Riccio Gallery: a new exhibitions of paintings and glass by artists Karen Rogers, Janet McCrorie, Mary Frith and Marion McFarlane. Preview tonight 7-9pm, then 10am-4pm Monday to Saturday until 1st April 2015, Riccio Gallery, 17 South Street, Dalkeith.
Wester Hailes Employment Fair: advice, information and support about jobs, training and learning opportunities in South West Edinburgh, and help with your CV, applications, interview technique, and skills development. 10.30am-1.30pm, Wester Hailes Library, 1 Westside Plaza.
Edinburgh Studio Opera: The Magic Flute. Mozart’s ever popular magical tale, set in Persia is ‘a vibrant and colourful re-imagining of a classic’. The two-act opera follows Prince Tamino and bird catcher Papageno as they attempt to rescue the beautiful Princess Pamina; along the way Tamino and Papageno have many adventures, and discover that not all is what it seems ‘A light-hearted but profound examination of man’s search for love and his struggle to attain wisdom and virtue’. 7.30pm tonight and at the same time on Saturday, Lauriston Hall, 28 Lauriston Street, Tollcross. Tickets cost £10/£6 and can be obtained via We Got Tickets here. For further information and ticketing enquiries, please contact esoproducer@gmail.com or call 07946 149968. Edinburgh Studio Opera was founded as Edinburgh University Opera Club in 1968. For some time it has been very successfully run by students, with professional directors and musical directors whenever possible: this production is directed by Lloyd Llewellyn Jones, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh, with musical direction by renowned conductor and cellist William Conway (Chamber Orchestra of Scotland) ‘an artistic director with an eye for intelligent programming and…a flair for the unpredictable’ (Financial Times), assisted by Peter Keenan.
Boroughmuir High School PTA Race Night: prizes for the winning owners! 7pm for 7.30pm, St Oswald’s Hall, Montpelier Park. £5, which includes first £1 bet and a welcoming drink. Own a horse for £5. Tickets and more information from The School Office on 0131 229 9703, or Christinablack76@gmail.com.
Crafty Fridays: an activity for children every week at 3pm, McDonald Road Library, 2 McDonald Road, Leith. All welcome!
The Cyrenians Good Food Programme Fundraiser: a packed night of live music featuring Poor Things, Battery Face, Hagana, Black International, FUKIP, BRITNEY, Plastic Animals and Trapped Mice, with proceeds going to the Cyrenians Good Food Programme, a social enterprise with a mission to bring good food and healthy lifestyles to people who are experiencing disadvantage, isolation, poverty and homelessness – through food redistribution, food education and cooking classes, and traineeships towards employment. 7pm-3am, Henry’s Cellar Bar, Morrison Street. £6.
Lunchtime Concert: Michael Bawtree (organ) plays JS Bach, Nielsen, Buxtehude, Vogler, Judith Bingham, George Berg and Louis Merchand. 1.10pm, Reid Concert Hall, Bristo Square. Free and open to all.
Children’s Arts and Crafts Afternoon: 2pm Blackhall Library, 56 Hillhouse Road. For ages 4+. All welcome but please book by calling into the library or phoning them on 0131 529 5595. Free.
Portobello Poetry Circus Presents The Circus Slam: a competition where poets pit their performance, content and style against each other in the presence of three secretly-placed judges. sixteen performers take the stage for 2 minutes each, six get through to the second round and only three reach the final. The winner receives a bottle of Prosecco from the Dalriada and a place in the Scottish National Slam Championship. 8pm (doors open 7.30pm), Dalriada, 77 Promenade, Portobello. Tickets cost £3 each. The Portobello Poetry Circus is a self-funded spoken-word organisation started by Max Scratchmann and Emily Elver; it aims to present poetry performances, competitions and workshops outside the city centre.
Alexander McCall Smith: Friendship, Places and People. An event hosted by the St Giles’ Neighbourhood Group, in aid of the homeless. There will be a book signing after the talk. 7.30pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Admission is free, no ticket is required, but donations are invited for Cunningham House, a Crossreach short-stay, supported hostel for homeless people in the heart of Edinburgh.
Lunchtime Music Hour: The History of Jazz Piano, with the wonderfully charismatic Richard Michael. Food and drinks are available to buy, and lunch may be taken into the venue. 12.30pm, Zero Degrees, Students Union, Heriot-Watt University, EH14 4AS. Free.
Common Weal Edinburgh North & Leith: Common Gathering. An opportunity for all activists to come together to share ideas and plans with wine and music! 7pm for 7.30pm, Area C Coffee House, 239 Leith Walk. All welcome.
Play Talk Read! The Play Talk Read bus is coming to Royston/Wardieburn Community Centre today! For pre-school children and their parents/carers. Hop on board to read stories, sing songs, play games and have fun. It’s free! 10am-1pm and 2-4pm, Royston/Wardieburn Community Centre, Pilton Drive
Frequent Flyers: Electro Swing Funk/Soul DJ Set. 9pm, Boda Bar, 229 Leith Walk.
One Touch Theatre: Love 2.0. Gary is a catch – on Facebook at least; he’s virtually a virtual dream man – smart, funny, profound, a certified Lad. He even likes all the same things as Susie..but when the pair try to move their whirlwind virtual romance into the real world, things don’t go quite according to plan. Love 2.0 is an outrageous new comedy about dating in the age of social media, where Facebook profiles are brought vividly to life on stage, and nothing is quite what it seems.Written and directed by Andy McGregor. For ages 16+. 7.30pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £10/£8 and may be booked online here or by calling the Centre on 0131 556 9579. Also at the same time on Saturday 28th February.
Landscape with a Huntsman and Dead Game (‘Allegory of the Sense of Smell’) by Jan Weenix. Ailsa Turner, art historian, explores the virtuoso character of Weenix’s allegorical work, which demonstrates his prowess in all branches of 17th century Dutch painting. 12.45-1.15pm, Gallery, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.
Swing and Sway with the Swingettes: this award-winning a capella quartet have performed in the Usher Hall, the Queen’s Hall and the Netherbow Theatre, and at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival with Todd Gordon and James Torme. Sit back and relax as they showcase their unique close harmony singing and swinging rhythms, and present an evening of timeless classics and contemporary songs. 7.30-9pm, Penicuik Community Arts, West Street Arts Centre, 4 West Street, Penicuik. Tickets cost £8 (£6 for Penicuik Community Arts Association members) and can be bought online here.
Guid Crack: The Many Faces of Jack. From silly Jack to trickster Jack, storyteller Heather Yule shares tales from the Scottish traveller campfire and the Appalachian mountain hollers. This is Edinburgh’s monthly storytelling night, upstairs at the Waverley. 7.30-10pm, Waverley Bar, 1 St Mary’s Street. Free: a donation of £3 per person is suggested. Accompanied young adults welcome. For more information contact the Scottish Storytelling Centre.
Les BOF! ‘The one and only French sixties band from Scotland’. Edinburgh-based Les BOF! play a raw garage style with an entertaining French touch. For over-18s only. 7.30pm, The Ballroom, The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register Street. Ticket price TBC.
Dalriata: single launch party for the acoustic duo (Ricardo Pereira and Tegan Blaikie) from Edinburgh, with special guests The Woods, Freddie Pretorius and Katya Mansell. For over-18s only. 7pm, The Speakeasy, The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register Street. Tickets cost £5 and are available from Dalriata; advance purchase is strongly advised.
Gallery Social – The Two Roberts: Robert Colqhoun and Robert MacBryde. A relaxed and informal guided tour with refreshments for anyone affected by dementia and their friends, relatives and supporters. 10.30am-12 noon, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art TWO, Belford Road. To book a place please call the Information Desk on 0131 624 6560.
Marcus Bonfanti: ‘As if Jimmy Page had been reborn as Seasick Steve. Utterly spellbinding’ (The Times). 7-10pm, Sneaky Pete’s, Cowgate. Strictly for over-18s: no refunds will be given for tickets bought for under-18s. Tickets cost £8/£7 and can be booked online here (transaction fee applies).
Neu! Reekie! Frozen Lovers: Glaswegian band Hector Bizerk, poet Helen Mort, musician Eyes of Others (John Bryden), poet Paul Hullah and artist/musician Martin Metcalfe: Scenes, plus a series of curated animations including a live showcase, with Scottish snacks available from chef Owen Morrice. Hosted by Leith Late’s own Morvern Cunningham. 7-11pm, Pilrig Church Hall, Pilrig Street. Tickets cost £8.50/£7 (+ transaction fee) and can be purchased via Brown Paper Tickets here.
Electrikal: Dillinja and Chimpo. Arguably the most prolific producer within the Drum and Bass scene, Dillinja set about building the legendary Valve Sound System with friend and collaborator Lemon D in 2000. Bass music legend Chimpo’s style defies genre boundaries; both his DJ sets and productions see him fuse grime, drum n bass, dubstep, trap, garage, dancehall and hip hop to create a unique sound that never fails to destroy dancefloors. Electrikal return to The Bongo Cub for their second night in 2015. 11am-3pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. £10 in advance, £12 on the door. The Bongo Club is a nightclub, live venue and all-round artistic hub owned by local arts charity Out of the Blue, ‘putting the sounds of the underground and imaginative aspirations before the mighty dollar’.
