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[merchantcityglasgow]

Celtic Connections 2015 Starts Today

Québécois quartet Le Vent du Nord entertained passers by on the stairs of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall to mark the opening day of Celtic Connections 2015. With instrumentation including fiddle, accordion, hurdy-gurdy, mandolin, guitar, bass, foot percussion and jaw harp, the captivating foursome amused revellers with their boundless joie de vivre!

The Opening Concert for 2015 is a much anticipated live world premiere of Martyn Bennett’s final masterpiece Grit, originally released in 2003, and widely recognised as a towering landmark in contemporary Scottish music - the 2015 festival coincides with 10thanniversary of Bennett’s passing. Tonight’s performance will be of an almost entirely studio-created album that has been lovingly reconstructed by violinist and composer Greg Lawson for a custom designed orchestra of folk, jazz and classical musicians.

An array of fantastic surprise guest singers will be accompanied by well known folk musicians including James Mackintosh, Ross Ainslie, Ali Hutton, Catriona McKay, David McGuinness, Calum MacCrimmon and Fraser Fifield.

The next 18 days will be a smorgasbord of musical performances from African diva Angélique Kidjo raising the roof of the concert hall with the backing of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, to Hollywood’s most sought after composer Craig Armstrong playing well-loved hits from scores he’s composed for The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge, to the extraordinary Congolese band Konono No.1 who will be making music from salvaged car parts and other junkyard finds.

Donald Shaw, Artistic Director of Celtic Connections, said: “Here we go again – Celtic Connections is underway for its 22nd year! As ever we can’t wait to showcase the very best of Scotland’s traditional music alongside a huge array of eclectic international acts such as Brazil’s Criolo, Mali’s Songhoy Blues and India’s Ganesh Kumaresh. This year we are also recognising some of the great traditional music revolutionaries such as Martyn Bennett in our Opening Concert and Ewan MacColl in a celebratory night when we will mark his centenary.

“We will not, however, only be showcasing world class music from across the globe, one off collaborations and celebrating the godfathers of the scene - there will also be a number of concerts that celebrate the amazing stories behind the making of hand-made instruments. It is easy to forget about the love and care that goes into creating these personal and exceptional instruments and there is a connection to be drawn between the uniqueness of the musical collaborations we endeavour to showcase at the festival and the creative qualities of these individual instruments.”

Councillor Archie Graham, Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “By the look of this year’s programme, Celtic Connections looks set to once again firmly place Glasgow on the world music map. Year on year the festival attracts visitors to our city to enjoy world-class music and offers them a sanctuary from those January blues.

“As a cornerstone in Scotland’s cultural calendar Celtic Connections continues to contribute to a hugely positive cultural and economic impact for the city and country as a whole and further enhances Glasgow’s reputation as a major tourist destination.”

Changes to the Programme

Orlando Julius & The Heliocentrics will no longer be performing at the festival and have been replaced by Vaudou Game who perform an authentic Tongolese funk style that is based on voodoo chant scales.  They are led by Peter Solo, a singer and composer born in Togo, the birthplace of the “Guin” tribe and major site of the voodoo culture.  TrinityRoots from New Zealand will still appear as billed.

Dreamer’s Circus is now taking place at the Mitchell Theatre instead of the Tron Theatre on Sunday 18th January. Also on the bill for the evening will be The Elizabethan Session which features a panoply of contemporary folk luminaries – Martin Simpson, Nancy Kerr, Bella Hardy, Jim Moray, John Smith, Hannah James and Rachel Newton – plus early music specialist Emily Askew.

[merchantcityglasgow]

Glasgow Comedy Festival set to let loose laughs

JIMMY CARR, Dylan Moran, Al Murray, Frankie Boyle and Rich Hall will be among the headliners at this year’s Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

More than 400 shows will be staged at 46 venues across the city, ranging from the Clyde Auditorium and Citizens’ Theatre to year-round clubs at Blackfriars in the Merchant City and The Stand Comedy Club in the West End.

More than 100,000 tickets are on sale for the festival which also features Bridget Christie, Stewart Lee, Susan Calman, Phil Nichol, Craig Hill, Jerry Sadowitz, Fred MacAulay and Tommy Tiernan.

• Comedy review: Dylan Moran - Drygate, Glasgow

Frankie Boyle will headline a fundraiser for Gordon’s Fightback, campaigner Gordon Aikman’s bid to boost motor neurone disease research in Scotland, and there will be a cinematic tribute to the late US comic Robin Williams. Other events include a live version of the TV show Burnistoun and a pre-election show starring “celebrity political activists”.

Director Tommy Sheppard said: “This year the festival enters its teenage years – and it is growing up to be one of the most looked forward to events in the Scottish cultural calendar.”

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[merchantcityglasgow]

Celtic Connections 2015 - less than a week to go

It is less than one week to go until Celtic Connections 2015 and the festival is delighted to announce that the Blue Nile’s Paul Buchanan will be joining the line up for Blood & Roses: The Songs of Ewan MacColl in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Sunday 25th January.

The evening’s entertainment is a tribute to one of the most pivotal figures in Britain’s folk revival, Ewan MacColl, whose vast legacy of musical classics will be celebrated to mark his centenary year.

Joining Paul on the bill is Norma Waterson of The Watersons and Waterson:Carthy fame alongside her husband Martin Carthy and daughter Eliza Carthy. The festival also announced in December that Pulp’s former frontman Jarvis Cocker will be joining this star-studded line-up.

Four of MacColl’s grandsons, who are musicians themselves, have also joined the line up – Jamie MacColl (Bombay Bicycle Club), Harry Mead (Klangkarussell), Alex MacColl and Tom MacColl.

The concert has been curated by Ewan MacColl’s sons Calum and Neill – both successful musicians themselves – and features a handpicked house band from a diverse range of genres including Kate St. John, Dick Gaughan and Karine Polwart who will perform both well-loved and lesser known songs from MacColl’s repertoire.

Opening Night         

Celtic Connections 2015 will open with the live world premiere of Martyn Bennett’s final masterpiece Grit, originally released in 2003, and widely recognised as a towering landmark in contemporary Scottish music. The 2015 festival also coincides with 10th anniversary of Bennett’s passing, and tonight’s performance will be of an almost entirely studio-created album that has been reconstructed by violinist and composer Greg Lawson for a custom designed orchestra of folk, jazz and classical musicians.

An array of fantastic guest singers will be accompanied by well known folk musicians including James Mackintosh, Ross Ainslie, Ali Hutton, Catriona McKay, David McGuinness, Calum MacCrimmon and Fraser Fifield.

Highlights of the Celtic Connections Opening Concert ‘Nae Regrets’ – Martyn Bennett’s Grit will be aired on BBC Two Scotland at 9.30pm on Thursday 22nd January.

Prize-winners at the Festival

Scottish folk-rock troubadour Withered Hand has been awarded the Sunday Herald's No 1 Scottish Album of 2014 with his album ‘Not-So-Young Father. Withered Hand is supporting brazilian MC, singer and songwriter Criolo, a key figure in São Paulo’s hip-hop underground scene. * They will be performing in the O2 ABC on Wednesday 21st January.

Julie Fowlis was awarded the Folk Band of the Year at this year’s MG Alba Scottish Traditional Music Awards along with her band – Eamon Doorley, Duncan Chisholm and Tony Byrne. The Julie Fowlis Band will be performing in An Evening with Mairi Smith in the beautiful Mackintosh Church on Friday 16th January. Lewis-born Smithwill be exploring and celebrating the close Gaelic kinship between Scotland and Ireland, in company with sisters Tríona and Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, whose illustriuous CV takes in work with Skara Brae, The Bothy Band, Relativity and Coolfin. Also featured is former Dàimh vocalist Calum Alex MacMillan.

Not to be Missed

With less than a week to go until the festival gets underway there are a number of shows that are not to be missed with tickets selling fast.

The Campbell Brothers will perform John Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme’ to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the seminal album release, Coltrane’s most spiritual composition. The Campbell Brothers’ sacred steel gospel version of ‘A Love Supreme’ was commissioned by Lincoln Centre Out of Doors and Duke Performances at Duke University and premiered at the Lincoln Centre in New York in August last year where it was met by shouts of joy and a wild standing ovation. The Campbell Brothers will be supporting The McCrary Sisters in the Old Fruitmarket on Wednesday 28th January.

Jeff Tweedy, founder of top alt-country/rock acts Wilco and Uncle Tupelo, and Billy Bragg’s collaborator on the Mermaid Avenue series of Woody Guthrie material, will be performing in the second week of the festival under the single name Tweedy alongside his 18-year-old son and drummer Spencer. Tweedy will be performing in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Thursday 29th January.

The great Beninois diva Angélique Kidjo will perform with the backing of a full symphony orchestra in the form of Glasgow’s very own Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Kidjo has enjoyed a trailblazing career dating back to the 1980s, during which she cross-fertilised her native traditions with a scintillating array of international styles and genres, bring her a Grammy award among a myriad of other accolades. Originally performed with the Orchestra Philharmonique du Luxembourgh, this current project features favourite songs spanning back to her breakthrough hit ‘Malaika’, setting Kidjo’s spectacular voice amid skilfully crafted arrangements by composer and conductor Gast Waltzing. Angélique is performing in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Saturday 17th January.

Inspired by the recent book Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia written by Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr, this Atlantic spanning concert will feature students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Boston’s Berklee Colllege, in a collaborative exploration of their musical history and evolving traditions. Around 40 RCS students, led by Phil Cunningham and Jenn Butterworth, will be joined by Berklee-founded band Twisted Pine, now making their name on Boston’s vibrant bluegrass scene, together with special guests including fiddlers Hanneke Cassel and Jenna Moynihan, and Canadian siblings Qristina and Quinn Bachand. RCS Presents Wayfaring Strangers is in City Halls on Sunday 18th January.

A World of Music

Once again in 2015 there is a strong world music strand weaving through the festival with concerts celebrating and exploring the music of other countries from across the globe.

Leading Indian violinists Ganesh and Kumaresh Rajagopalan and percussionist Anantha R Krishnan will join Scotland’s Trio AAB – twin brothers Tom and Phil Bancroft, on drums and saxophone, and guitarist Kevin Mackenzie to perform an exciting and adventurous cross-cultural exchange in the beautiful surroundings of the Mackintosh Church on Saturday 17th January.

The internationally acclaimed seven-piece ensemble Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino will perform their amazing blend of music, song and dance. Their performances evoke the cultural traditions of Salento, in the heal of Italy’s boot, and primarily centres on the ancient and mysterious traditions of pizzica tarantata. Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino is performing in the O2 ABC on Friday 23rd January.

Timbuktu indie kids and stars of the African Express Album Songhoy Blues represent the next generation of Malian talent. The young Malians started a band to boost the morale of their fellow refugees and their gritty, bluesy sound is born out of defiance after the conflict that has scarred Mali in recent years. Songhoy Blues are in Oran Mor on Sunday 25th January.

Also performing is Nigerian drummer, composer and songwriter and the godfather of Afrobeat music, Tony Allen, whose recent projects include collaborations with Damon Albarn, the Verve’s Simon Tong and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ Flea, while his own newly released Film of Life splices his signature style of Afrobeat with soul, dub and jazz. Tony Allen is performing in the O2 ABC on Saturday 31st January.

With a fan base ranging from world music audiences to electronic and avant-rock devotees, the extraordinary Congolese band Konono No.1 channel traditional sounds through equipment from salvaged car parts and other junkyard finds, creating a visceral, distortion-laden sound that’s both primeval and futuristic. Konono No.1 is performing in the O2 ABC on Thursday 29th January.

* Criolo with Withered Hand is delivered in partnership with British Council Transform and Creative Scotland

[merchantcityglasgow]

Countdown Begins for Celtic Connections 2015

Merchant City's countdown to the world-renowned Celtic Connections has truly began with the festival opening in only a month’s time.

The eclectic 18 day programme for next year’s festival includes some of the best-known musicians in traditional and roots music, world, indie, jazz, folk, soul and Americana. Over 2000 musicians from every corner of the globe will come to Glasgow between Thursday 15th January and Sunday 1st February 2015.

The festival will take place in 17 venues right across the city and tickets are selling fast!

Names added to Line Ups

This festival we celebrate one of the most pivotal figures in Britain’s folk revival, Ewan MacColl.  In a night curated by his sons Calum and Neill, we are delighted to announce that former frontman of Pulp, Jarvis Cocker will join the line up.  They are added to an already stellar array of artists from diverse genres including Kate St. John, Dick Gaughan, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy and Karine Polwart.

Carlos Núñez returns with a brand new commission, The Atlantic Corridor, and will be joined by a host of special guests including Argentina’s Chango Spasiuk, a hugely talented chamamé musician and accordion player. Núñez and friends will once again explore Celtic music’s subsequent leaps-and-bounds evolution (in which Núñez himself has played no small part), splicing traditional and original material, from Galicia, Ireland and Brittany, along with newly created Scottish piping arrangements.

Québécois quartet Le Vent du Nord will be joined by an array of fantastic female guests including Emily Smith, Julie Fowlis, Sharon Shannon, Patsy Reid, Megan Henderson and Christine Hanson.

In only its third year, the Roaming Roots Revue already feels like a cherished Celtic Connections institution, exemplifying the festival’s facility for conjuring musical magic from fresh artistic alliances.  Joining the already stellar UK and US line up will be Massachusetts very own alt folk siblings The Parkington Sisters and English singer-songwriting duo Kami Thompson and James Walbourne, better known as The Rails, who will be showcasing their spine-shivering harmonies.

Opening Acts Announced

We’ll welcome some amazing opening acts from around the world at Celtic Connections 2015.

Southern, a brother and sister duo from Belfast, will be supporting Hudson Taylor in Oran Mor on 31st January. Southern perform a mixture of blues, alternative rock, pop and hip hop. The band has been championed by BBC Radio Ulster's Gerry Anderson who has described them as "the most promising singer/songwriters in Ireland today."

BC Camplight will be supporting Tucson-based collective Calexico in the Old Fruitmarket on 1st February. BC Camplight is the moniker of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brian Christinzio. His 2005 album Hide, Run Away was released by One Little Indian and featured Cynthia G. Mason on vocals.  Camplight's acclaimed follow up, Blink of a Nihilist, was released in 2007 and both records featured as Sunday Times' album of the week.

Dunblane born troubadour Aaron Fyfe is a 26 year-old singer-songwriter (and skateboarder-surfer). He will be supporting Diana Jones in the Glasgow Art Club on 28th January.

Irish rockers The Riptide Movement will be supporting Hayseed Dixie at the O2 ABC on 30th January.

Changes to the Programme

An extra date has been added for sold out show Frances Black & Kieran Goss’s Reunion. There will be an additional concert on Monday 26th January in the Strathclyde Suite in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

There has also been a second night added for the sold out The Crew of the Puffer present Para Handy “A Highland Voyage” on Sunday 19th January in St Andrews in the Square. 

Due to fantastic demand Justin Townes Earle and Lindsey Black will now be appearing in the O2 ABC on Saturday 17th January in order to allow more people to buy tickets.

Due to unforeseen circumstances The Idiot at the Wallwill no longer be performed at the Tron on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th January.

Chastity Brown and Dean Owens & the Whisky Hearts will now be performing at Oran Mor on Saturday 17th January.

Homegrown Talent

Originally commissioned to mark 700 years since the Battle of Bannockburn, the epic creation by revered Highland piper and Gaelic scholar Allan MacDonald, The Bruce 700, features a cast of some 50 musicians, on pipes, strings, brass, vocals and percussion. Combining his wealth of historical knowledge with grand contemporary flair, the music, on which MacDonald collaborated with cellist and arranger Neil Johnstone, vividly and movingly evokes the sounds, action and emotions of battle.

Performers include Angus MacDonald, Iain MacDonald, Aidan O’Rourke, Lori Watson, Innes Watson, Christine Hanson, Fraser Fifield, Dick Lee, Duncan Lyall, Mary Macmaster, Donald Hay, Daniel Thorpe, Griogair Labhruidh, Kathleen MacInnes and Rod Paterson, together with Stirling youth music groups.

[merchantcityglasgow]

REVIEW: SYT's Christmas Show Wild Heather

Theatre

Wild Heather

Brian Cox Studio, SYT Glasgow

Mary Brennan

FOUR STARS

Bare feet, torn gown, twigs in her hair - this Heather is definitely a wild child. Her royal mother yearns for a less muddy Princess but all the 3 to 5 year olds adore her just as she is, thanks to a gloriously hoyden-ish, outgoing performance from Christie Mitchell as the wayward heir to a (very plush) throne. The latter comes courtesy of Finlay McLay's year-in, year-out determination that whatever the budget the audience of tinies won't be short-changed when it comes to set design. When Heather jinks off into the forest to find her best friend Hoolet (Anna Schneider, an obviously wise Brown Owl, with LOTS of skills badges), we trot after her into a studio made mysterious with wall-to-wall greenery. Lots of room, however, for dancing and chasing about and for joining in a series of lively make-believe activities that's nicely paced by director Karen McGrady-Parker.

The story-line itself is kept simple and straightforward. We know Heather isn't really a wicked girl, just high-spirited. So when asked, and asking for, suggestions is a key factor in this hour-long SYT production - the tots are all for Heather saying "sorry" for disappearing (without telling) on her birthday and for her baking a surprise cake for her mum. Lewis, the cook with the uke(lele), is on hand to help, as is Hoolet who has recruited us to be little owls - we even get a badge to prove it. If proof were needed of the value of a piece like this, the children chattering excitedly afterwards about every detail confirms that theatre-making for the under-6's is a worthwhile investment.

[merchantcityglasgow]

REVIEW: Miracle on 34 Parnie Street – panto keeps the Christmas faith

The 1947 seasonal film favourite Miracle on 34th Street is a modest and sweet-natured comedy with the unfeasibly grand ambition of squaring the contradictory values of capitalism and religion. However greedy the market gets, the movie suggests, it’s nothing that can’t be solved by blind faith in a supernatural power. So when the real Father Christmas takes over the grotto at Macy’s, he shows the money-grubbing store managers that altruism is not only an end in itself, it can be great for business too. They only have to believe.

If that sounds a stretch, there’s an extra layer of faith required at the Tron where, in Miracle on 34 Parnie Street, the unglamorous road behind the theatre has become the location of TJ Confuse, a down-at-heel department store under threat of closure. Not only must we believe the real Father Christmas would fill the job vacancy in this unloved shop, but we must also accept she is female.

And what a female. Played by writer and director Johnny McKnight in a spangly red dress, Kristine Cagney Kringle (“single and ready to mingle”) is a hilariously improbable saviour of the Christmas spirit. Equally unlikely is that this predatory creature, with a sparkling line in audience backchat, would be a multi-linguist who could tick off half-a-dozen languages in a single song. But the evidence is plain to see: Kristine Kringle is the true meaning of Christmas.

By sticking to the movie plot, with an added Machiavellian twist to make room for Darren Brownlie’s loose-limbed panto baddie, McKnight holds on to the good-beats-evil message even as he is sending the whole thing up. In this, he is aided and abetted by the romper-suit cuteness of Gavin Jon Wright, the game-for-anything accents of Julie Wilson Nimmo and the awesome vocals of Michelle Chantelle Hopewell. It’s a miracle.

• Until 4 January. Box office: 0141-552 4267. Venue: Tron, Glasgow.

[merchantcityglasgow]

Literary luncheon

This autumn's series of Literary Lunchtimes in Glasgow, organised by the writer in residence at the University of Strathclyde, Chris Agee, concludes with Shetlanders Christine de Luca, the Edinburgh Makar, and Robert Alan Jamieson reading at 1pm tomorrow at Bar Gandolfi, 64 Albion Street, Merchant City, Glasgow.

This autumn's series of Literary Lunchtimes in Glasgow, organised by the writer in residence at the University of Strathclyde, Chris Agee, concludes with Shetlanders Christine de Luca, the Edinburgh Makar, and Robert Alan Jamieson reading at 1pm tomorrow at Bar Gandolfi, 64 Albion Street, Merchant City, Glasgow.

The previous two series of lunchtimes proved a success, organisers say, with an average of 50 staff, students and general public gathering and the spring series of Literary Lunchtimes will resume in late January.

The series is sponsored by the School of Humanities, University of Strathclyde.

cafegandolfi.com

[merchantcityglasgow]

Inside today's #ChristmasAdventCalendar you'll find...hand-crafted beauties from Brazen Studios! Pop in today for an array of stunning jewellery, bags, scarves and plenty of presents 'for him' (soon to be featured in our Advent Calendar...).

[merchantcityglasgow]

Today's #ChristmasAdvertCalendar gift suggestion is...tickets to Tron Theatre's pantomime, the fabulous Miracle On 34 Parnie Street!

Christmas mayhem is afoot in everyone's favourite department store TJ Confuse, because Santa's shown up and he's a little bit different-- he's a SHE!

Written, directed by and featuring Johnny McKnight, designed by Kenny Miller.

Fri 28 Nov 2014- Sun 4 Jan 2015

[merchantcityglasgow]

It's Christmas Advent Calendar time! First up is this wonderful Inspire Me Winter Starter Kit from Beauty Kitchen. 

100% natural and perfect for perking up dull winter skin. 

[merchantcityglasgow]

Glasgow Loves Christmas in George Square

2014 has been an incredible year for Glasgow and what better way to see it out than with a jam packed calendar of festive fun across the city this December.

Get your skates on and get down to the Merchant City's George Square - Glasgow’s most famous meeting point, slap bang in the middle of the city and under the gaze of the audacious City Chambers building - where once again Scotland’s largest outdoor ice rink is back.  

Ice Skating

Glasgow on Ice returns this year and offers the perfect venue by day for the kids (little ones can take advantage of the ever-cute Under 8 Skate sessions for families only) and by evening for a romantic Christmas date where you and your loved one can skate under the stars (sigh). Enjoy the funfair rides - including the return of the much loved Big Wheel, Traditional Carousel and the scream-inducing Wave Swinger, and lots of free activities for children and families in the special George Square Christmas Workshop where Santa himself will be popping by for a special Sunday story-telling session between 12noon and 1pm on 1, 14 and 21 December. There’s also a chance to meet Dasher, Dancer, Donner and Blitzen (and chums) too as they pay a visit to George Square between 12noon and 4pm on 14, 22 and 23 December - come along to pet Santa’s reindeers, and take pictures in their sleigh before they head off on their Christmas adventure this year.  Head on over to Glasgow Loves Christmas for more information on how to book tickets.

Glasgow Christmas Market

While you’re at George Square why not pop down to Argyle Street in the city centre and warm yourself up with a mulled cider, hot chocolate or indulge in some tasty cheeses, waffles and oversized festive frankfurter action at the city’s Christmas Market where colourful stalls also offer a selection of stocking fillers and santa hats. On until 23 December, the Christmas Market is open until 8pm Monday - Wednesday, 9pm Thursday - Saturday and 6pm on Sundays.

Santa Dash

And on Sunday 7 December you can run all those extra mince-pies off in the city’s annual Santa Dash - or simply watch thousands of would-be Santas pound the pavements to raise money for their favourite charities.  Every single runner will receive a dashing Santa suit to wear on the day and a Santa’s little helper medal at the finish line - there’s still time to get on Santa’s nice list by registering for a place now. The 5K dash kicks off at 9.30am for George Square.

Hogmanayday

With an expected 11million visitors to the city through the month of December, residents, families, friends and tourists alike can join together for one last celebration of the year that brought the eyes of the world to Glasgow as Hogmanay-day - a giant celebration from 12 noon to 10pm on Wednesday 31 December, brings George Square to life with a day of traditional celebrations including Scottish music and local treats, food and drink, craft activities for the kids and your chance to dance the Gay Gordon or Dashing White Sergeant with some fun highland dancing and ceilidh bands. A fabulous day to ring out the old and ring in the new in true traditional Scots style. As the Scots say, Groupon, Lang may yer lum reek - a Happy New Year to you and yours.

[merchantcityglasgow]

First ibis Styles Hotel for Glasgow

Glasgow’s first ibis Styles Hotel is set to open, accounting for a £7m investment and creating 25 jobs in the city.

Glasgow-based Redefine|BDL Hotels, the UK’s leading independent hotel management company, will work with ibis Styles for the design and will operate the hotel upon completion.

The new hotel will be located on Miller Street in the Merchant City, in the current Telfer House building, and will feature 101 bedrooms over eight floors.

Work on the hotel began in October 2014 and the first guests will be welcomed through the doors in autumn 2015.

ibis Styles Hotels are renowned for telling their own city-specific stories and the new Glasgow venue will be no different, with planned design features including tributes to famous Glasgow landmarks and the humour the city is renowned for.

The hotel will be managed by Redefine|BDL Hotels and will be the Glasgow-based company’s first property in the city, adding to its portfolio of 70 branded and private label hotels across the UK.

Redefine|BDL Hotels will also assist with the development and fit out of the hotel.

Ross Morrow, Chief Development Officer for Redefine|BDL Hotels, says: “We are thrilled to announce our first hotel in Glasgow. It feels like a homecoming in a way as we are based in the city and this will be our first property here.

“Not only that, but in addition to the eventual day-to-day running of the property, we are very involved in the design and creation of the hotel, which is something we specialise in. This is all the more exciting as it is on home turf.

“It’s a really interesting project for us as the building is in a superb location but is currently empty and neglected, so there’s a transformation underway that will really breathe life back into it. With this regeneration of a key building and new jobs being created it’s a real landmark project for Redefine|BDL Hotels.”

Inge Van Ooteghem, SVP Operations Economy and Budget Hotels for Accor, says: “We are delighted to be bringing the ibis Styles brand to Glasgow and look forward to unveiling the hotel next year.

“Every ibis Styles Hotel is unique, with a positive, trendy personality. Our interior design is vibrant, energetic and has a sense of humour – all characteristics which we feel marry exceptionally well with Glasgow itself. We look forward to welcoming guests through the doors in 2015.”

Accor has signed a franchise agreement with MCTH (Trading) Limited, which is a vehicle funded by Bowmont Capital Parters, Maven Capital Partners and delivered by Caledon Property Group. The hotel will be managed by Redefine|BDL Hotels, adding to its current roster of leading hotel brand franchisors which includes Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, IHG, Hilton Worldwide, Wyndham and Best Western.

[merchantcityglasgow]

Brazen Studios' mini masterpieces that pack some serious PowWow! Tina Lilenthal in stock just in time for Christmas.

[merchantcityglasgow]

Images from the preview of So It Is, the current exhibition at The Briggait, WASPS Studios. Come along to Merchant City Glasgow get your art fix!

Exhibition runs 15th - 19th November 2014.

Open 9:30am until 5:30pm. 

[merchantcityglasgow]

NOW OPEN at South Block: Negritude Republic - an exhibition of works by South African designer Modise Sepeng (Blackdice).

Last night we installed a new exhibition of works from South African based designer Modise Sepeng (Blackdice). Modise's creativity stems from the cultural ideology of Afrocentrism; elevating messages of Black Consciousness, rooted in a (re)discovery of the authentic self. His work aims to draw attention to his own African heritage using symbolic references of liberation heroes like Steve Biko and Madiba.  Come and have a look!

[merchantcityglasgow]

Over/Athrá - An Exhibition by Iede Reckman and Aoife McGarrigle

FRIDAY 31 OCT, 6PM-8PM @ THE BRIGGAIT

Aoife McGarrigle and Iede Reckman met each other whilst studying on the M.Litt program at the Glasgow School of Art. Although working in different media, there are obvious similarities in their interest in the repetition of geometrical shapes. While McGarrigle’s emphasis focuses on historical military structures in the landscape, Reckman relates his shapes to mathematical principles. Aoife McGarrigle's work is influenced by the architecture of war, and it’s material remains on the landscape. In particular, she focusses on the existing WW2 Look Out Posts scattered around the coast of neutral Ireland. These military structures remain mostly unchanged since the war, creating an unnerving sense of what went before. Ruins can evoke a ghostly glimpse into the past and prompt us to consider the nature of their existence politically and aesthetically in both a historical and contemporary sense. Iede Reckman compares the making of a sculpture with natural phenomena. He sees nature as an optimum balance between randomly and calculated influences. In his work he tries to find a similar balance; visualized in matter, but also in the process. By repetition of shape and action, and by keeping traces of the process visible, Reckman tries to approach an abstraction of space and time and stretch the logic of ordinary dimensions to a level of integrated physical and mental realms. The stacks and constructions in Reckman’s work occupy space but at the same time they define new spaces. Not only do they structure their own position in space they also structure the position and the view of the observer. By combining their work in a joint presentation the artists will build the show in two ‘fragments’ and use the division of the Briggait’s Project Spaces to reflect aspects of their work which deals with division, position and repetition.

[merchantcityglasgow]

South Block studios, a Wasps project, will be open to the public on Sat 25th and Sun 26th October 2014 as part of national event Wasps Open Studios 2014.

Over the month of October, artists across Scotland have opened their studios and Wasps Open Studios is a brilliant opportunity to see inside artist’s studios at South Block and talk to them directly about their work. 

South Block is a stunning studio complex in the heart of Glasgow’s Merchant City and provides 64 studios for visual artists and makers. Alongside open studios, there will be an exhibition, live screenprinting artists talks and face painting.

Event Details:

Dates: 25th and 26th October 2014

Address: South Block, 64 Osborne Street, Glasgow G1 5QH

Opening times: 12noon – 5pm