re looking for an enjoyable, happy-go-lucky hour of rhythm and blues entertainment, then look no further than this show. The Blues Brothers: Live! is an excellent, toe-tapping night of music, with every member of the cast and backing-band excelling at what they do.Jake Blues, played by Edward Baxter, is the star of the show despite only recently recovering from an illness. Era-defining songs such as Jailhouse Rock and Hey Bartender were fantastically performed, all with an added comedy twist that comes naturally with the Blues Brothers.The comedy skits in between songs, however, do sometimes fall a bit flat, with at least one or two of them gaining no laughter at all from the crowd. It does not matter though, as the overall show is a superb exhibition of musicianship from the band and showmanship by the front five.AJ LeRoy playing Ray undoubtedly steals the show with an excellent performance of different song; his rendition of The Old Landmark proving the highlight of the whole show. That’s not to take anything away from the other performers, Danni Payne is excellent throughout, shining brightly during Think. It doesn’t just stop there however. All of the backing musicians are a joy to listen to. They’re superb musicians and there are great solos from the lead guitarist, the saxophonist and the trumpeter.This show is not to everyone’s taste; it is exceptionally cheesy in the way it is presented. A lot of the comedic elements, including the dancing and stage direction, can feel a little bit underwhelming and not exceptionally hilarious. If you are a fan of the Blues Brothers however, or just like a little bit of light hearted rhythm and blues, you’ll be as happy as anyone when you walk out of the venue.

I was the only one watching this show, and what a mistake the hordes of people outside on Victoria Street made. Modern Robot, consisting of guitarist Ben Singer and drummer Phil, provides an astonishingly powerful exhibition of musical talent. The concept of the show is simple: a man with an electric guitar and a drummer provide a devised soundtrack to one of cinema’s most iconic silent classics, Faust by F. W. Murnau.The film is itself an incredible feat of cinema. First premiering in 1926, Faust was ahead of its time in terms of visual effects, with shots of villain Mephisto towering over the town where Faust lives, as well as beautiful cinematic perfection in the form of faux-aerial shots of cliffs, snowy mountains, and the shoreline.If you’ve never seen Faust, even with its original score, the fact it’s being shown at all with a live soundtrack is worth the admission fee immediately. The original score, written by Werner R. Heymann, has no place in this version of the film, and what a treat that proves to be.Modern Robot provide a pulsating, breathtakingly epic score to the film. The distinct, atmospheric movements accompanying the different scenes and themes of the film are expertly arranged and the post-rock Godspeed You Black Emperor-esque guitar and drumming is of an exceptional quality. Not once during the film does the music feel out of place, a testament to the incredibly thoughtful process that goes into creating a score to such a fantastic piece of classic silent cinema.The different and fluctuating emotive feelings from the film are superbly transferred to the music. The faux-aerial shots provide an opportunity for Singer to show his more relaxed side, with the music providing an air of complete wonder and astonishment, perfectly mirroring the action on screen. As Mephisto, the main villain of the movie in the form of both the devil and Faust’s corrupted mind, gets progressively more menacing and dangerous, so too does the music.The highlight, although it feels ridiculous to attempt to choose one, is without doubt the scene where Gretchen, the love interest of Faust, slowly loses the will to keep looking after her bastard child while battling a snowstorm. Ben takes centre stage here, with the effects pedal being used to completely draw you into the story while simultaneously providing an auditory masterclass of the howling wind that faces Gretchen through her struggle.It doesn’t stop there as the crescendo at the end of the movie is pulsating and powerful enough to make you completely forget the age of the film you are watching.This is a supremely good show. The quality of the musicianship on show is astronomical, and twinned with the iconoclastic Faust, it makes for an experience I wouldn’t mind reliving again and again.