Moorings Reunion 22 September

 Aberdeen City, Events  No Responses »
Sep 172013
 

Moorings170With Thanks to Craig Adams.

The Moorings Bar is holding a reunion night for customers who attended during The Shep Era between 1965 and 1976.

The idea of a reunion was sparked when the bar launched a Facebook appeal for nostalgic photos.

A regular from the early 70s submitted a photo of previous owner Simpson Shepherd, and this led to much on-line dialogue and reminiscing.

A few weeks later some of the regulars from 40 years ago visited the bar on a Saturday afternoon and met with current owner Craig Adams, they then floated the concept of a reunion party, with the Sunday of the September holiday weekend earmarked as a suitable date.

Craig, who has a love of 60s and 70s music, then organised The Palmer Eldritch Band to perform, and also volunteered his services as a DJ.

The reunion takes place on Sunday 22nd of September at 8pm.  Tickets are £4 advance from either The Moorings Bar or Box Office Aberdeen, or £5 on the door.

Ticket sales have been strong, with over a hundred sold to date.

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Old Susannah No 82: Arts and Craftiness

 Aberdeen City, Satire and Humour  No Responses »
Jun 222012
 

Voice’s Old Susannah comments on current events and enlightens us with definitions of some tricky terms with a locally topical taste. By Suzanne Kelly.

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Tally Ho!  I’m not sure if this past week was more vibrant than it was dynamic or more dynamic than it was vibrant – but it’s been good on the whole.  Gray’s School of Art degree and fashion shows took place, I went along to the Sunday movie at The Moorings, and there were lots of cocktails.

RGU was interesting; for some reason just as we arrived, I was puzzled as my friends abruptly scarpered in different directions.  I was told later that I’d been standing next to HoMalone, and my friends didn’t want to see what would happen next. Not that I would have confronted her; I would have said “Hello!  My deer!”, or asked her where she got the fluorescent mustard coloured blazer she wore at the vote count.

She was probably searching for the Gray’s designer who made clothing out of fur, or the jeweller using bone, or so I would imagine (NB there were some imaginative uses of fake fur on show – why use dead animals for decorative reasons?).

Before the RGU fashion show, Gray’s Head of School made a speech, concluding that Gray’s and RGU were firmly behind Aberdeen’s bid for the highly coveted ‘City of Culture’ title.  Hooray!

There were several interesting artists and designers on show; I particularly liked jewellery by Sarah Sidwick.  In a written statement Sarah claimed:-

“Body image dissatisfaction is on the rise, with more pressure than ever before put on both women and men to obtain society’s projected ideal beauty…. I believe we should all start taking the growing problem of bodily image dissatisfaction more seriously and question our view on what makes someone ‘beautiful’.

We all have different ideas of what is beautiful I guess.  As long as someone’s not to fat or too thin, or too tall or short, and doesn’t show any sign of ageing – and wears lots of designer gear, it’s safe to say they are beautiful.

For anyone who likes to watch a movie without interruptions or without listening to other people’s mobiles going off every five minute, I’d suggest the Sunday Movie at the Moorings Bar.  The lights are dimmed around 4pm-ish, the doors are locked, and the audience is quiet.  Last week’s movie was called ‘Dazed & Confused’.

Old Susannah found some of the film’s references difficult to follow, and was puzzled that the young people in it seemed to smoke roll-up cigarettes with excessive frequency; I can’t imagine why.

There were a few occasions for cocktails this week, and my first visit to 99 Back Wynd won’t be my last.  There is a ‘Painkiller’ cocktail which is delicious, and they have violet-flavoured alcohol, which I love.

  Saturday 23 June is nearly upon us, and the biggest party Union Terrace Gardens has ever seen will be on

Possibly best of all is that BrewDog is offering cocktails.  Beer cocktails.  BrewDog craft beer  cocktails.    These spirit-lifting cocktails include Pretty in Punk, Saint’s Delight, Hardcore Pornography and Orange Tide.   A girl in BrewDog had selected about 20 bottles of different beers to take away; she told me it was a birthday present for a friend.  I told her my birthday is 9 July.

And I launched an eBook this week.  It’s a very short work entitled ‘Old Susannah’s Handbook of Modern Manners – Part One’.  It is available on kindle via Amazon.  The introduction is available to read for free, but after that it gets a tiny bit sarcastic.  It is yours for about £1.90, and should I sell any copies, then 20% of any profit will be split between four animal welfare/sanctuary groups. No doubt the City of Culture Bid Committee will be interested.

It can be found at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008C81M1I

Seeing as the City of Culture is the topic on everyone’s lips (why, I can barely sleep!), I will include a few relevant definitions.  Before that, just a reminder that Saturday 23 June is nearly upon us, and the biggest party Union Terrace Gardens has ever seen will be on.  Hope to see you there.

But amid all this fun, the Freedom of Information people wrote to me this afternoon about some of my deer cull questions.  It seems that despite public observation to the contrary, warning signs were posted at each and every entrance during the weeks the shooting took place.

The signs said ‘forestry operations’ were in effect.  Obviously, forestry operations meant hunters were shooting rifles and a lethal risk existed.  By the way, 23 deer were shot, none were just wounded (so the city says), and all were ‘clean kills’.  However, to shoot 23 deer, 33 rounds of ammunition were fired.

I put my hands up (especially if confronted with a high-powered rifle) – but if 23 animals were shot instantly dead, doesn’t this mean an extra 10 shots were taken?  Did it take more than one shot to kill the poor (hand-fed in some cases) creatures?  Did any bullets miss – therefore meaning there could have been some serious accidents?

Feel free to ask the City yourself about the cull, the correct warning signs as to lethal risk, and the 33 rounds needed to kill 23 deer.

Now onwards with a few definitions

Culture: (noun, Eng) 1.  the collective qualities, traits, idiosyncrasies that give an area, a group or a nation its individuality.

A Ms D Morgan sent a letter to the Press & Journal last week; in it she noted that Aberdeen has closed nearly a dozen of its museums and/or sold collections over the past decade and a bit.  We recently flogged off some of the Thomas Glover House artefacts as well.  And about time.

No one is interested in history, old buildings or old paintings; people want to see sharks in fish tanks, skulls covered with diamonds, and granite webs.  The sooner we can get more vibrant and dynamic the better.  This is how it works.

  • Sell off your old stuff.  Sell old trees for lumber in Hazlehead Park and use the money to plant trees on Tullos Hill (irrespective of the existing ecosystem, peoples’ wishes, or the fact the trees won’t grow).
  • Shoot the deer that lived on the hill and sell their carcasses for game meat.
  • Let your old buildings either rot, get burnt down, or just sell them.  Then you have cash in hand.
  • Close museums; throw any books you find in Marischal College’s basement museum into a skip.
  • Buy some trendy new art, and get lots of consultants in.
  • Build new venues, even if the existing venues have to be subsidised by the taxpayer.
  • Borrow lots and lots of money over what you got by selling the family silverware.
  • Give money to consultants.
  • Borrow more money.
  • Set up some private companies, preferably with the established quangos which you’ve helped to set up.
  • You will need more money.  Cut funds, stop benefits, close schools, pressure libraries.
  • Ask arts practitioners in the area what they want, and ignore those who are politically awkward, not dependent on you for funding, or who want a slice of the new pie.
  • Set up lots of meetings, think-tanks, new groups.
  • Select a random area of the city to be the quarter for arts.  Impose this new geography.  Then sit back and wait for the public’s grateful thanks, and grants to roll in, and tourists in their thousands to appear, hopefully generating the £122,000,000 you promised people your granite web and new ideas would bring in each year.  If you build it, they will come.

I do not think Aberdeen can be rivalled in its ambition.

City of Culture: (noun, mod. English) title bestowed upon a UK/European City by vote. 

The irreverent magazine ‘Private Eye’ has previously pointed out how Liverpool, previous City of Culture, spent a great deal of money on events which sadly people weren’t sophisticated enough to appreciate or support, and wasted a fortune.  But Valerie  Watts, our Chief Executive, came from Derry.  Derry won City of Culture, and she wants another similar victory here!

Only a minority of negative people in Derry think that money was wasted on this award.  £12  million or so was needed for Derry’s ‘Millennium Way’.  If you and I haven’t heard of it, it is because we are uncultured.    Here is some criticism of what I am sure was a brilliant idea:-  http://www.lurganmail.co.uk/news/local/city-of-culture-not-a-priority-1-3761381

But suddenly as I read these old stories, everything fell into place for Old Susannah as she remembered one of the huge white elephants of Liverpool.  Actually, it was not a white elephant…

We have seen some of our quangos and LibDem / SNP politicians desperate to build a giant granite web.  I can now reveal the reason we are desperate for the giant web is that a city of culture must have:  A Giant Spider.

City movers and shakers in Liverpool,  (home of the Beatles, Echo  & the Bunnymen, classical performers, painters and sculptors) decided to ignore all that art nonsense and get really cultural – with a giant spider called ‘the princess project’.  The spider’s cost was nearly £2,000,000.  What a bargain!

Why DaVinci, Mozart, Bach, Turner and so on ignored the cultural importance of a giant spider is beyond me; I guess we’re just more enlightened now.  But ‘Liverpool Culture Company (in turn funded by the city, the Arts Council and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport) decided to get a giant Japanese spider.  I guess Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan were not available at the time.

Who were the creative geniuses behind this entire ‘city of culture’ invention?  Who wanted a giant spider above classical arts and indeed before serving the needs of the Liverpudlian citizen?

The entire concept of a Department of Culture, Media & Sport was an ancient dream we can thank Tony Blair for.  One of the first Ministers for this crucial cabinet post was the talented David Mellor.  He was famous for having his toes sucked by Antonia de Sancha, as reported widely at the time.

Was it a Shakespearean scholar, Tom Stoppard or another luminary who helped devise this spider scheme and run Liverpool’s year?  Indeed:  it was creator of Brookside Close, Phil Redmond, who was Liverpool Culture Company’s artistic director. To quote Wikipedia, which is quite accurate on this story, Redmond said :-

“At £1.5m I think it’s (the giant spider) actually cheaper than (booking) Macca (Sir Paul McCartney) and it has got us on the front of the South China Morning Post. So it’s good value for money.  However, the project has come in for criticism [whatever for? – Old Susannah asks] in some quarters: the UK mental health charity Anxiety has highlighted the potentially traumatic effect of the production upon those suffering with arachnophobia, and the TaxPayers’ Alliance has called the artwork an “outrageous waste of taxpayers’ money”.

The vast majority of the public response was … that “The Liverpool Princess’ performance was the highlight of the city’s Capital of Culture 2008 celebrations.”

I can well believe that was the highlight, remembering some of the other non-events Private Eye covered.  There were cancelled performances, people giving work to acquaintances, and all sorts of dubious goings-on.

None of that could happen here however.

Patronage: (noun) to support, pay for or otherwise assist an artist, project, sportsman, etc.

In a far distant past, the fine artist was paid by the rich to portray the wealthy patron in a favourable light.  The artists were obliged to do as they were told, but often they left clues behind in their work to say how they really felt about their patron (stone masons would leave small caricatures behind in the back of their work).

Later, the role of patron switched to the State.  If your artwork pleases the government, you get grants.

For instance the man who was paid £9,000 (or so) to paint our Lord Provost told the press:

”I think he ( Provost Stephens) is a really nice man.” 

Well, he would say that wouldn’t he? It’s not like he feels any obligation to the system that commissioned him; or that would mean we have the state controlling what artists do – heaven forbid! – whereas the negative, fault-finding, duo of Anthony Baxter and Richard Phinney were denied grants from Creative Scotland, as ‘no one would be interested in a documentary about Donald Trump and the Menie Estate’.

Thankfully, by letting the government dish out money to the artists they like is that we can try to prevent another ‘You’ve Been Trumped’ from getting made.  I wonder how many people with similar projects which were turned down didn’t find the resources to realize their artistic visions.

Thankfully, we will never find out.  Another benefit is we don’t have to think too much about what is good or bad art – the state chooses for us.  Result!

Old Susannah has already been a bit longer-winded than she had intended; apologies.

Next week:  No Creative Scotland commissions for me.

Old Susannah No. 57 – Pictures And An Exhibition

 Aberdeen City, Articles, Community, Environment, Information, Opinion, Satire and Humour  No Responses »
Nov 042011
 

Old Susannah takes a look at the events of the past week.

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After another event-packed week in Aberdeen, Wednesday’s Press & Journal surprised on two counts.  The cover tells me that the Scottish Government, previously strapped for cash, will give us £70 million to make our city garden project dreams come true.
All we have to do is show that we’re all behind Wood/Milne/Craw/Brough and all.  Should be easy enough.

But, the surprising thing was that the story was illustrated with not one but two photographs taken inside the hallowed temple of design which is the Pier, and they clearly showed the exhibitions.

I was chased by security guards for taking a photo of the lovely stripy poster when I stood on Belmont Street, and several of the protestors were told in no uncertain terms that photographs of the great designs were absolutely forbidden. 

I fully expect that Gerry Brough (or Sasha M maybe) will send the security guards straight over to P&J offices and demand that the photos be deleted.  After all, a rule for one should be a rule for everyone.  Otherwise people will get the wrong impression that rules are not uniformly enforced in our fair city.

The other item which surprised me pleasantly was an account of the recent Housing & Environment Committee meeting:  Neil Cooney brought up some of the many reasons why the deer cull and tree planting on Tullos are not as popular with the public as they might be.

One other teeny omission that Ho Malone and other proponents of the bullets for trees scheme forgot to mention in their reports and consultations is the fact we’ll have to spray weedkiller on Tullos for 2-3 years.  Result!  This is jobs creation at its best, although you might not want junior riding his moped any time soon after the spraying has occurred.

One other minor detail – after all this fuss over the deer and press releases saying that everything is in readiness for the saplings – the city has not actually put in its formal bid for the tree scheme.   This makes people like Pete and Ho look just a little foolish for saying that the scheme is cost-neutral. 

I’m no accountant, but if you’ve not got any funding for a plan that failed before to the tune of £44,000, you might be just a little bit premature to announce that the great plan is ‘cost neutral.’  Neil also has this wild idea that the wildlife we already have on Tullos should be kept, and the hill be designated a meadowland / grassland – possibly deer park.  Watch this space.  (Thank you Neil from a great number of people).

1320275657-margaretpumpkinfixed
The best events of the week save the Housing Committee meeting were the Pumpkin Procession and the Mooring’s Alternative Design Competition Award night.

At the Pumpkin Procession in UTG, a great selection of pumpkins were on display in the near darkness.

A particularly frightening carving of a witch disturbed the group greatly; this was of a famous witch named Margaret Thatcher.

Over two dozen bright, vibrant, dynamic, forward-looking, connectivity-rich, level-access, city-saving schemes for boring Union Terrace Gardens were on display at the Moorings on the night.  These are still available for viewing on that Facebook thing the kids are using today.
See: Alternative-City-Gardens-Design-Contest

Believe it or not, I was allowed to take photos without security accusing me of any felony offence.

And I got to drink some nice beer called ‘Alhambra’ – named after a rather boring bit of architecture in Spain which has far too much garden space incorporated, and actually no parking or shops.  Shocking.  No one will ever go to the Alhambra just for a visit (unlike our forthcoming glass worm).  The Moorings winner didn’t get £135,000 (which is what I believe you get if you were shortlisted for your monolith or Teletubby habitat), but got a bottle of drink instead.

All things considered, I think the finalists at the Moorings should have been given great wads of money and the official designers should have been told to stay off the drink when working.

The winner’s design had suggested putting AFC’s stadium in UTG, but this leaves the problem of what then to build in Loirston, which has for far too long just been a meadow.

But at this rate there won’t be any definitions, so here goes.

Outburst

(noun) an uncontrolled, sudden verbal attack, usually unsuspected.

Dear oh dear.  The credit crunch is having a devastating effect on so many of us.  I can’t even get to BrewDog as often as I’d like for openers.  But spare a thought for those less fortunate than us who are really feeling the strain at this difficult time.

Do you know someone who’s having to sub an unprofitable football team?  Someone who’s year-end profit wasn’t all that big (although whether or not that’s true outside of the UK is anyone’s guess)?  Someone perhaps who is facing a big legal action over a land purchase deal?  And you thought you had problems!

Some of us are down to our last 60 mill or so.  Such strains could easily make you tear your hair out.  Or be grumpy.  Or even have a wee outburst.  Before you make fun of such a person because they seem like a child who’s thrown his toys out of the playpen, just think : it could be you who’s lost your temper/grip.  The last thing we should do is call attention to such a temporary lapse of reason/class/reserve.

Therefore, if someone sends you a link to a video where such an outburst is captured, best thing you can do is stay clear.  For purposes of illustration, I have just such a link here, wherein a normally lovely bloke has an uncharacteristic outburst and makes something of an exhibition of himself.  So pity such a creature.  They may have come from a broken home.
See:  Stewart_Milne_Outburst_Video_Article

Nanny State

(modern English phrase) a derogatory term to describe an overly interfering government, particularly from the UK’s past.

I am eternally grateful to those wiser heads than ours in government who want to protect everyone from the ills and evils of drink.  There are people who have problems with drink; and drink driving is a threat to everyone – I say without any sense of sarcasm; I’ve lost too many loved ones to drink drivers.  Rather than helping people with drink problems, the best thing to do is make drink more expensive for everyone.

The SNP previously tried to save us all from the great evils of Marks & Spencer’s ‘eat in for a tenner’ scheme (as I previously detailed).  This was a plot by the sinister M&S to give us affordable four-dish meals to eat at home with another person.

It’s clear to  see where this kind of thing could lead – one thing leads to another as you progress from a ‘herb’ salad to a rump steak with onion ‘rings’ on the side while sharing a bottle of red wine before moving on to dessert (I had profiteroles with my meal last week – it was delicious.  OOPS!)

Having been as successful at banning these society-destroying balanced meals as they were at making Scotland independent, the SNP have decided to raise the price of alcohol.

This will immediately result in alcoholics quitting booze cold turkey.  Kids will no longer wish to experiment with alcohol, and the world will be a better place.  Since Scotland doesn’t have much of a vibrant or dynamic alcohol presence in the world’s drinks market, there will be no economic repercussions at all.

Nanny Goats

(noun type of goat; female)

I don’t know where we would be without the ‘new-look’ Scottish Natural Heritage agency to make sure we have a perfect natural world with as few deer, foxes and goats as possible.  For the movers and shakers (or ‘empire builders’ and climbers if you will) of SNH want to destroy the Tullos Hill deer (and other deer), and they are making sure we don’t have too many goats on the remote Isle of Rum.

To ensure that we have a perfect balance of nature, it seems SNH had a nice quantity of the goats shot, as reported in the Sunday papers.

What intelligent method was used to get rid of the corpses?  Were they fed to birds of prey?  No, they were allegedly thrown off cliffs into the sea.  The SNH denies this, but it is their word against the word of observers.  Seeing as how the SNH wrote to Aberdeen City Council encouraging a sneaky approach to the Tullos Hill deer cull, I might not be inclined to believe them all the time. 

It is almost as if someone at SNH wanted to make a name for themselves and was running around getting as much media coverage as possible, and was using draconian, cruel animal slaughter to get press attention.  But remember, the world was a far less balanced, manicured, less managed place in the days before SNH got into the killing, sorry, culling or ‘managing’ game.

We now have targets as to how many animals a patch of land can hold.  This is of course not control-freakery.  If the animals don’t stick to the figures, well then, they become the targets for hunters. 

Of course if such a person existed, they would have quite a job of silencing other experts who clung to old-fashioned ideas about not shooting animals to maintain the new population figures.  This would never happen of course.

However, if you want to ask any questions to reassure yourselves that all is right and proper in the world of animal ‘management’ at the SNH, feel free to write to Jamie Hammond.  He really does have all the answers, and is in no way faddist or revisionist in his proposals for animal management.  Tally Ho!

Next week:  more definitions and an update on our poor stressed out friend.

OS No. 56 – Charity Begins At City Council

 Aberdeen City, Articles, Creative Writing, Opinion, Satire and Humour  No Responses »
Oct 282011
 

Old Susannah reflects on what’s been going on, who’s got designs on our City, who’s doing what out of the goodness of their heart, and wonders if there’s enough ‘connectivity’ yet.  By Suzanne Kelly.

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It was another busy week in the Granite City. Have been busy decorating cupcakes with Sweet Lily Adams (it’s a hard life), and trying out new Jo Malone perfumes (I love their Gardenia cologne, and the orange blossom candle is my favourite).

NB: Jo Malone has absolutely nothing to do with Ho Malone, although the idea of Aileen and I having champagne and canapés together of an evening is an enticing prospect.
She is meant to email me back about the financials for the deer cull (we might not have enough money to kill stuff you see– or it could be a bluff).

Once she does write back, I’ll suggest that the two of us go out for drinks and dinner. Watch this space.

I actually went to some shopping malls without being accosted by guards, and I tried to avoid looking at the six design finalists more than was absolutely necessary. It was truly a car crash of an exhibition:  I had to force myself to look, and then in horror could not look away again.  Whatever the organisers say, not everyone at the show is convinced by the scheme or any of the designs by a long way.

The show has had a profound impact on me as has the TIF application – I think of these things and unavoidably burst out laughing.  You have to hand it to these people  – the emperor has no clothes on, but thinks it all looks fantastic.  If you are free on 1st November, The Moorings is hosting its own alternative design competition – details on Facebook, where the alternatives are far more popular than the official site.

For some reason when I was back at the Academy shopping centre for the first time since my last little visit, my mind turned to the old Benny Hill show.

The other week when the guards were chasing me round the Academy and St Nicks (for taking photos), I could practically hear the Benny Hill theme tune in my head.  If you remember, the wealthy, ageing Benny Hill surrounded himself with pretty blondes, and promised everyone that they would be generously remembered in his will. In the end, almost no one inherited a cent.

What on earth made me think of a rich, older man making promises to leave money to lots of people (including blonde actresses) I couldn’t tell you. The mind works in funny ways.  I must have got something stuck in my craw.

Obviously it was not as vibrant as being in a shopping mall, but I took my turn on Tullos Hill Monday night (yes, we are keeping a watch on the hill – if you want to get involved, get in touch) and saw a solitary deer on two occasions. 

It was obviously vermin, as it was peacefully doing nothing.  I am sure this little vegetarian would have eaten thousands of trees of a single evening.  A well-meaning man had a dog off a lead – the dog chased said deer away.  The man saw nothing wrong with this, saying his (fairly small) dog would not be able to catch the deer.  True, but not quite the point though is it?

Please let your dog run free if it will respond when you call it back.  If not, well, then don’t.  Wild creatures can be petrified in these circumstances.  In the past week and a bit we’ve a child badly bitten by a dog, a dog attacking another dog, and a charming man using his dog to attack police.  It’s just as well we got rid of dog licensing, isn’t it?

But onwards with a few definitions.

Charitable:

(adjective) generous, unselfish, giving behaviour.

Many of us here at Aberdeen Voice help out our favourite charities and causes when we can. But our efforts are quite second rate when compared to the heroic, unselfish, self-sacrifice practiced by some of the City Council’s officers. Step forward Mr Gerry Brough and Ms Jan Falconer.

These two have been working in part on a voluntary basis to make sure that we get something built in boring old UTG.  It is very generous of their employer, Aberdeen City Council to allow them to toil away on the garden project.

It was Jan who spoke to the Torry Community Council about UTG some months ago (Gordon MacIntosh had a dinner to go to instead of seeing Torry), and she promised everything would be spelled out and transparent.

I am convinced she is right – everyone on the City Gardens Project and associated companies has everything perfectly clear. And once the diggers move in, the rest of us will see what’s happening too.  Here is a statement from a report, spelling out how she works:-

 “I have only recently started in this project and the work I have undertaken other than attending meetings is administrative. My hourly rate exclusive of on-costs is £26. I work an average of 50 hours per week making an average of 200 per 4 weeks I work while I am contracted to 148 hours (37 hrs per week). I regard all other administrative and desk-based tasks as taking place during this 11  additional unpaid weekly hours (52 hours per 4 weeks less 8 hours for a flexi-day leaving 11 hrs per week)–which represents a cost saving of £2288 since working on this project from 2 February 2011. (i.e. 11 hours x 8 weeks @ 26 per hour = £3,120). Outwith this is Community Meetings to which I attended the Torry Community Council Meeting for 3 hours in my own time representing an additional saving of £78. This is my choice as I wish the project to be a success whilst following the Council’s instruction”.

Again, the real philanthropist is Sir Ian Wood, without whose promise of putting something into his will, we would not be where we are today.  (Hmm – who’s supplying the office space, light/heat, printers, consumables for all these extra hours?  What is the EU working time directive?  Just curious.)

Mr Brough has occasionally become a wee bit heated when discussing the whole situation, and has written to some local opponents of the new gardens that they are just jealous of Ian.   Here is an example of Gerry’s unselfish nature, hidden behind the sometimes less-than-genteel facade:-

“My hourly rate, excluding on-costs, is £46. However, I work an average of 55 hours per week. Therefore, I would regard all other administrative and desk-based tasks relating to the City garden project as taking place during the 17.5 additional unpaid weekly hours that I work for the council – which represents a cost saving of £20,125 since 6 October 2010 (i.e. 17.5 hours x 25 weeks @ £46 per hour = . £20,125). Indeed, it would be possible to claim that all City Garden work is effectively more than made up for by this additional no-cost time input. Consequently, it can be argued that any input to the City Garden Project is effectively on a voluntary basis, at no cost to the council”.

Bargain!  Only £46  per hour, and he’s willing to work extra at that rate!  I am impressed!  In fact, the amazing report that these quotes come from can be found at:

…. it has some real gems – like the fact they see no legal problems with getting the land and only 10 Freedom of Information Requests had to be dealt with.  You will be amazed as you read this; please be my guest.

While you and I could never hope to equal these giants of giving, who expect nothing in return for their efforts (not even a private sector job or promotion of some kind I am sure), I will take a moment to say that many local charities for people and animals need your help now.  Check out Voluntary Services, Contact the Elderly, Willows, New Arc  just for starters.

They are all in need of money, goods and if you’ve none of those to spare, they need your time.  Obviously you won’t get a carpark named after you, but you might wind up chatting to great people on a Contact the Elderly event, help out with animals, or do one of a hundred other things worth doing.  If you can, then please do get in touch.

Neutrality:

(adjective) impartiality, indifference,

Aberdeen City will not – so some claim – spend a single penny on anything to do with the City Garden Project.  Its officers might be volunteering their time and sitting on boards, companies and committees about changing our dreary Union Terrace Gardens from something Victorian to something 1950s – but it won’t cost us.

The people in Aberdeen who brought us the BiD funding are completely neutral and indifferent to whether or not the City Gardens Project borrows 70 million (probably a wee bit more – say 100 million) through TIF Funding.

This is proved by the BiD people sending out a very smart draft letter for businesses to send.  Here are some extracts from the text that an Aberdeen City employee is sending to local businesses (text in blue is mine):

“I have been asked by ACSEF (to) highlight [sic] that additional support is also required from local businesses to ensure that Aberdeen City can access TIF funding”. 

Well, that’s neutral enough for me.

“We would be grateful if you could consider writing to Barry White, Chief Executive, Scottish Futures Trust, 11-15 Thistle Street, Edinburgh EH2 1DF in support of Aberdeen City Council’s TIF (Tax Incremental Financing) submission” 

Aberdeen City is only asking businesses to write to the Scottish Futures people; it’s not biased at all.

“The TIF being proposed by Aberdeen City Council would unlock up to £80 million to deliver a range of city centre improvements as part of the city centre masterplan. At the heart of the city centre regeneration is the City Garden Project, which has already secured a commitment of £55 million of private sector investment with a further £15 million planned.”

Nothing wrong with a little unlocking, I say.  Who can argue with this factual paragraph?  Yes, sounds quite impartial to me.

“TIF is an invaluable and innovative tool for stimulating greater investment and regeneration, achieving major city centre transformation, and retaining and attracting existing and new business investment. It is therefore vital for Aberdeen to be selected as one of Scotland’s six remaining TIF pilot projects” 

Yes, they are saying TIF is great and it is vital for Aberdeen to get TIF, but I’m sure they really are as neutral as they first claimed.

“We hope that you will demonstrate your support for the Aberdeen TIF submission by making it clear that the Scottish Government needs to demonstrate its support for Aberdeen City and Shire by investing in the regeneration of Aberdeen city centre which, unlike Scotland’s other major cities, has received little or no public infrastructure investment over the last fifty years.”  

Yes, it is only fair that Aberdeen gets its own tram fiasco by having a big infrastructure project.  I do seem to remember that Audit Scotland thought things were so messed up here that we weren’t supposed to do anything big for a while.  But you can’t fault the City’s claim of neutrality just because they are asking businesses to beg for TIF.

Some of you out there might be starting to doubt whether or not the Aberdeen City BiD people are neutral when it comes to the City Garden Project getting TIF funding.  This excerpt from a letter from a Bid Bod should end any doubt:

 “Aberdeen BID is entirely neutral with regard to the City Garden project …”

So yes, Aberdeen City Council and its BiD people are neutral, they are just keeping businesses in the loop, and giving them a letter of support to sign so we can borrow somewhere between 70 million and 100 million (depends who you ask, really) for your great-grandchildren to pay off for building Teletubbyland. Neutrality to match the volunteer work, you might think.

It might sound like it’s asking for help from businesses getting TIF, but they have said they are  impartial so that’s that.

One tiny part of this impartial letter requires a little more study:

I draw your attention to what might be a typo (or a Freudian slip) in this letter which I found amusing (underlining is mine)

“ACSEF is a public private sector partnership that seeks to grow the economy and enhance its quality of life through a joined-up approach. With the private sector standing shoulder to shoulder with the private sector, ACSEF has facilitated, influenced and delivered a variety of major projects that are helping the region and Scotland to meet its growth targets”

Is the private sector going to stand shoulder to shoulder with itself – or is that exactly what the creation of ACSEF with taxpayer money has created and what we should be grateful for?  Answers on a form letter, please.

Just to show that I too understand neutrality, here is a link to a letter you can send to Barry White.

Tell him you don’t want a giant worm or a monolith that will cost someone, somewhere down the line tens of millions – if not one hundred million pounds.  Tell Barry the designs are awful, and the city needs to attract people with excellent schools, great medical facilities, safe, clean streets, and support services for those who need them.

No one is going to live in our city because it has more parking, more offices or a few giant concrete ramps where once 400 year-old trees once stood.  Use this letter as it is; customise it, or send your own to :  Barry.White@scottishfuturestrust.org.uk

Next week:

The  mystery of the uncomprehending Chief Executive, and the Case of the Missing Postcards in which Valerie Watts only receives 35 of the hundreds of anti-cull postcards created – over 60 of which were hand delivered by Old Susannah to a security guard who commented ‘loads came in’ that week – and the week before.  Where are the missing postcards?  Did deer eat them?  Answers on a postcard please – or get one of the remaining postcards and send it to the City – pop into Lush for your card – and some very nice ‘candy cane’ soap.

 

Award Winning Country Band Call The Shots

 Aberdeen City, Articles, Events, Featured, Gigs and Concerts  Comments Off on Award Winning Country Band Call The Shots
Mar 252011
 

malpasos
With thanks to Matt Duncan.

Music lovers thinking ‘bout moseyin’ on down to The Moorings this Saturday may want to keep one eye on the exit, the other out for trouble, their heads down, and their hands close to their holsters as liquor-swillin’, sharp-shootin’, crazed country cowboys The Malpaso Gang come a-calling.

Aberdeen’s newest country band, The Malpaso Gang, proud heirs to the long tradition of outstanding country music rooted in the fertile forelands of the Grampian Highlands have claimed the title of… “Best Indie Band” in the Aberdeen Fudge Music Awards.

They credit their success to a profound love for professional wrestling set to a soundtrack of Buck Owens, and their legions of adoring fans.

The band’s spokesperson, Nina Eggens, after downing her 8th shot of whiskey and shooting out all the bottles behind the bar, aiming from the hip, told Aberdeen Voice:

“We’re so proud. It’s all down to Hank Williams song, ‘Rambling Man’.”

It was the train whistle that apparently set off the fusillade, claiming the lives of the cheap liquor behind the bar leaving no survivors.

malpasobnwpic
Bail for the Gang’s sharp-shooting lead singer has to date been unforthcoming, and it has been reported that the band’s decision to prioritise the raising of money to pay off their bar bill may be the cause of the delay.

The bar tab resulted from drinking which followed the brawl that erupted when, while claiming an unrelated award for stranded steel guitarist Son Henry, Matt Duncan made an insightful comment about a neighbouring city in an unfortunate moment of candour and honesty.

Bassist Dave Haxton, off to fetch another pint, could not be reached for comment.

All of which is appropriate, because as we all know, country music is all about true stories. And all this, they swear, is true.

The Malpaso Gang will be supported on the night by Edinburgh psychedelic-garage–punk band Acid Fascists, and local folk rock artist Foxhunting.

The Malpaso Gang
Acid Fascists
Foxhunting.

Sat 26th March @ The Moorings.

Upcoming Events 30th Oct to 6th Nov.

 Articles, Charity, Events, Gigs and Concerts, Satire and Humour  No Responses »
Oct 292010
 

Miscellaneous

Mon 1st Nov.

7.00pm for 7.30pm start, Woodend Barn, Banchory

Climate Change and Scotland – What can we do about it ?

pete-smith
An illustrated presentation by our local member of the IPCC Professor Pete Smith FSB FRSE

Pete lectures on Soils and Global Change at Aberdeen University. Since 1996 he has served on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. He was the Convening Lead Author of the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Mitigation chapter of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (Working Group III). He has coordinated and participated in many national and international projects on soils, agriculture, greenhouse gases, climate change, mitigation and impacts, and ecosystem modelling. He is a Fellow of the Society of Biology, a Research Fellow of the Royal Society (London), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

All welcome FREE ENTRY
Organised by Banchory Energy Reduction Initiative (BERI). BERI is a Climate Challenge Fund project working with the Banchory community to conserve energy in the home and through travel.
Information online at www.banchory.org

Tues 2nd Nov.

7.30pm, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Room 6

PUBLIC MEETING WITH THE MAYOR OF NAGASAKI – A TALK A NUCLEAR FREE WORLD

cndposter
The long running controversial subject of Nuclear Weapons comes to the fore in Aberdeen next week when the Mayor of Nagasaki will be speaking on behalf of a nuclear free world. Tomihisa Taue, Mayor of Nagasaki and Vice President of Mayors for Peace will be talking about the effects of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9th 1945. In the initial explosion and over the succeeding years over 200,000 of Nagasaki’s men women and children died agonisingly either from blast, burns, crushed limbs and bodies and latterly of leukemia, cancers and other tumours.

Mayors for Peace has over four thousand member cities in one hundred and forty four countries world-wide – sixty two of which are in the UK.


Comedy

Tues 2nd Nov.

7.30pm, Snafu

MARK NELSON, TONY LITTLER, SEAN GRANT, ASIM ALI, ANDREW LEARMONTH
£3/4/5

8.00pm, Music Hall

SEAN LOCK
£17.50+BF

Music

Sat 30th Oct.

4.00pm, One Up (instore gig)

STEVEN MILNE

7:00pm, Snafu

LITTLE COMETS, Plus Support

7:30pm, Lemon Tree

THE COAL PORTERS
£12+BF

8.00pm, Café Drummond

AKA SKA

8.00pm, The Moorings

GOTHIC DORICS

8.00pm, Captain Tom’s
Cirque-de-Sinister Halloween Party

THE RUCKUS, BROTHERS REID, SMOKIN CATFISH, THE WETFLEX
£5

11.00pm, The Tunnels

Rampage Rockclub
SATURDAYS IN ABERDEEN JUST GOT F**KING AWESOME!!
ABERDEEN NOW HAS A PREMIER SATURDAY ROCKCLUB.
http://www.facebook.com/rocknightaberdeen

Sun 31st Oct.

5.00pm to 7.00pm, Doonies Farm,  The Coast Road, Nigg , Aberdeen

Fire Walk Experience
An event to raise funds for future choices and Create Aberdeen ( see Article )

8.00pm, The Tunnels

GOO GOO MUCK ( Cramps tribute )

8.00pm, Carmelite Hotel, Stirling Street

Open Mic Session ( every Sunday. )

9.00pm, The Moorings

The Jam Factory ( every Sunday. )
Bands, acoustic musicians, jammers, poets etc. all welcome.

Mon 1st Nov.

7.30pm, The Tunnels

THEM:YOUTH Plus Support
£5

9.00pm, Blue Lamp

Traditional Acoustic Session. All welcome.

10.00pm, Café Drummond

Open Mic Night ( Every Monday )
Soloists, Poets, Musicians, Maniacs, and Full Bands Welcome.
( Full back line provided ) For more info, call 01224 619930

Tues 2nd Nov.

7.30pm, Lemon Tree

THE DIVINE COMEDY

Wed 3rd Nov.

7.30pm, Music Hall

LEE MEMPHIS KING (Elvis Tribute )
£18.50+BF

Thurs 4th Nov.

7.30pm, Cafe Drummond

6 DAY RIOT Plus Support

7.30pm, Project Slogan, 48 Langstane Place

MARK McCABE AND FRIENDS
Donation on entry

8.00pm, Shelley Leighs

The Big Mic Up – Hosted by Dave Moir and Kenny McLeod

Big Mic Up

Get off the couch! come down to Shelley Leigh’s and hear the music, be part of the vibe, Come along folks to Dave and Kenny’s open mic night . If you like to play, or just to listen then be prepared for a night of great music at Aberdeens latest musical cultural venue.

Fri 5th Nov.

7:30pm – 8:30pm, Music Hall

THE SALSA CELTICA BIG BAND with very special guests including JULIE FOWLIS and DERMOT BYRNE.

7.30pm, Lemon Tree

DAVE ACARI
£7+BF

8.00pm, Beach Ballroom

MERSAULT, THE DEPORTEES, AMBER WILSON, DEBUTANT
£7.50

8.00pm, Café Drummond

JAMES WALSH ( Starsailor ) Plus Support

8.00pm, The Moorings

DEATHWATCH, THE WRECKING BALL ( CLUB NIGHT )

Sat 6th Nov.

7.30pm, The Tunnels

FOUND, INDIAN RED LOPEZ

8.00pm, Blue Lamp

62870_432504937482_608402482_5628189_3347084_n
JANI LANG BAND (Plus a Hungarian Ceilidh )

A táncház, meaning dance house, is the Hungarian ceilidh where people gather to enjoy, dance or learn traditional dances and music..
Over the years they have stunned audiences at most of the Scottish folk festivals, such as the Shetland Folk Festival, Orkney Folk Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, Scots Fiddle Festival, etc.
Their táncház will start with a performance of music followed by a ceilidh of Hungarian and Transylvanian dances led by a professional dancer from Hungary.
Come along to experience a real Hungarian ceilidh and dance the night away with the band!

8.00pm, The Moorings

BAD BAD MEN, WHOLE SKY MONITOR, DIGITAL SIN

8.30pm, Tilted Wig

THE OXBOW LAKE, LUIZA STANIEC

9.00pm, Café Drummond

CANCER BATS

11.00pm, The Tunnels

Rampage Rockclub
SATURDAYS IN ABERDEEN JUST GOT F**KING AWESOME!!
ABERDEEN NOW HAS A PREMIER SATURDAY ROCKCLUB.
http://www.facebook.com/rocknightaberdeen

Upcoming Events 22nd to 30th Oct. – Featuring sound And Oxjam

 Charity, Events, Gigs and Concerts, Satire and Humour  No Responses »
Oct 222010
 

We used to have a festival in Aberdeen in October, seems now we have two! See below for info and links re. sound and Oxjam … and much more.

sound Festival

Ongoing until 14th Nov.

Ruth Wall
Offering more than 60 performances in over 20 venues across North East Scotland, the 6th sound Festival will run until Sunday 14 November.

“Collaboration has always been at the heart of sound,” says Fiona Robertson of sound. “as we work closely with music clubs and other organisations across the North East. Our opening events form part of a Scottish celebration of Minimalism in which we are delighted to partner Glasgow Concert Halls..”

sound is the North East of Scotland’s contemporary music festival. Following a pilot event, “Upbeat” in 2004, the first festival was launched in November 2005. sound is now an annual event, which aims to make contemporary music more accessible to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. As well as programming its own events, sound operates as an umbrella for a range of concerts, workshops, masterclasses and performances programmed by other organisations in the North East. Dame Evelyn Glennie, James MacMillan and Rohan de Saram are current Patrons of the festival.

For full details of the 2010 sound Festival and ticket information visit www.sound-scotland.co.uk and join sound on Facebook. sound events at a glance. http://www.sound-scotland.co.uk/site/2010/events.htm

Comedy

Sun 24th Oct.

8:00pm, Music Hall

JOHN BISHOP
£20+BF

Mon 25th Oct.

8.00pm, Music Hall

THE ARMSTRONG AND MILLER SHOW
£20+BF

Music

Fri 22nd Oct.

7.30pm, Lemon Tree

THE FAMILY MAHONE
£10+BF

7.30pm, The Tunnels

CHANTEL McGREGOR Plus Support
£7

7.45pm, Blue Lamp, Gallowgate

Iron Broo Duo
Celtic Society Public Ceilidh with Iron Broo Duo
Aberdeen University Student Association (AUSA) Celtic Society are holding a Ceilidh with the Iron Broo Duo of Fred Wilkinson (bouzouki) and Charlie Abel (accordion). All dances will be called, no experience is necessary.
The Ceilidh is being held in the legendary Blue Lamp, on the Gallowgate in Aberdeen – Surely the most famous Live music venue and finest pubs in Aberdeen. In case you’ve not been there before just look for the actual Blue lamp on the wall above the door. The entrance to the Ceilidh is through the revolving door to the right of the lamp up the hill.
There will be a raffle during the interval. Dancing will be from 7.45/8pm till midnight. The bar usually remains open till 2 if you are in need of some lubrication after the ceilidh.
The music will be lively.  www.ironbroo.co.uk

8.00pm, Café Drummond

WHOLE LOTTA LED ( Led Zeppelin Tribute )

8:00pm, The Moorings

DARTH ELVIS AND THE TATTOINE TRIO

Sat 23rd Oct.

7.00pm, OXJAM ABERDEEN TAKEOVER

– Music festival featuring the best local bands in Aberdeen at 5 city venues

Tunnels 1

oxjam-gig

Le Reno Amps, Turning 13, Cuddly Shark, Eric Euan & Duke.
Tunnels 2
Weather Barn (formerly Cast Of The Capital), Carson Wells, The Deportees, The Marionettes & Katerwaul.
Cafe Drummond
The Wildcards, Kashmir Red, Energy, Emerald Sunday & Talking Sideways.
Blue Lamp
The Lorelei, Gerry Jablonski Band, Oxbow Lake & Chris Carroll.
Enigma
Jo McCafferty, Kitchen Cynics, Craig Davidson, The Scandal Extracts & Sarah J Stanley.

Wristbands cost £5 and allow access to all of the venues across the whole night and also free entry to the aftershow party at Snafu. Tickets can be purchased at www.wegotickets.com, by contacting Oxjam Aberdeen and soon at selected outlets.

8.00pm, The Moorings

THE FIRE AND I, BROTHEL CORPSE TRIO (tbc), OBLIVION INCARNATE

9.30am, The Tilted Wig, Castlegate, Aberdeen

GUTTERGODZ, THE HUNGRY MONGRELS

11.00pm, The Tunnels

Rampage Rockclub
SATURDAYS IN ABERDEEN JUST GOT F**KING AWESOME!!
ABERDEEN NOW HAS A PREMIER SATURDAY ROCKCLUB.
http://www.facebook.com/rocknightaberdeen

Sun 24th Oct.

7.30pm, Lemon Tree

DAN LE SAC Vs SCROOPIUS PIP
£14.50+BF


8.00pm, Peacock Visual Arts.

PORT ROYAL, TEN, SUMISU-MI
£6

8.00pm, Carmelite Hotel, Stirling Street

Open Mic Session ( every Sunday. )

9.00pm, The Moorings

The Jam Factory ( every Sunday. )
Bands, acoustic musicians, jammers, poets etc. all welcome.

Mon 25th Oct.

7:00pm, Oxjam At The Arts Centre

FIONA SOE PAING

41793_121097687946908_2723211_n
An evening of film and music in the Cafe Bar at Aberdeen Arts Centre. Featuring Fiona Soe Paing, London Indie Film Festival nominee for her unique combination of electronica and animation.
Supporting her will be Ross Whyte with his film FOG and Josh McGregor
We’re raising money for Oxjam, a month long music festival throughout the UK raising money and awareness for Oxfam GB! Tickets only £5, available from me or from http://www.wegottickets.com/oxjam/event/96678

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/Oxjam/Info/Event/OxjamArtsCentre

9.00pm, Blue Lamp

Traditional Acoustic Session. All welcome.

10.00pm, Café Drummond

Open Mic Night ( Every Monday )
Soloists, Poets, Musicians, Maniacs, and Full Bands Welcome.
( Full back line provided ) For more info, call 01224 619930

Tues 26th Oct.

7:30pm, Music Hall

THE DRIFTERS

Wed 27th Oct.

8.00pm, Café Drummond

YOUNG REBEL SET, FLAXMAN, Plus Support

Thurs 28th Oct.

7:30pm, Lemon Tree

MARTIN TAYLOR
£17.50+BF

8.00pm, Shelley Leighs

The Big Mic Up – Hosted by Dave Moir and Kenny McLeod

Big Mic Up

Get off the couch! come down to Shelley Leigh’s and hear the music, be part of the vibe, Come along folks to Dave and Kenny’s open mic night . If you like to play, or just to listen then be prepared for a night of great music at Aberdeens latest musical cultural venue.

Fri 29th Oct.

8.00pm, The Moorings

WHICH WAY NOW
www.myspace.com/whichwaynowrocks

8.00pm, Café Drummond

THE ANSWERING MACHINE, RAPIDS, Plus Support
£6

7.30pm, The Tunnels

THE DRAYMIN, THE VIPER LINES

Sat 30th Oct.

4.00pm, One Up (instore gig)

STEVEN MILNE

7:00pm, Snafu

LITTLE COMETS, Plus Support

7:30pm, Lemon Tree

THE COAL PORTERS
£12+BF

8.00pm, Café Drummond

AKA SKA

8.00pm, The Moorings

GOTHIC DORICS

8.00pm, Captain Tom’s
Cirque-de-Sinister Halloween Party

THE RUCKUS, BROTHERS REID, SMOKIN CATFISH, THE WETFLEX
£5

11.00pm, The Tunnels

Rampage Rockclub
SATURDAYS IN ABERDEEN JUST GOT F**KING AWESOME!!
ABERDEEN NOW HAS A PREMIER SATURDAY ROCKCLUB.
http://www.facebook.com/rocknightaberdeen

Upcoming Events 16th to 23rd Oct. – Featuring sound 2010

 Articles, Charity, Events, Featured, Gigs and Concerts, Satire and Humour  No Responses »
Oct 152010
 

Less is More: minimalism at heart of 2010 sound Festival

Sally Beamish

Offering more than 60 performances in over 20 venues across North East Scotland, the 6th sound Festival will open on Wednesday 20 October with a performance by the Red Note Ensemble at Woodend Barn, Banchory, featuring the World Première of Gabriel Jackson’s new work for strings, and will run until Sunday 14 November.

This autumn sees sound joining forces with the Glasgow Concert Halls to offer a Scottish celebration of Minimalism. Following a weekend of concerts in Glasgow launching Glasgow’s Concert Halls’ three year exploration of the genre, sound picks up the baton with five days of performances under the banner Less is More including works by composers such as Bryars, Fitkin, Glass, Gordon, Nyman, Reich and Riley. The Smith Quartet makes a welcome return to sound with four concerts including a performance of the complete string quartets of Philip Glass. Other highlights of Less is More sound include the Festival’s opening concert with Red Note Ensemble.

“Collaboration has always been at the heart of sound,” says Fiona Robertson of sound. “as we work closely with music clubs and other organisations across the North East. Our opening events form part of a Scottish celebration of Minimalism in which we are delighted to partner Glasgow Concert Halls..”

sound is the North East of Scotland’s contemporary music festival. Following a pilot event, “Upbeat” in 2004, the first festival was launched in November 2005. sound is now an annual event, which aims to make contemporary music more accessible to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. As well as programming its own events, sound operates as an umbrella for a range of concerts, workshops, masterclasses and performances programmed by other organisations in the North East. Dame Evelyn Glennie, James MacMillan and Rohan de Saram are current Patrons of the festival.

Ruth Wall
The programme showcases the broad mix of new music for which sound has become recognised from instrumental to choral and electroacoustic, and includes no fewer than 18 World, UK and Scottish Premières. sound regulars including The Smith Quartet, Hebrides Ensemble, Edinburgh Quartet, Primrose Piano Trio, Sally Beamish and Richard Craig are joined in 2010 by an array of “newcomers” including Bibby Piano Duo, Rautio Trio, FOUND and Hoot.

For full details of the 2010 sound Festival and ticket information visit www.sound-scotland.co.uk and join sound on Facebook. sound events at a glance. http://www.sound-scotland.co.uk/site/2010/events.htm

Other Events -16th to 23rd October

Miscellaneous

Sat 16th Oct to Wed 3rd Nov.

7.00pm – 9.30, The Athenaeum

26 Collective Present …. ABERDEEN ALTERNATIVE A4 EXHIBITION
26 Collective are proud to present a selection of pictures from all across the creative scene in Aberdeen & beyond!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=127661767258800&v=info&ref=ts

Comedy

Sun 17th Oct.

8.00pm, Blue Lamp

Comment Breakneck Comedy – The Joke Factory
STU AND GARY, BRUCE FUMMEY, GRAEME THOMAS, DEREK MILLAR, JON GREENAWAY

8.00pm, Music Hall

DARA O BRIAIN
£19.50+BF

Tues 19th Oct.

7.30pm, Lemon Tree

ROB DEERING
£12+BF

Music

Sat 16th Oct.

7.30pm, The Tunnels

THE WOE BETIDES, LOST CITY LIGHTS, THE SIDE, SOUL CASINO
£5

8.00pm, Café Drummond

THE CLASHED  ( Clash tribute. )

8.00pm, The Moorings

THE COUNCIL, THE FLAMING MOES, GLASSMAN

11.00pm, The Tunnels

Rampage Rockclub
SATURDAYS IN ABERDEEN JUST GOT F**KING AWESOME!!
ABERDEEN NOW HAS A PREMIER SATURDAY ROCKCLUB.
http://www.facebook.com/rocknightaberdeen

Sun 17th Oct.

8.00pm, Café Drummond

WOODENBOX, A FISTFUL OF FIVERS, KITTY THE LION, TUNGSTEN, BULLHELM
£6

8.00pm, The Tunnels

POLAR BEAR, TUT VU VU
£10/12

9.00pm, The Moorings

The Jam Factory ( every Sunday. )
Bands, acoustic musicians, jammers, poets etc. all welcome.

Mon 18th Oct.

7.00pm, The Warehouse, Windmill Brae

BOWLING FOR SOUP
£18.50 adv +bf

9.00pm, Blue Lamp

Traditional Acoustic Session. All welcome.

10.00pm, Café Drummond

Open Mic Night ( Every Monday )
Soloists, Poets, Musicians, Maniacs, and Full Bands Welcome.
( Full back line provided ) For more info, call 01224 619930

Wed 20th Oct.

8.00pm, The Tunnels

DON BROCO Plus Support

8.00pm, Shelley Leigh’s

Thurs 21st Oct.

The Big Mic Up – Hosted by Dave Moir and Kenny McLeod

Big Mic Up

Get off the couch! come down to Shelley Leigh’s and hear the music, be part of the vibe, Come along folks to Dave and Kenny’s open mic night . If you like to play, or just to listen then be prepared for a night of great music at Aberdeens latest musical cultural venue.

Fri 22nd Oct.

7.30pm, Lemon Tree

THE FAMILY MAHONE
£10+BF

7.30pm, The Tunnels

CHANTEL McGREGOR Plus Support
£7

7.45pm, Blue Lamp, Gallowgate

Iron Broo Duo
Celtic Society Public Ceilidh with Iron Broo Duo
Aberdeen University Student Association (AUSA) Celtic Society are holding a Ceilidh with the Iron Broo Duo of Fred Wilkinson (bouzouki) and Charlie Abel (accordion). All dances will be called, no experience is necessary.
The Ceilidh is being held in the legendary Blue Lamp, on the Gallowgate in Aberdeen – Surely the most famous Live music venue and finest pubs in Aberdeen. In case you’ve not been there before just look for the actual Blue lamp on the wall above the door. The entrance to the Ceilidh is through the revolving door to the right of the lamp up the hill.
There will be a raffle during the interval. Dancing will be from 7.45/8pm till midnight. The bar usually remains open till 2 if you are in need of some lubrication after the ceilidh.
The music will be lively.  www.ironbroo.co.uk

8.00pm, Café Drummond

WHOLE LOTTA LED ( Led Zeppelin Tribute )

8:00pm, The Moorings

DARTH ELVIS AND THE TATTOINE TRIO

Sat 23rd Oct.

7.00pm, OXJAM ABERDEEN TAKEOVER

– Music festival featuring the best local bands in Aberdeen at 5 city venues

Tunnels 1

oxjam-gig

Le Reno Amps, Turning 13, Cuddly Shark, Eric Euan & Duke.
Tunnels 2
Weather Barn (formerly Cast Of The Capital), Carson Wells, The Deportees, The Marionettes & Katerwaul.
Cafe Drummond
The Wildcards, Kashmir Red, Energy, Emerald Sunday & Talking Sideways.
Blue Lamp
The Lorelei, Gerry Jablonski Band, Oxbow Lake & Chris Carroll.
Enigma
Jo McCafferty, Kitchen Cynics, Craig Davidson, The Scandal Extracts & Sarah J Stanley.

Wristbands cost £5 and allow access to all of the venues across the whole night and also free entry to the aftershow party at Snafu. Tickets can be purchased at www.wegotickets.com, by contacting Oxjam Aberdeen and soon at selected outlets.

8.00pm, The Moorings

DOWNFALL, WHICH WAY NOW, RISE, REBEL THUNDER

9.30am, The Tilted Wig, Castlegate, Aberdeen

GUTTERGODZ, THE HUNGRY MONGRELS

11.00pm, The Tunnels

Rampage Rockclub
SATURDAYS IN ABERDEEN JUST GOT F**KING AWESOME!!
ABERDEEN NOW HAS A PREMIER SATURDAY ROCKCLUB.
http://www.facebook.com/rocknightaberdeen

Upcoming Events 9th To 16th Oct.

 Articles, Charity, Events, Gigs and Concerts  No Responses »
Oct 082010
 

Miscellaneous

Sat 9th Oct
menie-banner
12.00pm, Balmedie Visitors Centre

March of Menie
Click here for details

12.00, Stewart’s Hall, Huntly

GIVE AND TAKE DAY
People can take along, items such as furniture, kitchenware, books, dvds & cds, toys, and plants/gardenware between 12.00 noon and 3.30pm. From 1.30 until 5.00pm the Stewart’s Hall will be open to the public who can come along and take items they want for FREE.

Contact Aberdeen Forward.
Visit Aberdeenforward.org
Email admin@abzforward.plus.com
Tel. 01224 560360

Sat 9th Oct to Wed 3rd Nov.

7:00pm – 9:30pm, The Athenaeum

26 Collective Present …. ABERDEEN ALTERNATIVE A4 EXHIBITION
26 Collective are proud to present a selection of pictures from all across the creative scene in Aberdeen & beyond!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=127661767258800&v=info&ref=ts

Sun 10th Oct.

12:30pm – 3:00pm, Union Terrace Gardens!!


37,000= events around the world on 10:10.10
This is Aberdeen’s only one in the city centre!!
Lots going on from low carbon education/information, nature events, lots for kids of all ages.
Oxjam will have a gazebo of live music & a chance to buy their wonderful wrist bands for their main event a couple of weeks later. A great day for all the family.
If the weather isn’t good come along anyway as we will transfer everything into the alcoves under Robbie Burns statue.

Music

Sat 9th Oct.

7:30pm, The Tunnels

A GENUINE FREAKSHOW, THE DEPORTEES, HEADLIGHT, CRAYONS
£5

7:30pm, Music Hall

BUCKSBURN AND DISTRICT PIPE BAND, BOGHALL AND BATHGATE CALEDONIA PIPEBAND
“Fired Up” Pipeband Concert
£15+BF

8:00pm, Café Drummond

KING KURT

8:00pm, Blue Lamp

SOUTHERN TENANT FOLK UNION, SMOKIN CATFISH

8:00pm, The Moorings

MISS THE OCCUPIER, THE FIGHTING 69TH, TRANSMANTA

8.00pm till 3.00am, The Tunnels Room 2

A SKAndalous night out with the Granite City Roller Girls!
Come join the Granite City Roller Girls for a night of SKAndalous fun in the Tunnels! Propaganda DJs spinning out punk, new wave, rock and ska all night plus Sound System live to get ya’ll skanking about and living it up with the best quad-based roller-skatin’ team in town.
£3

11.00pm, The Tunnels

Rampage Rockclub
SATURDAYS IN ABERDEEN JUST GOT F**KING AWESOME!!
ABERDEEN NOW HAS A PREMIER SATURDAY ROCKCLUB.
http://www.facebook.com/rocknightaberdeen

Sun 10th Oct.

7:30pm,  Lemon Tree

ABERFELDY, WEATHERBARN
£11+BF

9.00pm, The Moorings

The Jam Factory ( every Sunday. )
Bands, acoustic musicians, jammers, poets etc. all welcome.

Mon 11th Oct.

7:30pm, The Tunnels

GENERAL FIASCO, WILDER Plus Support

7:30pm, Café Drummond

FOR A MINOR REFLECTION, KATERWAUL Plus Support

9.00pm, Blue Lamp

Traditional Acoustic Session. All welcome.

10.00pm, Café Drummond

Open Mic Night ( Every Monday )
Soloists, Poets, Musicians, Maniacs, and Full Bands Welcome.
( Full back line provided ) For more info, call 01224 619930

Tues 12th Oct

7:30pm, Lemon Tree

THE SHEE
£10+BF

7:30pm, The Tunnels

THE DELAYS, STRANGE DEATH OF LIBERAL ENGLAND
7:30pm £10/12

Wed 13th Oct

8:00pm, Café Drummond

ETERNAL IDOL. DEATH WATCH, THE BEAST MUST DIE, BROCK LOBSTERS
£3

Thurs 14th Oct

7:30pm, Lemon Tree

CAVERN BEATLES

7:30pm, The Tunnels

THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE, RAGGEDY ANGRY, Plus Support
£12/15

9:00pm, Slains Castle

Acoustic Session

Fri 15th Oct

7:30pm, Lemon Tree

ANIMALS & FRIENDS with Special Guest – SPENCER DAVIS
£16+BF

7:30pm, Deeside Activity Park, Lumphanan

Public Ceilidh with CLACHAN YELL
£15 (INCLUDING STOVIES)

8:00pm, The Tunnels

TWENTY TWENTY Plus Support

8:00pm, Café Drummond

WE ARE THE OCEAN
£7.50

8:00pm, The Moorings

SHUSH, THE SCANDAL EXPERTS

Sat 16th Oct

7:30pm, The Tunnels

THE WOE BETIDES, LOST CITY LIGHTS, THE SIDE, SOUL CASINO
£5

8:00pm, Café Drummond

THE CLASHED  ( Clash tribute. )

8:00pm, The Moorings

THE COUNCIL, THE FLAMING MOES, GLASSMAN

11.00pm, The Tunnels

Rampage Rockclub
SATURDAYS IN ABERDEEN JUST GOT F**KING AWESOME!!
ABERDEEN NOW HAS A PREMIER SATURDAY ROCKCLUB.
http://www.facebook.com/rocknightaberdeen

If you have a public event you would like us to include,
please email details to…  articles@aberdeenvoice.com


Upcoming Events 2nd to 9th Oct.

 Articles, Charity, Events, Gigs and Concerts, Satire and Humour  No Responses »
Oct 012010
 

Miscellaneous

Wed 6th Oct.

Robert Gordon Open Day
http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/xev_EventDetail.asp?id=2968

Thurs 7th Oct.
exhibition-flyer-1

REFLECTIONS AND VISIONS
– THE WORLD THROUGH DIFFERENT EYES

Launch of an exhibition of photographs from young people who have had experiences of care. They were supported in the project by SIRCC (The Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care) and the exhibition was launched at the SIRCC annual conference in June to celebrate 10 years of the organisation.There will be a civic reception on Thursday the 7th of October to launch the exhibition in Aberdeen, where it runs in different venues for the next month.
( Click pic to enlarge. )

Fri 8th Oct.

10.00am, Faculty of Health and Social Care, RGU, Garthdee Campus

Donald Trump’s ‘Graduation’
Contact RGU for further details

Sat 9th Oct
12.00pm, Balmedie Visitors Centre

March of Menie
Click here for details

12.00, Stewart’s Hall, Huntly

GIVE AND TAKE DAY
People can take along, items such as furniture, kitchenware, books, dvds & cds, toys, and plants/gardenware between 12.00 noon and 3.30pm. From 1.30 until 5.00pm the Stewart’s Hall will be open to the public who can come along and take items they want for FREE.

Contact Aberdeen Forward.
Visit Aberdeenforward.org
Email admin@abzforward.plus.com
Tel. 01224 560360

Comedy

Sat 2nd Oct.

7.30pm, Lemon Tree

HOWARD MARKS
£12+BF

8:00pm, Blue Lamp

Breakneck Comedy Club
£5/7

Sun 3rd Oct.

8:00pm, Music Hall

ARDAL O’HANLON
£18+BF

Tues 5th Oct.

7:30pm, Lemon Tree

GREG DAVIES – FIRING CHEESEBALLS AT A DOG
£12.50+BF

Fri 8th Oct.

10.00am, Faculty of Health and Social Care, RGU, Garthdee Campus

Donald Trump’s ‘Graduation’
Contact RGU for further details

Music

Sat 2nd Oct.

7.30pm, The Tunnels

THE JOY FORMIDABLE, CHAPEL CLUB, & More tbc.
NME Radar Tour
£9.50

8.00pm, Café Drummond

BOMBSKARE, THE HOSTILES, THE WILLIE G TRIO

8.00pm, The Moorings

MAYBESHEWILL, TOUR SUPPORT & GLASSMAN

11.00pm, The Tunnels

Rampage Rockclub
SATURDAYS IN ABERDEEN JUST GOT F**KING AWESOME!!
ABERDEEN NOW HAS A PREMIER SATURDAY ROCKCLUB.
http://www.facebook.com/rocknightaberdeen

Sun 3rd Oct.

7:30pm Lemon Tree

KIERAN GOSS
£12+BF

7:30pm, Snafu

SPARROW AND THE WORKSHOP, THE JOHN KNOX SEX CLUB, STEPHEN WINTON

7:30pm, Tunnels

THE DELANEYS & Support

8:00pm, Café Drummond

AVOID THE MORNING, DUKE, WE ARE HEROES

9.00pm, The Moorings

The Jam Factory ( every Sunday. )
Bands, acoustic musicians, jammers, poets etc. all welcome.

8.00pm, Café Drummond

HEALTHY MINDS COLLAPSE, KASHMIR RED, Plus Support

Mon 4th Oct.

7:00pm, Music Hall

LEVEL 42
£25+BF

7:00pm, Lemon Tree

JERRY HARMON, LAURA LOCKYER
£7+BF

7:30pm, Snafu

THE XCERTS

9.00pm, Blue Lamp

Traditional Acoustic Session. All welcome.

10.00pm, Café Drummond

Open Mic Night ( Every Monday )
Soloists, Poets, Musicians, Maniacs, and Full Bands Welcome.
( Full back line provided ) For more info, call 01224 619930

Wed 6th Oct.

7:30pm, Lemon Tree

INTERNATIONAL GUITAR NIGHT
£12+BF

7:30pm, The Tunnels

FLASHGUNS, MALFUNCTION
£5

8:00pm, Café Drummond

KASSIDY & Support
£7

Thurs 7th Oct.

7:00pm, Lemon Tree

WALTER TROUT
£17.50+BF

7:30pm, The Tunnels

LAUREL COLLECTIVE, BELGRADE, & Support
£5

9:00pm, Slains Castle

Acoustic Session

Fri 8th Oct.

7:30pm,The Tunnels

MUDHONEY

8:30pm, Lemon Tree

MACFLOYD
£13+BF

8:00pm, Cafe Drummond

RANDOM HAND & Support

Sat 9th Oct.

7:30pm, The Tunnels

A GENUINE FREAKSHOW, THE DEPORTEES, HEADLIGHT, CRAYONS
£5

7:30pm, Music Hall

BUCKSBURN AND DISTRICT PIPE BAND, BOGHALL AND BATHGATE CALEDONIA PIPEBAND
“Fired Up” Pipeband Concert
£15+BF

8:00pm, Café Drummond

KING KURT

8:00pm, Blue Lamp

SOUTHERN TENANT FOLK UNION, SMOKIN CATFISH

8:00pm, The Moorings

MISS THE OCCUPIER

8.00pm till 3.00am, The Tunnels Room 2

A SKAndalous night out with the Granite City Roller Girls!
Come join the Granite City Roller Girls for a night of SKAndalous fun in the Tunnels! Propaganda DJs spinning out punk, new wave, rock and ska all night plus Sound System live to get ya’ll skanking about and living it up with the best quad-based roller-skatin’ team in town.
£3

11.00pm, The Tunnels

Rampage Rockclub
SATURDAYS IN ABERDEEN JUST GOT F**KING AWESOME!!
ABERDEEN NOW HAS A PREMIER SATURDAY ROCKCLUB.
http://www.facebook.com/rocknightaberdeen


If you have a public event you would like us to include,
please email details to…  articles@aberdeenvoice.com

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