Teddy Jamieson

The piece recommends ten concerts taking place in Glasgow and Edinburgh in September. Highlights include Saint Etienne's farewell show at Glasgow's Barrowland Ballroom, Sigur Rós performing with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Chorus, Anna von Hausswolff, Bowie tribute act Holy Holy, Todd Rundgren, Destroyer, Roger Taylor, Gilbert O'Sullivan, The Yummy Fur's album launch and Mary Coughlan. The selections span indie, post-rock, art rock, classic rock, jazz, blues and singer-songwriter music, with the writer combining event details with personal reflections and critical assessments.

Ben Pope’s Fringe book club, featuring comedians Pierre Novellie and Ella Clark, turns its discussion of Raynor Winn’s The Salt Path into a lively and gossip-heavy examination of the memoir’s disputed claims. The guests express little admiration for the book and focus on allegations that Winn misrepresented her family’s circumstances, her husband Moth’s illness and even their names. Although the show does not fully explain the book’s popularity, it offers alternative nature-writing recommendations including Amy Liptrot’s The Outrun and Kathleen Jamie’s Findings. The review awards the performance three stars.

Jason Byrne’s 30th-anniversary Edinburgh Fringe show is praised as a silly, raucous and unpredictable hour of crowd work, visual gags and audience participation. The review highlights revived routines, spontaneous interactions with audience members and a particularly funny slideshow of childhood photographs. Despite its apparent foolishness and a potentially divisive “Bohemian Rhapsody” finale, Byrne’s quick wit and control of the chaos make the performance an energetic and joyful success, earning four stars.

Keeley Hazell’s Edinburgh Fringe show dramatizes her journey from Page 3 glamour modelling through exploitation, revenge porn and an eventual career in Hollywood and the television drama Ted Lasso. The review praises Hazell’s compelling performance and especially her account of the obstacles facing working-class creatives, while finding that the minimalist staging, venue noise and her closeness to the material sometimes weaken the drama. The result is judged to be a punchy and occasionally angry hour that could translate well to television.

Omar Badawy’s debut Edinburgh Fringe show draws on his experience of being dressed as a Viking during a far-right Unite the Kingdom march in London. The performance explores his Egyptian-British identity, reluctant Muslim faith, school experiences, avoidance of confrontation, tabloid Islamophobia and the possibility of marrying his girlfriend to prevent her deportation. The review praises the show’s slick delivery, strong jokes and alternative perspective on identity politics, but finds the central protest-day story underdeveloped and the transitions into other material abrupt. It ultimately regards the show as solid and worthwhile, awarding three stars.

Michelle Shocked’s Edinburgh Fringe show combines powerful singing and dry storytelling with anger at record labels, corporations, social media, copyright practices and other institutions. The review praises her performance and resilience but finds the show’s fragmented chronology, unexplained references and reliance on notes and memoir excerpts make its central argument difficult to follow, resulting in a two-star assessment.

Emma Doran’s first Edinburgh Fringe show, Emmaculate, draws extensively on her family life, relationships, motherhood and women’s experiences. The review praises her easy familiarity, expressive delivery and sharp, sometimes dark observations, particularly her material about navigating Dublin and sexual experiences. Although the domestic comedy can seem deceptively comfortable, its emotional and social observations cut deeply, making the show a strong Fringe debut.

Elf Lyons’s five-star show The Woman on the Edge at Edinburgh’s Pleasance Courtyard combines comedy, mime, ventriloquism, physical theatre, opera, historical recordings and nature-documentary elements. Inspired by Hitchcock, Pagliacci and NASA, the performance explores heartbreak and male inadequacy through a surreal, disorientating fever dream. The review praises Lyons’s theatrical ambition, comic timing and willingness to challenge audiences, highlighting an opera sequence built from men’s excuses for avoiding relationships and a dramatic theatrical climax.

Hannah Byczkowski’s stand-up show Killer receives three stars for its confident delivery, sharp jokes and provocative material about sex, death, family and personal experiences. Her background in palliative care gives the discussion of mortality depth and dignity, although the review argues that this potentially rich subject is not developed enough and that the death theme does not fully bind the routines together. Byczkowski’s strong online following, Ghost Huns podcast and victory on The Traitors provide substantial audience recognition, but the show demonstrates that she is more than a television personality.

Phil Nichol’s new Edinburgh Fringe show begins as an ambitious but somewhat fragmented performance, covering billions of years of life, luck, love and personal experiences. The reviewer notes that Nichol is still finding his footing on the show’s opening day, but says the material increasingly coheres toward the climax. Once it finds its groove, the performance becomes funny, optimistic and uplifting, earning three stars with the potential to merit a higher rating as it develops.

Susie McCabe’s new Edinburgh Fringe show, Coming of Rage, draws on her heart attack, marriage breakdown and father’s death, combining anger at dictators and different generations with material about dating, family and Glasgow life. The review praises McCabe’s natural stage presence, bawdy humour and smart construction, identifying the section about her father’s funeral as the emotional and comic highlight and calling the performance “Connollyesque.”

Scottish comedian Rosco McClelland discusses his growing career, his decision to leave plumbing for stand-up, and his return to the Edinburgh Fringe with The Bones. He plans to address his facial tics, which he describes as a form of Tourette’s, after an episode during the previous Fringe made performing difficult. McClelland also reflects on living with hereditary Long QT Syndrome, a potentially fatal heart condition that shaped his appetite for performance and risk. Despite the pressures of the festival, he prefers commuting from East Kilbride to staying in Edinburgh, and remains committed to the Fringe as an important platform for Scottish artists.

KT Tunstall discusses her transition from singer-songwriter to musical-theatre composer and her growing enthusiasm for the form. She has written original songs for Cora Bissett’s new musical The Singer, which follows a deaf artist who communicates through his hands and a musician seeking a comeback. Tunstall reflects on her brother Daniel’s deafness, her own sudden hearing loss and tinnitus, her songwriting process, and her early experiences performing at the Edinburgh Fringe. She also previews a decade-long solo covers project, 100 Years, 100 Women.

Erland Cooper launched Fringe By The Sea’s first music commission, Sula Bassana, a short work inspired by Bass Rock and recorded with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. The piece accompanies Lewis Gourlay’s immersive film of the island’s gannets and forms part of the festival’s Love Of Life programme, alongside community puppet workshops led by Vision Mechanics. The review praises the composition’s ability to shift between intimacy and grandeur, highlighting its orchestral energy, distinctive wind-machine opening and close connection to the natural environment.

Erland Cooper’s new commission, Sula Bassana, premieres at Fringe By The Sea alongside Lewis Gourlay’s immersive film of Bass Rock’s gannets. Recorded by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the composition is praised for its dynamic, tidal quality and its integration of unusual sounds such as a wind machine. The wider Love Of Life programme explores biophilia through music, film, puppetry and installation, reflecting the festival’s aim of connecting audiences with nature and encouraging contemplative engagement with the arts.

A personal radio review considers whether broadcasting still has the power to shape children’s listening habits, contrasting contemporary services such as SiriusXM, CBeebies and Fun Kids with the author’s memories of Junior Choice and Ed “Stewpot” Stewart. The piece also highlights Mary Beard’s interview with Martin Scorsese about the rise and fall of the ancient Greek figure Herodes Atticus, and Track Radio’s interview with Alex Ferguson about his friendship and rivalry with the late Kevin Keegan. It concludes with a recommendation for Michael Sheen’s guest appearance on Radio 2’s The Folk Show.

A selection of ten notable performances and exhibitions highlights the breadth of Edinburgh’s 2026 Festivals, spanning opera, theatre, film premieres, Fringe comedy and dance, major book festival appearances, and significant art exhibitions. Key features include world premieres such as Missy Mazzoli’s opera The Galloping Cure, Internationaal Theater Amsterdam’s five-hour Angels in America, new films by and featuring Bruce Dern, and a wide range of Fringe shows chosen through playful selection. The Book Festival showcases prominent authors alongside M John Harrison’s latest work, while the Art Festival presents major retrospectives and new commissions. The overview underscores the scale and cultural diversity across Edinburgh’s interconnected summer festivals.

A personal and emotional visit to the David Bowie Centre leads into a wider tour of new and notable London cultural attractions, including the V&A East, its Music is Black exhibition, and Tracey Emin’s survey at Tate Modern, with reflections on art, memory and resilience alongside practical notes on travel, accommodation and the evolving Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park area.

Sara Cox’s debut hosting the Radio 2 Breakfast Show featured Tom Hanks as a high‑profile guest, offering playful Toy Story sound effects and an affectionate message to young fans. The BBC’s strong guest lineup signals an effort to ensure a smoother transition after Scott Mills’ troubled tenure. Cox appeared confident and engaged with listeners despite admitting to nerves, reinforcing her suitability for the role and prompting questions about why she was not appointed earlier.