David Pollock

Edinburgh

Freelance Arts, Culture and Feature Writer at Freelance

Freelance arts, culture and feature writer. Music, comics, theatre, art, film. Stories.

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Articles

Hidden Door Festival, Edinburgh review: 'a welcome return'

1 week ago | scotsman.com | David Pollock

Hidden Door, The Paper Factory, Edinburgh ★★★★★“We played here in November and it was minus twelve degrees and we couldn't feel our fingers, but it was already pretty good,” said Glasgow art-punks Brenda on Saturday night, as the trio – a flurry of sharp melodies and hot sarcasm in boiler suits and red PVC – delivered one of the many highlight sets of a weekend marking the welcome return of Edinburgh’s Hidden Door festival.
The Reeling, Glasgow review: 'don't underestimate the vibrancy of the trad scene'

2 weeks ago | scotsman.com | David Pollock

Occupying a middle ground somewhere between the Killers and Big Country, Tide Lines are representative of a new spirit in traditional music, writes David PollockThe Reeling, Rouken Glen Park, Glasgow ★★★★“You've even patched Kylie Minogue to see us,” laughed Tide Lines singer Robert Robertson, in thanks to the large crowd turning out for his band’s Friday night headline set at Glasgow’s third annual Reeling festival.
presence, prowess and ingenuity

3 weeks ago | thestage.co.uk | David Pollock

Meyyappan takes the title role and his daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia are played by Nicole Cooper, Amy Kennedy and Draya Maria, respectively. He appears in militaristic fatigues, while the trio move around him in delicately-toned silk dresses, their feminine influence contrasting with his machismo and occasional flurries of violence. All four move with balletic grace.
striking performances

3 weeks ago | thestage.co.uk | David Pollock

“Hall’s dialogue sings”ReviewsRoyal Lyceum Theatre, EdinburghCaleb Roberts and Shannon Hayes in The Mountaintop at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Photo:Mihaela BodlovicStylised revival of Katori Hall’s drama lacks intimacySupport The Stage by registering or subscribingTo continue reading this article you must be logged in. Register or login below to unlock 3 free articles every month. OR Or subscribe from just £7.99 and get unlimited access to thestage.co.uk. Remember Login
Meme Girls review

3 weeks ago | thestage.co.uk | David Pollock

“Simple, affectionate, affecting story”ReviewsÒran Mór, GlasgowJulia Murray and Yana Harris in Meme Girls at Òran Mór, Glasgow. Photo: Tommy Ga-Ken WanAndy McGregor writes and directs a fast, funny play about teen friendship and dreams of success, produced by A Play, a Pie and a PintSupport The Stage by registering or subscribingTo continue reading this article you must be logged in. Register or login below to unlock 3 free articles every month.
What does the next generation of musicals look like?

3 weeks ago | thestage.co.uk | David Pollock

Seiriol Davies’ EXOTIC! – A Queer Wrestling Fantasia. Photo: Tyrone LewisAfter attending the BEAM2025 showcase of new musicals, Giverny Masso shares her insights on the future of the art form
Robbie Williams, Edinburgh review: 'relentlessly likeable'

3 weeks ago | scotsman.com | David Pollock

Robie Williams, Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh ★★★★"Are my best days behind me?" asked Robbie Williams from the stage. "Am I still just the fat dancer from Take That?" It's been eight years since he last played this stadium, and although the several thousand people here clearly needed little reminding of a formative teenage crush and one of the most relentlessly good-at-his-job British pop stars of recent decades, at times it seemed like he was getting back into character.
Goodbye Dreamland Bowlarama review

1 month ago | thestage.co.uk | David Pollock

“Nice sense of the garishly madcap”ReviewsÒran Mór, GlasgowEwan Somers and Taylor Dyson in Goodbye Dreamland Bowlarama at Òran Mór, Glasgow. Photo: Tommy Ga Ken WanQuirky coming-of-age dramaSupport The Stage by registering or subscribingTo continue reading this article you must be logged in. Register or login below to unlock 3 free articles every month. OR Or subscribe from just £7.99 and get unlimited access to thestage.co.uk. Remember Login
Supergrass, Glasgow review: 'still big kids at heart'

1 month ago | scotsman.com | David Pollock

Supergrass, Barowland, Glasgow ★★★★Anyone who’s alarmed and disorientated to hear that Supergrass’s debut album I Should Coco – possibly the Britpop era’s purest expression of youthful abandon – is now 30 years old can take comfort in the band themselves, freshly reunited to tour the record in full.
LIFE review at the Studio at Festival Theatre: Graceful

1 month ago | thestage.co.uk | David Pollock

“Entrancing and contemplative”ReviewsThe Studio at Festival Theatre, EdinburghMaria MacDonell and Leo MacNeill in LIFE at the Studio at Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. Photo: Roddy SimpsonMaria MacDonell writes and stars in a graceful, interactive two-hander set in a life drawing class at the Studio at Festival Theatre in EdinburghSupport The Stage by registering or subscribingTo continue reading this article you must be logged in. Register or login below to unlock 3 free articles every month.