Neil Cooper

New on The Noise of Art… The Noise of Art Annual 2025 - That was the Year that Was open.substack.com/pub/neilcooper… From DJ Kulu to Creeping Bent, with Band of Holy Joy, The Sexual Objects, Irvine Welsh, The Kinks, Cabaret Voltaire and more between. This is where I came in.

Adelaide Festival may be over, but Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art runs until June 6. Curator Ellie Buttrose and artists Robert Andrew and Emmaline Zanelli talk here about their contributions in the context of the Biennial’s theme of Yield Strength.

My @heraldscotland @heraldmagazine review of SCOTS, Scott Gilmour & Claire McKenzie’s comic musical history of the nation heraldscotland.com/life_style/259… Pavilion Glasgow until March 21; Eden Court Inverness March 31-April 1; His Majesty’s Aberdeen April 3-4 rawmaterialarts.com/scots

New on The Noise of Art… Shop Local! #134 open.substack.com/pub/neilcooper… Leith Depot: People’s Leisure Club: Paradise Palms: Upright Gallery: Dundas Street Gallery: Custom Lane: St. Peter’s Church: Filmhouse: House of Smalls: Scottish National Portrait Gallery: Craigmillar Now…etc

My @heraldscotland @heraldmagazine review of Joy, Morna Young’s new lunchtime play starring Naomi Stirrat as an unfortunately named woman who goes in search of a sense of humour. heraldscotland.com/life_style/259… @PlayPiePint at @OranMorGlasgow until March 21. playpiepint.com/whats-on/event…

My @heraldscotland @heraldmagazine about how poet Kenneth White, who left his house in France to the local council on the proviso they use it for writers residencies, has had his legacy overturned heraldscotland.com/life_style/259… Petition against the move here - change.org/p/non-%C3%A0-l…

The ⁦@guardianculture⁩ on a letter sent by 15 Scottish theatre critics re the London based co-producers of One Day at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum in operating a 2-tier system for reviewers & treating Scottish critics & audiences as 2nd class citizens theguardian.com/stage/2026/mar…

My @heraldscotland @heraldmagazine review of A Giant on the Bridge, a folk-pop song cycle about those leaving the prison system heraldscotland.com/news/25938181.… Seen The Studio Edinburgh. Tours Stirling March 18; Birnam March 19; Portree March 21 ktproducing.co.uk/giant

Happy belated birthday to the wonderful Lesley Manville, who first came to prominence in my world as streetwise school reporter Helen Wyatt in A Bunch of Fives. Forget Sniffin’ Glue. This is where school mags went punk. youtu.be/29FLfo0r_no youtu.be/29FLfo0r_no

My @heraldscotland @heraldmagazine review of One Day: The Musical, David Greig’s new stage version of David Nicholls’ smash hit novel that begins and ends in Edinburgh. heraldscotland.com/life_style/259… @lyceumedinburgh until April 19. lyceum.org.uk/events/one-day

My look in the @heraldscotland @heraldmagazine Herald at the 2026 @edintfest Edinburgh International Festival programme, which puts the radical voice of America at its heart. heraldscotland.com/life_style/259…

New on The Noise of Art… Shop Local! #133 open.substack.com/pub/neilcooper… Leith Depot: People’s Leisure Club: Paradise Palms: Upright Gallery: Custom Lane: Filmhouse: House of Smalls: Scottish National Portrait Gallery: Craigmillar Now @ The Bothy: Dovecot: Out of the Blue:

My @heraldscotland @heraldmagazine review of The Trials, Dawn King’s play about what happens when adults are held to account for messing up the environment by a jury of teenagers. heraldscotland.com/life_style/259… Tron Theatre, Glasgow until March 14. tron.co.uk/shows/the-tria…

My ⁦@heraldscotland⁩ @heraldmagazine review of The Swansong, Eve Nicol & Finn Anderson’s lunchtime musical about a woman who goes on a bender with a swan heraldscotland.com/life_style/259… ⁦Oran Mor Glasgow until March 14; Traverse Edinburgh March 17-21; Ayr Gaiety March 26-28

My @heraldscotland @heraldmagazine review of Woman in Mind, Alan Ayckbourn’s devastating 1985 play starting a wonderful Sheridan Smith with Romesh Ranganathan and Louise Brealey. heraldscotland.com/life_style/259… Theatre Royal, Glasgow until March 14. atgtickets.com/shows/woman-in…

My @heraldscotland @heraldmagazine Herald review of The Bacchae, Ewan Downie’s new solo version of Euripides’ Ancient Greek classic. heraldscotland.com/life_style/259… The Studio, Edinburgh until March 10, then tours until May. companyofwolves.org/projects/the-b…

New on The Noise of Art… Alan Ayckbourn - Woman in Mind open.substack.com/pub/neilcooper… From the archive, as Alan Ayckbourn’s play, Woman in Mind, arrives in Glasgow, a 2014 interview when it was done in Dundee Woman in Mind Theatre Royal Glasgow March 10-14 atgtickets.com/shows/woman-in…

My @heraldscotland @heraldmagazine review of Sailmaker, Alan Spence’s long neglected play about fathers, sons, grief & change presented by The @AyrGaiety in association with @thebeaconarts heraldscotland.com/life_style/259… Seen at Beacon. Touring until April 1 thegaiety.co.uk/events/sailmak…

My @heraldscotland @heraldmagazine review of Medea, @bardbotanics revival of Kathy McKean’s devastating version of Euripides’ play, starring a stunning Nicole Cooper in the title role heraldscotland.com/life_style/259… Seen Traverse Edinburgh, touring March-April bardinthebotanics.co.uk/productions/20…

New on The Noise of Art… Dennis Kelly - Writing Matilda open.substack.com/pub/neilcooper… From the archive, Dennis Kelly in 2019 on Matilda the Musical, which returns to @edinplayhouse Edinburgh Playhouse until March 22, with Glasgow dates in November. tour.matildathemusical.com @TheRSC

Another fairytale in the supermarket. Stash of late 90s/early 00s Chapman mags from a golden age of Scot lit mags, 50p each from the wee charity bookshop in Broughton Road Tesco. Methinks someone is clearing out their cupboards. This is history.