Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy of Soundhouse took on Rose Theatre as a Fringe venue at the very last minute possible this year – but what a line-up they have on offer until 28 August.
With a choice of two spaces big and small they can accommodate as many people who want to buy tickets for each show – and there are two shows each night until the end of the Fringe. Do have a look at the programme which includes names like Aidan O’Rourke and Tommy Smith.
Douglas said: “The big hall is about 350 capacity and the small one about 120/130, so we can decide on the day which one we will use.”
Soundhouse had been considering a bid for the Rose Theatre which is currently empty and up for sale, but having decided against proceeding, the owner Peter Schaufuss offered it to the group to use during the Festival. This was only a few weeks before the Fringe began.
Douglas explained: “I first contacted the Bellfield Brewery, my local small brewery and asked if they were keen. And they’d been trying to get their product into the festival for many years really in one way or another – although it’s quite difficult with the big breweries coming in and a lot of money. So they were interested and then asked if I would programme the music. Probably foolishly I said yes.
“Now we have a quite outstanding set of concerts.
“We generally avoid the festival. You know, we generally just say, time off, but not this year. And it’s challenging. I think we’re realising now why we kind of steered clear of the festival before. Just because one, there’s so much on and two, over the years it’s become more and more about comedy, and is certainly not a music festival. And three, there’s mega commercial promoters, who really quite dominate the festival, you know, around about the university area.
“I just think it’s an arts festival and I think there’s a definition – there’s entertainment, and there’s art. And while there’s overlap, I don’t necessarily think they’re the same thing. And I think it’s tragic, really, that we have some of the best drama, the best dance, the best music in the world comes to a city and the vast majority of people go to hear someone telling jokes.”
Listen to our chat with Douglas Robertson here – the transcript is below.
Transcript of our interview:
- This is The Edinburgh Reporter podcast and today I’m with Douglas Robertson – Douglas, you are not usually where we are today, which is in the Rose Theatre on Rose Street. You’re usually either in your hoose or you’re in the Traverse at Soundhouse. This is a great addition to the Fringe. So tell us how this started.
- And well, they were the Rose Theatre has been up for sale for some time. We were one of the interested parties for a little while. We pulled out of buying it, and then, about a month before the festival, the owner Peter Schaufuss offered us use of the building which was otherwise going to lie empty for the festival. So he said that, you know, were we interested in using the building?
- And you were1 Yeah, well, I first contacted the Bellfield Brewery, my local small brewery asked if they were keen. And they’d been trying to get their product into the festival for many years really, you know, in one way or another. Although it’s quite difficult with the big breweries coming in and a lot of money. So they were interested and then asked if I would programme the music. Probably foolishly I said, Yes.
- This was really quite soon. I mean, there was only a few weeks before the fringe started wasn’t it?
- Yeah, I mean, we normally book Acts about 6, 7, 8 months before the gig date. So I had about two weeks to book what turns out to be 50 shows over 25 days,
- But you have done amazingly well here because you’ve got some of the biggest names in music in the Scottish music scene appearing on this bill.
- Yeah, I think we’ve really got the top jazz, folk, musicians, plus some others. And that’s kind of been, you know, that was the opinion also of some senior people at Creative Scotland, who couldn’t quite believe that there was this – a Scottish showcase. It’s all music from Scotland. Not necessarily Scottish musicians or Scottish music, but they’re all musicians who are either Scottish are based here. Yeah. So it’s a huge showcase.
- So are you being supported then by Creative Scotland? Is that what I am led to understand?
- No, the Creative Scotland process rightly takes, it has to follow a lot of protocols.
- It would take a lot longer than a couple of weeks,
- It’s a few months long, usually before you get a verdict. So that wasn’t a possibility.
- So you’re really looking for people to come to these shows and support you and pay for all these wonderful musicians – that’s really how it is.
- Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the quality of the music is, you know, unparalleled. I mean, we have Tommy Smith, Fergus McCreadie, in the jazz world, Aidan O’Rourke, Catriona McKay. Su-a-Lee’s Dialogues gig with Duncan Chisholm, the great Highland fiddler, we have, you know, quite outstanding set of concerts. It’s
- amazing. And, I mean, this is a great space for concerts such as that. Are you just using one of the spaces? You have two concerts on each night? So are you just using the big hall upstairs? I haven’t been to look, yet I hope you’re gonna show me?
- Well, there’s two spaces, the big halls about 350 capacity, the smaller ones realistically about 120 to 130. So what we’ll do is puts the maximum number of tickets on sale for each concert. So we give ourselves the option on the final day – the concert, which space we use. That way, we’re not selling out the small space and turning people away, or putting the smaller crowd into the bigger venue. You can always predict these things.
- No, of course not. Of course not. And audiences are fickle, as as you well know. How long is it that you’ve been doing sound house now? Self I soon
- Soundhouse has been 10 years, it will be in December this year. Better? There was 10 years of house concerts before that. In the old converted shop that I live in? Yeah,
- yes. I remember coming to one of those and meeting Dean Owens or hearing Dean Owens for the first time. That was
- yHe did our very first concert.
- That sticks sticks in my mind quite well. And so why Why were you Why are you not doing the traverse then just because they’ve got drama?
- Yeah, I mean, what we do in the Traverse is when we – early doors when we were – someone encouraged us to go and speak to the Traverse, we found that although the Traverse was open every Monday, they never have shows on a Monday. So it made sense for us to have a regular event that people it would establish in their minds that Monday night was Soundhouse at The Traverse. We occasionally have concerts other nights, but certainly, during the festival, we wouldn’t get a foot in the door because obviously, I mean, they’re fantastic. theatre they are world class theatre
- They’ve got loads on there.
- So we generally avoid the festival. You know, we generally just say, time off, but not this year, not this year. And it’s challenging. I mean, I think we’re realising, now why we kind of steered clear of the festival before. Just because one there’s so much on two it’s over the years become more and more about comedy, certainly, not a music festival. And three, there’s mega commercial promoters, who really quite, you know, dominate the festival, you know, around about the university area,
- You’re actually echoing exactly what Ricky Demarco said the other evening at his book launch of Demarco’s Edinburgh. And he said exactly that, that the Fringe has moved away from or the Festival has moved away from being what it originally was, which is music drama, sort of. I don’t really want to say serious things, but sort of serious things, and has become this big showcase of comedians, which we all love too. And there’s space for all but it has changed immeasurably since – and he’s been at all of the festivals, so he ought to know.
- I just think it’s an arts festival and I think there’s a – I think there’s a definition that, that I don’t know, I think there’s, there’s entertainment, and there’s art. And I think they aren’t necessarily – there’s overlap, but I don’t necessarily think they’re the same thing. And I think it’s tragic, really, that we have some of the best drama, the best dance, the best music in the world comes to a city and the vast majority of people go to hear someone telling jokes. And I think that’s a shame for them for the public themselves. And they
- barely knew about it. Even the you know, the music or the dance being on there is so much I mean, there’s something like either 3,000 or 4000 shows every day. They go to everything. I can go to everything. No, no tries. I might. Yeah. So, so let’s just have a little rundown. Today is where are we the 16th. Today, at seven o’clock, we have Simon Bradley CIO,
- where we would have but he’s got Covid That’s the only concert we’ve had to cancel
- him and you’ve got lots more though. 9.30 you’ve got Matt Carmichael and Fergus McCreadie, Aiden O’Rourke as you said is tomorrow. Tom Bancroft, Chris Stout and Catriona McKay on Friday with Fat Suit. I haven’t heard of
- before They are a kind of eight piece well eight to 12 piece Glasgow, sort of funk Jazz, Jazz Funk sort of collective? Yeah, who really go for it big style
- You’ve got some fantastic names here. So we just have to encourage everybody to have a real look. And where should they look? Ed fringe.com
- Do a search on the venue, which is Rose Theatre. They can go to soundhouse.org.uk, which is our own website and find the full programme there. But yeah, the shortcut is to go to Edfringe.com. Or use the app and press the buy tickets button. Oh,
- yeah, well, we hope that they do. Douglas and that your your venture, once you get to the 28th of August that you can heave a sigh of relief and go Yeah, that was okay. That was worthwhile. Yeah. Well done. Thank you bringing so much terrific music to to the Rose Theatre
- It’s a pleasure. Thanks.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
