HowDo Magazine January 2012

ISSUE

02

JANUARY 2012 it’sFREE

hDOOW? [by the

people of]

a cultural magazine for the people.

bradford

hDOOW?

We would like to say a big thank you to everybody for their kind words and feedback. Our first issue seems to have been a success and we have been working tirelessly to deliver an even better read this time.

We hope you like it as much as we do. This is your magazine, so tell us what bits you like, and what you don’t.

This month we are delighted to be able to feature the artwork of Fabric Lenny. Be sure to take the time to visit his website to discover the varied works of one of Yorkshire’s most prolific artists.

Our heritage page focuses on the 1 in 12 club. Could this be the end for Bradford’s seminal alternative establishment? Jim Dog tells all. Benjamin Dalby visits the city’s graveyards in search of Bradford’s forgotten heroes and Mr Johnston speaks to ‘the heart and soul of Idle village’. We have all the usual reviews and previews from Mike McKenny (film) and George Quinn (Music) as well as comment from our erudite and erratic arts correspondent, Mr Dick Stone.

I will be finding out what the ‘Curry Capital of Britain’ award means for Bradford and examining the issues affecting the industry. Jane Steele delivers another beautiful collection of spoken word and poetry featuring an interview with Emma Jackson, founder of POUT Productions. We have an in-depth interview with rising star Jack King from the set of his latest music video production courtesy of Mr Pete Lewis. I strongly recommend you visit YouTube and check out his work to-date…www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwtzXZP3cCo Take a walk upon Shipley Glen with George Quinn and you might learn a few history lessons along the way.

He offers up an interesting alternative to cold turkey on the couch in the first of our ‘DayTripper’ features.

Thanks to Chemaine Cook and Simon Cantrill we have a bulging arts section this month, both beautiful and insightful.

Thanks for reading and enjoy. I leave you with the words of Jane Steele, on what was by far the most mentioned facet of the magazine so far

HAIGH “The first thing that hit me was the smell. I thought I was the only crank in the North who smelled books and magazines by way of christening them; I’m delighted to discover that I am by no means alone. The Smell of ‘Howdo’ was described by myself and others as, among other things, “Mr Men books” and “the smell of the art room at school”.

Absolutely gorgeous. Consequently, I genuinely want to know if anyone else has noticed its bouquet and, if so, what they think it smells like?”

NDISE!] [FREE FABRIC LENNY MERCHAboo k to be in with a chance ‘Like’ Fabric Lenny Art on Face badges, t-shirts & prints! of winning a swag bag including

[PEOPLE]

Producer:

Mr Johnston Artistic Director: James Kemp Editor:

Haigh Simpson Design: Mr Johnston spokenWORD: Jane Steele liveMUSIC

George Quinn FilmREVIEW:

Mike Mckenny Photographer: Chris Scott Contributors: Pete Huntley

Benjamin Dalby

Dick Stone

JimDog

Simon Cantrill

Douglas Thompson

Emma Decent Steve Lunn

Chemaine Cooke

Pete Lewis John Bolloten

Bob Sopf

David Ford

John Joseph Holmes

Keiran Casey

Adam Ryan Artwork by

FABRIC LENNY

If you have something to say about our city SAY IT HERE. We want your views. We want your news, reviews, features and previews.

Writer?

haigh@howdomagazine.co.uk Artist?

james@howdomagazine.co.uk FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @HOWDOBRADFORD ‘LIKE’ US ON FACEBOOK @ HOWDO MAGAZINE

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ISSUE 2 [JANUARY 2012] [SPECIAL THANKS]

To the following collaborating organisations:

[SUBSCRIPTION]

Like what we do and want to support our project? Or perhaps you live on the wrong side of the Pennines? For only £3.50 an issue we will post a copy out to you every month (direct debit available) £1 cost, £1.50 postage, £1 to our chosen charity BIASAN (Bradford Immigration & Asylum Support & Advice Network) Canny knock that!

5_[theBIGISSUE] Bradford: Curry Capital 2012 9_[ourHERITAGE] Nightmare on Albion Street: The 1in12 Club faces closure 11_[bratfudOUTLOOK] Community Spirit: An interview with Kath Dewhirst 14_[people&ART] The journeys of Dick Stone + A day in the life of a gallery attendant 16_[people&ART] As You Pass By: Ben Dalby visits the graves of 3 notable Bradfordians 21_[theatre&PERFORMANCE] Interview with Emma Jackson + review of Stig of the Dump 22_[spokenWORD] Jane Steele introduces poems by Emma Decent & Steve Lunn 29_[colourWRITING] Social Observational Art: Chemaine Cooke talks to Tom Woodland 26_[artisticPERSPECTIVE] Interview with this month’s guest artist Fabric Lenny 30_[localTALENT] Pete Lewis interviews Bradford based film director Jack King 38_[liveMUSIC] Live music reviews from around the district 40_[mediaREVIEW] Interview with local music historian Gary Kavanagh + Music + Books 42_[filmREVIEW] @ The Media Museum 44_[secretBRADFORD] Our pick of where to check out in the district 46_[wotsSAPNIN?] A soundbite guide to what’s going on in January

Support our socially concious agenda and invest in Bradford.

bradford@ howdomagazine.co.uk

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[DISCLAIMER]

HowDo Magazine is an independent organisation that encourages creative expression.

THE VEIWS EXPRESSED IN HowDo ARE THE OPINIONS OF THE WRITERS & DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE PUBLICATION.

“The service is good and the food is tasty�

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theBIGISSUE THE CURRY CAPITAL OF BRITAIN

“Bradford as a city has a palette that is very well developed… the customers here know good from bad and therefore you have got to be good.”

Bobby Patel, Operations Director, Prashad Shout it from the valleys: Bradford is curry capital of Britain.

Chances are you already were, it’s hard to find a Bradfordian that would not passionately proclaim our superior status.

Each of us can indeed take a pinch of pride in the knowledge that our seasoned palettes are contributing to the continuing high standards of cuisine in the city. Don’t take all the credit though; the award is a fiercely competitive affair, with strong competition coming from the Midlands and Glasgow in particular.

Bradford’s bid had to be better than ever and demonstrate they could bring much more to the table than the perfect pakora.

The first stage in the campaign was to call on the curry lovers of Bradford to show their support and determine who would win the right to represent the city. The response was emphatic; more votes were cast than ever before causing the system to crash twice. Shimla Spice pulled in more votes than any other restaurant in the country, earning it the title of ‘Customer Restaurant of the Year’. They were joined by Aagrah, Kiplings, and Prashad, who together would form the formidable ‘team Bradford’.

A bid package was then put together by Bradford Council’s Patricia Tillotson, who urged the winning restaurants to bring with them as much flair and creativity as possible to the bid. It would not only outline the quality of food and service offered by each of the restaurants, but also demonstrate an exceptional understanding of the curry restaurant sector. Once the bid had been presented to the panel it was down to the restaurants to deliver what they do best and impress the mystery diners.

The quality and diversity of the food was never in doubt, but where Bradford really excelled was in its foresight and future planning. The judges were particularly impressed by Bradford’s International Food Academy, which offers specialist training in Asian and International cuisine. Speaking to Bobby Patel, operations director at Prashad, it becomes clear that the academy may have a major role to play in the continued success of the industry.

He said, “Eventually they (the Government) are looking to argue the case that a certain level of curry skill can be trained in the country and therefore the actual definition of certain types of chef are being pulled out of the skill shortage list…

We for example have identified a chef who is particularly good at what he does and would fit my team very well but you have to go through various routes now to make sure they are employable and that the Home Office will grant them a visa to work.” These concerns were echoed by Waqar Ali, manager of

the Sweet Centre, who were named last year as one of the Ten Best Restaurants in Britain and selected as the number “one” Best value for money places to eat in Britain (Independent Newspaper) . He added, “The Visa restrictions have made it very difficult to find good all round skilled curry chefs. There is a shortage in the curry industry and overseas recruitment would greatly help.”

The policy changes are part of the government’s plans to tighten up the struggling economy but there are fears it could have a negative effect on the quality and authenticity of Asian food.

Bobby acknowledged both sides of the argument but suggested that a shortage of skilled curry chefs could be damaging.

“I can understand it , I’m British born myself and I appreciate that in these difficult economic times it is really important that we look to become as organic as an economy as possible, making sure that we getting the most out of our own ‘in country skills’ and not necessarily bringing it in as an import. Nevertheless the Home Office seems to be being dictated to by quotas and numbers and it’s obsessed with bringing these numbers down... what happens is when you do a blanket solution or decision there are casualties and as an individual restaurant we want to make sure we are not one of those casualties.”

It is unlikely they will be. It was Bradford’s understanding and contingencies towards these changes that really struck a chord with the award panel. The skills shortfall is something Bradford’s International Food Academy, the cities’ leading restaurateurs and the Council are aiming to address. The Academy, based at Bradford College is one of the first of its kind and is already providing the industry with skilled professionals. An indication that the city is well placed to cope with the demands of the industry.

Bobby said, “This year we were able to show how we were looking to develop for the future, things like embracing the international food academy at Bradford College, to show how we are embracing the changes that the Home Office are imposing upon our industry, it’s not ideal but if that’s the way it is going to go then as a city, other than lobbying for that not to happen we have got to have some kind of contingency plan in place as to how we are able to continue growing our businesses. One of the single factors that really stood out to the judges was not just how we were really good and diverse in our curry restaurants in the city but how we were looking at various ways of engaging with the community, with the colleges etc.

Planning for the future, understanding the industry and where the challenges lie.”

Bradford is a deserving winner of this award and it serves as a reminder, not that it is needed that curry really is the crowning jewel of the City.

Haigh Simpson

DID YOU KNOW?

As part of their submission, the Brad ford team broke the Guiness World Reco rd for the world's largest onion bhaji. It weighed in at a who pping 102.2kg!

5

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ourHERITAGE A Nightmare on Albion Street

“Actually we're fucked" was the Subject line of an email whistling around the 1in12. With the decline in the depth of peoples pockets thanks to the "age of austerity", there had been a noticable degredation in the numbers of hardy souls willing to brave the emotional rollercoaster of promoting their own DIY gigs.

Many of Bradford’s brightest and best alternative venues had either recently closed their doors, or were on their knees waiting for something to pick up. The members of the 1in12 were harking back to the days when a bucket was passed around the bar in the coldest days of winter, with the heating not going on until there was at least a fiver in it.

For the last 30 years, a small group formed from the Claimants Union and the local punk scene has chartered a path through the cobbled back streets of Bradford, outliving Thatcherism, standing in solidarity with the miners during the great strike, battling the Poll Tax and cuts of all shapes and sizes, opposing several pointless wars and keeping the monks of Buckfast Abbey in steady gainful employment. This is after all, more than just a DIY music venue.

The idea of a "Bratfud" without the 1in12 at its heart had struck a nerve even amongst that small group, and they began defiantly making good the situation, arranging gigs, meals, a 1in12 branded "Revolting Ale", badges, postcards and a plethora of other such goodies, all to keep the club alive.

By November 2011 the finances had stabilised and another storm had been weathered; the treasurer’s faculties intact. Tired and on the verge of burn out, this is when we were visited by the West Yorkshire Fire Service.

The Fire Officer explained that they had been tipped off that people were staying over at the club, notably when we had hosted the National Animal Rights Spring Gathering at the start of the year, and that the person who had informed them of this was concerned that our building was unsafe for this purpose.

Knowing what we now know, they probably had a point.

Our building is a former sweatshop squeezed at the bottom of the out-of-the-way, dimly lit, cobbled plaza of Albion Street.

We have owned the building since 1985 and moved in as a club in 1987 once the building had been renovated by an army of volunteers. As with all old buildings many of the fire safety features that would have been perfectly acceptable three centuries ago begin to look archaic and inadequate.

Add to this the often well intentioned actions such as people painting over the fire detectors, using fire extinguishers as doorstops, signage being replaced by helpful graffiti and people "improving" the electrics in the building; you start to see a space that was in desperate need of being brought in line with Fire Safety Legislation.

We were issued with an enforcement notice and given three months to complete all of this work or face legal action and

possible closure.

For the first six weeks we toiled day and night; a new fire alarm system was fitted at huge cost and much of the work began in earnest. At the mid-point of the enforcement period however, it became alarmingly obvious that the task was one which we had neither the time, resources or skills to tackle. Our situation was becoming more desperate by the hour. This is the point at which an email was sent to all four hundred odd members of the club explaining the situation and calling for help.

The response was overwhelming. Within hours, the callout had been reposted all over the internet. The publishing house Freedom Press put it up on the front page of their website and this was distributed through social networking sites to all the corners of the world. The post-box and email inbox started to fill up with offers of support; skills, money and solidarity.

The 1in12 Club has always been more than just a building. Its very existence defies the accepted logic that a venue cannot survive without private investment and vertical management structures. There are people in Bradford and beyond who have been members of the club all their lives. Legend has it that some current members were actually conceived here.

Many well known bands have donated percentages of their record sales to keep the club alive; others have made one off donations. Other social centres in the UK and beyond have arranged benefit nights, with support coming from as far away as Slovenia! Social centres have been one of "Bratfuds" best exports in the last three decades; both the Cowley Club in Brighton and the Sumac Centre in Nottingham have taken our constitution to set up a place of their own; we are currently supporting similar projects in their infancies in Sheffield and Manchester.

Skilled professionals have been coming to the club on a daily basis to volunteer their time; lift shafts have been sealed, walls built and rebuilt, electrics made safe, alcoves plastered; Many appeared shocked, when arriving for our annual festive party, to discover that the walls were actually white and not the normal mould-strewn brown.

At the time of writing, we have just three weeks left of our deadline. Much of the work is still ongoing, and parts of the cellar resemble a building site but I have no doubt whatsoever that we will pass this challenge. The stakes are too high for us not to - the loss of the 1in12 Club would be felt across the full spectrum of the Bratfud cultural scene and beyond. By the time this edition of How Do goes to press, there will either be a wild party teeming on the horizon or yet another giant hole in the centre of Bratfud.

The outcome will be down to the amazing solidarity shown by our members and our friends, and however things turn out there will be no doubt that we have done absolutely everything we can possibly do.

A question often asked at the club is "if a social centre is the answer, what's the problem it's trying to solve?” I don't know the definitive answer to this question but this is certainly the best solution I've ever known.

JIMDOG

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Fallen Angel Rising King; Fabric Lenny & Jonathan Grauel www.wovennarratives.com

bratfudOUTLOOK The “heart and soul” of Idle Village, for 36 years Kath Dewhirst has run a clothes tailoring shop Stitch in Time.

Mr Johnston, a regular customer of Kath’s for over a decade, went down to pick up his pants and chat about her outlook on life in Bradford. Recently acknowledged for her service to the community, she was given “The Community Spirit Recognition Award” at the Community Stars Active Citizens Awards 2011; a community awards ceremony run jointly by Bradford Council and the Telegraph & Argus.

[MJ] How do?

How do what? Oh How do?! I’m alrite luv.

[MJ] So I saw your picture in the T&A t’other day at the community awards ceremony. Having come in here since a young en’ that made me very proud. How did all this come about?

One of mi’ customers put me in for it. Did you read it?

KATH “Oh well people are bringing New Years things now, so I av’ to get it done. I haven’t told mi’ daughter yet cos’ she’ll go mad. She’s always telling me off for working too hard...I said to her when I die sing a song for me: Sinatra’s My Way. I don’t take a bit of notice!”

No cut glass vase on this occasion just a couple a’ brews and a whole barrel of respect for this great individual. With proper Yorkshire panache, Kath provides an invaluable service to Idle people. Multitudinous generations have gained from her extensive skills as a dressmaker, tailor and sewist, and moreover her settling presence; a constant in this ever-evolving West Yorkshire village.

[MJ] I did aye! How was the awards ceremony? You didn’t look so cheery Kath?!

Well, do ya wonder?! I’m not into a lot of fuss, I can’t do with fuss. There was a big television thing and I’m sat there with the Lord Mayor...They gave me this beautiful cut glass vase.

An old boy comes in with a card ‘Merry Christmas luv, there’s your card. And good health for the New Year!’

[MJ] What do you enjoy the most about your work?

It’s been nice seeing kiddies growing up and then I’m doing work for them. I’m doing generations! Also I like to help folk. I did the lads badges that are off to Afghanistan. And come Thursday I’ll be working on fancy dress for peoples’ New Years parties.

[MJ] Can you tell me the story of how you came to open this ‘ere shop?

Well I wa’ working at Riddles and mi daughter told me that the Bake House just round the corner was available, so I give it a go and opened up there.

[MJ] Riddles was the place you worked at before?

I’ve been sewing all mi’ life. I used to work at Riddles when I was 14, I learnt to sew there and I was making coats. I then worked for a catalogue...I used to make 48 dresses a week all’t same pattern! Then I made Baby Dog pajamas for British Home Stores.

[MJ] Baby Dog pajamas?

Oh ye they were all the go! You weren’t born then. I’ve made all sorts.

In walks another customer relieved for the restbite from the blustery December street.

KATH “Alrite luv what av ya come for?”

IDLE LADY “Its Ryan’s Jeans.”

KATH “Right, ohh here we are luv...Ey there posh’ens aren’t thi!...How ya doin luv?”

IDLE LADY “Aye not so bad, you been busy?”

11

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It’s a Mean Old Scene [Ramblings from the Hovel]

By Dick Stone Bourgeois is Beautiful: The Boating Party

I’m obsessing repetitively with my favourite cliché ridden paintings attempting to culturally fumigate them of crass associations. Primarily I’m trying to erase the damnable link that turgid classical muzak has with a raw energetic work of art.

Take for example: “The boating party” by Renior; because It has been dulled and muddied by musical chintz it’s now as irksome as a pack of dogs playing poker in a pub. Art resonates and advertisers know this so they’ve beaten it to death with over reproduction; like a poor bitch bred to death. Damn you, damn you all to hell.

Another example: I take a photo at a party in the Sparrow and with just a smidgen of imagination I can find resemblances and perceive that Renoir has captured an eternal truth; a cliquey wine ridden group of lushes and riddled thinkers having it large on a Saturday afternoon. I recommend playing some Saul Williams full blast in your headphones whilst walking through any gallery where the paintings are supposed to be high art.

The notion of high art interrupts my ability to commune with the work. Art is the rope between the gutter and the stars; if you lose one or t’other of the ends you’ll burn like Iccarus or wallow in the mire.

The insistent beat smashes any painting into contemporary associations. However, not even the addition of a soft porn soundtrack can bring me to a sticky Hieros Gamos with the painting-by-numbers-jigsaw on display in Cartwright hall... which I do recommend you view; some chap called David Hockney’s to blame.

In January I am being locked in a closet for three hours at South Square in Thornton.

If you’d like to hear my thoughts in person you might want to pop up to South Square in Thornton. It will be a stream of consciousness whispered through a tiny opening ‘Billy Whitelaw’ style for artist Heidi Harding. Incidentally I hear there are a lot of good things to cast your eye upon at the South Square Gallery.

Get into Gallery II (opposite the Tree House) as well. There are workshops and film screenings, clay sculpture, wish tree makings and other such noble crafts to get involved with.

Gallery II is a University Gallery in Bradford open to the public supporting community artists; student, professional and amateur alike; just ask at the Tree House Cafe if you get stuck.

Are we (W)hole?

We suffer from an increasing lack of incorporation into our environment; from the TV sets in the student union that blast out cheap pop music on contract before the Omar Souleyman gig to the big unrepresentative dystopian screen in Centenary square; like the green, green city centre park we all howl out for and instead are fed a massive, ugly polluting hole. We must take the city back with our own visions before it is too late.

William Blake would be with me on this one for sure.

A local witch told me that Squeaky clean shoulder pads are poncing around the city like post modern vampires. Did you know that a container full of money is coming into this city?

It’s going to attract a lot of vermin. Everyone’s going to have an opinion about Bradford in the lobbies and national papers. Like flies round shit they will descend. So if you have something to say get it said this year. Red riding approaches. Unfortunately it is my opinion that most of this money will be handed out in council tax rebates in a desperate attempt to appease precisely those businesses that disenfranchise us in the first instance and keep city centre retail rates too high; we shall see. This stymies the micro capitalist or any other type of regeneration; it destroys our city; it is the rich stealing from the poor.

I’m off to finish my bottle of whisky.

www.dickstoneartfeind.blogspot.com

people&ART

A Day in the Life of A Gallery Attendant

By Simon Cantrill I am currently sat in an art gallery in Bradford. I enjoy my job a lot of the time, I have the luxury of admiring great works of art on a daily basis and talking with middle aged retirees and the unemployed.

However, my assignment of late has been of a particularly tortuous nature. I am looking after one painting in one room; I cannot leave this to peruse the other galleries and paintings and so I sit for five and a half hours listening to an informative video on a ten minute repeat. My grasp of reality, I feel, has slipped through my fingers.

There is no barrier protecting the painting but it is of such national importance that a distance between the work and the public must be kept, to that end there is a thick green line marked and a polite notice asking that people do not step beyond it. So I find myself analysing shoes to ensure that the rules are being obeyed.

Amongst the older people there seems to be a propagation of practical footwear; sensible and comfortable but aesthetically grotesque. A fresh irony strikes me that these hideous grey and beige slip-on shoes should stand before such a beautiful painting

Occasionally a foot fetishists dream will walk in; although high-heeled boots could be considered inappropriate for a gallery visit they certainly add a frisson of glamour to an otherwise drab day.

After my half hour lunch I will read the visitor book. Most of the comments say “fantastic” or “magnificent” and talk of how wonderful it is to have such a work on display in Bradford, but occasionally someone will be “disappointed” or politely suggest that it has been hung incorrectly. My response to you is “no, it has not been hung incorrectly; it has been hung in a most magnificent fashion.” I would also suggest that you are not appreciating it properly. Admire all art works for what they are rather than complaining about how they have been hung, why think of such trifling matters in the presence of beautiful selfexpression? I bet you wouldn’t moan in the National Gallery.

And perhaps maybe next time instead of leaving passiveaggressive comments in the visitor book you might talk to the gallery attendant and have a reasonable discussion about it, at the very least you will relieve his monotony. You can tell an awful lot by the footwear people fashion. And I don’t take kindly to orthopeadic-one-size-fits-all-wearing swines leaving unnecessary comments in the book. Next time why not leave a nice comment about the gallery attendants fine choice in footwear?

David Hockney’s ‘Bigger Trees Near Warter’ exhibition is on at Cartwright Hall until the 4th March. Don’t miss this opportunity to see Hockney’s largest ever painting...It’s huge!

[THINGS TO GET INVOLVED IN]

During January and February Gallery II is going to host the constru ction of 1000 clay gnomes as part of an insane installation. The gallery invites anyone who fancies playing around with little bits of clay to help them build their gnome army which will form a unique installa tion in the Gallery before being posted around the world. The project will generate thousands of pictures and postcards from the far reaches of the globe. If you would like to work in the gallery space and help in the construction of this monumental exhibition then please email dougalterego@googlem ail.com, to arrange a time to come into the gallery, meet the staff and make some gnomes.

For a comprehensive guide to what’s on go to

fabricculture.co.uk

15

As You Pass By

According to Bradford: A Centenary City, a book by Bradford Council, Arthur Blackburn was a ‘tramp’. Alive between the years 1868-1940, his vocation conjures up for me images of the ‘gentleman tramp’, a popular archetype during his lifetime. Rather than a miserable down-and-out, I instead picture music hall caricatures, Charlie Chaplin and the old Casey Court comic strips that were so popular during the first half of the twentieth century. There are, in fact, many people out there who owe a debt to Mr Blackburn. For it was he who, during a compulsive phase in the twenties and thirties, set out to record memorial inscriptions of some 122 burial grounds and cemeteries within Bradford and its environs. Competing against the deteriorating effects of Bradford’s weather, as well as clearance and landscaping over the years, many inscriptions would be lost had Blackburn not taken the time to document this information for us.

Mid-December. Starting with the idea of honouring some of Bradford’s ‘unsung heroes’ I have arrived upon the somewhat morbid theme of graves. For, if I am to access even a scrap of the material legacies left by the sort of obscure characters that I hope to unearth, where better to look than their final resting places?

Hoping to complete the entire odyssey in a day, I catch the train from Todmorden and enjoy a quiet journey through the damp tresses of Calderdale. Suitably Gothic phenomena abound, the train weaves past crooked, dew-varnished trees and the half festering leaves of autumn that bedeck the valley. In Bradford now, the train sinks into a marsh of houses and factories from all eras and then opens up into the few towerblocks and derelict industrial buildings that characterise the areas surrounding the Bradford Interchange.

An old boy shuffles in his seat.

“Ted, Ted, there’s a car on a roof ‘ere.”

Arthur Blackburn was buried at West Bowling Cemetery in 1940 and, as cemeteries go, this one feels almost impeccable (aside from the dilapidated chapel in the centre that is quietly deteriorating into an apple crumble of Yorkshire sandstone and slate). Being that this is the first graveyard I visit, and not being a regular frequenter of such places outside of harebrained research projects, the little eccentricities of West Bowling Cemetery take me by surprise. I am startled, for example, by a large hoary tree that grows out of somebody’s grave bed, as if it had shot straight out of the deceased’s heart.

16

I notice an incandescent arrangement of flowers spelling out the letters D.A.D and find myself feeling shocked and then foolish, when I realise the grave is ten days old. As if death only happens in the past. By far the most impressionable moment though, comes when I reach the edge of the cemetery. In front of me is a vista across Bradford; a collage of mosque domes, chimneys and hills, with the course structure of the Bantam Stadium sitting awkwardly in the middle. To my left stand grand Victorian memorial stones and crypts with obelisks and disfigured angels. And finally, to my right, I find a scattering of tiny, fenced graves, inscribed with words like ‘born sleeping’.

There are toys and ornaments, some of Santa and Mr Snowman.

Some from Christmases long passed.

Alas, I can only use these fragments to piece together an imaginary impression of my hero’s final resting place as, ironically, Arthur Blackburn does not possess a marked grave.

When he died he was living in a Salvation Army hostel and was, therefore, presumably unable to afford anything more elaborate than a ‘pauper’s’ burial. Thankfully though, his legacy lives on in the handwritten records he left to the Bradford Central Library.

Three miles or so north of West Bowling, I find myself in a very different cemetery. A land of idiosyncratic tombs, mausoleums and columns that dither between order and anarchy.

Although Undercliffe Cemetery is home to many famous mill owners, industrialists, wool barons and politicians, I come in search of a man named Walter Calver.

Calver (1830-1866) was the proprietor of a travelling puppet theatre called The Original Marionettes. During his lifetime, shows of this nature were exceedingly popular, usually with the younger end of the ‘lower orders’. Illuminated with paraffin lamps and heated with several coke fires, the travelling theatres were large, elaborate constructs of timber and fabric that were re-carpeted nightly with a layer of sawdust. Calver himself proudly referred to his 1000 seat theatre as ‘large and commodious’, adding that it offered reserved seats, a pit and a gallery. Unfortunately, but perhaps predictably, this kind of entertainment was often disregarded as low-brow and ‘common’ and the marionette show people amassed audiences consisting of anybody they could find.

people&ART That said, on one occasion, Calver had Queen Victoria amongst his numbers, testament to the high quality of entertainment his shows must have offered. Details such as these provide me with a wonderful image of an eccentric gentleman with a thousand voices and a penchant for spectacle; a nomadic outcast with a booming laugh and a secret distain for the noisy youths that may have interrupted some of the more thought provoking turns.

Half swallowed by ivy, in a section of the cemetery that falls into a sort of woodland necropolis from which gravestones peep out at you, you could not be blamed for missing Calver’s grave today. And who would be drawn to it-when in the opulent open stretch leading up to Joseph Smith’s prospect, you’ve got William Sharp, ‘fishmonger’; James Wignall, ‘butter factor; John Steel, ‘surgeon’ and, lest we forget, Bob Cryer, ‘socialist parliamentarian, iconoclast and lifelong rebel’.

Just as I began my journey with the poor, I end it with the rich. Unlike Blackburn and Calver, information about Joseph Hobson Jagger (1830-1892) is much more readily available.

Perhaps people find his particular spectacle more resonant than Calver’s stage antics; the motive of his endeavours more lucid than those of Blackburn. The grave is grander too; situated in the quaint Bethel Cemetery in Shelf, the grey edifice has its very own miniature fence marking it out from the generally more modest surrounding structures.

Born in Little Horton in 1830, Jagger worked as an engineer at Bottomley’s Mill in Shelf. Clearly an attentive man, he must have become fascinated by the effects the wear and tear had on the wooden spindles he was responsible for. Applying these observations to the mechanics of the roulette wheel, he began to question whether the outcome of these gambling machines was purely arbitrary, or if each individual wheel could, with time, begin to favour particular numbers.

He travelled to the gambling Mecca of Monte Carlo in 1875, complete with six clerks who secretly recorded the outcomes of separate wheels. Discovering that one of them did in fact favour a specific set of numbers, he placed his first bet on July 7th and came to win a considerable amount of money, whilst rousing the suspicions of casino officials in the process. Regardless of management’s attempt to outsmart him by re-arranging the roulette wheels, Jagger was able to seek out his favourite wheel again because of a small mark he had remembered seeing on the cylinder. He eventually amassed more than 2 million in old francs (£400,000). It is surprising that Jagger left France without being formally investigated, as the casino did eventually realise the key to his success and replaced the offending wheel. Upon returning to England, Jagger left his job at the cotton mill and invested his money in property at Little Horton.

There is another reason why Jagger’s memory has persevered in the British consciousness though. It is that famous Fred Gilbert penned ditty, made famous by music hall’s beloved lion comique, Charles Coburn: The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo. Although some contest that this song was actually inspired by Charles Wells, for many people it is the antics of Jagger that the song invites them to recall.

Aside from the character himself, perhaps the concept of Jagger inspires fascination because of what he represents; having trumped an industry that thrives as much on the wealthy as it does on the desperate, Jagger also outsmarted the authorities and, best of all, he used a unique knowledge base that was informed by the kind of industries upon which modern Bradford was built.

When he died, Jagger left £200 for the upkeep of his grave, although judging by the overgrowth of moss and the flaking paint, his two hundred must now be long spent.

Jagger was lucky in more ways than one. Juxtaposing his life with that of Blackburn, it is hard not to feel pity for the man who recorded the memorial inscriptions in Bradford. Indeed, perhaps somewhere amongst the elaborate black handwriting of Blackburn’s records, there can be found the inscriptions for both Jagger’s and Calver’s memorial stones. This aside, unless we preserve the heritage of men like these by whispering their names through the ages they will fall into obscurity. The same obscurity as the unfortunate grave holders that Blackburn unwittingly recorded with: THERE IS NO NAME ON THIS STONE.

BENJAMIN DALBY

CHECK THIS OUT!

I STOOD UP AND I SAID YEAH ISSU E 2; PROVOCATION 28 page limited edition zine inc. text, image, video & audio www.istoodupandisaidyeah.wordp ress.com

25 years of support for Arts and Creativity in Bradford

For all event services visit: www.raisetheroof.uk.com

ART, THEATRE AND MUSIC from the University of Bradford Memory Theatre - part two 23 Jan – 24 Feb. Storytelling and journeying.

Our specially created 10ft square room (currently reminiscence project Back Door) becomes a space for Peter Hughes’s blip journal. Interactive installation by artist Yan Wang, Wishing Tree and the 1,000 Gnomes Project by Strawhouse.

www.bradford.ac.uk/gallery

TLMC

Friday 27th January at the Polish Parish Club (part of No Hands)

Fun and Games A night of innovative, playful and leftfield approaches to technology and games with live music and performances from Runners, Circuit Ben and Button Mash Collective.

www.bradford.ac.uk/music

Thurs 19th Jan, 4–6pm

Instant Dissidence workshop Fri 20th Jan, 4–5.30pm

Instant Dissidence – work in progress sharing – Caramel Sat 21st Jan, 7.30pm

Steven Severin: Vampyr Tues 24th Jan, 7.30pm

Ellie Harrison: The Etiquette of Grief

hDOOW?

Fri 27th Jan, 1–10pm (at The Midland Hotel)

Ellie Harrison and Jaye Kearney: The Reservation Sat 28th and Sun 29th Jan, 4–8.45pm

Hannah Sibai: The Tunnel www.bradford.ac.uk/theatre box office 01274 233200

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MONTHLY CULTURAL MAGAZINE FOR THE PEOPLE OF BRADFORD [BY THE PEOPLE OF BRADFORD] Comprehensive distribution across West Yorkshire utilising our established links within the creative industry, local government, community groups, local arts & popular cultural venues.

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theatre&PERFORMANCE Mind the Gap – Stig of the Dump

Interview with emmaJACKSON Emma Jackson is a writer, theatre director and the founder of Leeds–based POUT Productions (Political Operations under Threat). I took the opportunity to ask her a few questions about her writing, her vision and the origins of her work.

How did POUT Productions originate?

It was founded in 2010 through the Incubator scheme at Leeds University. I was working with two other people, but that fell through and I carried on by myself. I wanted to produce pub and club theatre similar to 1970’s agit-prop ( “agitation and propaganda” – JS), but in a more modern style.

Where did the name come from?

I think of a pout as a surly kiss: we do political satire with a wry smile and a nod. I wanted the work to have a strong aesthetic.

A pouting pair of lips is a nice juxtaposition and different to the usual look of political theatre.

Tell me about the genesis of ‘Julie’s Shoes’ Four or five years ago, I read a play called “Journey’s End” (RC Sherriff, 1928). It’s a play about war, from the lads’ perspective. Through subsequent research I found a film called “Dead Men’s Shoes” (dir. Shane Meadows, 2004). Round about the same time a schoolfriend who had joined the army and gone to Iraq was killed; it was a big thing in my home town.

When it came to writing ‘Julie’s Shoes’ I thought it would be good, instead of writing in abstract terms, to be supportive of the waiting families. In writing it I did a lot of research about Afghanistan and Iraq. About a year ago I met Steph (Stephanie Upshall, co-director of the piece and one cornerstone of the West Yorkshire Theatre Network along with Emma and others). At the same time a shorter version of the play was included in the Development Lab’s and Mark Catley’s ‘Northern Bullits’ project at Theatre in the Mill. I’d applied for this on the offchance, at the same time as determining I’d put it on myself. We then worked on it with Rod Dixon of Red Ladder (a Leeds-based theatre company), had a few cast changes, and we’ve just done this short tour.

What next, both for POUT and for ‘Julie’s Shoes’?

For Julie’s Shoes we’ve been talking about doing a performance for some soldiers and possibly at next year’s Saturnalia festival.

Based on the experience we had of there being “no room at the inn” on the very last night of the tour, and us having to find somewhere else only a couple of hours before the show, we’re also looking at doing a “pop-up theatre” event and documenting the process. More generally I’m looking at digital technologies. Motion tracking can now be done live, so I’d like to look at a mixture of that and live performance”.

INTERVIEW BY JANE STEELE

Mind the Gap’s last Production was Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. A show and story which, while beautifully acted and presented on a pared down set, had a serious story to tell.

Stig of the Dump then was a complete volte face. An excuse for the Gappers to let loose with as much fun as they could lay their hands on. From the programmes that turned into hats, to the set that contained hidden secret after hidden secret, from the inventive use of puppetry to the infectious acting, Stig was a joy to behold. Mike Kenny’s script was brought to life by the small cast with enthusiasm. Special mention must go to Alan Clay, one of Mind the Gap’s longest serving actors, who gave Stig a beautiful depth through both his puppetry and mask work.

Stig of the Dump is of course a classic children’s book by Clive King. It’s biggest theme is imagination. How, to a child, everyday objects can become objects of power and wonder when stripped from their normal surroundings, seen through the eyes of someone in extraordinary surroundings – a caveman for example. What this production achieved so well was being able to take this displacement effect and gift it to the audience. A bicycle frame delivered a cup of water, the pedals used as a crane, the kitchen table became Stig’s cave. And then at the climax of the show an astounding transformation of the set created a piece of theatrical magic that left the audience awed, for which the set designer and production manager richly deserve credit.

While Stig of the Dump was ostensibly for kids and families, it would not have failed to give even the most miserable Scrooge a great big smile.

PETER HUNTLEY

In the space of just a week, the Carriageworks in Leeds has a bumper crop of highly recommended shows to check out: 24th/25th January -Stalin's Favourite/Defying Hitler [Theatre Unlimited] Touring from the National Theatre with acclaimed reviews.

26th January - Sherlock Holmes: The Death and Life Award winning actor Roger Llewellyn brings his one man show to the Carriageworks as part of a world wide tour. 550 Performances and counting.

26th-28h January - Jo's War [Encore Drama] I happened to be present when Lucy Bell's Jo's War won the inaugural Ronald Duncan Award, it's a truly worthy winner.

Encore Drama have been closeted away for several months to bring the show to stage and I can't wait to see the results.

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[foreWORD]

Well here we are again for another edition. I was bowled over by the quality and the look of our first magazine and I really hope you enjoyed it, too.

For a couple of years now I’ve thought to myself, “Do you know what I’d love?? A column. And I’d love to do a bit of editing, too”. Well I’m killing two birds with one stone now and, given that I introduced myself last month, in future months I will be doing more of an opinions slot. It doesn’t just have to be my opinion, though. If you have something to say on the subject of words, writing, literature, call it what you want, then send it to me. The email address for any correspondence is jane@ howdomagazine.co.uk In this month’s section we have poetry from the delightful Steve Lunn. His poems are poignant, funny, bittersweet little gems. He never titles any of them and they always rhyme. We also hear from Emma Decent, Hebden Bridgebased poet, who vividly animates her central character with compassion and wit. I hear echoes of the Arctic Monkeys in this one and would be very interested to hear what you think of this and any other part of this section.

As I shall probably be saying on a monthly basis, if you would like to submit a poem or three, please do. Especially if you think you can’t. I will consider prose, too, because I’d really like to expand people’s idea of what spoken word actually is.

Jane

‘Barbie lives’

by Emma Decent

Barbie lives.

And works at Tescos near me.

Tall, slim, no more than an eight, long dead straight blonde hair, the colour of cornfields, or a Garnier box.

Skin a soft mat orange Barbie lives!

“Alright love!”

Surprisingly Barbie has the mouth of a ladette, She speaks loudly and coarsely to all.

Too young, too pretty for her rough crude mouth, her quickfire, too-personal questions.

Spilling out sex graphically brasher than innuendo brazen and cocksure.

The lads love it, misinterpret it as confidence Unreliable workmen say “I’d do anything for Barbie” Even turn up on time.

Oh Barbie, Barbie We’ve all got a crush on you.

In your dreams, Barbie doesn’t play with anyone she is, of course, a masturbatory fantasy, every girl’s wannabe dream.

Oh Barbie, Barbie With your eyes so blue.

But Barbie isn’t fiction, she’s as real as you and me, She gets up in the morning, and she knows what’s important.

Her face a flawless painting every day.

Hairless fake tan skin Perfectly straight hair.

Out of uniform as soon as her shift is over, she’s only in good clothes to do her shopping at the tills.

Works out every morning “Got to, had a pizza last night!”

But it’s worth it.

Her belly is perfectly flat.

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You’d never think she had a child but yes, Barbie is a single mum with a silent six year old

spokenWORD who follows her thoughtfully through town.

Sharp girl like her, wouldn’t think she’d fall for that.

Pretty girl like her, wouldn’t think she was old enough for that.

Barbie is older than she looks.

Barbie has a boyfriend, not the child’s father, not Ken either.

Another bloke a hopeless case she gets pissed with at the weekends and wants to, ought to, but doesn’t dump.

Pretty girl like her could surely find someone else Pretty girl like her could surely be somewhere else, anywhere else, with the world at her feet a model, celebrity or WAG? Oh Barbie, Barbie, Let me take you away from all this.

Fly you away from Tescos to the place you dream of.

Find a magic potion that will wash away the foul taste in your mouth you can’t get rid of, somewhere away from the mirror where you always look and find wanting.

But no.

Barbie can’t get the childcare.

So she live And works at Tescos near me.

To the cheerful The happy The sweet The lovely The playful The gentle The sharing The loving The giving The caring The big-hearted The kind Thank you Thank you And thank you one and all Because if it was down to the rest of us Weirdo …sons of bitches and dogs Humanity would fall

by Steve Lunn

[EVENTS]

If you are putting on an event you’d like us to publicise then drop me an email: jane@howdomagazine.co.uk. We would like to feature regular events, interesting one-offs and everything in-betw een.

Joanne Harris, author of ‘Chocolat’, reads and answers questio ns.

Thursday 5th jan - 7.30 pm @ The Red Shed, Vicarage Street, Wakefield WF1 1QX Leeds Combined Arts Poetry and Storytelling Evening. Theme: ‘New Beginnings’

Wednesday 18th - 7:30-9:45pm

@ HEART (Headingley Enterprise and Arts Centre), Bennett Road, Leeds LS6 3HN

Wakefield Artwalk Burns Night Celebration with poetry readings from Max Wallis, Sarah Hymas, Andrew McMillan and

David Tait.

Wednesday 25th - 5 – 9 pm

@ The Hepworth, Gallery Walk, Wakefield WF1 5AW

www.occupywriters.com Daily - 24-7 This unusual website is very much worth a mention...They are looking for original writing from those involved in the Occupation movement around the world.

The Beehive Poets gathering to share poems, run workshops + guest poets from around the region www.beehivepoets.org.uk Every Monday @ 8.30pm New Beehive Inn, Westgate, Bradford, BD1 3AA Our Sheffield friends WordLife at Theatre In’t Mill, University of Bradford - 17th February 7.00pm Word Life are one of Yorkshire’s leading live literature organisations.

Features Ross Sutherland (‘One of the Top Ten Literary Stars

Towards the back end of November 2011 Fabric Lenny spent 3 days in a log cabin in North Yorkshire working on a new body of work. Above are some of the fruits of his work. All of the works are A1 and mixed media on heavy watercolour stock, painted using a limited palette of black and white. He named the resulting collection of images 3 Days in November.

A time-lapse film of the process can be viewed online: http://vimeo.com/32982326

26

artisticPERSPECTIVE The art that graces the uncoated paper of this month’s HowDo is that of Holmfirth based artist Fabric Lenny.

Mr Johnston paid a visit to his family home/studio to discuss what it is that makes him tick...

[MJ] So what projects are you working on at present?

Recently I was so full up with doing work for other people, that I realised I needed to start doing my own stuff again. So I hired a cottage in the middle of Dalby Forest for 4 days with the idea of creating a new body of work. I also filmed it and I decided to make a stop-motion animation of the process. I called the project 3 days in November.

Also, I’ve been working with a guy from America (Jonathan Grauel) on a project called ‘Woven Narratives’. It’s basically iPad paintings which we send back and forth to one another.

I did some other collaborative stuff with a guy in Italy (Matthew Watkins) and the idea was that it would end up as a film, so he would create an image and then I would either destroy it or change it. It would then fire back and forth between us about 20 times and that then became the film. The end product for this was always about creating a piece of entertainment, whereas other collaborations were about creating a final image or fine art outcome.

[MJ] Can you describe your creative process and what inspires you?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently and what is it about the creative process that intrigues me. I liken the stuff that I’m making at the moment to a kind of ‘visual archaeology’, in that the image is there I just need to dig and find it. It’s important not to make sketches and pre plan the work, I just make and it’s like a stream of consciousness with the idea that the image is there and I’m just kind of looking and digging for it.

[MJ] I bet that kind of thinking works well with the collaborative work you mentioned...

Yeah it does because you do get into a place where you’re digging in the same hole all the time and finding the same stuff whereas someone else can introduce you to a different ‘site’ or ‘dig’. This relates to the Woven Narratives project I was on about because a cast of characters keep reappearing while others will be introduced further along. I’ve gone off on one haven’t I. [MJ] No, No…well yeah. My next question is when are you at your most productive?

I don’t think there is one; I just like to make stuff all the time.

Even if I’m not drawing, I’m drawing with my eyes, even now I’m drawing the branches on the trees outside. Recently I’ve been trying to push myself more by drawing more observed stuff, drawing from life.

I suppose the way that I work, it’s almost like jazz-jamming.

[MJ] Money and art is a difficult thing really, so the big question is how do you put food on the table?

Its never been about making money...I don’t earn very much at all. I feel very privileged that I am at a point where I can consider earning a living from drawing pictures. Over the last two years I’ve travelled more than I ever have, I’ve been to NY twice, Hamburg, and a huge exhibition on Apple paraphernalia which included an exhibition of our work. I did some workshops in Italy, all this has come from my work with painting on the iPad. I don’t get paid for any of these gigs but its great! I’m lucky that I’ve got a background in film production and animation as well. ....the last piece I’ve been working on is a film called Barnsley’s Sporting Heroes for the new Museum in Barnsley, that’s kept me going for the last few months.

Last week I got a request to contribute some images from GQ magazine doing a feature on iPad artists, but it wasn’t really my cup of tea.

MJ: In that case can I get a recording saying “HowDo is my cuppa tea?!” ..........hahaa [MJ] Ok so lets move on, what is it about Yorkshire that inspires you and keeps you interested?

There’s a really great geographical thing about West Yorkshire.

I really like the way you can drive for 10 minutes and be in the middle of nowhere, or in the middle of an exciting city. I really like the Yorkshire people, that self deprecation, they’re not frightened to laugh at themselves....there’s really something quite charming about that.

[MJ] Good stuff, that’s really nice to hear. So what do you think sets Bradford apart as the cultural metropolis of Yorkshire.

There seems to have been a strong creative movement developing within Bradford over the last couple of years. Lots of people with a similar voice, wanting to do some positive things in the city. Somehow it feels like a small town, with a community feel. Some other cities in the region seem to have lost their individuality, particularly in the city centres, and the cultural fabric has been diluted. It doesn’t seem to be the case so much in Bradford. It might be that whole thing about positive things coming out of struggle. There seems to be a tight nit group of people who actually give a shit. There is such an ethnic, cultural, quirky mix, there is a real cultural identity here which comes through in its people.

[FABRIC LENNY SAYS CHECK THIS OUT!]

[PHILLIP GASTON] American Abstract Expressionist who turned to a cast of chunky charact

www.mckeegallery.com/artists/philip-guston

ers to populate his later works

[Jean Michel Basquiat] American painter of visceral and engagingly raw images - www.ba squiat.com [David Shrigley] British artist, Illustrator and Filmmaker with an eye for the bizarre and intriguing - www.davidshrigley.com [Dumbland, David Lynch] Disturbingly entertaining amusement from the master of the peculiar. Episode 1 is the best.

BRADFORD CAMRA PUB OF THE SEASON AUTUMN 2011 As featured in The Guardian’s Top Ten UK Craft Beer Bars

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colourWRITING MEETING TOM WOODLAND

The outside eye on Bradford’s land is perhaps seen as bare.

Down the hole and left to rot; our oldest trees left waiting for a god who arrives in a bulldozer to build over the old echoes of our city. ‘Where is everyone?’ The shopkeepers cry and the councillors worry. This is Bradford: where are its people?

Where is the scene?

Bradford is a fertile country, for when you have to mix blood and love in a city’s ashes it creates a bed that’s rich and dark where the alchemic process for great art may be found. I see artists everywhere, mushrooming up from the underground gathering by the rich wet moss, uncaged from the white box and kicking in the back streets. This is Bradford.

Art: a person’s essence on a page, caught in a dance, within a sound and a song, gold and warm, deep and red; our attraction to it is as the moth to the moon. Through the making, and to our surprise, the moth can dance and find its way home again.

Where do the people gather to chat and talk and plan and laugh when the markets have been ripped down and the green land will soon go? The weather was grey outside; slate grey the way Bradford can be with rain in the mist; people were milling, talking, discussing and planning the next artistic endeavour.

It was in the middle of the warm humming chatter, whilst enjoying the feeling of coffee culture in The Tree House Café that I happened upon a chance meeting with a mild voice that made a strong impression. I was introduced to Tom Woodland; a fine artist and scholar. He wore a green coat with flat cap which didn’t look out of place in our mossy republic and with low mellow tones to his voice that hinted his spirit seemed slightly older than his 22 years; another social observer; I liked him straight away. We talked; he drew me in and explained ‘The Rules,’ for the creation of his illustration. Tom is taking the ego right out of the process, part by chance, part by anthropology and part by magic:

“I have no idea what will happen yet, what it’s going to look like.” Tom was in a constant state of reflection. The work is a collaboration with the people he speaks to. “I worry the questions are too personal and I don’t think I need to add the location; and the colour means nothing; they give me a palate to work with.” I’ve seen chance games create greater creativity than the imagination but passing your work to chance always begs the question what happens if it doesn’t work?

Telling me about a printing press he found, he passes me a small piece of paper.

“Words are magic spells, A string of powerful symbols, Sigils provoke change” “ Keep it, I’m using sigils as a practical method to collect shapes but one fellow said even a recipe for cake mixture is a magic spell, follow the words and you create change, you get a cake” he laughed whilst he mulled over his research. I considered this artist who wants to collaborate with society by engaging and talking and letting go of control to find a beautiful vision that resonates with the peoples voice. This I feel I’m sure; I seem to remember; oh yes; this is Bradford.

CHEMAINE COOKE

totem by fabric lenny

• Find two people who are in conversation, ask them 3 questions.

• Where did you meet each other?

• How would you categorise your relationship?

• Please can you give me a colour?

The answers are deconstructed, all vowels are taken away and the words are stripped back to the consonantal symbols, leaving Tom with shapes on a page.

“Talking to people” he said was part of the motivation for this process, “Not being stuck in a room drawing alone but engaging with people.”

Tom arranges the shapes, creating sigils, at this point he allows himself into the process, giving the shapes life and colour, balancing simplicity with complexity to allow the drawing to have a resonance.

29

An Interview with Bradford Film Director Jack King [By Pete Lewis] When Bradford was awarded the status of UNESCO city of Film in 2009 it beat off competition from such natural contenders as L.A, Cannes and Venice, yet despite this accolade film in the region is still primarily associated with two fairly contrasting aesthetics, gritty social realism set against the strikingly bleak landscapes of the industrial north and the vibrant imagination of contemporary Bollywood. Jack King a young director from Shipley has been busy carving out a niche of his own somewhere between the two. Mixing the surreal with the mundane, abstracting the visceral from the physical and wrapping it all up handily in a five-minute music video. With fine work already under his belt for Bradford artists such as That Fucking Tank and Hourglass Sea I caught up with him fresh from wrapping on his largest project to date, a series of music videos for new band To Kill a King commissioned by Virgin records.

How did you find the shift from self financed, self-produced films to a production of this scale? (Jack was given a crew of thirty plus and a five figure budget for the shoot) The shift overall was good, it’s easier because I can focus on directing. It sounds silly but trivial things like shifting gear, making sandwiches and scheduling mean you instantly lose sight of your objective so having an amazing team of thirty plus is the ultimate weight off. The only problem was that we had four days to shoot four videos and I’d normally take at least two days to shoot one! So it was no luxury, the cast and crew were pushed hard and I went to the dark place in my mind, the place where the female body-builders live.

What’s the concept of the to Kill a King videos?

The videos are open to interpretation, as are most things I do, but I apply my own meanings. It started with myself and Ralph (singer To Kill a King) wanting to make something which reflected the content of the songs; about two estranged friends and the community they live in, and how everyone can see into each other’s lives, nothing is private. My aim was to bring the characters alive, delving deeper into the parts that they can’t see, or the parts they think they can see, or the parts they really want to see. Straight away reality becomes distorted, as it does in real-life, which is what creates drama and what makes it a simple film about people who are all a bit mental, like most of us.

What do you enjoy so much about the music video format?

It’s easier I think, within minutes of listening to a song I’ve got a feel for the ‘genre’ and the shape of the story, the music gives you an instant starting point. I don’t particularly enjoy the standard performance music-video format, I don’t know what I can learn about shaping and telling stories from that, but if I’m allowed to shoot images that excite me, and/or with

30

localTALENT actors and a script, then I love it.

You’ve developed a unique style that motifs throughout your work, do you think it’s important for an artist to find their own a distinct voice?

Thanks. It flatters me when someone says I have a ‘style’, because I obviously didn’t when I started, so I must have progressed in some way. It takes time to develop one I think, I’m still working on it and finding it, again learning what works for me and what doesn’t, but constantly getting a clearer idea about what I want to say and how I want to say it.

So yeah, I think that’s what being an artist is in some respects, the process of trying to find a voice - you might never pin it down exactly but as long as you keep digging. I’m at the beginning of the process so I don’t think I can sum up my style, but I know that it isn’t gritty northern realism.

Bradford seems integral in your film making process, do you find the city inspiring?

fish and get eaten by the big fish. If they stay they can be big fish, meet the mayor and get their own radio show, no brainer.

What’s next for Jack King?

I’ve written a short film I’m hoping will go into production with at the beginning of 2012 (it may not be set in Bradford - but it probably will be). I’m also going freelance, making commercials, virals and more music videos with the aim of basically doing this for a living and finding less tedious ways of funding the shorts I’ve got planned for next year, so any artists, musicians, charities, toothbrush manufacturers, absolutely anyone who wants a video making get in touch.

Check out Jack’s wonderful work online @ www.vimeo.com/jackking inaboxfilms@hotmail.com www.degucollective.co.uk

Bradford for me is a form of parameter, it makes sense for me to write stuff set here because it automatically limits my creative options and forces me to think outside the box. Being brought up here and forming some kind of identity here means I have millions of impressions on my mind that come from the city around me and which influence everything I do, I can’t deny that for the most part it’s an eyesore, but luckily that appeals to me.

What made you decide to set your film on Buttershaw?

Horses, it had horses on it! That and I saw the film ‘The arbour’ a year or so ago, about Andrea Dunbar’s life, and parts of it were shot on the same estate we shot on. I liked the aesthetic of Buttershaw, the houses are colourful, it’s not about run-down tower blocks or boarded-up semis anymore. It was colourful and it had horses but most of all it had a sense of community, the people went out of their way to accomodate us, in the end I’m not sure we could have made the film anywhere else.

Do you think Bradford is sometimes overlooked nationally?

Well everyone knows who David Hockney is, so most people will probably be happy with that for at least another 200 years. But I think there is a pretty vibrant and exciting arts and music scene in Bradford, I know some people are taking initiatives to get it out there. It’s a smaller place, and it doesn’t have the greatest reputation, I’m sure that has a lot to do with it.

Is this problem perpetuated by our young artists moving away from Bradford?

I don’t think that its just artists, young ambitious people in general. I guess London has more opportunities, better looking women, faster trains and flashy lights, so it makes sense for people to go, but they’re probably going to end up as a little

PHOTOGRAPH BY JANINE GAUNT

THE SHIPLEY PRIDE Shipley’s Number One Real Ale Pub 1 Saltaire Road, Shipley, Tel: 07815426072 Live Act’s This Month...

Sat 7th - Recycled - Classic covers band Sat 14th - Revolver - Modern blues rock band Sat 21st - The Broken Hearts Club Band - Kinda skiffle but not!

Sat 28th - Stonefall - Heavy rock/metal band

Weekly Entertainment...

Every Tuesday - General Knowledge Quiz Every Thursday - Music Quiz

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Bradford’s Oldest Brewery

dayTRIPPING I thought to myself.....Christmas is over now, better get some exercise. It’s time to lose some of that festive lard. Get your coat and boots on and go for a walk! I also discovered a few things that I had never known about Shipley Glen, and it made me think.

Since it opened in 1895 the glen tramway has faithfully carried its passenger’s up the quarter mile track to the attractions and nature of the glen above. By the late 1880’s thousands were spending their free time on the glen and it was then that Sam Wilson saw the potential of adding to the growing list of its attractions. The original cost to ride the tram was 1d up and 1/2d down. Today it’s still only pence to ride, is run by a team of dedicated volunteers and is the oldest cable tramway still working in the UK. A lot of people (myself included) will have fond childhood memories of riding the tram, playing on the rocks and riding the fairground attractions and although the latter has now gone both the tram and the rocks still remain.

I was surprised to learn that there were other attractions that came before the tramway. 1889 saw the first cable hauled ride at Shipley glen, this was the Aerial Flight. Situated between Bracken Hall countryside centre and Glen House it conveyed its passengers high above the valleys edge, a thrilling ride through the treetops, it lasted until 1917. Another attraction was the toboggan slide which was billed by Wilson as ‘the longest, widest and steepest ever erected on Earth’. It was a giant structure. Made from over 1000 tons of timber it would have never made it passed the health and safety gargoyles of today, spoilsports! I’d definitely have a go on it!

I even tried to find some evidence of it whilst I was walking about, but to no avail, it had disappeared in the woodland.

Apart from the tramway and the fairground the longest surviving attraction was the Japanese gardens which lasted in some form until 1979, but even that succumbed to housing eventually.

My favourite view can be found heading west from Great Horton. It is infact just at the brow of the hill of Back Lane.

This is a great part of Bradford, it feels like proper countryside and on a bright day, as Jools Denby says, it can feel like you're just about to rise over the hill and see the sea. It is so much more than that though, for one, there is a tremendous sense of anticipation as you ride up Back Lane, almost like the sea is just over the top. Secondly, even though there isn't an sea-scape on the other side, there is an amazing view out over hills the way over to Thorton.

To me this a wonderful landscape, my home and my heritage all rolled into one. This hill feels like it has been like this for hundreds of years and it probably has.

SIMON CANTRILL

A steady decline caused by first the invention of cinema and later by land development. Probably. So after I had learnt this and I was on my walk through the woods it made me think. If all these attractions were here today would more people be up at Shipley glen in their free time? Whatever the answer to that question is, here is what it should be........Yes.........And here are the reasons why!

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It’s so easy..... Put the Xbox controller down, turn off the X-factor. – Go for a walk, there is no other beauty than nature.

Its part of your history and it’s the oldest cable tramway that works in the UK...

The glen itself....It might be close by, but by eck it’s still wild up there. Bradford is lucky to be surrounded by so much great landscape- we take it for granted.

So, like I was saying. The next time the cobwebs need blowing off. The next time there’s nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon. Or if you just need to lose a bit of Christ-mass, visit the glen tramway. Have a wonder through the rocks of the glen and have a pint in the Old Glen House on your way back down – I promise it will make you feel grand.

GEORGE QUINN

BACK LANE, GREAT HORTON

what’s your favourite view? send your photograph + 100 words describing the significance of said view to mrjohnston@howdomagazine.co.uk

Bradford Irish Club Céad Míle Fáilte

*

Traditional Ales and the Best Guinness in Bradford

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Games League (snooker, darts, doms)

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Irish Language Lessons

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Open Mic Sessions

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Luncheon Club

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The Jodie Kennedy School of Irish Dance (Saturdays)

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Portrait Drawing (Wednesdays)

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Music Lessons (Wednesdays)

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Topic Folk Club (Thursdays)

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JATP Jazz (1st Friday of month)

12th Jan - The Sail Pattern 19th Jan - Dave Vermond 26th Jan - Pilgrims Way 2nd Feb - Singers/Musicians 6th Jan - Toby Greenwood’s ‘We Free Kings 3rd Feb - Partikel

Openings Monday to Friday 7:00pm -12am Saturday 11:00am – 12am Sunday 12pm – 12am

Free Student Membership Rebecca St, Bradford BD1 2RX Tel : 01274 732000

www.bradfordirish.com

STUBBLE TROUBLE Fabric Lenny & Jonathan Grauel www.wovennarratives.com

Mel Crash in association with The Brudenell presents:

the man, the legend, the fully qualified survivor...

michael chapman plus guests

‘Fully Qualified Survivor’, the classic 1970 Harvest album now re-released on Light In The Attic Records

Brudenell Social Club, Leeds / Thurs 9th February 2012 Doors 7:30pm / £8 adv ance, £10 on the door TicketsfromCrash,Jumbo&theBrudenell

Czar Pinky; iPad Fingerpainting

Omar Souleyman: behind the scenes @ bradford university Amp bar 10th dec 2011 I didn’t know who Omar Souleyman was, didn’t really know where Syria was (ye gods Douglas) and I didn’t have even a slight awareness of the sublime frequencies label. He was just some cool looking dude who’d played with Bjork. He wore a Magnum PI moustache, aviators and a red and white-chequered keffiyeh.

Syrian street party music... aaaah of course Syrian street party music... I should have known: what the hell is Syrian street party music? Research told me it was a miscellany of sounds from Syria, Iraq, Turkey and the sizeable Kurdish population; wow. Now how do I dig this philosophy?

I come to a naive understanding of the sounds and the spirit takes me as I lose myself to the creation of an installation.

I was working on pure instinct with the Art Farmers. Sam appeared in my bedroom one morning and we hopped out to the local woods to practice the ancient right of Estover by collecting fallen branches and ivy to populate the stage; in the evenings I poured my soul into geometric stencils from a single tessellating design that fused my shapes with what I understood of Omars; 50 hours were spent cutting each identical stencil out for the gig.

It was great to see the Family Elan supporting with their excellently casual acid soaked folk tunes and witty warm-up one liners as Nomos led the way into the headline with friendly high energy acoustic trance.

Music vibrated to dancing; jumping up and down with micro epileptic convulsions as Omar swung his masbaha beads with an implacable stillness. Did we even know what we are dancing to? Those who did introduced circles and footwork and the holding of hands; there was a sharing of joy to a techno beat with poetry Syrian style; a steady insistent chant and a simple crystal clear clapping. Syrian pop is cool; a sound supported entirely by keyboard player Rizan Sa’id who synthesises ultra high energy urgent phase-shifted Arabic keyboard solos. In fact it was his particular rhythmical keyboard that was the Bedrock of the whole gig.

Omar’s pop but you can’t deny the mystical, the romantic in the eyes of the beholder as we view Omar’s perfect mask. The best wedding singer I’ve danced to, that’s for sure. I saw him before the gig as I was rigging the video installation wearing a bomber jacket and black beanie.

Douglas Thompson (installation artist)

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PHOTOGRAPH BY moose-productions.com

liveMUSIC cool as folk @ shipley social club 23rd DEC 2011

Opened by the instantly endearing Garfunkel and Simon and followed neatly by Costa and Nero playing the unique and vibrant Rembetika (Greco-folk music) the evening was getting off to great start. Unfortunately as the room filled it became clear that the sound was just too quiet. Compere and poet Maggie C struggled to be heard above the crowd, the One Stop Trio faired better as a full band. Jimmy Islip seemed to defy the sound restrictions to step it up a gear with his punktinged folk before Blood Beetle, bolstered by their engaging if confrontational front man, got the crowd up and dancing with their original brand of banjo agit-pop.

In the end the lack of oomph on stage really didn’t matter. The night was equal measures gig and party with a packed room and an eclectic line up. The attendance and the local artists on show hint at an untapped spring here, perhaps the Social Club could provide a coherent space for local bands and acts to perform in their own area, with great D.I.Y venues in Bradford centre like the Polish Club and the Beehive isn’t about time Shipley had their own? I certainly think so, and this could be it.

Pete Lewis

that obscene baby auction vs no hands @ Polish club, 30th DEC 2011

No Hand NYE Eve celebrations may have proved to be a pivotal night as four disgustingly talented bands completely fucked the high hell out of the stage. About time.

First up MOTHER/DESTROYER who with confident strides marched triumphantly through a destruction derby of massive riffs, cool swaggers and a throbbing pulse. Cut yourself In Half have attracted a lot of welcome attention from National Radio and have a growing fan base. Not hard to see why. Edgy and smartly crafted riffs that grapple with smooth talking grooves that don’t seem to know the meaning of the 4/4 time signature.

After a few more Polish Ales, a hungry crowd we’re treated to Dolphins, whirlwind mix of driving beats drenched in a stoner rock shower of distorted guitars on their first acid trip. Energy and dynamics projected in impressive quantities.

Three words THAT. FUCKING. TANK. Industrial at its grimiest, euphoric at the core. Tank never took the foot off the gas.

Throughout the set their sound washes over your brain and sinks into your skin, leaving you sopping with inspiration. Pumping.

The future of Bradford Music took a massive leap today. Four very talented, hungry bands. Brought together for the first time, grabbed the rotting corpse of Bradford music and performed the best fucking, LOUD display of CPR. Welcome back.

DUBLAB @ BRADFORD POLISH CLUB 2ND DEC 2011 The start of the festive season saw the return of Bradford born dub reggae night, Dublab. It’s been some time since the Inspirational Sound chaps offered their selection of authentic sunshine roots reggae to the Bradford people, but they returned in style with a fresh selection of dubplate records and live vocal performances; inducing irrevocable grins and expressive skanking from dub-hungry Bradfordians.

The Polish Club once again showed its versatility by accommodating the bone-rattling Underground Roots sound system, this however proved to be the main failing of an otherwise wonderful party. Not the system of course! Nor the venue itself. Simply the combination of the two. It would seem that the 1st floor of an old terrace building is unsuitable for such heavy bass and as a result the usual loveliness in my belly that I have come to expect from said music was over-powered by the vibrations I could feel in between my toes. Never mind though. The music was superb, the people in attendance were beautiful and it was great to be back with my people indulging in a fare of African roots music.

I hope that rumours of a new underground venue (with a suitably heavy underground structure) will find their way to the Inspirational Sound crew...

Be sure to catch this party next time it comes round.

Dub doesn’t come fresher than this!

More of the same please Mr & Mr Dublab.

Mr Johnston

Bob Sopf

[DON’T MISS]

Friday 3rd February - The Retu rn Of Rockers & Rollers @ The New Beehive Inn, Westgate Legendary Rockers and Rollers retu rns to the beehive after a two year absence. Same shit, different dec the best music DJ’s in Yorkshire ade. Get down for – Plus live music from loud & hea vy bands that will punch you into bull egg!!!!

2025. Yew you massive

HowDo’s George Quinn has a pint and a chat with Bradfordian/Author/Social Historian Gary Cavanagh.

We talk about his book ‘Bradford’s Noise Of The Valleys ‘and the recently released 5th missing compilation disk of the cities rich musical past.

What first gave you the idea to write ‘Bradford’s Noise Of The Valleys’?

I was already teaching courses on popular music and I had started researching how the music scene developed from 50/60s rock n roll. By the time I’d got to the 1980’s I’d bought a couple of Pete Frames Rock Family Trees (as seen on’t telly). I suddenly realised that I knew all these local bands, I started drawing out the family trees and in no time I had about ten rough ones. Then I thought, eh up, there’s an idea here! Then I read an article in the T&A’s free paper which showed some pictures from their archives. One of the pictures was of ‘The Accent’ a psychedelic band from Bradford that released a single in 1967. Fucking hell! A band from Bradford that released a song in 1967! I had to hear it; I was dying to get to hear it.

It must have been hard getting hold of some of the really old material from the 60s and 70s.

Yeah it was a bit like being a mini Sherlock Holmes tracking all these guys down. Turning up at gigs with scraps of paper and introducing myself to guys that didn’t know who I was. When I showed some of them the family trees I’d been working on a few thought I was the taxman or something. It took about two years in all to gather all the sources. A lot of the songs are really obscure; I spent a lot of time digging through old compilation albums, that’s for sure.

So Gary. What is the relation between this new cd and your book ‘Bradford’s Noise Of The Valleys’?

Basically we couldn’t get hold of some of the tracks until after the book came out. Some of them like The Shakes ‘I Kill god’- a great song by the way- would’ve replaced tracks on the original 4 cd compilation. That tune and a load more will be on the new cd, which will bridge the gap between the last book and the next one.

The next book? What years will the next book be dealing with and when are you expecting it out?

I’ve done quite a bit of research and I’m just staring to write the second book. It’s going to bridge a ten year period from 1988-1998. I’m expecting it to be a lot bigger because there was even more music going on by this time and when recording became more accessible in the 90s bands were putting out a lot more stuff. If I pull my finger out it should be out for next Christmas, fingers crossed.

40 40

Turbowolf - Turbowolf [Reviewed by BOB SOPF] Over the last few years the British underground music scene has taken a turn for the heavy, coughing up bands such as Pulled Apart By Horses, who now roll with the big boys on radio1 has opened the doors for the likes of Turbowolf to be shat all over the mainstream sidewalks in welcoming glee.

It’s really not hard to see why either, self-titled debut album Turbowolf smacks you right in the teeth as a refreshing sample of the re-birth of Rock and roll. The album has a unique knack of leaving you dangling over an interstellar mixing pot of psychedelic and cleverly constructed breakdowns before dropkicking you into throbbing loopholes of dynamic killer riffage. Although not holding any punches and packing plenty, Turbowolf expresses impressive tendencies to lean over to a more melodic, electronic sub division that holds down the groove masterfully without compromising energy. Quite masterful really.

You could not, even if you tried, attempt to nail down a particular sound, style or genre for this band, they flirt with so many but always bring it back to a simplistic sexy groove that is their own creation. Turbowolf is available now and should be fed to your mind tank at excessive volume as soon as possible.

Bradford’s Noise of the valleys – The missing disk (no.5) [Reviewed by George Quinn]

truly understand. Never Never did I know. Never did I d that the Bradford of hen did I vaguely even ever compre ed musical heritage. vari and rich a years gone by had such gs on this disk; some of There really are some great son sive. So many styles these bands should have been mas t through to punk righ , folk are covered. Psychedelia and t Author of Bradford’s and metal, these are the songs tha anagh uncovered after ‘Noise of the Valleys’ Gary Cav god by’ The Shakes is a the release of the book. ‘I kill ent ‘Winds of change’ a Acc cracking new wave song, The ‘Funk bag’, yes! All of it psych gem and Ellison’s Hogline ing. is well worth a listen, I’m not kidd

mediaREVIEW

The Sense of an Ending Julian Barnes Jonathan Cape, 2011

What We Talk about, When We Talk about Love Raymond Carver Alfred A. Knopf, 1981

[Reviewed by David Ford] The Man Booker prize has long eluded Julian Barnes but this year he finally won with his latest novel.

The central character, Tony Webster is retired, once married and once divorced, living a relatively uneventful and as far as he is aware, blameless life. However as the book unfolds he is compelled to review his past in a different light and reassess his impact on others.

The first paragraph presents us with a few half remembered details. A shiny inner wrist, steam rising from a wet sink, gouts of sperm circling a plughole before being sluiced down the full length of a tall house, bathwater long gone cold behind a locked door. The significance of these memories comes to light as the story develops and we start to piece together why they contain such resonance for him.

It is rare for a novel to leave me with so many questions and so much to ponder. It is an incredibly profound examination of how the seemingly innocuous actions of one man lead him to reassess his life and his role in the lives of others.

Another feature of the book is that it highlights the current changes in publishing, where the beautiful cover design adds to its desirability, something a number of writers, including Graham Swift have argued is key to the future of the industry.

“The Sense of an Ending” could be read in one sitting, but it has more packed into its 150 pages than many other wordier, repetitious novels. It has a sparse and taut style that serves the theme of the novel well and is a credit to the ability and experience of one of England’s most important living writers.

[Reviewed by John Joseph Holmes] Hailed as the greatest American short story writer of the 20th Century, Raymond Carver produced many masterful portraits of small-town life across the pond. It is this collection, however, for which he is best known.

What We Talk about, When We Talk about Love is a symphony in seventeen movements for the American working class. Carver’s sparse and minimal tales of northwest American men and women – barflies, hunters and housewives; quietly tortured souls trapped in domestic dramas – provide an honest portrait of humans conditioned by their backgrounds, environments and pursuits.

Between the lines of ‘I Could See the Smallest Things’, we hear the suppressed cries of domesticity as a married woman and her neighbour, Sam, reflect on their existence.

‘The Calm’, a story of archetypal blue collar America, sees men in a barber’s shop discussing a recent hunt with all the brash beer, bullet ‘n’ buck talk you’d expect, while in the same instant is like harking at a whisper of life’s deeper struggles.

These are only two examples of Raymond Carver’s command of the short story as an outlet for human understanding, but the entire body of his work, once coined ‘Dirty Realism’ by critics, holds within its syntax an empathy for humanity almost unmatched in American letters in the second half of the 20th Century. This is short fiction at its absolute finest.

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[foreWORD by mike mckenny] This second edition of How Do’s Film Review concentrates on the National Media Museum. I cover the alternative side of cinema. Adam Ryan, one of the volunteers that facilitates film discussions following the senior citizen screenings, describes his experience at the recent locally focused Wuthering Heights. And Kieron Casey, local writer/ radio DJ with a specialist interest in Eastern cinema, gives his views on the extremely rare screening of independent American film Littlerock, brought to the museum in this instance by community film society Miniciné.

Wuthering Heights and the people of West Yorkshire [reviewed by adam ryan]

Miniciné presents Littlerock [Reviewed by Kieron Casey] Littlerock centres on the luminous Atsuko, a Japanese student accompanying her brother Rintaro on a trip to America which he has intended to be a sightseeing tour/odyssey to discover their family’s history; a former World War Two internment camp is intended to be the pinnacle of their journey. Serendipitously the siblings’ car breaks down in a desert town named Litterock where they are befriended by the fraternal locals. Cory, a sociopathic aspiring actor/model, is seemingly the friendliest of Litterock’s natives, offering the pair drinks and inviting them to parties. It soon becomes clear his feelings towards Atsuko may not be platonic. Atsuko, meanwhile, appears to have her eyes on another of the locals and when Rintaro wants to leave she demands to stay; she is left in an alien town with no money and an inability to speak the same language as any of Littlerock’s inhabitants.

Littlerock at its core is an elegant, emotionally vivid feature about the inarticulacy of young love. Whereas the language barrier is the seemingly central reason that Cory and Atsuko are unable to communicate their feelings, it is unlikely they could even if they spoke the same language being, as they are, young and confused. That Cory is able to project onto Atsuko a whole personality despite never sharing a conversation with her is as perceptive as it is melancholic. His desire for her is tragic and, in the aimless world these characters inhabit, the conclusion these feelings lead to is sadly inevitable.

42

Eschewing many of the tropes associated with American indie cinema, Littlerock manages to be that rare film that is as heartbreaking as it is charming by replacing shorthand kookiness with real heart and pathos; a film that comes from a direct lineage of the likes of Gregory’s Girl, Say Anything… and Adventureland

Cinema is a medium ideally placed to cross boundaries. In the second half of last century, as cinema reached a level of maturity and autonomy that allowed it to assert itself according to the codes of its own unique language, universality became a key signifier of a truly great film. And rightly so; no other single medium, with perhaps the exception of music, has ever been so pervasive. This does however mean that the power of cinema to function in a localised capacity is often overlooked.

Imagine the heightened emotion a Barnsley audience must have experienced when Kes was first screened. Occasions such as this are, unfortunately, often passed off as a kind of novelty, thus negating their true meaning.

I recently ran the discussion at the National Media Museum’s Senior Citizens’ screening of Andrea Arnold’s recent adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, where the enjoyment of the film was much intensified by the film’s representation of the surrounding area.

The Brontes’ universal themes transgressed local and national boundaries, yet at the same time however they were undeniably products of, and inextricably linked to, a specific place in the world; this place being Howarth, West Yorkshire. This audience, like the Brontes, had been shaped by the region: its landscape, its history, its culture and its people.

As a result, an almost tangible sense of pride ran through the spectators, which was in turn vocalised in the following debate. The film was under debate for no more than 50% of the time, while the other 50% was dedicated to discussions about the history and geography of the surrounding areas. In the face of the range and depth of knowledge proffered I felt little more than an ignoramus, and merely sat back to bathe in the warmth of the sentiments expressed.

Admittedly unless you live in London, Paris or New York (among others) this is unlikely to be experienced too often.

The occasional aspect of this phenomenon actually enhances it though, as when we do see our own land represented on the screen it is all the more touching. I would argue that this is particularly true of Yorkshire, in that it reveals a particularly typical facet of the ‘Yorkshire condition’; we like to feel underrepresented and much maligned by, well, everyone not from the region. But by ‘eck once we do get a mention, we don’t half feel proud.

filmREVIEW

Akira Noyama - Fantasy Girl

The Other Side: Surrealism and the avant-garde [REVIEWED BY MIKE MCKENNY] Over the past few months, the increasing proportional domination of the museum’s screens by some of the larger safer and more lucrative - art house films (We Need to Talk About Kevin, Jane Eyre, etc) has been criticized by some. The change derives from the decision to set screenings on a week by week basis, rather than a longer fixed period. Although this does seem to result in safer films taking a higher proportion of screen time, on the evidence of some of the this month’s screenings, it is clear that this establishment is not turning its back on cinema that is opposed to the mainstream.

The first example was featured in last month’s ‘What’s On’ recommendations. A programme of short films put together

by Zipangu Fest, the premier UK based festival dedicated to Japanese cinema. Beyond Anime: The Outer Limits showcased the side of Japanese animation that is often pushed out of the frame by the usual mecha-robot explosion-fests. With about seventeen non-linear, experimental and acutely expressive visual bombardments, the senses were sapped by around number thirteen, but some of the films were wonderfully inventive and thoroughly engrossing.

To highlight a couple of examples, Akira Noyama’s Fantasy Girl (pictured) was a mesmerising, persistently evolving animation,

growing upwards, mutating between nature and technology (a theme that occurred frequently throughout the programme).

The other standout example was Naska Saito’s A Labyrinth of Residence. The thumping techno soundtrack, along with the blistering montage of photos acted as severe hypnosis. The photos were all taken around a block of flats; one after another was shown in quick succession, invoking the feeling of scurrying through the hallways, as if searching for something. Black and white, with ruthless composition, and considering this urban setting, the visuals perfectly embodied a grimy modernist aesthetic.

The other example of surrealism at the museum this month was multiple screenings of distinguished Czech filmmaker/animator Jan Švankmajer’s most recent offering, Surviving Life (Theory and Practive). A straight forward Oedipus plot, with blatant iconography, but imaginative in its self acknowledging - part live action, part animation - form and delivery.

Both screenings serve as evidence that the National Media Museum, whilst making the most out of the more accessible art house films that can bring in the audience and essential ticket sales, are still showcasing innovation from all around the globe.

You can find MIKE McKENNY on Twitter @destroyapathy.

Get in touch if you’d like to know more on these stories, or if you have any film related views on Bradford.

[What’s On] [Ania’s Film Salon] 2001: A Space Odyssey (10th Jan at Gallery II – Unive

rsity of Bradford)

[Ania’s Film Salon] Stalker (24h Jan @ Gallery II, University of Bradford)

Continuing an amazing programme of films dealing with memory , this month Ania’s Film Salon welcomes everyone to free screenings of these masterpieces from Stanley Kubrick (2001) and Andrei Tarkovsky (Stalker). Not to be missed.

Sex, Lies… and Shame (28th Jan, 10.30 - 4.30 @ Media Museum)

This Saturday School explores how movies tackle true adult themes and how artist-turned-filmmaker Steve McQueen and filmmaker-turned-artist Steven Soderbergh bring emotion (rather than sex) to the screen. £19.50/£16 concessions. Includes refreshments and screening of Sex, Lies and Videotape.

British Animation Awards 2012 Public Choice (27th, 28th Jan & 2nd Feb @

Media

Museum) Three programmes containing some of the greatest animation over the past two years. And you can vote for your choice to be the audience-winner. One of the films featured is called Tchaikovsky: An Elegy, and is truly beautiful.

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secretBRADFORD Bradford is a hidden city in that the places to be and the places not to be aren’t always too obvious. In this section we aim to point out some of the cities finest facets, some you may know, some you may not but all of them are worth a visit. This is our ongoing guide to the best places to eat, drink, shop and see in Bradford.

CHEESE AND CHUTNEY, BINGLEY ROAD, SALTAIRE Cheese and Chutney is an award-winning delicatessen offering a mind blowing range of cheeses from around the world.

Perfectly placed on Saltaire’s high street it caters for the cultivated food lover with a surprisingly large range of specialist produce. Its selection of meats, chutneys, pates and hard-to-find spices provide the perfect inspiration for a special snack or meal. Try their reasonably priced made-to-order sandwiches, the perfect lunchtime treat.

ELAINE’S BARGAIN BASEMENT, JAMES STREET On your way out of the Kirkgate Market why not walk to the bottom of James street and find a place that’s secret, independent and special. It’s quite hard to find but look underneath the Commercial Inn public house. Go down the stairs for the bricka-brack/aqua feet fish foot spar shop. It sounds like a sketch written by Eddie Izzard but once inside check it out for a few minutes. Let your eyes adjust and check out the kitch and the pop art that’s lying around. You might want to buy a key ring or a Toby jug. Most of the smaller items on sale were won by Elaine at Brid on the two-penny slots; classic.

DIAL A ROTI Bradford has once again been crowned the Curry Capital of the UK. Those of us who live here always knew that anyway. We don’t need any PR stunts to prove that we are blessed with the best Pakistani cuisine this side of the Khyber Pass.

If you want unrefined but tasty cooking, the sort of thing you will encounter in a hole in the wall café in Pakistan, then visit Dial A Roti, nestled in an unassuming shack where Great Horton Road meets Cross Lane. Four hot, fresh roti breads can be had for just a quid and on top of that add a dahl or vegetable masala to accompany it for a measly three pounds. Add a couple of shami kebabs for a quid and you have a feast for a fiver that feeds two.

MECHANICS INSTITUTE LIBRARY, KIRKGATE Bradford Mechanics Institute Library is an independent library, located at 76 Kirkgate. It was established in 1832 and for over 70 years it played a key role in adult education in Bradford. It tries to cater for its members needs and will try to obtain books that member’s request. There is a peaceful reading room for the use of members and for meetings. There are about 14,000 books and also newspapers and magazines along with fresh coffee. It is open Monday-Friday 09.00-16.30; Saturday 09.0012.00. Being independent there is a small annual membership fee (about £27).

For more information telephone the Institute on 01274 722857.

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[A SOUNDBITE GUIDE TO WHAT’S GOING ON IN JANUARY] FRI 6th JAN_ SAT 7th JAN_

JATP JAZZ; Toby Greenwood’s ‘We Free Kings’ - groovy, melodic originals @ Bradford Irish Centre RECYCLED; Classic covers band @ Shipley Pride HORSE BROTHERS @ Delius Lived Next Door ONE NIGHT STAND WITH FATE + Embrace This Nightmare @ Gasworks, BD1 1SW ALL DAYER; twinkly emo, 90’s midwest & math @ 1in12 Club HALLE ORCHESTRA @ St George’s Hall

TH 12th JAN_ TOPIC FOLK CLUB; The Sail Pattern - dynamic, young 4 piece band @ Bradford Irish Centre FRI 13th JAN_ MOMENTS BEFORE OBLIVION @ Gasworks, BD1 1SW SAT 14th JAN_ REVOLVER; Contemporary Rock & Blues @ Shipley Pride

HELP FOR HEROES PRESENTATION; Quiet Rebellion + support @ Delius Lived Next Door

TH 19th JAN_ TOPIC FOLK CLUB; Dave Vermond: thought provoking & amusing songs @ Bradford Irish Centre FRI 20TH JAN_ OMID DJALILI TOUR OF DUTY; live comedy @ St Georges Hall

THE PAPER SMILES (10-11pm) + supports @ Delius Lived Next Door

Grassroots; Pedal Powered Soundsystem...Jazz, Dub, Ska, Swing @ TJ’s Woodhouse Club, Leeds

ABELS LAST STAND + No Time for Heroes @ Gasworks, BD1 1SW

Club Smith + Support @ Puzzle Inn, Sowerby Bridge SAT 21st JAN_ THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB BAND; Alternative skiffle @ Shipley Pride

The James O’Hara Band @ Puzzle Inn, Sowerby Bridge SAT 21st JAN/ HACKTIONLAB; UK tech-activist run project that aims to create regular convergence spaces for SUN 22nd JAN activists interested in using alternative media and technology - www.hacktivista.net @ 1 in 12 Club

TH 26th JAN_ TOPIC FOLK CLUB; Pilgrims Way: exciting young 3 piece band @ Bradford Irish Centre

TIGRAN HAMASYAN; ‘Surely today’s most fêted young jazz pianist’ @ Opera North, Leeds FRI 27th JAN_ LIVE JAZZ; Wine, dine and enjoy live jazz music @ Terrace Cafe Bar, Bingley Road, Saltaire

NO HANDS; Runners playing at Bradford’s premier alt/pop party @ The Polish Club, Edmund Street

THE KABEEDIES; Album ‘Soap’ launch tour + Paper Smiles @ Delius Lived Next Door

DIABOLISS @ Gasworks, BD1 1SW SAT 28th JAN_ STONEFALL; Heavy Rock/Metal @ Shipley Pride

AFTERMATH + Mantra + Yo El Rey @ Gasworks, BD1 1SW

The Re-Entrants (The Uk’s Foremost Ukelele Duo) @ Puzzle Inn, Sowerby Bridge

SUBDUB; Young Warrior Soundsystem @ Vox Warehouse, Leeds

TH 2nd FEB_ TOPIC FOLK CLUB; Singers & Musicians from 8:15pm @ Bradford Irish Centre FRI 3RD FEB_ ROCKERS & ROLLERS; loud, heavy, live music @ New Beehive Inn

JATP JAZZ; Partikel - African & Latin in a contemporary New York style @ Bradford Irish Centre SUN 5TH FEB_ filming with hockney; Screening & conversation with director Bruno Wollheim @ Cartwright Hall

MONTH LONG EVENTS_ Outposts: Donovan Wylie @ Media Museum

BRADFORD RAW: John Bolloten @ Atrium of University of Bradford’s Richmond Building

The Sound of Two Songs: Mark Power @ Impressions Gallery

YORKSHIRE ART LOOP: A Game of Visual Chinese Whispers @ WYPW, Mirfield, WF14 8AT

www.bradfordmuseums.org www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk www.impressions-gallery.com www.fabricculture.co.uk

www.gasworksvenue.com www.1in12.com www.bradfordirish.com

If you have any events that you would like to publicise please send info to bradford@howdomagazine.co.uk