Solas

Solas 2018: Drift

A field in the sun; familiar faces; an eclectic and mind-stretching programming: the ninth Solas Festival.

This year's theme of Drift took in the stories of cultures in migration, and some of the more subtle drifts in language, history and politics, soundtracked by new and emerging bands from around Scotland.

The programme was book-ended by Arabic voices. Shamstep group 47SOUL had everyone out-dancing the midgies on Friday night, and a "learn Palestinian Arabic through the medium of za'atar" session turned out to be a thoughtful introduction to a unique new online learning course, developed by the universities of Gaza and Glasgow, which enables Gaza-based tutors to teach despite the restrictions imposed by the occupation.

Other highlights included:

• The Barrow Band's singing and dancing fruit and veg

• Professor John Curtis's talk on the Scottish Independence and EU referendums. I came away with the uneasy sense that Scotland might not lean as far to the left as its political representation suggests, leading to the chilling question of what would happen should Scotland gain independence. Would there be any need for the SNP? ("Look at UKIP.") Would a rebranded Conservative party become a dominant political force?

• Vox Liminis' Distant Voices project bringing songs written by those with first-hand experience of the criminal justice system to a wider audience

In between, there was the typical mix of the wondrous and sometimes bizarre that we've come to love at Solas. Where else can you turn a corner from the world-class Scottish Opera performers, and run straight into a towering-costumed street performer wielding a chuckling, demonic-looking baby; or enjoy a film about house music in Africa in the company of Molly, the site's horse, whose stable was being used as a cinema?

Website

That was 2017/18

If you'd looked at this blog over the past fifteen months you'd be forgiven for thinking we've not been up to much. On the contrary, we've squeezed a lot in but have been tardy at writing it up.

We're up-to-date now, so feel free to catch up. We have:

• Finished walking the east coast of Scotland, from Golspie to Brora, Helmsdale, Dunbeath, Lybster, Wick, Keiss, John o' Groats, Brough, Castletown (via the most northerly point on our island) with side trips The Mannie, The Ness Islands and a forest in the middle of Inverness.

• Completed the North Downs Way, from Cuxton to Hollingbourne then Charing before branching off through Canterbury on the way to Dover and finally looping back to Boughton Aleph.

• Walked the Pennine Way, in two legs, first from Edale to Longdendale, Standedge, Blackshaw Head, Ickornshaw, Malham, Horton in Ribblesdale, Hawes, Tan Hill, Middleton-in-Teesdale and Dufton before the weather got the better of us and we decided to stop six days short of our intended destination. Then picking it up again through Alston, Greenhead, Twice Brewed, Bellingham, Byrness and across The Cheviots to the end in Kirk Yetholm.

• Walked the entire Cotswold Way, from Chipping Campden to Broadway, Winchcombe, Dowdeswell, Birdlip, King's Stanley, Wotton-under-Edge, Tormarton and Bath.

• Completed the Cleveland Way on a cold long weekend picking up from Saltburn-by-the-Sea, running inland through Kildale, The Wainstones, Osmotherley, Kilburn and Helmsley.

• Walked the Yorkshire Wolds Way, an entire National Trail in sunshine, from Hessle on the Humber through South Cave, Goodmanham, Thixendale, Ganton and Filey.

• Made a start on Scotland's Great Trails with one leg of St Cuthbert's Way.

• We've also seen a few films: Miss Sloane, Hampstead, Dunkirk, Wind River; been to a a couple of gigs: Over the Rhine, Carleen Anderson, U2, The State Broadcasters; and enjoyed a remarkable Celtic Connections weekend in Glasgow (caught on camera by the BBC).

Finally, in case you missed it, we explained the reason for our busyness: we're moving.

Gig

Massive Attack / Young Fathers

"What a time to be alive!" were the spoken opening words of Young Fathers's support slot. What followed was a sonic and visual assault that stayed with me long after the gig, and wiped any memory of the first support act. We were at the Eden Sessions to see Massive Attack, and while the Bristol group's headline set was even better than I'd hoped (I've been meaning to see them live for years), it was the intimidating support that really got beneath my skin. The sound was loud, and the dancing and posturing from the stage as effective as any haka.

Massive Attack's own set was fantastic. Towards the end, "We are all in this together" flashed up on the screen at the back of the stage, jarringly demonstrating neatly how words that seem so hollow from one person can appear authentic and urgent from another.