• ThumbnailEmpire Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, until 7 February 2009 I LOVE musicals. I love the music of The Proclaimers. I was prepared to love this show. The build up to it suggested nothing less than a triumph. I went prepared to be disappointed. After all, when you think of the songs of the ‘Muchty brothers, they […]

  • ThumbnailUllapool, 19-20 September 2008 LOOPALLU is great and unique. It has the best location and the best fringe facilities. It is by far the friendliest and safest festival. It’s the same cops who patrol this festival as the other ones, but you don’t have to be out of your head to have a conversation with them. […]

  • Karen Ray wrote a new post, Tap Olé , on the site Northings 16 years, 4 months ago

    ThumbnailEmpire Theatre, Eden Court, 18 August 2008 Following excellent reviews from the Edinburgh Festival, it’s welcome to have an international act, such as Tap Olé, venture beyond the central belt to Eden Court. It sold out last year and this at the festival and the reviews have been four stars. After dragging my husband to Mamma […]

  • ThumbnailUllapool, 21 September 2007 IT STARTED off very promisingly. Brilliant blue sky and empty roads as I sped towards Ullapool for the best little fest in the west. Childhood memories came rushing back of flying round the bend and looking down on the town, with the race to see who would be first to spot a […]

  • ThumbnailStrathpeffer Pavilion, 12 September 2007 THE ADVERTS said it would be night to remember and it was. A tale of two romances; Tallulah, for whom nothing seems to be going right, and Buck, a straight to the point, pogo-ing punk rocker on one side, and Hitchcock, dodgy nightclub owner and the lovely PC Joy, secret Take […]

  • The Stables, Cromarty, until 27 August 2007 THE CROMARTY Arts Group’s annual exhibition has come around again. This year, there is a dedication to Alistair Dunn, a founder member, who sadly died earlier this year, but whose family are well represented in the exhibition as always. The exhibits are a fitting tribute to him. Anyone unfamiliar with […]

  • ThumbnailBelladrum, 11 August 2007 THIS WAS my first visit to the Tartan Heart Festival. I’d seen all the photos of previous years with people rolling about in mud, clearly the worse for wear. The summer so far hadn’t been promising, but I desperately wanted to see the re-formed James and so on Saturday, I painted flowers […]