I can feel something inside me say… see this show

April 25, 2019April 25, 2019 ~ somethinginthewayshemoves

Last night I shed my jammies & dragged my sister out on a school night. We headed west to catch Kiri Pritchard McLean at The Stand.

I’m a big fan of Kiri’s (Rachel Fairburn’s) podcast, All Killa No Filla. I’ve also seen her in various tv shows, plus bits & pieces at the Fringe. I knew she was funny & cool, but I had never seen her perform her own show. I’m so bloody glad I bagged tickets for Victim, Complex because it’s incredible. Stand up shows that make you cry are kind of my thing and Kiri may be my new queen.

Everything about Victim, Complex is perfect. Kiri’s bright yellow, sequinned adorned person dominates the stage. She welcomes the audience into dark experiences with much hilarity and stunning vulnerability. It is powerful to watch someone take control of their painful truth.

Gaslighting & mental illness probably don’t seem like natural stand up material, but it works. It’s definitely an emotional hour. The laugh out loud moments far number the tears. It’s an uproariously relatable show; packed with filth, a plot twist & the wisdom of that drunk girl we’ve all met in a club toilet. It’s all underlined by an important & empowering message.

My body is properly punishing me for daring to leave the house, but it was absolutely worth it. That’s pretty much the best review a show can get. If Pritchard McLean is playing anywhere near you, buy a ticket.

And if that wasn’t enough to convince you, there’s a free badge!

Another cruelty free quickie…

October 5, 2018October 5, 2018 ~ somethinginthewayshemoves ~ 2 Comments

It’s Friday and after a rough week I’m ending on a high. I got some unexpected, but very good news yesterday. Now I am sailing into the weekend relaxed & very ready to have some fun. I have a mini break planned, bunch of new clothes to show off & a tiny little nephew to smother in kisses. Before we get to all that, I have a cruelty free quickie for you.

I love being a ginger. I’ve always loved being a redhead. Sadly, the older I get, the lighter my hair becomes. To the point that people have started calling me strawberry blonde. That may not seem like a big deal, but it breaks my heart. Ginger nut is part of my identity! I’m too low maintenance to keep up with dying my hair, but the thought of losing my burnished tones altogether is just awful. Enter, Infuse My Colour, my salvation. It’s a colour infused shampoo that stops the fade in coloured & enhances the tones in natural hair. I bought copper in the hope that it would revitalise my natural colour. I was not disappointed. I’ve only been using the shampoo for 7 days and have already noticed a big difference.

I’m impressed at how quickly I have seen results & will definitely continue using the shampoo. Infuse My Colour is of course vegan & cruelty free. In case you were curious, here I am in my younger days as a proper, hardcore ginger.

Today I have a bonus quickie, lucky you. One of birthday gifts from my darling sis was some Kiko Milano products. I tried out the eyeshadow duo yesterday & it was a hit. It’s super soft & glides right on. Excellent pigmentation, even better staying power. I saw A Star is Born last night & wept like a baby; the eyeshadow stayed put. I love it.

A Star is Born incidentally is excellent. A beautiful interruption of a wonderful film. Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga blew me away, both displaying talents I didn’t know they had. Word of warning though, all those people saying it isn’t as sad as the Streisand version are LYING. Prepare to be destroyed.

A strange play…

September 15, 2018September 16, 2018 ~ somethinginthewayshemoves ~ 1 Comment

Last night I pretended I was a hip young thing & went to The Twistettes album launch. Of course I am in fact a tired old thing so I didn’t stay until the end, but I did have a very good time. Also, today I’m broken.

A strange play album launch flyer

The Twistettes are a riotous two piece. Before last night I did not realise they are sisters, somehow this knowledge increases their cool factor for me. The launch party for their new album A Strange Play was exactly the loud feminist event that I expected. Housed in the cellar club space of Stereo (excellent vegan food FYI). The night kicked off with Quotes of the Dead, a very enjoyable cross between 90’s girl attitude & early 00’s goth rock. Their set was followed by the most excellent Leyla Josephine. Her angry, amusing & awesome poetry really made my night. Give me 3mins of non earnest spoken word on the vagina & I’m sold.

ly & toyboy Twistettes album launch

Next to take the stage was The Honey Farm, possibly Scotland’s only female rap group. I didn’t expect to enjoy them quite as much as I did. Rap isn’t my preferred genre, but I suppose intelligent women with attitude can make anything agreeable. Girobabies turned out a buoyant performance & then it was time for the main act.

The Twistettes A Strange Play Album Launch — *

The Twistettes were absolutely worth tarting my old arse up for. For a two piece they create a tremendous onslaught of sound. Riot Grrrl influence was definitely in evidence with an undercurrent of 90’s indie rock chick. Their lyrics are captivating & I particularly loved the slightly spooky bent of the title track. Original material is intriguing, their encore covers were large & in charge. If powerful talented women are your thing, give this punkish duo a listen.

* Photo Credit – Stephen Black

Drift like a cloud through the festival crowd…

August 24, 2018August 25, 2018 ~ somethinginthewayshemoves ~ 2 Comments

On Monday the Toyboy & I headed off for our annual (it’s the 2nd year, that counts, right?) trip to the Edinburgh Fringe. Three days of exhausting, but fabulous adventures ensued.

Our first show of the 2018 fringe was Phil Jupitus is Porky the Poet in Living in A World Where They Through the Ducks at the Bread . That title is quite a mouth full as was some of this show, but in a good way. I’ll be honest, I only really knew Jupitus from Never Mind the Buzzcocks & it turns out I like his poetry much more than I liked that programme. His poetic style is silly & witty & heartwarming. His in between chat is also all of the above. I’m a spoken word/poetry fan, but I think even poetry virgins would enjoy Porky’s words. Oh & bonus I got a free badge that sums me up fairly accurately.

Voodoo Rooms is a perfect example of example of Edinburgh Festival venues. It’s down a lane, riddled with stairs & you’re packed in tight enough to lose circulation in your extremities. We made the mistake of trusting directions of a stranger (male, why can they never admit they don’t know?). We walked around in a massive circle before discovering the venue was about 2 minutes from where we started & on arrival I realised I had actually known where it was all along; I just didn’t know the street name. Anyway, what I’m trying to tell you is this is a quintessential festival experience. Finding most venues will become a magical mystery tour of possibly the least disabled friendly city in the world. Everything is up a hill & 3 dozen stairs. Spoonies beware or budget for a lot of taxis!

We acted the tourist for a little bit; had a lunch from a food truck & bought Edinburgh rock. Then I tortured the TB with outfit pictures before an outfit change & catching up with some Edinburgh based friends. After a few cocktails & much hilarity we headed off to our last show of the day.

The Waverley is just off bottom end of the Royal Mile. It looks like it hasn’t been decorated since 60’s & feels like it might house a tiny part of real festival spirit. In the upstairs room there was a sparse audience & a life size cut out of Billy Conolly declaring ‘This is where I started’. I’m not sure if that’s inspiring or just a kick in teeth to those playing a quiet room, but the woman we came to see gave it a spirited try. Becky Fury (that’s her real name) hinted that she perhaps wasn’t having her best night, but she did have some interesting takes on current state of politics. I suspect the show that emerges from her Edinburgh run will be more polished than Lip Salve for the Soul. In the meantime her Star Wars movie via Corbyn memes was funny. Her visual display of how dehumanisation happens, somehow Hillary Clinton faired worse in polls than terrorists, was insightful. Plus her off the cuff material on my breasts was actually pretty fucking amusing. Anyone who can make ‘that’s how genocide happens’ a punchline & get me to laugh when the size of my tits is publicly discussed has got to have talent. I’d say book early for her 2019 show, it’ll be a cracker.

With only two shows under our belts we grabbed some very expensive fast food & headed back to our apartment. We needed a bit of rest because Tuesday was jam packed. Stay tuned for everything from medieval disco theatre to serial killer book podcasts all viewed with eyes adorned in razor sharp liner.

She’s electric….

June 22, 2015April 3, 2019 ~ somethinginthewayshemoves ~ 3 Comments

My beautiful niece was visiting from Australia recently and her curious little mind needed stimulation. Athena is an incredibly energetic and intelligent 5yr old, she is always full of questions and keen to learn; The Glasgow Science Centre seemed like the perfect place to let her loose. The entire family was keen to spend plenty of time with our little Goddess, so our party ended up including myself, my sister & our dad. The prices initially looked a little steep, but when concessions were figured in it became much more reasonable. We decided to pay a little extra for a planetarium show, which was an excellent choice.

We arrived at 1.30pm and made our way to the first floor of the science mall, which introduces basic science concepts in a fun way. There are maths puzzles (some of which the adults couldn’t work out), tests of reaction speed, hissing cockroaches, optical illusions & even an opportunity to captain a ship. The exhibits work so well as they are all completely interactive. It’s a parents dream; kids are tackling & understanding a dearth of new ideas whilst having a ball. Athena particularly loved the fact that we could all join in. To be fair, we grownups enjoyed that too.

Next up was the planetarium show, which was a real treat. The night sky lit up above you is stunning. The show is fantastic, another enjoyable learning experience for the little ones. They are encouraged to call out & participate. Amongst all the hilarity we discovered constellations, how to find the North Star & how colour indicates the temperature of stars. My girl was delighted with the experience.

The 2^nd floor of the science mall is aimed an older age group. It focuses on the world of work & includes lots clever tasks that allow a young person to identify talents, interests and what careers they might enjoy. As most of this was above Athena’s age level we moved on to the top floor where we discovered body works. These exhibits work really well for a range of ages. Older kids would gain a deeper understanding of things such heart surgery, how internal organs work & the amazing things our bodies are capable of. However, the same exhibits work equally well for younger minds. The human hamster wheel and machine that allows you to see the veins in your body were particular favourites. There is also an opportunity to test your heart rate at rest & during exertion, plus a chance to impersonate your heart and pump some blood. The displays relating to the dangers of smoking and alcohol are incredibly effective. Being able to operate both healthy & damaged lungs gives children a real insight into what cigarettes do to lung function. There is also an exhibit that allows you see what smoking and drinking will do to your face over time. All of which leave more of an impression than simply being told these habits are bad for you.

Body works is also home to a number of detailed models of the body. You can perform a virtual autopsy and take apart all the piece of the brain. Athena was a little freaked out by these items, but enjoyed the gross out factor when I pretended to eat brains. All three generations got involved in measuring our height, our ability to balance, sprint and hand strength. I was a little disturbed to discover my 5yr old niece’s grip was much stronger than mine. We rounded off our day by playing with a giant pin mould, which proved a big hit with everyone.

In conclusion, the science centre is excellent. We didn’t leave until closing time (5pm) & could have happily stayed much longer. The tickets may be a little more than some other attractions, but you really do get your monies worth. We saw children of all ages, teens and even some adults visiting alone. There truly is something for everyone. If you want your child to learn whilst they play, the science centre is the place for you. In one afternoon Athena gained so much. In the following days she asked an abundance of questions as her mind processed all the new information. Little minds are sponges and it is really rewarding to watch them soak up knowledge. All in all the science centre gets an A++. I’ll even let you in on a wee secret; I think Grampa may have had even more fun than his granddaughter.