Mentored by a Madman: The William Burroughs Experiment: Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 9 Queen Street

The writings of William Burroughs are the unlikely starting point in a search for a treatment for Parkinson's disease in this lecture from Professor Andrew Lees.

Sparks: The Queen's Hall, 87-89 Clerk Street

The genre-defying, groundbreaking Mael brothers take their dramatic glam-pop sound on tour.

Having focused on writing and recording the two narrative projects Ron and Russell returned to the studio in 2016 the album Hippopotamus.

The National: Usher Hall, Lothian Road

The five-piece from Cincinnati, Ohio, performs a mix of indie-rock and post-punk revival music.

Front-man Aaron Dessner is also a gifted prolific record producer, who's worked with Lisa Hannigan, Frightened Rabbit and This Is The Kit.

What Shadows: Royal Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Street

Ian McDiarmid stars as Enoch Powell in Birmingham Repertory Theatre's staging of Chris Hannan's drama about how a politically divided country moves forward in the wake of a crisis.