Five of best Scottish podcasts to listen to - from politics to football to comedy Scotland has never been short of stories, storytellers, or those who just have the gift of the gab and the technical expertise to know which end of…

The inaugural Scottish Podcast Awards, which will he held at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow on June 25. Ahead of next month’s shortlist announcement, here are five podcasts to keep an eye on. Ear on. Whatever. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @holyroodsources.bsky.social @somelaugh.bsky.social

From Kraftwerk to Pixies, via Paul Simon: 10 gigs in Scotland to book now for May Here we go. Another month of live music in Scotland full of potential great nights out. There are plenty of familiar names in the list that follows,…

Another month of live music in Scotland full of great nights out and the month begins with probably the most adventurous sonic weekend of the year as the BBC SSO team up with a range of artists, composers and musicians from around the globe @heraldscotland.bsky.social @teddyjamieson.bsky.social

Scottish singer-songwriter whose beloved video showed a battle of wits with a sheep Colin Macintyre’s Mull Historical Society debut album remains a thing of beauty

The story behind Mull Historical Society's debut album - and the true original who created it @heraldscotland.bsky.social

I love eating out but noisy restaurant music is pushing me away, says food writer Restaurant playlists are getting louder, stranger and sloppier – and they’re ruining otherwise great meals for Scottish diners who just want to…

Is it me getting older, or are restaurant soundtracks really getting worse, asks Herald food writer Sarah Campbell. On loud dinners, lazy playlists and the death of conversation. @heraldscotland.bsky.social

'Balamory's back and as charming as ever, if only Miss Hoolie could sort out ferries' Balamory, a favourite with adults and children alike when it last aired 21 years ago, is back on CBeebies. It's still a charmer, but is that enough…

Balamory review: From now on, unless they binge it on iPlayer, nippers, students, child-minding grandparents and shift workers alike will have a 5pm appointment to view the show that charmed generations @heraldscotland.bsky.social

These 20 paintings that tell the story of humankind in all its gory glory Review: The Secrets Of Painting by Lachlan Goudie is a fascinating look at the 20 paintings the Scottish artist thinks changed the world

Review: It’s mind-boggling stuff, but a fascinating and eye-opening journey through the history of art and the technologies which have shaped its development and allowed its advance. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @lachlangoudie.bsky.social @thamesandhudson.bsky.social

Minimum wage for artists is a good idea - but there's one big problem Scotland’s artist basic income sounds bold, but it won’t fix Creative Scotland’s bureaucracy or save venues like Glasgow’s Trongate 103.

Scotland’s artist basic income sounds good on paper.

But without fixing Universal Credit clashes, Creative Scotland’s paperwork and council‑owned landlords hiking rents, it won’t save the sector.

✍️My column for @heraldscotland.bsky.social : www.heraldscotland.com/politics/hol...

Hugh from the Armando Iannucci Show

“Of course in the old days Bluesky was only on for three hours a day. We used to get dressed up in our Sunday best to log on to it. Then when it shut down again we’d all stand up and sing the national anthem”

Scottish author conjures up a refreshingly open-minded queer-normative world Review: Saltswept, Katalina Watt: This is the first volume of a two-part fantasy saga inspired by South-East Asian mythology and featuring a crew of…

Review: Unfortunately, his fondness for drink and poor judgement in sexual partners soon has him on a gallows awaiting execution. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @hodderscape.bsky.social

Happy Mondays roll back the years with a nostalgic night at the Barrowlands Happy Mondays deliver a lively and nostalgic performance at Barrowland Ballroom, proving their party spirit still holds up decades on.

Review: Bez stalks the stage with his maracas, does his Bez dance, steals the mic off Shaun Ryder and generally steals the focus all evening. @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Five rising Scottish stand-up comedians to watch out for this year Scotland and humour go together like chips and curry sauce so there’s never any dearth of new stand-up comedians to fill the shoes (or banana…

Scotland and humour go together like chips and curry sauce so here are five stand-ups who certainly aren’t short of the second of those. @heraldscotland.bsky.social

'The night Kanye West fans freaked the hell out of me in Edinburgh' Our Writer at Large explores the disturbing phenomenon of ‘parasocial relationships’, when fans believe they have a special connection with the…

I’ve only once walked out of a gig. Even if a band is a bit duff or not on form, I’ll stick around. Kanye West, however, made me turn on my heel and hit the exit, says @neilmackay.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Minimum wage for artists is a good idea - but there's one big problem Scotland’s artist basic income sounds bold, but it won’t fix Creative Scotland’s bureaucracy or save venues like Glasgow’s Trongate 103.

Creative Scotland rewards bureaucracy rather than artistic merit. An independent review found the funding application process to be “overly complex, time-consuming, and inaccessible - particularly for smaller organisations and individuals”. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @marissamacwhirter.bsky.social

Tori Amos shines in quietly thrilling return to Glasgow On the wall at the back of the Concert Hall a gigantic circle of lights gently illuminates Tori Amos, her backing singers and musicians. It…

Review: And even on tonight’s take on Tori Amos’s self-flagellating 1992 hit Crucify there’s a bounce and a lightness to the performance that is the opposite of wallowing. @heraldscotland.bsky.social

'When politicians sneer at the ‘lanyard class’, they sneer at our public servants' The words politicians use matters. Today, they’re incapable of speaking without employing the cliched, impenetrable and divisive jargon of the…

'Lanyard class', 'luxury beliefs' and the death of political language

Politicians are now incapable of speaking without the cliched, impenetrable and divisive jargon of the culture war

It diminishes democracy. Weird online dog whistles have replaced ideas and policy

In @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Novel links Partick Thistle, the Cold War and Glasgow's King of the Gypsies Book review: Boyhood by David Keenan (White Rabbit): Keenan unfurls a psychedelic post-punk fantasia dense with literary allusions and esoteric lore…

Review: David Keenan consistently blurs the roles of voyeur, guardian and storyteller in a complex, multi-threaded structure that, while centred on 1980s Glasgow, flits freely between numerous locations in time and space. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @whiterabbitbks.bsky.social

'There weren't many less cool people in the 1980s than me,' admits BBC DJ Bob Harris turned 80 earlier this month and he has been dealing with a prostate cancer diagnosis. He is currently taking a break from the airwaves…

He was a hate figure for punks back in the day @heraldscotland.bsky.social @teddyjamieson.bsky.social

Five of the best Scottish indie labels keeping the DIY music spirit alive today From Night School to Mogwai’s Rock Action, five Scottish indie labels driving new music, reissues and DIY culture across genres and generations.

Today the indie spirit is alive and kicking with indie labels (and their offshoots the micro-label) popping up everywhere there’s a music fan with good ears, a laptop and a knack for promotion.
@heraldscotland.bsky.social @lnfg.bsky.social @rockactionrecords.scot @nightschoolrecords.bsky.social

This gripping tale of courtly intrigue brings infamous Scottish witch hunts to life Anna Caig’s The Wise Witch of Orkney blends danger, charm and court intrigue in a lively tale of a midwife caught in Scotland’s witch hunts.

Review: The reign of James VI and his famous obsession with witches and demons meant it was a hazardous time for herbalists, wise women and midwives, which puts Orcadian Elspet Balfour in a very dicey position @bwpublishing.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

'My partner hates it but this film will be important in 10 years when I’ll be dead' Douglas Gordon is one of Scotland’s most important artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He's the man behind Zidane: A 21st Century…

'What makes Douglas Gordon By Douglas Gordon fascinating is how Gordon puts himself so centrally in the work as if to almost become a work of art. We see him create, we see him cry, we see him bare-chested, bathed in the pinkish lights of his studio.' @heraldscotland.bsky.social

This play speaks volumes about the state we’re still in, says @neilcooper.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

A massive gable end overlooking the Barrowland Ballroom has been transformed into a painting advertising James McAvoy’s new film, California Dreamin’. But it's an advert - not art. Is this acceptable, asks @marissamacwhirter.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Take Me Out was described as "essentially two songs spot-welded together like one of those Robin Reliant/BMW conjunctions that Watchdog always gets so annoyed about”, remarked the NME. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @franzferdinandhq.bsky.social

Check out our latest subscription offer - it's a decent deal. See shorturl.at/SgKh3 @heraldscotland.bsky.social @susanswarbrick.bsky.social

Scots band began as an act of revenge and nurtured a generation of era-defining bands The Great Eastern, by The Delgados: This album was so good that three of the songs on the LP by the Scottish indie favourites made Peel’s Festive…

Rolling Stone magazine said: “Whatever the hell The Delgados are singing about, gems like Accused of Stealing, No Danger and The Past That Suits You Best are majestic enough to flutter right up your kilt”. Cliche, much Rolling Stone? @heraldscotland.bsky.social @the-delgados.bsky.social

This rousing show is a fitting tribute to an often overlooked Scottish heroine Theatre review: Flora, The Pavilion, Glasgow, Neil Cooper, Four stars: If ever an unsung Scottish heroine was crying out to be reimagined in a…

Review: This a rousing yarn that puts Flora MacDonald back on the frontline of history, says Herald theatre critic @neilcooper.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Everything that happens in life is now just an excuse for a television drama The trend of dramatising well-known recent events might make us less reluctant to confront the actual issues at stake, argues arts writer Derek…

My problem with Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, Channel 5’s retelling of the BBC presenter’s fall from grace after grooming a teenage boy, is that it asks us to suspend our disbelief while purporting to deliver a true story, says @derekmcarthur.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Top 10 must-see art exhibitions across Scotland before they close this year Discover 10 standout exhibitions across Scotland, from Glasgow to Edinburgh, before they close -featuring contemporary art, fashion and more.

10 exhibitions to see across Scotland: Works on show include the text sculpture ‘VULVA VOLVO (1930–2021)’ - made from a melted-down Tornado warplane. @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

The Rise & Fall of Madchester: Catnip for folk of a certain age, if a touch familiar "There are some music stories that never get told. Then there are others that get told rather too often," writes Teddy Jamieson on The…

Review: 'This was a blokey rehash of the story of Factory Records, Manchester musical exceptionalism and drugs and gangs and rock ’n’ roll,' says a less-than-mad-for-it @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

'Energy, emotion and ghosts: Gorillaz journey through grief for joyous Glasgow gig' Review: Gorillaz, OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Four stars: This is an evening of noise and beats from Damon Albarn and co. A gleeful, all-encompassing…

Review: This Hydro gig is a gleeful, all-encompassing mash-up of pop, hip-hop, punk and world music. @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social