Music & Spoken Word review: 404 Ink & Neu! Reekie!: The Big Ten for Christmas, Summerhall, Edinburgh

By The Newsroom
Published 17th Dec 2018, 10:27 BST
Updated 17th Dec 2018, 10:31 BST
Margaret Atwood PIC: AP Photo/Lefteris PitarakisMargaret Atwood PIC: AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis
Margaret Atwood PIC: AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis
The 'tenth birthday party' theme of this night of live music and spoken word was a wee bit disingenuous, given that it actually referred to the sum total of years in existence for host Neu! Reekie! (eight this year) and publisher 404 Ink (only two, but hugely successful for its youth, not least through its 2017 Nasty Women anthology). Both are among the most exciting and challenging arts facilitators in Scotland and both were able to call on genuinely big names for the occasion.

404 Ink & Neu! Reekie!: The Big Ten for Christmas, Summerhall, Edinburgh ****

In 404 Ink’s case, this meant an appearance – albeit only onscreen from her home in Canada – for friend and mentor Margaret Atwood, who read an excerpt from The Handmaid’s Tale and answered some questions. For Neu! Reekie!, it meant a live appearance by former KLF musician, conceptual artist and all-round seer Bill Drummond, who addressed the crowd with a series of his own thoughts without benefit of a microphone.

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