Summerhall August Festival 2013

Blood Stereo’s Dylan Nyoukis and Karen Constance have been stalwarts of the UK’s underground circuit for years, running the infamous Chocolate Monk Label since 1994 from their initial headquarters in West Lothian, before venturing southwards to Brighton. As part of this tripled headliner will be Pengo’s freakish psych and outsider fuzz by way of Rochester, New York – along with the spit and sputter stylings of Edinburgh’s Usurper. Expect an evening of sound poetry, avant weirdness and improvised electronics from three of the most undefinable and ‘out there’ acts - along with their mystical tour compere, The Infinite Gaaah!

A new commission by the hugely influential American avant-garde composer/produce Jim O’Rourke for the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra (GIO), uniquely designed around the ensemble and incorporating improvised music, theatrical surprises and film in collaboration with video artists Too Many VJs. A recent broadcast prompted BBC’s Jazz on 3 to credit GIO as ‘one the best large improvising ensembles in the world’. This new piece contains the passion, surprises, thrills, discipline and life-affirming spontaneity that are hallmarks of GIO’s approach.

A stunning collaboration between musician Louise Quinn, Grid Iron Theatre’s Ben Harrison & film maker Uisdean Murray in response to Pippa Bailey’s shared story. Join Thyme on her journey through the fame factory as she pursues success in the music industry. The first ever use of silent disco technology in a gig format with story told through feature-film-quality visuals & a giant rabbit for a truly immersive audience experience.

Cut Hands, the African-Haitian inspired project of noise icon William Bennett, a percussive and hypnotic combination of polyrhythms created to induce trance like states. Founded in 2007, initially to experiment further with his obscure collection of Ghanaian percussion instruments in free-form work-outs alongside other types of (genuine) sound experimenting. Cut Hands has been touring extensively over the last few years in support of two highly acclaimed albums ‘Afro-Noise 1’ and ‘Black Mamba’, whipping audiences into frenzies around the globe with his dynamic audio visual performances. Support will come from Glasgow based synth and rhythm wizard, Stefan Blomeier.

Over 30 musicians from Europe's wildest corners meet in an epic night of music and dance! After successive sold out shows in 2013, this celebration of Italian and Mediterranean music presents its unmissable festival edition. Edinburgh's own Italian collective The Badwills will play host with their hypnotic mix of tarantella, pizzica and tammurriata. With support from Pellizco Flamenco, bringing you right to the doorstep of Southern Spain, and Belgium's Les Taupes qui Boivent du Lait with their furious Klezmer and eastern mediterranean brass beats.

Pumajaw are chanteuse extraordinaire Pinkie Maclure and musician/sound designer John Wills. Using guitar, concertina, autoharp and cutting-edge technology, this retro-futuristic new show blends classic songs from cult movies - including Night of the Hunter, Kiss Me Deadly and Twin Peaks - with the duo's own sensuous originals and darkly bewitching 'film noir' visuals.

Where exactly is the heart of the piano? Part piano recital, part fantasy lecture, pianist and entertainer Will Pickvance presents the physical, emotional and spiritual anatomy of the piano, with stories about, songs around, the playing on and the dissection of, a piano.

In an ordinary garden something extraordinary is about to happen. Shadows lengthen, the contrast between dark and light intensifies, suddenly you sense movement. In this outdoor setting, the audience, seated and camouflaged in dark capes, are wrapped in Tam Treanor’s seismic soundscape, mixed live for each performance. Emma Anderson, a young woman waiting to meet her lover, gives passionate voice to Chris Lee’s lyrical text, taking us to the dark recesses of the human mind.

Hailed by the international theatre press as one of the year’s best performances,Tourniquet is a visually enchanting work by acclaimed Belgian company Abattoir Fermé. Without the aid of any spoken text, three ghostlike characters perform old rituals and evoke the dark history of a house. Mysterious, eerily beautiful, hypnotic, visually stunning and shocking to some, Tourniquet is the theatrical,trance-inducing counterpart of The Exorcist or the cinematic work of David Lynch. Presented as part of the inaugural Big in Belgium season of work at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

Come in. Settle down. Close your eyes and listen. Are there bees living in your ears? Has the sea stopped crying? Is the house sighing? Let the music caress you (inside a 40’ shipping container).

Ghost Stories with one of the finest traditional storytellers living in Scotland. As darkness descends, join storyteller and musician Marion Kenny for spine chilling supernatural tales in one of Edinburgh's most atmospheric venues. The Demonstration Room situated in the old veterinary college at Summerhall has it's own gruesome past and is famously haunted.

Let Edinburgh’s favourite All-star Big Band take you on a magical mystery cruise, sailing every festival Friday. Channelling the spirit of legendary Fringe institutions like the Bongo Club Cabaret and La Clique, these multi-dimensional voyages of delight will feature aerialists from All or Nothing, with their cutting-edge fusion of circus, ariel theatre and dance , The Miss.Fit Sisters,splicing spectacular aerial antics with sassy retro style, PLUS DJs, swing dancers and a myriad of festive surprises. Prompt embarkation is recommended for the show’s alfresco overture, welcoming you aboard in suitably deluxe style for a truly resplendent night’s revels.

With VERY special guest stars -
Fri 2nd – Electro Bevvy & The Dolphin Boys | Fri 9th – Fionna Duncan | Fri 16th – Flap! | Fri 23rd – Mr McFalls Chamber

GrownUps with Mel & Sue

Resident DJs Kinghorror and The Spotlight Kid are back in black (and Hawaiian shirts) to spin all your favourite vintage vinyl along with special guest DJs – The Great British Bake Off presenters and all-round TV/radio celebs Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins!

Join them for a festival frenzy of fun where they'll be serving up a fine selection of musical sweetmeats including disco, soul, hip hop, indie, R'n'B, ska, 60s pop, New Wave, electro, alt classics and everything in between.