On Friday, I went to a regular spoken-word event called Blether, run by Elfie Picket Theatre. The event has been running for at least the last two years, but that was the first time I’ve been able to attend, and I had a top time.
As the title of the event might suggest, the selling point is the front-and-centre use of the Scots language by the hosts and the two main acts: one at the start of the event and the other to round it off at the end. In between, there are three-minute slots open to the audience, but these don’t necessarily need to use Scots. I didn’t join in because I hadn’t prepared a piece.
Even if I had, it almost certainly would have been in standard English. I explored my connection with Scots on this blog nearly nine years ago, and it still stands today. Essentially, I can understand almost every word of the language, but I would need to make a conscious effort to construct my own sentences. It’s also easier to decipher when spoken rather than written, as there’s sometimes more than one accepted way to transcribe a given word, usually depending on your dialact.
Around ten years ago, I occasionally went to another local Scots language night, structured as a story circle rather than a staged event.
I didn’t enjoy that quite as much. While they were never outwardly hostile, they appeared to favour hearing from their regulars than inviting newer voices into them. As I didn’t feel especially at home as a listener, I eventually stopped going.
This group still seems to be around, so perhaps now is the time to try them again. People change, as do mindsets, and it’s entirely possible my own ear has broadened since our last encounter.
However, one problem facing groups of all types in Dundee is the closure of a significant venue.
The Keiller Centre opened a shopping centre in 1979, but as the shops gradually closed or moved elsewhere during the 1990s, it more recently became a home for artists and spoken-word events. At the end of 2025, the building closed permanently, with a plan to build student accommodation on the site.
As such, a number of groups like Blether have been temporarily using the Central Library, which boasts a private theatre with cinema facilities. It’s a spacious place, and I don’t expect it’s expensive to book, but the trade-off is that events must stop before the place closes at 8pm.
Gavin Cameron 