The Saltaire Review | Issue 15 | Feb/Mar 2016 by Festival Publications

ISSUE 15 | feb/mar 2016

Boxing day floods |jake attree |salt and scarborough

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Contents ISSUE 15|feb/mar 2016

5_NOTE FROM THE EDITOR 8_In the news 12_saltaire floods 20_salt and scarborough 24_jake attree 30_bradford beer festival 34_ed stones and the bd3 40_picks of the month 46_what’s on?

SUBMISSIONS on the cover This month’s cover photo was shot by Ian Burdall, whose stunning image is the second in a series of covers curated by Saltaire Inspired. If you’d like to feature on the cover send your entry to submissions@thesaltairereview.co.uk The deadline for submissions to the next issue is March15th.

If you would like to contribute to the Saltaire Review email submissions@thesaltairereview.co.uk. We’re always delighted to hear from writers, photographers and anyone involved in a local group or activity.

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DISCLAIMER

This magazine is published by Festival Publications Ltd. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of content we accept no liability for any resulting loss or damage. Views expressed by contributors are their own and not those of the publisher. ©Festival Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. No reproduction or copying without permission.

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Bradford Review

Commissioning editor: Haigh Simpson

Copy Editor: Rob Walsh

DESIGN: Haigh Simpson

AD DESIGN: Hello and welcome to the February/ March issue of the Saltaire Review.

FoxDuo

It’s great to be back at the helm and I’d like to show my gratitude to Mike Farren who produced a superb Christmas issue last time out.

Face WY

A lot of water has passed under the bridge (quite literally) since our last outing and this issue focuses heavily on the destruction caused by the Boxing Day floods. Our sympathy goes out to all the individuals and businesses affected and hope that 2016 brings better fortune. Renowned artist Jake Atree provides a fascinating insight into his work and his relationship with Saltaire in a fantastic interview on page 24. Eddie Lawler has also provided us with an interesting examination of Titus Salt’s Scarborough connections which is well worth a read. As always I urge you to take in the listings and support the fantastic promoters who continue to put on wonderful events. Thanks also to the businesses who continue to support the magazine and believe in our principles. haigh simpson

Distribution: Words & pictures:

Haigh Simpson, Mike Farren, Eddie Lawler, Kerr Kennedy, Tim Smith

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Bumps and Babies: every Monday 9.30 – 11.30am. For new and expecting parents and babies up to 1 year old. Construction Club: 12th February 11th March 8th April. 1.30 – 3.30pm. Social time and creative play for home educated children and their parents. Doodle Club: 26th March 18th May 2.30 – 3.30pm. £2 per person or £4 per family. Drawing fun for all ages. A light cafe will be open. Lego Fun Day: 20th February 19th March 16th April. 1.30 – 3.30pm. £2 per family. Fun for all ages. A light cafe will be open. Sponge Tree Creative Play: 13th February 12th March 9th April . 2.00 – 4pm. £2.50 per child. Creative play inspired by nature. A light cafe will be open.

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Irregular Roots: second Saturday every month. 8.00 – 11.30pm. £6 (£4 unwaged). A bar is open. www.irregularroots.co.uk Saturday 13th February: Harp & a Monkey + Rum Doodle Saturday 12 March: Philip Cockerham Trio + Keystone Acoustic Saturday 9th April: Beggar's Bridge + Rosa Sargent Saturday 14th May: Susan Herndon + Otra Golden Cabinet: check their website for dates and lineups. 7pm – 10.30pm. Live DIY electronica. Weird, wonderful, unforgettable. www.goldencabinet.co.uk Shipley Film Society: Doors open 7.30pm. Films starts at 8pm. £4 (£3 unwaged). A bar is open. www.shipleyfilmsociety.org.uk Friday 26th February: Hangmen Also Die Friday 18th March: Troll Hunter Friday 22nd April: Catch Me Daddy Front Room Disco: third Saturday of the month. 8pm – 11.30pm. £4 (£3 unwaged). A bar is open. Community disco as it was always meant to be. Record Club: tast Saturday of the month. 8pm to 11.30pm Donation on the door. Everyone welcome whether you bring vinyl or not. A bar is open. www.recordclub.org.uk 39a Kirkgate, Shipley BD18 3EH www.kirkgatecentre.org.uk Tel: 01274 580186 Twitter: kirkgate_centre

In the news Community rallies to save Saltaire Festival Over 50 people attended a public meeting in early January to discuss the future of Saltaire Festival. The organisers of the event had appealed to the local community to help address the threats to the event, which include a huge funding gap and dwindling board numbers. The festival needs to raise upwards of ÂŁ60,000 each year to stage the event, with the majority of that sum coming through advertising, sponsorship and donations. The meeting gave current board members the chance to appeal for local residents help in filling a wide range of roles, including a new treasurer. The response was encouraging and the Festival organisers are in the process of holding informal meetings with potential volunteers. However more help is still needed and a further public meeting will be held at The Hop in Saltaire on Monday, February 1.

Flood damage closes Tramway until Easter

Gearing up for the Arts Trail

The historic Shipley Glen Tramway will be closed until Easter while work takes place to repair the damage caused by torrential flooding in December. Rain water swept the shale ballast from beneath the tracks and this has made the trams unsafe for use. The tramway’s operators are now appealing for anyone who can help with the construction of a new trench between the tracks while they clarify their situation with the insurance company.

This year’s Saltaire Arts Trail will takes place 28-30 May, using a fascinating range of public and (usually) private buildings and spaces to showcase emerging and established artists. The famous Open Houses challenge the concept of art galleries, with residents and local artists across Saltaire village opening up their Grade II listed homes to the public.

Shipley Glen Tramway is Britain’s oldest cable-hauled tramway and celebrated its 120th anniversary last year. It is run by a group of hardworking volunteers and remains a popular attraction all year round. Anyone who can help with the track restoration work has been urged to email info@shipleyglentramway.co.uk

The Makers Fair will feature the area’s best independent artists, makers and designers, displaying and selling their contemporary and original creations. The weekend is also packed with a programme of exhibitions, workshops, installations and performances, and if you’re feeling inspired by all of this creativity, there are plenty of chances to try your hand at various arts and crafts, a range of masterclasses and free family activities. For more information, visit www.saltaireinspired. org.uk

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Counting the cost of the Saltaire floods By Mike Farren

Saltaire residents know the River Aire as a quiet, gentle presence. The twin of the canal, as well-behaved as its sibling, except for the burst of enthusiasm as it rushes over the weir by the New Mill. Occasionally it likes to remind us that it’s a force of nature, unpredictable and potentially destructive. In 2000 it did just this, overflowing its banks. However nothing prepared people for the events of Christmas 2015. Rising from Boxing Day morning, the water just kept coming, encroaching on either side of the river, swamping the Boathouse, flooding the New Mill basement spaces, Salts Sports Club’s facilities and the grounds of Saltaire Cricket Club, even invading the Half Moon Café. When I visit Salts Sports Club in the New Year evidence of the damage wreaked by the flood is all around in the shape of large chunks of tarmac lifted by water, sodden, ruined bar equipment and the absence of the fence that used to surround the tennis courts. I speak to Paul Whitehead, football general manager at the club, and he describes how he became aware of the situation. “I was at home on Boxing Day, checking Facebook, and one of our coaches posted, ‘Not looking good at Salts’. I didn’t have chance to get down, but as the day went on there were videos and photos and you could see it getting worse.” He finally reached the site around 4pm. “The whole of the cricket pitch, the beer garden and three quarters of the football pitches were underwater,” he tells me. “It was nearly to the pavilion door, six

feet up. We saw two of our picnic benches floating away under Roberts Park Bridge.” The impression is one of bewilderment. Nothing like this had happened in living memory, so there was no frame of reference, and while the floodwaters remained high it was impossible to assess the situation. Paul continues, “When the water dropped, you just couldn’t believe the damage. The bowling green had four inches of river silt. The bowls fences were ripped out and the beer garden is completely gone. It picked up the tarmac and the weight of the water and the debris took down the tennis courts fences.” The damage was not only to the sporting areas. Though the clubhouse and pavilion are fortunately elevated, the club’s cellars, housing bar stock and vital equipment, were six feet deep and the toilet block was devastated. In the depths of despair there was help from club members, and from less expected sources. “A group from the army came and helped for about three hours. That was through Baildon Flood Relief. We got a message saying, ‘Is there anything we can do?’” When the club held their own clear-up day over a hundred people turned up. Getting the sand off the pitch took 30 adults five hours of solid work. Even with the club out en masse, strangers kept offering to help. “The amount of people that turned up was superb!” says Paul, “We can’t thank people enough.” Luckily the club is insured, but there are inevitably negotiations with the insurer and uncertainty about what is and is not covered, as well as how premiums will be affected. There’s still damage to be assessed, so it’s too

“

We saw two of our picnic benches floating away under Roberts Park Bridge.

Photo by Tim Smith

Rescue boats were needed on Green Land and Coach Road

early to consider applications for grants. Paul points out, “We’ve set up a fundraising page that’s brought in around £1,200.” A few years ago the club fundraised to purchase the site from the council. “The whole site is a private site,” Paul says, “which is good, but when something like this happens everything on here is down to us.” This selfreliance is reflected in the efforts made by members and supporters. Even though no formal help is expected of the Council or local MPs, there’s a certain disappointment that no contact has been made from those sources. Salts Sports has challenging plans to get the site running again. Access over the damaged tarmac is a major sticking point, but in the case

of senior football Paul explains, “We’re trying to see if we can play the games away. We’ve been lucky, because all the Council pitches have been shut for the last few weeks as it has been so wet. We’re hoping to get senior football back on, because potentially we can come in from the Hirst Lane end.” By the time you read this it’s hoped football will be back. I was surprised to learn that bowls and tennis also continue through the winter. For the bowls league they’re renting greens at Peel Park. Paul describes the club’s winter tennis players as “quite hardy”. However, their position is dependent on assessment of the damage to the courts, even before the replacement of nets and surround fences is considered.

Photo by Tim Smith

Salts Mill bears the brunt of the rising waters

Paul declares, “The priority for us is sport, but the bar is a big, integral part of it, raising funds for the sports club. It’s a popular place.” Measures such as flood doors can be put in place to protect the buildings, but when it comes to the sports fields he says, “We’ve got to accept that we’re next to a river.” However it seems that the main defence that Salts Sports can rely on is the determination of its members and supporters. “It has pulled the club together,” says Paul, characteristically taking a positive view of the experience. Heading back toward Saltaire I encounter Jas Bhatt and Kathy O’Brien, proprietors of the Boathouse, assessing the damage. “It was bad, especially on Boxing Day,” Jas confirms. He too, though, remains positive,

voicing an intention to get contractors in as soon as possible, with aspirations for a relaunch in around three months. Across the river I meet Billy Ricketts, who has been involved with Saltaire Cricket Club for 32 years. He has seen nothing like it in all that time. Now volunteer groundsman, when I speak to him he is assessing the equipment stored on site and the changing room facilities in the pavilion. “The equipment’s all destroyed,” he tells me, showing me the tide line several feet up the wall. Despite the devastation here too there is an appreciation of help received, as Billy talks about individuals and businesses who spontaneously came to the club bringing

their own cleaning tools and materials, for which he is keen to give credit and thanks. There is also the same determination to get back on with the job of playing sport. The club is trying to raise £5,000 to repair or replace equipment lost in the flooding, and a bucket standing outside the pavilion as I pass contains a number of generous donations. Billy talks about the possibility of accessing help from Yorkshire Cricket Club and the England and Wales Cricket Board to restore the pitch and wickets. Like Salts Sports they’re insured, but matters are complicated by the club’s running of the Half Moon Café, as there appears to be some uncertainty whether the cricket club or the Council is responsible for the fabric of the café’s building, and ensuring that it can be inspected and certified. The frustration with officialdom extends to a disappointment that Billy expresses about what he sees as a lack of involvement from the Friends of Roberts’ Park (FoRP). However, when I meet FoRP chair, Lesley Brook and her husband Eric, Lesley is keen to point out that members of FoRP were involved in individual efforts to help. The group as a whole tried to arrange a voluntary clean-up, but found their efforts frustrated. Unlike Salts Sports’ grounds, the Roberts Park area, including the cricket pitch, is owned by the Council, who were on holiday for the Christmas period. “You need permission from the Council Parks team,” adds Eric, “and they couldn’t give it, so our hands were tied.” Frustration

understandable

clean-up couldn’t get underway until Monday 4 January, but the pair praise the work carried out from that point. Lesley comments, “We didn’t fear for the Park. The only thing you could fear for was the lower part. The top part was totally safe. Our interest is in the park as a whole, but obviously the cricket club have their own little patch.” Lesley and Eric have a long association with the Park, having been born in Shipley and Saltaire respectively, while Eric started his working life as an apprentice gardener there. Both have extensive memories of the Park and the river and according to Lesley they got involved, “Because of where we live and because it was important to us.” The river and all the facilities, residences and businesses along its bank are of course integral parts of the fabric of the village and the lives of its inhabitants – indeed, the reason why the village is here in the first place. What happened on Boxing Day was a distressing reminder of what the river is capable of, but in the response from so many individuals and groups the spirit of Saltaire allows us to take a hopeful, positive message from the 2015 floods. The Salts Sports fundraising page can be found at www.gofundme.com/zch3sht8. Saltaire Cricket Club’s fundraising page is at https://crowdfunding. justgiving.com/sc1.

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Salt and Scarborough By Eddie Lawler

Sir Titus Salt didn’t say much but, my word, he left a lot of bricks and mortar to speak to future generations. Catch a train to Scarborough or take a virtual tour with Google Images to follow the Salt trail there. You’ll see evidence of strong connections between Salt and the town through at least four buildings, two of them in celebratory mood, two in the doldrums. In 1877, a year after Salt died, the Rev. Robert Balgarnie of Scarborough published the biography Sir Titus Salt: His Life and its Lessons. Saltaire historians Dave Shaw and Philip Barlow republished the work in 2003 to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Mill. Balgarnie’s book can be classified as a Victorian eulogy, but he had every right to gush with praise. Salt had been Chair and chief donor of the Reverend’s new, imposing South Cliff Congregational Church, one of the largest edifices of today’s United Reformed movement, renamed St Andrew’s in 1974 and standing proud with its 175 foot spire. His Lady Caroline laid the foundation stone in 1864, the architects being (of course?) Lockwood and Mawson. L&M were also responsible for the Albemarle Baptist Church in Scarborough with another imposing steeple - Salt again

subscribing, as he did to Anne Wright’s Cottage Hospital which closed in 1931. Balgarnie writes that young Titus was taken annually to Scarborough by his parents, by horse-drawn coach, residing in Merchants Row. We also read of the adult Titus inspecting seaweed at low tide, seeking a replacement for cotton, then scarce during the American Civil War, but deciding it “won’t do”. It was alpaca that would make his fortune. Some of that fortune funded the works trip on the new railway line to Scarborough in 1864 for the Saltaire workforce. The workers were welcomed by Sir T and able to view his son George’s yacht Oithona, moored for admiration. St Andrew’s recently celebrated its own 150th anniversary - as did Albemarle Baptist Church - with entertainment that included Hammonds Saltaire Band. Money is needed, as always with heritage buildings, for repairs to the spire, but this bit of Salt-in-Scarborough appears alive and well. In stark contrast is the church on Eastborough, the main tourist run down to South Bay beach. At young Titus’ holidaytime, the family worshipped at what was the Old Meeting House, later Eastborough Church. This elaborate 18th century building

“It were better in my day”

“

Titus was taken to Scarborough annually by his parents, by horsedrawn coach.

now has its ground floor boarded up, with body-piercing services next door. The inscription on the church is from Psalm 100 - Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving. Those gates are shut, the building shabby. It is being converted into residences, but that’s not yet evident from the facade. Merchants Row nearby (did they stay in today’s Duke of York Guest House?) has however been restored to some respectability, offering a wonderful view across the bay – and as foreground the rear of another ‘Salty’ building. Salt helped to fund dozens of public institutions, and sought to be top-of-the-list of donors. Here’s another Scarborough beneficiary, the former Royal Sea-Bathing Infirmary on Foreshore Road, adjacent to a major amusement arcade. Margate claims to be the birthplace of sea-bathing as a cure for illness, but Scarborough with its health-related Spa wasn’t far behind. Adjacent to the beach you can’t miss this building, an Italian villa in pale brick with a gently-pitched roof (an echo of

Saltaire..? but not Lockwood & Mawson this time). This was rebuilt with a contribution from Salt and later became St Thomas’s Hospital. The ground floor now hosts a bazaar with beach-goods and an Indian Restaurant, whilst the upper floors appear empty and fading. Approval has been granted to convert this Grade II listed building into flats, but nothing seems to be happening. Whether or not the salty sea improved health, residents here must have had their spirits lifted by sunrise and then moonlight across the bay. The ailing Salt tried to lift his own spirits with a final visit to Scarborough with Lady Caroline, greeted by Balgarnie at his “favourite watering-place.” The Reverend knew when seeing them off on the train back to the West Riding, he would “see his face no more”. (with thanks to Patricia McNaughton, Church Historian, St Andrew’s Scarborough – born Albert Avenue, Saltaire!)

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Jake Attree - local artist, international reputation By Mike Farren

Saltaire’s modern reputation is founded on art. The Hockney Gallery in Salts Mill is a living embodiment of the claim from the film Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come,” and has gathered around itself a thriving artistic community in the village. One of the earliest and most distinguished of those to arrive, Jake Attree is an artist with a major international reputation who has been living in the heart of the village for the last 27 years. His arrival here appears to have been something of a coincidence. “We were in London, struggling a bit,” he tells me when we meet at his studio in Dean Clough, Halifax. “I’d lost my teaching, my wife got made redundant and we had this massive mortgage.” Family connections enabled them to sell up and rent a property in Yorkshire, despite Jake’s reluctance. “I wanted to stay and get a gallery, but my wife said, ‘If you do, you can stay on your own!’” Once in Yorkshire a friend suggested they

should look at Saltaire. “We both said we could definitely live here.” It probably helped that Jake and his wife Lindsay arrived just as Jonathan Silver’s renovation of the Mill was taking shape Jake’s journey had begun in the north, born and brought up in York. His artistic journey began there too. He recalls, “At 12 or 13, there used to be a publication called Knowledge. It was half a crown a magazine and you put them in folders, like a poor man’s Encyclopaedia Britannica. It had history, it had geography, it had maths and it had painting. One week, it was Constable – The Hay Wain, Spring Ploughing near East Bergholt and Weymouth Bay. And I just decided that was what I wanted to do.” Jake picked up echoes from the work of the painters he loved, including Constable and Breugel, in local scenery. He refers to a disused mill (still – just – in use during his childhood) at Naburn Locks, which reminded him of scenes from Constable, while he says of an area across the river from Clifford’s Tower, “The Gloomy Day, the second in

“

You’ve got to be a little bit selfish. You’ve got to feel it’s worth doing.

the series of Breugel’s seasons, reminded me enormously of standing on Baile Hill.” Despite having failed the 11 plus Jake feels he was lucky to go to a school that recognised and accommodated artistic talent. He was put in for art at O-Level and from then on was set on his artistic path. A foundation course at York School of Art was followed by further qualifications at Liverpool and post-graduate studies at the Royal Academy Schools, involving a move to the south. Throughout his career he has been first and foremost an artist though he has on occasion also been a visiting lecturer, adult education teacher or an artist in residence at a school. He justifies this concentration, saying, “If you’re going to have any kind of success, and achieve the fullest expression of your personality, you’ve got to be a little bit selfish. You’ve got to feel it’s worth doing.” Single-minded might be a better description of his approach. Though Jake was anxious about leaving the gallery scene behind when returning north, he attracted the attention of the first of a string of galleries - he is currently with Messum’s - shortly after the move. He says, “I had been in the Serpentine Summer Shows. An artist would pick young artists – it was John Lessore in this case. We moved north and then John wrote, saying that Michael Richardson would like to see some of my work. I thought I’d get in a mixed show, but he gave me a one-person show straight away. That was my break.” For all his success he retains a certain mix of modesty and realism that enables him to retain his artistic integrity, and his freedom. As he puts it, “I suspect if you became massively successful and popular, and lived your life financially up to that, you’d have to keep making that product and then you’re not really free.”

Photo by Mike Farren

Jake’s productivity is evident at his studio where dozens of projects are underway

Such freedom has left him unaligned to any particular artistic movement and able to move between figurative and abstract art with ease. “All my abstract art has a figurative base,” he tells me. Jake starts from observation such as the drawings and paintings he has recently done in York, Haworth and Saltaire, either from the window of his house or from the staircase of the Mill. What he chooses to pursue might be the scene itself or something suggested by a pattern of roofs, or a grain in rock or wood. We talk about figuration and abstraction in the work of artists such as Jackson Pollock, and he shares with me the view of his friend Lynn Greene that under all of Pollock’s work there’s an underpinning of figuration. “Otherwise,” he says, “it’s just patternmaking. I don’t have a problem with patternmaking, but it isn’t what painting is. It needs to have some anchor in the external world. It

needs to be based on empirical experience.” His freedom is also shown in the projects he chooses. Much of his work features York, a city that still means a lot to him, and he’s currently working on a project in York called A Small Box Of River, along with the poet, Robert Powell. “We’re having a walk along the Foss and the Ouse, York’s rivers, and he’s writing a poem and I’m doing a drawing – not illustrating his poems, just responding to the landscape.” He’s also involved in a drawing project in York linked to the relaunch of the Art Gallery, in which people from all over Yorkshire can come and draw the city between February and April 2016. Another current project involves Haworth. This arose from an invitation to lead a painting week for the Law Society’s painting group. “It was great,” he tells me, “they loved it. We had

Photo by Mike Farren

terrible weather, so there were amazing skies. I made lots of work about Haworth and that’s linking in with Charlotte Bronte’s bicentenary.” Jake has also made a lot of work about Saltaire but feels that he needs to paint it more than he has done. “It’s my kind of colour,” he suggests. “I like a limited palette. I love ochres.” Some of the lack of Saltaire, he puts down to the fact that his working day is spent in Dean Clough. “Having a studio in Halifax interrupts my relationship with Saltaire visually. I get up and come here and then I go back and work and then I go to bed. If I had a studio in Saltaire, I’d be a lot more involved. Maybe I should just start using the surroundings, just drawing en plein air and painting outside more than I am doing.” The lack of local paintings does not reflect his feelings about his home. “I’m emotionally attached to Saltaire,” he claims. “I’ve been there 27 years, but that’s getting stronger and stronger and I’m sure that I’ll begin to make more paintings of it. I’ve done a lot of drawings of it.” He is clearly besotted, not only with Saltaire and the community there but also with Bradford

and the wider area. He describes Bradford as “a beautiful city” and calls Saltaire “a physically really beautiful place”. He also speaks with great enthusiasm about many individual local people, but reserves the strongest of his praise for Jonathan Silver and his “vision of genius”. He goes on to say, “You need people like Jonathan, who just do it. They don’t need to be told, they don’t need some initiative, they just do it. Jonathan could have done what he did in London, very easily. He was competitive and he was very successful. But he chose to do it in and around Bradford. That’s what we need - more Jonathan Silvers!” Jake notes the development of the cultural atmosphere and ethos of Saltaire over the time he has lived there. “There are more practitioners,” he suggests. “The ambience, the vibe, is just creative.” As one of the most talented and celebrated examples of that creativity, Jake has helped to shape the ambience of the village throughout its most recent phase. I look forward eagerly to the art that he might make from his long, passionate relationship with Saltaire.

www.artsaward.org.uk

Hive is now an Arts Award Centre

ARTS AWARD AT HIVE

Age 7+ | 16, 17, 18, 19th February 2016 from 10am- 3pm | £85 per child

Arts Award is...

Discover art this half term

A great way for children and young people to be inspired by and enjoy the arts A framework for learning new skills and sharing them An opportunity to develop creativity and leadership skills A nationally recognised qualiÞcation

Arts Award will... Start your child on a journey of discovery and creativity. Arts Award is a nationally recognised framework for arts education.

Join artist and Arts Award tutor Vic Buta at Hive Community Arts centre this February half term and begin your very own Arts Award journey.

At Hive we know that art is good for us and work hard to encourage and support people to get creative. We are very excited about working with the next generation of artists through Arts Award.

If your child is aged between 7 -11 why not give them something exciting, inspiring and fun to do this February half term.

To book... Please contact Joy or Emma at Hive at info@hivebradford.org.uk or call 01274 598928. You can also visit our website and download a booking form.

www.hivebradford.org.uk

Love to make, play and create?

Arts Award Discover is the introductory award open to children and young people. To achieve Discover you will learn about arts around you, Þnd out about artists and their work and share experiences. There will be lots of making, mess and fun with diﬀerent art materials.

The Bradford Beer Festival is back at Victoria Hall By Kerr Kennedy

One of Bradford’s longest-running and most eagerly-awaited festivals will appear again at the end of February. Bradford Beer Festival, organised and presented by the Bradford Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), will open its doors 25 – 27 February at the venerable Victoria Hall in Saltaire. The Festival will feature a range of over 130 cask-conditioned ales from local and regional breweries together with a fine selection of real ciders, perries, fruit wines and an array of international draught and bottled beers from Europe and beyond. Add to that hot and cold food, tombola, live entertainment and various stalls. CAMRA beer festivals take place all over the country so there’s at least one running somewhere in the UK every weekend. They’re aimed at encouraging people to appreciate the delights of full-flavoured ales from around the UK and raise the awareness of broader CAMRA campaigns. Bradford’s first was held in 1975 at the Dennis Bellamy Hall. We moved between Queens Hall and the University Union after that and then to the present venue in 1997. Back in the 70s and 80s beer festivals were a relatively novel phenomenon but they quickly took off and became popular events. Nowadays there are a plethora of small and large events featuring not only cask beers but new wave craft or keg beers. The largest event in the UK is still CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival, held annually in midAugust at the wonderful Olympia Exhibition Centre in London – an event everyone should experience at least once! A unique thing about CAMRA beer festivals is that they are run solely by CAMRA volunteer

Over 100 local and regional ales will be sampled at this year’s festival

members. Any CAMRA member can volunteer at festivals and many make it a regular commitment. In Bradford we have over a hundred members who lend their skills to a range of important functions such as beer management, festival setup, catering, publicity, stewarding, ticket sales and much more. We always need new volunteers and no great knowledge of beer is needed. Why do we do it? It’s a labour of love but overall it’s a pleasant, sociable experience and a great way to make friends! This year’s Bradford Beer Festival will herald some changes to make the visitor experience more enjoyable. We’re making Saturday 27 February an all-day session with no advance tickets – just pay at the door and stay as long as you wish! Thursday 25th and Friday 26th remain as before, with two sessions

on Friday. Limited advance tickets are only available for Thursday and Friday evenings. A further new element is the chance to extend your beer knowledge by attending a tutored beer-tasting led by experienced brewers and beer writers. We have award-winning local brewers who will deliver a session on British beer styles and another on classic Belgian Beers. At a time when the beer scene in Bradford is growing, with new pubs and breweries opening every month, the upcoming festival offers beer-lovers an excellent chance to sample a wide choice of the best of the brewer’s art under one roof and enjoy the festival ambience too. Cheers and see you there!!

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Local rockers release debut album By Haigh Simpson Bradford rock’n’rollers Ed Stones & The BD3 have been regulars on the local circuit for several years, carving out a solid reputation thanks to their rip-roaring sets, big beards and leather jackets. Now they’re releasing a new album and embarking on another busy schedule of local gigs, so we met up with them to find out more. Hi guys, we hear you’ve got a new album out. What’s it called and what’s the story behind it? It’s a 22-track double album which we’ve called Cook Book. We had about 17 songs written for a new record, plus Photo by Jax Griffin

a handful of older tunes that we never got around to recording, so we decided to try and tackle all of them at once and make a 75 minute album! With the help of the very talented Leigh Green on production duties, we somehow managed to get it all down live in our rehearsal room in three days with as few overdubs as possible. For those who haven’t seen you before, how would you describe your sound? We don’t really have a set style, but it tends to come out sounding like rock’n’roll in some shape or form! Cowboy punkabilly or something like that. But then again there’s the odd track thrown in that sounds like Adele. So who knows. How did the band form and who does what? The band formed in May 2012. Ed played solo gigs when he was first starting out, Tom met him through a mutual friend and used to come and watch his sets. Feeling sorry for him one night, whilst playing to two people in Baildon, and becoming more impressed with his new material, Tom invited Ed to come and jam with a band he was playing with. Things progressed quickly and the band played their first gig as Ed Stones & The BD3 in July at the 2012 Beat-Herder festival.. Things just progressed from there! Ed sings and plays guitar, Tom plays guitar and harmonica, Ned plays bass and Zani plays the drums. What are your relationships with Bradford and how has it influenced your music? Ed’s originally from Grantham, but he’s

been here for more than five years so he’s an honorary Yorkshireman. As we all know, that’s the amount of time you have to spend here to achieve that status. The rest of the band are all from different parts of Bradford and have been in the local music scene for more years than they care to remember.. Bradford has had a big influence on the band’s music, and some of Ed’s lyrics relate to certain local characters and places. Do you have a favourite Bradford venue? There are quite a lot of good venues in Bradford now, which is a refreshing change compared with a few years ago! I think we’d all agree that our favourite place to play is at Al’s Dime Bar, it’s a buzzing little venue so it can get quite busy! Plus there’s always a good atmosphere so it’s a pleasure to go either as a punter or as a performer. Who are your influences and do you have an all time favourite Bradford-based band? I’ll just name some bands we’d describe as influences. The Clash, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Dr Feelgood, The Stooges, Canned Heat, Johnny Cash, The Cramps, Neil Young, Eddie Cochran, The Doors, Ramones, Bob Dylan.. the list goes on! All time favourite Bradford-based band? Probably Gareth Gates. Where can we see you play next? We’re having a little break after xmas, but the next Bradford gig will be Trapdoor at the Mill on Saturday 27th February. For more information on the band and their upcoming dates visit www.edstonesandthebd3.bandcamp.com

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Picks of the month Phil Cockerham at Irregular Roots Saturday 12 March sees a return visit from ever-popular singer-songwriter Philip Cockerham after he went down so well in November. This time Philip headlines with his trio, with David Bowie Jr on bass and Dickie Dixon on percussion and harmonium. Philip’s songs have sometimes humorous but always thought-provoking themes, with memorable hooks and irresistible choruses, as on all of his three well-reviewed CDs. There are some familiar traditional songs in the trio’s repertoire but they’re delivered in a refreshingly different way. Hard-working and respected duo Keystone Acoustic open the night with their inimitable original material and well-chosen covers.

Scottish folk at Saltaire Live

Guitar star returns for Blues Bash

The latest installment of Saltaire Live features Scottish folk group Breabach. The award-winning band have something for everyone with a mixture of moving melodies, traditional tunes, stepdance and even some bewitching puirt-y-bheul (Hebridean mouthmusic). They are also one of the few bands who manage to successfully blend Highland pipes into their sound for parts of the gig, with measured and carefully balanced arrangements capturing the power and flavour of Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iconic instrument.

Bradford-born blues sensation Chantelle McGregor will headline the 2016 Bingley Blues Bash at Bingley Arts Centre. Chantelle is a female guitar prodigy and two-time winner of Guitarist of the Year at the British Blues Awards. She can sing too! Chantelle will be joined on the bill by the Stevie Nimmo Trio and Ben Poole, plus a still-tobe-revealed special guest act.

Like previous SaltaireLive visitors The Chair, Breabach kicked their career off as winners of the Best Newcomers award at Celtic Connections and then just a few years later had risen to be winning Best Live Act at the 2013 Scottish Folk Awards. A must-see for folk fans, Breabach will be at Victoria Hall on Sunday 28 February.

The 2016 Bingley Blues Bash follows 2015â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly successful show, and is expected to be another musical treat. The event takes place on Saturday 13 February with doors opening at 6pm. The show is an unreserved seating event to allow access to the bar during the evening.

BRADFORD Songs and Revelations Bingley-based author, musician and dissident journalist Tim Wyatt will be taking the stage at Bingley Arts Centre to play a selection of original songs from his recent albums, along with some new compositions.

R E E B L A V I T S E F

2 0 16 Bradford Beer Festival

VICTORIA HA

E IR A SEBARULAT RY 25 - 27

The former BBC, ITV and Sky correspondent will also be reading extracts from his acclaimed new novel about occult RNAT ALES / INTE L Festival INES / TO deception in World War II, Revoking 13 The 0+ REA The will feature UIT ofWover FaRrange / Y R R E P NDcask-conditioned ales from ENTERTAI Reich, and from his scurrilous Thailand E and local CIDER A130 S / LIV G IN SATU T S A T travelogue Postcards From Chiangmai. D breweries together TUTOREregional FRIDAY with a fine 11.30-10PM ( 6) (£ .00 11 0Wyatt will be offering a humorous insight & 6.3 fruit wines selection11of real ciders, 3)perries, THURSDAY .30-4.30 PM (£ (£3) ITED ADVANC . LIMand into his chequered career and the dark 6.3 arts0-11.00PMand an OR arrayATofAL international draught L SESSIONS BLE AT LOCA LA DO AI E AV TH of journalism. ENINGSand beyond. PAY ON bottled beers AY EVEurope IDfrom FR & AY SD FOR THURAdd to that hot and cold food, tombola, An Evening with Tim Wyatt will be on at live entertainment and various stalls. Bingley Arts Centre Studio at 7.30pm on MRA.ORG.UK BRADFORDCA Saturday 6 February.

Blue Rose Code at The Live Room

Horrible Science Family Half Term

In the space of only a few short years, Blue Rose Code, Edinburgh-born Ross Wilson, has gone from song-writing in the obscurity of an East London flat to being celebrated by the industry and fans alike as a legacy artist whose work stands alone, unsullied by the restrictions of trend.

February half term sees the National Media Museum team up with publishers Scholastic to celebrate 20 yucky years of the popular Horrible Science books. Events include Horrible Science illustrator Tony de Saulles giving his top artistic tips to young visitors.

Blue Rose Code has toured rigorously and paid his dues the old-fashioned way, changing line-up and arrangement of songs depending on the gig. This bold, almost jazzlike vision for performing has earned him a fiercely loyal support up and down the UK. You never know quite what you’re going to get at a Blue Rose Code show, the only guarantee is an unforgettable live experience. Don’t miss him when he performs at the Live Room at Caroline Street Club on 4 March.

From Saturday 13 February the Museum hosts fiendish family fun and takes a look at the shocking science behind the Museum’s collections. Activities will give budding scientists the chance to make sight-shifting spectacles, view microscopic monsters, learn how eyeballs work, plus much more. Most activities are free - full details at www. nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/horrible

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Bingley Arts Centre Home of Bingley Little Theatre

An Evening with Tim Wyatt in BLT’s Studio Sat 6th February, 7:30pm, £5.00 Tim Wyatt, a Bingley-based author, musician and dissident journalist, will be playing a selection of original songs from his recent albums and readings from his books.

Bingley Blues Bash Saturday 13 February 2016, 6:30pm, £15.00 The 2016 Bingley Blues Bash follows 2015’s highly successful show, this time featuring some of the top and upcoming British blues artists.

David Hamilton’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Back the Years Show Fri 19th February, 7:30pm, £20.00 Rock ‘n’ Roll Back The Years with the legendary DJ and broadcaster David Hamilton, who began his career in 1959 and has hosted more than 12,000 radio shows and over 1,000 TV shows.

Gretchen Peters Sat 20th February, 8:00pm, £22.50 Gretchen Peters is an American singer and songwriter. She was born in New York and raised in Boulder, Colorado, but moved to Nashville in the late 1980s.

‘A Homage to Hancock’ in BLT’s Studio

Sat and Sun 27th/28th February, 7:30pm, £5.00 Performed by Mark Bamforth who is a member of Grassington Players and performed the piece at the last Grassington Festival.

Bingley Arts Centre, Main Street, Bingley, BD16 2LZ Boxoffice 01274 567983 Mon to Friday 11:00am to 3:30pm

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What’s on?

Monday 1 February We’re Going On A Bear Hunt 1:30pm & 4:30pm (Monday 1st) and 10:30am & 1:30pm (Tuesday 2nd), St George’s Hall, Bradford Delightful family play on the award winning book We’re Going On A Bear Hunt. Expect catchy songs, interactive scenes and plenty of hands-on adventure with special surprises and fun for all the family! Also on Tuesday 2nd.

Tuesday 2nd February The Hop Pub Quiz 9pm, The Hop, Saltaire Free supper for all entrants, gallon of ale for the winner. Includes picture and music round, and a bonus cash game.

Wednesday 3rd February Heather Small 7:30pm, St George’s Hall, Bradford Award winning singer Heather Small graces St George’s Hall with her worldrenowned vocals.

Saltaire Fine Arts & Decorative Society Lecture 2pm - 3pm, Victoria Hall The society aims to educate and inform in the decorative and fine arts through lectures and outings.

Thursday 4 February Paddy McGuinness 7:30pm, St George’s Hall, Bradford One of Britain’s most popular comedians. Coming to St George’s Hall as part of his new UK tour. Over 15s only.

Friday 5th February Abba Mania 7:30pm, St George’s Hall, Bradford