Kevin Buckle: Oi, Leith! Stopping hogging all the headlines

Barely a day goes by that Leith isn't in the news whether it be good news over Leith Theatre or bad news with the proposed closure of Leith Depot or the cancellation of the pop-up arts festival LeithLate.

Leith Theatre was packed for a Hidden Doors show last year

In particular what have seemed like almost daily announcements about Leith Theatre, the latest being the Edinburgh International Festival plans, have left other areas of Edinburgh wondering if they have been forgotten.

Leith Theatre is only a piece of the jigsaw when it comes to improving what Edinburgh has to offer gig-wise though for reasons that aren’t often stated it is a vital piece.

What is important about the gigs that hopefully will take place once the theatre is fully functional is that they will involve bands that people actually want to see. Arguments that Edinburgh has a thriving underground scene may be true but what is needed is something a little more popular.

Of course these are two ends of the scale and there is much need to improve the middle ground too. Certainly the return of Leith Theatre as a venue will be a great boost to Edinburgh but it mustn’t be the only focus both in terms of size of venue and location.