illustration: Ash Dilks
contents 04
May Contain Notts Nottingham’s ‘Mr Sex’ reports on the local news
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Athlete’s Foot/ Good Stuff Miles Hunt and Athlete gig in Notts soon and have a word
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LeftEyeOn The best photos from Notts since we last met
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Team Hughes Your LeftLion Unplugged band for October
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University Challenge Students: blessing or curse?
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A Canadian In New Basford Rob moves into a flat in the Lace Market and isn’t happy…
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O.K. Coral Liverpool rockers The Coral come to town
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You don’t get me I’m part of the Union A few beers with Nottingham Rugby Club
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editorial
LeftLion Magazine Issue 19 October-November 2007
InstruMentalist Meet the mysterious Mr Looch… Justin Time Young Kenny from Phoenix Nights sounds off Wax Off/ We Are Family Vinyl [Abort] and Nuclear Family play for LeftLion in October
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Alas poor dad, I knew him well Author Matt Haig chats about his new book
Frank Robinson (better known as Xylophone Man) is the cover star of this issue. From the late eighties until the day before his death in 2004, he would randomly bang on a child’s metallophone outside shops in Lister Gate, and make people happy. There are no Xylophone Man articles in this issue, and no particular reason to put him on the cover. We just miss him.
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A Moot point Nottingham’s hidden gallery revealed
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Proper Nottingham Get your free Notts tea-towel here!
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Artist Profiles Lucy Stevens, Jim Brouwer, James Kester and Amy Lee Harris
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Video OnLion The new video section on our website
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Out of Control Joy Division come to Nottingham. Well, sort of…
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Seven Seminal Nottingham films We take a look at some classic Nottingham flicks
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Out and About Robin Hood at the Castle, OneTrueSaxon, Templars and Plank
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It’s dance but Nott as we know it The good people of Dance4 unveil nottdance
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Nottingham Events Listings Music, exhibitions, comedy and theatre
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LeftLion Pub Quiz Give yer brain a proper seeing to
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Beware the snide vodka Words of wisdom from a man who likes to travel
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Write Lion The best of the last two months’ creative writing submissions
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Welcome to the busiest time of year for both us at LeftLion and Nottingham culture generally. With the arrival of the latest ferry-load of freshers the music, bar, art and club scenes have moved swiftly into top gear. To mark this special time of year we’ve written a piece on the impact the student population has on Notts, check it out on page six. We’ve also put together a bit of a guide to some of the quirkier aspects of our city in the centrespread. More importantly though, hello to all the new folk leafing through LeftLion for the first time and well done for finding us. Hopefully it’ll prove to be a handy guide to what’s worth checking out in Notts over the coming two months. If you really want to be up to date with what’s going on locally, our website (www.leftlion.co.uk) is the place to visit. What’s more, we’ve just launched a brand new video section on there, find out more on page twenty eight. It’s fair to say we’re excited. There are a few big names here and there in this issue. Scouse band The Coral are playing in Nottingham soon, as are Athlete and sometime LeftLion contributor Miles Hunt. We had a chat with them about visiting Hoodtown. We’ve also got a load of interviews with local bands and artists, all of which are making a big mark on their respective scenes. You can see many of them at our free nights (first Saturday of the month at The Orange Tree and third Tuesday at The Malt Cross). You can find out more details in our extensive event listing pages. We’ve been printing LeftLion for over three years now and hopefully by the time you’re done you’ll agree we’re doing a decent job at covering our local scene. To let us know your thoughts, likes or dislikes sign up to leftlion.co.uk/ forum. We’re taking notes… alan@leftlion.co.uk
Rocky Horrorscopes Our resident clairvoyant in the gutter, looking up
Cover Artist
Chris Summerlin
credits Editor Jared Wilson (jared@leftlion.co.uk)
Photography Editor Dominic Henry (dom@leftlion.co.uk)
Deputy Editors Al Needham (nishlord@leftlion.co.uk) Nathan Miller (njm@leftlion.co.uk)
Photographers Al Greer Bobby G David Bowen Dom Henry Jared Wilson Jon Rouston Jonathan Blackmore Sherry Pollitt
Technical Director Alan Gilby (alan@leftlion.co.uk) Marketing and Sales Manager Ben Hacking (ben@leftlion.co.uk) Artistic Director David Blenkey (reason@leftlion.co.uk) Art Editor Amanda Young (amanda@leftlion.co.uk) Theatre Editor Adrian Bhagat (adrian@leftlion.co.uk) Community Editor Charlotte Kingsbury (charlotte@leftlion.co.uk) Literature Editor James Walker (books@leftlion.co.uk) Listings Editors Tim Bates (timmy@leftlion.co.uk) Florence Gohard (florence@leftlion.co.uk)
Illustrators Ash Dilks Chris Summerlin Kim Thompson Rob White Rikki Marr Si Mitchell Contributors Alison Emms Clair Schwarz Elizabeth Goodman Harry Wilding Jack Curtis Mark Mackay Michael Simon Michelle Bayton Niall Browne Rob Cutforth Roger Mean
Chris Summerlin is a Nottinghambased artist specialising in gig posters and magazine illustrations. He is also part of the Damn You! collective that put on DIY music events in the city and plays music of his own in Lords, Last Of The Real Hardmen and Felix. He is not quite 30 yet.
Samuel Rogers Tommy Goodall Tom Hathaway Sound Bloke Mike Cheque ‘People get attached. Once you cut the umbilical cord they get attached to the other things. Sight, sound, sex, money, mirages, mothers, masturbation, murder, and Monday morning hangovers.’ Charles Bukowski Correspondence Address LeftLion has moved. Our new address is: LeftLion, care of Stone Soup, The Oldknows Factory, St Anns Hill Road, NG3 4GP If you would like to reach our readers by advertising your company in these pages please contact Ben on 07843 944910 or email ben@leftlion.co.uk LeftLion has an estimated readership of 40,000 in the city of Nottingham. In September 2007 LeftLion.co.uk received over 500,000 page views. This magazine is printed on paper sourced from sustainable forests. Our printers are ISO 14001 certified by the British Accreditation Bureau for their environmental management system.
Arts Editor
Amanda Young Amanda is LeftLion’s arts editor. Allured by contemporary art, craft, design, writing and experimental music, she likes a mixed bag of goodies. Believing in the maker of object and thought to see mankind through, she doesn’t ignore even the amateur hobbyist. A maker of tree houses, sound art and poetry, Amanda puts her creativity to anything at hand. amanda@leftlion.co.uk
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MAY CONTAIN NOTTS with Nottingham’s ‘Mr. Sex’ Al Needham
August-September 2007
www.leftlion.co.uk/blog
illustration: Mark Mackay
The Return of the Students I’m always happy to see them return after summer but I get bored of them within a week. However, I do fear for the new intake of little cherubs who will arrive all wholesome only to be newly rocked up, permanently pissed up and quite possibly roughed up by the end of Fresher’s week. Jules They are so irritating. Poncing around the place, colonising pubs and playing pool badly, heehawing in their silly voices, getting into middleclass fights, lounging around in boxers and dressing gowns showing their tallywhacker to all and sundry… Pandopolopolos After more than 18 months working in the north of the county, where there are no students, I can honestly say that the student-city atmosphere is brilliant and, despite the downsides, Nottingham would be a worse place to live without them. Well, most of them, anyway. Cheque All I notice is that clubs are generally a lot busier and the city centre has more energy about it when the students are back. Beast of the Bay It’s the people in this town who think students are the only punters worth catering to which are the problem... The New Jersey Marathon The number of fit girls (boys too I’m sure) in Notts goes up by about 3000% which makes students coming back all good as far as I’m concerned. Too-B
Ice Rink in the Square? Cor. But have they thought this through properly, and will you have to dodge piles of vomit before crashing into the German Market? Lord of the Nish It could get a little messy methinks, but sounds ace. Metal Monkey WTF man – cos we’re really short of ice arenas in Nottingham aren’t we? Flipping heck, let’s put a tennis court up over the summer and have some kind of Open. Timmy I also think the Square’s been generally ace, but hate some of the corporate stuff going on. Does anyone know why there’s a f*ing huge EON flag in the middle of it today? Don’t think a public-funded space should be used as a monster billboard! Wiggy I’m game. I like the way they are using the new Square so far. It all seems a lot livelier. Alan I think it’s a good idea and will look tops. Its things like this that bring the Nottingham community together and fits in well with the ‘proud’ thing they have going on at the moment. I’ll be down there with wet jeans and a sore arse… Jack Twatt
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30 July The friendly between Forest and Notts finishes with loads of chatty Forest youths taking advantage of the ‘Give up having your McDonalds burger that you live on and spend it on pretending to be Danny Dyer instead’ deal (otherwise known as Kids for a Quid). They all run on the pitch, only to be chased off by loads of fat dads in stripy shirts, capturing the Forest-Notts dichotomy perfectly. 2 August Colin Gunn gets another nine years whacked on his life sentence, after being charged with bent copperage. Loads of articles in the national press, basically saying what half of Notts have known for the past ten years. Look for ITV to start filming his life story very soon, probably with Grant Mitchell or that nob out of Soldier Soldier. ‘Eh ap, moi dak - where’s t’mannoy for t’droogs?’ etc. 4 August The Nottingham Evening Post reveals that six members of local criminal gangs applied to join the police force last year. Instead of applauding them for turning their back on their old ways and volunteering to help old ladies across the road and tell folk what the time is, the Post uncharitably speculate that they were actually trying to infiltrate the force for nefarious purposes, before going back to relentlessly plugging their 32-page Colin Gunn special. 5 August A mouth-breather from Langley Mill, who obviously believes everything Jeremy Clarkson says, gets jailed for eight weeks. This is for bombing down the A610, thinking he’s been caught by a speed camera, nipping home to get a circular saw, decapitating said camera and hiding it in his back garden. When the coppers recover it, they find it hadn’t caught him at all. 6 August Another accolade for our lovely home town, as the Royal Bank of Scotland announces that thanks to rising living costs and limited job opportunities, Nottingham is the least cost-effective place in the UK for students. Who would have thought that getting a ponce-box in the Lace Market and rubbish haircuts that look like mine when I was 14 and had just got out of bed would be so costly? 7 August Some poor cow from Highbury Vale gets slapped with a whopping £522 fine for dropping a nub-end in the Not As New As It Was A Month Ago Old Market Square. Jesus, how big was it, then? Was it blocking the trams or summat? 8 August Everyone gets pathetically excited over the fact that Gordon Ramsay is in town to film a new episode of his TV show, I’m An Aryan-Looking Tosser Who Treats People Like Shit In Order To Hide The Fact That I Do A Girl’s Job. 9 August The Council and local police jump up and down with understandable glee at their new state-of-the-art A-Team van, the latest weapon in the War On Nob-Ends In Tracksuits. Utilising cutting-edge battlefield technology, the van will be able to track the trajectory and velocity of a rosebud as it leaves Tezzy D’s chatty hand and bounces off someone’s window. 10 August The Health Protection Agency announces that Nottingham’s collective genitals have got approximately 25% scabbier over the past few years, with chlamydia, herpes, syphilis and warts doing very nicely in Notts, thanks. Take a tip from Mr Sex, kids: johnnies do take away sensation, but the main sensation it takes away is the one next morning of absolute terror that you’ve got someone you don’t really know up the stick. Sermon over. 11 August The football season begins in controversy as Nottingham Forest release long-standing mascot Sherwood the Bear on a free transfer. ‘Sherwood was a popular character, but in all honesty, some children were a little bit scared of him. He was a bear after all’, says chief executive Mark Arthur. What, was he going round biting people’s faces off and scavenging out of their snap tins, or was he a bear in the NG1 sense of the word? Fact: the only thing young Forest supporters are scared of is being stuck with following a rammell club in division three and getting laughed at in the playground by kids with Man U and Chelsea pencil cases. The new mascot is Robin Hood. He has a whacking great Capital One logo on his chest. Think about that for a minute.
16 August Skegness, our spiritual homeland, catches fire, presumably when two fluffy gonks in one of those crane machines on the seafront rub together too much. In 2000 years time, there will be an exhibition in the British Museum of sarcophaguses of people in knocked-off Playboy bra tops and Union Jack shorts whose bodies were perfectly preserved in a layer of molten stripy rock and a sheet of fused copper from the tuppenny waterfalls. 24 August Jesse Jackson visits Nottingham and gets the audience at a meeting to repeat; ‘I may be on the dole! But I am! Somebody! I may come from Bulwell! But I am! Somebody! I may go to Jumpin’ Jak’s on a Friday night for the fanneh! But I am! Somebody! I may support Notts County! But I am! Somebody!’ 30 August Crane accident in new Trinity Square development. Wince. 7 September The city’s gourmands get all excited by the opening of Yo! Sushi. Note to Viccy Fish Market; rebrand to Ayup! Raw Fish immediately. 10 September A new report on Nottingham’s gang problem reveals a territorial feud marked out by postcodes, which makes the Crips having a go at someone in red seem suddenly rational and understandable. Here’s my solution: give the owners of NG1 enough money to open three spin-off clubs in the city. Let’s see how these gangstas like walking around with the name of a gay club tattooed on their necks. 12 September Rubbish useless shitty ITV announce that they’re going to re-merge the East and West Midlands news services after 25 years of autonomy. This is great news if you don’t mind having to sit through fifteen minutes of news stories about badly kids and skateboarding rabbits from Birmingham and Coventry before getting two minutes about something that happened in your own town. Then again, they’ve been broadcasting our news from Birmingham for ages, so who gives a toss? And please don’t tell me you really thought they operated from a floating island in the middle of the Trent… 14 September Money-grabbing sponsorship whore-bag Robin Hood takes the piss again. This time by allowing Experian (for god’s sake), to sponsor his marathon. He might as well just go for the hat-trick and have the Inland Revenue branded on his forehead, the sell-out bitch. 18 September Leicester and Gary Megson sportingly give Forest a goal start at the beginning of the replayed League Cup match. Which is nice, seeing as when he was Forest manager, he pretty much did the same for everyone else. 19 September The Council announce a new facility in the square over Christmas that hasn’t been seen before. No, not a fountain that actually works; an ice rink. And don’t forget, if it gets too busy, the slide of frozen piss down Mansfield Road will be fully operational as always.
LeftEyeOn
Some choice cuts from our online galleries at www.leftlion.co.uk
Clockwise from top left... Rob White - Rob with his I Love You Mr Lydon illustration, commisioned by LeftLion, which appeared in the The Best of British Contemporary Illustration 2007 annual and exhibition - Jared Wilson Swimming - Headlining the September LeftLion presents at the Orange Tree - Dom Henry Leo the Groundhog - Leo practicing in their QMX studios - Al Greer Stiff Kitten - one half of LeftLion presents resident DJs Stiff Kittens - Dom Henry Midnight Candymen - Taken during a recent photo shoot - Al Greer Green’s Mill, Rural Location - The local rustc landmark in the heart of Sneinton - Jonathan Blackmore The Fish Man - Hurrah! we finally got Dave the Fish Man! along with one of his many female admirers - Dom Henry Sunflowers - Taken in a field near Papplewick - Jon Rouston Tommy Goodall - Tommy playing acoustic on the Malt Cross stage at August’s LeftLion Unplugged. - Bobby G
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words: Al Needham illustrations: Si Mitchell So, it’s October again and the annual orgy of relentless overpricing, ear-splitting noise and flashing lights is upon us again. Like every other year, we’ll be invited to gape at the parade of freaks, crane our necks at new and dazzling hunks of steel and glass and come away from the experience feeling that underneath the ballyhoo and hype, we’re just a little bit nauseated by the experience and completely ripped off. Yes, it’s Fresher’s Week and a new batch of students have arrived. And whether you like it or not, they’re here to stay. First things first; if you’re looking for a spot of Paul Calf-like moaning about students, you’re not going to find it here. Practically everyone at LeftLion was a student at some point and we’re all glad we did it. Furthermore, it’s a stonecold unarguable fact that the student population has made Nottingham a far better place to live. Before they arrived in town in serious numbers, the Rescue Rooms was a wet t-shirt dive called New York New York, the Social was a meat market called Cairos and if you wanted a night out that didn’t involve listening to chart rubbish or having your head stoved in by meatheads in chinos, it was Rock City or the Garage or nothing. Nobody wants to go back to that. Here’s the thing; once upon a time not so long ago, Nottingham appeared to have the best student/local balance in the country. When I was at uni in Hounslow, there was one pub in the area that you could go to without running the risk of getting chinned. At the same time, my mate was at Luton, where the students seemed to have the whole town at their disposal and it showed; it was a conglomeration of fast-food dives, horrible bars, and charity shops. In Nottingham, the students dragged the city out of its Sharonistic torpor, while the locals kept their excesses in check. That’s not the case any more. Nowadays, I fear that if Nottingham bends over a little further and pulls its arse cheeks any wider for the student population, it’s going to turn itself inside-out. If the brakes aren’t put on the student juggernaut soon, everyone is going to lose out. Think I’m talking bollocks? Read on…
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First thing you need to realise is that, thanks to the disgustingly opportunistic slow death of the student grant (thanks Maggie, please die soon) and the introduction of student fees (cheers Tony, you simpering twat), the modern-day student experience is a million miles away from what it was fifteen, ten or even five years ago. If you think that student life these days involves sitting in a shared house in the scabby part of town around a Breville sandwich toaster, eking enough cash from the back of the sofa to afford a night of japery (usually ending with a cone on your head), you’re wrong. To be a student these days is to look down the barrel of five-figure debt. Recent surveys peg the average amount at somewhere between £12,000 and £17,000, while one predicts that this year’s crop of freshers will be a bowel-watering 21 grand in the hole by the time they get to look like bell-ends in their capes and mortar boards in 2010. Not the kind of situation that you’d like to be in when you’re 21 and you’re still looking for your first proper job. However, there’s an upside to being a student these days, if you want to call it that; instant access to more disposable credit than you and I will ever see in our lives. The natural inclination would be to say “Right, then - if I’m going to be up to the eyeballs in debt, I might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb”. Then you’d probably wonder what ‘being hung for a sheep as a lamb’ actually means, because you’re young. But I digress… The upshot of this is that, almost overnight and without asking to be, students have become the moneyed class in Nottingham. Alright, it might not exactly be their money, but they’ve got it to spunk. And spunk it they do. And you can’t help feeling that the locals are the ones who are having to take this varsity bukkake session full in the face. Bad enough when you’re spinning a pint out on your dinner hour with a packet of crisps in a pub in town, while the students on the next table are flinging their credit cards over the bar for £8 salads. Worse when the bar you’ve been patronising for the past five years charges you four times more to get in because you don’t have an NUS card. Outright patronising when the other bars you go to embark on a marketing blitz on Freshers Week and then moan that local people don’t support them in the summer.
And an absolute piss-taking liberty when every new amenity in town and every major injection of cash in the city seems to be another attempt to turn Nottingham into a big soulless campus. Want to know why Nottingham is one of the few places in the country where the house prices are going down? The thousands of empty student properties in the suburbs that have been passed over for shiny new ponce-boxes in town might have something to do with it. If you think things are getting bad now, wait and see what the future has in store. Universities are continuing to jack up the price of their courses and the result of this is that higher education has ceased to be a birthright for those who deserved it and is becoming a privilege for the few who can afford it, regardless of intelligence. Consider the two most important statistics about Nottingham that don’t involve gun crime; we have the highest level of student retention in the UK (i.e. more graduates choose to stay here then anywhere else), and we’re one of the most uneducated cities in the country. So if you were one of the big employers in Notts, who would you choose in a job interview? - a local kid with a clutch of A-Levels who couldn’t afford to go to Uni, or an overqualified graduate who is looking for somewhere to help pay off their debts for a few years? I know who I’d pick. Unfortunately, I know who they’d pick, too. You don’t have to be a University Challenge contestant to clock where this is going to lead us. You only have to see the looks of resentment on the faces of youths in Lonsdale tops in town as they watch people their own age blow enormous sums of money to realise that the difference between the haves and have-Notts is getting more pronounced by the year. Students are already the number one target for burglaries in the city and the scare stories about the violent locals are already driving a wedge between them and us. The upshot is that everybody suffers, particularly if the long-predicted recession kicks in; they’ll end up as cash cows being milked dry in shiny oases dotted across a map of nogo areas and we’ll be forced to watch our city turn to shit.
Round the table… Ying from Cambridge, Raj from India, Marta from Spain, Phil from Durham and Eva from Norfolk chat about being a student in Nottingham and the bad rep that students can get… Eva: I hate the idea that uni has become about going out to chain pubs and getting wasted! I guess I’m a geek. Phil: It’s always been like that though. Karl Marx got expelled for drinking, didn’t he? It doesn’t mean that we don’t get any work done. Binge drinking isn’t a problem which students are spreading, it’s a nationwide culture which we have been caught up in along with everyone else. Marta: It’s the same in Spain though. All young people want to get crazy and have a good time. I only came to Nottingham because of the course I’m doing and all I knew of it was the legend of Robin Hood, nothing about gun crime or anything like that. Then when I arrived and got told, ‘don’t live there, there or there, because its too dangerous’ I was like ‘omigod!’ But I feel really safe and settled now I am here.
Eva: I don’t think local culture is becoming faceless and conformist. I came to Nottingham for the activism, specifically because I wanted to get involved with the SUMAC centre for human and animal rights on Gladstone Street (formerly the Rainbow Centre). There are loads of things for people to get involved in and I’ve always found the local people really welcoming. I’m a vegan, which a lot of cities can’t cater for, but Nottingham has loads of great and pretty unique places to eat like the Alley Café, Broadway, Nomad and the Crocus Café in Lenton. Phil: Yeah the Crocus Café is great. It works hard to build links between students and the local community, which seems necessary because unfortunately some of the stereotypes of us students can be true. In one Lenton pub, there are two rooms and it always seems to be locals in one, students in the other. The barman told me that my mates were the
only students who actually made an effort to befriend and respect the locals. I find some of my student friends don’t really make an effort to get involved with the local community, some enrolled at the same university just to ensure a ready-made social life, but that’s not what it’s about for me. Learning about a new city and how others live is part of your education and can be totally amazing. Raj: I’m at uni in Leicester, but I come to Nottingham for the social life. There’s much more variety and vibrancy, and I find the students more friendly and down-to-earth. I agree with what Marta said about it being the same in her home country and not just a local issue. In India the young people and the older people don’t always agree either. I don’t know whether it’s really a student/locals issue or actually a generational thing. There is less respect between the two.
This town IS big enough for the both of us... words: Lizzie Goodman
Like cowboys and Indians, the battle between students and locals begins once more. It’s undeniable that students are viewed in a somewhat negative way and Nottingham is no exception to this, but is this necessarily fair? Every year come late September the growing population of students arrive, plaguing Nottingham with their loud parties and provoking tasteless pound-a-pint offers in normally respectable bars. From this moment onwards, the locals know they shall not get a proper night’s sleep for the next eight painful months. However, we don’t actually deserve the evil reputation we have come to possess. Yes, we may be walking home at eight in the morning in last night’s clothes as you go for your morning stroll across Forest Fields, we may crowd up all your local pubs and fast-food restaurants, but I assure you we are harmless. With Nottingham Trent University constantly expanding, students have rapidly changed the demographic of your muchloved Nottingham, making it a much younger, more vibrant city. Yet, much like a prolonged one-night stand, come June we return from whence we came, leaving Nottingham feeling empty and used but finally in peace. When the students leave Nottingham it once again transforms into a tranquil ghost town. However, with the students goes much of the city’s business income, which results in many places struggling to make a profit. I recently spoke to a taxi driver who despite stating with malice he preferred the atmosphere after the students had departed as he could once again drink in his local in peace, openly admitted that business does suffer.
Although students are somewhat detached and protected from the real working world (and we would not have it any other way), we are still just as affected by the issues in and around the city. For example crime and violence statistics show that one in three students are a victim of crime as they are seen as easy targets. It is common knowledge that the average student possesses a laptop, mp3 player and mobile phone, which are often carelessly left in unsecured student houses. According to upmystreet.com, the average for burgled homes in England is 4.3% (per 1,000 of the population within local authority areas), however, for Nottingham City Council it is 19.3%. Outstandingly, the average for robbery in England is 1.2%, whereas Nottingham’s is 6.3% and finally ‘violence against a person’: England’s average is 16.7% and yet again Nottingham is the proud winner with 35.4%. Surely, this demonstrates the issue should not be ‘locals versus students’ but ‘the public versus crime’. Recently, I attended a local council meeting concerned with environmental and social issues in Nottingham. Important topics for sure, but as we sat and discussed recycling for ninety minutes, I could not help but wonder if better policing and more focus on crime might be a more pressing topic. After spending a year sampling every club, bar and takeaway venue in Nottingham, I too have come to love it and call it home. Many locals do not realise students want the same changes in Nottingham. We all wish to destroy ‘Shottingham’s’ terrible reputation and to one evening be able to walk down Forest Road West without being propositioned by a thighhigh-boot-wearing, crack-adoring prostitute. We are all in the same community and all aware of Nottingham’s problems and students too would like to shake off the bad media which surrounds us. After all, we live here too.
Ying: I agree. The problem in Nottingham of traditional culture being eroded by faceless bars and accommodation is arguably due to the stag and hen party culture, which extends way beyond students. Nottingham’s city centre is small and easy to get around, so it’s good business. It’s great for people who do want to go out and get trashed cheaply - ‘if you build it, they will come’! But we don’t all want just that. Students still have political ideals and we love the ‘Robin Hood’ philosophy, so the way in which the city has seemed to adapt to us isn’t necessarily what we want. If anything, we’re encouraged to get drunk and go shopping all the time! But I’m sure it’s the same everywhere… I’ve chosen to stay in Nottingham though now that my course has finished, instead of going back to Cambridge, so I’ll be a local myself soon. I’ll let you know if I change my mind about you student types!
Things about Notts that annoy students: * Over 21’s nights: so we finally hit 18, a long awaited age, and now they boost the entry age up three years just to tease us! What next, ‘no student’ signs? * The ‘overstretched’ police finding time to drive around closing down parties and ‘social gatherings.’ * Taxis varying prices: same journey, same time, same day, same company, different price depending on how much of a mug you look. * Town on Saturdays: having lost all concept of time, an accidental trip to the city on Saturday is an experience of hell on earth. Far too many people, far too many prams and far too many queues. * Locals do not realise its not just us against them - it’s us against each other too, with rivalry between Nottingham Trent and Nottingham. And now the colleges are delivering HE courses too…
Things students love about Nottingham: * The food sold in the 24 hour ‘med market’ on Mansfield Road: the biggest selection of ‘what the hell could that be’ food you have ever seen (which is often surprisingly nice). * The Arboretum: a great place to attempt to feed ducks who are devastatingly uninterested in bread, whilst trying to avoid the crackhead’s gaze. Us, not the ducks. They’re used to it.
Things students and locals disagree on: * Graffiti: we see it as art, you see it as vandalism: admittedly a lot of it is shit and then its vandalism to us too, but talented artists’ work is good and contributes to a distinct Nottingham culture. * Vintage shops: yes, we like to pay a high price for an outfit someone has probably died in and no it’s not just second hand! * That students don’t care about Nottingham’s culture: we hate bland conformity too! We don’t ask for all the bars to be faceless chains, or for flats to be built over old local parks. We do want to get drunk and then have somewhere to sleep though… but who doesn’t? www.leftlion.co.uk/issue19
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Rob Cutforth thought that living in the Lace Market would be vibrant and eclectic. Unfortunately, it made him violent with electrics... words: Rob Cutforth illustration: Rob White Living in the Lace Market seems like such a great idea when you walk through it during the day. Lunch at the Cock and Hoop followed by drinks at the Broadway on a sunny Sunday afternoon is nothing short of bliss. It immediately convinced me that Nottingham was the place to be in England and the Lace Market was the place to be in Nottingham.
Red Balloons and the dipshits didn’t even have the decency to go with the German version. I pull the blinds away from the window to see three skinny Towers of London wannabes, with mullets and studded belts leaning over their balcony, screaming at the tops of their lungs. Singing at 4am: Strike One. Singing Crap eighties tunes: Strike Two. Mullets and studded belts: Strike Three. As if having studded belts and mullets isn’t bad enough, their mullets have streaky highlights in them. I don’t care where you are from, the following equation is always true: Studded Belt + Streaky Mullet = Obnoxious Bitch.
My wife and I moved into a beautiful apartment with vaulted ceilings, silver appliances and exposed brick walls. The building was located behind another one and you got there by walking through the first building and over a bridge at the back. If you looked up ‘hip’ and ‘happening’ on Wikipedia, my apartment would come up. When I first moved in and told people about my domicile, they would always give me that jealous look. ‘You live in the Lace Market? Are we worthy?’ No, you’re not. Peasant.
What these boys didn’t realise is that, in many of these Lace Market refurbs, the electrical room is public and unlocked. So, yeah, I snuck down and shut down their power. I had to sit and listen to twenty minutes of drunken mewlings of protest before they finally passed out, but it was worth it. So much so, that I did it again the following night. Then every night for a week. Sober Canadian - Sleep = Vengeful bastard.
The first couple of days after we moved in, I stepped past a pile of blood on the pavement (hmm…I didn’t know blood could pile) and bought a flatscreen TV. I hooked it up and discovered that terrestrial television didn’t work. Ooh, they force you to get cable, how exclusive. (Later, I discovered that it wasn’t a style-related issue; the workmen who installed the aerials didn’t get paid, so they took a hacksaw to them).
That night after, I’d just gotten to sleep when someone buzzed my front door. I picked up the receiver to hear a junkie scream, ‘Can you please let me in, I won’t be no bovvah! I won’t be no bovvah!’ If I’d had a gun, there would’ve been a murder-suicide on that step that night; one bullet for the junkie and one for me knowing that I just had just signed a six-month lease.
I called BT to get hooked up to posh TV. After being put on hold and transferred to three different people, I was finally told that they didn’t cover our area. ‘Um, what? Did you hear me correctly? I said the Lace Market.’ ‘Yes, I know where you live, Mr. Cutforth, there’s no service in that area’. Click. I called NTL, no service in that area! But I’m living in the Lace Market, darling, how can there not be service? Is this area so hip, they don’t watch TV? Are they too busy discussing the merits of Dennett’s theory of consciousness, or on a conference call with Stephen Hawking giving him tips on black
holes? That sort of thing might entertain the Lace Market elite, but I’m from North America. I would rather give up a testicle than my TV. Even British TV. I decide to cheer myself up with copious amounts of alcohol. I leave the apartment to grab some beer from the Oddbins across the street. It’s closed. I walk down to M&S. Closed. Tesco in the Victoria Centre.
Closed. All the newsagents within a three mile radius, Closed. It’s only eight o’clock. On a Friday! I go back home, sober, with no TV, to my onebedroom apartment with my wife. After staring blankly at each other for a couple of hours, we decide to go to bed. It was about 4am when a drunken twelve part harmony of Eye Of The Tiger came booming out of the
mouths of my neighbours across the alleyway. I put my pillow over my head and tried to block it out. To no avail. The song went on forever; to this day I am convinced that Eye Of The Tiger is twenty minutes long.
Five months, thirty days, eleven hours and 59 minutes later, we were in an estate agents looking for a house. One as far away from the Lace Market as humanly possible. I bought a place on a housing estate, because I didn’t know what a housing estate was. Oh well, at least the liquor stores are open late and I’ve got Sky Sports. What more could you ask for?
It finally ends. Majestic, heavenly, glorious silence. And then… ‘You and I in a little toy shop! We buy a bag of balloons, with the money we’ve got!’ Jesus bald-headed Christ, its 99
Read more of Rob’s rantings at www.leftlion.co.uk/community and www.canuckistani.com.
With the same odd mix of psychedelia, folk and rock’n’roll yet a somewhat more mature attitude and sound, Liverpool lads The Coral are back. Drummer Ian Skelly fills us in on how they have been spending their time reflecting, writing their new album Roots and Echoes and watching late night episodes of Star Trek… So, you’re back with a new album and the original line up. How’s it feeling? It’s really good. It feels great to be back.
Despite their bad press they are good blokes. They just play up to this bad image and know how to wind the press up. They have good purpose.
Do you feel you’ve learned any valuable lessons since your initial bout of fame? Yeah. By learning it the hard way we now never take anything for granted. We’ve come through it and we’ve learned a lot.
How would you sum up The Coral’s purpose? I don’t know anymore. I like to think that we stand for good music and I suppose we’re more romantic than many in the sense of our sound.
The new album seems to be the product of a new matured band. Has what you’ve been through in the last few years formed the basis for the material? Definitely! The songs are a lot more personal this time round. In the beginning our stuff was about shit that was going on at the time. But now it’s about our own life experiences, things we’ve been through and seen and lessons we’ve learned. Are you bringing any new influences musically? We’ve been listening to lots of mid-sixties stuff. The Everly Brothers and Dion and the Belmonts, you know, just that sixties sound The sixties influence is quite obvious in The Coral’s material... I think Liverpool has kept a lot of its musical innocence. The sound that often comes out is what has sort of been passed on or influenced by another Liverpool band. It’s stayed traditional with guitar music and we’ve stayed true to it… it’s known as the Mersey Beat. We didn’t really get drawn into the hiphop or other sounds coming out, we’ve stayed true to our guitars. You recorded the new album in Noel Gallagher’s studio. Do the band have a good relationship with the Oasis brothers? Definitely. I love everything they’ve done and they’re two of the nicest lads you’d ever meet.
Are there any bands at the minute that you’re in tune with? To be honest I don’t really get out much but I do like the White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age and Richard Hawley. What about the Artic Monkeys? How has it been for you supporting them? We’ve had some good days with them, it’s been alright. They’re a good group of lads with the same sort of principles as us I suppose. Are there any bands you’ve developed an obvious dislike for? (Laughs) I don’t know, but even if I did I wouldn’t say. I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut because it only backfires on you in the end. Despite a large fan base, you all seem to stay out of the limelight. Is that intentional or are you just all really well behaved? (Laughs again) Yeah, we’re more reclusive on that level. We’re not really into being in the public eye as people… it’s about our music. We’d just be really embarrassed if we were in the papers and we stand for something outside of that. I look at bands who are always in the media and I just think it’s really shit for them when it happens. So you guys have never had any bad press? Well early on we did get a reputation for being mouthy and people were kind of wary about what
we might say. We used to shout our mouths off and it has a knock on effect. We would be too defensive if people said shit, but now we’ve sort of grown up and learned to go with it. Although you’ve been busy recently with album and single releases, tours and festivals, what do you do with your free time? I literally lie in bed all day. I rarely get to do it. Given the chance I might watch The Munsters or Star Trek on TV. Star Trek? So you’re a bit of a Trekkie are you? No! I’m not a Trekkie, but I do like it. I’m into the sixties episodes which are on late at night at like 2am, that’s what I look forward to doing. You’re playing Nottingham’s Rock City in October. Any particular memories of the venue? I only have vague ones. I never remember places until I go back there really. Actually I can’t even remember playing there before? Have we? Yeah, back in 2002. You were on at a Radio One show... Oh right, yeah. I sort of remember Nottingham. I think I went to Sherwood Forest in the day, but as I say my memories are very vague. No worries. I’ll move on swiftly. Do you prefer playing the larger venues or more intimate ones? It totally depends on the audience. As long as you’re getting the right buzz it doesn’t matter what the venue is like. Out of all of them I did love the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool. I really felt like we’d made it when we got to play there. I suppose I love playing at venues that are established in that sense. We played with The Proclaimers who said to us that it was the best gig they’d ever done too. It was brilliant.
The Proclaimers hey? They have a new album out soon. Are you a fan? Yeah, they’re really good. What was the last album you bought? It was Frisco Mabel Joy by Mickey Newbury. He’s a country artist who The Everly Brothers loved. His stuff is really good, but quite hard to get hold of. What was the last thing that made you laugh? Blades of Glory, a film I watched last night. It was stupid but funny. What you going to do with the rest of your day? I’ll probably be rehearsing and writing with my brother. I’ve got to get ready for our new video. We’re shooting it on a gypsy travellers site. Or I might watch more Star Trek… See! I knew you were a Trekkie! (Laughs) Honestly I’m not! I just like watching it. I love the outfits. We were going to do a front cover for one of our albums all dressed in Trekkie gear, but we couldn’t find the cardigans to fit us all. Ah the infamous cardigan. A staple item in The Coral’s wardrobe it seems? Yeah. We used to always wear them, those granddad style ones. Then all of a sudden everyone was wearing them. We started that whole cardigans being cool again thing, I’m sure of it! Anything you want to say to LeftLion readers? Keep the faith. It’s been good. The Coral play at Rock City on Monday 8 October. Their new album, Roots And Echoes, is out now. www.thecoral.co.uk www.leftlion.co.uk/issue19
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You don’t get me, I’m part of the Union… words: Samuel Rogers photos: Bobby Gee Tom Barlow Fly half
Ben Thompson Fly half or full back
Daniel ‘Monty’ Montegu Number 8
How do you feel about last season’s campaign? It was a bit disappointing really as we had expectations of coming in the top five and we actually did better the year before. But we built ourselves as a team and played some good rugby, as well as some poor rugby, so obviously we need to work on consistency. Also we didn’t get off to a great start last year which is something we aim to put right this time.
Do you think the profile and popularity of rugby is on the up at the moment in Nottingham? Well I hope so… part of my job, as well as playing, is to promote the club and raise our profile. Playing at Meadow Lane has helped as opposed to running around a muddy field in Beeston.
What reasons do you feel supporters have to be optimistic about this coming season? As a team in preseason we’re looking really good. Looking forward to being in, say, the top five competing with the professionals. We played Leicester and London Irish which was a really good experience as they are top Premiership sides. Hopefully we can take this form and experience into the first games of the season to show everyone what we’re made of.
What reasons do supporters have to be optimistic about this coming season? Strangely, the fact that we’ve kept the same squad should help us. Many teams chop and change a bit too much whereas we’ve kept the core of the squad together, only losing a few whilst also making some good additions. Why do you think rugby is not as popular here as it is in Leicester? Well, Leicester has a Premiership rugby team. They’ve been successful for a long time and people support winners. If we can emulate that kind of success then maybe rugby would become more popular in Nottingham. Where do the players like to drink in Nottingham? In terms of town the guys last year were quite keen on Walkabout. The Southbank is quite near the club so that’s good for us to go to on a Sunday afternoon.
Which player would you say is the biggest fans’ favourite and why? It’s probably Craig Hammond. He’s been at the club for a while and he’s a big Kiwi with an outgoing nature. He’ll talk to anyone. He’s also the captain and he puts everything into his performances on the pitch which the fans can admire and relate to. Who would you pick out as one to watch this year and what do they bring to the side? A new scrum half has just joined from Loughborough University called Chris Pilgrim, though we’ve nicknamed him Storm. When he was at uni they all called him Bonghead after the guy out of Hollyoaks he looks like. One day he said he was sick of it, saying he wanted a cool nickname like Storm, which has stuck ever since. Do you go out drinking together much? We don’t tend to drink during the week but we have a good crack at the weekend.
How many protein shakes and how many hours in the gym does it take to build up a rugby players body? Personally I don’t take many protein shakes and have now been taken off weights completely as I’m 117 kilos. So for the moment I’m mainly working on other aspects such as my speed and agility. I do quite a few things like basketball drills. Is it a case of ‘what happens on tour stays on tour’ or can you let us in on any antics from your travels? (Laughs) It’s going to be a case of what happens on tour stays on tour I’m afraid. I’m a single man at the moment but erm… many of us have wives and girlfriends. Still, we did go down to Portsmouth over the summer and spent some time in a barracks based there. They put us up and we had some really good nights out. Lots of team bonding shall we say and high spirits. Heavy drinking. Who’s going to win the Rugby World Cup this year? New Zealand should do but they’re renowned for just choking in certain big games. You certainly can’t disregard the French, particularly on home soil.
What new signings have you made and how are they fitting in? We haven’t made too many new signings. Some new lads have finished school or university and have joined us but they’re all fitting in really well.
And England? I don’t think they’ve got a hope (laughs). Seriously, if you put a bet on them you’re wasting your money!
Where do you hope to realistically finish this year? (Laughs) Well I made a prediction last year and put it this way I was wrong. I don’t want to jinx it!
www.nottinghamrugby.co.uk
A brief history of Nottingham Rugby… words: Erwin Yarbrough
When Alick Birkin returned to Nottingham from Rugby School at the age of sixteen in 1877, he gathered some friends around him to form a rugby team. This is generally regarded as the date of the formation of Nottingham Rugby Football Club, although the earliest reports of matches in the local press were published in 1885/86. The first minutes of an AGM date back to 1898. Birkin (or Sir Alexander Russell Birkin, to give him his full title) maintained his active interest in the club until his death in 1942. For many years the Birkin family were considered to be synonymous with Nottingham RFC, with various members being associated with the club from 1877 to 1956. Without their commitment, the club would never have got off the ground. Indeed, the ground at Ireland Avenue, Beeston, was given to the club in 1904 by Leslie Birkin, brother of Alick. Ireland Avenue remained the club’s home until its sale in 2006. Then they moved in to groundshare with the Notts County FC, the oldest professional football club in the world. The first changing rooms were built in 1929, prior to this the players changed in the nearby Victoria pub. Misbehaviour, could cause their banishment to the stables, where a single domestic bath had to cater for both teams. Throughout the first 75 years of its use, the ground at Beeston was noted as a mud heap. It was part of the flood meadow of the River Trent. The high water table made it difficult to drain and the problems were exacerbated by alterations to the confluence of the Trent and the Leen. Eventually these problems were overcome and the club felt safe in spending £15,000 in drainage twenty years ago. V.H.Cartwright (14 caps) was Nottingham’s first international player between 1904 and 1906. He eventually captained England and was a referee during his playing career before becoming a selector and eventually President of the RFU. Sixty-
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one years later John Pallant (3 caps) became Nottingham’s second international. Other international players have included Dusty Hare (1-1974), Gary Rees (23-1984-91), Rob Andrew (91985/86), Brian Moore (25-1987-90), Chris Oti (2-1988) and Simon Hodgkinson (14-1989-91). Chris Gray had 22 caps for Scotland (1989-91) and Brian Moore is the club’s only British Lion.
Nottingham RFC started the 2007/08 season in Division One, the second tier of English Rugby Union.
www.nottinghamrugby.co.uk
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words: Jack Curtis When somebody uses the term ‘mentalist’ it often incorrectly conjures up images of maniacs under lock and key rocking back and forth, talking and shouting to figments of their imagination. However, a lesser known definition of the term is a mind entertainer. Mentalism is considered by many to be the adult form of magic; it leaves behind the traditional fancy props and creates the impossible inside the audience’s heads. The art form is as old as time itself. For centuries so-called psychics have been able to tell personal information that they couldn’t possibly have known to complete strangers. In the latter part of the 1970’s Uri Gellar became a global phenomenon. He baffled millions with his uncanny ability to bend spoons with nothing but the apparent powers of his mind. Later the likes of David Blaine and Derren Brown have followed in his footsteps with other elaborate tricks for television. Looch (now based in Nottingham) has performed mentalism all across the country. He exploits little known psychological techniques to create the illusion that he can see your thoughts. We caught up with him to find out more... How did your interest in mentalism first come about? When I was younger, I used to think I had some kind of psychic ability. I would hear a word or phrase that I didn’t understand, I would go and look it up and within a day or so that word would crop up in conversation. This would happen all the time and I was convinced I had some form of precognitive ability. As I got older I lost the naivety and put it down to the learning curve we all go through as kids. I was also heavily into martial arts; I became one of the youngest black belts in Shotokan Karate. I was obsessed with techniques that appeared supernatural such as the Dim Mak or Death Touch, where a fighter administers an almost deadly blow to his opponent’s pressure points and meridians. I have always been interested in unusual skills or abilities and in the late nineties I became aware of an underground book that taught secrets of the mind. I tracked it down and it all took off from there. Do you find your skills as a mentalist help you in real life when you are not performing? Oh god yes, I work with young offenders and it certainly helps being able to anticipate situations. People give off signals every day, if you learn to pay attention to their body language you can almost read what they are thinking. Things can become volatile in a very short space of time so a heads up in these situations is certainly an advantage. When I was single, I would scan a bar or a club and be able to pinpoint, within a relatively short space of time, which girls were interested. It’s all in the direction of their feet believe it or not. Their body language remains true to their subconscious thoughts once initial eye contact has been established. The only problem is that once you become aware of these
sorts of techniques, you can fall into the trap of believing you know everything, but sometimes you can just be plain wrong! David Blaine or Derren Brown? Yeah, I’d love to see them in a fight. In that case my money’s on Blaine. He can withstand being buried alive and frozen in a block of ice. Even if Brown had a gun, he’d only fire blanks. They have revolutionised modern TV magic and mentalism and I’m a fan of both. But if I was to pick one, it would be Brown. He’s a fantastic showman. Do you think it is right or wrong for someone to claim psychic ability when in reality they are just employing certain mentalist techniques? It depends on the context, if someone is knowingly exploiting someone for financial gain then yes, it’s bang out of order but unfortunately with the psychic industry being what it is, you’re never going to be able to wean all these types out. The very reason people go to see a psychic is because they are looking for answers, they are vulnerable and these con artists can spot them coming a mile off. You’re also a hiphop DJ in Sheffield crew Hoodz Underground. How did that come about? Do DJs make good mentalists? It’s strange. Lots of people who are musically minded are into it. My friend DJ Excalibah, the former 1xtra DJ is also a mentalist, as is Chris Cox who works with Radio 1. I tend to keep both aspects separate but all the guys in Hoodz know what I do. I met them when I was working with a triphop group in Sheffield. We had some instrumental tracks and wanted to experiment with local rappers. D Damage, came down to the studio and worked with us. We
did a gig a few months later and they all came down and soon afterwards asked me to join them. That was in 2000, just after their first EP was released. Since then we have grown as a unit and become strong in the UK hiphop industry. Our debut album dropped this year… it’s weird seeing your own album in HMV. What’s the best trick you’ve ever seen performed? Religion... but that’s another story. As for a great magic trick, David Copperfield’s flying illusion is beautiful
A simple psychological effect for you to try... Ask a friend to begin counting down from one hundred. As they are doing this explain that in a moment you are going to give them another instruction (by getting your friend to count like this you are preventing them from thinking about anything else in too much detail). While they are counting, write “Carrot” on a slip of paper making sure they don’t catch what you are scribbling. Fold it up and instruct them to think of a vegetable and to stick with the first one they thought of. Hand them the slip of paper, let them read it and wait for the baffled look on their face to appear. How? It’s simple psychology, ninety percent of people automatically think of a carrot. If for some unlucky reason they thought of another vegetable just repeat the process only this time get them to close their eyes. As they are counting simply get up and leave. When they finally get bored of counting they’ll feel like a right twat to discover they were doing that for absolutely no purpose whatsoever!
Will you be going to Goose Fair this year? Probably not. Goose Fair for me has lost its identity. Years ago it had depth; it was about local produce and a sense of community and pride. Now the focus is purely on making money with overpriced rides. Have you ever used your powers for evil? Of course! Mwahaha…
for every two million people there is only one mentalist. If I’m booked to work with you, expect plenty of audience participation, smiles and laughter. I often get asked if I’m in league with the devil, but I tell them the truth; if I influence you to think of something without you being aware of it, then in turn I tell you what that something is. To you, it appears as mind reading, but in reality I am creating the illusion of mind reading through influence.
What plans do you have for the future? I do a lot of consultancy work, giving advice and direction. Right now, I’m applying the finishing touches to a fellow performers stage show. I’m going to be in attendance on the opening night of his new show, which should be interesting. I was also recently asked to lecture to a group of high profile mentalists in Israel but I can’t make it due to my schedule. I’m also developing some new ideas myself, which I’m very excited about.
Anything else you want to say to our readers? To understand what people are really thinking, pay attention to every last detail, not just what they say but how they say it, how they stand and how they interact with you. You can understand 99% of what’s going on in their mind without listening to a single word they say. In my shows I try to explain how to get inside peoples heads. If you would like to participate in a unique experience, visit my website for booking details.
What can we expect if we book you for an event? Something you probably won’t see again in your lifetime. Mentalism is such an unusual and rare art form. I heard a great statistic recently that
www.looch.co.uk www.leftlion.co.uk/issue19
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e Simon words: Mik
Justin Moorhouse is most recognisable as Young Kenny from Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights. He spent the majority of the series wearing tiger face paint, but there’s considerably more to the man than that. In fact, Justin has had his own prime time slot on Manchester radio for over five years, as well as making various appearances in pantomime and on the small screen. He will be bringing his brand new stand up show Who’s the Daddy? to Nottingham in October. His favourite joke involves poo… So what do you talk about on the radio for three hours a day? Well, we do a lot of music and we have features and guests. It’s not just hours of me chatting away. It’s just having a bit of fun, you know? I heard that you were nominated for an interactive programme award. What makes your show interactive? Well, we have phone-ins and text-ins and we have people getting involved. We have a jokes competition every day where we set the subject and people send in the punchlines. We did one with “What’s the difference between Beyonce and the Labour party?” The best response was “One has a party political broadcast and the other has a partly revealed broad ass.” So does your radio work feed into your comedy material? It can do. The radio show is kind of like the stand-up I do, but slightly watered down. We might talk about something on the radio that makes me laugh and then I’ll adapt that to use it on stage. You tone down on the radio show a little bit then? Well, you can’t swear on the radio. I swear on stage and it can be a little bit outrageous, but obviously we haven’t got that on the radio. It takes a little while for the texts to come through but I’ve had ‘Get off, you’re rubbish.’ So your current show is about parenting? Yeah, it’s about having a kid and being a dad and what it’s like raising a child now. It’s still stand-up, it’s not a slide show saying ‘Look at my kids, aren’t they cute.’ That’s the show that I’ve been doing in Edinburgh, it’s called Who’s the Daddy? and it’s an hour long show. When I come touring it’ll be fresher and there’ll be more interaction with the audience. So is that all coming from personal experience? I might embellish the truth but I don’t make anything up. It’s all true, I’ve got two kids, a boy who’s ten and a girl who’s two. What does your partner make of you using your life for comedy material? She knows it’s for the job and if she wants to get along with me she’s got to let me do it. Sometimes on the radio, because it’s very local, I don’t go into the ins and outs of our domestic life. You have to have something and if I talk about the fact that she’s done something stupid, then she has to live with it. It’s never been a problem really, but my little lad at school sometimes has his friends
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at school thinking that I’m a millionaire because I’m on the radio. So I have to explain to him, “Tell them that, no, Daddy’s not a millionaire. If I was a millionaire you wouldn’t be at this school!” So are there any areas that you’d never go? Well, I don’t know if I’d talk about the ins and outs of my sex life, but I’m a comedian, so everything’s fair game really. How does radio compare to live performances? In a way, on the radio, you’re alone, but reaching a much larger audience than on stage… Yeah, that’s strange, it’s trying to imagine those people listening and what’re they’re doing. On the stage you get an immediate reaction and you can tell if something’s going right, or if it needs to be changed or pitched differently. On the radio you’re out there on your own really. I always have someone with me in the studio, so I’ve got a repartee with someone, at least. You can get things out of both really. What kind of crowds are you going to be playing to when you tour Who’s the Daddy? The sort of audience sizes I get are around two hundred. I’m trying to build up a reputation for myself and stretch out a bit, on some nights in Manchester I’m doing a two thousand seater venue. Hopefully people will enjoy the show and come back next year and I can sell more tickets. You can do as many interviews and put up as many posters as you want, but if people see you and tell their friends it makes all the difference. Have you ever done your show in Nottingham before? I’ve never done my own show there, but I’ve worked with other people. I worked with the Just The Tonic club and I’ve always had a good time. What kind of thing does your routine normally take in, other than parenting? The most important thing to me is making people laugh about the everyday things in life. I don’t do politics; I just talk about my experiences. I don’t always talk about parenting, but it’s not exactly Beyond the Fringe. I’ve heard that you’re Jimmy Carr’s favourite comedian. I got that into my posters, yeah! We started out together and still turn to each other for advice to this day. He’s brilliant, much nicer than his on screen persona makes you believe. He comes across
as a hard faced comedian, who delivers the lines with a little bit of venom, but off stage he’s done me good on many occasions and I couldn’t be happier that he’s as successful as he is. He’s not exactly skint is he? He’s got the lifestyle that I want, but he works every week of the year for it. He’s constantly on tour to a live audience, which is the most important thing. It might be a generalisation, but where there’s an almost innocent quality to Peter Kay’s routine, Jimmy Carr’s is comparatively cruel. Where do you fit in there? I’m right in the middle of that! To be honest, in my routine, the butt of the joke is me. I try to make it self depreciating and I don’t really like making victims or that sort of thing. It’s an interesting thing to try and analyse what you do and I’ve never really sat down and thought “I can’t write that because it’s not what I do.” You just do what comes naturally, it’s never really more complicated than that. So how do you write material? Well, I sit down and write an hour’s worth of stuff and when we take that on tour it’ll last longer. I began writing this show in February or March and going into little comedy clubs and trying it out, to see what worked and what I’d chuck. That works into ten or fifteen different routines and then I write them down and put them in order. It’s been good really, starting from scratch. Generally when you’re on the circuit stuff gets moved around and changed, but this has been brand new, from scratch. Do you ever get a hostile audience? Yeah sometimes, but that’s the nature of the beast. Hostility isn’t a problem, really, indifference is much worse. If people are indifferent you can’t change them. If people are paying to come and see me, they usually won’t be like that! Hopefully it’ll be an assembly of joy. What’s your favourite joke? What’s brown and sticky? A stick? Nah, dog poo. Justin Moorhouse plays Just The Tonic at The Approach on Thursday 18 October 2007. www.justthetonic.com www.justinmoorhouse.com
DESIGN: MIKE@SUNKENRECORDS.COM
STRICTLY ROOTS REGGAE - NO COMPROMISE
RARE OLD TIMERS TO DUBWISE, STEPPERS AND BEYOND FROM THE HIGHNESS ARCHIVES
words: Glen Parver photo: David Bowen You may have seen Vinyl [Abort] on posters around Nottingham. If you have you may have thought their name was a bit weird. Particularly the square brackets thing. You may even have wondered what exactly the hell they’re all about? In actual fact, Vinyl [Abort] are a collective of talented local DJs and VJs. Their frantic mix of beats, scratching and visuals has seen them take the Nottingham scene by storm over the last year. We caught up with the two at the centre of the maelstrom, Tim Bates and Jim Wheatley… So what exactly is Vinyl [Abort]? Tim: It started as a silly idea that we thought might just work, a live mash-up of loads of stuff you have heard before. There’s everything in there from hiphop to drum’n’bass, from dubstep to tracks from local bands. Nothing is sacred; everything is fair game to be sampled, stretched, looped and remixed. Jim: It’s all smoke and mirrors, really. We both press lots of buttons and pretend to look busy. Really we’re just playing Minesweeper on Tim’s PC while a mix CD plays out. What can people expect from a Vinyl [Abort] show? Jim: Dogging. There’ll be lots of cars parked
behind the venue, and if you’re lucky you might be able to get Stan Collymore’s autograph. Tim: If you do manage to get inside then it’s an onslaught. Once we start we don’t know where we’re going to end up. It’s everything you’ve heard before in a different order, chopped to pieces and remixed live, with scratches over the top, live visuals to look at and quality emcees. Expect to get sweaty. Jim: From the dogging. Who plays what in the live band? Tim: Our live show is pure hectic. Me and Jim run a PC (soon to be Mac as we’ve had more than a couple of close shaves relying on Microsoft). Then we’ve got the cut-up master Spamchop on the ones and twos. He’s one of the best DJ’s in Notts at the moment for both technique and selection. Jim: We’ve got Jamie Synoptics on visuals with everything from mad chopped-up film clips to epic AV intros to our show. The guy’s too bright for his own good, twenty going on forty-five and was a major factor in us setting the project up in the first place. His enthusiasm and belief in VA convinced us that people might just enjoy it and we might just get away with it. Tim: We have a bit of a pool of MCs. Warner has been with us from the start, he’s well up for it and got a wicked flow bouncing from hiphop rhymes to jungle chatter and back. Juma Phist has always stepped up since the beginning too and he’s pure quality, the perfect liquid MC. Jim: Recently MC Drops and Limited Edition have come to join us. They bring Drop’s years
of experience and Limited Edition’s unique hype style to our sound. Where did you start out in music? Tim: I found it mostly in Rock City (the college youth club when I was sixteen) and then brought my first set of shitty belt drive decks when I was seventeen. Jim: Meat Loaf. The first album I ever bought. Then, later, drum’n’bass and other dance music. Now I’ve come full circle again with the Vinyl [Abort] mashup bizness roadshow party extravaganza bonanza.
What are your plans for the next year? Tim: Bigger and better performances. We’re sussing out how to rebuild the technology we
Nuclear Family are a lively, funky and upbeat five piece pop rocking the party at LeftLion Presents this October. The band is made up of Charlotte (vocals), Mike (bass and production), Rob (drums) and Nima (guitar). They’ve been friends since their schooldays, but formed a band in 2006 through a shared love of good tunes. Very glad we are that they did too… words: Glen Parver photo: Sherry Pollitt If you’re a family who is mum and who is dad? Rob: We are dad, our studio’s our mum and the songs are our offspring. Mike: It’s not a question of a man and a woman, and children, more a question of a group of human beings, in a mutual bond.
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Our resident DJs, the purrfect Stiff Kittens, will also be on the ones and twos. Entrance is free, music from 8pm until midnight.
What was the last album that you bought? Nima: Tigercity’s Pretend not to Love. Rob: Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor. Mike: Calvin Harris’ I Created Disco. Charlotte: Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad. Well, I didn’t exactly buy it...
You last played for LeftLion on New Years Eve. What have you been doing since then? Nima: We’ve recorded our CD Volume One. Charlotte: We’ve also played a variety of venues, from wine bars to tents at festivals. It’s been fun! Rob: We’ve been developing every tune we have and writing new ones. Mike: Rob and myself have played gigs with spoken-word artist Mr. Jones, too.
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Nuclear Family and Vinyl [Abort] play LeftLion Presents at the Orange Tree on Saturday 6 October.
What are your favourite hangouts in Nottingham? Mike: Our studio. I don’t make it out much these days! Rob: I like the Gladstone for socialising and a little spot by the river for private time. Charlotte: Sherwood Forest. Nima: University Park. We like the outdoors.
Where did you all meet? Charlotte: We’ve been close friends for years, but only bandmates for eighteen months or so. Rob: That’s where the family part comes from.
What can we expect from you at the Orange Tree this time round? Charlotte: We’ll be playing at least one of our new tracks, which we’re really excited about.
www.myspace.com/vinylabort
What are your favourite hangouts in Nottingham? Tim: We are usually found lurking round the Golden Fleece, Hotel Deux and the Stone Soup studio. Jim: I like The Bell Inn and countless other real pubs too. Maybe I’m getting old?
We Ar e F a m i l y
Tell us about Volume One. Mike: We wanted to make a really nice-looking and sounding CD to give away and we decided to produce it entirely ourselves, partly from perfectionism and partly just from lack of money. Charlotte: It took far longer than we expected but it’s available now. Hopefully people will like it!
use to integrate the video and music even more, alongside gigging around the country. Jim: More gigs in as many places as we can manage. Every weekend and more if we can.
What is coming up for you over the next year? Charlotte: More recording, live performances and compositions. Mike: We should have Volume Two out sometime in 2008.
Nima: We’ve sharpened up all our tunes. Rob: I’d like to think people come away from our gigs saying ‘that was different’. How would you describe your music? Rob: Pop, I suppose. We just try to make music that’s original and that we really feel. Nima: No-one seems to be able to categorise our music, not even us!
What are your influences? Mike: Loads. Lots of really unfashionable records. Rob: It’s hard to answer, because we try not to be too influenced by any one thing. Charlotte: In terms of our lyrics, almost anything you can think of. Nima: Bad music makes me want to write something much better.
Anything else you want to say to LeftLion readers? Charlotte: Thanks for reading. We love you, Nottingham! Rob: Free press is the best. Support it to the fullest. Mike: If you want a copy of the CD, email us or get in touch on Myspace.
www.myspace.com/nukefam
Athlete’s Footprint With singles like You Got the Style, El Salvador and Wires, you’re probably familiar with Athlete’s ubiquitous chill-out guitar style, even if you don’t know it. Now with their own studio, the softly spoken indie quartet are at it again with their album Beyond the Neighbourhood, whose scope encompasses everything from campaigning against the Iraq war to adventures on the night bus. There’s even a dub cover album going by the name of Beyond Dub Neighbourhood. We spoke to bassist Carey Willets about climate change, advertising and the Orange Tree. words: Mike Simon Is Beyond the Neighbourhood a more global album than your previous material? Yeah, I suppose it is. The album breaks down into a couple of songs that are a bit more about us and our relationships and the rest of it is about everything beyond that, you can’t miss it these days, it’s so in your face. There are so many things people are aware of now, that two or three years ago they wouldn’t talk about. When you start writing songs, you just naturally write about what you’re thinking and what’s going through your head, so that’s all there on the album. It’s not a preachy album, it’s more of a questioning one. So are you going to be involved in campaigning about any particular issues? We’re approached quite regularly to do stuff for different charities, which we all think is brilliant, but at the same time you have to try to work out what you do. It’s become almost a cliché for bands to work with charity and its like most bands don’t really
care what charity it is, it’s just the right thing for them to do. You sound skeptical. Do you think it’s become obligatory for bands to parade their ethical credentials? I’m not having a go at bands doing what they do, because I genuinely hope that they believe in what they’re doing. I just hope that bands are naturally sympathetic and are interested in what they’re doing, not just trying to get a bit of press. Your material has appeared in adverts in the past. Are there any brands that you wouldn’t want your music attached to? We’ve only ever done one advert, in America, for Adidas. We spent a long time umming and ahhing about it, trying to decide whether it was a company that we actually wanted to put our name to. It turns out both them and Nike have stopped using things that aren’t fair trade. Other than that we haven’t done a lot of advertising. TV programmes have used our music but that’s about it.
Do you have a lot of control over that kind of thing? Anything that’s advertising, we get to approve it. If it’s for a TV show, like Match of the Day, it just happens without you knowing about it, but with adverts we say if it’s okay or not. On your first album I was a bit thrown by the song El Salvador, considering the country’s recent war torn history. To be honest, we didn’t know much about it at all then. It was just so far removed from our own lifestyle and what we were doing that it seemed completely different. The essence of the song was just going somewhere completely different. After your first album you played in the rather tight confines of the Orange Tree (home of LeftLion Presents)… Yeah, we did and I actually really enjoyed it. We’ve got two or three small gigs coming up in the week after the record comes out. I really enjoy playing small gigs. It’s nice
being that close to people and a great way to play your songs. What are you aiming for in the future? It’s that weird thing in a band that your life is so dependent on what your next record does, in terms of where you’ll be, what you’re doing. Hopefully we’ll be halfway through our next record. I’d like to live somewhere else for a few months and then come back. Everyone thinks that being in a band you’re rich, but
I don’t know any bands that have paid off their debts to their record company, yet. Bands aren’t rich any more, so it’s nice to take a breather. But we start pulling our hair out if we don’t make music and that kind of works for us. Athlete play at Rock City on Tuesday 2 October. Their new album Beyond the Neighbourhood is out now. www.athlete.mu
Miles Hunt is an old friend of LeftLion. Not only is he frontman for The Wonder Stuff and a former MTV presenter, but he also contributed a fair amount of words to this magazine when we first started out. The Stuffies were responsible for seminal nineties tunes like Circlesquare, Size of a Cow and Dizzy (with Vic Reeves on guest vocals). But they’ve put their gigs on hold for a year as members immerse themselves in family life. But Miles, ever keen to get his guitar out and play it round the world, is back with newest Stuffie violinist Erica Nockalls and heading for the Rescue Rooms… words: Jared Wilson Where did you both first meet? Miles: We met at a charity gig The Wonder Stuff were doing in Bromsgrove, in aid of the Tsunami victims. Amusingly, the students at the school where the event was held were putting on a play of Grease, so the stage was dressed to look like Rydell High, pink Cadillac and all. We’d invited Erica to the gig to see if she’d be interested in playing with us. God knows what she thought…
Erica, what were you up to before you joined The Wonder Stuff? Erica: I was in my second year at the Birmingham Conservatoire when the producer at the time spotted me busking. I was playing electric violin and singing with my prog metal band Fireswitch and was contacted through a mutual friend at the studios where we rehearsed. I was sent a couple of TWS tunes and went for the audition. The rest is history.
How did bringing Erica into The Wonder Stuff change the dynamic of the band? Miles: Having Erica in the band, allowed us to revisit some of the songs that had been missing from the set since we’d been a four piece again. But once she’d played on her first tour with us in 2005 it became obvious that we should involve her in the new material we were recording for the Suspended By Stars album. There was never any difficulty in Erica becoming part of the gang, she fitted in from the get go.
What was it like writing and recording the theme for Underground Ernie? Miles: It was a pretty natural process really. When I’m writing material for either solo ventures or The Wonder Stuff I purposely try to avoid areas that I’ve covered before. It was quite the opposite with the Ernie songs. I wanted the songs to have the energy of tracks like Don’t Let Me Down, Gently and maybe even The Size of a Cow. Sid Rainey, the shows creator, was very specific about wanting songs of a sing-along nature. It was great fun writing the songs with Sid and it happened very easily.
In fact I think both of the songs in the first series were written in the pub. How is Malc Treece? Miles: Malc is very well. He became a father for the first time this year and is loving every minute of it. He never asked, but I figured we should put the band on hold this year so he can enjoy his new family, which is why Erica and I have been touring together acoustically, instead of with the band. Have you seen Vic Reeves recently? What’s he up to? Miles: I speak to him often enough, but we haven’t got together since last December, when he got up on stage with us in London to perform Dizzy. I believe his television career is alive and well. Erica: Miles first introduced me to Mr. Reeves at the Hotel Du Vin, Bristol, in the summer of 2006. We drank many glasses of Chablis and numerous Mohitos. We ate Kalamata olives and played Scrabble until the sun rose, having
numerous light-hearted tiffs about the correct spelling of words like onus. I recall the bar tab being the steepest I’ve ever known. What can we expect from your gig at the Rescue Rooms? Miles: Our acoustic shows are a mix of songs old and new, Wonder Stuff and solo. I attempt to string the whole thing together with a few stories, sometimes connected to the songs. It really depends on how good the wine is that been provided on the rider. Erica: Good stuff. Roaaawh!
Miles Hunt and Erica Nockalls play with Vinnie Peculiar at the Rescue Rooms on Sunday 14 October. Read some of Miles Hunt’s rantings on LeftLion at www.leftlion.co.uk/miles www.leftlion.co.uk/issue19
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Hughes The Daddy words: Tommy Goodall
Team Hughes are a feel-good rockabilly soul band from Nottingham. Led by the Hannibal-like Daniel Hughes (vocals and guitar), they line up as Darren Fretwell (double bass), Mark Strawbridge (harmonica and mandolin), Elliott Lewis (vocals and guitar) and Jason Allum (drums). They’ve played for LeftLion before and we loved their funky show, particularly the bit where they give out instruments for the audience to join in on percussion. So we thought we’d get them back again, with a slightly different line-up… How would you describe your sound? Daniel: Eastern European rockabilly soul. We haven’t rehearsed much with this line up yet, so our sound has developed by playing lots of gigs together, which means tempos and styles change. We’ve just recorded an EP with Andy Oakley, which I’m over the moon with, so for our next set of gigs we’ll aim to replicate that sound. What are your influences? Daniel: Anything that makes me want to breakdance or morris dance! I’m loving The Stray Cats at the moment. Darren: Everything from Slayer to Wham! to listen to. My influences as a double bass player are from fifties rock and roll and big band jazz. That’s everything a double bass player needs. Which bands/artists in Notts do you tip for big things? Daniel: Left of the Dealer always play well, First Blood could really kick off and I also rate Trickster, Jezz Hall and Old Basford and not forgetting me old mucka Chris McDonald.
Darren: Team Hughes. Genuinely, before I was a member I opened for them with Chris Hull and the Instant Band, and during their sound check I was thinking ‘these are the dads’. It was the first band I’d seen in a long time that excited me. Where do you like playing (apart from for LeftLion, of course)? Daniel: I enjoy playing the Maze, the Social, the Golden Fleece and Hotel Deux. Darren: Hotel Deux is a nice relaxed ‘playing in your living room’ feel. Anywhere that has a good sound makes me happy. How can we raise Nottingham’s national profile? Daniel: I think LeftLion has, but national distribution or LeftLion television adverts wouldn’t hurt! Darren: By producing a great band that does something good. Nottingham’s never produced a band that has done anything substantial.
3rd- 6th October 2007
Where have you guys been on your tour recently and how did you sort that out? Daniel: Well, we were offered the opportunity to stay at our college lecturer’s house in Slovenia in return for labour, helping build walls etc, but then New College Nottingham discovered our plans and offered us funds for petrol and the ferry trip as part of a cultural studies project. We played in Belgium, Holland, Slovenia and Italy busking on the street. By doing this we met friends who then organised gigs for us and it was amazing! One day we were playing at a wine festival, the next the Alps and the next playing on the coast as the sun went down. Darren: We put the bass and guitar in the van, set our sights on Slovenia and got there via any route we liked through Europe. We took a healthy dose of good looks, cheek and charm with us and gatecrashed as many gigs, national
events, radio stations, TV appearances, parties and festivals as we could. Generally we came out with loads of free stuff. Any particularly good stories? Darren: Where do you start? From drunken Scottish and Belgium vagabonds to European prime ministers, tight European businessmen to loose European girls. Daniel: Our car was searched for drugs by the German police, they were very thorough, taking everything out and looking through all our bags. The spare wheel came off and they were under the car with torches, there was even talk of looking in our underpants. Thankfully they didn’t, because that’s where I always keep my stash! www.myspace/teamhughes
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No. I like ambiguity. I think writers do a disservice by solving all the mysteries in their novels. If a novel is to be honest and reflect experience, ambiguity is essential. Philip reminded me a little of the kid in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (erratic, confused and funny with his idiosyncrasies) Are you happy with this comparison? People sometimes say this. As comparisons go it’s certainly not an unpleasant one, but Philip is a child who isn’t suffering from a disorder in the same way. His panic and anxieties are a product of grief and it is this grief and how he deals with it that is, I hope, at the centre of the story.
You spent a couple of years working at Manumission in Ibiza. Has this influenced your writing or life in any way? There is a lot of hugging or need for it in the book... It’s hard to say. Working in Ibiza eventually caused me to break down so I suppose it helped in the sense that it made me totally reassess what I wanted to do with my life. You have eight business books under your belt including the highly successful Brand Failures. Which gives you most pleasure writing, business or adult fiction? Adult fiction. Business writing was just a day job and now, thankfully, I no longer have to do it. Although, I still believe there are at least as many talented brand consultants as there are novelists. The only difference is that when you are a novelist, you are the brand. Given your marketing background, do you arrange promotions yourself? Is it frustrating relying on others? I’m a control freak, so it is always frustrating relying on other people, but the truth is the publishers are the people who deal with the same book editors every week, so aside from building a website and a myspace page I generally leave it to them. Is writing from the perspective of a young adolescent difficult and what is the allure of this? I wouldn’t say it is any more difficult writing as an adolescent than any other perspective. All good writing is aiming for a childlike quality: the ability to see a tired reality with fresh eyes. A child’s perspective is very tempting and helpful, as it inevitably sends you back to your
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Mental health seems to be surfacing in more and more novels recently. Ray Robinson’s Electricity springs to mind. Why do you think this is? I can’t speak for other writers but this does seem to be a trend among novelists who concentrate on the present. People seem to be either writing about the past, or writing about the present from a slightly skewered perspective. I think the reality of the contemporary world in 2007 is quite scary. Fear can lead to escapism or madness, or it can lead to madness as escapism. So it’s probably just a natural response to the society we inhabit. own childhood. The key thing in the process is memory. The older I get I realise there is no adulthood, just ex-childhoods. We forget as much as we learn as we grow up. The Dead Fathers Club is clearly influenced by elements of Hamlet. Was this your motivation or simply a coincidence that became clearer as the novel progressed? It’s not quite a coincidence, but it certainly wasn’t the starting point. Originally I wanted to tell a ghost story from a ghost’s perspective. Then it became from the boy’s perspective and I noticed it was gradually becoming Hamlet. Given the above, is it possible to ever create something truly original or have we reached the full gamut of human expression? I think humans don’t fundamentally change, even as society progresses, or regresses. The same human emotions stay constant. So, the stories we tell are always the same stories. Love stories, revenge stories, quest stories. The story of Hamlet was itself a borrowed story, but Shakespeare made something new and original with it. The Dead Fathers Club is based in Newarkon-Trent. Is this because it is a particularly haunted region or somewhere you are familiar with?
It’s where I lived for most of my childhood and a place that would therefore help me get inside an eleven year old mind. Have you ever seen a ghost or do you believe in them? I believe in them as a metaphor, but not necessarily as a reality. I thought I saw one when I was ten. An old woman in Victorian clothes walking past a bedroom doorway at my grandparents’ house but I did have an overheated imagination. Why the lack of punctuation in the book, particularly given the target audience? The lack of punctuation seemed to be a simple way I could capture Philip’s breathless state of mind. Fish appear quite often in the novel. Why is this? I don’t know. I like fish and I kept tropical fish when I was a child. Philip is a child drowning in grief and conflicting emotions, so I suppose fish and water are obvious symbols of this. I was unsure whether Phillip imagined hearing his dead father or whether it was all in his mind as part of the grieving process. Was this ambiguity deliberate or did you envisage a particular truth?
What are you working on at the moment? I have just finished my next adult book, called The Possession of Mr Cave. It’s about a man’s obsession with his daughter and it’s pretty dark. There’s a lot of death in it and no happy ending. Not even a glimmer of hope? I think bleak endings can be positive, in a way. After all, everything crappy about the world right now is a result of misguided optimism, such as the misguided optimism that said it was possible for western military intervention to bring peace in Iraq. Bleak endings help turn people into cynics and pessimists and I don’t think we can be too cynical at the moment. So I’m on a crusade to make people miserable. No... I’m not really. ‘The bell went and Mrs Fell just looked at me with sad shoulders. I wanted her to hug me and to put my head in her warm boobs for ever. But that wasn’t going to happen so I picked up my bag with my weapons in it and I went out’ The Dead Fathers Club The Dead Fathers Club is available in shops now priced at £7.99 by Vintage books. www.matthaig.com
What influences you? Jacobs: The Midlands Group, who were a contemporary artist group set up in the sixties. During WW2, lots of artists came to Nottingham from London because of all the bombings, including the studios for Goldsmiths art students. There was a large group of prominent working artists showing in Nottingham at the time who were curating really interesting exhibitions with artists from all around the world. Since they disbanded there has been nothing like this. We hope to restart this kind of exciting approach.
What are you exhibiting at the moment? Jacobs: Circle of the Tyrants an exhibition at Southwell Art Space opening 15 September. This is a show of four artists’ work
including drawing, sculpture, video and text based work. What is coming up? Jacobs: During October we have Berndnaut Smilde from The Netherlands in residence at the studios to produce new work for Moot. We’ve been selected as one of sixty international galleries to exhibit at Zoo Art Fair at The Royal Academy of Arts in London opening 12–15 October. After that we’re doing a show with Jack Strange, a new BA Fine Art graduate from the Slade in London. Hessing: We are also working on an off-site project in Zurich in January 2008. Next year we are also expecting to relocate Moot to a more central location.
Design: Studio Output
www.mootgallery.org
What has happened so far? Hessing: We started with solo artist shows working closely with the artist to understand their ways of
Top tip for local artists and curators? Hessing: Make sure you are totally committed and that you have complete conviction in what you do. Jacobs: Go to all the private views, be prepared to invest your own money and time and also try to apply for funding.
3. Berndnaut Smilde, Carcass Klein. Image from solo exhibition at Moot Running from 5 Oct to 4 Nov.
How did it come together? Jacobs: We are all graduates from Nottingham School of Art and Design at Trent University. Becoming part of Stand Assembly Studios, we then went on to develop Moot gallery.
How is you relationship with the Arts Council? Jacobs: It has developed with time and now they often approach us with funding opportunities, rather than us approaching them.
4. Jack Strange, Believe, 2006. Image from solo exhibition at Moot. Running from 16 Nov to 16 Dec.
Who runs Moot gallery? Hessing: Candice Jacobs, Tristan Hessing, Tom Godfrey and Matthew Jamieson. Jacobs: We decide collectively which artists to work with.
What do you think about CCAN? (new arts centre to open in city centre this year) Hessing: It is a great step into developing Nottingham’s art scene. Jacobs: It is fantastic for the general public to have more of an awareness of contemporary art. It should support Moot and be great for networking.
What is your opinion of contemporary art happening in Nottingham? Hessing: It is very much festival based, with Now Festival, Expo, Radiator and Trampoline. There is a big build up to them happening but it is all very temporary. We are trying to be more sustained with Moot by having a constantly changing programme of events.
3. Elizabeth Rowe, Belief Inspired. Image from Zoo Art Fair. Running from 12 Oct to 15 Oct.
Moot gallery shows cutting-edge art exhibitions ranging in issue and approach. Based at The Factory on Dakeyne Street, Sneinton, this artist-led space has been running since 2005. Presenting itself apart from other galleries it is full of originality and challenge. Selected for Zoo Art Fair 2007, held at The Royal Academy in London, it raises aspirations for East Midlands Artists. Candice Jacobs and Tristan Hessing discuss their achievements.
Best part since the start? Hessing: The very first opening. We ended up with many more people visiting than we ever expected. Half of these we didn’t even know. We knew then it would be successful and that we could do it.
1. Mark Pearson, The Event Horizon. ArtSpace Southwell Circle of the Tyrants. Running from 15 Sept to 13 Oct.
words: Amanda Young
working. Then we moved on to more fast moving projects such as the six shows, which was Six shows in Six weeks. This included eighteen different artists exhibiting together. Wherever we can we like to get new work into the gallery, this keeps us an innovative and unpredictable space. Jacobs: We have been showing outside Nottingham in Düsseldorf, London and Norwich, supporting many East Midlands based artists. We have been doing many art fairs recently; this is a great opportunity to balance income with funding.
Moot Unit 3 Dakeyne Street Sneinton Nottingham NG3 2AR
A Moot moment
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294 Hucknall Road
Chilled Acoustic Tuesdays 9-Late Live Jazz Thursdays 9-Late Live Bands & DJ’s Friday / Saturday wwww.myspace.com/thehubblive
A Selection of continental lagers, real ales and fine wines
This month, LeftLion gives you the opportunity to dry up your chatty dishes and learn summat about your Hoodtown all at the same time - with a free Proper Notts tea-towel (made of erm… newspaper). Here are just some of the things you can do with it: • Whip it around your manky kitchen surfaces whilst gazing upon the soulful mien of Xylophone Man. • Hang it over your radiator, whilst gazing upon all the things we have that Derby hasn’t, because it’s rubbish. • Tuck it into your best shirt at dinner parties so people can stare in wonderment at the rich gifts Nottingham has bestowed upon the world, whilst you avoid getting all peas down your front.
• Tie it across your head, Tupac-style, whilst standing outside the off-licence doing whatever the other twats with no lives who congregate outside such establishments do. • Sensuously flick it against your partner’s tremulous buttocks in foreplay sessions, whilst gazing upon the cultural endowment of Nottingham in rapt wonderment.
The LeftLion Proper Nottingham tea-towel is not available in any shops, nor will you be able to win it at Goose Fair on the Hook-A-Duck. But it’s yours, free with this issue of LeftLion. Instructions: Detach centre pages from magazine. Put it somewhere nice where people can see it. Avoid contact with water, tea, blood, and any other fluids. Do not wash. If damaged, just pick up another copy. www.leftlion.co.uk/issue19
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577 Mansfield Road • Sherwood • Nottingham
Describe what you do in one word. Soundscapes. Best creative tool? In-ear binaural microphones. Hardest thing about doing art? Not having enough money to buy equipment. What would you vacuum pack? Emergency batteries. What artist would you exhibit with? I would love to add binaural audio to the work of either Tony Oursler or Daniel Gustav Cramer. Where in Nottingham would you convert into an art space? The Park tunnel. Best way to start the day? A huge bowl of Special K. Best way to end the day? Ice cream with malteasers and squirty chocolate treat. Worst job? Anything to do with admin. Are you an insider or outsider? An outsider. What do you think about CCAN (Centre for Contemporary Art Nottingham)? I’m really excited about the idea of having a building that encourages international and local artists to exhibit and with the promise of facilities to match. I hope it offers opportunities for artists and the public and turns out to be as successful as planned. What do you think about the Arts Council England? I worked with Creative Partnerships and a school in Mansfield that was funded by ACE and was really appreciative of their support during the project. Favourite sense? Sound. What is your artistic concept? An auditory experience that can disrupt the balance between the actual and the virtual. What’s the best thing about the art community? Receiving an honest opinion about your practice whether it’s good or bad. Next showing? Conscious Void Exhibition. A collaboration with Lucy Stevens and Cat Preston, on upstairs at The City Gallery, Leicester (4-8 Dec 2007).
Describe what you do in one word. Customisedinaccuracies Best creative tool? Max/MSP/Jitter (www.cycling74.com). Hardest thing about doing art? Funding and having the time and equipment to develop new work. What would you vacuum pack? Supermarkets. What artist would you exhibit with? The Vasulka’s, Martin Arnold, Thorsten Fleisch, R. Luke Dubois, Artificiel, Kanta Horio, Marius Watz, United Visual Artists, Bubble, Nowhere Lab, Architects of Air, Ill industries, Joe Gilmore, Mark Fell, Paul Emery, ALKU, Chris Gladwin, Mountebank, Dan Toporowski, Rachel Parry, Barret Hogdson, Leigh Toro, AMIS, Simon Brown, Mari King, Chris Cousin, Stu Smith, Moot Gallery, Ultralame. Where in Nottingham would you convert into an art space? The space above the Baselab recording studios or the future wireless network in NG7. Best way to start the day? Without anything waking me up! Best way to end the day? Asleep. Worst job? Gutting pheasants or massaging octopus. Are you an insider or outsider? Out. What do you think about CCAN (the Centre for Contemporary Art Nottingham)? Nottingham will be in the cultural limelight for a few months, masking the media’s crime perspective by chucking monies at a jewel studded white elephant. What do you think about the Arts Council England? 35% to 60% more if we hadn’t got the Olympics. Favourite sense? Nonsense. What is your artistic concept? I manipulate a diverse and expanding range of projects using bespoke software, integrating real-time improvised elements. What’s the best thing about the art community? Nottingham’s arts community is heaving but also it can be quite incestuous. Where are you next showing? My next show will be as Mountebank in Derby at QArts in October. www.myspace.com/timewastemedia
www.obiwan33.deviantart.com/gallery/
www.myspace.com/amyleeharris
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Describe what you do in one word: Making Best creative tool? The Yellow Submarine. My sister and I watched it lots when we were little. I’m sure it had a part in shaping the way I see things. Hardest thing about doing art? I mostly have to do it without the constant adult supervision I need. I’m very haphazard. What would you vacuum pack? Our little cat, Mr Susan. He’s so fluffy. What artist would you like to exhibit with? Kathryn Cooper, she’s a freaking genius! Where in Nottingham would you convert into an art space? Bulwell. Best way to start the day? Digging for crows. Best way to end the day? Planting crows. Worst job? Working at Tesco aged nineteen. I used to wake up in the night trying to serve customers. It was very dark. Are you an insider or outsider? I’m a badass driver. Incredible at parking. They call me ‘One Shot’ Harris. Favourite sense? I like looking at things. Everythings. What is your artistic concept? Nicey nicey zoo zoo, for him and her and me and you. What’s the best thing about the art community? The vast range of fighting skills. When we took on the farming community, we kicked their freaking asses! Where can I buy your work? At Kathleen and Lilly’s boutique shop on Mansfield Road.
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Describe what you do in one word. Try Best creative tool? Photoshop as it allows me to correct mistakes and change colour schemes. What’s the hardest thing about doing art? Time-management. I work full-time so the only drawing I can get done is at work and in the last few paltry hours of the day. What would you vacuum pack? A vacuum pack. What artist would you exhibit with? The Pre-Raphaelites, Escher, Klimt… or the Lascaux cave-painters who had it sussed, even Donny Miller. Where in Nottingham would you convert into an art space? The toilets that used to be in the Market Square would have been good. Best way to start the day? In a hotel room, with a bag of Jimson Weed and three Brazilian hookers. Best way to end the day? Relaxing with my wife Worst job? In non-human terms it’s got to be this caterpillar that’s captured by ants and used as a draught-excluder for their tunnels during winter. They roll it to the entrance of their tunnel, wedge it in, then hibernate in warmth and security while the caterpillar faces the bleak winter alone. Are you an insider or outsider? Definitely an outsider. I think I may even be on the periphery of that! What do you think about CCAN (the Centre for Contemporary Art Nottingham)? Building a venue for the artistic community in such a vibrant part of the city is a great idea and long overdue. Favourite sense? Nonsense. What is your artistic concept? Capturing movie-like, bullet-time snapshots of a moment challenging the viewer to supply an extended narrative. What’s the best thing about the art community? Can I join? Where do I sign?
If you would like to feature on these pages, email details about your work (with examples if possible) to amanda@leftlion.co.uk
www.lucystevens.co.uk
words: Alan Gilby If you haven’t visited our website recently, then once again a few things are changing. For the last four years you have been able to read LeftLion, both on your PC and in the pages of this magazine. But then a year or two ago we added an ‘onlion’ jukebox and a series of podcasts so you could listen to us and some of the local music we feature in here.
galleries every day. Our online discussion forum is about as busy as any we’ve found that covers Nottingham, with over 160,000 posts spread over 10,000 topics and it’s growing fast. So if you haven’t paid us a visit yet, you’re missing a trick (www.leftlion.co.uk/forum).
Now we are adding another string to our Nottingham Culture bow. From Monday 1 October 2007 you will be able to watch short films by some of the best new directors in Nottingham, totally free on www.leftlion. co.uk/video.
But we try not to rest on our laurels or fall behind the times. We recently got hold of a new server and what better way to rinse our new bandwidth allocation than with a brand spanking new video section. Yeah so YouTube beat us to the punch by a couple of years and convinced Google to pay $1.65 billion for them, but we’re not as far behind as you may think.
LeftLion prides itself on staying near the cutting edge of internet technology. We started out online and have always put as much effort into our website as we have with this magazine. New content appears in the form of articles, audio, event listings and photo
LeftLion are taking a different approach to the majority of user generated content clone sites that are appearing faster than a Mansfield girl drops her knickers on a Saturday night. We will only be showcasing the best of what we find in Nottingham. What’s more we’ll be making sure
We put some questions to two of the first new directors to be showcased on LeftLion’s new video section…
all video we uploaded actually looks good and doesn’t distort all over your screens. Each video will also include information about the people behind and in front of the camera. We’re open to submissions of any type, including music videos, short films, animations, live performances or anything else decent that you send us. So if you’re a budding filmmaker or a seasoned veteran and you want more people to see what you make, send it to LeftLion (details right). This is another step towards our goal to make a website that truly represents Nottingham’s cultural voice. The next step will be a big one, so watch this space…
How to get your video on leftlion.co.uk Send an email to video@leftlion.co.uk telling us about you and what you’ve done in the video world. Give us a 100 word synopsis and credits for the video/s you want us to include. We’ll then ask you to send them to us on either DVD or in a suitable high quality format. We prefer to encode all videos to flv (flash video) ourselves to ensure the best quality possible. You must be the copyright holder
LeftLion.co.uk/video
of anything you send us.
Sarmad Masud, 28 Most inspirational director: Too many to name, but if I had to pick one I’d say Nick ‘The Scorer’ Griffin, for all those who knew who he was. He truly was a legend. Tell us about the films you have submitted to LeftLion: 6 & Out is an urban comedy drama set one day in summer. A group of friends meet up daily to play cricket with a difference on the driveway. A day spent playing with your mates used to be a day well spent. Summer holidays rule! I.D.S.T. The Night We Killed a Fox is about two friends, armed with a pellet rifle, who meet a random guy named James, spend the night walking the cold empty streets in search of a fox. It features Tim Murphy and Scorzayzee in two of the lead roles. If you could get any actor to star in your films who would you choose? The Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachan. He is genuinely believable in every role he does. Or Corey Feldman (more specificly Corey Feldman of the eighties, not now).
Simon Dunn (Seismik), 29 Most inspirational director: Michel Gondry. He approaches his work with childlike playful imagination yet crafts it with a high degree of skill and detail. Wanton imagination combined with focused practice. Tell us about the film you have submitted to LeftLion: Healing is a music video that was my directorial debut. We had no experience of video production but we gave it a go and got on MTV. There is no strict plotline, it’s just a nightmarish stream of subconscious imagery. Plus to get the legend Gary Numan involved in our first project was a godsend. We will be adding a lot more work to the video section of LeftLion as we go on. If you could get any actor to star in your films, who would you choose? It depends on the film. Simon Pegg is a genius comedy actor when directed by Edgar Wright and I’ve loved him ever since the Spaced days. Paddy Considine definitely has a real intensity on screen that has not been seen since early De Niro in my opinion. On a local angle I think Joe Dempsie (Chris on Channel Four’s Skins) is someone I’d love to work with. He was raised and trained in Nottingham at the famous youth workshop, so it would be cool to do something with him. There’s a wealth of local talent we can tap into in the future. If you could make any story into a film what would it be? Id love to beat Peter Jackson to The Hobbit! Seriously... real life generally makes for the most fascinating stories and usually helps people relate emotionally to the story when they know its based on actual events. An Ollie Reed biopic or maybe Cloughie would make good films. www.seismik.co.uk
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photo: Sam Riley as Ian Curtis in Control. by Dean Rogers
Out Of Control There’s a new screen icon in town. No longer will we be forced to desperately cling to the coattails of Robin Hood, Brian Clough or even Shane Meadows to maintain some sense of cultural significance, because now Nottingham is home to Ian Curtis and Joy Division. words: Mark Mackay Last summer, Nottingham became the stand in for 1970s Manchester for the filming of Control, a biopic based on the memoir Touching From A Distance by Curtis’ widow, Deborah. In years to come, when doe-eyed Yanks descend on the country to soak up the sights and sounds of their favourite mopey postpunk pioneers, using only Control as their guide, it’ll be our fair city they’ll head for. A pat on the back is due to the folks at EM Media, whose £250,000 investment helped entice the producers of Control to our fair city. And anyone who turns an attractive shade of puce at the sight of ‘spent’, ‘Nottingham’, and ‘quarter of a million pounds’ in close proximity can rest easy, because the filming brought inward investment of £2 million, so there. Production of the film was based in Nottingham for three months. With a headquarters at the former Carlton Studios and shooting on the streets of the Lace Market and inside the Marcus Garvey Ballroom, the vast majority of filming took place here. It was the architectural diversity of the city that ensured Nottingham was the ideal substitute for Manchester. Producer Orian Wiiliams even described Hoodtown as city as a ‘perfect’ fit for ‘70s Manchester due to its architectural diversity. Aside from being shot in Nottingham, the cast features a few familiar local faces too. Toby Kebbell, star of Dead Man’s Shoes, plays Joy Division’s manager Rob Gretton and fellow Central TV Workshop alumnus, Samantha Morton, plays Deborah Curtis. Extras for the film were also recruited through LeftLion’s very own forum, so if you can’t actually spot yourself in the background, there’s probably someone you know in there somewhere. Control attracted renowned photographer Anton Corbijn to step behind the camera to make his directorial feature debut. Even
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if the name doesn’t ring a bell, you’re bound to know Corbijn’s work. From Quentin Tarantino and Clint Eastwood, to David Bowie and Bjork, his photographic subjects read like a who’s who of anyone and everyone who has mattered in pop culture. Think classy, grainy, black and white photography (or pretty much any Depeche Mode music video), and that’s Corbijn. Setting the stage of Curtis’ tragedy in Nottingham was crucial for the director, since creating an authentic and honest account of the singer’s short-lived life was his top priority. “At first, I wasn’t sure, because I’d never directed a movie,” Corbijn admits, “I also didn’t want to mess up the project for others. You don’t want to make a bad movie, because it might take a long time for Ian Curtis to get a proper movie.” Back in 1979 Corbijn and Joy Division met for the first time for their now famous photo shoot in a London tube station. ‘Nobody liked the photographs, because they didn’t like to look at the back of people’s heads,’ Corbijn reminisces. ‘Nobody published them. But I sent the pictures to them (Joy Division) and they liked them, unlike anybody else. And they decided to use a picture on a single release.’ Corbijn was later invited by Rob Gretton to shoot the band during the filming of the Love Will Tear Us Apart video. ‘What’s quite interesting is because of my poor English, I didn’t know what Ian was singing. But I could feel there were weighty issues at the heart of it; because of the way he sang it, it felt like it mattered. And that was one of the reasons I moved to England. When I photographed people in England, the few times I’d been here, it felt more essential than in Holland. With musicians in
Holland, it felt like a subsidised hobby, in England it seemed to be an escape from a certain life.’ It’s a tough call, but maybe ever so slightly more crucial than using Nottingham as the backdrop for Control was the casting of relative newcomer Sam Riley as Curtis. ‘You always start with actors that are known,’ admits Corbijn. ‘I approached a couple of well known actors, I have to say. Then we did a lot of castings in London and the North, and I looked at tapes, and I saw a tape with Sam Riley. Of course, I was quite nervous about the choice, because I thought he had no experience, but there’s a beautiful honesty and realism in somebody inexperienced,’ he explains. It wasn’t just Riley’s lack of baggage and acting innocence that attracted Corbijn, he also reminded the director of the time he had spent with Joy Division. ‘When I came to England in the late 1970s, there were these musician kids who had no money, who were underdressed, underfed, and they would stand there smoking cigarettes. And Sam Riley was exactly like that. He was skinny, had no money, and stood around smoking in the same way. Not only was he an actor, who might be able to play it, but he felt like he was from those days in the 1970s. It is so believable what Sam did; he worked really hard and gave everything to that role.’ Control came out of this years’ Cannes Film Festival with rave reviews and clutching a host of awards. The film also won Best New Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August. You get the picture. Everyone loves it. It must be that magic Nottingham touch...
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Dir: Karel Reisz
One of the first kitchen sink dramas of the 60s, this film led the way for the New Wave of British film and launched Albert Finney’s career as a screen actor with his terrific performance as the film’s anti-hero, Arthur Seaton. Based on Nottingham-born Alan Sillitoe’s book, it was mainly filmed in the old Meadows and at the Raleigh factory. The factory may be gone but the poor working conditions and general ennui borne of your social standing remain. Nowadays, employment in Nottingham is heavily dominated by the service sector. Grimy, backbreaking work has been replaced with wrist wrecking call centres. “You get thirsty working at machines all week” Arthur declares before getting off his face down the local and falling down a flight of stairs. With binge drinking culture still going strong today it seems that the disenchanted youth are still living for the weekend. As he says, “I’m out for a good time…all the rest is propaganda”. Nearly fifty years later the film still stands up, as relevant to Nottingham and modern culture as ever. It acts as an historical snapshot of the now depleted industrial life of Nottingham whilst retaining what gets us all through, a sense of humour. AE
words: Niall Browne, Alison Emms, Clair Schwarz, Harry Wilding and Jared Wilson
85 minutes - BFI Video - 1960
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Dir: Kevin Reynolds
You can’t talk about Nottingham-based films without mentioning the original hoodie and his green tights posse. There are plenty of movie versions of the legend to choose from, but Prince of Thieves is still essential viewing. Firstly, this was Costner at the peak of his early nineties powers; full of charm, swash and buckle. Okay, he hasn’t got an English accent (or great map-reading skills: his route from Dover to Sherwood goes via Hadrian’s Wall), but he does have Morgan Freeman at his side, a well cast bunch of merry men and a cameo from Brian Blessed. The film is also a standout for Alan Rickman’s performance, stealing every scene he’s in as the Sheriff of Nottingham. He’s got the style and ham of a pantomime villain and he makes the film immensely watchable. Of course when the history books are written, Costner and Rickman won’t even be mentioned; it’ll be Bryan Adams’ massive hit single that was released from the soundtrack that grabs all of the attention. This film is perfect Sunday viewing, just don’t go getting that song into your head… NB 136 minutes - Warner - 1991
Twenty Four Seven Dir: Shane Meadows
Women in Love
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Ken Russell’s legendary adaptation of DH Lawrence’s story of two best friends who marry two sisters and the divergent paths their relationships take, fully deserves its place on a list of the most essential Nottingham-based films. The controversial epic is most famous for the legendary nude wrestling scene between bad boy Oliver Reed and Alan Bates but there are many other things to recommend about the film. Glenda Jackson (yes, future transport minister Glenda Jackson) gives an Oscar-winning performance, the outstanding cinematography was also Academy Award-nominated and both Bates and Reed give strong performances that are filled with strength and emotion. Lawrence is one of the area’s most famous sons and his work is closely associated with Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands. This faithful adaptation of his novel displays beautiful images that are almost as powerful as Lawrence’s words. It took a filmmaker as divisive as Russell to tackle Lawrence’s controversial work in order to make a cinematic masterpiece out of one of his most important novels. NB
Alan Sillitoe adapted his 1958 autobiographical novel into a screenplay for Tony Richardson, one of the new young directors emerging from the fifties Free Cinema movement. Tom Courtenay plays a rebellious youth sentenced to a boy’s reformatory for robbing a bakery. He quickly rises through the ranks of the institution through his prowess as a long distance runner. During his solitary runs, reveries of his life and times before his incarceration lead him to re-evaluate his privileged status as Governor Michael Redgrave’s prize runner. Set in a grim sixties Britain, like many other films which deal with rebellious youth it’s a story of how the young defy authority and eventually gain their own self esteem from it. It has since been name checked in songs by bands as varied as Iron Maiden, Belle and Sebastian and Fugazi. The film is set in Nottingham, though much of the filming took place in and around Claygate in Surrey at Ruxley Towers, a Victorian mock castle. But if you give it a watch through, particularly at the beginning, you will see some of the streets you recognise as they were 45 years ago. JW
Dir: Ken Russell
Dir: Tony Richardson
104 minutes - Warner - 1962
125 minutes - MGM - 1969 Shane Meadows’ feature debut introduces the themes of masculinity, adolescence, violence and humour which his reputation has been built on. It features a mainly unknown cast except for the central character of Darcy, played by Bob Hoskins with a wavering regional accent made forgivable by his sensitive performance. Darcy attempts to resurrect the boxing club of his youth to unite the partisan local teenagers, aimlessly stagnating in their hamster wheel existence in post-industrial, postThatcher Britain. Written by long time friend and collaborator, Paul Fraser, the story explores in extended flashbacks the development of the characters under Darcy’s tutelage, as well as Darcy’s personal longing for love. Shot on location using natural lighting and punctuated with a sensitive soundtrack, the film’s monochrome cinematography and measured editing pay homage to Scorsese’s paradigm of the boxing sub-genre, yet the poetics of the visuals are counterbalanced by the earthy, part-improvised dialogue which provides light relief from the difficult subject matter. The film covers a number of ‘issues’, including drug abuse, domestic violence and sexuality, yet achieves a unique balance that resists both the glibness of a Hollywood happy ending and the bleak nihilism of contemporary ‘Brit grit’. CS 92 minutes - Pathe - 1998
A Room for Romeo Brass Dir: Shane Meadows
One For The Road Dir: Chris Cooke
Chris Cooke’s excellent debut is a black comedy following three rather clueless alcoholics who get stuck on an alcohol management course together after losing their driving licences, and their ensuing attempt to befriend a rich property developer for some of his money. As a Nottingham director, Chris Cooke must expect comparisons to Shane Meadows; there are some, in the low budget, dark humour, improvisation by local actors and the Nottingham location – it’s always quite a guilty pleasure seeing a place you know in real life on film. One For The Road, however, is very different in direction, editing and storyline. The location could have been anywhere really, with not even one mention of Robin Hood or gun crime. But the use of Nottingham talent (as well as local boy Cooke, actors in the film include Greg Chisholm, veteran of many a short film at Broadway’s BANG! Festival and Rupert Proctor, who starred in Cooke’s short film Shifting Units, which was an inadvertent prequel to One For The Road), and even Nottingham money (part-funded by Intermedia) is promising. Lo-fi filmmaking at it’s best, this is a little-seen gem well worth seeking out. HW
Furthering his collaboration with writer Paul Fraser, Meadows’ film mixes buddy movie comedy, coming of age drama and psychological horror in its journey from the innocence of childhood to the painful knowingness of adolescence. In his big screen debut, LeftLion favourite Andrew Shim plays portly Romeo, whose main interests are food, football and friendship with his neighbour ‘Knocks’ (Ben Marshall) until an encounter with the older Morell (Paddy Considine) threatens to destroy their schoolboy relationship. In an inspired performance Considine gradually cranks up the menace. Initially comic yet sympathetic, until his influence over the impressionable Romeo unleashes his increasingly psychotic behaviour. The acting is of a high calibre throughout, especially the sensitive portrayal by Marshall as ‘Knocks’ who is bullied by Morell following a benign prank that humiliates him in front of his love object, Romeo’s sister. The tension escalates to a violent showdown before the reconciliation of the boys and a return to the pleasures of childhood imagination. Mixing humour and violence with the familiar spaces and places of childhood, Meadows successfully offers a regional vision of contemporary adolescence in a world subject to both its dangers and its joys. CS 87 Minutes - Momentum - 2000
92 minutes - Tartan - 2004
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OUT&ABOUT
LeftLion legs it out of the house with an umbrella just in case and looks at a load of things going on in Hoodtown that you can get involved with. Our people on the street this time are Amanda Young and Camillo.
Walk into Plank
A Saintly Venue
Nottingham has built a strong reputation for shopping, with plenty of traffic coming from the surrounding areas for their dose of retail therapy.
Having now been around for over twenty years, Templars is a venue most people have frequented during the twilight hours, gaining a reputation for catering to a slightly cheesy crowd during that time. This is all changing, however, as the place was recently taken over by new management who have a lot more taste and local knowledge to bring to the equation.
What we lack is independent boutiques, stores with knowledgeable buyers and passion behind the reins, stocking a range of designers which combine to give a certain style. Situated in the Hockley area of the city, Plank is exactly that. The store is a hive of urban delights, with owner Raz Elahi sourcing some of the best menswear designers in the country. Inside you’ll find brands such as Luke, Modern Amusement, Aem Kei, Marshall Artist, Cast Iron and Pseudohero (which started off as a Notts label). Plank also stocks street art books, designer toys, Si Mitchell and Jon Burgerman canvas art (both artists who have featured in LeftLion’s pages) alongside a range of accessories and funky footwear. The shop feels relaxed and welcoming whilst staff are attentive, giving you the space you need to browse the rails (be sure to check out downstairs which is where the majority of the action is). In the last year the Plank brand has spread its wings considerably, with an online store now open, whilst giving birth to a second store in Loughborough within the coming months. There is also a possible BBC TV debut on the cards in the new year, so watch this space. If that’s not enough, keep your eyes peeled for the genuine Indian rickshaw that will be ferrying punters from Bridlesmith Gate to the store within the next month! Independent with attention to detail, if you are into your threads check it out. Plank, 1a Heathcote Street, Hockley, NG1 3AF 0115 9243555 www.plankstore.com
Having just started an extensive refurb with a new roof terrace soon to be unveiled, the new owners look set to make full use of the impressive 300+ capacity space. It’s by far the best it’s looked since it first opened twenty years ago, although sadly the snazzy car from The Saint TV series (featuring Simon Templar - hence the name) is a distant memory. The venue will be featuring some of the best independent promoters Notts has to offer. On the genre-spanning list so far are Basscamp, Freebass, Lovezoo, I’m not from London, Ambush, Manifesto, Pure Filth, Kombination Funk, Psycle and Rigbee Deep amongst others. Nottingham has seen a steady increase in promoters who place a serious emphasis on the right elements, throwing a party with good vibes and a quality sound system. Templars looks set to capitalise on this (with soundsystem veterans DSF taking care of the bassbins). The LeftLion hot tip is the new monthly night Walrus (DSF, ohmygosh records, Psycle, Pure Filth and Manifesto), impressive nights with down to earth crowds. Since the mid-nineties Nottingham has always fallen behind other cities in the UK with regards to the amount of clubs it has to offer and with more new venues like Templars coming through (alongside the usual haunts) 2008 is set to be a good year on the dancefloor…. 23a Goldsmith Street, Nottingham, NG1 5JT 0115 9508881 www.myspace.com/templarsbar
One True Store
Robin Hood Up Close
Rising giants of casual menswear, ONETrueSaxon have unleashed their very own brand of classic styling on the world with their first ever stand-alone store. Tucked away in a sleepy corner of Nottingham, The Casual Tailor will act as a flagship for the brand while housing other friends such as Berghaus, Hunter, Clerk and Teller, Oipolloi and Brady Bags.
The legend returns home exposing bow and arrow along with insider information, as Nottingham Castle art galleries host a new exhibition of props and costumes used in the highly acclaimed BBC series Robin Hood.
For those of us prepared to hunt for premium quality garms, they have hidden this little gem down a quiet side street, shying away from the bright lights of the city centre. In the style of an original gentleman’s outfitters with buzzer entry only, this destination store is being retained for the most esteemed connoisseurs of British casualwear and perhaps the odd less refined scoundrel. Once inside, the finery on display sits amongst deer heads, weathered wooden cabinets and opulent mirrors. In order to offer the utmost style advice to the discerning ONETrueSaxon punter, this esteemed establishment will be manned by the honourable folk behind the brand itself. Add in antique timepieces and military watches alongside Scottish cashmere scarves, Cheeky Weasel belts and cufflinks and even undergarments from the resplendent Sunspel and your entire wardrobe is complete. The Casual Tailor, 54a High Pavement, The Lace Market, Nottingham, NG1 1HW www.goodnorth.com
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Last year the BBC’s new Robin Hood TV series entertained viewers with a unique blend of exhilarating action adventure, wit and romance. The hotly anticipated second series will be returning to our screens this October and to coincide with its release Nottingham City Council are proud to present Robin Hood Up Close. The exhibition has been designed specifically for the site and visitors will be taken on an interactive journey through the exhibition, guided by characters from the show. They’ll be able to discover what goes on behind the scenes, see the costumes and props up close and hear how it all comes together in the ‘Robin Hood Academy. Richard Hollis, BBC’s Head of UK Licensing said: “We are thrilled to be bring Robin Hood Up Close to Nottingham Castle which provides the perfect setting. The exhibition will recreate the show’s four main areas; Sherwood Forest, Loxley Manor, Nottingham and the Castle. The link with the exciting and dramatic TV series can only reinforce Nottingham Castle as one of the city’s top attractions.” The exhibition opened to the public on Sunday 23 September and promises to be a must-visit, whether people want the chance to discover how make-up is used to create the cuts and bruises, hear the sheriff hurl abuse, or find out more about Robin himself. Robin Hood Up Close is at Nottingham Castle from 23 September until Easter 2008. Phone Nottingham Castle on 0115 915 3700. More about the TV series at www.bbc.co.uk/robinhood
Clubs and the Smoking Ban I’ve only been out in Nottingham a couple of times since the ban came into effect but it seems to take longer to get a dancefloor going, with people spending a lot of time in the outdoor smoking sections of clubs. Is this a general phenomena at different venues? Supine Yep, this summer has been a weird one. It’s always quieter due to the lack of students but the last two months have been horrible. I found it hard to keep a busy dancefloor before 12:30am and it had a tendency to clear randomly, taking three or four songs to get it built back up again. I noticed that after about 1am, more people tend to stay inside and dance though. Wayne As far as DJing in bars goes, I actually prefer it. It doesn’t seem to have hit Bluu particularly and that basement is much nicer now clear of smoke. I used to smoke at least ten cigarettes during a set, now I smoke none. DJing at Saltwater is also great, especially since two of our events this summer had the decks on the terrace. myhouse-yourhouse As a punter, and self-confessed Fag Ash Lil when I’ve got a drink in my other hand, I’m definitely spending less time on the dancefloor. Some places I’ve just ended up getting settled outside and sitting there all night chatting... it’s a shame really. If there wasn’t any seating outside I’d almost definitely go back in after a smoke. Jules It’s shit. For one, it means you have to stand outside on a Friday night with a time-coded wristband whilst dodging random meatheads. For two, it’s an open goal for drink-spiking vermin. For three, certain places are going to be hit hard over the winter through no fault of their own. It’s more ill-thoughtout well-meaningness. Lord of the Nish I haven’t really noticed a downturn in atmospheres. More of a new social opportunity. Which is a big part of what I like about clubs anyway. It’s cool to dance if the music’s right but more often than not I’m in a more chatty mood these days. snowmonkey
Smiling in Nottingham I grew up in a village where smiling was the norm. In Notts smiling at someone or trying to start an off the cuff conversation can get you beaten up or branded a ‘faggot ‘ or a ‘nonce’ and any friendly remark can be totally misunderstood and lead to negative happenings. The bigger the city the smaller the smile. Why is this? tommy farmyard Man, you wanna go to Mansfield. No-one ever smiles. cheque A winning smile gets you places... I don’t think people are averse to a smile in Nottingham at all. Jules Pretty much everywhere bar Britain people are friendly and approachable. I’m afraid that being labelled a fruit/ queer/ wanker for being friendly is not something isolated to Nottingham but most major cities if not all of the UK nowadays. Shifter A smile uses less muscles than a frown. Giving someone the finger uses even less muscles. Trufax. Supine I always smile at people. I think politeness and manners are brilliant and I will always keep them even if others are miserable sods. I AM NOT! I don’t think people smile much here. I have often heard people say Nottingham is really friendly but I don’t agree. It’s not as bad as London or other places in the south though. Pineapple Juice
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words: Amanda Young
It’s dance, but nott as we know it… An International festival of experimental dance and performance, nottdance07 takes place across Nottingham from 1221 October. Ethereal and invigorating, leaving a scent of smoke in the air, the momentary events of the previous nottdance festivals were always a joy to receive. Colliding sonic adventures with bodily movements, carefully choreographed performances and environmental happenings there are many lightening bolts of creativity that may occur along the way. We discussed this year’s nottdance festival with Nicky Molloy Director of organisers Dance4. What is the aim for the festival? It is both a dance festival and also ‘nott’ a dance festival. Which allows us to present audiences with work that they can’t always easily categorise. The programme for 2007 presents some UK based artists, the rest are from across Europe, US and Canada. This is the first time the festival has occurred in the autumn, which we’ve done so we can work with the universities in engaging students who are studying dance, live art, visual art and theatre. Does this festival have a theme? This year we have a couple of natural threads running through, for example, an interest in showing work-in-progress and some which are not yet finished. This comes from very experienced artists and we believe that it’s a great experience allowing them to input the response to their work as it continues to develop. It is also a great insight for audiences, who are rarely privy to the process artists go through when creating a new piece of work. Which artists in the festival are from Nottingham? Nottingham based artist Andrew Brown, is working with Simone Kenyon and Katie Doubleday to present Open City: Nottingham. This is part of a series of works looking at how we live in, journey through, and experience the human and built environment. So keep your eyes out for impromptu ‘happenings’ across the city centre, as well as live and archived footage of these activities, which will be beamed back to various festival venues and Broadway Cinema. What kind of ‘happenings’ are we talking about here? I think on the whole we will have to wait and see but essentially the artists intend to orchestrate mass choreographed walks/runs etc through the city of Nottingham. The outline of the project is in place, how this evolves almost depends on how the events are received.
What work have you commissioned? This year we have given support to Nigel Charnock, a UK based artist who will present the UK premiere of Stupid Men at Bonington Gallery on Sunday 20 October. He worked on this piece in our studio last year and brings with him a stellar cast of performers who are experienced specifically in the art of improvisation. The improvised nature of this piece means it’s a new show every time they do it. Our audience will see something different to the show that had its world premiere at the Venice Biennale earlier this year. You’ve combined musicians SunnO)) and Scanner with choreographers, is this a new avenue for nottdance? This years’ festival gives a really good insight to these collaborations. Giselle Vienne from France has worked with Stephen O’Malley, aka SunnO)), on the creation of her new piece Kindertotenlieder, which will be in Nottingham on Monday 21 October. Stephen is incredibly well known on the experimental black metal music scene. Stephen and his collaborator Peter Rehburg, aka PITA, devised KTL in response to the work they were doing with Gisele and have been performing around the world since then. Live music in the festival is a great way of opening up opportunities for new audiences to have a look at nottdance, we are really excited to see how many new faces these collaborations will attract to the festival. What can be expected from KTL’s collaboration with Giselle Vienne? It is dark, intense, visually stunning and has outstanding music… I don’t think anyone will be disappointed. There is much excitement about this piece, which we hope will result in a sell-out show. This will only enhance the feeling and atmosphere for the audience. There is nothing better for generating a mood than lots of people waiting in anticipation for something like this.
You’ve introduced the WIRE editor, Tony Herrington to talk with Charles Linehan, what is the intention behind this? The relationship between dance and music is in a sense obvious but when an artist truly engages with this relationship, in the way that Charles does, the result is very exciting. It isn’t about hearing a beat and moving in time, we wanted to give audiences an insight into the foundations of Charles’ work and because he has a very strong artistic dialogue with Tony, we thought that audiences would find this very interesting. This is another opportunity to gain behind the scenes access to an artist’s work, whilst getting a chance to hear from the editor of one of Britain’s most popular music magazines. Explain the ‘How Much?’ pricing scheme? We want to encourage new audiences to try nottdance. ‘How Much?’ allows the audience member to decide how much they pay for their ticket, based on what they feel about the piece, or can afford to pay, after they have seen the show. People just need to call the box office to reserve their seat, and at the end of the show our team will have buckets for people to donate what they like, as they leave. We are looking forward to seeing how this works! Anything else you would like to say to LeftLion readers? The first five people who call our festival information line (0115 941 0773) and quote LeftLion can have two tickets to a show of their choice (all shows except Kindertotenlieder). nottdance07 takes place at venues across Nottingham from 12-21 October. www.dance4.co.uk
Performances at the festival include... Jonathan Burrows and Matteo Fargion (UK) Speaking Dance Eszter Salamon (Hungary) Magyar Tàncok Kenyon, Doubleday, Brown (UK) Open City: Nottingham Stephanie Schober (UK) Form and Fabric (working title) Matthias Sperling (Canada) Riff- World premiere Goat Island (USA) The Lastmaker - UK premiere Cristina Blanco (Spain) cUADRADO-fLECHA-pERSONA qUE cORRE PI:ES Alain Buffard (France) Good Boy - UK premiere Martin Nachbar (Germany) Repeater: A dance performance with father and son sharing Thomas Lehmen (Germany) (Freiheit) - work in progress PI:ES Alain Buffard (France) (Not) a Love Song -UK premiere Charles Linehan Company (UK) Happy Days and The Way Station - World premiere Nigel Charnock (UK) Stupid Men - UK premiere Gisèle Vienne (France) Kindertotenlieder
listings... Monday 01/10
Friday 05/10
Madina Lake Venue: Rock City Price: £10 adv
Koopa Venue: Price:
The Mockneys Venue: Maze Price: Free Times: 8.30pm
The Lines Venue: Escucha Price: £3 Times: 10pm - 2.30am Plus Seretone and The Jubilees.
Fresh Meat Venue: Social Times: 8pm - 12am
Tuesday 02/10
Rock City £7
Nottingham Punk Club Presents Venue: Maze Price: £8 adv Times: 8.30pm Goldblade and Buzzkill.
Cats On Fire Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £8 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Plus The School and The Deirdres.
The Hoosiers Venue: NTU Union Price: £5 adv Times: 9pm - 2am
Athlete Venue: Price:
Paul Oakenfold Style: House Venue: Gatecrasher Price: £12 adv
Kano Venue: Price: Times:
Rock City £16 adv NTU Union £12.50 adv 8pm Doors
Euros Childs Venue: Social Price: £8 adv Times: 8pm - 11pm Plus Radio Luxembourg.
Wednesday 03/10 Just Jack Venue: Price:
Rock City £12.50
Robin Williamson Venue: Maze Price: £10 adv Times: 8pm We Start Fires Venue: Social Price: £6 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm Music For Squares Venue: Lee Rosy’s Tea Shop Price: £2 / £3 Times: 7.30pm With Richard Snow and The Inlaws, Adam Smith, Pete Green, Paul Herron and Ben Haynes.
Thursday 04/10 Word of Mouth: Cappo Venue: Muse Price: Free Times: 9.30pm - 2am The Directors Commentary Mixtape Launch Party. Plus Weight Bench, Konny Kon and Blood Cypher. Commix (Metalheadz) Style: DnB, Breaks, Hiphop Venue: Dogma Price: Free Times: 10pm - 2am Tandy Venue: Price: Times:
Maze £8 adv 7.30pm
Formosa Quartet Venue: Lakeside Price: £12 Times: 7.30pm
Friday 05/10 Spectrum Style: Breaks, Electronica Venue: Stealth Price: £10 adv (NUS) Times: 10pm - 4.30am Krafty Kuts, Pete Jordan, Hexadecimal and B-Boy J, Ramirez, DJ Hal and Frakah, Bonobo (live), Red (Live), Dave Boultbee and The Ambush Mob. The Glitteratti Venue: Junktion 7 Times: 9pm - 2am Plus DrugdealerCheerleader.
Puressence Venue: Social Price: £10 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm Manifesto Style: Dubstep, Reggae, DnB Venue: Templars Bar Times: 10pm - 5am
Saturday 06/10 LeftLion Presents Venue: Orange Tree Price: Free Times: 8pm - 12am Vinyl [Abort] , Nuclear Family and Stiff Kittens DJs. Pure Filth Style: Techno, DnB Venue: BluePrint Price: £6 Times: 10pm - late Jon Nuccle, DJ Conflict, Filth Residents, DJ Smith, Suspect-1, Fijjitt and Steff B. Basement Boogaloo Style: Disco, House Venue: Maze Price: £5 Times: 11pm - 3.30am Crazy P, Nick Shaw and Ed Cotton. Folkwit Records Venue: Deux Price: £3 Times: 8.30pm - 12am iLiKETRAiNS Venue: Social Price: £7 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm Plus Jimmy Davis. Detonate Venue: Social Price: £5 Times: 11pm - 4am Kasra, Transit Mafia and more tbc.
Saturday 06/10 The Log Jam (Oxjam) Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm DIY Venue: Price: Times:
Igloo Around £5 9pm - late
Lovezoo Style: Venue: Times:
House, Electro Templars Bar 10pm - 4am
Sunday 07/10 I’m Not From London Festival Venue: Various locations Price: £5 Times: 2pm - 12am Templars, Horn In Hand and Speak Easy. Hardcore, alt, acoustic, avant garde and burlesque.
Sunday 07/10 Reverend and The Makers Venue: Rock City Price: £11 Eric Taylor Venue: Price: Times:
and Alex Kirby Maze £8 adv 7.30pm
Monday 08/10 Alabama 3 Venue: Rescue Rooms Price: £14 adv Times: 7.30pm The Coral Venue: Price:
Rock City £16
Jack Penate Venue: NTU Union Price: £11.50 adv Times: 8pm Doors Charlotte Hatherley Venue: Social Price: £7.50 adv Times: 8pm - 11pm Plus Something Beginning with L.
Wednesday 10/10 Fandangle Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £4 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Plus Weeble, Mr Shiraz and Make It Better Later. The Maccabees Venue: Rock City Price: £10 Dead Wedding Venue: Lakeside Price: £5 - £15 Times: 8pm
Thursday 11/10 Dogma Presents Evil Nine Style: Breaks, Electro, Hiphop Venue: Dogma Price: Free Times: 10pm - 2am Andrew Brownell Venue: Lakeside Price: £12 Times: 7.30pm Shychild and Wesmokefags Venue: Social Price: £7.50 adv Times: 8pm - 3am A Night With The Inlaws Venue: Bar None Price: Free Times: 8pm - 11pm
music / weeklies / comedy /exhibitions / theatre
Friday 12/10
Saturday 13/10
The Smugglers Inn Venue: Saltwater Price: Free Times: 8pm - 2am Astroboy, Curious George, Chris T and Red Rack’em.
Psycle Venue: BluePrint Price: £6 Hyperion Mode, Silent Sound, Caveman, Muse, Arcane, CrossWired, Tricky1 and Obnoxious Frog.
South Central Venue: Escucha Price: £5 Times: 10pm - 2.30am Plus Clarky Cat, Ejector Seat, Computerman and Stiff Kittens DJs.
University Venue: Price: Times:
Sublogik Venue: Price: Times:
Maze £3 / £5 (NUS) 9.30pm
The Thrills Venue: NTU Union Price: £14 adv Times: 8pm doors Fresh Out Of Death Style: Electro, Tech, Hiphop Venue: Stealth Price: £8 adv / £10 (NUS) Times: 10pm - 6am DJ Kentaro, Acid Girls, 1st Blood (live), Lillica Libertine, Spam Chop, J@peg and Race Riot. Ohmygosh Presents Venue: Templars Bar Price: £7 before 11pm Times: 10pm - 2am Skinny Man, Mud Fam, L.Man, Mr Jam, Squigley and Furious P.
Philharmonia Lakeside £4 - £8 7.30pm
Ian Siegal Venue: Deux Price: £6 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Niche Style: Venue: Times:
House Templars Bar 10pm - 4am
Monday 15/10 I’m Not From London and Audio Massage Venue: Maze Price: £3.50 / £5 (NUS) Times: 8pm - 2am Black Diamond Heavies, Old Basford and Scott Biram. Palladium Venue: Social Price: £6 adv Times: 8pm - 11pm
Tuesday 16/10
Saturday 13/10 Noodle with DJ Miles Style: House, Electro, Dub Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 8pm - 2am Margovan, Weiss and Matt Hinton. Orange Goblin Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £8 / £10 door Times: 8pm - 2am Plus Obiat and Illuminatus. Pitchshifter Venue: Rock City Price: £14 CULT Presents: Hiphop Baby Style: Hiphop Venue: Maze Price: Free / £4 (NUS) Times: 10pm - 2am Ryo, Element, Rattomatic, Ligre and Stika. Live: XS.iF, Sylence, Pisees. Breakers: The Groundhogs.
LeftLion Unplugged Venue: Malt Cross Price: Oxjam donations Times: 8pm Headline act and supporting guests. Arrive early for a seat. Ian Brown Venue: Rock City Price: £22.50 Rab Noakes Style: Hiphop Venue: Maze Price: £6 / £8 (NUS) Times: 8pm Beck Goldsmith and Gren Bartley. John Peel Day 2007 Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £4 Times: 8pm - 12am Yes My Ninjas? Dead Souls, Little Whores on the Prairie and Coda.d
Wednesday 17/10
Friday 12/10 Flevans Album Launch Venue: Loggerheads Price: £3 Times: 8pm - 1am Kidboy, Stika, Foe and Ligre. Homebaked Venue: Muse Price: Free Times: 9.30pm - 2am Rotary Connexion, Theory, Glitch, Groove Distortion and Mister Bump. Lobotomy Style: Venue: Price: Times:
Electronica, Alternative BluePrint £7 9pm-late
Planet Nottingham Venue: Marcus Garvey Times: 10pm - 6am DJ Yoda, Pete Jordan, Sliders From Mars and more. Metal Vs Indie Venue: Rock City Price: £4 Spirytus, The Arcane, Kalena and Zenith.
Detonate - Valve Soundsystem Style: DnB, Hiphop, Dubstep Venue: Rock City Price: £16 adv Times: 8pm - 4am Andy C and MC GQ, Killa Kella, Cash Money, Goldie and MC Rage, DJ Hype and Dynamite, DJ Zinc and Eksman, Dillinja and Lemon D, Loefa, Fingathing, D-Bridge, Amit, Transit Mafia, Trip Feat. Benni G, Santero, Detail and Rust. Over the last seven and a half years Detonate has moved from tiny clubs packed with enthusiastic drum and bass fans to huge multi-venue 2000+ capacity events hosting the best known and upcoming DnB, dubstep and hiphop acts, although they’ve booked all kinds of artists along the way. The Valve Sound System Night on 17 October is a perfect example of Detonate doing it best, so if you haven’t already missed it stop reading now and go buy a ticket! www.detonate1.co.uk
listings... Thursday 18/10
Saturday 20/10
Dogma Presents kidkanevil Style: Hiphop, Funk, Soul Venue: Dogma Price: Free Times: 10pm - 2am Plus Freeman.
I’m Not From London Venue: Maze Price: £4 (NUS) Times: 8pm - 2am First Blood, Majik, Left of the Dealer and Freaky Riverstyx.
Mark Olson Venue: Maze Price: £10 adv (NUS) Times: 7.30pm
Kling Klang Venue: Rose of England Price: £5 / £6 Times: 8.30pm
Mindless Self Indulgence Venue: NTU Union Price: £9 adv Times: 8pm doors
McQueen Venue: Price:
Rock City £6
Bad Dog Venue: Price: Times:
Southbank Bar Free 8pm
The Wakeford Ensamble Venue: Lakeside Price: £12 Times: 7.30pm Republic of Loose Venue: Social Price: £3 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm
Friday 19/10 Satnam’s Tash Venue: Loft Times: 9pm Plus The National Mistrust. Audiophile Style: Disco, Breaks Venue: Moog Price: Free before 11pm Times: 8pm - late Phantom Beats and Mr Blackspecial. Ambush: Aphrodite Venue: Templars Price: £5 Times: 10pm - 4am Plus Josh Console, DJ Kuss, Kitsch and Sync, Furious P, Rigbee Deep, Ether, Kid Chameleon and Bump. The Changes Venue: Escucha Price: £3 Times: 10pm - 2.30am Plus Dirty Kanvas, Plans and Apologies and Team Hughes. Farmyard Loves Moosic Venue: Maze Price: £15 (NUS) Times: 9pm 6 Day Riot, Rui Andarilho, Apples for Faces and Clarissa Frissa. Pete Tong Style: Venue: Price: Times:
House Gatecrasher £12 adv 10pm - 4am
Kombination Funk Style: DnB, Techno Venue: BluePrint Times: 10pm - late David R. Black Venue: Social Price: £7 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm Doodle Venue: Price: Times:
Social £3 - £5 11pm - 3am
Hilton, not Venue: Price: Times:
Paris! Loggerheads Free 8pm
Noodle Venue: Price: Times:
Igloo Around £5 9pm - late
Saturday 20/10 Pure Filth Style: Techno Venue: Marcus Garvey Price: £8 adv Times: 10pm - 6am Chris Liberator, D.A.V.E. The Drummer, Lawrie Immersion, Esther Ofei, Small Paul, Filthy Dom, Filthy Dave and Dagobah Allstars.
Highness SoundSystem Style: Roots, Reggae Venue: Social Price: £5 Times: 11pm - 4am Gary Cooper Venue: Lakeside Price: £12 Times: 7.30pm Folkwit Records Venue: Deux Price: £3 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Road Block Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm Belleruche Venue: Price: Times:
Live Golden Fleece Free 9pm - 2am
Bump Venue: Price: Times:
Igloo Around £5 9pm - late
Sunday 21/10 Warrior Soul Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £8 / £10 door Times: 7.30pm - 11.30pm Jose Gonzalez Venue: Rock City Price: £14.50 Plus James Blackshaw. Martha Tilston Venue: Social Price: £8 adv Times: 7pm - 11pm
Monday 22/10 Super Furry Animals Venue: Rock City Price: £17.50 Fionn Regan Babel Venue: Social Price: £8 adv Times: 8pm - 11pm
Tuesday 23/10 Opera North Venue: Royal Centre Price: £13.50 - £53.50 Times: 7.15pm Runs Until: 27/10 Ash Venue: Price:
Rock City £16.50
Rod Clements Venue: Maze Price: £12 / £14 (NUS) Times: 8pm Plus David Blazye and Frozen Gin. Elliot Minor Venue: NTU Union Price: £8 Times: 8pm Doors
Wednesday 24/10 Beverley Knight Venue: Royal Centre Price: £22.50 Times: 7pm The Twang Venue: Rock City Price: £12.50 Kate Walsh Venue: Maze Price: £10 adv (NUS) Times: 7.30pm Drones Club Venue: Hubb Price: Free Times: 7pm Pete And The Pirates Venue: Social Price: £6 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm Oxjam Presents Venue: Malt Cross Price: £3 donation (NUS) Times: 8pm Project Notion, Sam Lindo, Gren Bartley, Tom Kitching and Will Jeffery.
Thursday 25/10 Dogma Presents C2C Style: Breaks, Hiphop Venue: Dogma Price: Free Times: 10pm - 2am Zenith Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £4 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Plus The Innovent Awaits, A Farewell Fall and B-Movie Superstars. Editors Venue: Price:
Rock City £15
Allegri String Quartet Venue: Lakeside Price: £12 Times: 7.30pm Radar Presents Venue: Social Price: £3 adv Times: 10pm - 3am
Friday 26/10 I’m Not From London Style: Alternative, Electro Venue: Templars Bar Price: £3.50 / £5 (NUS) Times: 8pm - 2am Cuban Crimwave, Swimming, Tired Irie, Fixit Kid, Model Morning and The Foncheros.
music / weeklies / comedy /exhibitions / theatre
Friday 26/10 Detonate Style: DnB, Hiphop, Dubstep Venue: Stealth Price: £10 adv Times: 10pm - 5am DnB: High Contrast, Klute, Cyantific, Transit Mafia, Nursa, Ruthless and P-Fine. Dubstep: Digital Mystikz, D1, Appleblim and Rust. Hiphop: Kidz In The Hall, Kid Acne, Santero and Detail. Electric Spanking! Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm 99p Ninja, John Wright Midi, EmceeKilla and Karizma, Bully, Hankydextrous, Jubby Funk, Metaphi, Lewis and Joel White.
Saturday 27/10 Ronnie Londons Groove Lounge Venue: Grosvenor Price: £3 Times: 8pm - 1am Firefly Venue: Times:
Marcus Garvey 10pm - 6am
Spectrum Halloween Boat Party Style: Breaks, Electro, Hiphop Venue: The Notts Princess Price: £13 adv (NUS) Times: 7.30pm - 12am Censored’s Club SOS Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £4 Times: 8pm - 2am Firefest IV Venue: Rock City Price: £45 FM, Tyketto, Harem Scarem, Jorn, Valentine, Crunch and Jaded Heart. Electronika 1st Birthday Venue: Templars Bar Price: £5 - £6 (NUS) Times: 9pm - 4am Wholesome Fish Venue: Deux Price: £3 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Chrome Hoof Venue: Orange Tree Price: £6 / £8 Times: 8pm Pilgrim Fathers and Le Chat Noir. These New Puritans Venue: Social Price: £7 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm Plus Kap Bambino and The Hustle.
Saturday 27/10 Stikas Halloween Mash-up Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm Monkeynuts Venue: Igloo Price: Around £5 Times: 9pm - late
Sunday 28/10 Stoney Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £5 Times: 7.30pm - 11.30pm Plus The Furze, Neil McSweeney and The Gents. Ratt Venue: Price:
Rock City £16.50
Dolly Varden Band Venue: Maze Price: £8 adv (NUS) Times: 7.30pm Plus Jason Kent. Oxjam Singer Songwriter Night Venue: Muse Price: £4 Fat Digester Live Venue: Golden Fleece Price: Donations to Oxjam Times: 8pm Kids In Glass Houses Venue: Rock City Price: £6 Pony Up Venue: Price: Times:
Social £7 adv 8pm - 11pm
Wednesday 31/10 Arcade Fire Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £23 Times: 7.30pm Land Of The Deaf Halloween Special Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £5 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Patchwork Grace, Oyah, The High Society and Baddies.
Thursday 01/11 Jools Holland Venue: Royal Centre Price: £29.50 Times: 7.30pm Runs Until: 02/11
English Dogs Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £5 / £7 door Times: 9pm - 2am Plus Shavin’ Mavis, The Rocket Polishers and S-Punk. Dollop Electro, House, Techno Style: Venue: Social Price: £4 (NUS) Times: 10pm - 4am Shaddow Dancer and Dollop DJs. Kcks Venue: Escucha Price: £3 Times: 10pm - 2.30am Plus Kingsize and Dirty Tux’s. Skaville Presents.. Venue: Maze Price: £5 (NUS) Times: 8.30pm Inner Terrestrials, Six8 and Social Parasites. Firefest Venue: Price: Times:
NTU Union £22.75 adv 6pm doors
Words: Glen Parver It’s that time of year again when you go out, get a bit drunk and listen to some top music all in aid of charity. Oxjam Nottingham is part of the nationwide Oxjam music festival. For the whole of October, people all over the country will be holding music events as part of Oxjam to raise money for good causes. It’ll add up to one huge, UK-wide, Oxjam festival, raising thousands of pounds to help end poverty. Last year Badly Drawn Boy helped to launch the whole thing and even had a few words with us about it in this magazine. This year’s line-up was not confirmed at the time of going to press, but with events throughout October at venues ranging from Stealth to the Old Angel to the Orange Tree, you can be sure you will have a good time. www.myspace.com/oxjamnottingham
listings... Thursday 01/11 The White Stripes Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £27.50 The Plight Venue: Rock City Price: £5 English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble Venue: Lakeside Price: £15 Times: 7.30pm Radar Presents Venue: Social Price: £4 adv Times: 9.30pm - 3am With Asobi Seksu.
Friday 02/11 Free Party Venue: Q Bar Price: Free Times: 7 - late Vin - E, Squigley, D7, Dee - Licious and Wigz. Misst Style: Venue: Times:
Dubstep, Dub Marcus Garvey 10pm - 3am
Sincabeza Venue: Rose of England Price: £4 Times: 8.30pm 24 Hour Party People Venue: Maze Price: £5 adv (NUS) Times: 8.30pm Model Morning, Bauer, Hiatus, Overvibe and Lyra. Homebaked Venue: Muse Price: Free Times: 9.30pm - 2am Mister Bump, Colsi, Steve Stowe, Snowman, Rah, Kid Chameleon, Katalyst and Wiggy. Spectrum Style: Breaks, Hiphop, DnB Venue: Stealth Times: 10pm - 5am Alex Russel and TM Juke Live, Tayo, Duke Dumont, Shlomo Live, Pete Jordan, Kids In Tracksuits and more. Sons and Daughters Venue: Social Price: £8.50 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm Kt Theo and Rick Donahue Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm Rigbee Deep Venue: Igloo Price: Around £5 Times: 9pm - late
Saturday 03/11
Percussion 5th Birthday Party Venue: Marcus Garvey Price: £10 / £13 door Times: 10pm - 6am The Bays, Palmskin Productions, Wholesome Fish and residents. Basement Boogaloo Venue: Maze Price: £5 Times: 10.30pm - 3.30pm Winding Road Records, Nick Shaw and Ed Cotton. W.A.S.P Venue: Price:
Rock City £16.50
Pure Filth Style: Techno, DnB, Venue: BluePrint Times: 10pm - late
Saturday 03/11 Asima Venue: Price: Times:
Saturday 10/11
Folkwit Records Venue: Deux Price: £3 Times: 8.30pm - 12am
Detonation Style: DnB Venue: Marcus Garvey Price: £15 (NUS) Times: 10pm - 6am LTJ Bukem and Conrad, Friction and Eksman, TC and MC Jakes, Bryan Gee and Wrec, Dom and Roland and Transit Mafia.
Farmyard Records Venue: Social Times: 7pm - 10pm Seretone and Computerman.
Xuefei Yang Venue: Lakeside Price: £12 Times: 7.30pm
The Log Jam Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm
Captain Venue: Price: Times:
Social £8 7pm - 10pm
DIY Venue: Price: Times:
Igloo Around £5 9pm - late
Wigflex Venue: Price: Times:
Igloo Around £5 9pm - late
Lovezoo Style: Venue: Times:
House, Electro Templars Bar 10pm - 4am
Enjoy The Venue: Price: Times:
Lakeside £5 - £15 8pm
Ride Malt Cross £3 / £5 (NUS) 9pm - late
LeftLion Presents Venue: Orange Tree Price: Free Times: 8pm
Sunday 04/11 Derek Acorah Venue: Royal Centre Price: £15 - £16 Times: 7.30pm Vincent Vincent and The Villains Venue: Social Price: £6.50 adv Plus Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man.
Tuesday 06/11 The Twelve Irish Tenors Venue: Royal Centre Price: £19 - £21 Times: 7.30pm Liars Club Venue: Social Price: £5 adv Times: 9pm - 3am Deerhunter and Experimental Dental School.
Wednesday 07/11
Sunday 11/11 Alice Cooper Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £32.50 Times: 7pm The Toasters Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £8 / £10 door Times: 6pm - 12am Plus Catch It Kebabs, Fandangle, VFA and Jimmy the Squirrel. Sing Swing Venue: Royal Centre Price: £9 - £18 Times: 7.30pm
Tuesday 13/11 Stereophonics Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £28.50 Times: 7.30pm Carmen Venue: Price: Times:
Royal Centre £22 - £32 7.30pm
Make Model Venue: Social Price: £5 adv Times: 8pm - 11pm
Thursday 15/11 Heaven and Hell Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £29.50 Times: 7pm
Jon Redfern Trio Venue: Maze Price: £7 adv (NUS) Plus Kat Flint.
Joe Brown Venue: Price: Times:
Okkervil River Venue: Social Price: £8.50 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm
Silverfall Venue: Maze Price: £6 adv (NUS) Plus Dan Cutts.
Friday 09/11 Will Haven Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £9 / £11 door Times: 7.30pm - 2am Plus The Mirimar Disaster, Charger and Sanzen. Vaccine Venue: Price: Times:
Muse £3 9.30pm - 2am
Friday Fever Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm Gallon Drunk Venue: Social Price: £10 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm
and Dave Edmunds Royal Centre £19 - £21 7.30pm
Radar Presents Venue: Social Price: £3 adv Times: 9.30pm - 3am With Man From Michael.
Friday 16/11 Tokyo Dragons Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £5 / £6 Times: 8pm - 2am Audiophile Style: Venue: Price: Times: Bigger Than
Techno, Disco, Reggae Moog Free before 11pm 8pm - 2am Jesus and El Richardo.
Funk Bucket Venue: Muse Price: £3 Times: 9.30pm - 2am
music / weeklies / comedy /exhibitions / theatre
Friday 16/11
Saturday 17/11
Kombination Funk Style: DnB, Techno Venue: BluePrint Times: 10pm - late
Folkwit Records Venue: Deux Price: £3 Times: 8.30pm - 12am
Ambush Style: Breaks, DnB Venue: Templars Bar Price: £5 Times: 10pm - 5am Superstyle Deluxe, Byte and OllyWood.
Mufti Costumes Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm
Hilton, not Venue: Price: Times:
Paris! Loggerheads Free 8pm
Farmyard Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 9pm - 2am Foncheros, Lois, The Penny Black Remedy, Rebel Soul Collective, Little Things and Stiff Kittens DJs. Sleeping States Venue: Social Price: £5 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm Doodle Venue: Times:
Social 11pm - 3am
Noodle Venue: Price: Times:
Igloo Around £5 9pm - late
50 Cent Venue: Price:
Nottingham Arena £30
Saturday 17/11
Demo Clubnight Style: Dub, Dubstep, Alt Venue: Marcus Garvey Price: £10 (NUS) Times: 10pm - 6am Bodyrox, Uncle Buck, Does It Offend You Yeah! Tapedeck, Sabri Mered and PC:Mac. 24 Hour Party People Venue: Maze Price: £8 (NUS) Times: 9pm Tom Hingley and The Lovers, Penny Black, Made of Leaves, Ordo Ab Chao and Quatershade. Highness SoundSystem Style: Roots, Reggae Venue: Social Price: £5 Times: 11pm - 4am
The Creepshow Venue: Social Price: £6 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm Bump Venue: Price: Times:
Igloo Around £5 9pm - late
Sunday 18/11 Mike Heron Venue: Maze Price: £6 /£8 (NUS) Times: 7.30pm Plus Jezz Hall and Sally Murray.
Monday 19/11 Detonate: Pendulum Live Venue: Rock City Price: £15 adv Times: 8pm Plus Breakfastaz.
Tuesday 20/11
LeftLion Unplugged Venue: Malt Cross Price: Free Times: 8pm
Thursday 22/11 Barb Jungr Sings Bob Dylan Venue: Maze Price: £10 / £12 (NUS) Times: 7.30pm Wihan Quartet Venue: Lakeside Price: £12 Times: 7.30pm
Friday 23/11 24 Hour Party People Venue: Maze Price: £7 (NUS) Times: 9pm Section 25, Idiot Joy, O’Lovely Lie and Stop Eject.
The Marcus Garvey Ballroom is a legendary music venue, it’s been around for seemingly ever and continues to put on some of the best big club and live music events in Notts. This coming term you will find a stable of thoroughbred promoters including Firefly, Detonate, Percussion, Misst, Pure Filth and Planet Nottingham. Featuring artists such as the Bays, DJ Yoda, Vitalic, Futureheads and loads more. Firefly is a rocking party with a buzzing crowd providing one of the most friendly atmospheres in the UK, it delivers an eclectic night of music running from breaks through minimal and electro and finishing with a healthy dose of techno. Even if you’ve been to The Marcus Garvey Ballroom for other events, Firefly will blow you away, the atmosphere, music, décor, sound system and chill-out space all make it a night you’ve got to go to at least once, although there’s every chance you’ll catch the bug.. Firefly takes place on the 27/10 and 24/11. www.the-ballroom.co.uk / www.myspace.com/welovefirefly
listings... Friday 23/11 Farmyard Presents Venue: Muse Price: Free Times: 9.30pm - 2am Vinyl [Abort], Apocalyptic Vibrations, DJ Kuss, Nicky Fishmarket and CK1. Detonate Style: DnB, Hiphop, Dubstep Venue: Stealth Times: 10pm - 5am DJ Marky, Scratch Perverts, Skream, Transit Mafia and Soul Intent. Qui Venue: Price: Times:
Social £7 adv 7pm - 10pm
Stomper Venue: Price: Times:
Social Free 11pm - 3am
Saturday 24/11 Ronnie Londons Groove Lounge Venue: Grosvenor Price: £3 Times: 8pm-1am Firefly Style: Venue: Times:
House, Breaks, Techno Marcus Garvey 10pm - 6am
Marah Venue: Maze Price: £12 (NUS) Plus Gringo Star. Road Block Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm The Hustle Venue: Social Price: Free Times: 11pm - 3am Monkeynuts Venue: Igloo Price: Around £5 Times: 9pm - late
Sunday 25/11 Maroon 5 Venue: Price: Times:
Nottingham Arena £26.50 7.30pm
Rachel Unthank and The Winterset Venue: Maze Price: £9 (NUS)
Monday 26/11 Kanye West Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £30 Times: 6pm
Wednesday 28/11 Kaiser Chiefs Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £25 Times: 7.30pm
Thursday 29/11 Oxjam Charity Gig Venue: Maze Dirty Cherubs, Skeleton Crew and more.
Angell Trio Venue: Lakeside Price: £12 Times: 7.30pm
Friday 30/11 Babyshambles Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £23.50 Times: 7.30pm The Loyalties Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £5 Times: 8pm - 2am Girl Fixer, Radio Dead Ones, The Breakdowns and Pariah On Fire. Dollop Style: Electro, House, Techno Venue: Social Price: £4 (NUS) Times: 10pm - 4am Oh Death, Dollop DJs and more. Nottingham Punk Club Venue: Maze Times: 9pm Kambasemba Venue: Muse Price: £4 Times: 9.30pm - 2am Friday Fever Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm Jakobinaria Venue: Social Price: £6 adv
Weeklies Mondays Rock Jam Session Style: Rock Venue: Running Horse Price: Free Times: 8.30pm - 12am Motherfunker Venue: Cookie Club (The) Price: £1 before 11pm Times: 8.30pm - 12am Open decks night Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm Bring your tunes and your mates.
Tuesdays
Wednesdays Urban Intro Venue: Approach Price: Free Times: 7pm Followed by salsa dancing. Showcase Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm A range of events including acoustic sets, poetry, visual art, film, dance, performing art and comedy. The Big Wednesday Style: Alternative, Rock, Pop Venue: The Cookie Club Price: £2.50 (NUS) Times: 10.30pm - 2am LeftLion Pub Quiz Venue: Golden Fleece Times: 8.30pm Wigflex Style: Venue: Price: Times:
Hiphop, DnB, Dubstep Dogma Free 9pm - late
Electric Banana Venue: Social Price: £2 Times: 10.30pm - 3am
Thursdays Open Mic Night Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm Word of Mouth Style: Hiphop Venue: Muse Price: less than a pint Bringing you the finest quality acts for your acoustical enchantment. Folk Thursday Venue: Loft Price: Free Times: 8pm The Fab 4 Venue: Approach Price: Free Times: 7pm
Games Night Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm
Homegrown Venue: Deux Price: Free Times: 7pm Notts singer songwriters.
Local Band Night Venue: Approach Price: Free Times: 7pm
Noodle Venue: Price: Times:
Liquid Silk Venue: Muse Price: Free Times: 7.30pm A haven of chilled acoustic sounds provided.
Dogma Presents Style: Hiphop, Breaks Venue: Dogma Price: Varies (NUS) Times: 9pm - 2am
Crash Rock City Venue: Price: £3 (NUS) Times: 9.30pm - 2am Notts longest running indie night. The Horseshoe Lounge Country Style: Venue: Deux Price: Free Times: 8pm Americana, bluegrass and country. Accoustic Tuesdays Style: Acoustic Venue: Malt Cross Price: Free Times: 8pm Chilled Out Tuesdays Style: Acoustic, Folk, Blues Venue: Hubb Price: Free Times: 7pm Acoustic, folk and bluesy hues from bands and singer \ songwriters .
Club NME Style: Venue: Price: Times:
The Spot Free (NUS) 8pm
Indie, Rock, Alternative Stealth £2 - £4 (NUS) 10pm - 2am
Jazz Night Venue: Variety Club Price: Free Times: 7.30pm doors Live music and vegetarian food. Full of relaxed, friendly people. Live Thursdays Venue: Golden Fleece Price: Free Times: 8pm Jazzy Thursdays Venue: Hubb Price: Free Times: 7pm Poker Night Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm Read ‘em and weep with some Texas hold ‘em!
music / weeklies / theatre / comedy / exhibitions
Fridays Friday Fever Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm - 1.30am Fridays Venue: Approach Price: Free Times: 5pm - 2am Acoustic sets from local artists, followed by Roy De Wired. Love Shack Style: Nineties Venue: Rock City Price: £4 / £5 Times: 9.30pm - 2am Pop.Your_Funk Venue: Bluu Price: Free Times: 9pm - late Hubbub Venue: Price: Times:
Hubb Free 7pm
Saturdays Mass Appeal Venue: Muse Price: Free Times: 10pm - 2am The Joe Strange Band Venue: Approach Price: Free Times: 7pm Saturday Night Live Venue: Deux Price: Free Times: 7pm Rise and Shine / Funk You Style: Alternative, Acoustic Venue: The Cookie Club Price: £5 Times: 10.30pm - 3am Distortion Style: Venue: Price: Times:
Rock, Alternative Rock City £5 9pm - 2.30am
Variegated Saturdays Venue: Hubb Price: Free Times: 7pm
Sundays Sunday Jam Sessions Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm Just The Tonic Venue: Approach Times: 7pm Jazz Venue: Price: Times:
Bell Inn Free 12.30pm - 3am
The Underground Sessions Venue: Snug Price: Free Times: 9pm - 4am Moog is Sunday Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 12pm - 12am We Love Style: Acoustic Venue: Deux Price: Free Times: 8pm Eclectic open mic night. Reggae Roast Style: Reggae Venue: Golden Fleece Price: Free Jazz at the Style: Venue: Price:
Bell Jazz Bell Inn Free
Theatre Tuesday 02/10 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Venue: Royal Centre Price: £7.50 - £27.50 Times: 7.30pm plus matinees Runs Until: 03/10 From Here Venue: Price: Times:
To Maturity Lakeside £5 - £12 8pm
Friday 12/10 Speaking Dance, Jonathan Burrows and Mattep Fargion Venue: Bonnington Gallery Price: £7 - £9 Times: 8pm Estampas Venue: Price: Times:
Portenas - Tango Fire Royal Centre £12 - £23 7.30pm
Saturday 13/10 Hysteria Venue: Price: Times:
Lakeside £5 - £12 8pm
Magyar Tancok, Eszter Salamon. (nottdance07) Venue: Sandfield Theatre Times: 8pm
Monday 15/10 Double Bill - Stephanie Schober/Matthias Sperling Venue: Lakeside Arts Centre Times: 8pm Annie Venue: Royal Centre Price: £10 - £25 Times: 7.30pm plus matinees Runs Until: 20/10 Stephanie Schober and Matthias Sperling Lakeside Venue: Price: Pay what you can. Times: 8pm
Tuesday 16/10 Cuadrado-Felcha-Persona Que Corre (nottdance07) Venue: Bonnington Gallery Price: How Much? You decide! Times: 6.30pm
Wednesday 17/10 Good Boy, Alain Buffard (nottdance07) Venue: Bonnington Gallery Price: £7 - £9 Times: 6.30pm
Thursday 18/10 Thomas Lehmen: Freiheit Venue: Lakeside Price: £5 - £9 Times: 8pm Repeater, Martain Nachbar (nottdance07) Venue: Lakeside Arts Centre Price: £5 - £300 Times: 6.30pm
Friday 19/10 (Not) a Love Song, Alain Buffard (nottdance07) Venue: Sandfield Theatre Price: £7 - £9 Times: 8pm
Saturday 20/10 Charles Linehan Company Venue: Lakeside Price: £5 - £9 Times: 7pm
listings... Saturday 20/10 Stupid Men, Nigel Charnock (nottdance07) Venue: Bonnington Gallery Price: £7 - £9 Times: 9pm
Sunday 21/10 Charles Linehan in conversation (nottdance07) Venue: Lakeside Price: £5 Times: 6pm Gisele Vienne/KTL (nottdance07) Venue: Sandfield Theatre Price: £7 - £9 Times: 8pm
Wednesday 24/10 Menna Elfyn: Welsh Words Venue: Lakeside Price: £7 Times: 7.30pm
Tuesday 06/11 Bonachela Venue: Price: Times:
Dance Company Lakeside £5 - £12 8pm
The Comedy Of Errors Venue: Royal Centre Price: £11 - £24 Times: 7.30pm and matinees Runs Until: 10/11
Tuesday 13/11 Busk Venue: Lakeside Price: £5 - £12 Times: 8pm Runs Until: 14/11
Thursday 15/11 Shades of Venue: Price: Times:
Brown Lakeside £5 - £12 8pm
Saturday 17/11 Pinter and a pair of Chekov’s shorts Venue: Lakeside Price: £5 - £12 Times: 8pm
Wednesday 21/11 Joanne Limburg Venue: Lakeside Price: £7 Times: 7.30pm
Monday 01/10 Lemn Sissay at Blackdrop Venue: Jongleurs Price: £6 (£5 con) Times: 8pm Michelle Hubbard, Lisa Jackson, David Higgins, Milla and Mr Jones.
Thursday 04/10 Funhouse Comedy Club Venue: Grosvenor Price: £6 (NUS) Times: 8pm doors Ron Vaudry and Paul Kerensa.
Saturday 06/10 Edinburgh and Beyond Venue: Lakeside Price: £5 - £15 Times: 8pm
Sunday 07/10 Just The Tonic Venue: Approach Price: £7.50 (NUS) Sarah Millican, Wil Hodgson, and Matt Reed.
Tuesday 09/10 Should I Stay or Should I Go? Venue: Maze Price: £6 (NUS) Times: 8pm
Thursday 11/10 Josie Long Venue: Lakeside Price: £5 - £12 Times: 8pm
Sunday 14/10 Just The Tonic Venue: Approach Price: £7 (NUS)
Thursday 18/10 Just The Tonic Venue: Approach Price: £10 (NUS) Justin Moorhouse
Sunday 21/10 Just The Tonic Venue: Approach Price: £10 (NUS) Ed Byrne
Tuesday 23/10 Grumpy Venue: Price: Times:
Old Women Live Royal Centre £23 8pm
Thursday 25/10 Kevin Bloody Wilson Venue: Royal Centre Price: £16.50 Times: 7.30pm
Thursday 22/11 Roy Chubby Brown Venue: Royal Centre Price: £19 Times: 7.30pm
Friday 23/11 Comedy Venue: Price: Times:
Underground Loggerheads Free 8pm
Thursday 29/11 Jethro Venue: Royal Centre Price: £16.50 - £17.50 Times: 7.30pm
Exhibitions Monday 01/10 Lawrence Among The Women Venue: Lakeside Price: Free Showing how the life of D.H. Lawrences was marked by relationships with women. Runs Until: 25/11 Flatland: A Landscape of Punjab Venue: Lakeside Price: Free Runs Until: 04/11 Toby Jennings Venue: Lakeside Price: Free Times: All day Reflecting his love for trees and concern that the natural landscape is rapidly changing for the worse. Runs Until: 04/11
Thursday 04/10
Sunday 04/11 - Sunday 25/11
A brand new multiple venue art festival, all artists involved have been encouraged to create new, experimental and innovative art works, with emphasis being placed on collaboration and dialogue between two or more people. Entry to all events is free, use the email addree below to reserve a place. Opening Party www.tether.org.uk Venue: Cast bookings@tether.org.uk Times: 7pm Screenings Venue: Various Locations Animations and video at Broadway, Screenroom and Cast. Runs until: 25/11
Monday 05/11 Kinetic Sculpture Venue: Heathcote Street Times: 7pm Hugh Dichmont and Chie Hosaka. Runs Until: 11/11
Tuesday 06/11 Lost In Pace Venue: 1851 Gallery Curated by Samuel Mercer and Liam Aitken. Private view 6th Nov. Runs Until: 18/11 Performances Venue: Various Locations 6th, 13th, 20th and 25th. Apexa Patel and Hannah Phillips. Runs Until: 25/11
Sunday 11/11 Storytelling / Music Venue: Victoria Court Interiors Time: 6pm Matthew Cooper and Ben Hargrave. Limited space.
Sunday 28/10 Just The Tonic Venue: Approach Price: £7 (NUS)
Tuesday 30/10 Billy Connolly Sold Out
music / weeklies / theatre / comedy / exhibitions
Monday 15/10 Hinterland - Sian Stammers Venue: Hinterland HQ Colwick Industrial Estate Price: Free Launch Event: Thursday 4th, 7pm. Runs Until: 14/10
Golly Venue: Surface Gallery Price: Free Work in paint, plaster and clay. Runs Until: 09/11
Monday 12/11 Beneath The Tarmac, The Grass Venue: Bromley House A shop of rare art books. Runs Until: 16/11 Performative installation Venue: Heathcote Street Matthew Cooper and Alex Clark. Runs Until: 14/11
Tuesday 13/11 Throes Venue: Victoria Court Interiors Curated by Charlotte Pratley and Alex Clark. Private view 13th Nov. Runs Until: 20/11
Monday 19/11 Pipe Dream Venue: Huntingdon Street Gallery Curated by Rebecca GoveHumphries and Katie Brosnan. Private View: 20th Nov Runs Until: 24/11
Sunday 25/11 Closing Party Venue: Malt Cross Times: 7pm
Friday 19/10 Hinterland - Mark Excell Venue: Hinterland HQ Colwick Industrial Estate Price: Free Launch Event: Thursday 18th, 7pm. Runs Until: 28/10
Wednesday 24/10 - Sunday 28/10
Tuesday 30/10 Mark Thomas Venue: Approach Price: £13
Thursday 01/11 Steve Day Venue: Maze Price: £6 (NUS) Times: 8pm James Dowdeswell
Wednesday 07/11 Just The Tonic Venue: Approach Price: £12.50 (NUS) Stuart Lee
Tuesday 13/11 Should I Stay or Should I Go? Venue: Maze Price: £5 Times: 8pm
Saturday 17/11 Bill Bailey Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £25 Times: 8pm
Tuesday 20/11 Paul Merton’s Silent Clowns Venue: Royal Centre Price: £14.50 Times: 7.30pm
Words: Floyd Ferris Games are all around us. They’re on our phones and our iPods, on Facebook and Sky, on consoles and handhelds. But come the 24th October, they’re right under our noses. GameCity, the world’s only true games festival, is taking over Nottingham, bringing the best new games and the brightest game stars to your doorstep. If you grew up gaming, then don’t miss David Braben (the man who co-created Elite) presenting an exclusive look at his ambitious new thriller The Outsider. Or, if you used to lose whole afternoons to Tetris, you’ll have the chance to quiz creator Alexey Pajitnov, in his first UK appearance. There’s even an attempt on the Tetris world record, by the UK’s best player. If your gaming tastes are more modern, then check out the world exclusive preview of Noby Noby Boy, the new game from Keita Takahashi, the man behind the Katamari Damacy phenomenon, as he delivers GameCity’s 2007 Vision Statement, in partnership with BAFTA. Or get stuck in to Star Wars, which is experiencing a gaming resurgence, with ambitious new projects promising to bring the series to life as never before. Jonathan Smith, the man behind the utterly irresistible Lego Star Wars will also be in town, to talk about having what must pretty much be the best job in the world. If you wish you had his job, then GameCity is the place for you, with an unrivalled chance to attend masterclasses with some of the biggest names in games. Or, if you don’t quite see what all the fuss about games is, you can tune into Resonance FM, who’ll be broadcasting live from GameCity, or come along to one of Alice Taylor’s Wonderland sessions, where you can get hands on with some crafty game ideas. GameCity adds up to a unique chance to get the very best of the gaming world, right outside your front door. Come and play! www.gamecity.org
If you’ve got a brain and would like the opportunity to kill it with alcohol, the LeftLion Pub Quiz at the Golden Fleece on Mansfield Road is where you should be every Wednesday. The fun starts about 9pm, but come earlier, because it gets rammed out dead quick. We give a gallon of beer to the winning team, the quizmaster’s Nana gets on her Bontempi organ for a few tunes and the Fish Man comes round when he feels like it. Here’s a sample of what we’ve been asking recently…
ANIMAL MAGIC 6. Which animal is slang for a piece of gymnastic equipment, a two-player variant of basketball and heroin? 7. What is the name of the Cadbury’s chocolate frog? 8. What’s the animal-related name of the career criminal in The Simpsons? 9. A well to do white American is known as which insect related acronym? 10. In the children’s TV series, who is the best mate of Badger?
NOTTINGHAMIA 11. Where would you find Jerry’s Tank?
FOOD AND DRINK 16. What vegetable did Roman gladiators rub themselves down with before fights? 17. Which character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fell into the chocolate river? 18. Which corn-based snack brand translates into Spanish as ‘little bits of gold’? 19. What was the name of the brand of peanuts that would reveal a model in a bikini when you took a packet off the display in pubs? 20. How many different brands of chocolate are there in a tin of Celebrations?
ADVERTISING SLOGANS 21. The mark of a man 22. A 24 hour man needs a 24 hour deodorant
23. Sharper than ever 24. Hair you can’t get enough of 25. It does exactly what it says on the tin
LEICESTER 26. Which band from Leicester had a number one hit in 1976 with Under The Moon of Love? 27. Which supermarket chain built its first non-London branch in Leicester? 28. What’s the name of Leicester City’s football ground? 29. What river runs through Leicester? 30. Which famous deformed person was born in Leicester?
ANSWERS:
1. When Lady Di was knocking off James Gilbey, what was his pet name for her? 2. Who sang the lyric ‘Charles, don’t you ever craze to appear on the front of the Daily Mail, dressed in your mother’s bridal veil?’ 3. Who was the riding instructor that Lady Di knocked off in the eighties? 4. Which famous Canadian was alleged to have been tupped by Lady Di? 5. What was the chin-related nickname of Will Carling, the rugby player who got a portion off Lady Di?
12. What’s the pub in Trent Bridge named after two famous local cricketers? 13. If you drilled a hole through the floor from Notts right the way through to the other side of the world, which country would you end up nearest to? 14. Name one of the three teams who played at the City Ground in Euro 96. 15. Which estate in Notts is alleged to have more chip shops per head than anywhere else in the UK??
1. ‘Squidgy’ 2. Morrissey 3. James Hewitt 4. Bryan Adams 5. ‘Bumface’ 6. Horse 7. Freddo 8. Snake 9. WASP 10. Bodger 11. Victoria Centre 12. The Larwood and Voce 13. New Zealand 14. Turkey, Croatia and Portugal 15. Bulwell 16. Onions 17. Augustus Gloop 18. Doritos 19. Big D 20. Eight 21. Old Spice 22. Right Guard 23. Motorola 24. Head and Shoulders 25. Ronseal 26. Showaddywaddy 27. Tesco 28. The Walkers Stadium 29. River Soar 30. John Merrick
PEOPLE WHO LADY DI KNOCKED OFF
MAGNET The only purpose built professional rehearsal space in Nottingham
Unit 2, Davisella House, Newark St, Nottingham
Tel: 0115 9243324
www.magnetstudios.co.uk
4 rehearsal rooms - lock-ups, chill out area & refreshments
Spares Shop - strings, leads, straps, fuses, etc.
Splitter Van Rental & Backline Hire
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue19
43
Beware The Snide Vodka! words: Tom Hathaway illustration: Kim Thompson Well, I’d gone out to Israel to get a bit of peace and quiet, yet three months in there was not a chipolata sausage of it.
In a nutshell, I had somehow done the bottle again, which turned out to be a snide copy of the Russian article, just a far better one. I’d slept the entire night at forty five degrees with my head stuck against a palm tree and my cock (the only part of me which was not stiff as a board) hanging out in the breeze. As I attempted to unlock both leg joints and push myself upright, Guilford was approaching with a smug grin on his face. ‘Well, I see you’ve managed to let England down yet again, Hathaway!’ he boomed for the express delectation of all. ‘You’re a shambles… just sort yerself out, sadman!’ Then one of the Essex lads turned up at his shoulder. ‘Er… I wouldn’t say that if I were you, Guilly.’ ‘What do ya mean? We can’t have sadmen getting shitfaced and letting England down like that!’ ‘Er… I would maybe have a think before you say something else, Guilly.’ ‘Naaah. He’s let England down and he’s got to pay the price for the rest of the day!’ ‘Well in that case, if it’s a question of letting England down, let’s recall what you did last night… ’
So now we’ve left the bustle of Tel Aviv and gone travelling down to Egypt to get some. So far, let’s see, I’ve ended up walking 57 kilometres through the worst thunderstorm since biblical records with a rucksack full of water. I got to the hostel in Jerusalem to find the twat on the desk has given my bed away, so I slept on the floor and got me knuckles trodden on by returning drunks all night. I slid under Guilford’s bed to avoid the same and woke up being thrown across the floor by me morning hard-on, which Guilford had mistaken for his kitbag handle whilst rustling around for his trainers. Then I got strato on a bottle of snide vodka and went skydiving from zero feet in Masada, ripping half me face off and being pulled by border security for building a fire. I was questioned for an hour over injuries and whether we were attempting to create some kind of signal to a Jordanian invasion force. Now the trio of Essex ponces who’ve tagged along have held us up for so long that we’ve missed the last buses over the Sinai border, so it’s either triple bubble in a taxi or build another beach fire in Taba for the night.
It transpired that Guilford had spent at least two hours off with the Bedou, striking a purchase and smoking some of their premium shit… then likely some of their special premium shit. Fully opiated, he’d been driven back to the outskirts of the camp by his hosts and loaded off the jeep trailer a complete jibbering nonsensical mess, whereupon he’d come charging through the camp fire at sixty miles an hour screaming ‘Aaaah! Aaaah! The president! The big president! He’s coming to crush me! The big president’s coming to crush me! Aaaaaaahhh!’ Before then diving head first into his sleeping bag and zipping it fully up.
Not a tough choice, as most were on a tight budget. By then a small commune of about twenty five of us had assembled, having missed the buses. Nevertheless, spirits and banter were aloft and in no time we’d banged up a few boulders and amassed a shedload of driftwood for the night and got a good blaze going. For three hours the greedy bastards in their taxis tried everything to get our money. At one point even bribing an Egyptian army corporal to come over and tell us we were illegally squatting and to clear off. Sadly for him, Guilford and I had already squared it with the area commandant, so the pair of ‘em were sent packing into the night on the end of some keen abuse and a good stoning. No taxi returned after that. Guilford had a prearranged date to do a little trade with the local Bedou and they’d arrived in a jeep to pick him up. With an air of quietness settling in all around, I rested and cracked open a more civilised bottle of Stolichnaya which I’d purchased in a respectable Eilat supermarket with a view to a modest nightcap, bearing in mind that Egypt was boozeless and it would have to last the week. I should mention that I’d invested the extra dollars to avoid the snide, which the Israelis make by adding flavourings to neat ethanol and calling it vodka. You begin
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He’d been awakened by two hours of morning desert sun, by which time he was medium to well done throughout and possessed absolutely no recall of the previous night’s events. Behaviour, then, typical of a man incorruptibly bearing the Standard of England. The morning buses had re-emerged, which in turn brought the taxi fares plummeting back down to sensible and the seven of our party bade bon voyage to all and climbed into the first one that passed. That was a quiet trip. with a couple of sips and good intentions, but next thing you know you’ve done the bottle and woken up making a speech in The House of Commons… clueless in between. But that wasn’t going to happen to me tonight. No way Joe Grey!
Wrong (very). I was awakened early the next morning by escalating titters of laughter and snippets of gleeful exchange between the German girls in the party. I slowly opened my eyes to see… bark. Tree bark? Slight headache and bit of a draught around the tops of my legs. I looked down at the sand. Empty Stoli bottle and… what?
This is an excerpt from Full Chicken Jacket by Tom Hathaway, available next spring. Full Bacon Jacket is available now from www.amazon.co.uk
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To Rene
Conserving Kerouac
Together, We sat on the bed half naked Tucked in the corner, Rene hungover With wet hair reading Old newspapers which had run, Just muttering to herself While I read some old letters Rolling cigarettes from Rejection slips,
The Sign Read: INVASIVE WEEDS ARE RUINING OUR WATERWAYS PLEASE CHECK YOUR: Fishing equipment, goggles, flippers, snorkels, rubber rings, lidos, pedaloes, waterbikes, kayaks, trailers, boats, jet skis, dinghies, yachts, rowing craft, gondolas, steam launchers, speed boats, barges, wide beams, paddle steamers, junks, galleons, tugs, ferries, dredgers, mine sweepers, destroyers, aircraft carriers, submarines and drilling rigs... For any sign of invasive weeds. WE ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT.
I find the Paris Review Once ignited A lot more satisfying, We ate thick chunks of pineapple Its juice running down over our hands Onto the stained sheets, And the light still beats in The floor still rots away with the damp, The shower is still leaking, And the dog still moans outside
Tokin John
Takeshi’s Castle Takeshi’s castle is the place Where the Japanese go to fall on their face They run full pelt at solid brick walls Using their testicles to break their fall
It’s two in the afternoon And the world still screams, In a howl, in a rage In it’s stupor,
They slide about on sharpened rails. Such bellowing men, such shrieking females. They huddle together awaiting the cull, As fucking huge boulders aim for their skull
But for this one afternoon, The heartache and the drum Have been left outside, Everything is right within These four walls
They shout with glee as they run to their doom On perilous contraptions, in cheaply made rooms Budgets are low, but insurance is high for these men in leotards who fall from the sky.
These long days that dream Into drunken nights, Have for once been kind to us. A Catterall
Time What is time? If you don’t have time, then who has your time? If you can make time, does that involve taking someone else’s? I know people with no time at all, none to call their own. I on the other hand, have time. Time in my mind and time on my hands. Taking time isn’t theft but more the act of giving… Of all my time, I share a fair proportion. Some people won’t even give the time of day away.
Look out! Look out! You’re on roller skates! The road is a zig zag and you’re going straight You could try braking, but there’s no brakes on those Too Late! Too late! You’ve broken your nose. The journey is over, you’ve got to the end Well done to you my pained, toothless friend You’ve made it past mountains, rivers and pits. Just to find out that the ending is shit. Jack Twatt
One Winter Evening He finished his glass of wine and left a tip with the bill before stepping out into the cool winter night. Pulling his jacket around himself, he started to stroll down the street whilst fetching a pre-made roll up out of his cigarette tin and lighting it, enjoying the fact he could at last smoke. ‘Stupid smoking ban’ he muttered to himself as he walked on. As he rounded the top of Hockley he took a left to take him towards the tram station, it was then that he noticed something. Scratched onto the wall was a window, it had been drawn in chalk and normally he would not have noticed it, were it not for the fact that in-between the crudely drawn window frames he could see what looked like a very well drawn daytime scene. Woodland, hills, grass. He pulled out another fag and took a closer look. That was when he noticed the really odd thing. The leaves on the trees were moving, as if a wind was blowing through them, so was the grass. Counting how many drinks he had had in the bar before he made it no more than three, so he wasn’t drunk and he certainly hadn’t taken anything else that evening. ‘I’m going mental, I must be’
He looked around to see if anyone was watching him, maybe it was a joke or some projected image. He touched the drawn frame and the chalk smudged, he touched where the panes of glass would be, had it been a real window and he heard a resounding ‘Tap’ as if he had tapped on glass, except it still felt like brick. Taking another look around he was satisfied that no one was watching and he put his fag in his mouth and with both hands pushed against the ‘window’. It moved, the window actually moved. Pushing further the window swung in. He leaned through and could see a vast meadow and the woodland stretching out beyond it. ‘Well, if I am dreaming then I’ll wake up, if not then sod it, I have nothing to lose’ He gripped the bottom of the frame and pushed himself up so he was crouching on the ledge, looking down it was only a couple of feet to the ground below. He took one last drag and chucked his cigarette on the dirty concrete behind him. Then he jumped.
The Love Lion
Leicester Carnival
A Man awakes and stirs, he is The Love Lion. Fresh from the hunt his fur dishevelled, dry salt upon his pinned back whiskers. He licks his paws and yawns his gnashers, the only distinction on his screwed up face.
What happens to all the balloons that fly away? out of grasp Reggae jiving side to side wiggle in the wind? No notes to find only a loose grasp momentary and off she flies Flies away Free Will the sunshine burst her? Or the wind? Will she shrivel slowly and drift or will her ribbons catch her safe?
The tired dumb struck beast, with musings of the prey that got away, rolls with grace his mane collecting debris, and his mind collecting regret. His rampant thoughts of longing for a cat to groom, looms, like grey clouds wrapped around the open strewn landscape. The primal will of companionship echoes behind his big blue eyes, a friend to chase and frolic. Hopes and dreams he’ll always strive, there’s no substitute for Pride.
Gingerrich
Wendy House
Johnny P
Tom Mickle
Let me grieve I had some bad news yesterday It made me sad and cry It didn’t help to hear you say you’re sorry for my loss It just made me ask why You pretend that you don’t hear me Sobbing in my chair It didn’t even occur to you before that I had feelings Or that I could care I sit here working at my desk Everyday and late at night I get on with things regardless of the stress and strain I don’t bother to put up a fight For now you are confused I am not just a worker robot I have a family and friends and a lover who I
love too It’s not just this job I’ve got You pat my back awkwardly You lower your eyes As you walk by, you leave nice chocolate on my desk And give me heart felt lies For yes it is tragic Yes it hurts me But what can I do to fix it? Nothing, so don’t you try Let’s go on as we were before then, let’s pretend that I’m okay For you know I’ll still get the work done, know I’ll be up for fun Eventually. But for now realise I’m human and let me grieve.
Image
Womb of Doom
My line of sight intentionally insinuates nothing, for eye contact I apologise, it was never intended to challenge you or your established team of brand adorned representatives. An innocent curiosity is held responsible, no pecking order need be defined as I’m perfectly happy with my place in the line. Each night I leave home with an imagine in my mind. Trying to show the parts of my person(ality) I’d like people to find, No hoods nor stripes as in my mind’s eye I’m still the slight, mild mannered polite child I last caught sight of many year ago, But a pair of dope creeps inform those in the know, The up turned neck of the polo shirt is never low over A fresh white tee sheathing my skin for the delight of ultraviolet lighting, charmed, not frightening.
Three months of throwing my ring piece up, Watching Rikki mop it up, Fainting, wretching, growing ass Child number two? I think I’ll pass Heartburn, back ache, growing bump Crying at random programmes just because Trinny cures someone’s crap sense of dress? I cant even be bothered to rhyme anymore… Miss Caulton
Tom Mickle
Girlie
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Aries (March 21 - April 20)
Libra (September 24 - October 23)
It was my friend and mentor Hank that said ‘Love is a dog from hell’. He was right about that, but he never said how pretty it was, how easily it is to become attracted to and the mistakes it can force. It’s only when love bites that you realise quite what sharp teeth she has. Love is a siren. Love is a harpie.
She said ‘I’ll throw myself away. They’re just photos after all.’ I can’t make you hang around. I can’t wash you off my skin. Outside the frame, is what we’re leaving out. You won’t remember anyway. I can go with the flow. I would say it doesn’t matter with the flow. I can go with the flow (I can go). Do you believe it in your head?
Taurus (April 21 - May 21)
Scorpio (October 24 - November 22)
Mars and Pluto now oppose each other. Pluto, though, can’t be seen. It’s a tiny object, visible only through a telescope. Scientists have downgraded it as not big enough to be a proper planet. But we know the true horror. Size isn’t everything. Pluto is powerful, more so because it is a hidden body with covert influence.
There is something inside each of us that is truly dark and wrong. It is only when you think you have faced all the demons that are out there that the biggest one of all is ready to pounce. When you’re not sure about the difference between right and wrong anymore then everything becomes blurred and you stop caring. Is this what heroin is like?
Gemini (May 22 - June 22)
Sagittarius (November 23 - December 22)
You may suspect that you have an enemy. That’s not really so. The person in question is an enemy unto themselves. This individual deserves sympathy and your aggression will do you or them no good. It is understandable you feel like this, it’s much easier to feel compassionate when you are not feeling threatened. Slow down, you move too fast.
Everything went wrong on the last day of the journey. It’s just a case of what can be salvaged from the wreckage now. The memories of this will stay with both of us for a long time. No-matter how hard you try you won’t be able to truly forget it. My only hope is that one day you might be ready to forgive.
Cancer (June 23 - July 23)
Capricorn (December 23 - January 19)
In a series of recent experiments scientists have proven that it is possible to trick the brain into having an out of body experience. When deprived of certain key visual and aural signals, our minds can quickly become disorientated. If they are then sent false clues, they will rapidly conjure up a new reality, based entirely on imagination and assumption.
The five colours make man’s eyes blind. The five notes make his ears deaf. The five tastes injure his palate. Riding and hunting make his mind go wild with excitement. Goods hard to come by serve to hinder his progress. Hence the sage is for the belly. Not for the eye. Therefore he discards the one and fills the other.
Leo (July 24 - August 23)
Aquarius (January 20 - February 19)
While a man’s father is alive, you can only see his intentions. It is when his father dies that you discover whether or not he is capable of carrying them out. If for the whole three years of mourning he manages to carry on the household exactly as in his father’s day, then he is a good son indeed.
You need to speak to someone about what happened. You’re right to be full of hate, but the only way you can heal is by confronting the problems rather than burying yourself back inside the bubble. If you do that it will follow you like a shadow forever. I wish I could help you more, but I’m definitely not the right person for that now.
Virgo (August 24 - September 23)
Pisces (February 20 - March 20)
They say you can only truly hate someone that you have once loved. I never thought about this much before, but now I know it is true from first hand experience. It probably can’t get any worse than it was the day after and that’s one small thing that makes it seem worth carrying on. If anything like that ever happens again I’ll end it.
You had a lunar eclipse, followed by a solar eclipse in your opposite sign. You have started to go through some powerful personal changes and the people around you are too. You are dealing with tense situations. Dramas are being played out. If you feel as if a problem is threatening to spiral out of control, remember you are in unfamiliar territory. You will eventually acclimatise.
FOOTBALLERS WITH ‘TACHES BRIAN KILCLINE
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Bir th distance from No
tts: 282 miles
World Cup appearanc
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World Cup appearanc
158 Games for local team:
Games for local team:
Tache length: 4”
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Bir th distance from No
PFA awards: 1
PFA awards: 0
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KENNY BURNS
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Tache length: 2”
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