Book yourself a day of fun at Birnam festival
Drever who was BBC Radio 2 folk singer of the year 2017, is widely admired as a solo artist, collaborator, and member of Lau.
There is the multi-instrumentalist, John McCusker, one of Scotland’s most versatile musicians, who has worked with artists like Mark Knopfler, Paul Weller and Patti Smith, Teenage Fanclub and Billy Connolly.
Ian Carr, who is known for his original and eclectic approach to traditional guitar is part of Phil’s Christmas gang, as is Kevin McGuire, a highly sought after double bassist who will perform as well.
Phil said:“It’s been fantastic to see the Christmas Songbook grow over the last 13 years and become a much-loved part of people’s festivities and I can’t wait to bring it back to Perth again this December.
“We know all too well how to get an audience tapping their feet and up dancing. We look forward to making it a memorable night for everyone.”
Catch Phil Cunningham’s Christmas Songbook at Perth Concert Hall, Perth on Friday, December 20. Tickets from www. horsecross.co.uk
Bookworms will be out in force for a special day of events this week.
To mark the first anniversary of the inauguration of the Birnam Book Festival, a day of special events is being held at Birnam Arts on Saturday, November 23.
Guests including Karine Polwart, illustrator Kate Leiper, Professor Tom Mole and bestselling author Fiona Valpey will all be taking to the Perthshire stage for the day-long festival.
A spokesperson for the celebration said: “The Birnam Book Festival was created by the bookish folks at Birnam Arts and The Birnam Reader Bookshop to showcase literature from Scotland and beyond in our beautiful corner of Perthshire, nestled between the hills and the great River Tay.
“The area already features strongly in literary history, inspiring writers from William Shakespeare and John Ruskin to Beatrix Potter, and the unique environment continues to attract a multitude of contemporary authors, poets, musicians and songwriters.
“Our festival is an inclusive event for all ages, where the audience can participate in workshops, lively discussions with authors or just sit back and listen to inspiring speakers or enjoy great music with a literary theme.
“The very first Birnam Book Festival, held last November, proved a sparkling success.
“Top names appearing included Jenny Colgan, Dean Burnett, Stuart Cosgrove, Darren McGarvey and international folk music legend Peggy Seeger.
“The next full festival weekend will take place here at Birnam Arts from Friday, May 22 to Sunday, May 24, 2020, but to mark the first anniversary of its inauguration, the festival is hosting a very special day of events including readings, interviews and workshops for readers of all ages on November 23.”
Singer-songwriter Karine Polwart will be taking to the stage at 7.30pm for ‘words and music’, an event curated specially for the Birnam Book Festival.
Karine, who as well as being a musician is a spokenword performer, theatre-maker and published essayist, will host a one-off solo evening of songs with literary connections and conversation storytelling. Tickets for her show cost £18. She will also be on stage earlier in the day alongside illustrator Kate Leiper.
The pair teamed up to write a children’s picture book called ‘A Wee Bird Was Watching,’ and through music and drawing, little ones can discover an enchanted woodland of delights in a tale of resilience, kindness and courage. The pair are on stage from 11am and tickets cost £5. Bestselling author of ‘Secret Life of Books’ Tom Mole will talk about his works and how books have the power to change lives from 4pm.
A spokesperson for the event said: “Tom’s witty and knowledgeable work explores how books transform us as individuals, how books - and readers - have evolved over time, and why, even with the arrival of other media, books still have the power to change our lives.
“He’s looked at everything from binding innovations to binding errors, to books defaced by lovers, to those imprisoning professors in their offices, to books in art, to burned books, to the books that create nations, and to those we’ll leave behind.
“It will be followed by a panel discussion with Tom, and a trio of highly successful locally based authors who just happen to be the patrons of our book festival - Fiona Valpey, Magnus Linklater and Jamie Jauncey.” Tickets for Tom Mole cost £10. All of the tickets can be bought in advance from www.birnambookfestival.co.uk