LeftLion Magazine - February 2013 - Issue 51

LeftEyeOn

Notts, as seen through the lenses of the local photo talent over the last two months...

Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Kids on Sleds

Wollaton Hall takes on a distinctly Lowryesque tinge in the snow.

Ben Rawson benspics.com

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Do You Remember The Good Old Days Before The Ghost Town?

Bulwell catches Sales Fever, January 2013.

Steve Hudson Flickr: cosygreeneyes

All Sea Rolling In From The Trent

Quick, someone pull the plug out.

Steve Haseldine Flickr: decipher_shot

Happy New Deer

Wollaton Park gets a bit Derby Road.

Dale Mears Flickr: dalemears

The Roof, The Roof, The Roof Is On Fire

Nottingham comes under sustained bombardment by New Years Eve. Debbie Davies debsphotography.co.uk

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After your folks have harped on all Christmas about when are you going to settle down and have mini replicas of you, comes Valentine’s Day: the annual reminder that you’re all alone with no one to have lazy nights in front of the telly with. But why? After all, we live in an actual city with over 300,000 people rattling about in it; surely it can’t be that hard to find someone suitable in Nottingham?

With that in mind, I decided to have a serious go at goading the fat, creepy flying kid in a nappy to fire a sharp object at me. I was going to try my hand on the dating scene, and have a go at a few tried and trusted methods so I could write about them for LeftLion. No other reason. Honest.

you’ll be told about it the next day. According to protocol, if you picked a potential mate and they only wanted you as a friend you won’t get told but if you’re both match/match or friend/friend, you will. As the organiser put it at the end of the night, “You don’t want to meet up with someone intent on shagging you, if you only want a coffee”. Quite.

I wasn’t in the best frame of mind on the night of the event. I’d been up since the wee small hours, touring a freezing recovery facility full of used cooking oil in Norfolk (don’t ask). I’d missed my train home, so was late and was still dressed in my factory outfit, looking like a very camp Santa.

I definitely stood out against the girls in short skirts and low-cut tops, but I reluctantly took my seat and waited for the onslaught. You could tell who of the men had been around the track; they launched straight into what felt like a preselected set of questions. You could also tell who of them had never done this before; they either had no questions and got all flustered, or - worse - had no answers. There were a lot of questions about what I did when I was working and what I did when I wasn’t working, which got boring very quickly; I toyed with the idea of making up a different life for myself with every person, but decided against it.

And then he came. I sat there for a very long four minutes as he vomited words at me, detailing his previous speed dating experiences in minute and geographically correct detail. Then he described his recent gym workouts in the same methodical, meticulous manner. The clock slowed down. The sound of the bar died away. My insides tickled with a suppressed guffaw. I bit my cheek to prevent myself laughing. Finally, my ears rejoiced at the sound of the bell and he wandered off to the next poor sod.

He was the only guy I wanted to ditch at the end of the night, but when I went to tick that box I caught him looking at me, his depthless eyes possibly showing a hint of sadness. I couldn’t bring myself to tick the ‘no’ box, so I settled for ‘friend’ and hoped that he hadn’t done the same thing.

I’ve heard nothing so far. Thank God. Don’t get me wrong, one of the men there did get back to me.

He’d fancied my friend, was a bit narked that she hadn’t felt the same way, and could I put a word in for him?

Online Dating

Speed dating isn’t a bad way to meet people, if you disregard the stench of desperation that fills the room - the normal-to-weirdo ratio is heavily weighted towards the former, you’re in the same boat as everyone else and, unlike online dating, you know for sure that the man you’re talking to has his trousers on - but the question remains: how can you tell that you’d like to get to know someone better in just four minutes? I got on well with a couple of guys; maybe a wine or two later, I would have been throwing my phone number at them. Who knows?

Even now, dating over the internet has a stigma attached to it, throwing up images of guys in a box room, playing World of Warcraft with one hand and doing God knows what else with the other.

Signing up to a dating site is scary; I worried that I’d know at least twenty percent of the people on there, Nottingham being the small, intimate place that it is. Luckily, there were only two, one of whom knew what I was up to. Good.

Choosing the right username was harder than I thought. Picking the right profile picture was even harder. Would a pic of me on a night out give out the best signals? Should I use one of me doing something active? Then there’s the profile blurb; I went for some vague waffle about my job, books and films, whereas my friend (who joined me in my online dating foray) just listed one-word answers. As I was about to discover when I plunged into the pool of potential paramours, words don’t really matter in the world of online dating.

A word of advice for males with dating profiles, if I may. Never select a username containing ‘XXX’ or ‘69’. Also posting a photo of your dick, covered only by your tiny banana hammock, will not find you a woman. Same goes for constantly going on about how you “don’t do this kind of thing often” or that “this was the result of a drunken bet”. This we all know; we’re all in it together, remember.

Oh, and stop with the “I don’t know what to write” rubbish, too – tell me about yourself, and not what your best friend, who just happens to be a girl, says.

In the beginning, my friend and I were having a rare old time, constantly sending texts back and forth to each other as a whole host of men came our way. We spent time discussing the best way of replying, and how to get rid of the less desirable folk. But then it just kind of got a bit boring, and more than a bit sad. Nothing says ‘Home with Mam with nothing to do’ more than someone messaging you at 10.57pm on Christmas Eve. My favourite message was sent one cold, wet Wednesday night just before Christmas: “do you WANT TO MEET?” Now that’s a sentence to get a girl hot. I decided to pass on that occasion.

Don’t get me wrong; there were some nice guys on the website. But for every one of them, there were at least two dickheads sending messages like; “So why can’t you date in the real world? Is it because of your massive hair?” By the time I was inching towards actually meeting someone in real life, I was bombarded with horror stories from friends (my favourite: the dinner date a friend went on that ended swiftly when the guy started to cry and he had to get her to call his mum).

Thankfully, the date I went on wasn’t that bad, but we were definitely not right for each other.

Bottom line: the menfolk on dating sites appear to be 50% well-meaning guys that are hoping the love of their lives are going to spring, perfectly toned and full of wit, from the loins of their web browsers, and 50% who believe in the mantra “any hole’s a goal”. If you think you could be that springy girl, or even that hole, then online dating is definitely worth a shot – and if you approach it with the right attitude, you may even make some friends out of it. Alas, for me, it just wasn’t right.

Profile: closed. E-mails: deleted.

Speed dating If it’s good enough for the cast of Sex and the City, it’s good enough for the rest of us, right? After skimreading an assortment of websites, I managed to work out the protocol; turn up at venue (more often than not, a bar in Hockley). Slap a badge with your name and number written in bold, across your chest (which means you’re good for a boob-peek, gents). Sit on your own table, and await a herd of men to move from woman to woman for four minutes of chit-chat. Twice.

Then, you’re encouraged to mark them as a ‘yes’, a ‘no’ or ‘friend’ (which means ‘yes, but no’).

There’s also a comments box, presumably for you to enter such things as “sort your mole out” or “don’t talk about Hitler so much next time”.

At the end of the night, you submit your form. If you have any matches,

Going on a mission Since the dawn of nightclubs, people have been using sweaty, shouty rooms full of loud music to try out their best chat up lines and find, well, if not love, then a bit of the other at ten to two in the morning. And Nottingham’s got plenty of those. So, myself and a friend headed to one of the biggest meat markets in town, full of girls dressed for an evening under a lamppost at Forest Road West and blokes who - despite working for some big company, or at least pretending to - appear to have only one brain cell to rub against their seldom-used dicks.

We felt that we were doing the right things and not looking out of place. We drank. Then we drank some more. We swayed to the music, and tried to look like we wanted to pull. I still don’t know exactly how you convey that, but I think looking around alluringly is a pretty good way to do it, although I’m pretty sure that I looked as if I was sucking a lemon. My contact lenses also dried out, so I had a squint, too. Brilliant.

I took a moment to see how everyone else was getting on. Some girls were having their throats sucked on the dancefloor. Others were bolting for the toilets with mascara running down their faces. I came to the conclusion that a) I might well be the oldest woman in the room, which was depressing beyond belief and b) I wanted to be somewhere fun with my friends, dancing around and laughing, and actually talking, not shoving my tits into some guy’s face and grinding down on them. We grabbed our coats, ran out into the street, and bolted to the safe haven of a proper pub.

So, after two months of trying my hand at ‘pro-active’ dating - and even actually asking a guy on a date, for God’s sake – I’m still single. But to be honest, after throwing myself into the hellfire of trying to meet someone, I am more than perfectly happy to sit back, sip some wine in my own front room and watch what the hell I want to on Valentine’s Day. My advice: if you’re a little shy, try online. If you want to try before you buy, go speed dating. If you want a quick fling, then head on down to a club on a Saturday night. Or, how about just going out somewhere you like, having some fun and, y’know, just being yourself? leftlion.co.uk/issue51

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OUT OF SIGHT

interview: Mike Atkinson photos: Ralph Barklam

Like a giant ball of muso-attracting velcro, The Invisible Orchestra has snagged members of some of Nottingham’s top bands and singers - as well as from further afield - and shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. The man responsible: Royal Gala’s James Waring...

How did the idea for Invisible Orchestra get off the ground?

It’s been a culmination of things, over the years - playing with lots of different people, meeting lots of different musicians who’ve been in their own bands, but wanted to get a bigger project together. Also, I have a lot of music written that doesn’t actually suit Royal Gala, the band I’m in, and that would suit a much larger band. I just kinda got obsessed with it. I’d probably got twenty people in the band by the time I booked the first gig, at the Arts Theatre. People were saying: “I think it’s a bit short notice, I don’t think we’ve got enough time.”

How far in advance did you book the gig?

I’d got about three and a half months, and we’d got about fifteen minutes of music together. So by having a date booked, it became a thing. I wanted a theatre, because I wanted to put on a proper event: a show, rather than a gig.

There were a few people in the audience who were clearly Arts Theatre regulars, who looked a bit shell-shocked that their Am Dram venue was turning into this maelstrom of excess...

Yeah, everybody was wasted and dancing on tables and chairs in the aisles – literally dancing in the aisles. The girl behind the bar was crying her eyes out, because she’d got three hundred people in front of her, all wanting a drink, and she was the only bar staff on. I was telling them all along that it would be busy; it wasn’t going to be like Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

You’ve got your pick of some outstanding vocalists. How did you go about matching your tunes to the singers?

I didn’t approach some of the singers until we’d got the tunes done. I try not to have anything to do with the lyrics - that comes from the singers.

What I do is to instigate things generally. I don’t write everybody’s parts, although I’ll remember everybody’s parts, even if they forget them. I’ll perhaps write a loose rhythm, ideas for percussion, the main brass line. Then they’ll get together and write around the idea that I’ve got. With some people, I will write their complete lines. I might suggest something to Martin on the double bass, but he’s experienced enough just to know what it needs straight away. With Percydread, who’s been doing roots reggae for forty years, I asked him to do it, and he came along with a reggae tune. He’s been playing music for longer than I’ve been born, but I was getting him into the idea of doing a completely different style, but still in his own voice.

It was a very dramatic and unexpected start to your set.

Everyone’s expecting Jools Holland-style good times from start to finish, and then Percy came on like this prophet of apocalyptic doom...

Percy’s a great guy, and he’s doing another song with us for the next show. A lot of people are guests, but Percy’s like a proper member of the orchestra. At the rehearsal studio, the gates are locked and people have to ring me from outside. But somehow, once we start playing a song at rehearsals, Percy will just turn up, every time. He’ll walk straight in and start singing. I don’t know how he does it.

It must have been a huge departure for another of your singers, Ed Bannard from Hhymn. It would have taken him well outside his comfort zone...

I’ve known Ed since I was about nineteen, when he was in Skinny Sumo, and we’ve always been around each other. I wasn’t quite sure if he’d do it, but I think he enjoyed it in the end. For that particular song, I wrote all the music, and then Ed came in. To be honest, it took him about two rehearsals, and then he nailed it.

Does everyone in the band come from Nottingham?

We’ve recruited a few people from further afield, but most people come from in and around Notts. Justin, the Hammond player, tours with Bad Manners quite a bit. He’s got a Grammy. He’s also played for Lee “Scratch” Perry.

Was it a logistical nightmare, getting all these people in the same room at specific times?

It was, but then it wasn’t so bad for the gig, because we knew that we’d be loading at twelve, and we were paying the theatre from twelve. We’d not finished some of the tunes on the day of the show. The percussion section sorted out some of Hannah Heartshape’s tune while we were soundchecking. We only had about an hour with Natalie Duncan. She came to soundcheck, and we had a bit of a chat. So before the gig, we were as excited as anybody else to see how it sounded.

How did it feel when you were actually up on the stage?

Great, to be honest with you. Everybody was hugging each other afterwards. It was a really fantastic feeling. Everybody put in such a lot of hard work and a lot of people had cancelled gigs to come. After the show, I said that we should take a break for a month or so. That lasted about a week. Then people were asking: “when are we rehearsing again?” So we organised the next practice a bit earlier than we intended – and everybody turned up.

What’s the plan for 2013?

I’ve just booked a show at Nottingham Contemporary on Easter Sunday, 31 March. We’ve got the whole of downstairs: The Space, and the café bar. The line-up starts off with a barbershop quartet, then we’ve got Rollo Markee and the Tailshakers, a swing-blues band who I went on tour with. There’s also DJ Switch, who’s a three-time world DMC champion. He’s also the only DJ ever to play at The Proms, at the Royal Albert Hall. It’ll be like a family thing; we all know each other. We’ve had a lot of support from the Contemporary, and from Ste Allan of Dealmaker.

It will be a lot easier than last time when we had no funding, no backing, and a shell-shocked venue.

Any plans to take it out of town?

We’re trying to confirm a show at The Scala in London at the moment, and there are a few more London shows in the pipeline.

We’ve got a booking agent who has been looking for suitable festivals – and for realistic festivals, as this is not the sort of thing that we can go on tour with, unless there’s a lot of help and a lot of forward planning. And we’ve already recorded five tracks at Paper Stone, who backed us without hearing us. They just trusted us. There’s also a new Royal Gala album, which is coming out pretty soon.

Do people get you confused with The Hidden Orchestra, who are a completely different act?

Well, there’s thirty-two of us now, so if they want to meet us outside in the car park, we’ll batter ‘em.

The Invisible Orchestra, Sunday 31 March, Nottingham Contemporary. facebook.com/theinvisibleorchestra

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HITS FROM THE BONGO

Sophie Johnson-Hill and Rebecca McGlone spend their time dancing with kids and living in a big cloth house under the guise of Bongo Bongo, children’s entertainers extraordinaire. They’re also about to release Incy Wincy Boom Box - possibly the best LP you’ll hear out of Notts this year... interview: Al Needham photo: Dom Henry How did Bongo Bongo get started? Did you know each other before?

Sophie: We were both studying Performing Arts at Clarendon in the late nineties. We always worked together - we had the idea of being the new French and Saunders - and then life got in the way and we drifted apart for a bit. Funnily, enough, it was children who brought us back together; I had kidlets and moved to Turkey for a while, and then my mum bumped into her, and rang me up and said, “Becks has got a bun in the oven.” And I thought, “awesome - let’s get back together.”

Rebecca: We were the earliest of our friends to have kids, so in 2009 we met up at the Playhouse, and decided that we both needed some pennies. Neither of us wanted a proper job, so we needed to start our own business.

Sophie: I’d had the Bongo Bongo name kicking about in my head for years without anything to attach it to, so when the idea of doing music with kids popped up, I said; “Yes! Let’s call it Bongo Bongo!”

Before the kids came along, Sophie, you were part of the Out Da Ville collective, who are now looked upon as a legendary lost group...

Sophie: I know, and it’s amazingly flattering.

I hardly go out at the moment, but I was a gig with a few Out Da Ville members the other night, and was shocked to see people coming up to me and saying; “Wow, you’re Sophie from Out Da Ville! I love your stuff!” And I’m thinking, my God, this was a decade ago.

With all the interest in the current music scene, it must be hard for people in that collective to see the opportunities the current generation have.

Sophie: Yes, but at that time there was no Facebook, no Twitter, no social media at all, which meant that if you had the right management it was so much easier to get yourself noticed. Out Da Ville were really skilled, and they totally deserved to be played on Radio One, but there was much less competition. It’s so hard to stand out and be noticed these days.

Presumably, you can’t just set up and start things like Bongo Bongo. What hoops do you have to jump through?

Sophie: We didn’t know anything about setting up a business.

Rebecca: We couldn’t get any investment at all. The Arts Council was scaling back, we didn’t know who to apply to, so we did everything on a shoestring. We had the idea of a Bongo House, that we still use today, and the prototype was made out of scaffolding, with biroed-on drawings stuck to it.

There must be extra complications when your business involves kids, surely.

Rebecca: Not in our case so much, as the parents are always there. We’re applied to be CRB checked - Criminal Records Bureau - and they told us; “No, don’t worry about it, there’s going to be parents there.” But we said; “No, we need to say to people that we’re CRB checked.”

You’ve got a proper team of people now. How long does it actually take to train someone to do what you do?

Sophie: It’s so hard to find people suitable to do this job; there are so many boxes they have to tick.

Rebecca: Obviously, it really helps if they’ve had experience with children, either their own or with others. A performance background is important, but if you can’t pick up on why a certain child isn’t feeling so great or enjoying it, then you can’t really do this job.

Sophie: ...and a lot of that can’t be taught. You have to be on the child’s level.

Rebecca: We get a lot of feedback from the parents - they tell us which potential candidates are good, and who are struggling.

Rebecca: We cry to each other (laughs). No, we make sure that the time we do have with each other is super special.

As kid-friendly performers, who are your influences?

Sophie: Roald Dahl - I love his sense of the ridiculous. And Fraggle Rock.

Sophie: You make sure that you do something important and fun with them every day, and end up working until 2am when they’re asleep.

Rebecca: A lot of parents tell us that they feel like they’re on the set of CBeebies, which is a massive compliment, because they do it right.

It’s funny how children’s presenters have gone from the benevolent aunties and uncles of the seventies to the streetwise older brothers and sisters of today. Do you have to be a certain age to be a Bongo Bongo member?

Rebecca: Not at all. We would love to have some older Bongoers.

And what about male staff?

Rebecca: We have one at the moment. We’d like more, but it’s hugely difficult to get them on board. Some children don’t have any kind of male influence in their life, which is terrible.

How do your own kids deal with you going off and, for want of a better word, mamphilandering?

Rebecca: It can be hard. They’ve all gone through a stage of being a bit jealous, which is totally natural. When my daughter Emily was two, she would look at other kids while I was dancing and say; “That’s my Mummy!” Now she acts like she’s one of the team.

Sophie: My little girl was three when we started, and she enjoyed it, but there was always an edge. We made the horrendous mistake of using their toys when we first started. We never did that again. The thing is, if we didn’t have kids ourselves, we’d be a lot further ahead with the business. But then again, we probably wouldn’t have done it in the first place.

The danger of working with kids is the fear of being the equivalent of those builders who sort out everyone’s house but their own. How do you deal with that?

Do you ever catch yourself thinking “God, I wish I was in an office right now talking about house prices, or anything remotely adult”?

Rebecca: No, but you find it hard to switch off.

I’ll catch myself talking to someone adult, and then when they go I’ll shout; “Byyyyeeeeee!” (massive wave and grin) Sophie: ...or picking up the phone and saying; “Hello! I’m Bongo Sophie!” and talking to potential sponsors and business partners like they were three-year-olds.

Incy Wincy Boom Box: when did you have the idea for that?

Rebecca: Right from the beginning.

Sophie: We originally planned to do it ourselves, but then we thought, y’know, there’s such an amazing music scene here, and we know so many of them, so why don’t we ask around?

Rebecca: We spent loads of time listening to nursery rhymes, trying to work out what style of music would work best for which song would go with them.

Sophie: The first person we got in was Karizma; he immediately understood what we were after.

Rebecca: When we asked The Smears to cover Here We Go Looby Loo, they were like; “What?”, and we said; “Yes! The Ramones would be all over that song!”

Sophie: And they’ve done such a spanking job on it.

Rebecca: You can’t pick out a favourite on the CD. It all depends on what mood you’re in.

So what’s the recording process been like?

How much of a say have you had?

Sophie: Apart from selecting the songs, we’ve not needed to do anything else. These are all creative people. All we’ve said is do it in your own style, and no swearing. It’s been quite some feat to get twelve different tracks down, but the great thing about Nottingham is that when something interesting’s happening, people immediately pounce on it. Only one group didn’t want to work with us, but that was only because they were working on their own album for children, so fair enough.

Rebecca: Without naming any names, we were actually approached by a pop star who had a few No.1’s in the nineties who wanted to get involved, but in the end we had to turn them down. It just wouldn’t have sat well with the rest of the CD. What happens when the CD’s finished?

Rebecca: We move onto the next one. We’re going to continue this.

Sophie: We’ll be having a release party, obviously, which hopefully will raise a lot of money and awareness for the Children’s Air Ambulance, who are going to be selling it through their shops. We’ve got some exciting stuff lined up, but we don’t want to jinx it by telling you.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Sophie: We’d definitely like to thank Pirate’s Play Centre in Sherwood for all their help.

Rebecca: And we want the people of Notts to know that our freebie session is open to anyone with kids who wants to give Bongo Bongo a try. Even if they have absolutely zero intention of coming again, we don’t mind - it helps us spread the word. Visit the website and book online.

Sophie: And - I’m coming very close to the dictaphone now - if you want a job, you’re reliable, and you’re brilliant with kids, tell me. bongo-bongo.co.uk bongobongocd.wordpress.com

leftlion.co.uk/issue51

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OPTICAL ILLUSION

The Retina dance company: bringing European sensibilities to a floor near you for nearly two decades. Artistic Director Filip Van Huffel explains why he’s made Nottingham his UK base, and plots the next steps for the local dance scene... interview: Rachel Elderkin So how does a Belgian dancer end up running a company in Nottingham?

Back in 1995, myself and another dancer were working with Random Dance. During a break, we created a piece called Battery for a dance platform held at The Place in London.

Somebody suggested forming a company, which we hadn’t considered. I wrote to a theatre in Ghent, and we were invited to make a new piece, a quartet there. We ended up with funding from Belgium and also from London Arts, and before we knew it we were a company. After conversations with people in Nottingham - Dance4, Lakeside, College Street – we moved the company up here. We chose Nottingham because it’s a vibrant, artistic kind of city, perfectly placed in the middle of the country.

I like Dance4; their Nottdance festival is something with a different vision, a different approach, one that is slightly more European.

Do you think there’s still a lot of scope for the dance scene to develop here?

Definitely. There needs to be more facilities. I’m often in Belgium because there is a studio with a sprung floor and a good sound system available to work in all day and all night if I want to.

If Nottingham had better facilities, more people would be interested in creating work here.

Your touring production Layers Of Skin involves the community, both local and professional dancers, participating in the places you perform...

It’s been a really positive project, particularly for the people who take part; they are experiencing from inside rather than watching. They work closely with the company dancers in creating the work and learn by doing. Layers Of Skin is a one

off concept to develop an audience and combine our skills in education and creating new work. We also have RAUW, where we create site-specific work in buildings with local professionals, community dancers, kids – everyone really.

What are you currently working on?

For Corporalis, which opens in Antwerp and comes to the Playhouse on 19 February, we have been working with architects – designing an environment that’s constantly changing during the piece. In the first part, the space and lighting are static and the walls are like magnets pulling the dancer in different directions. In the duet the walls are moving, creating new spaces, with different sounds and different colours. The final part is a much bigger space, like infinity. It completes a trilogy inspired by different art forms. Eleven Stories for the Body, Distance to our Soul, which was based on eleven texts which we commissioned and This Is Not A Body was inspired by Rene Magritte’s Ceci n’est pas une pipe, where Magritte says this is just a picture, not actually a pipe.

Is it the movement itself that inspires your choreography, or is it more your concept for the work that helps you choreograph the movement?

The concept is always in the back of my mind but I make the movement very quickly. I’m not a choreographer who likes to have the concept beforehand, the concept needs to produce the movement for me. It is important to keep in the back of the mind why you are doing it. In Layers Of Skin and Corporalis every movement has a reason or a meaning that we know, but the audience will not always notice – they just see something, and it will always look different because of a different starting point.

Would you say dance is an effective way of investigating the human body and human behaviour?

I think so, yes. I find that storylines, or theatre, or films, are often restricted by their story. In dance, and in visual arts, one of the great opportunities is that you don’t have to think about the story, you can just let the movement communicate. The great thing about contemporary is that, unlike ballet or Indian for instance, there are no rules. Body posture, the way people communicate, even gesture – that is all movement which we can recreate into a dance piece. Even politicians are trained to do certain gestures to look more believable – that’s like dance as well, we can make that into dance. I think sometimes audiences try to understand what’s going on because that’s what they do, but in dance you don’t always have to do that. It doesn’t have to be literal, it can become about something new and it develops all the time. It’s accessible if they want to accept it.

Being in demand do you ever run out of ideas, or struggle to make your choreography different from previous pieces?

I don’t have any problems with new material. It’s always hard to find a structure, to make sense. Having a reason for everything – that is much harder, but no, not in terms of making up steps.

I’ve had no writer’s block yet! Of course, Layers Of Skin, with the participatory element, is different every time. Only by doing it do you understand what needs to happen. Even on the day of the performance we rehearse it first and then if that doesn’t work, we change it. I get inspired – they do something and I think, that’s great, can you change it? I’m constantly impressed, so I expect more. With Antipode we did a preview, and afterwards I felt like it needed to be changed. We had a spare day and I changed about 40% of the piece.

You are also regularly commissioned to create work for other companies. Do you prefer the company environment and working with your own dancers, or do you enjoy working with new people and in new environments?

The good thing about my own company is that they know me and how I think, so you can go further. People you haven’t auditioned yourself are refreshing to work with but they can’t perform the way Retina performs, as they don’t have that physicality or history. I’ve mostly had the same dancers for the last five-six years; it’s a bit like a family.

What inspires you to just keep on creating?

I always said when the company goes to New York we would stop. When I make a new piece, even when it is finished, I still feel there is lot of unfinished territory, I don’t feel satisfied. I think that keeps me going. If one day I do feel satisfied, then maybe I’ll stop, but at the moment I don’t, so that keeps me on my toes.

Retina presents Corporalis at the Nottingham Playhouse on Tuesday 19 February . retinadance.com

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PURE JOKES

interview: Joe Sharratt photo: Dom Henry

Scott Bennett left Yorkshire for Notts back in 2007, had a go at stand-up, and is now one of the biggest names on the Notts circuit, gaining a reputation nationally as a warm, engaging and talented observational comic...

How did you first get into comedy?

I did my first gig on Halloween night in 2009 - a gong show put on by Funhouse Comedy. I’d been writing stuff for a while and just enquired, did my first five minutes and ended up winning it, which was amazing. It was something I’d always wanted to do.

What made you take the plunge?

It was probably that I hit thirty and - like a lot of people - I had a bit of a crisis and thought if I don’t do this now I never will. But I think it was also that I had a lot more to talk about in terms of my life experiences.

So where do you get the inspiration for your material?

A lot of it is family, so Christmas has been amazing. My Dad is a constant source of material. For example, I do a bit about him at a carvery because he’s so scientific about how he loads his plate; it’s a real art form, he’s so proud of it, and now people send me photos of their Sunday dinners through Twitter like I’m some kind of consultant. It’s these little things I see, conversations I have.

Anything natural I find is funnier, but it means I can be quite anti-social at parties, I’ll just nip away and type things into my phone if I have an idea.

Do your family support you with your comedy?

My wife Jemma is brilliant. We’ve got a little girl called Olivia, and Jemma’s left with a lot of the parenting routine as I’m often gigging in the evenings. She’s amazing - if she wasn’t supporting me I wouldn’t be able to do it. My Dad always thinks he’s funny, so with him it’s support and a bit of jealousy; thinking he can do it. I’m sure he could. But they all come and see me.

How demanding is it balancing a full-time job, family life and your comedy career?

I think all comics will tell you that this is the difficult stage; the comedy doesn’t bring in enough money to commit to it, but equally there are no half measures. You’ve just got to keep gigging. I’ve got a really understanding family and a lot of support. I’m getting on a lot of pro bills now so the quality of the gigs is really good, but it’s a long game. You’ve got to realise that it’s not going to be like the X Factor, where someone is just going to pluck you out of a sea of a million acts.

The actual gigging, especially around the country, sounds like a total grind.

There’s a lot of driving. Seriously, all you see at motorway service stations at 3am are comedians and truck drivers, with Ginsters and Red Bull. It’s weird too, because you come off stage on such a high that driving home listening to Radio 4 is a bit of a paradox. But you need to play to different audiences, that’s the key.

What are your ambitions with your comedy?

If I could get to the point where I could do it full-time it would be brilliant, because I’ve got loads I want to do. I want to write, I’d like to do radio – I’ve done bits but not like my own show or anything – and then I’d like to write sitcoms and sketches.

So who else in town should we should keep an eye out for?

Phil Knoxville - he’s a comedy magician and he’s very good. If you go further towards Derby there’s a guy called Carl Jones, he’s a newer act, but also very good. Martin Hastie and Patrick Draper are two other new guys, and they’ve both got a real sparkle about them. But it’s just as important to mention Funhouse Comedy promoters and the Nottingham Comedy festival guys, because they’re really supporting comedy in Nottingham.

What’s it been like trying to break through as a comic in Nottingham?

I actually think it’s one of the best places to be based. A lot of people when they start comedy think they have to be in Manchester, but Nottingham is smack bang in the middle of the country, two hours from a gig anywhere. And the other thing is that actually Nottingham has got a really thriving comedy scene. I can’t understand why more acts don’t base themselves here.

Can you think of any reason why there aren’t more Nottingham comedians getting to the top?

It’s strange, I really don’t know. Nottingham is such a brilliant place to be based, but I think it’s just tradition. A lot of the bigger clubs are in Manchester, and are famous for producing comics, but there hasn’t been much of a funnel to the top clubs from here.

How helpful are the local clubs in supporting local talent?

They’re brilliant. Funhouse Comedy is how I got started. You’re learning all the time in good rooms, and they’re always well promoted, tickets are always sold, you’re always getting that quality, and it’s a real good grounding for the bigger clubs.

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So what advice would you give to someone who was just getting into comedy?

I would say make sure you’ve got a supportive wife, though don’t just get married for that reason, you’ll never sell it to her. Then just keep gigging and keep writing.

Scott Bennett and Phil Pagett perform their True Bromance show at the Leicester Comedy Festival on Sunday February 17, 2pm, at the Leicester Kayal. funhousecomedy.co.uk

ANIMAL MAGIC Master story-teller, Nottingham Trent lecturer and novelist David Almond has broadened the landscape of dreams with his latest book Mouse Bird Snake Wolf.

And he’s not afraid to scare the kids… interview: Emily Cooper

What’s your writing routine?

Sitting down at my desk, that’s the thing. Routine is really important, so a lot of the things that I do seem very free and easy but actually are done within a very tight routine and hard work. I think writing is about long-term concentration so even when I appear not to be writing, I probably am. I think that’s the same for all writers. There’s always a part of your mind which is working.

Is writing a graphic novel different to fiction and children’s literature?

Not really. I think one of the great things about writing for young people has been the variety of forms that you can work in. Kids don’t make distinctions between different forms as adults do, so kids will very naturally spring from words on a page, to words in drama, to dance, to song. I think that’s what storytelling is, it’s all kinds of forms. If I think what I’m writing has to be illustrated then there is something going on in my mind, leaving space for the artist to come in with their own vision. It’s certainly been the case when I’ve been working with Dave McKean or Polly Dunbar or Oliver Jeffers. When I wrote Mouse Bird Snake Wolf I wrote it originally as a short story. I didn’t think about it as a graphic novel but I thought it would be illustrated, I just thought of it as a story that had to have enough space to allow Dave to bring in his own talent.

The Savage. It was the same with Polly Dunbar, when I did the novels with her I wrote them and then the illustrations came back and were perfect.

Neither you, Dave McKean or Neil Gaiman seem worried to have a children’s story that’s a little scary…

If you need to go to scary places, you have to go there. It’s not that you do it deliberately, or say “I really want to terrify these kids”. Kids imaginations deal with scary enough things all the time; monsters under the bed, noises at the window. It’s very natural but some of the best children’s stories are going to be scary. Good books reach down into those things inside ourselves and civilise them.

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf - what’s it about?

It’s set in a world which is very like this world but hasn’t been finished yet. The gods have become lazy and they lie around on clouds, drinking tea and eating cakes, just admiring the lovely world beneath them. But there are still spaces in the world. The story starts when three children begin to wonder about this, “Why is the world not finished?” and they begin to create little animals for themselves. Because it’s a creation story based around children it was just fantastic to do, and I sent it to Dave to come back with a remarkable stream of images.

Before you worked with Dave McKean did you see any of his work?

Oh yes, I’d seen his work with Neil Gaiman, Wolves in the Walls.

It was those kind of books which drew me towards Dave. I read Wolves not long before I began to write The Savage and thought what he was doing was fantastic. I had a sense while I was writing that we had similar imaginations, that we were alike: similar sources, similar roots. When we managed to get the manuscript to him I think he felt that we were colleagues of the imagination.

Lots of writers get asked where they get their ideas from - but how do you know an idea is worth pursuing?

It’s when a story comes with a kind of ‘fizz’ around it and it feels like it has the strength to be extended. When it connects with something within you, matching what’s on the page to a feeling. For years and years I didn’t quite know what to work with, which one to take forwards and be turned into something decent. The more you do it, the more you get a sense of the things that matter to you. Then you turn it into something the outside world might like or be interested in. So it’s a mix between messing with the ideas and finding the right one. Then committing to it.

You’ve collaborated with Dave McKean several times. How does this work?

Generally it has been that I have written the stories and hope that Dave would like it enough to illustrate them. The first one we did was The Savage, and when I was writing the book to be illustrated, half way through it I knew that the perfect illustrator would be Dave McKean. So for the second part I was writing with the great hope that Dave might somehow be drawn into it. But I didn’t sit down and talk to him. The first time I met Dave was after he had done the illustrations at the launch of

You have been described as a “Master Storyteller”. How do you feel about that?

When I saw that written for the first time I was astonished. It’s very nice if people say that sort of thing. I think when someone says something like that you have to say, “That’s very nice, thank you very much”. Then you just have to crack on. The next story is always the hardest to write, so you think, “Well, if I’m a master then I can do this.”

How do you balance tutoring and writing?

You just have to keep things under control and find a balance.

I enjoy teaching, sharing the ‘writing act’ and the process of creativity. But the central focus has to be on my own work. So you can’t allow work to invade.

What’s it like working with new writers at NTU? This is one way of doing my job as a writer and keeping the literary culture alive - by sharing something about my skills and doing how I write. There are many things about writing that you can’t teach but you can share lots of things and give each other imaginative opportunities to develop your own talent. I do the exercises I set my students, not as deliberately, but they are distillations of how I do my writing.

What’s next on the list?

I’m finishing a new novel at the moment called The Tightrope Walkers which will come out in 2014. My first ever stories are being re-published this year by my first publisher, Iron Press. Then there’s a short novel I want to write - which is the next main thing I want to do. I can sense what it will be like, condensed, rhythmical.

What can we expect from your talk at the Festival of Words?

I’m talking about Billy Dean, Mouse Bird Snake Wolf and The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas. They all deal with similar themes, some of them quite scary. They’re all really about growing up and creating our own lives, and that’s what stories are - things that grow up. So writing for children is the perfect way of writing. Kids are growing up, like stories themselves. So I’ll be talking about those three books, how I made them, the power of illustrations and language. I’ll also be trying to inspire the audience to think of themselves as writers…

David Almond: True Tales, Imaginary Piranhas and Halfcreated Worlds,Wednesday 13 February, 7pm, Waterstones, Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR. Emily Cooper: Writing Comics talk and workshop, Saturday 16 February, 10am, Newton Building, Goldsmith Street, NG1 4BU. nottwords.org.uk

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Andy Reid: arrived at Forest at the turn of the century from Dublin, put in five years graft, moved up to the Premiership, was pinged around four different clubs, came back in 2011.

What was it like as a young Irish kid moving to Nottingham?

We were so well looked after, in and outside of football. I was still growing up and I needed people around me, people to talk to. I had a good football upbringing, with Paul Hart being the youth team manager, and met so many fantastic people who are still really good friends to this day.

Were you ever homesick?

I had a daughter when I was seventeen, and she lived over in Ireland with her Mum. So there was plenty of times when I wanted to go home, but my family were great. They stressed the importance of staying and giving it a go, and made it known to me what a good life I could have if I could make it as a footballer.

Was it really true that you turned down both Arsenal and Man United?

Yeah. I went on trial for both of them, and if I’m being honest I didn’t really like it there. There were so many kids at both trials; you kind of felt you were just another number. When I came to Forest, they made us feel welcome and special. There was no decision; Forest was the only place that I wanted to come to.

You had five years here to begin with. Did you meet Cloughie during that period?

I met him once. He came to a game - Coventry, I think. I’d won Man of the Match, and obviously when he came down to Forest he basically did whatever he wanted – and rightly so – so he decided he wanted to present the award. I’d missed a couple of chances in the game even though I’d played quite well, and he said, “Son, you’re a good player, I was really impressed with you and I’m glad you got Man of the Match, but you need to stop watching Jonny Wilkinson. He kicks it over the bar; you’re supposed to kick it under”. Everyone fell about laughing. Me too.

What sticks out in your first tenure with Forest?

The playoffs season, when Paul Hart was manager, was fantastic. We had a great team on and off the pitch. It was a really enjoyable time and we played some great football. It’s just a shame we couldn’t go all the way and get promoted - that we couldn’t capitalise on the good work and bring in some more players. In fact, we ended up losing a few and never really replaced them.

You left for Spurs, along with Michael Dawson. Do you think you got a fair crack of the whip there?

I would have liked to have played more and showed a bit more of what I could do. For the first six months I played pretty much most of the games between then and the end of the season.

Then, that summer, unfortunately for me, they brought in four or five midfielders. So, yeah, disappointing that I never really got the opportunities, but Charlton came in for me and I moved on.

I’ve always been the sort of person who’s not afraid of making a big decision.

Is it easy to be philosophical when you join a new club and you’re not being picked, thinking “Well, only eleven can play, and I’ve got to bide my time”?

Not for me, it’s not. Only eleven can play – well, I want to be one of them. I don’t want to just sit on the bench and think, “I might get my chance next week…or next week…or next week”. I want to be in the team week in, week out, and I wasn’t - so it was time to move on.

You went to Sunderland next for three years. It’s a bit of a goldfish bowl up there, isn’t it?

The intensity was phenomenal, right from day one. The fans are fantastic and the Sunderland-Newcastle rivalry was something else – hatred is a fair word to use. It’s very emotional, very passionate, and the city revolves around football. You can feel that coming from the stands. The top teams never fancied coming to play against us up there.

Steve McClaren re-signed you for Forest. What did the players think of the interview he gave when he seemed to have acquired a Dutch accent?

He took a bit of stick for that.

What with that and the infamous ‘Wally with the Brolly’ episode, is it difficult for a manager to get over that – looking so daft – in the eyes of young players?

I think an England manager can’t win, unless he wins the World Cup. If he doesn’t, no matter what he does, he’s going to be perceived as a failure. He was made a scapegoat for the players not performing well enough. Steve McClaren’s a good coach and a good manager, there’s no doubt about that. Sometimes things just don’t quite work out. That was our problem when he was manager here. We didn’t perform well enough, and that was our fault. And we’ve got to take responsibility for that.

So what happens when your playing days are over?

I’m going to do my coaching badges, and if the opportunity to go into coaching or management comes up – and football’s a lot about if the timing is right - then maybe it’s something I would look at. The important thing when you finish as a footballer is to give yourself options. If I can give myself three or four, that’ll give me a better chance of being successful. I don’t want to sit around and do nothing. Whatever I try and do, I want to be successful at it.

We’ve been told you’re quite the guitarist...

I enjoy playing and it’s a great pastime for me. I’ve been playing for about ten years. It’s not something I’d ever seek to go into as a profession because I like the fun element of it.

Do you get out to many gigs in Notts? Any favourite local bands?

A good mate of mine, and a former player, called John Burns plays in The Establishment, and I go and support them when I can. They’re a good local band. I used to go and see Roy de Wired quite a bit before he sadly passed away; he was a really good bloke and a very talented musician. When I was down in London I was a member at Ronnie Scott’s. I remember seeing Van Morrison there – it’s a small enough venue and there was probably only 250 people there. That was fantastic. And I love Irish music as well, so when I can get to a gig, I do.

We live in an era where the general public puts footballers on the same level as rock stars...

Well, we’re not like rock stars at all. Don’t get me wrong, I know they work hard and travel a lot, but we’ve got to be very disciplined. We can’t go out drinking whenever we want. We can’t eat whenever we want. So I don’t think the lifestyle is close.

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With the top players on such astronomical wages, there seems to be a growing divide between players and fans...

I don’t agree with that. You get twenty or so stories on a footballer doing something ridiculous and showing himself up and being embarrassing per year, but look at the amount of footballers that there actually are. If you put that into proportion, there are a hell of a lot more who are very grounded, do a lot of work for charity, look after their families. The criticism and the generalisation of footballers is totally wrong.

So when you see things like the photo of West Brom’s Liam Ridgwell wiping his arse on £20 notes...

It’s ridiculous and you can’t defend that. However, there are lots of other people who have lots of money who do very similar things, but because how they’ve made their money or what they do is not as high profile as footballers, it never comes out.

Once upon a time, players socialised with fans after the game.

Is it a shame that that doesn’t happen any more?

Yes, but if we did that now and tried to build bridges, it would be on Twitter, on Facebook, people writing to the club, saying, “How dare they go out for a few pints?” We can’t win, really.

There have been examples of fans abusing players on Twitter, and vice versa. Have you copped any stick?

I can’t stand Twitter. I’m not on it, never will be. I think it’s invasive and it’s just asking for trouble for a footballer to be on there, really.

Do you ever get grief when you’re in town?

I don’t go into town very often. There’s been plenty of nights when I’ve gone out and I haven’t had grief but there’s obviously been times when I have, so I tend to just keep my head down.

In general I find people are quite respectful. Sometimes you get people who’ve had a few drinks and they’re just rude, which I don’t like because I’m always polite to people, y’know, if they come and ask me for an autograph or whatever, and if they ask in a nice way I’ll always say yes.

What was the last thing that made you laugh?

When Sean O’Driscoll was here, he hurt his knee in training and had to crutch his way off the pitch. Then when Billy Sharp scored against Wolves the next day, he got down and did an impression of the gaffer getting injured. That was pretty funny.

And the last thing that made you cry?

When my baby was born, my second one. He’s nearly ten months now. We named him Oscar, after Oscar Wilde.

You like your literature, then?

Yeah I do. I like James Joyce, being from Dublin, and Brendan Behan. I’m actually reading Alan Sillitoe’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning at the moment. I’m really enjoying it. I like books that I can use to relate to places, and I can relate to Nottingham with that. nottinghamforest.co.uk

interview: Scott Oliver photo: John Sumpter / JMS Photography

HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS

interview: Jennie Syson

After three years of pulling in art from all over the world, Nottingham Contemporary have finally handed their main space to a locally-based artist. John Newling has produced works in hotels, swimming pools, burnt-out cars and on the streets of Los Angeles and New York. So what does he have lined up for his adopted home town?

What’s your first memory of Nottingham?

It was 1980-81 and my first visit to meet up with the Midland Group, which was an arts centre in Hockley at the time. I remember phoning Ann, my other half, on a brick of a mobile phone to say, “Nottingham is amazing. It’s really clean!” I really liked Handsworth in Birmingham where we were living, but the streets always seemed to be full of stuff. I got out of the railway station here and it was beautifully clean.

How do you think the artistic character of the city has changed since you moved here?

During the eighties I was away a lot in America, doing shows all over the place. On my return in 1985, I had a renewed love for the city. Particularly the Market Square, and I still really liked the Trent. I felt maybe the culture of the region was dominated by theatre and dance at that time rather than visual art. I was teaching on the Creative Arts course at what was then Trent Poly and I was really interested in the fusion between live art and dance. I found it was embedded in the culture of Trent, and with my colleagues there at the time. I began to get to know more studio groups with each year, as I grew to know more students. Some stayed on, but most of them left in those days to move to London.

Do you think that’s changed? Do our best art graduates still all leave for London?

I think during the nineties – and particularly this century - it’s changed beyond all recognition and it’s been incredibly exciting to watch that change. To the point where I think there have been moments where these social networking sites, bless ‘em, become like ‘Art Tourettes’ because there is just so much going on. Don’t get me wrong – I actually think that’s great. It means both young, emerging and established artists are all really contributing a great deal to the city. My only concern is that the ecology of art is dependent on the competition of resources being balanced by the resources themselves. We need to keep reinventing ways to make this sustainable.

How do you feel about being the first Notts-based artist to do a major exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary?

It feels good, because I know that I couldn’t have worked harder at it. They’ve been brilliant to work with; very canny and clever.

This show will only have one piece that’s ever been shown in Nottingham before. In total it will be 60% brand new work. The rest are pieces that have been shown in other countries, but not in the UK.

How has Nottingham, and its history of performance and live art, influenced your work – particularly work in the public realm?

I did a Fulbright fellowship in the US – and this was where my ways of working really formed. I was awarded this on the condition - my condition - that I was not associated with any organisation or university. I wanted only to work on the streets.

At that point I started to think about art and people, with an abiding curiosity on what it is to be human. I started to develop work in America in hotel rooms, on the streets, in burnt out cars – all sorts of places. When I returned to Nottingham, I was full of it! Because I was in an environment with young artists making live art – it was very logical that my public practice would merge with theirs. They were pretty inspiring days. Gob Squad were around as students and I was in the Market Square waiting for a bus and saw one of their founders put on a wedding dress and run through the Market Square, screaming and throwing flowers.

It was this kind of work that was really inspiring to me.

Nottingham does seem to have these moments or vignettes, which can be inspiring. You have a longstanding relationship with the Market Square – and indeed some of your work has been set there...

My piece Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, named after the Sillitoe novel, was commissioned by Nottingham City Council, who I think instantly regretted it. I lit the space in November with three or four times the equivalent brightness of the Nottingham Forest ground floodlights. It was incredibly bright and hot, changing the temperature and creating steam.

This transformed the space for about a fortnight. We met people that were going out there to read at 3am. It raised a number of issues for the Council – but there was no violence and it changed how safe people felt there. Really it was a tribute to the Square itself as a breathing space within the city. Also by then I was getting used to the city a bit more and admired the ‘to hell with it’ kind of attitude I think a lot of Nottingham people have got.

It’s a place you can take risks and I think that’s crucial in the development and evolution of art. You feel free to do that and you’re not menaced by a coterie of critical do-gooders, which can play around with you.

Tell us about the piece for Broadmarsh Centre that’s part of this show…

I’m revisiting a work I made in 1995, where I constructed a faithful reproduction of the jacket The Riddler wears in the old Batman TV show. It was made out of specially dyed and printed Merino wool, with its ubiquitous black question marks against a lime green background. The jacket had a continuous tail of

fifty metres of the cloth that held thousands of question marks upon it. This bolt of cloth runs like a carpet of questions from the base of the jacket. The piece brought together my childhood fascination with the character. This new version is a day-long transaction between the passers-by, the space, the work and our ideas of value. I’ve long been involved in looking at what we ‘value’ in our everyday lives, as I believe we need to understand these values as an antidote to the relentless invitations to consume. In this work individual question marks are cut from the work and given to passers-by in exchange for a ‘value’ that they hold true to themselves. As each person participates by wearing ‘The Riddler’s ribbons’ the questions become clustered and disseminated.

How do you see Nottingham Contemporary’s role in the next few years?

I think Nottingham Contemporary first and foremost is about bringing art from other cities and countries and giving a curatorial view of connections between artists. That is very important for artists to look at and recognise. The good work that happens in Nottingham needs to be exported. In a sense what needs to happen is for more artists that work locally to show more in other countries and to feel confident in that. This is what happened with the live art stuff in previous decades. It got exported to other places and those places didn’t say “this is rubbish.” They said, “this is great.”

You feel that it’s important then, for Nottingham to emphatically say in response, “Yes, that’s our art and we’re proud of it.”

I think Nottingham Contemporary, certainly among some of the most important curators in the world, has now placed this city in a position where artists know the name ‘Nottingham.’ It’s now very important that those people who visit see what else that is here. This city isn’t just a place where we have major sculptures and paintings in the big art gallery. I think the Contemporary has a very conscious and very strong social role to play; and it knows that. Having worked very closely with the team there, I think that is going to become even more exciting in the future.

John Newling: Ecologies of Value, Nottingham Contemporary, until 7 April 2013. He will be speaking about his work at 6.30pm on Tuesday 5 February in The Space. Dr. Reverend Richard Davey’s book Spinning: The Organic, Cultural and Etheric in the work of John Newling is published by Nottingham Contemporary and is available now from their shop. john-newling.com leftlion.co.uk/issue51

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At the age of twelve Thomas Turgoose was living in Grimsby, smoking weed, drinking, stealing cars and getting in trouble with the law. Then he stumbled upon an audition for Shane Meadows’ This Is England in a youth centre and it changed his life forever. Now, about to turn 21, he has a clutch of international acting awards behind him, travels the world going to film festivals and is on first name terms with Johnny Depp and Michael Fassbender. What happened?

Take us back to that first This Is England audition?

They were looking for someone who’d never acted before and were running sessions in a youth centre near me in Grimsby. I was in the right place at the right time and was just thinking about the money. I did the audition (which can still be seen on Youtube) and I got a call a couple days later asking if I’d come back to do the same again with Shane and Jo Hartley (who plays Shaun’s mum). I got a train to Nottingham, met all the gang for the first time at Broadway cinema, and they asked me if I wanted to do the film. All I wanted was to buy a good push bike and a Playstation and to give some money to my mum.

You were cast as Shaun Fields, which is a thinly veiled reference to Shane Meadows. He basically cast you to play the young version of him. Did you feel any pressure because of that?

Not really. All the guys on set made me feel comfortable and told me to just be myself. I didn’t really think about it much. Shane has always said I reminded him of his younger self, but it’s only really now when I look at how successful he’s been that I can see what a compliment that is.

How much do you feel you were playing yourself and how much were you playing the young Shane?

I was playing myself within a storyline of things that happened to him. Shane would just put us in a room and structure a scene and then let us go with it. We’d just bounce off each other and be ourselves. He’d modify things he didn’t like and if we didn’t like what he changed, he’d change it again until we were all happy with it. Rehearsals are the most important thing for Shane. There have been times when we’ve had two hour rehearsals for one scene. If he wants that, he’ll get it because he knows the final piece is going to go out in his name.

Your mother died of lung cancer just before the movie came out. That must have been a difficult time?

Yeah, it was. I grew up with just my mum, as my dad wasn’t around. She was the person I could always speak to and was my best mate too. We knew she wasn’t very well and was always in a lot of pain. It wasn’t a relief when she passed away, but I did think, “at least she’s rested now and not poorly anymore.” It seems mad to deal with at that age, but all my mates and all the This Is England guys really supported me.

GRIMSBY FAIRY TALE interview: Jared Wilson photo: Lee Wallis

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I’m not one of those people who’ll sit down and cry about it because it’s not going to bring her back. Me and my mates even have banter about it. Some of things Michael Socha (Harvey in This Is England) and I joke about make the rest of the cast wonder, “how can they say that to each other?” But I think Michael and I are similar; he’s lost his dad and I’ve lost my mum.

We deal with things in a similar way. I know deep down that my mum wouldn’t want me crying. She’d rather see me down here having a laugh.

Did she ever see the final film?

No. She was around while we were filming and was there all the way through it on set with me. But she only saw one little bit before she died. Shane put a clip on a DVD for her and she loved it. She was crying and was really proud of me. When my mum passed away they hired a minibus and the whole gang came up for the funeral. Ever since then we all become a really close family. Later the film was dedicated to her, which I didn’t know about until we went to Rome for a film festival. That was the first time I saw it all the way through and the dedication came up at the end. Shane never told me he was going to do that.

What’s it like on set? Is it fair to say that ‘the gang’ are all great mates in real life too?

We go for a pint after we finish work and we’re like “we’ve been paid for today... we’ve been paid to have the time of our lives.”

Even now we all still meet up and are always tweeting and texting each other. We’ve all known each other for eight years now and I think we will do for the rest of our lives. I was only twelve when I met them and now I’m nearly 21. That’s a massive part of my life.

Am I right in thinking Joe Gilgun got the cast’s names tattooed on him?

That’s true, but it was me who did it originally. I was walking past a tattoo shop one day and my mate dared me to get his name tattooed on me. I asked him where and he said, “on your arse.” It was two names for a tenner, so I got my ex-girlfriend on there too. I went and showed all the This Is England lot and they called me an idiot. Then I showed it to Joe and he went, “ooooh” and I went, “I’ll get your name on there too.” I ended up getting Joe, Michael, Vicky, Gadget, Joe Ellis, Danielle, what’s her new face… Trev, and Ros. That’s not even all of them. I’ve got fifteen names on my arse now. So yeah, it was originally me that got them - but then we all went and sat in the tattoo studio all day and got more done together. It was brilliant.

You were cast again by Shane as Tomo in Somers Town. There was a really good chemistry between you and Piotr Jagiello (Marek) in that film.

Originally it was only meant to be a short, but we shot so much because Shane shoots everything. Piotr was great to work with; he’s a really nice guy and I enjoyed hanging out with him.

We still contact each other over facebook and twitter, but it’s difficult because he lives in Poland and speaks mainly Polish.

The banter between your characters was the glue that held the film together. I guess most of that wasn’t scripted?

No. We’d just sit down and Shane would say, “this is what you need to get across” and then we’d start shooting. Piotr was great; to come to a different country and understand how I was talking and be able to give it back too, was amazing. He did brilliantly and deserved to win the Best Actor award at Tribeca.

That’s Robert DeNiro’s film festival in New York, you know? In fact we both won it as a joint thing, but Piotr deserved that more

than anyone else. Can you imagine me going to Spain and doing a film in Spanish?

You also shot a film called Eden Lake with Micheal Fassbender? What was it like working with him and Nottingham’s own Finn Atkins?

Working with Finn was great. She was really cool and I still speak to her regularly now. Michael Fassbender was amazing he wasn’t quite as massive then, but still he’d done 300 and a lot of other good work. He’s such a genuinely nice bloke and he’d do anything for anyone. He had his own car on the set, which I don’t think he asked for. If there was anyone waiting around after shooting he’d say, “don’t wait around, jump in this car.”

How did that film compare to Shane Meadows’ films?

It was definitely different. It had quite a big budget and there were a lot of prosthetics – they told me I was getting a prosthetic head made, I didn’t know what it was and so it was mental to see the double of me. That and all the blood was mad, but it was really good fun to make. Other than living in a Travelodge in Slough for six weeks… that was rubbish. The tight bastards.

What were the differences between working on Eden Lake and Shane’s films?

It was all scripted and I didn’t have a big part in it, but the director, James Watkins was always good and really supportive.

There’s a scene where I get stabbed in the neck, and I was terrified about doing it as I’d never done anything like that before. But he sat me down and spoke to me, as did Kelly Reilly, and they both told me to go with it and it’d be fine.

Did you feel like you were actually acting in that film, rather than playing yourself?

I was a bit worried about that at first as I was working with a lot of people who had done years of training as actors, whereas I’m not like that at all. I just got on with it and I think I pulled it off.

I won an award from London Critics Circle for that film, which was totally unexpected, so yeah I think I did alright.

You then landed the role of David in The Scouting Book For Boys. What are your memories from that?

It was a lot of fun. It was directed by Tom Harper who went on to direct the first two episodes of This Is England ’86. It was also written by Jack Thorne, who became the co-writer with Shane on all the This Is England TV series’. All the cast and crew went down to Norfolk and we stayed in a caravan site called Broadland Sands. We got our own caravan each and for me it was like I had my own house. I was seventeen and it was my first job without a chaperone, so I had to cook for myself too, which I really enjoyed.

When you were told This Is England was going to be turned into a TV series, what did you think?

It was the best news in the world, I was completely buzzing about it. On one level it was more work to keep me busy and keep me out of the pub (which it didn’t actually, it kept me in the pub more with them lot). On another level I’d get to work with all my old mates. Then they asked us about doing ’88 and we got to go through it all again.

Hopefully there will be a This Is England ’90 before too long?

Hopefully. We’ve just got to wait for Shane to get writing that.

But he’s a busy man right now. He’s got lots of editing to do on this Stone Roses thing.

I have to ask you about the on screen relationship between you and Rosamund Hanson (Smell). Viewers love the chemistry between you…

Yeah, we’re good friends, me and Ros. She’s mental in real life too, batty as a box of frogs and that’s why people love her. As far as the characters go, I think Shaun knows she’s mental but I think he fancies that about her.

Tell us about working with Steven Graham. You’ve done a few things with him outside of Shane’s World too…

Yeah we did a TV series called The Innocence Project, which was directed by Morag McKinnon. I call Stephen my granddad because he’s always looking out for me. I spoke to him this morning on the phone and if I ever need anything he’s the most supportive person in the world. Even if he’s in America working on Boardwalk Empire, he’ll ring me and be on the phone for hours. It must cost him a bomb, but he’s one of those people who don’t care as long as he’s helping his friends out.

Do you ever stop to think how much that random choice of going to an audition as a twelve-year-old has changed your life?

I know I’m lucky and that many people would give their right arm for the opportunity. That’s why I’ve never let it get to my head, because I know it all happened by chance.

You must have some great stories. I saw a photo of you with Johnny Depp. How did you meet him?

Stephen rang me, he was doing press for Public Enemies, and my ex-girlfriend was obsessed with Johnny. Stephen knew this and rang me and invited me down to Leicester Square for the premiere. I was skint at the time, so he even paid our train fare.

We were on the red carpet and we heard this massive roar of girls screaming, then we turned round and Johnny Depp was just walking down the carpet. For me I’m not bothered, he’s just a normal person. But yeah, my ex loved it, we said hello and went to a party with him after.

Tell us about the event you’re doing at The Approach?

Basically it’s going to be a night with us lot from This Is England.

I think only a couple of the gang can’t make it. Vicky McClure can’t as she’s really busy. But it’s nearly a full house. It’s a Q&A and we’re going to open up the questions to the audience and be as honest as we can. People should come along to watch us banter and then have a drink with us after.

What are your aims career-wise for the next year?

I’ve spoken to my agent and told him that I know I’ve wasted a lot of his time, as I’ve just been going out when I should have been auditioning. But he’s said, “That’s fine, you’re twenty years old and with the opportunities you’ve had you’re going to enjoy yourself.” So this year I’m going to knuckle down, do a few short films, get some money in the bank and then get on with some bigger auditions. I’ve got a few meetings coming up soon, so hopefully see what comes up with them.

Thomas Turgoose (and a dozen other This Is England Cast members) will be live in conversation at The Approach on Thursday 28 February 2013. Tickets are £10 and available from the venue or online. theapproachnottingham.com

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THE LION LIST We asked a team of local music experts to select the top ten Nottingham bands and artists they were excited about in 2013. We then collated their results and picked out the dozen that came up most.

This is not a ‘best of’ or ‘most likely to’ list. It’s a mixture of established acts and newcomers who our panel believe are on the verge of doing something interesting musically this year. In alphabetical order we have... compiled by: Mike Atkinson and Paul Klotschkow

The Afterdark Movement “What excites me about this band is the vocal chemistry between the female singer Nat and the male rappers Bru-C and Ben Trekkah. Whilst there is originality to their songs, they still manage to have a very infectious style.

“The musicians in the band work together to create a high energy backdrop, leaving room for the rapping and singing to fuse together in perfect harmony. Even if you are not a big fan of rap music, you’re still grabbed by the beats and memorable lyrics.”

Rastarella Falade, Cultural Vibrations theafterdarkmovement.co.uk

photo: Dom Henry

Grey Hairs “Shun professionalism, play dumb and play loud.

No philosophy, no agenda. Just loud.

Grey Hairs are messy, drunk and most importantly, fun.

Live they are exciting due to their unpredictability.

No one wants to watch boring bands.

They make the kind of music that British bands usually do badly.

A sound of heavy riffs smashing against midlife boredom.

They have songs about darts and Can box sets.

A supergroup played with the naïve energy of a 6th form band.

Plus they have Dave on drums.

Every band should have Dave on drums.”

Joey Bell, The Music Exchange honeyisfunny.com/greyhairs See them at The Chameleon on Saturday 23 February with The Hip Priests and Deadcuts.

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photo: Carla Mundy

Great British Weather “Every year the same publications spout the same nonsense; “Guitar music’s dead!” one cries, “There aren’t any decent bands in the UK!” replies another. Of course, they’re wrong, and if they bothered to venture outside of their Dalston comfort zones they’d realise that too.

“I’d put Great British Weather head to head with the cream of East London any day of the week, safe in the knowledge that Nottingham’s best-kept secret would win hands down. Since winning 2010’s Bands in the Sand competition, they’ve steadily honed their sound into a wiry concoction of awkward yet danceable post-punk discordance.

“More importantly, they sound like nothing else this city has to offer, and write songs more prolifically than a traffic warden scribbles parking tickets.”

Dom Gourlay, Drowned In Sound facebook.com/greatbritishweatherofficial See them at JamCafe on Friday 29 March with Wanderlings and A Night Underwater.

Harleighblu “Her talent is so blatant that I almost feel contemptuous for having to write this statement. Ever since I first saw her perform live at a Confetti student gig she’s always been a ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ artist, that oozes soul out of every atom of her being.

“She has an incredible, powerful and distinctive voice plus a magnetic stage presence. A gifted writer too; her collaborations with Joe Buhdha are producing so many gems that uber-cool record label Tru Thoughts have signed her up. Looks like ‘when’ will be sometime very soon. Oh, and her mum rules.”

Mark Del, Nusic tru-thoughts.co.uk/artists/harleighblu See her with Rodney P, Klashnekoff, Mr Thing and Renegade Brass Band at The Lacehouse on Friday 15 February. leftlion.co.uk/issue51

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Indiana

Injured Birds

“Since making her live debut in the Market Square last spring, she’s developed at an astonishing rate, both as a songwriter and as a performer. On stage at the Theatre Royal just six months later, backed by a live orchestra, she delivered a compelling, masterful set, giving us a glimpse of the major artist that she now seems destined to become.

“I first discovered them at a small midweek gig at The Maze and I remember thinking they wouldn’t be playing shows that intimate for much longer. Folky but with an interesting cinematic twist, no two songs feel the same, and although it’s quite minimalist there’s a lot to discover lyrically and musically definitely my favourite use of a banjo in recent times.

“Her particular skill lies in conveying intense emotions with absolute conviction, with an interpretive style that can switch from lip-chewing vulnerability to steely-eyed fury in the space of a single line. More recorded work is on the way and it can’t come quickly enough.”

Mike Atkinson, The Guardian

“They’re a great live band and now they’ve been snapped up by Denizen and released their debut album I expect to see much more from them in 2013. I recommend you get to a gig sharpish” Hannah Larham, Audacious Face

raiderofarks.tumblr.com

injuredbirds.wordpress.com See them at JamCafe on Friday 15 March with Parks and We Show Up On Radar.

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photo: Ashley Bird

Kagoule

photo: Carla Mundy

“They’re probably more than a little tired of hearing this, but when I first heard Made of Concrete it really struck me how mature it sounded. That was before I heard their more Trosper/Cobain-influenced material, which completely blew me away, and they continue to do so.

“Whether you’re watching them in Rock City main hall or at a café in Hockley they deliver the same amount of intensity in their live show. It helps that they’re super nice and really grounded too, despite them playing that first gig on a stage once graced by Pixies, The Ramones and Nirvana.”

Ben Ryles, DHP facebook.com/kagouleuk See them on Saturday 16 February at the Chameleon with Bilge Pump and White Finger.

Kappa Gamma “Though only a couple of years old, Kappa Gamma have captured the imagination and attention of gig-goers in Nottingham - and beyond - in a way few other bands have managed. Live, they are tight and alluring with a confidence and level of musicianship which makes them as captivating to watch as to hear.

“Each of their tracks takes you on a journey with a rare combination of assured subtly and emphatic bursts of energy. In an era when musos seeking sonic adventure regard most guitar music as passé, Kappa Gamma buck the trend.”

Dean Jackson, The Beat, BBC Nottingham kappagamma.co.uk

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Georgie Rose “She flatters to deceive - a small young girl in a Fred Perry shirt and Levi jeans with a guitar that looks as big as her. But don’t let her small stature and youth trick you; her voice sends shivers down your spine, with her influences ranging from modern rock to classic blues and contemporary Americana.

“Since emerging just a year or so ago she’s played support to some of the best touring artists coming to the city, hitting London for gigs during the Olympics and getting reviews from national press. If she continues to mature at the rate she did in 2012, expect big things soon” Gaz Peacham, The Maze soundcloud.com/georgierose See her at the Creative Corner on Friday 29 March.

photo: Debbie Davies

Saint Raymond “Jake Bugg, Sam Beeton, and now Callum Burrows. ‘B’ boys with acoustic guitars are as common as Sunday morning pavement barf. But every now and again they plunder the past and do something special with it.

“He’s a ranting maniac on Twitter, and so what if he’s done a cover of a One Direction song? It shows the confidence that he has in his abilities - abilities that have been recently recognised by DHP, who last year gave him well-deserved support slots with Gabrielle Aplin and Indiana.”

Simon Wilson, Nottingham Post facebook.com/saintraymondmusic See him at the Bodega on Tuesday 5 March with Lewis Watson and Kimberley Anne.

photo: Carla Mundy

Origamibiro “Despite their low-key releases, their two albums to date have become subterranean classics amongst contemporary music connoisseurs and musicians. Tom Hill and Andy Tytherleigh make music that accompanies the more beautiful experiences in life, with as much attention paid to sound and frequency as to the composition.

“Leonardo Da Vinci defined music as ‘shaping the invisible’, and I would say that Tom would agree with that notion. To experience their intricate live set is one of those experiences that has to be shared; a delicately woven and surprisingly emotional experience. It is not unusual for people to shed a quiet tear at their gigs.”

Ste Allan, Nottingham Contemporary

photo: David Baird

Ryan Thomas

origamibiro.com See them live in The Space at Nottingham Contemporary on Friday 22 March.

“He came out of the blue when he was recommended to us as a live guest on for our show by Parisa from Acoustickle back in June. He’s a clever songwriter and he blew us away with his dustbowl tunes, when he performed for us on the Notts Live stage at the Kimberley Pram Race in September.

Our panel consisted of: Ste Allan (The Dealmaker Label), Andy and Bainy (Trent Sound), Mike Atkinson (The Guardian), Joey Bell (The Music Exchange), Mark Del (Nusic), Rastarella Falade (Cultural Vibrations), Dom Gourlay (Drowned In Sound), Dean Jackson (BBC Nottingham), Paul Klotschkow (LeftLion), Hannah Larham (Audacious Face), Anton Lockwood (DHP), Gaz Peacham (The Maze), Jody Rothera (Booker) and Ben Ryles (DHP).

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“He was mesmerizing. His profile will greatly increase in 2013. He’s hard-working and honest and we see big things happening for him. He’s a breath of fresh air.”

Andy and Bainy, Notts Live, Trent Sound reverbnation.com/ryanthomas92

photo: David Baird

See him at the Golden Fleece on Sunday 3 February. leftlion.co.uk/issue51

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Sara Baker

Coat stand and The Stoney Tree installation

This is part of a range called FurnNature; I like creating things in the image of nature but also use contrasting materials. I sealed the driftwood trunk of this coat stand with beeswax from a local beekeeper, however I found a final coat of varnish provided better protection. I hand-forged the coat hooks in iron and shaped them to look like leaves on iron branches. The base is actually a log xylophone but it fitted perfectly and, hey presto, the coat tree was born. It’s nice to see people’s faces when they realise that the base is musical. A guy recently recorded the sounds it made to loop into other projects he’s working on - I like the chain reaction a piece of art or installation can create.

This idea came from a walk on Crowe Point beach in Devon, I was banging on to a friend about the amazing materials right under our noses, when we came across this beautiful bit of driftwood that was the perfect size and length for a coat stand.

I made most of this piece in my friend’s workshop in Sherwood Forest, but the iron leaves were made in a blacksmith’s workshop in Wales. Until this point I’d practiced welding before but never blacksmithing. It’s amazing. I called up a blacksmith and offered to work for free for a week, in return for him showing me the basics.

A more recent piece was for the Creative Corner on Stoney Street. The installation transformed the doorway into Robin Hood’s hideout, The Major Oak, so that people were walking through the tree to enter the building. I only had three days to do it and it was freezing. With the help of a friend we gathered enough bark and moss to do the job. I love the idea that the copper-wire is visibly sewing the tree together, just like giant beams are used to hold the real Major Oak up.

There’s been some great feedback about the doorway, and I especially love catching passers by do a double take. Some people said the tree wouldn’t last, that people would rip it down. It’s really good to see that it’s standing strong and is being appreciated for what it is. To me that is payment enough.

Art works

I had a serious accident last year that resulted in a long recovery and lots of free headspace. If you’d have asked me ten months ago what I’d be doing right now, I would not have said this. But I love where I am in life and the direction I’m going. I’d love to make giant installations and street art for 350. org. They’re an amazing organisation, it would be nice to do something big and work with a group of people. futago-treasures.com

Eva Brudenell Player’s

This drawing was done after revisiting Triumph Road, Lenton, last autumn. Fifty years ago this district of the city was a thriving hub of activity - Player’s is one of the last landmarks of industry in this area.

The world famous Raleigh factory, where I briefly worked as a canteen girl, has been demolished to make way for the Jubilee university campus, and the main Player’s site in Radford has become a retail park.

As part of an on-going project I am documenting various buildings in Nottingham and industrial sites that have become redundant. I start my pieces by visiting a site and writing notes about the scale of the building and the surroundings. If I can I make quick sketches and take a few photos of details of the building - in this case the distressed writing where the paint is chipping off. I draw using very simple lines and because of this simplicity it is a quick process. I wanted the finished illustration to have a clean, linear quality. The colours used here are much brighter than on the building itself, perhaps a subconscious decision to bring a bit of life back into the site. It is strange to think that this building is one of the last remnants of such a large global brand that was founded in Nottingham over a century ago.

Over the last year the iconic buildings I’ve drawn have included Home Ales in Daybrook, Shipstones Brewery in Basford, and Victoria Baths in Sneinton.

As part of WEYA I reproduced some of the images onto cards, notebooks and mugs. I was surprised at the feelings of nostalgia they evoked; it’s great to hear people telling you about their memories and connections to these landmarks. I have been working on similar work around the country, such as one for the Royal London Hospital museum in Whitechapel relating to Leicester born Elephant Man, Joseph Merrick. I was also commissioned to design some products for Bury Art Gallery shop in Manchester, the local council purchased some of these and presented them to Bury-born film director Danny Boyle.

I studied design at Leeds Met, then Art at Sheffield Hallam Uni, since graduating I‘ve really discovered a passion for drawing but with a focus on making my work accessible. I started my own company, In Spades Design, for which I design and make screen printed items, mugs, cards and notebooks. I have been lucky to have the support of Nottingham tourist information centre who have commissioned me to make a series of Nottingham quote mugs and ‘Ey Up Mi Duck’ tote bags.

Eva will have a stall in the NTU Newton Building foyer during the Festival of Words on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 February from 10am - 5pm. inspadesdesign.com leftlion.co.uk/issue51

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READING AND WRITING February’s city-wide Festival of Words is the first major literary splurge to hit the ‘Ham in four decades, and aims to be a regular fixture on the Notts-Lit calendar.

LIT BLITZ

We’d fill up the whole mag if we listed everything that was going on, so here’s a brief selection of events...

Jane Austen’s Tales Nottingham Central Library To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice there will be a onewoman adaptation performed by actress and storyteller Julie Ann Cooper. This will appeal to anyone thinking about getting hitched, concerned about gender equality or, most likely, women who would like to clone Colin Firth and mould all men into Mr frigging Darcy.

Friday 8 February, 7-9pm, £3.50 (cons £2.50) Hidden Nature Attenborough Nature Reserve If you got a woolly jumper for Christmas and like the outdoors then wildlife journalist and poet Matt Merritt is your man. Learn to translate birdsong into poetry and find comfort in the fact that you’re not in Colwick woods when Matt asks you to peer through his binoculars and describe what you can see ahead in the bushes.

Sunday 10 February, 9am-2pm, £15 (concs £12) Valentine’s Evening Cave Tour Nottingham Castle Here’s your chance to avoid an overpriced restaurant and prove to your partner that you’ve still got a bit of imagination when it comes to romance, by taking them down into the bowels of the city where Dracula and his bride are waiting.

Fancy dress is optional – although a special prize for the best attire may tempt you to join in. Oh yeah, free nibbles (not off Dracula) and a glass of red are also included.

Thursday 14 February, 7-9pm, £15 Streets of Stories Langtry’s Literature, in the wildest possible sense, has been hewn from our rough sandstone heart. Join James Walker and Michael Eaton on a literary walk that will take in Graham Greene, J.M. Barrie, Lawrence, Sillitoe, Cloughie, Henry Kirke-White, Lord Byron, and many more. Then get hammered in the pub afterwards – or as you go along.

Sunday 17 February, 3pm and Wednesday 20 February, 6pm. Donations welcome (pint and a bag of crisps).

THE NEWTON BOMB If there's an epicentre of the Festival of Words, it’s at Nottingham Trent's Newton Building over the weekend of Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 February, with a huge lineup of conferences and readings...

Five Degrees: The Asian Writer Short Story Prize It does exactly what it says on the packet, with readings from various authors published in the Five Degrees anthology followed by a debate on the state of British Asian literature today.

Saturday 16 February, 12.15 - 1.15pm Keynote: A L Kennedy With six novels, five collections of short stories and two books of non-fiction, this author certainly knows her biscuits. She will be discussing these as well as On Writing, which developed out of her Guardian blog.

Saturday 16 February, 1.45 – 2.45pm Writing the City Shoestring Press poets will be sharing how they use Nottingham, both past and present, through their work. A great opportunity to see a rare public reading from the wonderful Derrick Buttress as well as Sue Dymoke, John Lucas and Julie Lumsden.

Saturday 16 February, 2.45pm-3.45pm Why LGBT Writing?

If you fancy a good debate then join Russell Christie, Greg Woods, Victoria Oldham, Nicki Hastie and Jonathan Kemp as they discuss exactly what is lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender writing and if it is still appropriate to use separate categories in the days of ‘no discrimination’.

Saturday 16 February, 4pm-5pm The New Science of the Web One of the most intriguing debates during the festival comes from Paul Anderson who will be asking whether there is a correlation between the human brain and the way in which the world wide web has flourished. Are tweets the new synaptic signals and, if so, are we creating a global brain?

Sunday 17 February, 1.30- 2.30pm Sell with Words For those of you out there mad enough to pursue a career in words then join Dr Ben Braber, a copywriter of twenty years, on how to use the right words to sell products, services and ideas.

Sunday 17 February, 1.30 – 3.30pm Weekend pass £25, day pass £15, half-day pass £10

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The last time Nottingham held a literary festival was back in the decade when a certain female was elected as the first Prime Minister of Britain and Evel Knievel attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon. Now, thanks to a collaborative effort from the Nottingham Writers’ Studio, Writing East Midlands and the City Council in partnership with our two universities and a ton of support from other organisations - including our good selves Nottingham can look forward to a whopping sixteen days of wordy goodness this February which will include the likes of Michael Rosen, Alice Oswald, David Almond, A L Kennedy, and Bali Rai.

The timing for the festival couldn’t be better; many local writers have either won or been shortlisted for numerous literary prizes over the past year. Booker nominee Alison Moore, who we interviewed last issue, said; “I’m delighted that Nottingham, with its rich literary tradition and vibrant writing scene, is to have its own Festival of Words, accommodating a variety of art forms, different ways of appreciating words, celebrating and showcasing local talent, and reaching out to new writers and new audiences.”

As well as offering entertainment to the reading public, the festival is also pretty important in developing the confidence and profile of writers.

“More than thirty years ago, I was published in the anthology of a local writing competition and gave what was no doubt my first public reading” said Alison. “Nerves aside, I remember how proud I felt to have been included. It was my first sense of a writing community and gave me a taste for it.”

It’s an ambitious festival that will see a diverse range of events, workshops and walks taking place in nineteen venues across and outside the city.

The Newton Building will host the majority of events in the city centre, with the Playhouse, Castle, Broadway and Antenna also offering support.

For those preferring a more intimate and relaxed environment, then check out events at Central Library, Bromley House, JamCafé, Lee Rosy’s and Atlas Deli. Further afield the festival will draw crowds to Gannets Bistro in Newark, Beeston, Thrumpton Hall, Lakeside Arts Centre, Newstead Abbey and Wollaton Hall. It’s a genuine attempt to make the festival accessible to as many people as possible and to bring the various strands of local culture and businesses together.

This entire festival has been made possible by voluntary participation and to ensure it happens again you, dear reader, need to do one thing: buy a ticket. If you don’t you might very well have to wait another forty years for the next festival to come along.

Nottingham Festival of Words, across the city, 9 - 24 February. Tickets available from Experience Nottingham or the official website nottwords.org.uk

THE NUSIC BOX Your new Notts music tip sheet, compiled by Nusic’s Tom Hadfield.

Shoot The Ghost

Prepare yourself for a mind-melting mix of warm house sounds on a trippy dance vibe that has been rumoured to cause spontaneous groinal tinglings around Nottinghamshire within the first thirty seconds of listening. Part of the MadTech Records clan, STG’s production is exquisite, with copious amounts of soul pumped into the tunes. Their track So Cold (appropriately named for this time of year) featuring Kat Kyrris has been on constant rotation at Nusic HQ recently, and is even rated highly by the one and only Annie Mac who featured it on Radio 1 back in November (Annie, if you’re reading this: please marry me).

There’s also a tasty remix of Jill Scott’s Love Rain Down On Me available on SoundCloud, but the first place you should head to is our annual Nusic People’s Podcast, packed with non-stop eargasms from around Nottingham. shoottheghost.co.uk

Chloe McShane

A product of the never-ending conveyor belt of talent that is Confetti, seventeen-year-old Chloe McShane has stolen the hearts of the Nusic gang with her angelic vocals and deeperthan-the-Pacific lyrics. Chloe began singing lessons with our very own star Ronika at the age of eleven - and Ronnie did a bleedin’ good job. Backed by the solid strumming of Nathan Bellaby on lead guitar, Chloe’s voice soars high above the clouds like a silky magic carpet. Her ability to lyrically resonate with her audience is outstanding, none more so in the r’n’b-tinged Singing Red; “For the working class people who don’t know what to do, with their heads in their hands because all the bills are due”.

Miss McShane’s team are promising an EP release soon, which will be more essential than central heating. If you can’t wait for that, then head to the Nusic website to watch her Future Session and then check her out at The Maze on Monday 4 March. Be there, you square. facebook.com/chloeleamcshane

OneGirlOneBoy

No prizes for guessing the set-up of this band. Natasha Miller (girl) and Chris Howarth (boy) are a brand new two-piece with an extraordinary power to create a sound that delves deep into the uncharted spaces of the brain. Natasha’s vocals are excruciatingly cool with shades of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O. The sultry bass intro to This One Boy simmers nicely into the delicious vocals, creating a drifty dreamy few minutes. A rare species of band that have that infectious quality that makes you want to play them to anybody and everybody - if you haven’t managed to catch them yet then head on over to Poddingham’s corner of the LeftLion website or indulge in our recent Nusic Future Session. Better still, head to Rescue Rooms on Friday 15 February for the Jake Bugg afterparty. oneboyonegirl.com

Check leftlion.co.uk/nusic for Nusic’s fortnightly podcasts, and head over to nusic.org for the complete picture

Interview: Al Needham

I WANT MY MP3

Celebrating its fifth year of operations, Poddingham has evolved from a magazine podcast to an all-out celebration of Nottingham’s music scene – in sound and vision. Your host: Poddingham Paul…

You used to DJ at the old Virgin Megastore back in the day, didn’t you?

Yes, I did. Best job I ever had. Basically, my role was to entertain the troops, and flog the merchandise – tell the punters what was where, and how much. I’d be halfway through a Top thirty countdown, and someone’s nana would bang on the glass, screeching, “Haa much is this, duck?”

Poddingham’s been going for an incredibly long time for a podcast. How did it get started?

You lot approached me – I believe Jared remembered me from the Virgin days and asked if I fancied it. To be honest with you, I was in a very dark place at the time, and when I was asked if I wanted to do some radio again, I leapt at the chance. I was absolutely terrified when I did the first one – I was worried about the technical side of things, I was worried about what I was going to say, and I was worried about actually talking to people.

The vast majority of podcasts seem to come and go in the blink of an eye. Why has Poddingham had such longevity?

I guess because it’s constantly evolving. We’re chasing quality all the time; I want to do the best for everyone who works on the show and performs on it. And will we ever run out of talented people to talk to? In this town? I find now that there are so many bands, from demo level to signed, whose management get in touch about getting on Poddingham. And that’s great.

Who have been your favourite guests? You had the Fish Man early on, didn’t you?

Yeah, and that was the most heavily-edited one we’ve ever done. I was always ridiculously nervous when I first started, and then I got The Smears in, who were a Stella-powered firework show. That

really made me realise I could have a laugh with it. Dick Venom putting on a sex show with his entourage while I was trying to interview White Dolemite was memorable. But musicwise, it has to be Natalie Duncan and Gallery 47.

Do you keep tabs on other local radio shows, like Nusic and The Beat?

Actually, I try not to. I love what they do, but they put so much work into turning up new artists, and I don’t want to nick the people they’ve discovered. I prefer to wander round in my own random way and find them for myself. And I know enough people in town who know people who can give me a steer.

So what are the plans for the future?

There’s an awful lot of bands I’m in talks with, along with the possibility of working with a radio station and a few venues. But I don’t want to jinx anything.

Anyone you’d like to big up?

God, loads of people. Stone Soup were incredibly supportive and generous; I don’t think I would have lasted a minute without the help they provided. Working with Confetti has been a great experience, where I linked up with an amazing team. I can’t thank them enough, because the quality of their students is massively high. Making Poddingham has put me in touch with so many brilliant people who do what they do for the love of it. And as long as that’s there in Nottingham, I’ll still be doing Poddingham. leftlion.co.uk/poddingham leftlion.co.uk/issue51

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For more Nottingham foodie goodness check out noshingham.co.uk

Nagoyaka

Noor Jahan

Wimpy

On the opposite side to most of the pub/restaurant action on Mansfield Road is one of the most unusual dining experiences in Nottingham: a traditional Szechuan hotpot restaurant and Korean BBQ. And if you think the latter is shorthand for ‘bunging some fermented cabbage on a grill’, think again.

Eating out isn’t always about fancy restaurants, sometimes you just want to go for something to eat that isn’t upmarket but doesn’t involve sitting on a plastic chair that’s welded to a table. This is where the humble curry house can be an affordable birthday meal for all, or a slightly classier way to end a Friday night.

Before there was McDonalds, Subway and KFC, there was Wimpy. Named after Popeye’s burger-hoovering mate, Wimpy ruled the British fast food landscape until the Americans landed.

The eighties hit them hard and most of their restaurants were gobbled up by Burger King, but in Broado - the Shopping Centre That Time Forgot - they still have a fast food dining experience like no other. The food is served on plates, the cutlery is metal, the ketchup and brown sauce come in proper bottles and waitresses take your order.

Seoul food

More Bangladesh for your Bangladosh

Each table is fitted with a hotplate for each person - where a small metallic pot is placed containing your chosen flavour of simmering hotpot - with a communal BBQ area in the centre. You select from the various buffets and cook your food to your liking, dipping it in the hotpot or sizzling it on the BBQ. For the hotpot I went for an ‘original’ - a very light broth with hints of ginger and spring onion (£14.99, with Korean BBQ included). My friend chose ‘hot’, which had a pleasant kick from the chilli and spices (£12.99 without the BBQ). We’d already sunk a couple of beers over the road, so we selected a bottle of dry sauvignon blanc (£15) to accompany the meal.

Feeling more comfortable, we checked out the opening buffet of dishes not intended for the hotpot - and not intended for the faint-hearted, either. Asking for clarity on dishes revealed the usual suspects; pork and sesame balls, peanuts, coriander and Chinese dumplings, and new delights such as pig’s ear salad, chicken gizzard salad and boiled chicken feet. Actually, the pig’s ear salad was lovely, chewy and glutinous, a good example of how Eastern palates often prize texture over taste.

If you like your Oriental food, you’re spoilt for choice here; we raided the large, open-fronted chilled cabinets for thin slivers of fatty beef steak, chicken hearts, marinated king prawns, squid, baby octopus tentacles, mussels, tripe and crab claws, as well as lovely fresh Chinese greens, noodles, wontons, sliced sweet potato and tofu in various forms, with an array of sauces.

With an abundant variety of taste and texture, everything was spankingly fresh and delightful. And as it’s an all-inclusive price, you can keep returning to the buffets and the waiter will kindly top up your hotpot as and when required.

Nagoyaka is the kind of scarily authentic place that you peer into on your way into town, that’s so popular with the local Asian community that they don’t have to make compromises to anyone else. Taking the step off the pavement and through the door is highly recommended, however - it’s a truly original experience for very little money. Ash Dilkes.

It’s broader than Broadmarsh

Noor Jahan is one such restaurant, handily situated on Mansfield Road between several of great drinking holes and close enough to town. A family run business, it’s benefited from a recent refurbishment. Inside is delicately lit, with authentic and upmarket seating and décor. There’s a big fish tank near the bar, which is not only a touch hypnotic, it’s also quite calming. We felt like we’d stepped out of the madness of our mini-pub crawl into a sea of tranquility that smelt of a host of divine spices.

The set menu is more generous than most: for a bargainous £10.95 you can get a starter, a main dish with rice, a choice of a naan or a veggie side dish and a coffee. Bucking the trend, we decided not to go for the papadums (60p each) and pickles (£2) because the set menu already promised more than we could possibly need.

I started with a king prawn butterfly, a massive prawn that came sat on a bed of salad and was dressed up in a nice little parcel of breadcrumbs. My guest tried the tandoori king prawn, which arrived on a sizzling plate with plenty of onions. Both are decent - nothing world-beating, but tasty enough.

For our mains we went for a lamb bhuna and a chicken tikka masala as well as sharing a garlic naan and a saag paneer.

The curries were tasty, full of flavour and packed just the right amount of heat to make you warm inside, without it ever becoming an effort to eat. The garlic nan mopped it up nicely and the saag paneer was an excellent compliment. The night was not officially over and as such we both went for a Kingfisher each (£3.50).

As dining goes, it’s not exactly intimate, but it’s not too rowdy either. Noor Jahan is never going to be a serious contender for ‘best curry in Nottingham’ but at £15 for a beer and a meal, it’s a curry house that will fill you up nicely and not cost a wedge.

Jared Wilson.

41 Mansfield Road, NG1 3FB. Tel: 0115 947 6449

148 Mansfield Road, NG1 3HW. Tel: 0115 950 3333

noorjahan.co.uk

As a child, a trip to Wimpy’s was reserved for special occasions and a pretty big deal, so it was with glee that I skipped past all the pound shops and up the escalators to go feast on some quality junk food for the first time in years. Once there, I noted that standard burgers sit among some ‘posher’ ones on the menu. They’re a bit pricier, but seem worth it when you consider that the chicken burgers are actually butterflied chicken breast as opposed to reconstituted chicken.

Jacket potatoes, fish and chips, toasties, salads and grills are also available, but I couldn’t resist the lure of the bender in a bun (£2.75), a grooved, deep-fried sausage circle with a fat tomato slice in the middle. It wasn’t the worst hot dog I’d ever had and the novelty factor made it taste better. My friend went for the more animal-friendly lemon and pepper Quorn burger (£3.90) that was indeed very lemony and not greasy at all. The side order of chips (£1.65) was generous. The first two mozzarella melts (£1.40 for three) were lovely too, but the third one was left too long and was congealed after five minutes. The portion of mushrooms (£1.45) arrived in a silver bowl that resembled something from a school dining hall.

My friend had an Appletiser (£1.95) and I had a latte (£2), but in hindsight I was a fool for not ordering an ice cream float (£1.90).

Ice cream plus fizzy pop. In a glass. With a straw. Mmm. What I didn’t deprive myself of was a brown derby (£2.55) for dessert; a warm and deliciously fresh doughnut heaped with a towering swirl of ice cream covered in chocolate sauce and crushed nuts.

The contrast of warm and cold confused my teeth, and the last few spoonfuls of it were a gooey mess, but damn, it tasted good.

Wimpy didn’t offer the finest food I’d ever had, nor the finest service. But the menu’s classic American diner options (which feature more than one vegetarian option), the distinct lack of polystyrene packaging, and actual recognisable flavours when I bit into my food means that I may never eat at any other fast food joint other than Wimpy’s ever again. Alison Emm Broadmarsh Centre, NG1 7L. Tel: 0115 950 3496

Our resident fast food expert Beane Noodler continues his quest to eat at every takeaway in Nottingham…

NkONO

ROBIN HOOD PEAS

Viccy Market: a place of unfathomable beauty where all manner of Nottingham wildlife - the rough, smooth, educated and pond life - roams free in a retail ecosystem that has remained unchanged for years. The food hall that lies within sounds like something you’d find in Harrods and in many ways is similar; there’s plenty of Mohammed Al Fayed-style eccentrics roaming about, none more so than the jolly guy who runs the Cameroon takeway tucked away in the corner by the butchers.

My first introduction to this wondrous food stall was being heckled by him as I walked by, as he invited me over to try his sun-drenched spicy goodness. One look inside the hot cabinet certainly got my attention; an array of chicken balls, beef and goat curry, fresh fish, rice and peas soon got me salivating, so I opted for the goat curry with rice. Spicy, meaty and tasty, it went down a treat.

Nkono’s slogan is ‘Cameroon in a cone’ and despite initial fears that it would end up as ‘Cameroon out my hole’, this was lovely decent munch. Well worth a visit.

A mere stone’s throw from the exotic delights of Nkono lies a new joint selling more traditional fare. Steak and kidney pies, mushy peas, mint sauce, faggots - we’re talking strictly old school Notts-nyam here. Perching upon a stool by the counter to take in the sights, sounds and flavours of this gaff, I noted it was pretty busy with all manner of workers passing through on their lunch hour, plus nans, mams and unemployed mans nipping in for a bite. A busy joint is a good joint, goes the rule of thumb in this trade. After ordering a steak pie, mushy peas and gravy I was told they would take another five minutes in the oven, so I offered to wait, but after about thirty seconds they were suddenly deemed ready. I love my pies, so I dived straight into to a lovely slice of…rock-hard frozen steak. An apology was issued, confusion entailed in the kitchen and we soon had a Mexican standoff. I’m sure the scran is good here if you catch ‘em on a good day (and the peas were lovely) but ask for your pie well done.

Victoria Food Hall, Victoria Centre

Victoria Food Hall, Victoria Centre

leftlion.co.uk/issue51

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