Hungry Beat: The Scottish Independent Pop Underground Movement (1977-1984)
On:13th September 2022, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Join us on Tuesday 13th September for a celebration of Hungry Beat:The Scottish Independent Pop Underground Movement (1977-1984), a brand new definitive oral history of Scottish post-punk. Authors Douglas MacIntyre and Grant McPhee will be in conversation with journalist Neil Cooper.
We are planning for this event to take place in the bookshop with an in-person audience, as well as a livestream for attendees watching from home.
In-person vouchers can be redeemed on the night of the event against anything in the bookshop – we will have a list of attendees with vouchers to be redeemed. Livestream vouchers are valid until the day after the event and can be redeemed on the website against the price of Hungry Beat.
About Hungry Beat: The Scottish Independent Pop Underground Movement (1977-1984):
The immense cultural contribution made by two maverick Scottish independent music labels, Fast Product and Postcard, cannot be underestimated. Bob Last and Hilary Morrison in Edinburgh, followed by Alan Horne and Edwyn Collins in Glasgow, helped to create a confidence in being Scottish that hitherto had not existed in pop music (or the arts in general in Scotland). Their fierce independent spirit stamped a mark of quality and intelligence on everything they achieved, as did their role in the emergence of regional independent labels and cultural agitators, such as Rough Trade, Factory and Zoo.
Hungry Beat is a definitive oral history of these labels and the Scottish post-punk period. Covering the period 1977-1984, the book begins with the Subway Sect and the Slits performance on the White Riot tour in Edinburgh and takes us through to Bob Last shepherding the Human League from experimental electronic artists on Fast Product to their triumphant number one single in the UK and USA, Don't You Want Me.
Largely built on interviews for Grant McPhee's Big Gold Dream film with Last, Hilary Morrison, Paul Morley and members of The Human League, Scars, The Mekons, Fire Engines, Josef K, Aztec Camera, The Go-Betweens and The Bluebells, Hungry Beat offers a comprehensive overview of one of the most important periods of Scottish cultural output and the two labels that changed the landscape of British music.
Douglas MacIntyre was a key part of the Scottish post-punk scene and since 1994 has operated the Creeping Bent Organisation, the Scottish independent label viewed as a successor to Fast Product and Postcard.
Grant McPhee is director of the film, Big Gold Dream, interviews for which have been revisited as a contribution to the book.
Neil Cooper is an arts journalist and has chronicled Scottish post-punk manoeuvres.
Please note: Tickets for our events are non-refundable. Professional photography and videography may take place during this event. Thank you for your understanding.
The venue
The Portobello Bookshop
46 Portobello High Street
Edinburgh
EH15 1DA
Telephone: 0131 629 6756
Website: www.theportobellobookshop.com
Wheelchair Access
We have a ramp at the front of the shop which has a ratio of 1:10 and loading capacity of 300kg, and so should be able to be used by most wheelchair users or those with mobility vehicles. The front doors are fully automated. Our shop interior is designed to allow access throughout for wheelchair users and prams, though please note there is only 700mm wide clearance to access the staff toilet.
Sound
We use a PA system to enhance the audio at our live events. We also have a hearing loop system installed, if you’d like to use our loop system during an event please let us know and we’ll make sure we have it set up and connected to the live audio feed during the event. If you wish to attend an event and require BSL interpretation, please give us a few weeks notice and we’ll do our best to arrange an interpreter.