Hidden Door – this weekend only
A unique exhibition is on at The Paper Factory just off the Maybury Roundabout this weekend. TOLL is a large scale installation artwork and film by artist Andrew J Brooks about the toll of the pandemic.
It consists of 145,652 individual 4cm-tall marks – one for each registered death in the UK in the first year of the pandemic. The resulting work spans six rolls of paper, each 10 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, using over a litre of black ink.
The Paper Factory is open 10am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday and there is an artist talk at 1pm on Saturday.
Fettes College Pipe Band off to New York
On Saturday the New York City Tartan Day Parade will feature Fettes College’s pipe band for the first time in a generation.
There will be 28 members of the pipe band and their instructors performing in the parade on 5 April along Sixth Avenue. Old Fettesians (OFs) living in the city have also been invited to join them, together with others from the Fettes community making the journey to New York.
The pipers and drummers taking part in the parade are aged between 13 and 18. They are members of the Fettes College pipe band which is made up of students across its senior and prep schools and currently holds the Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships Junior A Trophy.
Cameron Drummond, Master in Charge of Piping and Drumming at Fettes College, said: “Each year our pipe band performs in a number of prestigious locations including Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace and it is a great honour for our band to also perform in New York and showcase Scotland’s musical heritage. We have been practising tirelessly, so we’re all set for this once-in-a-lifetime experience for our students.”
Helen Harrison, Head of Fettes College, who is in New York with the Pipe Band, said: “Fettes has a strong tradition of piping and drumming, and the Fettes pipe band’s performance at Tartan Day highlights their skills and dedication. It will be a special moment to join the students in the parade, and a great opportunity for the Fettes community to show its support. Fettes is a proudly Scottish school that brings together international perspectives, empowering our students to be successful on a global platform.”
The students will be playing a set of well-loved US tunes, including America the Beautiful, The Marines Hymn and When the Saints go Marching In. Prior to the parade, the pipe band will perform for OFs and others in Bryant Park.
Last year Fettes became the only school in the world to have two piping instructors that took part in the prestigious Glenfiddich Piping Championships.
Ian Prowse in Edinburgh tonight
Ian Prowse celebrates with a special re-release and an anniversary tour around the UK including a stop at Voodoo Rooms on Friday night 4 April.
A song that famously reduced the legendary John Peel to tears live on air, ‘Does This Train Stop On Merseyside?’ is a powerful single that has truly stood the test of time. With Ian Prowse’s heartfelt vocals journeying through the region’s astounding history (including the horrors of the Hillsborough disaster) and a gorgeous sweeping musicality, the track is one of the most noteworthy to originate from the ‘UK Capital of Pop’ this side of the millennium.
Now, the 2005 Amsterdam hit is being celebrated to mark its 20th anniversary, with a re-release lined up for 7th March and an extensive UK tour commencing on the same day. Also to look forward to is a mini-documentary featuring some famous faces, more details on this TBC.
Ian Prowse saidL “Writing “Does This Train Stop on Merseyside?” saved my life. After (first band) Pele ended, I couldn’t get arrested. Then this song arrived, and all the doors reopened for me, that was important.
“That it was John Peel who first recognised its power is an eternal honour. I’m so glad to put it back out there again for its 20th birthday.
“It’s not mine anymore, it’s yours.”
Friday Community Café
At Bellfield in Portobello on Fridays there is a Community Café from 11am to noon.
Leith Late is now the late Leith Late
The trustees of Leith Late decided to close the charity at the end of March. The last of their funding was used for arts projects at the Citadel.
They have said: “We have made this decision due to a combination of reasons including the extreme challenges around funding for all charities, and especially they arts. We are particularly sad to close the charity before being able to co-ordinate a refresh of the Leith History Mural, as that was the last project we were focused on.
“With that said, we appreciated the opportunity in 2024 to work with the Water of Leith Conservation Trust to support the creation of the Coalie Park murals, which involved members of the community developing and painting the design with artist Kate George, and have made such a positive difference to the area.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
