We expect a fair proportion of you will be dragging your reluctant carcasses back into work this week, but apparently the majority of DJs and musicians are still lazing about for a while yet (well, except the handsome Stuart Braithwaite, pictured above). There'll be more gigs and club nights in the near future, of course – for now, why not catch up with those art exhibitions you've been meaning to check out? Not only are they stimulating and enlightening, they're free as well.
Irn Bru Carnival, SECC, until Sun Jan 11
After all the saccharine sweetness of Christmas ice rinks and festive illuminations, its good to refocus on the good, honest, thrill-seeking nature of rollercoasters, waltzers and the like. There are around 30 rides packed into the SECC as part of the Irn Bru Carnival, but be warned, they’re only here til Sunday.
Margaret Watkins: Glasgow in 1930s II, The Hidden Lane Gallery, until Thu Feb 6
Canadian-born photographer Watkins is the subject of this exhibition documenting the time she spent living in Glasgow, drawn from an archive of some 700 images. An invaluable look at what the city was like 80 years ago, and how it’s changed since.
Art From Elsewhere, Gallery of Modern Art, until Sun Feb 1
Glasgow is the starting point for this UK-wide touring exhibition, which brings together international artworks from all disciplines in an effort to enhance the country’s contemporary collections. Basically, a smorgasbord of international artistic delights.
Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker, Theatre Royal, Wed Jan 7-Sat Jan 10
Wring the last drops of festivity from the winter season with Peter Darrell’s 'The Nutcracker', one of the biggest guns in the Scottish Ballet armoury. This new production features sets from Olivier Award-winning designer Lez Brotherston, as young Clara dreams her way through adventures with the Nutcracker Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Alasdair Gray, various Glasgow galleries, until Tue May 25
The artist, writer and official National Treasure is the subject of no less than three exhibitions at the moment, in honour of his 80th birthday last month. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum hosts lifespan retrospective ‘From the Personal to the Universal’ until February, while the Gallery of Modern Art and Glasgow School of Art are hosting ‘Spheres of Influence I’ and ‘II’ respectively, providing context by looking at Gray’s influences and those who have been influenced by him.
Dylan Moran at Gilded Balloon at Drygate, Fri Jan 9
The morose Irish comic is squeezing in a final few ‘work in progress’ shows before his epic ‘Off the Hook’ tour. We reckon this means the new material is pretty much finished, and you can enjoy a couple of sneak previews of it at the Drygate this Friday.
Manuel Chavajay & Rebecca Wilcox: This Might Be a Place for Hummingbirds, CCA, until Sun Jan 18
Two seemingly unrelated artists’ works are brought into direct comparison at this CCA: Guatemalan painter and sculptor Chavajay and Glasgow-based video artist Wilcox.
Musik / Reise, Platform, Sat Jan 10
A collaboration between members of Mogwai, The Phantom Band and German komische legends Faust? This one-off live gig at Platform is undoubtedly our most exciting event of the week.
Nathan Coley: The Lamp of Sacrifice, Gallery of Modern Art, until Sun Mar 1
Coley’s 2004 installation – which involved the creation of 286 churches and places of worship in Edinburgh – is revived in Glasgow’s GoMA as part of the Generation project, celebrating the last 25 years of contemporary Scottish art.
Tenx9, The Glad Café, Sat Jan 10
The worldwide spoken word night (which has previously taken place in Chicago, Cork and Rijjsen) visits Glasgow for the first time, inviting nine people to tell a tale based on their own experiences, as long as they keep it under ten minutes. The theme for the Glasgow debut is, fittingly, ‘Beginnings’.