a final act

Well that’s it for another wee while.

We’d like to thank everyone who came along over the weekend to watch see some incredible art, hear some brilliant music, watch some inspiring films and listen to some fantastic poetry.

The whole point of Hidden Door was to try and make something together, as artists, without any kind of big-daddy institutional backing or agenda, that isn't just another gig or show., but something that genuinely brings about something new, something fresh and something genuinely deeply creative, as a collective enterprise. 

the view from stage 1 during the grand finale

The only sad note is that the Roxy Art House has been closed down. It's such a shame that Edinburgh has lost one of the most open-minded and up-for-it venues, without warning, and it's awful for Director Rupert and Manager Morv especially who put their heart and soul into the place.

So it was a privilege to be able to have our Hidden Door as the last event - the swan song for the Roxy Art House if you like. It was a blast and it's been a real pleasure to meet so many inspiring people.

We’ll see you at Hidden Door 3!

Accidental Media

Tucked away amongst the 40 films that we'll be showing at Hidden Door this weekend are a couple of gems from Accidental Media.

The Shutdown was Directed by Adam Stafford and produced by Peter Gerard & Leo Bruges. In this film Alan Bissett recalls the intense experience of growing up next to one of Europe's largest petrochemical plants and the harrowing experience of an explosion that temporarily deformed his father.

Motion/Static was directed by Peter Gerard and produced by Andy Green. Here a childhood dream of travelling funfairs dances with the reality of a family manufacturing thrill-rides and their life on the road.

These films will be shown on Sunday in the Hidden Cinema. 

General Musical Awesomeness

Time to dangle some more musical carrots before your inquisitive little noses (and ears). This time around at Hidden Door we’re delighted to be showcasing some top-notch musical talent from all over Scotland, including the foot-stomping energy of Glasgow-based Washington Irving and the magical soundscapes of Dundee-based Esperi.

And the thing that makes Hidden Door so unique is the emphasis on collaboration. One of the many highlights of Hidden Door 2 is set to be an epic 4-band collaborative set, performed for the first time ever on 4 of our sculpted stages and brought to you by some of Glasgow’s most talked-about acts: Jo Mango, Bear Bones, Open Swimmer, and The Social Services. Nobody knows yet quite what it’s going to sound like but we do have some inside information and we can tell you it’s going to involve at least 14 voices, two drum-kits, a smattering of guitars, one omnichord, two clarinets, one shruti box, two glockenspiels, one autoharp, one accordion, one harmonium, three bass guitars, one set of hand bells, one trumpet, one melodica, one banjo, one kalimba, one ukelele and at least one saxophone. Wowzing. Don’t miss it, good people.

How to build a festival...part 1

Our first day of building Hidden Door at the Roxy Art House...


Hidden Door Festival Preparation - Day1 from Julien Pearly / Pundigrion Films on Vimeo.

Radio Killed the Video Star

The very talented David Martin and Andrew Philip were on BBC Radio Scotland today as part of the Culture Cafe. Have a listen to them here again - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vc381

The lovely Ed Stack will be on Leith FM on Wednesday evening at 10pm talking about his role curating the music at Hidden Door.

Building

Well, we’ve begun the build in the Roxy Art House. A multitude of wondrous items are being assembled for your delectation and delight. We’ve got sails being rigged, grass being laid, towers being built and smoke coming from the weirdest of places.

The Director of Hidden Door, Dave Martin, begins drilling

If you cant wait until Friday to get your Hidden Door fix then tune into the Culture Café on BBC Radio Scotland on Tuesday from 1:45pm to hear Andy Philip and Dave Martin talking about the festival. 

Digital Jones

What? You’ve not heard about our awesome line-up? Just as well we’re giving you sneaky little peeks into the musical world of awesomeness that we’re creating for Hidden Door 2.

First up, we have the lovely Digital Jones who released their debut album C LICK CLACK at the end of July and who played at the our first Hidden Door event in January.  Digital Jones was founded by Philip Mcbride and Nikki Kent who share a mutual affection for all thing P funk, Disco and Electro. Nikki has a truly mesmerising voice and Phil is a master of computer synth funk. Have a listen here.