It’s a bumper week of stuff going on in the capital this week – and for some reason we can’t quite figure out, an especially busy Wednesday. You won't be able to cram in every event that day, so choose wisely.
Comedy
Jason Cook is Broken, The Stand, Tue Nov 11
The Geordie comic sets off on a UK tour of his hella successful Fringe show – which has a pleasing sense of narrative resolution about it, as the show deals with Cook’s less than wholly enjoyable year prior.
Lee Mack: Hit the Road Mack, Edinburgh Playhouse, Tue Nov 11 & Wed Nov 12
You’ll recognise him off the telly – he’s been on ‘Not Going Out’ and ‘Would I Lie To You?’. This is your chance to recognise him in the flesh.
Vikki Stone: Instrumental, The Stand, Sun Nov 16
Like Cook, Ms Stone (pictured) is also bringing her Fringe show back to Edinburgh, with lashings of witty, musical-backed laughs. Is it just us or has she got a touch of young Josie Lawrence about her? (Having googled it, we’ve found out it’s not just us).
Art
Document Scotland Autumn Salon, Stills Gallery, Wed Nov 12
The insightful work of Colin McPherson, Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, Sophie Gerrard and Stephen McLaren (aka photography collective Document Scotland) forms a backdrop to this evening of informal discussion and multimedia presentations.
Generation By Night, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art One, Thu Nov 13
The epic, nationwide Generation programme - celebrating the last 25 years of contemporary Scottish art - is given an after-dark twist at this night-time event, with Ross Sinclair discussing his long-running 'Real Life' project and local electronic producer Loops Haunt performing a site-specific DJ set.
Edinburgh Art Fair, Corn Exchange, Fri Nov 14-Sun Nov 16
Dig your wallet out and sample the wares of dozens of galleries and artists at Edinburgh’s largest art-buying event.
Hidden Haiti, Summerhall, Sat Nov 15 & Sun Nov 16
Exhibition of artworks made by artisans using recycled and salvaged materials in Haiti, with info on how exhibitors Fourth World Art are raising funds to help artists still recovering from the 2010 earthquake.
Chloe Dewe Mathews: Shot at Dawn, Stills Gallery, until Sun Jan 25
Evocative photography exhibition capturing landscapes of WWI execution sites in the modern day.
Stan Douglas, Fruitmarket Gallery, until Sun Feb 15
Exhibition of the Canadian artist's film, video and photography works that explore the junction between history and memory.
Things to Do
An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Mon Nov 10
The chef, Observer columnist and all-round foodie icon discusses his life in cookery and plugs his new book, ‘Plenty More’.
Alan Cumming: Not My Father's Son, Roxy Assembly, Wed Nov 12
Also launching a book this month is star of stage and screen Cumming, whose new memoir explores his father’s dark history.
Inspirations at NLS: Nigel Planer, National Library of Scotland, Wed Nov 12
The actor, comedian and writer (you might best remember him as hippy Neil from ‘The Young Ones’) visits the National Library to discuss, among other things, his love of the writings of Sir Walter Scott.
Caesura, Summerhall, Fri Nov 14
Stripped back spoken word/performance night, this time featuring Belast-born writer Maria Fusco, experimental poet Jennifer Cooke, sound poet David Hopkins and found poetry duo Ed Smith and Thomas MacColl.
Night in the Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Thu Oct 30-Sun Nov 23
Take the opportunity to experience the Botanics as you’ve never seen them before, with spectacular and eerily beautiful illuminations transforming the park into a psychedelic wonderland.
Theatre
The Kite Runner, King’s Theatre, Mon Nov 10-Sat Nov 15
Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel about dark childhood secrets has already been made into a critically adored movie – now’s your chance to see it performed live on stage.
The Gamblers, Summerhall, Wed Nov 12-Sat Nov 15
A four-way collaboration between theatre companies Greyscale, Dundee Rep, Stellar Quines and Northern Stage, this all-female rejig of Gogol’s fast-paced comedy has been receiving rave reviews since its debut in Dundee. These Summerhall dates are the last on this tour, so act fast.
Theatre Uncut, Traverse, Thu Nov 13-Sat Nov 15
Co-Artistic Director Hannah Price helms this year’s programme of short plays themed around current political issues - head along to witness raw theatre that has something important to say.
The Voice Thief, Summerhall, Fri Nov 7-Sun Nov 9
A family-friendly promenade performance set in The Voice Facility (aka Summerhall’s basement), where the disembodied voices of young girls tell a haunting story.
Music & Nightlife
The Wedding Present, Liquid Room, Tue Nov 11
The stalwart indie rock survivors, led by sole founding member Dave Gedge, return to the live circuit to play through their divisive ‘lost’ album, ‘Watusi’.
Catfish and the Bottlemen, The Caves, Wed Nov 12
Welsh indie-rock foursome following a summer of heavy festival rotation with a UK tour in support of debut album ‘The Balcony’.
Hebrides Ensemble: Dead Elvis, Assembly Rooms, Wed Nov 12
The much-touted chamber ensemble give a rare airing to Artistic Director Michael Daugherty’s tribute to The King, complete with a Vegas jumpsuited bassoonist.
MssingNo at Witness, Sneaky Pete’s, Wed Nov 12
Tripped out R&B/trap/grime artiste from London, bringing a rare live set to bass-heavy night Witness.
Jonnie Common, Pilrig St Paul’s Church, Fri Nov 14
Probably Scotland’s wittiest folktronica wunderkind, the boy Common heads to a BYOB church hall on Leith Walk to launch his second album, ‘Trapped in Amber’.
Lorca and House of Traps at In Deep, Sneaky Pete’s, Fri Nov 14
Brightonian producer of 2-step and future funk Sam Cassman, aka Lorca, is joined by Edinburgh’s own disco specialist Lindsay Todd aka House of Traps (Firecracker Recordings).
Nightvision presents Bondax, La Belle Angele, Fri Nov 14
So young that one of them isn’t even out of his teens, Bondax duo George Townsend and Adam Kaye make Disclosure look like old-stagers. This ‘Bondax and friends’ night will also feature Manchester producer TCTS, an early signee to Bondax’s Just Us label.
Speech Development Records Tour, Sneaky Pete’s, Sat Nov 15
Scroobius Pip shows off his label’s alt.hip hop roster, with B Dolan and Warrenpeace delivering full band performances alongside some spoken word bits and DJ sets from the Pipster himself.
Eton Messy, Liquid Room, Sat Nov 15
The Brighton-based label/DJ outfit are joined by Sydney-born deep house exponent Isaac Tichauer, young Leicester duo Just Kiddin’ and Adam Englefield of Eton Messy’s own project Blonde.
BBC SSO: Beethoven’s Ninth, Usher Hall, Sun Nov 16
Conductor Donald Runnicles celebrates his 60th birthday with a run-through of one of Beethoven’s best loved works, incorporating the magnificent ‘Ode to Joy’.
Jon Gomm, The Caves, Sun Nov 16
The virtuoso percussive guitarist visits Edinburgh’s Caves as part of his tour of intimate UK venues. Go for the technical proficiency, stay for the songcraft.
Peja, The Jam House, Sun Nov 16
Need more Polish hip hop in your life? The frontman of long-running Polish rap posse Slums Attack is making a solo sojourn to these shores, supported by countryman Gandzior – catch 'em while you can.
Film
The Imitation Game, Fri Nov 14
Biopic depicting an episode in the life of computing godfather and WWII Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing. Benedict Cumberbatch takes on the complicated lead role, unafraid to play the mathematician as awkward and almost comically stand-offish.
Interstellar
Still in cinemas following its release last week, Christopher Nolan’s 'Interstellar' remains a standout achievement for a director whose career is littered with them. You owe it to yourself to see in the best possible format – that’s either gonna be IMAX (at Cineworld Fountainbridge) or Nolan’s beloved 35mm (the Cameo is in possession of one of the UK's few 35mm prints).
Nightcrawler
Also from last week, but most definitely still worth seeing, is this black-as-night satire on the 24 hour news media, with Jake Gyllenhaal conjuring up cinema's most magnetic sociopath since 'American Psycho's Patrick Bateman.