This is a moving read from Paul English about a tough period in recent Scottish history that should be better remembered @heraldscotland.bsky.social @ntsonline.bsky.social @paulenglishwords.bsky.social

Review: Jesus Christ Kinski, the latest novel from Benjamin Myers, is a unique work of art. There’s quite simply nothing like it. It doesn’t even ask readers to like it; rather it suspects readers will hate it. @neilmackay.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social @benjaminmyers76.bsky.social

Review: This novel finds a rich seam of dark, quirky humour in the rolling hills of the posh bit of Perthshire @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Review: Not so long ago Olivia Dean was playing to 300 people in King Tut’s in Glasgow. On Wednesday she opened her 2026 Art of Loving arena tour at a packed OVO Hydro in front of some 14,000 people. @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

“Glasgow has always punched above its weight when it comes to art, culture, and music. But with street art, that world we are involved in, there is nothing like us in Scotland right now.” @marissamacwhirter.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

The most egregious comment references Robert the Bruce, describing him as a “Scottish independence party leader”. I was surprised to learn that Bruce had established an early iteration of the SNP @neilmackay.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Theatre review: As Ralf Little’s pugnacious Leamas sets out the story’s historical context in the John le Carre classic, he is revealed as the ultimate burnt out cannon fodder this side of Harry Palmer @heraldscotland.bsky.social @neilcooper.bsky.social

He was bristling, abrasive, and dogmatic - but I'll miss his voice on the wireless, says @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

The inaugural Scottish Podcast Awards, which will he held at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow on June 25. Ahead of next month’s shortlist announcement, here are five podcasts to keep an eye on. Ear on. Whatever. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @holyroodsources.bsky.social @somelaugh.bsky.social

Another month of live music in Scotland full of great nights out and the month begins with probably the most adventurous sonic weekend of the year as the BBC SSO team up with a range of artists, composers and musicians from around the globe @heraldscotland.bsky.social @teddyjamieson.bsky.social

The story behind Mull Historical Society's debut album - and the true original who created it @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Is it me getting older, or are restaurant soundtracks really getting worse, asks Herald food writer Sarah Campbell. On loud dinners, lazy playlists and the death of conversation. @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Balamory review: From now on, unless they binge it on iPlayer, nippers, students, child-minding grandparents and shift workers alike will have a 5pm appointment to view the show that charmed generations @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Review: It’s mind-boggling stuff, but a fascinating and eye-opening journey through the history of art and the technologies which have shaped its development and allowed its advance. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @lachlangoudie.bsky.social @thamesandhudson.bsky.social

Scotland’s artist basic income sounds good on paper. But without fixing Universal Credit clashes, Creative Scotland’s paperwork and council‑owned landlords hiking rents, it won’t save the sector. ✍️My column for @heraldscotland.bsky.social : www.heraldscotland.com/politics/hol...

“Of course in the old days Bluesky was only on for three hours a day. We used to get dressed up in our Sunday best to log on to it. Then when it shut down again we’d all stand up and sing the national anthem”

Review: Unfortunately, his fondness for drink and poor judgement in sexual partners soon has him on a gallows awaiting execution. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @hodderscape.bsky.social

Review: Bez stalks the stage with his maracas, does his Bez dance, steals the mic off Shaun Ryder and generally steals the focus all evening. @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Scotland and humour go together like chips and curry sauce so here are five stand-ups who certainly aren’t short of the second of those. @heraldscotland.bsky.social

I’ve only once walked out of a gig. Even if a band is a bit duff or not on form, I’ll stick around. Kanye West, however, made me turn on my heel and hit the exit, says @neilmackay.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Creative Scotland rewards bureaucracy rather than artistic merit. An independent review found the funding application process to be “overly complex, time-consuming, and inaccessible - particularly for smaller organisations and individuals”. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @marissamacwhirter.bsky.social

Review: And even on tonight’s take on Tori Amos’s self-flagellating 1992 hit Crucify there’s a bounce and a lightness to the performance that is the opposite of wallowing. @heraldscotland.bsky.social

'Lanyard class', 'luxury beliefs' and the death of political language Politicians are now incapable of speaking without the cliched, impenetrable and divisive jargon of the culture war It diminishes democracy. Weird online dog whistles have replaced ideas and policy In @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Review: David Keenan consistently blurs the roles of voyeur, guardian and storyteller in a complex, multi-threaded structure that, while centred on 1980s Glasgow, flits freely between numerous locations in time and space. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @whiterabbitbks.bsky.social

He was a hate figure for punks back in the day @heraldscotland.bsky.social @teddyjamieson.bsky.social

Today the indie spirit is alive and kicking with indie labels (and their offshoots the micro-label) popping up everywhere there’s a music fan with good ears, a laptop and a knack for promotion. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @lnfg.bsky.social @rockactionrecords.scot @nightschoolrecords.bsky.social

Review: The reign of James VI and his famous obsession with witches and demons meant it was a hazardous time for herbalists, wise women and midwives, which puts Orcadian Elspet Balfour in a very dicey position @bwpublishing.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

'What makes Douglas Gordon By Douglas Gordon fascinating is how Gordon puts himself so centrally in the work as if to almost become a work of art. We see him create, we see him cry, we see him bare-chested, bathed in the pinkish lights of his studio.' @heraldscotland.bsky.social

This play speaks volumes about the state we’re still in, says @neilcooper.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

A massive gable end overlooking the Barrowland Ballroom has been transformed into a painting advertising James McAvoy’s new film, California Dreamin’. But it's an advert - not art. Is this acceptable, asks @marissamacwhirter.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Take Me Out was described as "essentially two songs spot-welded together like one of those Robin Reliant/BMW conjunctions that Watchdog always gets so annoyed about”, remarked the NME. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @franzferdinandhq.bsky.social

Check out our latest subscription offer - it's a decent deal. See shorturl.at/SgKh3 @heraldscotland.bsky.social @susanswarbrick.bsky.social

Rolling Stone magazine said: “Whatever the hell The Delgados are singing about, gems like Accused of Stealing, No Danger and The Past That Suits You Best are majestic enough to flutter right up your kilt”. Cliche, much Rolling Stone? @heraldscotland.bsky.social @the-delgados.bsky.social

Review: This a rousing yarn that puts Flora MacDonald back on the frontline of history, says Herald theatre critic @neilcooper.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

My problem with Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, Channel 5’s retelling of the BBC presenter’s fall from grace after grooming a teenage boy, is that it asks us to suspend our disbelief while purporting to deliver a true story, says @derekmcarthur.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

10 exhibitions to see across Scotland: Works on show include the text sculpture ‘VULVA VOLVO (1930–2021)’ - made from a melted-down Tornado warplane. @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Review: 'This was a blokey rehash of the story of Factory Records, Manchester musical exceptionalism and drugs and gangs and rock ’n’ roll,' says a less-than-mad-for-it @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Review: This Hydro gig is a gleeful, all-encompassing mash-up of pop, hip-hop, punk and world music. @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Review: The novel, touching on a theological dispute over who does and doesn’t deserve to be buried on consecrated ground, raises thought-provoking questions about sin, suicide and social conditions in inter-war Britain @allangaw.bsky.social @polygon.com

Twilight Sad review: Robert Smith guests on three tracks, adding guitar to Waiting For The Phone Call and guitar and keys to Dead Flowers, as well as six-string bass on Back To Fourteen @rockactionrecords.scot @heraldscotland.bsky.social @curefans.bsky.social @thecure.com @curefandoc.bsky.social

Comedy Festival review: Sue Perkins of Mel & Sue fame/notoriety has been in our living rooms for 30 years – “like black mould”, she jokes. So how's her stand up? @heraldscotland.bsky.social

There was a quiet melancholy to the festival closing on Sunday evening, after the screening of Eichberg’s Song and the finale, King Vidor’s The Crowd. Both incorporate emotionally stunted men, and stoic, loyal women. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @moviessilently.bsky.social

Mhairi Black review: Democracy’s loss is entertainment’s gain, and a packed house at the gloriously refurbished Citizens’ Theatre laps up her easy-going schtick. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @mhairiblack.bsky.social

Mogwai at Glastonbury: Three of the band dropped some Es halfway through the set. “It wasn’t the wisest move in retrospect”, Braithwaite noted drily “but I suppose we were being professional by not taking them before the gig”. @mogwai.scot @brainsweeties.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Every generation opens a new chapter in the rich old tale of Scottish publishing, with companies now covering the length and breadth of the country. Here's 5 of the best @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Review: Alex James' Britpop Classical: Yes, it really was as bad as it sounds, says @teddyjamieson.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Neither MAGA or Antifa, Brexiteer or Eco-Warrior would admit it, but all share a distinctly punk approach to the world. All are anti-establishment. @neilmackay.bsky.social on Punk at 50 @heraldscotland.bsky.social @scotspostpunk.bsky.social

Review: The Delusions is funny, ribald and stuffed with satirical sideswipes at everything from social media and celebrity culture to corporate greed, billionaires, politicians, and HR departments. Especially HR departments. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @brianjaffa.bsky.social

Scotland’s largest city used to feel electric at night. Queues for club nights would wrap around the block, and a taxi cost less than two hours' wages. Let's get that back, says @marissamacwhirter.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Review: When an attempt to put the frighteners on a dodgy landlord accidentally results in his death, Jemma starts to consider whether killing off a few more might not make the world a better place. @heraldscotland.bsky.social @samanthadooeymiles.bsky.social