A GLASGOW arts festival has got everyone talking - with Easterhouse Conversation staged as part of the Outskirts festival for the first time.

Outskirts, now in its third year, is a day long event at Platform, in The Bridge, with everything from pop-up events, gigs, theatre, visual art and cross-genre collaborations taking place tomorrow. (SAT)

There will also be the first performance of a new soundtrack written for a lost Scottish film, and a brand new collection of songs which celebrate life in Easterhouse in the 21st century - Easterhouse Conversation. The songs were commissioned for Outskirts by folk band Wounded Knee, aka Drew Wright, and guitarist RM Hubbert.

Alun Woodward, music programmer at Platform, who also runs Glasgow record label Chemikal Underground, said the artists talked to people in Easterhouse about their lives and penned the songs based on their interviews.

He said: "The idea was to have the inclusion of local people in Outskirts, through Hubby and Drew."

It's an idea he hopes to continue in future festivals, he said.

Drew said he talked to a range of people, from students at Kelvin College to older people at the Sunday Social drop-in.

He said: "The older generation were very keen to talk about the fact that there is still a real sense of community and togetherness in the stairs and the tenements where they live, they were really positive about the area. Some of the young people said they just wanted to leave."

One of the songs features a Romeo and Juliet style love story, based on teenagers from rival gangs.

Drew said young people told him territorial disputes were not as bad as they used to be, with schools knocked down and big community ones built to replace them.

Outskirts, which is organised by Alun and other arts performers at Platform, aims to appeal to a broader audience than those who usually go to arts and music festivals.

Alun said: "I think sometimes there's an idea that certain kinds of art or culture are for a certain group of people, which I don't agree with."

Events and performances will spill out into The Bridge - the community space in which Platform is situated, which also includes a library, café and swimming pool.

The day will begin with an afternoon cinema and a screening of The Silver Trumpet, made by film-maker Enrico Cocozza in 1961 in Wishaw. The screening includes a new live soundtrack by musician Mark Scanlan, whose father appeared in the film.

See www.platform-online.co.uk for more information. The festival runs from 3pm to 10pm.