October 23, 2024
We are taking over a vast industrial site for our 2025 festival, celebrating the new venue with a special launch event this November for two nights of live music, visual art and performances.
Friday 22 November sees experimental electronica from Exterior, the heartfelt alt-pop of Paige Kennedy, post-punk edginess from Trout and the ever-evolving avant-electropop of Jane Weaver.
Saturday 23 November welcomes Black feminist punk band Big Joanie co-headlining with alt rock trio HotWax, with support from doom-punk quartet Witch Fever and Edinburgh duo Sarah/Shaun.
Alongside the live music, audiences can explore some of the huge factory spaces featuring the work of over 20 artists. A diverse range of media and artforms will be presented, including sculpture, dance, performance, installation, painting, printmaking and large-scale works.
Visitors to The Paper Factory are set to enjoy an utterly unique gig experience; a vast industrial space once echoing with the sound of heavy machinery, now reborn with live music, lights and projections.
Singer songwriter Jane Weaver returns to Hidden Door having performed at King Stables Road in 2016. Abusing, evading, and obliterating 20 years of whimsical pop trends, her reputation as a truly independent and resilient experimenter commands respect and inspiration in equal measures.
Big Joanie combines the fury of nineties riot grrrl with synth-heavy post punk. Their second album Back Home was released in November 2022 and ranked in Rolling Stone’s top albums of the year list, receiving critical acclaim in the Guardian, Wire Magazine and The Quietus.
Rock trio HotWax return to Edinburgh having graced the stage at Psych Fest in September. It’s been a meteoric rise for the young powerhouse, with their raw brand of post-punk, grunge and alternative rock both unique and familiar. Their debut album Hot Shock lands in 2025, with first single “She’s Got A Problem” released this week, a driving grunge-rock anthem that has become a live favourite during their packed summer tour.
Paige Kennedy brings their unique brand of banging alt-pop and heartfelt storytelling to Hidden Door. Listeners will be captivated by their danceable basslines, quirky lyrics and hook-laden songwriting challenging notions of acceptance, self-possession and gender expectations.
Witch Fever are rising stars in the alternative rock scene, known for their ferocious energy and distinctive sound. Their infectious melodies have earned them a dedicated following and critical acclaim. Expect powerful riffs, haunting melodies, and thought-provoking lyrics tackling themes of empowerment, identity, and social justice.
Edinburgh-based, husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun released their debut EP It’s True What They Say via Hobbes Music in April. They narrate stories exploring themes of love, hope, family, friends, dreams and sadness – the good that comes with the bad in everyday life.
Modern alternative meets 90s grunge, Trout‘s influences include the poetic songwriting genius of Adrianne Lenker, the layered vocals of Warpaint, and Sorry’s seamless blend of post-punk with idiosyncratic electronic motifs.
Promising “synthesised music with a human touch”, Exterior (AKA Doug Macdonald) returns to Hidden Door to present a live performance of HOLOCENE, a stunning body of work emerging from three years of studio and live experimentation. Expect seamless reimagining of electronica which collapses the purported distinctions between dance and rock.
The live music will be interspersed with stunning performances and light shows adding to the packed agenda both nights.
Award-winning choreographer Tess Letham will present an immersive dance and visual experience; an intricately choreographed duet with dance performers Bethany Edwards and Maya Bodiley, combined with multidisciplinary visual design in an atmospheric fusion of lighting, lasers and projection from Sam Jones. The piece will be set to a track by Midi Paul, the alter ego of Edinburgh bassist/producer Phil McBride, fusing clipped beats, tense analog synths and folk-like melodies which build and drop to create a haunting soundscape.
Lighting designers Tom Sulat and Dave Kitschker will present a collaborative interactive work giving audiences a taste of some of the yet-unexplored areas of the Paper Factory. Sections of the factory will be lit up from a distance, offering a tantalising glimpse of the huge space. The work will incorporate music from the Sativa Drummers, a name many will recognise from their origins at the legendary Edinburgh techno club SATIVA. In collaboration with Tom and Dave, their work aims to reanimate the abandoned, dusty machinery by giving it its heartbeat back.
Hidden Door has invited over 20 artists to present work, with audiences set to discover an intriguing mix of sculpture, dance, performance, installation, painting, printmaking and large-scale works.
Inspired by Hidden Door’s 10th anniversary theme of Past, Present, Future, curator Jill Boualaxai has invited both new and returning artists, selecting works specifically for The Paper Factory. “We’re exploring time, history, and archaeology,” says Jill, “and the idea of nature creeping back into that industrial space.”
The cavernous venue provides an exciting opportunity for artists to literally work on an industrial scale. Jo Fleming Smith will evolve her work Flood from 2023 into a large-scale installation; Beth Shapeero and Fraser Taylor’s collaborative textile banners, first shown during Hidden Door 2021 in Granton, will also be making a comeback. James Epps’ sculptural installations, including cardboard and paper, create a material connection to the industrial history of the site.
Jill has also followed the thread of “imagined or alternate realities” that emerged through the programme’s contrast of history and reclamation. The works of artists such as Aimee Finlay and Christian Sloan recontextualise spiritual practices through ritualistic sculptures and futuristic visions.
Marly Merle’s wearable sculptures transport viewers into fantastical worlds, reimagining societal norms. Justine Watt transforms discarded domestic objects into intimate sculptures, examining the intersection of craftsmanship and sustainability.
Bringing together emerging and established artists, the Paper Factory will allow the artists to use the space to amplify their visions, offering viewers an immersive experience that blurs boundaries and invites them into histories both real and imagined.
The artists invited to present site-specific work include Aimee Finlay, Jo Fleming Smith, Beth Shapeero & Fraser Taylor, Sian Landau, James Epps, Marly Merle, Justine Watt, Rachel Bride Ashton, Christian Sloan, Martin Elden & Morwenna Kearsley plus Projector Club and Ross Blair / Trenchone.
More details of the artists and their work will be revealed soon.
The event will also play host to an art sale where visitors will have an opportunity to take home unique pieces.
Playlist
Check out this handy playlist for a taste of what we have in store…