5 feelgood things to do in Inverness this weekend
Head for Spanish-Scottish sounds at Under Canvas, feet up for some screentime at home, check out new movies, an alt.country triple bill or how about learnng to sing to perform some songs in Under Canvas?
1 Contrasting sounds in one gig
Under Canvas continues to bring talented musicians together on one bill, and one of the most intriguing line-ups comes this week with Rubén Jarramplas + The Calum MacPhail Band on Friday, August 4 at 4.30pm and 8pm. Now living in Inverness, Rubén, originally from Spain, plays gaita (Galician pipes) and whistles in his new project Camino, also featuring Ollie Moffat on guitar and Neil Ewart on fiddle. And Inverness musician Calum MacPhail, known for playing with Ho-Ro, has recently-formed his own celtic country pop band, releasing his album At Last in April.
And check out the rest of the week's Under Canvas music here:
2 French thriller v China-set comedy
At Eden Court Cinema there's the chance to puzzle over a twisty thriller called La Syndicaliste (15), it's on from Friday, August 4 to Monday, August 7, various times. The great French film star Isabelle Huppert appears in the true story of the Irish national Maureen Kearney (Huppert) –the head trade union representative-turned-whistleblower of a French multinational nuclear powerhouse. After denouncing top-secret deals that shook the sector, Kearney’s life was suddenly turned upside-down when she was violently assaulted in her own house. The investigation was carried out under pressure. But new elements create doubt in the minds of the investigators. At first a victim, Maureen Kearney becomes a suspect. Based on a book by Caroline Michel-Aguirre. French with subtitles.
And there's comedy with Joy Ride (15) at Vue Cinema from Friday, August 4, various times, with Ashley Park as Asian American lawyer Audrey who must travel to Beijing to close a deal with an important client to try to impress her boss. And her gang – played by Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu – come too.
3 Our landscape in the frame ...
Take a look at the art exhibition Left At The Mountain, North To The Sea: The Highland landscape from the artist's perspective at Inverness Museum and Gallery.Our space includes the last great European wildernesses and includes a place of mountain, bog, ancient forest and endless skies. Artists include Ian Westacott, Neil Macpherson, Ian Giles, Emma Caldow, Pamela Tait, Eileen Gatt, Jana Emburey, Magi Sinclair, Pat Semple, Leon Patchett, Alex Main, Rob Christie, Gemma Petrie, Lucy Woodley and Lar MacGregor with Barbara Rae, Dorothy Stirling, Sylvia Wishart and other artworks from the collection. And the show is on till August 26.
4 Chill with some screentime ...
Catch Outlander's Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish in Men In Kilts: A Roadtrip With Sam And Graham (Lionsgate+) from Friday, August 4, in the second batch of their own spin-off travel series, hitting the road to explore, not Scotland this time, but New Zealand. Across four action-packed episodes, expect gorgeous scenery and bold stunts. The first episode sees them try zip-lining before meeting an "apex predator".
Or how about ... the return of Murders In The Building (Disney+)? Fans have had to wait till Tuesday, August 8 for the third series of the black comedy from Steve Martin, Dan Fogelman and John Hoffman as Mabel, Charles and Oliver (Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short) are back on the true crime trail after the season two cliffhanger. The news has been out for a while that Meryl Streep will join the cast!
5 Ready to enjoy a night with Scottish musicians?
On Thursday, August 10, the Tooth & Claw will host a triple bill of Dropkick + Daniel Gunn + an acoustic set from The Galipaygos. Dropkick was started by brothers Andrew and Alastair Taylor and school friend Ian Grier in Arbroath. Starting off as a punk-pop band, the band discovered the music of The Jayhawks, The Byrds, Tom Petty and Wilco and their sound gradually matured into more of an alt-country style but without losing the upbeat, catchy melodies of their songs. That should work beautifully with The Galipaygos, in acoustic mode. It all starts 7.30pm.
HEADS UP
Fancy singing in Under Canvas?!
Just time to think about joing the Summer Sing Projec that Eden Court is running. The Just Sing Summer Project Group will be learning a variety of uplifting songs to perform at Under Canvas this year! Just Sing is a mixed voice acappella (voices only) harmony singing group . As well as learning a variety of songs, they will practise breathing and voice exercises to help develop the power, quality and range of the voice. The emphasis is on learning by ear for simple songs and written music can be used for the more complex arrangements. This class is suitable for all levels of experience and confidence. And the group will meet for rehearsals on Tuesdays and Thursdays between August 1 and 10 for rehearsals. Though you have missed one, there might still be time to make this evening's session from 7-8.30pm.The last rehearsal before performing as part of the Family Fun Day at Under Canvas, is on Sunday, August 13 between 1.30pm and 2pm. Afterwards, there will be a summer Pimm's and the chance to join in some of the other activities at the Family Fun Day! Kate – who is leading the group – will provide teaching aids such as audio files/written music for some songs. Due to the nature of this project, it is available as a block booking only. The price is £42.50. As Eden Court is committed to keeping its pricing as accessible as possible,but recognises that some people might find the cost of this project might make taking part difficult. Eden Court is supporting a limited number of bursary places for the Summer Studio Programme. To find out more, email: engagement@eden-court.co.uk A member of the engagement team will be back in touch with you. Fancy trying something new? Go on ...
