LeftLion Magazine - August 2016 - Issue 81

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contents

credits

LeftLion Magazine Issue 81 August 2016

Editor Ali Emm (ali@leftlion.co.uk)

Editor-in-chief Jared Wilson (jared@leftlion.co.uk) Driver Alan Gilby (alan@leftlion.co.uk) Marketing and Sales Manager Ash Dilks (ash@leftlion.co.uk)

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Fun and Games Twelve-year-old Bella Ramsey showed ‘em how it’s done in Game of Thrones

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Game Boys Dan Wood and Ravi Abbott are the gents behind The Retro Hour tech podcast

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PokéNotts Nottingham’s answer to Pokémon Go. You’ll wanna catch ‘em all...

Designers Raphael Achache (raphael@leftlion.co.uk) Natalie Owen (natalie@leftlion.co.uk) Sub Editor Shariff Ibrahim (shariff@leftlion.co.uk)

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Street Tales With Ad Sectioned, Overheard in Notts and What Notts

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LeftEyeOn Our city’s photographers are like crocodiles; snappy

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In Focus: Mannequin This motley crew are taking their noise on tour

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Towers Records Having made it onto the FIFA 16 soundtrack, April Towers are going from strength to strength

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Sneint-er the Dragon The lowdown from the artist, Robert Stubley, who crafted the beast that guards the gateway to Sneinton Man of Many Words A heart-warming tale from The Dilettante Society about journalist Cornelius Brown Capital Punishment Our Literature Editor gets right political in this piece about being able to afford to keep a roof over your head

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Popova to Contemporary …and check out the latest exhibition from Yelena Popova

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Pick of the Month Ain’t no stoppin’ summer now.

It’s on the move...

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No Fox Given You Want Fox may not want you to sit with them, but they let us

27

Listings With Nusic Box, Promoter Focus and Write Lion

editorial Hello, sunshine. Yeah, I’m talking to you.

I see you smiling now that you don’t have to wear your coat to work and you’re able to sit outside with a glass of something cheeky of an evening. About ruddy time.

Keeping the summer vibes fresh, take your pick from the Caribbean Carnival, Riverside Festival, and The Waterfront Festival this month – just remember to slap on the sun cream. The latter is for charity, plus we’ve got a stage down there, so don’t be shy.

Peek inside to read our interview with the LeftLion headliners, April Towers.

Going from strength to strength, we’re chuffed to have bagged the electro duo for our line-up. We’ve also had a natter with fellow stage mates, You Want Fox – two ladies who have merged their punk sensibilities with their love of pop.

When I first moved to Nottingham I took up residence in Sneinton. Blown away by the fact there was a windmill in a city, I was also rather taken by the metal dragons that adorned the back of someone’s gaff on a neighbouring

33

Art Works With Emily Catherine and Instar

Community Editor Penny Reeve (penny@leftlion.co.uk)

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Music Reviews What we reckon to Notts’ latest musical offerings

Literature Editor James Walker (books@leftlion.co.uk)

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Noshingham With Riverbank, Thaikun and The Angel Microbrewery

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End Page With Rocky Horrorscopes, Art Hole, Notts Trumps, Strellyation, and LeftLion Abroad

What else? For any fans of Game of Thrones, you want to be heading straight to page fifteen: Bella Ramsey can be found there, the lass whose character has attitude in abundance and more memes than your Facebook page could handle for a month.

Catch you all next month.

Ali Emm ali@leftlion.co.uk

Music Editor Paul Klotschkow (paulk@leftlion.co.uk) Photography Editor Shaun Gordon (shaun@leftlion.co.uk) Poetry Editor Aly Stoneman (poetry@leftlion.co.uk) Screen Editor Harry Wilding (harry@leftlion.co.uk) Stage Editor Hazel Ward (hazel@leftlion.co.uk)

featured contributor street. If you’ve not been by that way in the last ten years, or wander round with your eyes shut, you might not recognise the fella on the cover. That beauty was created by the resident of the aforementioned house, Robert Stubley, for the folks of the area. We tracked him down to find out the tale behind the metal behemoth.

Deputy Literature Editor Robin Lewis (robin@leftlion.co.uk)

Nick Parkhouse Having championed the likes of Dog Is Dead, Neil Ward and Gallery 47 over the years, Nick Parkhouse has long been one of LeftLion’s reviewers and feature writers. A copywriter by trade, Nick’s first book about eighties pop music was published in 2010. As well as being a huge music fan, Nick spends most of his spare time in Nottingham’s cinemas watching the thick end of 200 films a year.

He has combined his two great passions in his new book for Unbound (unbound.com), The Complete James Bond Themes – a history of the 24 songs that have accompanied the 007 movies. When not sitting in the dark, Nick can be found performing and teaching improvised comedy with leading Midlands group, MissImp. He lives in Nottingham with his wife, two dogs and four cats. nickparkhouse.co.uk @nickparkhouse

LeftLion magazine has an estimated readership of 40,000 and is distributed to over 350 venues across the city of Nottingham. If your venue isn’t one of them, or you’d like to advertise, contact Ash on 0115 9240476, email ash@leftlion.co.uk or visit leftlion.co.uk/rates

Web Editor Bridie Squires (bridie@leftlion.co.uk) Editorial Assistant Lucy Manning (lucy@leftlion.co.uk) Cover David Baird Contributors Wayne Burrows F Dashwood Joe Earp Chloe Finney Jack Garofalo Lady M Sam Nahirny Nick Parkhouse Tyrone Scott Tim Sorrell Liam Steers Photographers David Baird Sandra Bartley Louise Clutterbuck Darren Cowley Tom Morley Carla Mundy Dave Rigley Stephen Wright Illustrators Eva Brudenell Ian Carrington Christine Dilks Rikki Marr Rob White

/leftlion @leftlion @leftlionmagazine leftlion.co.uk/issue81

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We delve a little deeper into the history of our city’s streets to give you the tales they’d never have taught you at school…

Thurland Street – The Stone Monkeys Scattered throughout Nottingham city centre are a handful of High Victorian buildings in a style known as Gothic Revival. These are the survivors of what was once over 100 commercial buildings designed by Mansfield-born architect, Watson Fothergill.

one's back – a mortgage to pay – was considered to be an even greater burden. On the outside of the Thurland Street bank, high up on the corner of a chimney stack, Fothergill has placed a carving of a monkey. A literal stone monkey.

The richly ornamented style was the height of fashion, and Fothergill became a master in its art. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, his buildings transformed our architectural landscape. Perhaps the best known of all Fothergill’s designs was the Black Boy Hotel, which stood on Long Row until its demolition and redevelopment in the sixties.

Not easy to spot from street level, his more famous brothers can be found on the inside of the building. From the main door on Pelham Street, the building opens out into a circular banking hall with a high glass-domed roof. This roof is supported by four ornate marble pillars, on one of which is a large rendition of a monkey. The monkey would have faced customers at the bank as they queued to do business at the counter.

Between 1874 and 1900, Fothergill was commissioned to design five banking premises for the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Bank.

These included branch offices in Mansfield, Loughborough and Newark on Trent. Nottingham itself had one branch office on Carrington Street, and an office and residence at the corner of Pelham Street and Thurland Street. That Fothergill had a wry sense of humor is attested to by the fact that the Thurland Street building is the home of his jibe against the banking profession; two stone monkeys.

“To have a monkey on your back” means that you are carrying a troublesome burden. The Victorians popularly referred to a mortgage as a ‘stone monkey’ and to have a stone monkey on

Some references say the monkey has a chain about its neck. However, this is not true. The monkey is in fact holding a chain in his left hand, which appears to be attached to a large wad of paper money. The symbolism would not have been lost on the Victorian customer.

The building is now the retail fashion outlet, All Saints, and it is well worth popping inside to view the magnificent interior and to say hello to Nottingham’s famous stone monkeys.

For more on Nottingham history, check out the Nottingham Hidden History website. nottinghamhiddenhistoryteam.wordpress.com

words: Joe Earp illustration: Eva Brudenell

ADVERTISING SECTIONED

words: Wayne Burrows

“Be Manly In Morley!” (c.1954) “More and more men are wearing the Morley shirt!” runs the copy below this quaint drawing of a garment that seems many sizes too large for the four men poking their identical heads from its buttoned front. “Little wonder that the Morley shirt is the choice of so many men. It has everything! High grade Egyptian cotton fully shrunk, gauntlet sleeves for buttons or links, fine pearl buttons, attached collar in two styles...”

It's the sort of thing you can well imagine Don Draper jotting down at the dawn of his career on Madison Avenue, probably between a sip of Martini and a slug of Scotch. But despite the luxuriant tone, the hosiery business founded

by Sneinton-born brothers John and Richard Morley in the late 1700s, and taken over by John Morley's son Samuel in 1860, was very much a Nottingham concern.

Samuel Morley was a man of his time in his combination of Gladstone Liberalism and nonconformist religion. He owned a newspaper, helped found colleges, hugely expanded the business he inherited and got himself elected as a Nottingham MP in 1865. For a man of his time, he also had some rather advanced ideas about workers’ rights, the abolition of slavery and the creation of an equitable society many of which still seem relevant today.

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It's this radical and dissenting side of Morley that has attracted fresh attention of late, not least from Matthew Chesney, director of Backlit Gallery. He became enamoured of Morley's achievements while researching the history of the former Morley factory building on Ashley Street that the Backlit gallery and studios now occupy.

Delving into the archives, collecting artefacts, interviewing former workers and working with video game designers to create a virtual reality version of the old Ashley Street factory floor, Backlit's research into the Morley company history, and Samuel in particular, have helped put its considerable achievements firmly back onto the local map.

That there's some weighty history behind this seemingly ordinary advert isn't in doubt, then, but a few mysteries do remain to be solved. The Morley Man of 1954, after all, could choose his shirt in any colour from a range including “white, cream, grey, ecru, blue and green”. But what on earth was the “trubenised collar” that merited not only its own italics, but a substantial markup on the regular price? leftlion.co.uk/adsectioned

WHAT NOTTS Find out what’s been going off around and about the city over the past month...

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT Notts is not the place for posties, apparently.

According to figures released by the Royal Mail, Postman Pats and Patricias are more likely to have their ankles nibbled in Notts than anywhere else in the country. There were 68 reports of attacks on posties in areas with an NG postcode last year, and they ain’t happy about it. Do ‘em a favour and keep yer pooches in the kitchen. Ta. RUG RADAR Single women of Nottingham, it’s time to ditch the dating apps. If you want a man, all you gorra do is pop over to Victoria Embankment where there’s a host of Gypsy Persian rug specialists patiently awaiting your arrival. The blokes have popped to Notts especially for our ladies, saying “We came here for the girls. The girls in Nottingham are great”. Too right they are.

Stacey from Bulwell, this is your chance to find romance.

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE Nottingham, there’s a new mayor in town, and he goes by the name of Councillor Mohammed Saghir. Formerly in office as the Sheriff of Nottingham, he and the former Mayor, Councillor Jackie Morris, are doing a proper role swap, as she takes on the title of Sheriff for the next twelve months. There’s a reality TV show in there somewhere, we can smell it.

CUT IT OUT We know a large proportion of the planet seems to have taken all the bonkers drugs at the same time, but Nottingham doesn’t need to join in. With at least sixteen stabbings in the past year in Hoodtown, there are too many people running around and skewering each other with knives. Not the way we want things to go down. We managed to stop shooting at each other, so let’s be leaving the kitchen utensils where they belong, please.

BIRTHDAY BUD A pair of creps, a couple of games for your PlayStation, or if you’ve really been treated, a brand spankin’ new telly. That’s what folk normally spend their birthday money on.

But when Mark Dickens was gifted some dollar for his 27th birthday, he decided to splash out on over 53 grams of green, only to be caught red handed and slapped with a £185 fine. Not the best use of your birthday bucks, eh Mark.

SICK RUNNINGS After chucking ‘emsens over sixty different obstacles and swimming through open water and a hella sludge, competitors who took part in the X-Runner event at the National Water Sports Centre have been struck down with the plops and projectile vomiting. Nine people from a team of eleven have been taken ill, but X-Runner are adamant that the water was perfectly fine.

Yeah, tell that to ‘em when they’re bobbin’ their brains out.

HORSIN’ AROUND If you ever wondered what a Shetland or Shire trotter was thinking as it carried a fat, old bloke about, then you’ll love this.

Scientists at the University of Nottingham have been locked in their stalls inventing a stellar device that matches the activity of a horse to its mood. Smart stuff. Now, with this ‘HABIT software’ jobber, you’ll know whether or not a horse wants a sugar cube or for you to get of its bleddy back.

NEW HOOD IN TOWN You’ll all be familiar with the bow and arrow-clad chap that potters his way about the Lace Market, taking swigs from his wine bladder as he leads tourists about the place.

But he’s got competition – there’s a new Hood in town, and he’s taken up residence in Sherwood Forest as part of the ‘Robin Hood Experience’. We reckon they should have a rap battle to determine who is the truest Hood of all.

“Trust the sun to com e aaht naah.”

- Woman in big coat e at the the right plac “T hey were in Sa mantha Fox e right time, lik air.”

Bl ny To ... or or…

“I can’t believe yo u as got a whole tube of Pringles, you is styling it.”

“Danish kroner? When you going to Denland then?”

“They used to salt you r pints back in the day. When I say bac k in the day, I mean the Middle Ages. ”

Man 1: My ex-girlfriend attacked her housemate with a makeshift flameth rower.

Man 2: You dodged a bullet with her, mate.

eady ates’s alr t’s Y d n a e thre Tha “It’s half ers on the door. c has boun Nottingham.” e why I lov

e er: It’s not th Big Issue Sell ple o e st tired of p money. I’m ju ignoring me.

“Watching nature documentaries on ket makes so much sense.

You look at the zebras and it’s just like, yeah man.”

“We tried to teac h him the va lue of money so we ga ve him two quid , but Kinder Eggs we re on reduced for 20p each so he spen t it all on them.”

net. It’s like Clifton on “Skegness is Chav Pla on the coast.”

No. Clifton, on speed,

speed.

Man: Ca n I have som e first-class sta mps?

Woman: Certainly, how ma ny?

Man: I’m not sure, do you have any with pictures on?

Woman: Unfor tunate ly not. We just have the sta ndard ones.

Man: Oh, I don’t think I’ll bother then.

on the plane “She was so nervous her really to xt and the fella ne ll, that and four We . wn calmed her do pints of Stella.”

Tweet us @LeftLion with your #OverheardInNotts quotes.

Nottingham’s most opinionated grocers on...

SAM ALLARDYCE BECOMES ENGLAND MANAGER He managed Notts County, didn’t he? Good on him. England have been pathetic. It’s not the manager’s fault, it’s the arrogance of the players. We hope he has a good shout at them.

POKEMON GO People in the shop have been talking about it, but we don’t really understand.

We don’t have an iPhone, you see. Can you play it using public telephone boxes?

THERESA MAY We think she could be rather good. This is the first time in post-war Britain that we have a government cabinet who are 70% state school educated. It’s also the first time we’ve ever had an Education Secretary who went to a comprehensive school. You’d have never thought anyone from a comprehensive system would be allowed to govern this country. Give her time.

OLYMPIC GAMES IN RIO We’ll be watching it avidly – particularly the rowing and the cycling. We’ll also be watching old Bolty [Usain Bolt] as we’re convinced he can still run a lot faster. If you watch the earlier races he starts slowing down towards the end. What’s he doing? Speed up, lad!

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Black Lives Matter

No justice, no peace. Nottingham raises its voice

Chalk of the Town Eyes on the street

Dave Rigley Tom Morley facebook.com/emotionsfromphotons

The photos in this spread were selected by the lovely folks at London Camera Exchange. Each photographer we print recieves a ÂŁ10 voucher to spend in store. Simply email your best Nottingham photos to lefteyeon@leftlion.co.uk.

Happy snapping.

Lace Market

Upcycling your nan’s curtains, not always a bad thing.

Darren Cowley tinyurl.com/darrencowley

London Camera Exchange is the only place to go for new and used photography equipment with expert advice in the city centre.

7 Pelham St, NG1 2EH, 0115 9417486. lcegroup.co.uk

Hockley

Vault Club Night

Well, if you’re gonna be like that Victor, you can sod off.

Lights, camera, apeture!

Sandra Bartley

Stephen Wright flickr.com/sw1967

Mannequin are a three-piece rock ‘n’ roll band who like to smack you right in the face with their off-the-wall blend of punk, garage and art rock. They’re off on tour with fellow Notts noisemakers, Autumn Diet Plans, and will naturally be hitting up The Chameleon – one of the only venues with a sound system hard enough to take them. They’ll then be making their way around the country with a hop and a skip to Holland and Belgium too. Good luck, lads.

Mannequin, The Chameleon, £5, Friday 5 August 2016. facebook.com/mannequinfo

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April Towers have crammed a lot into a couple of years. From having their song played on Radio 1 to an appearance on an iconic video game, things are looking good for the synth-pop duo. We spoke to Alex and Charlie ahead of their headline set at The Nottingham Waterfront Festival.

Back on 25th September 2014, Alex Noble and Charlie Burley uploaded the first April Towers single, Arcadia, to the BBC as part of Radio 1’s BBC Introducing day. 45 minutes later, DJ Huw Stephens had listened to the track and Fearne Cotton had played it on her morning show. Within a fortnight, the pair had played a full set at the Nottingham Contemporary as part of the Hockley Hustle.

“It is when it all exploded a little bit,” says Alex, “so it was from then that we really kicked on.”

It’s been a whirlwind two years for the Nottingham pair. A stream of live gigs followed, including a sell-out headline set at the Rescue Rooms, and their singles – including the terrific new record Silent Fever – have racked up over a million plays on Spotify.

The pair were originally part of local guitar group Frontiers, and while they are ostensibly a synthesiser band, they have retained many of the guitar elements.

It’s a journey that plenty of successful bands have taken in the past.

“I was late to electronic music,” admits Alex. “I started writing stuff in that vein on keyboards – I had never written on keyboards before, always on guitars – and that was the start of it. Tears for Fears started out as a rock band and you look how Joy Division became New Order. It was a breath of fresh air… to do things more electronically and more dance-oriented.”

Having written and recorded their first track, Tel Aviv, the pair uploaded it to SoundCloud where it racked up a few thousand plays over a weekend. Alex says, “We thought ‘oh God, what are we going to do now?!’ People were asking us when we were going to play live, when the next stuff was coming out.

“We’d literally just recorded it in a wardrobe – not an exaggeration – and we were left with all these people saying ‘Can you play this gig?’ We got together, got some rehearsals done, and did our first gig about four or five months after we put the first track online.”

Not quite pop, not quite dance, not quite indie, it’s hard to say exactly what genre tracks like No Corruption and Modern Pysche fit into. “If you listen to individual elements of our tracks – for example, solo the drums – it could be a house track,” says Charlie. “If you solo the synths, it is quite dreamy; and if you solo the vocals, Alex’s voice has a darker side. Some of the guitar lines sound as if they could be from an eighties power ballad. It’s a weird mish-mash, but it’s working at the moment.” Alex agrees, “It’s the best thing about it, as it’s allowed us to play Dot to Dot, which is seen as an indie festival, and we’ve been able to go out to Ibiza and play out there. It’s been nice to have that coverage – from dance to indie, although we’re essentially a pop band.”

We’d literally just recorded it in a wardrobe – not an exaggeration – and we were left with all these people saying ‘can you play this gig?’

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After their appearance on Radio 1 and increasing word of mouth from their gigs, the band then had a huge breakthrough when their track A Little Bit Of Fear was selected to appear on the soundtrack of the huge video game, FIFA 16. Alex takes up the story: “It’s a weird process. We were told by our manager that we were on the shortlist. You get excited, but at the same time you wonder how many artists are going to be on that shortlist. We forgot about it really, and then a few months later we got a call to say that we had an offer through for it.

“There were still some stumbling blocks to get through as they don’t make the final decision straight away. We didn’t know we were definitely going to be on it until late July and the game was out in September. The implications for an unsigned band to be on that game – it’s almost unheard of. Even before the game was out and they released the soundtrack, we picked up forty or fifty thousand plays of our song just on that day, and now we’ve nearly racked up a million. It’s led people to check out other songs of ours and the video on YouTube is about to hit half a million views.

“To be on the soundtrack is unbelievable. That soundtrack has been iconic for years, and I’ve discovered bands because of that game. The impact has been ridiculous. We were the special guests at the Future Sound of Nottingham final in June and we played that song last, and you can see people getting their camera-phones out when that song starts… and that’s cool.”

Back in the old days you got success by having your song on the radio, or perhaps in a TV show or, the holy grail, on a movie soundtrack. In 2016, it’s all about video games and the playlists of streaming services – so is the modern way helping a band like April Towers?

“You have all this access to new songs, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that if someone listens to your song and likes it, that they’re going to like your band,” says Charlie. “That’s what we’ve discovered. People may know the song, but not necessarily know the band."

“Streaming has helped us,” says Alex. “We played in Estonia because the booker found us on Spotify. Being on the big playlists got us to number one in the iTunes charts in Kenya – it’s little things like that because it’s such a worldwide business.”

The pair readily admit that being outside of a huge musical scene like London or Manchester is helping them. “It’s nice to be doing things in your own scene,” says Alex. “The Bodega is now a hub for local music and Nottingham bands are now playing the Rescue Rooms which, in 2009/10, was not happening at all. Six years ago we [Frontiers] were one of three local bands on the Dot to Dot bill, and see how that’s changed.”

The next year promises to be a big deal for the band. They headline the LeftLion stage at this August’s Waterfront Festival, head to Alex James’ farm for The Big Feastival, and their debut album is expected to arrive in 2017.

“After the festival, we’re writing and just getting some form of a structure of an album together,” says Alex. “I imagine there will be tour dates announced in the autumn to promote some sort of other single release – and hopefully another Nottingham headliner."

April Towers, The Nottingham Waterfront Festival, Canalhouse, Saturday 13 August 2016, £10. apriltowers.com

words: Nick Parkhouse photo: Carla Mundy

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The HBO series Game of Thrones has taken the world by storm with its epic battle scenes, intricate plot lines and kick-ass characters. Nottingham has offered up some of its best actors to the series, including Joe Dempsie in the role of Gendry, who’s still rowing about somewhere. Following in his footsteps is fellow Television Workshop actress, twelve-year-old Bella Ramsey...

Tell me a bit about Lyanna Mormont...

The Northerners – Jon Snow, Sansa and Davos – were going to all the different houses to see if they would make allegiance with them to go and fight. They came to the Mormonts’ house, and greeted me like I was a child, which I didn’t like. I like Lyanna’s fierceness and maturity – I have that in common with her. Not so much the fierceness, but everyone always says, “I can’t believe you’re only twelve.”

You almost ride into battle…

Yeah, and give Ramsay Bolton the death stare.

You do a lot of those! You even raise a hand to shut up one of your elderly advisors...

I’ve started doing that as a joke now. If someone’s telling me something that they know I don’t wanna know, I just put my hand up.

How did you feel when you found out you got the part?

I’d just finished school and came out to see my mum, she whispered to me, “You got it!” I was like, “Yeah!” and she had to tell me to shush because we weren’t allowed to tell anyone. I had to keep it quiet for about a year from when I found out to when it came out. It was really hard.

How did you prepare for the role? Did you start bossing your parents about?

After the audition, we were at the dinner table and I kept being Lyanna. My mum got really scared of me because I wouldn’t stop. If anyone started laughing at the table I just said, “Don’t laugh in my house. You don’t laugh at me. Pass me the salt.”

What was working on a TV set like?

I loved it. They were really open to helping me. I had the script quite far in advance and a dialogue coach who helped me with the accent. On set, to start

with, I just did the scene as I thought I should, and then the director would give me some tips on how to improve. I had to do some ADR [Automated Dialogue Replacement] and that was really hard. I was watching it on the screen, and had to match my voice exactly to my mouth, but I had the old way I was saying it playing in my ears – it was really confusing.

Have you always wanted to be an actress?

I always knew I wanted to be, but it was always imaginary.

The first thing I did was an amateur production of Music Man. That was my first audition and I got the main girl part of Amaryllis. I still thought it was just for fun until I joined the Television Workshop two years ago. Then it became a serious thing that could actually happen.

Who was your favourite cast member?

I liked all of them, they’re all really funny. I met everyone I was in the scene with, and Peter Dinklage who was really cool. I also met Emelia, who plays Daenerys. I was the only child on set but they didn’t treat me like one, which was good.

What would you do if you weren’t an actress?

I want to work with special needs children, doing theatre with them. Dancing, singing and acting – to make a safe space for them to come and just be who they are.

What was your favourite part to film?

I really liked standing up to all the lords at the massive dinner. The studio that we filmed that in was really hot.

That was the only downside. If it wasn’t for the heat, that would definitely be my favourite.

Have you been able to watch the series?

No, but I’ve seen my scenes.

It’s very violent. Did you see anyone in any special effects makeup?

I saw The Mountain, who had these incredible prosthetics on. It was really weird because we were getting introduced, and he couldn’t really speak because of all his prosthetics. He was just staring at me. I didn’t know how to speak to him.

Have you been recognised at all?

Only once by a stranger, a waitress in a restaurant.

She was like, “Is she from Game of Thrones? Can I get a picture with her?”

What was your first audition through the Workshop like?

I didn’t know what to expect. It was down at Workshop, for the new BFG film. I did all the script, and then they asked me if I’d ever had a dream that I could still remember. I told them about this really weird one: this farmer was chasing me, and he had an army of dogs with him. That was what made them start looking for parts for me, because they said they saw how animated I was. They said I didn’t have the ‘Hollywood’ look for the BFG, but said they would keep looking out for stuff for me.

I always say to people that all this acting has come from my farmer dream.

What’s your favourite thing about the Television Workshop?

The support. Whenever anyone gets a part, even if other people auditioned for it, they’re still so happy for the person who got it. It’s like a big family. There’s never any rivalry.

It’s cliché that some stage schools have a lot of rivalry, and people get annoyed if someone gets a part, but it’s nothing like that at Workshop.

A lot of the stuff you do at Workshop has an emphasis on keeping things natural and real. Do you think that helped you with your character in Game of Thrones?

Yeah. Whenever I became Lyanna, it didn’t feel weird telling these grown men what to do. It felt really natural.

Have you seen the memes people have been making about you?

It’s so weird, but funny. My favourite meme is about the European Union, it says “House Britain has kept faith with House Europe for forty years. We will not break faith today.”

But we did...

If you were queen for a day, what would you do?

I’d probably do nothing and eat loads of scones. If I could make a rule, I just wouldn’t want any wars. I’d make a spell to make everyone nice.

Would you rather have a pet dragon or a giant as your best friend?

Dragons are cool, but you can actually speak to giants. Also, I could basically fly on the giant’s finger.

interview: Lucy Manning photo: David Baird

Whenever I became Lyanna, it didn’t feel weird telling these grown men what to do.

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interview: Ali Emm illustration: Ali Emm

GAME

Dan Wood and Ravi Abbott are the guys behind The Retro Hour, a tech podcast that digs far deeper than just 8-bit gaming. Piracy, music, quirky applications, virtual reality and the like are all up for discussion. Focusing more on the British side of things, they’ve managed to bag some hefty names in the six months they’ve been up and running. Tune in, turn on and nerd out...

How did you both get into computing and gaming?

Ravi: My dad helped run Screenplay at Broadway, and as a kid I’d run around there. It was gaming, programming and making music on the old, influential machines – Commodore Amigas mainly. The first machine that my dad got me was the one they used for the weather on Central Television, we used to do green screen stuff at home.

Dan: My dad used to build computers, and my mum programmed them. I went completely against that and got into DJing and clubs – I now work in radio, my main job is the lunchtime show on Gem 106. I always liked computers, though. At school I loved programming BBC Micros, and my mum bought me a Commodore Plus/4 – a crap version of the Commodore 64 – and instead of reading to me, she’d sit me on her knee and we’d type fruit machine simulators in and try and get them to work.

So you didn’t just have wasted youths playing Street Fighter and Tetris, then?

Dan: I was also in a video club at school, we’d do rudimentary video editing and titling on Amiga 500s, like scrolling the credits down in real time. It wasn’t just gaming – I liked doing programming and audio and graphics.

Ravi: It was about being creative with computing. That’s what we like talking about on the podcast, not just games but the weird applications. At the moment there’s a scene of using old computer systems for music. You hear Kanye West talking about the old computers, Calvin Harris’ debut album was done on the old Commodore Amiga, Prince used Bars and Pipes...

How did The Retro Hour come into being then?

Dan: I moved to Nottingham about six years ago, and I did YouTube videos – mainly about nineties games systems and Commodore Amiga stuff. Ravi just messaged me one day…

Ravi: It was then about a year of passive aggressive messaging because we were both jealous of each other’s [YouTube] channels. Finally we said, “We should meet up and talk about this.” We just talked games and got drunk for another year.

So when did it go from passive aggression and being drinking buddy geeks to podcasting...

Ravi: The Amiga Thirty Years event in Amsterdam. It was a massive event so we decided to do some filming for our YouTube channel but we buggered up the audio and thought, “We’re done with doing big filming documentaries, we’re going to do straight audio.”

Dan: We had a good following on YouTube so there was already a community. A lot of the big American gaming channels were covering Nintendo, Atari and all that – we wanted to do more about the systems that were big over here.

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What format does the podcast take?

Ravi: It’s half an hour of news and a few opinion pieces, and then half an hour of interview.

Dan: We try and get someone who’s noteworthy in the history of gaming. We had Rebecca Heineman; she started her gaming career in 1980 at the age of fourteen by landing a job at Atari after winning the National Space Invaders Championship.

If you want to get a rounded opinion of a subject that’s so diverse, talking to someone who’s been in the industry that long is brilliant.

Ravi: Many roots of gaming are based in British culture and a lot of people either ignore that or don’t know about it. Another guest was Professor Richard Bartle, he created Multi-User Dungeons in 1978 or something, which was the first multiplayer online game. The level progression was based on the British class system, and that’s still implemented in games nowadays – things like League of Legends can all be traced back to it.

It’s amazing how far gaming has come in the last forty years...

Dan: It’s the biggest entertainment form in the world and it’s happened very quickly. Look back thirty years and people were playing Pacman.

Ravi: It’s crazy the rate that it’s changed. There’s so many interesting things that get lost because no one captures it or talks about it: companies like Atari, Commodore, BBC Acorn and others that were massive, their stories have almost been pushed out of history.

Dan: In the nineties, there were documentaries about IBM, Apple, yet never a mention of Sinclair or what was big on this side of the pond.

Ravi: It’s only been in the last five years that there’s a big resurgence of interest in the European scene. I used to go to a lot of computer shows and it would be eight people in a town hall with a bored girlfriend sitting at the side. Now I turn up and sometimes there are thousands of people. The whole scene has become big, so the time is right for our podcast.

You’ve had a lot of big names on already…

Dan: We’ve chatted to some of our childhood heroes. We had Tom Kalinske on: he was head of Sega during the Sonic era, and before that he worked for Mattel – he came up with HeMan, and brought back Barbie in the seventies. He was one of the biggest execs in the world and he’s the most down-toearth guy who chatted away to us. I think it’s because a lot of these people are getting to a stage in life where they want to tell their story.

Ravi: And they tell us really cool stuff; Tom, who’s seventy, told us he’s still got a Sega collection in his basement that he still plays on.

E BOYS

I used to go to computer shows and there would be eight people in a town hall with a bored girlfriend sitting at the side.

Dan: There’s a book called The Console Wars about Nintendo and Sega, which Seth Rogan’s making into a movie. It’s about Tom and the company at the time, but he said he was so in the thick of it that he didn’t realise they were making history.

Do you ever worry about lining up guests?

Ravi: The more people we talk to, the more contacts we get and the more information we get about stuff that’s interesting.

The label ‘retro’ is so wide ranging – we’ve had musicians, we’re starting to get artists on, we can get different designers and programmers... The gaming industry has so many different roles, it’s endless. The hardest thing is convincing people that their knowledge or experience is actually worth talking about.

Dan: Jim Sachs, who did one of the first cinematic games in 1986 or something, Defender of the Crown, he said, “Well no one cares about that anymore, surely?” “No, honestly, we’ve got 3,000 listeners each week who would be really interested in this.”

There is a history of gaming and tech in Nottingham – have you touched on that much on the show?

Ravi: On my YouTube channel there’s exclusive footage of Warhammer Online, which was developed in an office down the small alleyway opposite Nottingham Contemporary. I think they spent about £60m on the game and then ended up cancelling it. It was one of the biggest mess-up projects.

I’ve also got lots of old videos from ScreenPlay that I’ve been converting; great stuff like David Doak, who invented Golden Eye, playing against some kids; the guys from Second Life…

Dan: We had Paul Drury on the show, who writes for Nottingham Post and Retro Gamer. He was part of Screenplay so Ravi has known him for years; he gave us loads of advice and gave us a few big name contacts. David Doak came on our show and gave us a history of Rare, and told us about the early days when he first got the Nintendo 64 development kit that was the size of a photocopier. It’s great hearing the inside story on the games you used to play as a kid.

What is it that especially sets you aside from all the other new tech podcasts?

Dan: We touch some of the areas that more mainstream podcasts might not, like we had a special about piracy. We got a guy on who used to be involved with a lot of the big piracy groups like Fairlight, Skidrow and LSD. They ran pirate bulletin boards back in the early nineties and often had the games before they came out in the shops.

Ravi: There were worldwide syndicates who’d use stolen phone cards to dial up other countries, then connect and download games over phones. All highly illegal, but they told us the silly little tricks they used to do – like putting Pritt Stick

over the stamp so you could wipe the postage mark off and use it again.

Dan: One of them got busted – not for ripping off millions of pounds worth of games, but postage fraud.

Ravi: Piracy was a big thing in the UK, it was just rampant.

Dan: It’s the unspoken. We did a presentation in Amsterdam and as part of it we showed a video of discs being copied on a programme called X-Copy that all the kids used on the Amiga.

Everyone was cheering.

Ravi: We asked the ex-head of Commodore what his view on piracy was, to get both sides of the story. Sometimes you get some strange answers, some of them say, “Pirates helped us sell more of the actual hardware.”

What sort of feedback have you had about the podcast?

Ravi: We got nominated for the World’s Best Podcast. We came third – our rivals beat us.

Dan: It was a proper awards show with a do and all that.

We’ve only been going six months so to be nominated for that was pretty crazy. We’ve had really nice feedback off listeners too. One guy said he sits on the bus on the way to work in the morning and forgets that he’s listening to a podcast because of the quality, and then we’ll mention the ZX81 and he’ll think, “What the hell?”

And you’ve been doing well on the iTunes Technology Podcast Chart….

Dan: Apple nominated us as a new and noteworthy podcast after the first month and we were featured on the front page of the podcast section for, like, eight weeks.

Ravi: We’ve hit the top five a couple of times, we beat Myth Busters. We’ve got listeners as far as Palestine, UAE, Japan, Brazil, and a massive US following. We get more Swedish, Danish and German listeners because the systems we talk about were part of that Euro gaming scene.

Where do you want to take it in the future – do you have any bucket list guests?

Ravi: Clive Sinclair. Definitely. He’s impossible to get to. Steve Wozniak as well, head of Apple.

Dan: Nolan Buschnell of Atari. We’ve got a friend who’s an exengineer of Commodore and he’s narrating a documentary that features him at the moment, so… maybe there’s a back door there. We’ve had massive key figures, for six months in we’ve done well. theretrohour.com

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POPOVA TO CONTEMPORARY

words: Bridie Squires

As a resident artist at Primary Studios in Nottingham, and having exhibited everywhere from Berlin to New York, Yelena Popova has set up her latest installation, After Image, at Nottingham Contemporary. Sharing the space with Michael Beutler’s packed, labour-insinuating Pump House, the minimalist work of Russian-born Popova explores images as objects, and how we receive paintings in an ever-growing digital world...

Does a painting cease to be an object once transformed into a digital entity? One of many questions posed by Yelena Popova’s current exhibition at the lacy shipping container on Fletcher Gate. It’s recommended to begin in what’s ordinarily Gallery 2, where vast air circulates and natural light beams into the space from above, onto several simple and pleasing works.

Large portrait paintings hang from the widest wall by brass chains, with lighter abstract images lying beneath a darker layer on each canvas. Strong lines flood them from the sectioned, sloped skylights. “We’ve used the brass chains so the paintings are leaning towards you,” says Yelena. “It’s akin to the retro type of academia hang – the paintings went all the way from floor to ceiling, with the highest paintings leaning towards the audience so they can see the image clearly.”

Yelena encourages visitors to take a seat on the traditional gallery benches in the middle of the room, slowing down to absorb the larger paintings. Images appear and disappear both with the changing light in the room and tricks in the mind, raising the question of how work is perceived by the audience. “If something is not quite there, what do people see?” Yelena asks. It all relates back to digital – “What is a painting? What is an image?”

A water-based medium has allowed the artist to control transparency, “to mix and prepare, like in cooking”, she says. Every detail counts in minimalism, and this is no ready-made meal. The paintings may fade in the natural light, but the artist says she likes that as the work is “not an unchangeable thing.” All these elements – slowing things down, making one’s own paint, morphing perception, and natural light – connect to Yelena’s wider ideas: “I’m looking at how painting functions in the age of digital media, post-internet. So what happens when we used to look at paintings online? As a painter, I do look at a lot of paintings online. Usually people go to the museums, and most likely they have seen images of the paintings before.

So what happens if we divide the painting and the image?

If a painting is not its own image, what’s left there? What is it? How do you perceive an image? Is it an image? Is it an object? Is it a space? Is it an experience? The installation is looking at the painting and how it functions in the public gallery.”

In the same space, the colourful Circles and Ovals is cheeky and forward thinking. Round paintings balance, sit outside frames, inside frames, on frames, above them, below them, too small for the frames, too wide for the frames, all with bits of wood scattered on the floor below, and a head sculpture lying with them. The sculpture is a copy of a copy of a copy, many times over, pointing to ideas about ownership, possession, heritage, lineage and painting.

The bits of wood are recognisable from furniture and also connect to the body.

“The objects are leaning against each other to create the space. Like the whole gallery, it’s playing with the conventions of the display, so how paintings are actually exhibited. The current, or the predominant convention since the early twentieth century was the wide cube, so there’s one single object on the wall with lots of space around it, at the level of the eye. I’m just playing against that convention.

“This part of the exhibition [Gallery 2] builds on a previous body of work. It’s something I’ve been working on for a while, especially the colourful painting, the balanced installation. That’s something I’ve been developing for five years, but it almost becomes a recognisable gesture, so we felt it was important for the Nottingham audience to see that type of earlier work I was making.”

If something is not quite there, what do people see?

In Gallery 1, the atmosphere becomes darker, while the hypnotic and bright video This Certifies That is projected at one end of the room. An eerie, looming, enchanted soundscape plays through four speakers standing in front of the screen, creating the corners of a quadrilateral shape, a kind of experience-floor. The audience is encouraged to explore the music from different physical positions, listening out for various textures and feelings being played through the different speakers.

The animation is mesmerising. Code-generated sequences of moving images based on the Euro banknote are layered and constantly shifting. No pattern will ever be repeated, with an infinite combination of banknote versions ranging in denominations from five to five hundred slipping and sliding between each other. Collaborating with computer programmer Noel Murphy to develop the code, Yelena has produced something quite different to her previous work we saw back in 2013 that was exhibited in Antenna.

“I used to shoot myself documentary-type footage and then put the voiceover over it. I felt it would be better if the image was closer to the way I construct paintings, so it’s quite layered. The use of the machine and the codegenerated sequence is the biggest change in terms of the way I was using video before.”

The soundscape, devised and composed by Nottingham artist Rebecca Lee, has been built from a variety of samples – both human and simulated voices – and is also constantly moving. “I have been working closely with Rebecca Lee. It’s the third time we’ve collaborated on video and I think it’s becoming deeper and better the more we work together.

It feels like the work is evolving constantly.” As we stand in the gallery, a male voice reaches out from the soundscape: “Anyone can trade goods, anyone can trade virtue.”

Yelena started this particular project a year ago, alluding to political forgery and flooding the economy with fake money, which happened in Russia. Circulation channels through in this piece, as does the idea of layers and layered thinking as found in the first part of the experience. And again, Yelena asks “How much do you have to give away for someone to take something from it?” as we watch images that are trying to be real. A vague image of a 3D, sculptural head spins around which was “free, online, and ready to use” for the piece, signalling these ideas of value, ownership, heritage, museum, copy and replica.

Copper plates sit beside the video – etchings made in the limited number of thirty. The material refers back to the traditional way of printing money, where the wallpaper on the opposite wall dominates with lines used in an antiforgery feature introduced by the Bank of England in the late eighteenth century. These elegant, formal lines again speak of layers.

If you hang around for long enough, you’ll discover that the video animation eventually ‘crashes’ into blankness, a screen dominated by white space. Then it begins again.

This happens once every twelve minutes – a barrage of sounds and images followed by pure quiet.

Other pieces in this space include Cornelius: The Collector’s Case and Russian Radicals. The former is a flight case holding ten paintings, again highlighting ownership and value of the object. Yelena speaks of Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of a Nazi general who hoarded thousands of Modernist art works on a shelf unit in the middle of a flat in Germany.

It’s these kinds of stories that have brought into question the devices of paintings and displays.

Researching radical Russian movements, Yelena discovered most of the intellectuals were men with beards. Russian Radicals is a series of anonymous stoneware portraying these characters on stoneware, playfully pieced together with aspects missing and moved, again harking back to political forgery. She found the alchemy of the glazes interesting, using the medium to refer to contemporary style, challenging the ideas of Russian thinking.

“I recently discovered ceramics, so it’s the first kind of trial moving in that direction,” says Yelena. “The work is constantly shifting, and I do get excited about lots of different ideas.” nottinghamcontemporary.com

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interview: Lucy Manning photo: Louise Clutterbuck

The feistiest ladies on the Notts pop scene come in the form of Natalie and Colette of You Want Fox. Ditching their punk personas of the past but maintaining the kick-ass attitude that com es along with it, the pair are taking the music scene by stor m. We had a word – and a couple of bevvies – to get the inside scoop...

You Want Fox formed in early 2015, but you’ve played together before that, right?

Natalie: We’ve played in loads of different bands. We were in a band called The Stilettos, and another called GlitterSpit, which was a bit more electro pop. Alex Mighten – also known as Karizma, who was in Out Da Ville – featured on a song. We also played in The Smears.

Where did the name You Want Fox come from?

Colette: It was good old iPhone predictive text.

Natalie: She was saying, “Do you want sex?” to her partner, and it came up as You Want Fox... Joking.

Colette: That sounds a bit like Manuel from Fawlty Towers...

Natalie: You should never call your band something beginning with The or T, S or R. You get submerged in the middle of things and you get missed.

Why the transition from punk to pop?

Natalie: We’ve always been secret pop whores.

Colette: We love Ameriie – we went to see her at Glee Club. And we saw Little Mix. We got really drunk. I don’t remember much of it.

Natalie: We sang every single word.

Can you see yourselves bringing any dance routines into the mix?

Natalie: Do you know what, I wouldn’t rule it out for a music video. Hot men…

Colette: Dressed as foxes…

The title of the new album, You Can’t Sit With Us, is a direct quote from Mean Girls. Which ‘mean girl’ would you be?

Natalie: I’d like to be Regina because she’s beautiful, but I don’t wanna be a bitch.

Colette: I like Gretchen because she doesn’t realise she’s bitching…

Natalie: Yeah, that’s definitely you. I’m the dark horse in that one – the goth girl, Janice.

What’s your songwriting process?

Natalie: I go in the shower and I start singing. I find a melody, and it’s like an entire orchestra – I can see all the parts in my head. I have to record it there and then and send it to Colette. But then she visualises me naked and she gets all horny, and then every time we play that song she’ll get the horn on.

Colette: Yeah, and then I can’t concentrate. The creativity comes to me when I’m driving. I’ll pull over and record it and all you can hear are my fingers on the steering wheel doing the drum beats and my indicator clicking.

You guys are not necessarily typical pop princesses. Do you think pop needs a stronger female voice?

Colette: It’s good that we play our own instruments and write our own songs as a lot of pop is manufactured, the

Simon Cowell crap. There are a lot of strong female role models out there, I just think the music is getting lost a bit.

Natalie: There’s so much out there. I love Spotify right now.

They do this thing called Discovery Weekly, where they give you thirty tracks based on what you’ve previously listened to. I get some amazing tracks.

Who are your ultimate ‘bad girl’ idols?

Colette: Gwen Stefani has been my idol since I was a kid, I absolutely love her. She doesn’t give a damn, she wears what she wants, and she’s really creative.

Natalie: M.I.A for me, she’s a bad girl.

Colette: I know it’s not music, but I love Anna Faris.

She plays some absolutely mental roles. I saw her in Movie 43 the other day and she said, “I want you to poop on my chest.”

Natalie: If we’re going non-musicians, then Fairuza Balk.

She’s like, the ultimate bad girl.

What’s the most rock‘n’roll thing you’ve ever done?

Natalie: We were in Liverpool not long back, exploring and getting absolutely trashed on Prosecco – as you do. Then we got a reminder that we’d booked a spa day and had our massage, facial and pedicure appointments to go to. We turned up, tried to swim and nearly sank. We were ushered off to our treatment rooms where we both woke each other up snoring, and one of us nearly vomited all over the lovely girls massaging us. I won’t say who it was because we made a pact.

Colette: It was Natty Fox. What’s the most rock‘n’roll thing you want to do?

Natalie: I just wanna play a decent festival. I don’t wanna smash anything up or break it. We’re past that. We’ve done that.

Colette: It would be wicked to play a massive festival.

Reading and Leeds, or Glastonbury.

Do you prefer crowds who already know the songs or do you like having to win them over?

Natalie: Winning them over. I like growing the fan base.

Colette: I remember playing a gig before the album was released, and people were stood at the front singing along.

That always amazes me.

Have you ever performed drunk?

Colette: Yeah. Loads. I had an out of body experience on stage. I’d been drinking all day, and then had a few shots of sambuca just before we went on, and I remember watching my arms as I was playing and thinking, “I don’t know if I’m playing fast enough, I don’t know how I’m here.”

Natalie: There’s been a few times we’ve been on tour and had breakfast in a can. I often wake up naked next to Colette, and wonder why she’s stripped me and not bothered putting my jimmies on...

Colette: You do a lot of stripping yourself right in front of me.

What’s been the biggest milestone for the band so far?

Colette: We’ve just sparked the interest of a manager in London. It’s somebody who has a good reputation. He said he liked what he heard and that we’d made him sit up and listen.

Do you have any strange fans that have followed from your previous projects?

Colette: We have a guy that comes to a few gigs. He stands at the front, takes his shoes and socks off and dances around his handbag.

Natalie: The first time he did it, the smell of his feet was so bad that we now always take perfume on stage with us.

We’ve been told we’re the best smelling band about town.

Colette: One of my exes used to say to me, “You don’t even wanna know what they’re saying when you lot are on stage”. That used to creep me out. Nobody minds being complimented, but there was a sinister undertone to it sometimes.

We both woke each other up snoring, and one of us nearly vomited all over the lovely girls massaging us.

Is that part of the reason you’ve gone over to pop?

Natalie: We’ve always wanted to do that, so no.

What three people would you invite out on the lash with You Want Fox? Natalie: Someone funny, someone hot…

Colette: Anna Faris. Johnny Depp would be the eye candy.

Natalie: And someone rich to buy the drinks…

Colette: Taylor Swift. She earned 130 million last year. We’ll bin her off, but we’ll nick her handbag. Then we can crack on with the fun.

Natalie: With Johnny.

Colette: Two become three...

Natalie: There’s four, though, cos Anna’s there.

Colette: She can watch.

What can people expect from a You Want Fox gig?

Natalie: Lots of fun. We don’t take ourselves seriously at all, and we like to interact with the audience. And our songs are really easy so they’ll be able to join in after the second chorus.

You Want Fox are playing at the Waterfront Festival on Saturday 13 August and Macmillan Fest on Saturday 3 September. youwantfox.com leftlion.co.uk/issue81

19

interview: Ali Emm photos: David Baird

It’s been ten years since the Sneinton Dragon first took up his position on the corner of Manvers Street and Sneinton Hermitage. With an impressive 16ft wingspan, he’s a magnificent beast and we thought it was high time we spoke to the artist behind the behemoth, local sculptor Robert Stubley.

How’re you doing?

I’m on Colwick Park, sat by the lake – it’s beautiful.

look at something and think, “Ooh, I could make that better.”

Your dragon stands at the entrance to Sneinton – how long have you been a resident?

About 27 years now. I’m from The Meadows originally, then moved to Sneinton when I was seven years old. I’ve lived here most of my life.

You do hear that most artists are never 100% happy with their finished work…

I don’t know whether I’m artist. Craftsperson, I suppose.

You had two dragons at the back of your house, what happened to them?

I gave them away, basically. Just moved on, new ideas. I don’t know when they went, I’m terrible with dates – I didn’t even know it was ten years since the dragon’s been up till you mentioned it.

The ones at your home were chained down. Was that for the practical or the aesthetic?

Both really. Chained, you know, keeping something vicious under control, I suppose.

Did anyone try and nick them?

Nah, a dangerous undertaking really. They were heavy and very, very spiky.

They obviously caught the eye of someone or other, how did the Sneinton Dragon commission come about?

It was Nottingham City Council. They did a survey of what art work the residents of Sneinton wanted, and everyone said they’d like a dragon. So that’s what they got.

Do you have a particular fascination with dragons?

It takes everything in, with the medium as well, stainless steel: it’s like a snake, a lizard, a dinosaur, a bat… and the lovely curves. You can get lovely curves into it. And great expression. I wanted it to look humorous, like an alligator – you don’t know whether it’s grinning or grimacing. Summat like that. Someone said it looks malevolent, whatever that means.

It took you about three months to make – how big is he?

The wings are 8ft each. It’s about 12ft in length, but it’s all curly wurly – if you uncoiled it and straightened his tail out, it would be about 20ft.

How did it feel when the last piece was in place?

Straight away I wish I’d made two slightly smaller ones and put them in the open. One on each side of the road – like a gateway to Sneinton. I don’t really like it at the minute, I’d change it if I could. That’s the way it is, you

We’ll have beg to differ on that one. You didn’t start sculpting until you were in your forties…

I started in 2000. I was a welder by trade, but I had a bit of time and money on my hands and I thought it was a good idea. I saw a dragon gate by Gaudi in Barcelona and I thought, “I’ll have a go at making a dragon in my spare time.” So I made one and I just got carried away with it then, thinking, “How can I use this medium, stainless steel, and how can I form it, and how can I get the results that I want?” And that’s what I worked at.

Have you always worked in such large scale?

I like to work big if I can, not always convenient, though.

I made one so big once that I couldn’t get it out of my workshop. I had to cut it up and then weld it back together outside.

Where was your workshop?

Mainly in my shed, and a gentleman very kindly let me use his garage in a garden in Sneinton for a while.

Have you done any other public art?

I did the Sneinton Dragon as cheap as possible for the City Council and was hoping get commissions off the back of it, but it never happened. I’d like the chance.

Nottingham Castle are talking about having a revamp and I think a piece in there would go really well. Even if it was up for sale, and they just displayed it on their site – they get a lot of rich tourists, so you never know your luck. But they seemed reluctant, which I found surprising because it would help to bring a bit of enterprise to Nottingham city centre. You think they would have jumped at the idea because they would have got a piece of sculpture exhibited for next to nothing.

Do you draw as well?

I just do little patterns, as I call them. Just patterns and then piece it together. Everybody’s a bit artistic, everybody knows that a nice car is a nice car, it’s just an instinct that we have – I suppose the ladies know a virile man when his muscles are rippling, and vice versa.

If you would like to contact Robert with any enquiries regarding commissions, please contact ali@leftlion.co.uk.

d small. res great an tu a re c e me g n elp you beco n with stra h u rr to e g v o in e in m a o tr has bec lve and enge?

Nottingham tance to evo is s s a , for the chall g p n u ri e tu ’r p u a o c y d k r. Thin They nee Notts maste é k o P te a im the ult

Poshachu HP 33/33 Type: Spiffing / Normal Weight/Height: 0.12kg/1.43m Area found: West Bridgford Pokenotts Power: Many Monies As long as Poshachu is your Active Pokenotts, you can use it to tackle your dire financial situation. Careful though, passing too many expensive jewellery shops will rile the creature into breaking out and remortgaging.

Collect Rich Background and Snoot to boost this power.

HP 18/18 Type: Smouldering / Normal Weight/Height: 52kg/2m Area found: Market Square Pokenotts Power: Subculture Hype You can find this one hanging around the Square with all the other Cybergothbats, occasionally kicking the Schuh shutter and wreaking havoc.

Evolved from the Gothbat, but nobody seems to see them around these days.

Power up on Monster Cans and Roll Ups for maximum impact.

Libreedle

Major Oakemon

HP 15/15

HP 27/27

Type: Inside / Normal Weight/Height: 0.93kg/0.71m Area: Bromley House Library Pokenotts Power: Well Read Deceptively small. With a Libreedle as your Active Pokenotts, an opponent can expect to be crushed by the sonic weight of words. Careful, though. Too long outside the confines of Bromley House Library and your Pokenotts will start to lose energy. Use Custard Creams to power up.

22

Cybergothbat

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Type: Woodland / Tree Weight/Height: 2300 kg/28m Area found: Sherwood Forest Pokenotts Power: Nuff Strength This sturdy fella is more brawn than brain, and is best used as a hideout for other Pokenotts, including Robin HootHoot and Maid Mareep. Be wary not to come into close contact with fire Pokenotts, and make sure to keep a steady supply of Water Bombs in your Pokedex to quell any fiery outbreaks.

Hipstermanchan HP 1/25 Type: Amazeballs / Unique Weight/Height: 48kg /1.7m Area found: Hockley Pokenotts Power: Trouser Roll Don’t forget about the surprise attack. This Pokenotts will throw independent-coffee-shop coffee all over your opponent and blabber on about philosophy and obscure bands in order to confuse. Find them in the depths of vintage shops, and they can be evolved by collecting vinyls. You will need to find a record player for it, though.

Golfduck HP 38/38 Type: Swinger / Middle Class Weight/Height: 0.5kg/1.22m Area found: Wollaton Pokenotts Power: Sweet Birdie Gather all the Real Ale you can to power up Golfduck. This Pokenotts may look undefeatable, but just one look at a Bo-Ohgey and it’ll be rolling around on the floor in defeat. Watch out for Shroomish around these parts, they’ll spin your Golfduck into a frenzy of a trip.

After having delved into the more nefarious world of Nottinghamshire’s bitter dukes, corrupt crooks and outlandish eccentrics, it is a pleasant change to investigate a more deservingly treasured local character. Those who attain nobility through their actions, rather than birthright, should not be lost to history simply because they were of a kind and modest disposition. Noted Nottingham historian and journalist Cornelius Brown is this month’s antidote to the pettifoggers whose tales we oft tell of; a man who upheld his ideals and worked with a conviction to better the world as he passed through it.

From observations of his childhood, it is easy to see why Cornelius became such a fine-turned-out gentleman in later life. Born in the village of Lowdham in 1852, he came from humble, working class beginnings but was granted fortune as a young boy with both a good education at the village school and much encouragement from his parents.

Imbued with a rich curiosity for knowledge and a strong aptitude for learning, Cornelius was lucky enough to continue his secondary education at Mr Clough’s private school in East Bridgford.

Clearly recognising the boy’s intelligence, rather than impose their own aspirations for his future, Cornelius’ parents allowed him to pursue his own academic and journalistic endeavours. A risky and ambitious career choice compared to the relative security of the family bakery, it would have taken a great deal of determination to follow his passion. Luckily for him, these requisite qualities for success were in no short supply.

No stranger to hard work, Cornelius set about teaching himself shorthand in an attempt to boost his chances of success in the competitive newspaper business.

Moving to the city armed with promise and passion, he was soon awarded an apprenticeship at The Nottingham Daily Guardian. His talents quickly became apparent as he rose through the ranks to become a regular writer for the paper.

A charismatic raconteur, with notes scribbled upon his shirt cuffs, he would regale audiences with his tales...

Yet it was not only his work which captivated the fascination of young Cornelius, it was equally Nottingham and its rich history which stirred him. Having persuaded the editor to grant him his own column, Cornelius chose a topic which enthralled him and began a section of notes on our great city, which was later compiled into his first book, Notes About Notts, in 1874. This collection of “singular sayings, curious customs, eccentric epitaphs and interesting items” became a conclusive guide to Nottingham history, popular with locals and historians alike for its in-depth and accessible nature.

The same year as he published Notes About Notts, and at just 22 years of age, Cornelius was appointed editor of The Newark Advertiser, and soon after became a partner in the firm alongside a Mr Whiles. The two were a principled partnership, agreeing not to take more than £8 a year into their own pockets until the business raised a profit of £300 a year, but that was not the only credit to their fine company’s name.

Whiles took care of the financial and business matters, leaving Cornelius to air his influence in all editorial matters, and from the outset in this position Cornelius set a high standard for the paper. Making sure to give fair and conclusive accounts, avoid bias and encourage his younger staff, The Newark Advertiser – and more importantly, Cornelius’ editorship – became highly respected, even by rival firms.

Having landed in the centre of Nottingham’s cultural and political scene, with obvious passion for his surroundings, Cornelius developed a wealth of inside knowledge surrounding local political events and social happenings. His experience within Nottingham’s world of journalism gave him all the requirements for a man of great conversation. A charismatic raconteur, with notes scribbled upon his shirt cuffs, he would regale audiences with his tales both on the stage and around the dinner table with a debonair charm and wit, often finding himself breaking into fits of laughter throughout.

A man of great conviction, his strong ideals were matched with a warmth of character which won him a great deal of friends and admirers, not least amongst the young men who worked under his care at the Advertiser.

Perhaps the encouragement he himself received at a tender age made him so apt for nurturing the talents of those around him, or perhaps it was his innate optimistic curiosity which always saw the best in his various proteges.

Yet his work as a journalist was never at the expense of his passionate vocation to local history. Cornelius’ interest for his home county of Nottinghamshire was clear from the continued volumes he wrote about our city. His laborious and painstaking research, collecting sources and studying dusty deeds and documents, belied a deep pride for our county and its stories. In Worthies of Nottingham, a compilation of our most famous and accomplished decedents, he

wrote of his hope that the work might help intrigue the young of the county and help them connect to our rich heritage.

Cornelius’ final works were to be his most lengthy and commemorated; A History of Newark was a definitive two volume study, some fifteen years in the making. Containing over 300 illustrations and 700 letterpress pages, the works were a labour of love for Cornelius. In his own words, “Newark is worthy of the book, and if the book prove worthy of the town, my ambition and reward are alike realised.” On 31 October 1907, he submitted his final proof of the final volume, yet the event was not altogether a joyous one. Just a few short days later he was taken ill, never to recover, and never to see his final masterpiece revealed.

With the poison of tabloid journalism today, our newspapers have lost some of their reputation as upstanding centres of information and are instead often fraught with scandal, corruption and bias, overlaid with petty stories to distract and disturb, and are distrusted by many. Those pulling the strings, often moved by money and prestige, forget their duty to their readers and journalists alike and, in line with the trend for sensationalism, seek to sway minds for gains of their own.

It was not the glamour of journalism which seduced Cornelius; his immense commitment to celebrating not only the present, but the rich past of our fine county, sacrificing all those long hours to laborious study, demonstrates a man of noble conviction. His great contribution to understanding our collective history persists to this day, and through his work thousands have connected with a history which brings the past to life in our own time.

Cornelius Brown, for all his gentle, amiable ways, was anything but inconsequential, and the influence he had over his paper and the men he managed left an admirable legacy. It refreshes and inspires to hear of such a top-notch man who deserved every success he encountered along the way, and we can only hope for the future Cornelius’ of the world, and their media, the same fortunes are granted.

The Dilettante Society Meeting, Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Monday 15 August, 7.30pm, free.

All welcome, the more the merrier. facebook.com/thedilettantesociety

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23

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Now that we’ve all been shafted one way or another by the government, it’s more important than ever to understand economics. With this in mind, James Walker has signed up for a ten-week reading of Karl Marx’s Capital at the ‘Tempreh. It’s a well heavy book but that’s what happens when you have well heavy ideas. One said idea he hopes to better understand is the possibility of a zero-hour mortgage…

First off, let’s have a few stats about the right miserable mess we’re in. I’m not talking about Brexit, Trident or Big Sam becoming the next England manager. I’m talking about two four-letter words that define our lives: work and home.

According to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) there were 10,732 repossessions of rented homes by bailiffs between January and March. Although this was down by 123 during the same period in 2015, it was up by 479 for the final quarter of 2015. But we should be grateful as The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) believe if repossessions continue to drop at the current rate, we’ll be at our lowest annual numbers since 1982. Back when houses were affordable.

There are some reasons to be cheerful in terms of buying a property. The standard variable rate for a mortgage has plummeted and a rise in stamp duty has slightly halted property developers from playing Hungry Hippos and swallowing up entire streets. But this has been offset by the ridiculous increase in house prices that simply make it impossible for anyone to save up a deposit, let alone get a mortgage. I bought my first home when I was 21 and it was roughly three times my annual wage. My current home is seven times my annual wage. The house is the same size.

This may explain why rents in both the social and private sectors have risen this year by around 7-9%. The landlords who’ve had their arse smacked by the Chancellor are passing this cost onto the poor buggers who can’t afford to get onto the property ladder. So expect the MoJ eviction figures to increase, as the cap on housing allowance kicked in at the beginning of April. Then there’s the 7.2million of you, according to Churchill Insurance, who moved back in with the parents because a relationship went bust and you’re too skint to rent alone.

For those without the luxury of parents, there’s the streets.

You always know when the Toffs are in power because the number of people ‘begging’ zooms up. On an average walk across town, I probably get stopped between five to ten times for “a spare bit of change”. Expect more of this as hostels, Citizen’s Advice, and public sector support service staff increasingly begin to evaporate.

What we really need is change.

Banks have a lot of loose change at the moment. They’ve saved a bundle in wages by adopting the trend set by supermarkets and kitting out their stores with self-service machines. The unidentified item in the bagging area is staff. People are losing their jobs in every area of work as technology slowly takes hold. Ring up for a taxi and you’ll no longer be put through to a call centre of eternally bored operators. Instead, there’s an efficient automated service that tells you where you want picking up from before you’ve even said a word. And you know the world is screwed when Waitrose gets in on the trend and stiffs checkout staff in favour of self-service machines.

over the past five years, six banks were fined a record £4.3bn for rigging foreign exchange rates and Lloyds were given a £4bn slap around the chops for mis-selling payment protection insurance. So why exactly did we bail out the banks again?

According to the Sutton Trust, the poorest British students will graduate with debts in excess of £50,000. In the US, where students study for an extra year, the average debt at a private, for-profit university is £29,000. Although state-sponsored loans are linked to future earnings, these debts are subject to inflation so the money keeps going up.

Students who studied a decade or so ago will tell you that although their debts were a lot cheaper, the loans have been sold off to debt agencies, despite the promise that they wouldn’t, and they now fear earning a penny above a certain threshold because it will trigger larger repayments.

For those of us fortunate enough to have a job, there is the constant restructuring of departments and the shoehorning of two jobs into one, and for an added bonus, with reduced hours. Some of us have had our wages frozen for so long we have to put gloves on when we draw money out the bank.

We’re told we should be grateful that we’ve got a job, and expected to smile when we receive the ‘Happy Friday’ email wishing us the very best for the weekend and don’t be late in on Monday.

For adolescents who’ve skipped further education, there’re the temp agencies where you’re guaranteed the minimum of work for the minimum amount of money. One lad I spoke to told me he had to drive to Grimsby to do a two-hour shift, and he wasn’t paid for his petrol or the four hours the round trip took. He had to do it because if he refused they wouldn’t consider him for other work. Work left him out of pocket. Of course, this is completely illegal but it goes on all the time.

“Keep calm and carry on” is the expression. This translates as “Shut the hell up and do as you’re told”.

A zero-hours mortgage would work exactly like a zero-hours contract. If there’s no work, there’s no mortgage payment.

Simples. It’s not your fault that you’re losing your job in the call centre to the latest Siri. If you do work a few hours then you pay a proportionate payment. Yes, calculating this could be a ball ache but isn’t that better than repossessing a home and putting a family out on the street?

A university lecturer told me recently that universities need to throw out all of their liberal newspapers and stock the Financial Times. He said that’s where the power is; in the things people don’t understand. The things that are deliberately made complicated. For this reason, he believes economics should be at the heart of everything that it is taught, no matter what the discipline. It’s for this reason that I’ve joined a ten-week reading group at the Nottingham Contemporary led by Professor John Hutnyk.

Each week there will be a three-hour discussion on one chapter from Karl Marx’s Capital Volume One. It’s a beast of a book and something I’ve always been afraid of until now.

I don’t believe in communism, and I certainly don’t believe in capitalism in its current manifestation. All I know is that something isn’t right at the moment and the system needs a bit of tinkering. Hopefully this book group – comprised of PhD students, unemployed, artists, etc. from Manchester, Mansfield and other places not necessarily beginning with M – will help me figure it out.

The sessions will run every Wednesday from 20 July to 28 September, 11am - 2pm, with a lunch break where refreshments will be provided. Free. nottinghamcontemporary.org/event/ reading-capital-nottingham

Zero-hours contracts are the reality for most of us now.

University lecturers are paid by the term and join an expendable workforce who can be got rid of with the flicker of an eyebrow. And this is where the Big Society steps in.

The volunteers who run our libraries. The volunteers who cut down the forests. The volunteers who write for free for magazines because they have the deluded idea they can make a difference. In some respects we’ve been complicit.

All of which finally gets me to my point. If we are expected to live flexibly in a Big Society on zero-hours contracts, isn’t it time we had a more flexible mortgage, a zero-hours mortgage, to reflect the reality of our lives?

Banks need to cut back on wages because they’ve finally been caught with their pants down. According to the CCP Research Foundation, the top twenty banks paid out £252bn in conduct charge rebates

words: James Walker illustration: Natalie Owen

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25

PICK OF THE MONTH SAT 13 AUG

SAT 30 JULY

SUN 9 OCT

1pm

Waterfront Festival The Canalhouse

Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition Nottingham Castle

In one of the most swashbucking music events of the year, I’m Not From London are taking over The Canalhouse with the massive Waterfront Festival. For one day and one day only, the biggest names on the local scene will be filling the stages, back to back, to provide the soundtrack to a mad Saturday. You Want Fox, Eyre Llew, The Barnum Meserve and Future Shinjuku are just some of the names on the lineup that spans across three rooms. The event is all in aid of charity, and last year everyone managed to raise over £17,000. This year, the charities you’ll be supporting are Brake, The John Eastwood Hospice Trust, and Nottingham City Hospital’s The Wolfson Cystic Fibrosis Centre. In celebration of the great rock ‘n’ roll legends that passed earlier this year, you’re all invited to dress up as one of your favourite rock stars, with prizes available for the most outrageous costume. So dig out your best platform boots and get the missus to do you some well good eyeliner, you don’t wanna be the only one in your everyday clobber. £10.50

THURS 4 AUG

SAT 6 AUG

SAT 6 AUG

SAT 13 AUG

8pm

10am

Sons of Pizza Ride Out Suede Bar

Yazmin Lacey & The Echoes Nottingham Contemporary

The Invention of Acting The Television Workshop The creators of Notts’ best-loved musical, Mrs Green, are back. This time, with a hilarious sketch show that’ll have yer gigglin’ till you wet your knickers. Starring Ben Welch, aka Mrs Green, Trev Cole of D.I.D, and Zara White who you may have seen starring alongside Sheridan Smith in Powder Room, the three pals have discovered the art of pretending, and bring a whole host of proper joke characters along with ‘em. There’ll be opera-singing monkeys, a sketch about the EU that’s really nothing to do with the EU at all, and a couple of hilarious comedy songs thrown in for good measure.

Having taken the rest of the country by storm on their tour, the home turf dates are bound the be the best of the bunch. Book your tickets online now, and have your nappies at the ready. £6

SAT 13 AUG

We don’t half love it when a big shot comes to Notts. And they don’t really come much bigger – in the art world, at least – than Leonardo da Vinci himself. The early-Renaissance Italian genius had his fingers in all the pies, with an interest in everything from invention to botany, astronomy to anatomy. Not only that, but he’s the artist behind some of the world’s most famous works, including The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. There ain’t nothing this bloke couldn’t do. This month, Nottingham Castle is gonna be home to ten of the main man’s finest drawings from his Royal Collection. There’ll be a little slice of everything in there as he loved to use a whole range of media: pen and ink, red and black chalk, watercolour and metal point, so there’ll be a little something for everyone to get ogling. Whether you’re right into your art or have been under the impression we’ve been banging on about the Titanic actor, it’s an opportunity not to be missed. The exhibition will run until October, so you’ve got plenty of time to get yersen up there. Castle admission applies.

SUN 14 AUG

Melodica Festival Rough Trade and JamCafe

Every Saturday night, everyone’s favourite shipping container hosts some of the best sounds about. This August, we’ve got some talent of our very own. The finest of the city’s pipes will be creating evening of smooth vocals, contemporary percussion and dark electronica. Yazmin Lacey will be joined by The Echoes in delivering a soul- and jazz-influenced set after grinding away on Gilles Peterson and Brownswood’s Future Bubblers programme. This’ll be the first largescale performance with the band, and we can’t wait to see how she’s morphed from the humble acoustic vibe.

Also appearing on the night will be singer-songwriter Daudi Matsiko with his thought-provoking folk music spanning the emotions, plus Natti Rudyj and her soothingly raspy trip hop. You’d be a bleddy sausage for missing this one. Free

SUN 28 AUG

MON 29 AUG

Dinosaur Zoo Nottingham Playhouse

Back in 2007, some clever so and so from Australia had the bright idea of hosting a festival that’d bring together acoustic musicians from all over the shop.

Nothing new there – it’s a pretty standard festival concept – but this one’s special because it moves from country to country. The musicians get to play in different cities around the world, and said cities get to hear a right good mix of musical musings that they wouldn’t normally get the chance to see. Stopping off in Nottingham for the first time ever, Melodica is bringing acts from Sweden, Australia, Germany, France, Austria, the US of A and, of course, England. Most of the lineup are unplugged, but they’re not averse to the odd one using loop pedals and laptops, as well a few strippedback sets from electro bands. Set at Rough Trade and JamCafe, it’ll be lush sounds in intimate spaces. Don’t mind if we do. Entry by donation

If you’re well into your motorbikes and are partial to a pizza or four, we may just have sourced your dream day out. The blokes behind Suede Bar and clothing label SKON are not short of cool points, and they wanna bring you in on the coolest day out Notts has possibly ever seen. They’re asking you to bring your bikes to Suede for 10am for a caffeinated pick-me-up, where you’ll receive a SKON rider vest and helmet decal. After a brief hello, you’ll all ride out in pack-formation to Santa Pod, where you gotta ‘run what you brung’. Or if you’re not the drag strip type, you can have a goose from the sidelines. After all that, you’re bound to be well marvin’, so it’s back to Suede for all you can eat pizza and live music. £10 event fee includes all you can eat pizza, SKON riders vest and helmet decal. Additional £10 entrance fee to Santa Pod + £25 to race.

Big kids, listen up. If you’ve wiled away many a sleepless night imagining yourself walking alongside diplodocus across great plains, or fighting a T-rex off using the bone of a woolly mammoth, then your ship’s just come in. For two nights only, you can join the folk of Dinosaur Zoo as they bring all their prehistoric pals to the stage in a hilarious production that’ll tickle your imagination good and proper. Having performed on the West End, it’s set to be a top dollar performance for all the famleh. There’ll be little baby dinos to coo at, and somewhat larger beasts to keep a safe distance from. There’s even a chance to meet the ferocious cast members – the dinosaurs, not their handlers – after the show. You are warned though, that some of the bloodthirsty critters may not be as tame as they seem. Keep your wits about you… £12.50 - £15.

SUN 28 AUG

Paa Joe & The Lion Broadway Cinema Remember our feature about the Ghanaian coffin makers from a couple of issues ago? Nottingham-based documentary maker Benjamin Wigley has been filming the father and son craftsmen for five years and the resulting feature film made its debut at Sheffield Doc/ Fest in June. Now, you can see it in all its glory with a whole host of fun bookending the gala screening at Broadway. But what of the subjects? Paa Joe and his son Jacob create elaborate designs that bridge the gap between art and function, with all sorts in their repertoire, from Mercedez-Benz coffins to a syringeshaped resting place. The lion? Literally speaking, it’s a giant wooden coffin shaped like the king of the jungle ‘imsen. A true work of art. Figuratively speaking, well, you’ll have to have a watch and see for yourselves.

You’re in for a Ghanaian-based treat.

Get weekly updates of Nottingham events at leftlion.co.uk/newsletter 26

leftlion.co.uk/issue81

event listings ...for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings MONDAY 1 AUG

TUESDAY 2 AUG

WEDNESDAY 3 AUG

THURSDAY 4 AUG

FRIDAY 5 AUG

SATURDAY 6 AUG

Notts Outlaws v Worcestershire Rapids Trent Bridge 2pm

Play Factory Nottingham Contemporary Free

Open Mic Night The Maze Free, 8pm

Nightfish The Southbank Bar Nottingham City Free

The Fab Two The Lion at Basford Free, 9pm

Back To Mine The Market Bar Free, 10pm

Hack 2.5 Evening Nottingham Hackspace 7pm

Open Hack Night Nottingham Hackspace Free, 6:30pm

Stealth VS Rescued Rescue Rooms Free, 10pm

Bushcraft Summer School Highfields Park £85, 10am

To Catch a Thief (1955) Europa, Mon Amour Nottingham Contemporary £5, 7pm - 8:30pm

Little Bribes, Merrick’s Tusk, Papayer and Bluebird Rough Trade Nottingham Free, 7pm

Angel Row History Forum Nottingham Central Library Free, 10am

Datto Ping!

Nottingham Launch Event Nottingham City Centre – Secret Location Free, 11am

No Ditching + Tough Tits + Poirot’s Boys JT Soar £5, 8pm Too Deep For A Monday The Orange Tree £3, 7pm A Boy and A Bear in a Boat Clifton Library £2, 2pm NVA DevCamp Beginner National Videogame Arcade £130 - £140, 10am - 3pm

A Boy and A Bear in a Boat presented by The Spark Arts for Children St Ann’s Valley Library £2, 11am

Pond Dipping Martin’s Pond Free, 1pm

Orienteering Challenge Woodthorpe Grange Park Free, 1pm

Wiff Waff Das Kino 7:30pm - 10pm

Reading Capital in Nottingham Nottingham Contemporary Free, 11am - 2pm

Scribbler’s Spoken Word A Room With A Brew Free, 8pm - 10pm

WEDNESDAY 3 AUG

THURSDAY 4 AUG

TUESDAY 2 AUG Albosel Rough Trade Nottingham Free, 7pm The Brother Moves On + Lulu Falemara + Daddio The Maze £7, 8pm

CJ Ramone The Doghouse £12/£15, 7:30pm ¡Ay, Carmela! + Baby Arms JT Soar £4 / £5, 8pm Board Games Night The Malt Cross Free, 1:30pm

An Evening with Notts Cricket Legend Luke Fletcher The Southbank Bar £5, 6pm Will Jeffrey Live Baresca Free, 7pm Chameleons Vox The Rescue Rooms 6:30pm

Outdoor Theatre: Gulliver’s Travels Wollaton Park £10/£15/£40, 7pm HopFest The Hop Pole

MC Devvo Rescue Rooms £7, 6pm

The City Questions Summer School Nottingham Contemporary Free

The Mocking Jays + Twin Kidd + Blind Thieves The Maze £3/£4, 7:30pm

Scrumptious Shortbread Green’s Windmill £3, 11am

Electromagnetic Field Nottingham Hackspace

FRIDAY 5 AUG

International Beer Day The Poppy and Pint

Scorpio Unplugged The Rose of England Free, 8pm - 11:30pm

IPA Weekend The Embankment Nottingham

Friday Night Project Southbank Bar - City Free

#FirstFriday: AfterHours Supperclub Debbie Bryan £40, 10am

The Fiona Stein Association Live Baresca Free, 9:30pm

SATURDAY 6 AUG

Mannequin + Autumn Diet Plans Tour The Chameleon Arts Cafe £5, 7:30pm - 11pm

Nottingham Forest v Burton Nottingham Forest Football Club 3pm

Northern Soul Evening The Doghouse 7pm - 1am Saturday Night Jam Southbank Bar - City Free, 7pm Vinyl Floor Specialists Baresca Free, 8pm Mak and Pasteman Stealth £5, 10pm 3 Legged Cat The Lion at Basford Free, 9pm Fan Club Summer All Dayer Rough Trade Nottingham Free, 12pm Headway The Rescue Rooms £8.50, 6:30pm Chronicles + Descending Angels + Zero Divide + Deathflux + Beneath Broken Skies The Maze £3/£4, 7pm

NOTTINGHAM MELA NETWORK PRESENTS

MUSIC, DANCE, THEATRE, FILM, SPORTS, FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES, DELICIOUS CUISINE & MUCH MORE! FRIDAY 9 SEPTEMBER

NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE

SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER

NEW ART EXCHANGE

SUNDAY 11 SEPTEMBER

NOTTINGHAM CASTLE

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.NAE.ORG.UK / #NOTTSMELA NOTTINGHAM MELA NETWORK IS NEW ART EXCHANGE AND NOTTINGHAM ASIAN ARTS COUNCIL. SUPPORTED BY ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND

leftlion.co.uk/issue81 27

event listings ...for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings SATURDAY 6 AUG

SUNDAY 7 AUG

SUNDAY 7 AUG

TUESDAY 9 AUG

WEDNESDAY 10 AUG

THURSDAY 11 AUG

Blues Train The Fox & Crown

Nottingham Clarion Choir The Place Activity Centre Free, 7:30pm

Floral Headdress Debbie Bryan £18, 2pm

Mansfield v Blackburn Mansfield Town Football Club 7:45pm

Open Hack Night Nottingham Hackspace Free, 6:30pm

Outside In: Family Workshop with Emma Constantine The Malt Cross

Yazmin Lacey + Daudi Matsiko + Natti Rudyj Nottingham Contemporary Free, 8pm

Live Jazz Music The Bell Inn Free, 12pm

Outdoor Theatre: Gulliver’s Travels Nottingham Castle £10/£15/£40, 7pm

Binns Organ Recital Nottingham Albert Hall £6, 2:45pm

Manushi 20 Djanogly Theatre £3/£7/£10, 7:30pm

Party at Ash’s House Chickpea Tapas Inn Free, 2pm

The World of Wizardry Nottingham Conference Centre £6/£10/£50, 9am

Jake McMahon Quartet The Lion at Basford Free, 1:30pm

Vegan Market Sneinton Market Free, 11am - 3pm SUNDAY 7 AUG Nottingham Riverside Festival Dragon Boat Challenge Victoria Embankment Free, 10am

The South Nottingham Soul Society The Malt Cross Free, 2pm

Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo & Juliet Broadway Cinema £4 - £8.20, 12pm Outdoor Theatre: Danny the Champion of the World Newstead Abbey £10/£15/£40, 7pm BridesMade Creative Tasters Debbie Bryan £15, 11am - 1pm Check it out Now Funk Soul Brother Free, 2pm

MDC plus Guests The Doghouse £10, 7:30pm

Outdoor Theatre: Wuthering Heights Nottingham Castle £10/£15/£40, 7pm

The Slackers + Popes of Chillitown The Maze £13, 7:30pm

Before Sunrise (1995) Europa, Mon Amour Nottingham Contemporary £5, 6:30pm - 8pm

Body / Buildings Nottingham Contemporary Free, 6pm - 8pm

Nottingham Jobs Fair Motorpoint Arena Nottingham Free, 10am

Play Factory Nottingham Contemporary Free

MONDAY 8 AUG

Barefoot Gen Rough Trade Nottingham Free, 7pm

Pagan Pride After Party The Maze £3, 7pm

Orienteering Challenge Bulwell Hall Park Free, 1pm

Hack 2.5 Evening Nottingham Hackspace 7pm

Rick Donohue The Southbank Bar Free

The Dickies + 2 Sick Monkeys + The Vile + Diablofurs The Doghouse £16, 6:30pm Vibravoid The Lofthouse 8pm

Untold Rhythm The New Art Exchange Free, 6:30pm - 9pm

Free Guided Bike Ride Harvey Haddon Sports Complex Free, 10am

Life Drawing The Place Activity Centre Free, 10am

Free Guided Bike Ride Woodthorpe Grange Park Free, 10am

The Freedom Project: NAE Takeover The New Art Exchange Free, 12pm - 4pm

Blossoms Rough Trade Nottingham Free, 6:30pm

Restoration Ramble Highfields Park Free, 1pm

Mass Production Pt.1: Artist Talks The Malt Cross Free, 7pm A Force for Nature Highfields Park Free, 11am Salt Dough Modelling Green’s Windmill £3, 11am Nottingham Etsy Team presents: Introduction to Blogging Part 2 Rough Trade Nottingham £3/£4, 7:30pm

Reading Capital in Nottingham Nottingham Contemporary Free, 11am - 2pm

This is Nottz Nottingham Contemporary Free, 6:30pm

THURSDAY 11 AUG

FRIDAY 12 AUG

Picnic in the Park Clifton Playing Fields Free, 11am

Robyn Hughes-Jones Baresca Free, 7pm

Schmorgan Live Baresca Free, 9:30pm

WEDNESDAY 10 AUG

Krooked Nation + Best Wishes The Chameleon Arts Cafe 7pm

Notts-Punx-Picnic The Doghouse £8.03 - £19.70, 4pm

Crosswords - Spoken Word Open Mic The Malt Cross Free, 7:30pm

Chewing on Tinfoil + Jake & The Jellyfish + The Sneaks + Gone & Lost it The Maze £7, 7pm

SYS Presents: Happy Accidnets, Austeros, Taco Hell & Moon > Sun JT Soar £5, 7pm

interview: Penny Reeve

David Flint has been editing, publishing and contributing to magazines all over the shop, and now he’s bringing a new kid to the block. Operating out of Nottingham, The Reprobate sounds offkilter, decadent, and throbbing with good stories. We spoke to the editor himself to find out what will fill its pages...

What is The Reprobate?

It’s a new print magazine, aimed at the modern contrarian; the sort of person who is tired of empty thought and thought control, who wants something a bit different and challenging. It’s essentially the successor to my old magazine, Divinity, which caused something of a stir back in the day. The Reprobate will be more style-conscious perhaps, but just as willing to kick against the pricks and frighten the horses.

What kind of content can we expect to see in the mag?

Too much is never enough, that’s our slogan. I’d say ‘pop culture’, but there’s plenty of unpop in there too. We’re doing music, movies, books, arts etc., as well as disgraceful misbehaviour, deviant sexuality, general decadence, fashion – the interesting kind – and weird oddities. The idea is to remain pretty unpredictable – not to be obscure for the hell of it, but to write about things that people might not be all that familiar with. Ideally, we will entertain, inform and outrage in equal measure.

28 leftlion.co.uk/issue81

Issue 0 is already out – what’s in it?

It started as a small sampler, but ended up at 88 pages. It’s a heady mix. We have a big piece on Alexander McQueen, a tour of the crumbling Salton Sea resort in America, a look at the Jack the Ripper Museum controversy, Jason Atomic’s Satanic Mojo Manifesto comic strip, ouija boards, Laurel and Hardy, gonzo porn pioneer Ugly George, weird medical experiments, a piece on the sensual powers of perfume and lots of reviews. It’s fairly eclectic, but it’s just a taster of the sort of things to come. You can read it on the Indiegogo page until the end of July, or find it on our website.

Who’d be your dream Reprobate interviewee? Someone that truly embodies the magazine…

People who have lived the life, had their ups and downs, battled the dullards and are full of stories: Ollie Reed, Ken Russell, Ernest Hemingway and Anita Berber come to mind.

I’ll be revamping my old interview with Russ Meyer into a new, retrospective piece for the first issue, and you don’t get much better than him. I had dinner with Jess Franco, but didn’t interview him – he might well be our role model in terms of being a cultural iconoclast and bon viveur. We interviewed Human Centipede director Tom Six – not about his movies, but about his fashion tastes. That’s the sort of interview I’m really interested in – people talking about something other than their latest project.

Is it a NSFW mag?

It probably depends on where you work. There are certainly discussions of an adult nature, and while we won’t be engaging in gratuitous content for the hell of it in print, we won’t be holding back either.

What’s your previous experience in the magazine industry?

I’ve been publishing assorted magazines on and off for about ten years between the late eighties and nineties, as well as working as a writer for a variety of magazines, from the respectably arty like Rapid Eye to the bottomof-the-barrel grumble rags like Ravers (not a dance music magazine). Indie publishing is very much in my blood.

Where will the mag be available?

I’m not expecting to get it into WH Smiths, but specialist retailers – indie shops, record shops and so on – should be a good bet for finding copies. We are scheduled to print around November.

Is it going to be tied to Nottingham in any way?

We’re thinking global, not local, in terms of coverage. But I’m based here, and I’m keen to do coverage of anything interesting. We will be doing city culture guides, and Nottingham seems a good place to start. We are keen to use local photographers and models for our esoteric fashion shoots, so if anyone wants to volunteer, they should get in touch… as should fashion dandies and local eccentrics.

What’s the IndieGoGo campaign for?

The main thing is covering the initial print run – it’s why I’d say it’s pre-ordering rather than crowd funding. And we want to pay writers and photographers – not very much, but more than nothing. Those costs can be crippling to start out. The campaign ends on Sunday 31 July, and I'd suggest that everyone support that, but people can still preorder issue 1 after that from the website. And we might be persuaded to offer subscriber bundles later too. reprobatemagazine.uk igg.me/at/reprobate/x/6148

event listings ...for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings FRIDAY 12 AUG

SUNDAY 14 AUG

TUESDAY 16 AUG

FRIDAY 19 AUG

International Vinyl Day The Poppy and Pint

Free Guided Bike Ride Victoria Embankment Free, 10am

Holiday Workshops The New Art Exchange Free, 10am - 4pm

Kingdom Business Nottingham The Malt Cross £14, 7:30pm

Nottingham Clarion Choir The Place Activity Centre Free, 7:30pm

Hack 2.5 Evening Nottingham Hackspace 7pm

Outdoor Theatre: Sense and Sensibility Newstead Abbey £10/£15/£40, 7pm Hidden Wollaton Tour Wollaton Park £15, 7:30pm

Live Jazz Music The Bell Inn Free, 12pm

Death and the Seaside Book Launch with Alison Moore Waterstones Nottingham Free, 6pm

Teddy Fullick Quintet The Lion at Basford Free, 1:30pm

That’ll Be The Day Royal Concert Hall £24.50/£27.50, 7:30pm

IKE Productions Showcase The Maze £5/£6, 6pm

SATURDAY 13 AUG Notts County v Stevenage Notts County Football Club 3pm Sons Of Pizza Ride Out Suede Bar £10 - £25, 9:30am - 12am DJ Set: Andre Bonsor from Schmoov Baresca Free, 12pm Mod Story The Lion at Basford Free, 9pm Melodica Festival Rough Trade Nottingham Free, 12pm Wholesome Fish Nottingham Contemporary Free, 8pm Waterfront Festival Canalhouse £10 Print Weekender: Trio of Linocut Cards & Envelopes Debbie Bryan £20, 11am - 1pm Print Weekender: Collage Print Debbie Bryan £38, 2pm - 5pm Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art School (18+) The Glee Club £8, 12pm Syrian Celebration Day The New Art Exchange Free, 12pm - 5pm Queer Fest JT Soar £6, 4pm - 11am Nottingham Food and Drink Festival Wollaton Park £3/£7/£8, 10am - 6pm Smartie Cookies Green’s Windmill £4, 11am - 6pm

Top Brass Arboretum Park Free, 2pm Print Weekender: A5 MonoPrint Debbie Bryan £20, 11:30am - 1:30pm

WEDNESDAY 17 AUG Bounjour Tristesse (1958) Nottingham Contemporary £5, 7pm Pond Dipping Vernon Park Free, 1pm

Reading Capital in Nottingham Nottingham Contemporary Free, 11am - 2pm

Cold Pumas + Sweet Williams The Lofthouse £5, 8pm - 11:15pm

The Uke Box The Hand and Heart Free, 8:30pm - 11pm

Crafternoon: A5 Monoprint Debbie Bryan £20, 11:30am

John Egan and Joy Mumford Baresca Free, 7pm

The Secret of Hypnosis Galleries of Justice £10/£15, 12:45pm

An Audience with Rat Scabies Rough Trade Nottingham £11.74, 6:30pm

MONDAY 15 AUG Orienteering Challenge Forest Recreation Ground Free, 2pm Motown: The Sound of Young America Rough Trade Nottingham Free, 7pm Speaking in Shadows + Your Illuminations + Sonder + Kasiuss + Harken + Lazlo The Maze £6, 7pm NVA DevCamp C++ (Advanced) National Videogame Arcade £150 - £160, 10am - 4pm TUESDAY 16 AUG Notts County v Plymouth Notts County Football Club 7:45pm SaraBeth + Glen Mitchell UK Tour The Maze £12.50, 7pm Play Factory Nottingham Contemporary Free

Forest v Wigan Nottingham Forest Football Club 3pm Hydraulic Fork + Shock Servicing – One Day Course.

Nottingham Bike Works £65, 10am

Handmade Nottingham Market The Malt Cross Free, 11am

Sunday Night Crash The Southbank Bar Nottingham City Free, 6pm

SATURDAY 20 AUG

Afternoon Tea with the Sheriff Nottingham Council House £15, 2pm

THURSDAY 18 AUG

Black Thorn + Matt Humphries + The DandyLions + Billie + Arcway The Maze £5/£6, 7pm Death Do Us Part Danger Show: The Tour!

The Old Salutation Inn £6/£8, 7:30pm MissImp Improv Comedy The Malt Cross £3/£5, 7:30pm Outdoor Theatre: The Canterbury Tales Nottingham Castle £10/£15/£40, 7pm Retro Computing Night Nottingham Hackspace 7pm Windmills on a Stick Green’s Windmill £2, 11pm

NUSIC BOX

Outdoor Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Newstead Abbey £10/£15/£40, 7pm

Your new Notts music tip sheet, as compiled

by Nusic’s Sam Nahirny.

Want more? Check the fortnightly podcasts and live sessions in the Nusic website.

Nik Turner’s Inner City Unti plus Krankschaft The Doghouse £10, 8pm DJ Set: Ossie (Gallery Sounds) Baresca Free, 8pm Marc Spence Stealth £5, 10pm Delta The Lion at Basford Free, 9pm Catch Fire The Rescue Rooms £5, 6:30pm

Twin Kidd

This indie-pop three-piece practically appeared out of nowhere earlier in the year. Now, as I write this, they’ve got their debut EP Fold out there – and it’s a bloody beautiful creation. They’re quite a tough band to describe – ‘indie-pop’ narrows it down a bit – but there’s so much more to them than just another band with catchy choruses. Front woman Stef’s angelic voice portrays so many emotions it could put Lana Del Rey out of a job.

Then you’ve got these blissful electronic soundscapes provided by fellow band members Rich and Sam. The four songs on the EP show their diversity, but more than anything they’re just really good at what they do. So there.

Write that on the back of the album. facebook.com/twinkiddband

Deeper Than Roots Carnival Afterparty: Titan Sound + Parly B & Origin One + Tumble Audio VS Rubberdub + Sinai Sound System The Maze £4/£6, 9pm Pond Life’s Diskotech 2: Joedan + Bru C + Baines v Scooby Nottingham City Centre £4/£5, 9pm I’m Not From London presents Godzilla Black + Vulgarians + Pre Birds + Le Chuck Black Iris Brewery Free

FRIDAY 19 AUG

Ceramics with Upsydaisy Craft The Malt Cross £35, 11am

MewithoutYou The Bodega £12, 7pm

Do You Mind?

Lace Market Theatre £7, 7pm - 10pm

On The Brink The Lion at Basford Free, 9pm

Bugsy Malone Nottingham Playhouse £6/£8

The Tangents + Victors + Same Streets The Maze £4, 7:30pm

Outdoor Theatre: Wuthering Heights Wollaton Park £10/£15/£40, 7pm

Jorday

There’s a reason that Frank Ocean dominated the r’n’b scene a few years back – he was the only artist doing his thang, and actually doing it well. Pfft, it’s time to move over Frank, as Jorday is a new Notts lad on the block, and he’s making minimal, electronic infused r’n’b that’ll take over the scene any minute now. One listen to debut single Hella Bandz and you’ll get what we mean. Everything about it is slick, from the silky vocal, to the eerie production. And then you remember it’s his debut single, and you get really excited cos if this is just the beginning, we can’t wait to see how he develops into something massive. Metaphorically of course. twitter.com/jorday45

leftlion.co.uk/issue81 29

event listings ...for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings SATURDAY 20 AUG

WEDNESDAY 24 AUG

FRIDAY 26 AUG

SUNDAY 28 AUG

Gloworm Festival Clumber Park £8.25, 10am - 7pm

NCF £1 Comedy Night Canalhouse £1, 8pm

The Golden Fleece Bank Holiday Beer Festival The Golden Fleece

Tensnake - Late Nite Tuff Guy Riverbank Bar & Kitchen £16 - £40

1000 Years of Castle History Nottingham Castle Free, 10am

Reading Capital in Nottingham Nottingham Contemporary Free, 11am - 2pm

A Force for Nature Highfields Park Free, 11am

Caribbean Carnival Victoria Embankment Free, 12pm

THURSDAY 25 AUG

SUNDAY 21 AUG Sigue Sigue Sputnik Foremans Bar £12.50, 6pm Genre: Reggae/dub/dancehall/jungle/soca.

Venues you do stuff at: The Maze, Rough Trade and The Alley Cafe at the moment.

Who else helps you run the nights: There are three of us: Origin One, Omen Breaks and Fel Dem. Ten words that sum up the events you put on: Bass weight, roots music, dark rum, amen breaks, camo netting.

Describe the average punter at your nights: We try and cater for modern and old roots lovers alike so it’s always an eclectic mix. We also try and portray festival vibes in a venue. I hope that sums it up.

Which local act has gone down best with your crowd and why?

I think Percy Dread’s vocals go down amazing, it’s nice to nab him from the Invisible Orchestra once in a while, get him back on the roots stuff – it’s always a blessing to have a local veteran get on board.

Which non-local act would you bring back again?

We had Soom T for our first event, she was lovely and a brilliant live act, so we’ll have her back for sure.

Riddimtion have helped out a lot too, they’re nice guys and smash it every time.

If you could get a celebrity compere, who would you choose and why?

I’d love to have Rodigan, he’s got the chat and knows how to select a tune proper.

Which booze sells best at your events?

Rum. Lots and lots of rum.

Tell us a crazy story that has happened at your events…

Nothing too out the ordinary… last event we had a local Notts grime veteran fall asleep on stage after partying too hard. It gets hectic, I’m not going to name names, probeleh.

John Porter Trio The Lion at Basford Free, 1:30pm Sunday Sessions The Southbank Bar Free Matlock Band Arboretum Park Free, 2pm Gloworm Festival Clumber Park £8.25/£24.75, 10am MONDAY 22 AUG Open Call: Midlands Printmakers Open 2016 The Malt Cross Summer School: Life Force University of Nottingham £85, 10am

Fran and Jono Baresca Free, 8pm Nightfish The Southbank Bar Nottingham City Free Model Painting Green’s Windmill 50p, 11am Men and Girls Dance Dance4 £3/£5, 7:30pm MissImp Improv Comedy The Malt Cross £3/£5, 7:30pm Mindfulness Group Sobar Free, 7pm Francis Willughby: Lunchtime Talks Djanogly Theatre Free, 1pm Tiny Rebel Tap Takeover The Embankment Nottingham

Make Web Games Workshop National Videogame Arcade £55 - £65, 10am - 4pm

Fun Day Broxtowe Country Park Free, 12pm

TUESDAY 23 AUG

FRIDAY 26 AUG

Notts in a Nutshell The Maze £3, 7:30pm

Shades of Blue The Lion at Basford Free, 9pm

#‎TreatTuesday Debbie Bryan Free, 11am - 5pm

The Fiona Stein Association Live Baresca Free, 9:30pm

Body / Buildings Nottingham Contemporary Free, 6pm - 8pm WEDNESDAY 24 AUG

Mothers The Bodega £7, 7pm

If you weren’t a promoter what would you have ended up doing?

My love’s writing music, I’d be in the studio, events come secondary. And something that involved travelling a lot would be a good shout.

Vasudeva The Bodega £5, 7pm

What other events in Nottingham do you love?

Rubberdub, Mimm and Tumble are like family to us. I also love Wigflex for its forward thinking. Clash Money are good friends and throw some good battles.

Beyond Recall + Altered Sky + Cry Excess The Maze £7, 7:30pm

I’m Not From London presents Bamalamasingsong The Glee Club £7/£10

Woodcut Print New Art Exchange Free, 6pm - 8pm

Sunday Sessions The Southbank Bar Free

Before Sunset (2004) Europa, Mon Amour Nottingham Contemporary £5, 6:30pm - 8pm

Men and Girls Dance Dance4 £3/£5, 7:30pm

What have you got coming up in August and September?

We’re hosting the Nottingham Carnival Afterparty at The Maze on Saturday 20 August. For that we've called on a few friends; a bashment crew from Bristol, Titan Sound, and my very talented friend Parly joining us, Rubberdub and Tumble are on board too, and there’s uk jungle in room 2. Should be tropical. Friday 2 September, I’m co-ordinating Broadfest. It’s a multivenue street festival in Hockley, and we’re going to host the Rough Trade stage for it, which will see us joined by a few special guests. facebook.com/deeperthanroots

30 leftlion.co.uk/issue81

Malt Cross Film Club presents The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou The Malt Cross Free

Outriders The Embankment Nottingham

Outdoor Film Screenings Wollaton Park £11/£13, 7pm Ends Monday 29 Aug.

Outdoor Theatre: Peter Pan Nottingham Castle £10/£15/£40, 6pm SATURDAY 27 AUG Nottingham Forest v Leeds Nottingham Forest Football Club 3pm Lizzie & the Banshees The Doghouse £5/£7, 7:30pm Soul Buggin’: Wrighty Baresca Free, 8pm Borns The Bodega £10, 7pm Punk 4 The Homeless presents Nowhere City Riot + System Paralysis + The Webb + Eaglespitshexx + Slutdrop Sumac Centre Donations, 7pm - 11pm Men and Girls Dance Dance4 £3/£5, 7:30pm Plates Records: Making Music with Samples The Malt Cross £5, 7:30pm Noughts and Crosses Nottingham Playhouse £8 Superhero Saturday!

The New Art Exchange Free, 11am - 4pm Bank Holiday Music and Beer Festival The Lion at Basford Ends Sunday 28 Aug. Great Food and Drink Festival Newstead Abbey £8/£10, 10am Children’s Bread Baking Green’s Windmill £3, 11am The Studio’s Big Quiz Lunch! In Aid of Pippa Hennessy Nottingham Writers’ Studio £5, 12pm - 2pm SUNDAY 28 AUG Notts County Ladies FC v Arsenal Ladies FC Notts County Football Club 5pm Free Guided Bike Ride Wollaton Park Free, 10am

Simon King + Matt Ratcliffe Organ Trio The Lion at Basford Free, 1:30pm Jazz Jam The Malt Cross £5, 5pm I’m Not From London presents Soul and Jazz Bank Holiday Special Nottingham City Centre Free Workshop for Adults: Collagraphs Lakeside Arts Centre £50/£55, 10am MONDAY 29 AUG The Winter Passing The Rescue Rooms £8, 6:30pm Bank Holiday Garden Party The Embankment Nottingham Bear Fair Patchings Art Centre Free, 10am - 4pm Bank Holiday BBQ The New Art Exchange Free, 10pm - 4pm TUESDAY 30 AUG Panthers v Clan Motorpoint Arena Nottingham 6pm Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts The Bodega £10, 7pm Notts in a Nutshell The Maze £3, 8pm WEDNESDAY 31 AUG Outdoor Theatre: Ratburger Wollaton Park £10/£15/£40, 6pm Europa, Mon AmourVote for your film Nottingham Contemporary £5, 7pm - 8:30pm An Evening with Jessie Burton Waterstones Nottingham £3, 7:30pm Lemn Sissay - Reading, Q&A and Book Signing Rough Trade Nottingham Free with book purchase, 6:30pm DIY Poets The Maze £3, 7:30pm

event listings ...for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings EXHIBITIONS AND PLAYS AND FESTIVALS AND THAT Craft Menu: Lace Market in Bloom Debbie Bryan Free/£5 Tues 2 Aug - Sun 4 Sep Gardens for the

Duchess - Autochromes of Welbeck’s Gardens The Harley Gallery Free Sat 27 Aug - Sun 23 Oct

New Threads -

Nora Fok The Harley Gallery Free Sat 27 - Sunday 23 Oct

Julian Bray - Paintings inspired by Welbeck The Harley Gallery Free Sat 27 - Sun 23 Oct Young Artists’ Studio

New Art Exchange Free Sat 2 Jul – Sun 11 Sep

POEM

Mass Production Part One: George Chinnery, Charlotte Salt + David Severn Malt Cross Free, 1:30pm Thurs 4 - Sun 14 Aug Hurvin Anderson: Dub Versions New Art Exchange Free Sat 2 Jul – Sun 18 Sep Dissonance: Beverley Bennett in Collaboration with Nottingham Collective New Art Exchange Free Sat 2 Jul – Sun 18 Sep Sumiko Eadon:

Screenplay New Art Exchange Free Sat 9 Jul - Sun 11 Sep

Holiday Workshops New Art Exchange Free, 10am - 4pm Tues 2 Aug - Tues 23 Aug

Walkthroughs Nottingham Contemporary Free, 6pm - 6:45pm Wed 20 Jul - Wed 21 Sep

Cinderella: Show in a Week Nottingham Arts Theatre £86/£160 Mon 1 Aug - Fri 5 Aug

Body / Buildings Contemporary Dance Nottingham Contemporary Free, 6pm - 8pm Tues 2 - Tues 30 Aug

Peter Pan: Show in a Week Nottingham Arts Theatre £86/£160 Mon 8 Aug - Fri 12 Aug

Dinosaur Zoo Nottingham Playhouse £12.50 - £15 Sun 28 Aug - Mon 29 Aug

Leonardo da Vinci

Exhibition Nottingham Castle Free, 9:30am Sat 30 Jul - Sun 9 Oct

Michael Beutler / Yelena Popova Nottingham Contemporary 10am - 6pm Sat 16 Jul - Mon 26 Sep

Shirley Trevena Patchings Art Centre Sat 6 Aug - Sun 25 Sep Richard Wilson

Patchings Art Centre Sun 7 Aug - Sun 4 Sep

Plein Air Painting Weekend Patchings Art Centre Free Sat 13 - Sun 14 Aug

Nottingham Academy of Performing Arts Summer Workshop Redhill Academy £75, 10am - 4pm Mon 15 - Sat 20 Aug Classic Thriller Season:

House Guest Theatre Royal £11 - £23 Tues 2 - Sat 6 Aug

Classic Thriller Season: Gather Brown - The Curse of the Invisible Man Theatre Royal £11 - £23 Tues 9 - Sat 13 Aug Classic Thriller Season: Mindgame Theatre Royal £11 - £23 Tues 16 - Sat 20 Aug Chicago Theatre Royal £15 - £39.50 Mon 15 - Sat 20 Aug

Save The Last Dance For Me Theatre Royal £14 - £35 Mon 22 - Sat 27 Aug Nottingham Riverside Festival Victoria Embankment Free, 10am Fri 5 - Sun 7 Aug Nature’s Ape Syson Gallery Free Sat 18 Jun - Sun 4 Sep Intersections, Commission #3 Emma Smith Primary Fri 1 Apr - Tues 28 Feb Gloworm Festival Clumber Park Free Sat 20 Aug - Sun 21 Aug

Carol Savage was born in Radford and has lived in Nottingham most of her life. Her poetry and film scripts explore the unfairness and injustice of inequality as well as her interest in the natural world. Her most recent collaboration with Beth Smith and Donna Bower resulted in a documentary, 1 in 4, and a short film, Terms of Love, about domestic abuse, which were both screened at Nottingham Contemporary.

Nottingham: A Day In The Life Carol Savage 8 A.M. Tired from a night shift at Pork Farms, the smell of baking still clings and wafts to the lone cyclist as he pedals gladly home, along waking streets and wall lined paths.

He is absorbed into the cool and dark of fragrant rhododendron and yew, that obscure the loveliness of University park to all but a student’s dreaming view.

11 A.M. The old tramp opens one dozing eye from his cold slab in the square.

Scans blanket-wrapped homeless trudging by, their dogs growl at the lions’ inscrutable stare.

He says, ‘This’d be a grand open air ‘otel lads, with them blooms hanging on the lights.

The scent and colours aint ‘alf bad.

If only it weren’t sa nesh at night.’

illustration: Ian Carrington

3 P.M.

6 P.M.

9 P.M.

In a gold suit and matching bag, a young woman steps smartly to the taxi ranks.

Spots the men, sees the pigeons, her feet lag.

So, segregated safely, round the wall she flanks.

Between these extremes of snobs-meet-poor, hurry the kind and cheery Nottingham folk.

Out of factories, shops and offices they pour, ferrying smiles of care and solid hearts of oak.

The sky hangs, a looming grey balloon, over buses lit up like fairground rides.

A driver calls, ‘Hurry up duck. Folks want to get home.’

As workers yearn for hot baths and the midweek fry.

Rich and poor scuttle by an impassive face of stone, on whose brow preens a cheeky city sparrow.

For, although Robin Hood’s thieving days are up, it’s ironic that some rogue’s pinched his arrow.

Once dark, the city’s garbs of trade are flung away, to reveal raw passion.

The sensual throb of loud music will persuade jeering men and gorgeous girls in latest fashion to flaunt the streets and swig heady draughts.

In pubs, dark as cellars, the loud packs merge.

Then in pairs emerge. From a doorway, a lusty laugh.

They kiss by moonlight or wait by clubs in herds.

leftlion.co.uk/issue81 31

MAKING BEAUTY

FIRST MAJOR UK SOLO EXHIBITION BY

ELPIDA HADZI-VASILEVA Features ‘Haruspex’ (Venice Biennale, 2015) 20 AUGUST – 30 OCTOBER DJANOGLY GALLERY NOTTINGHAM LAKESIDE ARTS ADMISSION FREE LAKESIDEARTS.ORG.UK | 0115 846 7777 Image: Fragility 2015

@Lakesidearts

Emily Catherine Prince

This is a Risograph print from my Celebrity range. Risograph is a technique that’s like screen printing, but by machine. I learned how to do it at a Dizzy Ink workshop and fell in love with the ethos and ease of it.

I pencil sketched Prince’s face, and drew outlines of his hair, shoulders and neck. I scanned all the components and blacked out all the layers as the Risograph machine reads black as the parts to colour, then sent it to Dizzy Ink. The sketch took a couple of hours, the Risograph set-up took about a day, and the printing took an hour to get it right.

I’ve done eight celebrities in the range; the etymology of ‘celebrity’ is ‘celebration’, and that’s exactly what I do, celebrate my subject. With Prince, I wanted him to be purple toned, pensive and beautiful. Like his music, I wanted it to have both abstract and figurative qualities.

The piece was originally a small drawing for The Ultimate Pop Advent Calendar I made last Christmas. I made it into a print in January, but when Prince sadly passed in April, I decided that all future proceeds from it would go to the Jazz Foundation of America, a charity close to his heart.

I’ve had a wonderful reaction to it: graffiti artists

have commented on its rawness, Prince fans lament on his purpleness, and fellow illustrators compliment me on the detail of his stubble. One woman told me that I had depicted him as “knowing something perhaps we don’t”, which in hindsight is now eerie and quite moving for me.

Being a hand-drawn and painted illustrator means that I have the fluidity to develop many different styles, and I pride myself on getting exactly what my clients see in their mind’s eye onto paper. I am inspired by popular culture: television, music, food, toys and fashion feature heavily in my work. I don’t think that my illustrative voice is definable – but then, I would say that, I’m a creative!

My illustration business is one of three jobs that I do.

I have a five year business plan for it, and the dream is to one day sustain myself solely with illustration.

I love illustrating and creating things. I love the people I meet and get to work very closely with; hear their stories and literally illustrate their lives.

If I had no constraints in the world, I’d firstly finish all the projects I have promised friends and family – sorry, guys! – and then I’d start a giant Chuck Closeesque series of huge pencil portraits of faces called Divorce, which I have been thinking about and dying to start for two years. I’d then have a massive gallery exhibition with a big hip hop launch party and feel like I’d really begun. emilycatherineillustration.com

Art Works Instar Bat

Instar hatched out of our shared love and fascination for wildlife and the natural sciences. We – Nick Humphreys and Trish Evans – wanted to create contemporary sci-art exhibitions and works that melded the two, instilling a refreshing sense of wonder in the natural world which could be discovered in a more playful, immersive and exciting manner. We create art for all ages that’s an alternative to the tired and stuffy museum affairs we all grew up with.

We believe art is ultimately an imitation, or direct result, of nature’s influence upon us. You could say we are guerrillas to the conventional approaches of contemporary curation – we enjoy challenging audiences and inspiring new ideas and art, the design of the space itself being a major factor for us. Rooted in street art/illustration and installation/performance backgrounds, we celebrate the odd and unusual. If we were forced to describe our trademark, it would be a dark yet colourful sense of theatrical curiosity.

Bat was the first exhibition that we curated, which came to us over a pint when escaping a torrential downpour. Wollaton Park has seven species of bat, plus they had an outdoor screening of The Dark Knight Rises in the pipeline, and it’s the location of Nottingham’s natural history museum – it was a no-brainer.

We searched for bat-related art works, specimens and artefacts. We found that nature professionals, as well as grassroots enthusiasts, are bottomless pits of knowledge and will help out above and beyond your wildest expectations.

Our inspiration for Bat was to draw the viewer into the hidden and nocturnal world of chiroptera – bats – creating a darkened gallery space with a wall of specimens viewed through illuminated magnifying glasses. These were together with a projection of an

X-ray of a bat in flight, challenging light box images of bats in utero, a commissioned interactive sonic light sculpture, and our own long-exposure light photography capturing bat flight paths around the grounds of Wollaton Park after dark. The concept was to unveil some of the mysteries of this fascinating, and often misunderstood, nocturnal mammal in fun, unique and inspiring ways.

Since this debut exhibition, we have curated a number of sci-art exhibitions and programmes including our current Swift Street initiative in Carrington. We’re currently in the process of pulling together exciting plans for our next project that will hopefully tickle and stimulate the senses. Look out for the launch in Autumn 2017. wordpress.com/instaramusements leftlion.co.uk/issue81

33

Rather listen to the tunes on this page than read about ‘em?

Wrap your tabs round our dedicated music podcast, Sound Of The Lion. If you want from Notts and have tunes that are begging to be reviewed, hit up leftlion.co.uk/sendusmusic Alice Short These Small Towns Are Stranger Than Paradise Album (Self-released) You might have seen Alice Short around town or heard her on BBC Introducing East Midlands. A regular of Nottingham’s open mics, she’s wellknown for a funny spoken word poem about her love for Doctor Who. But the girl has got a few more tricks up her sleeve when it comes to lyrical prowess.

In a mixture of raps and spoken word, here Alice showcases an ability to tuck words into a beat while conjuring bleak images of a city setting. All this, with sunny-beat backdrops. Opening track Small Towns sounds like smoking by the river on a dimming evening, with knowing nods towards the cyclical nature of life. As tracks progress, her flow’s meter begins to thud with old school, chucking some light singing into the mix. It’s simple stuff, and with Alice’s accent throbbing with the round vowels of Nottingham city, the artist oozes humble likeability. Who Can Say looms thick, rooting around in the brave faces we put on when we’re going through hard times, “Is it better to be a trooper or true to what you feel?” And that’s just one of many questions posed. Wisdom comes without pretension, collecting musings and swallowing them into self-education. Drink drops staticky vocal samples while Alice highlights issues that can develop from the country’s drinking culture “I’m fine with just a Sprite, no amount of peer pressure could budge my mind,” she says.

Final track Life Goes On drips with twinkle – optimism shining through the threats modern society hangs in our windows so brashly. Bridie Squires aliceshort.bandcamp.com Blaklava Blaklava EP (Self-released) 37:03 minutes long, only three songs – with the shortest clocking in at 11:06 – this EP isn’t for those with short attention spans. And although each song stands out on its own, the best way to listen is to go fully immersive; headphones on, volume up, lights dimmed, laying down and letting yourself drift away to wherever the music takes you.

Recorded at Kogumaza’s Way-Out Is The Way Out studio, this EP channels both the spirit of that band along with their ability to put the listener into a trance-like state. These heavy and fuzzy drones want to kick out the jams, but it’s not fullon all of the time with them knowing when best to take their foot off the pedal, and the cacophony of noise is often punctured by moments of blissed out tranquillity. Making one hell of a racket for a two-piece, Blaklava’s grizzled space-rock flows like hot molten liquid. Paul Klotschkow blaklava.bandcamp.com Bud City Bird EP (Self-released) Arriving just in time for summer, Nottingham-based Bud’s debut release plays easily alongside a crisp sunny day.

True to You leaves no doubt of the up-and-coming artist’s passion for music as she declares her love for it in the catchy opening track. The uplifting lyricism continues with the title track, a song reinforcing self-confidence played over a cool, laid-back rhythm. There’s a distinct theme throughout the EP – writing and performing music is clearly what brings the most happiness for Bud. Shown again on All I Really Want, about the young songwriter’s devotion to the craft, a smile can be heard in every lyric. What’s a Girl to Do looks at facing increasing social pressures, and Just a Little Pick Me Up is a song you just can’t help but dance to. With mellow reggae vibes and high production quality, City Bird is a well-crafted and fun debut EP. Tyrone Scott

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soundcloud.com/budofficial leftlion.co.uk/issue81

Moscow Circus Resounding Album (Echolocation Records)

Dirty Scroungin’ Bastards Music To Root Through Bins To: Vol 2 - Fuzz Bummer EP (Self-released) Delve through the bins of Long Eaton and you may happen upon the band Dirty Scroungin’ Bastards. But it’s not where they belong. The raw punk-influenced ska/reggae outfit have released their EP Fuzz Bummer, which is the second instalment of their Music To Root Through Bins To trilogy. Like the first record of this soon-to-be-completed trio of EPs, the band have produced four dance-along tunes that are complemented by their aggressive, bluesy vocalist. Everybody Knows It is a personal favourite, but all four tracks have their own character and sound that make this a fantastic record.

Their raw power, ranting lyrics, and decision to not follow the conventional ska-punk pace and sound make this group one to watch out for. Fans of British ska-punk should give these guys a listen, they are a breath of fresh air in the genre. Liam Steers

Do you remember the fuss that everyone made about the five and a half year gap between the Stone Roses’ debut album and Second Coming? Get this: all ten songs on Resounding were written between 1987 and 1991, when Moscow Circus were young, hope was high and life was worth living. It wasn’t until seventeen whole years later that the band reconvened, presumably older and wiser, to pick up where they left off. The result? Like a fine wine, these songs have clearly benefited from being laid aside for a while and given space to breathe. They sound great. Musically, the overall impression is of early REM, with arpeggiated chords and a general folk-rock feel, although there’s a touch of the punk poetry of Patti Smith too, on Chances in particular. Maybe these songs were written in the distant past, but Moscow Circus are definitely a band with a big future. Unlike Second Coming, well worth the wait. Tim Sorrell

dirtyscrounginbastards.bandcamp.com Neil Ward The Path Album (Self-released)

moscowcircus.co.uk Rattle Rattle Album (I Own You / Upset The Rhythm)

A couple of years ago, I stated that Neil Ward’s Drift was “one of the best records I have ever heard from a Nottingham artist.” Now returning with his third album, it’s another superb collection of piano instrumental tracks. Having seen Ludovico Einaudi perform, the great Italian composer and pianist is probably the easiest comparison to make when describing Ward’s style. The Path is varied and beautiful, and sits somewhere between a classical chillout album and something a house DJ might produce if they abandoned the drum machine and hi-NRG production. The album really begins to spread its wings as it reaches its climax.

Doppelganger combines warped piano and vocals to disarming effect before Through The Trees, a Bashley remix of a track from Ward’s 2012 album Cocoon. He may be little known, but Ward is one of our best local talents and The Path absolutely deserves 45 minutes of your time. Nick Parkhouse neilwarduk.bandcamp.com

Formed in 2011 by Katharine Eira Brown and Theresa Wrigley, who also occupy the drum stools for Kogumaza and Fists respectively, Rattle create hypnotically rich and textured songs with just a couple of drum kits and their voices. After a couple of digital-only releases and an array of gigs in the UK and Europe, they’ve released their debut LP – an oft-mesmerising listen. With their bare-bones set-up, the band are forced to work within these self-imposed limitations, but instead of being a hinderance, they prove that you are only limited by your imagination as they proceed to conjure up various moods and atmospheres. For instance, during Click the drums dance around as if being surrounded by a swarm of ticking clocks; stick your headphones in for an immersive listening experience. Aided by sound engineer Mark Spivey, they’ve made an album full of percussive flair. Paul Klotschkow iownyourecords.bandcamp.com/album/rattle-lp

Ski War of Art EP (Obviously Not Records)

Three Body Trio Materia Medica EP EP (Self-released)

Ski has long been on the periphery of the hip hop scene, capable of taking the paradoxically romantic allure of Midlands culture and providing relevant and substantial beats to back it up with vigour.

This EP, however, tops everything he’s done previously, providing a mature-yet-ruthless edge to his lyrical content and flow that transcends from track to track with the wonderfully articulate influence from city legends The Elementz. The sampling is something to behold in itself, infused with wonderfully soulstricken numbers and culturally significant references to keep the average hip hop head reeling and dissecting for weeks. The chilled-out, tranquilising Celebration is wonderful songwriting from start to finish; layered over a hypnotic guitar riff and complemented to perfection by Ski’s alleviating storytelling, it makes for the pinnacle of the EP. This is a coming-of-age piece of work for Ski, and one that could see him fulfil his undoubted potential. Jack Garofalo

This obliterating three-track EP proves why faceless, imageless music has such an intrinsic and deep-seated impact on the mind, body and soul. It is rare in this day and age to be so profoundly struck and transported spiritually by a collective piece of music that is able to semantically shift with sonic ease and grace, but this short project is exactly that. This is the type of beat-making that Radiohead would be proud of, capturing and enhancing certain memories into relaxing-yet-purposeful melodies that sway and pivot through consciousness. It’s hard not to get carried away and completely adore the force of these three tracks; from the beautifully eerie-yet-euphoric opener Qian-Long, with deft trip hop rhythmic flare, to the futuristically dream-like Beatroute, as well as the soothingly sedating Medica. This EP is for the forward thinkers who like their music reeking of originality.

Pure bliss. Jack Garofalo soundcloud.com/threebodytrio

facebook.com/skitheelementz

Clay Shaped Boy - Modern Age Former Dog Is Dead man gives us a teaser from his forthcoming EP in the shape of this slick indie-pop ear nugget.

Features high-pitched man wailing.

Paul Spry - She’s Dead Now Croaky acoustic blues in which someone unfortunately loses their life. Pass us tissues, will ya…

Desensitised - You’ll See Chugging pop punk that takes us back to the nineties.

Bru-C & Window Kid - Five Pound Bet An ode to going out on the lash with your mates, worth watching just for the look on the policeman’s face in the video…

DH Lawrence & The Vaudeville Skiffle Show - Black Rain A collaboration between the band and the artist Eugenie Lee, combining Lee’s work with the Skiffle Show’s musical narrative.

Autumn Diet Plans - Battenberg Lead track from new two-track EP that showcases the band’s freaky grunge vibe.

Dystopian Future Movies - NYD Grungy and doomy post-rock that sounds like it’s been coughed up by a volcano.

Liberator - Venomous Hate Raise those devil horns in the air for Mansfield’s old-school death metal merchants. leftlion.co.uk/llstereo

leftlion.co.uk/issue81

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Riverbank Bar and Kitchen Tales of Taste

There are two things in this world that fill me with insurmountable joy; getting my money’s worth and eating good scran. At The Riverbank Bar and Kitchen, you can do both – eating like a king or queen for the price of a pauper. Well, a well-off pauper by pauper standards. With one course for £8.95, two for £10.95 and three for £12.95, you’d be daft not to.

To begin, my mates and I went deep with the starters: a light and fresh courgette and mint soup, with a delicate helping of creme fraiche and baked breads; a strong, creamy goat’s cheese salad with vine tomatoes, basil and sweet pickles to balance out the cheese; and small, but perfectly formed crispy white bait with a lime mayonnaise to die for. It’s easy to batter white bait to death and lose the meaty part of the fish, but I have to say, the little blighters were as soft and fleshy as a 4cm fish could possibly be.

The main events arrived in all their glory. My pals both went for all-American cheddar cheese burgers with all the trimmings. A posh, toasted brioche bun encased a downright juicy bit of meat and the all usual suspects, tomato, lettuce, bacon and a couple of gherkins. Proper. Of course, for the purpose of this review I simply had to sample both, and can confirm they were delightful. If I was forced to offer any criticism, the onion rings could have been crunchier. But if that’s the only thing of note, they’re doing summat right.

Thaikhun

Khudn’t be better

Following its revamp, Victoria Centre has suddenly exploded with restaurants. One of which, continuing the Thai street food craze, comes in the form of Thaikhun. But where the busy decorations, tuk tuks, and Singha beer posters of Maid Mazza’s Zaap hit you hard, Thaikhun is a touch more smoothed out. However, not without its quirks: outside, they’ve even got loads of fake wires wrapped around the fairy lights, akin to the fizzling electricals commonly found round them East Asian parts.

We started with a couple of cocktails, naturally. I had a Gin Cooler (£6.95) and my partner had a sweet Full Moon (£6.95). You can upgrade to a bucket – seriously – for £13. The cooler came with Beefeater gin, liquer 43, lime, apple juice and lychee, all laced with thinly sliced cucumber and ice. Deliciously refreshing. The Full Moon had Absolut vodka, orange liqueur, watermelon, apple, cranberry and Midori and, with a couple of flying saucers to top the glass, it was a show stopper.

I’d recommend getting a sharing platter as a starter. We had the Bangkok Street Platter (£7.50) – grilled chicken satay, Thai prawn toast, prawn and pork dumplings, and red curried corn cakes. With soy, satay and sweet chilli dipping sauces, you’re onto a winner here.

Although the prawn toast was a bit greasy (to be expected), the dumplings and the corn cakes were beautiful, and the chicken was seriously moist. The Sukhumvit Platter (£8) is equally as eclectic.

The Angel Microbrewery Spiritual Snap

The closure of The Old Angel marked the end of an era for a muchloved pub. With a massive scaffolding question mark over its future – more student flats? The Libertines as landlords? A return to a church-cum-brothel? – we let out a collective sigh of relief when we discovered that the man behind The Alley Cafe was taking the helm.

Both outside and in are smart as you like, without stripping any of the old character and atmosphere of its former incarnation. Basically, it’s a lot less grotty. The pool table may be gone, but where it stood is a rather cosy, welcoming eating space with an open kitchen. And yes, the toilets are now safe to enter.

The new menu provides for all: meat lovers, veggies and vegans. Both me and my mate are carnivores, but knowing that The Alley Cafe’s food is more than moreish, we went for the vegetarian fish and chips (£8.95) and beef burger (£9.95).

The ‘fish and chips’ was halloumi strips in Black Iris beer batter, and came with handcut chips, pea puree and homemade tartar sauce.

I have a terrible weakness for the squeaky cheese and I was not disappointed; the fat fingers were lovingly encased in the lightest batter. I couldn’t quite decide on the pea puree, dipping both chips and the cheese in it, before scoffing it on its own. Lightly minted, it was a nice alternative to mushy peas.

I ordered the confit chicken leg, accompanied by creamed potatoes, chorizo, cherry tomatoes and salsa verde. Presented like a piece of art, green beans formed a trellis for chorizo circles to balance atop juicy tomatoes, scattered about a splashing of tangy salsa verde. Apologies were offered as the leg was now a breast, but none were needed as I’ve always been more of a breast kinda gal and the chicken was tender and full of flavour. I’ve often been told that I’m prone to exaggeration, but I kid you not, those creamed potatoes were the best I’ve eaten in my whole life.

Somehow, we managed to squeeze in a pud each. Being fit to burst, I opted for a light, iced vanilla parfait with chocolate sauce and toasted almonds, and my friends had a couple of ginger cakes served with a salted caramel sauce and whipped cream. While I was chuffed to bits with the ice cream-esque rolls of wonder, the cake was the winner.

Sumptuously moist with a springy sponge that kicks the back of your throat with ginger but then soothes it immediately with the salted caramel. Fear not, my food envy was quelled by a couple of stolen spoonfuls. I was working, after all. Lucy Manning Trent Bridge, West Bridgford, NG2 5FB. 0115 986 7960 riverbanknotts.co.uk

For mains, we had ped phad prik pao (£9.50) – slices of roasted duck wok-fried with chilli paste, oyster sauce, mushrooms, peppers and onions. The duck was juicy, coated in thick, spicy sauce, and came with sticky rice. On top of that, there was the phao kee mao (£10.50), or spicy seafood noodles, which came doused in soy sauce and scattered with squid, mussels and prawns. Full of flavour and very filling. On a previous visit, I chose the kao ka prao gai (£10) – spicy minced chicken stir fried with garlic, chilli basil, soy and oyster sauce.

All with rice and a fried egg. One of the most simple and beautiful dishes I’ve had this year, and took me right back to the echoes of “Same same, but different.”

Dessert time. We managed to save a bit of room by getting ourselves a doggy bag for the mains, so it was sticky date pudding with Thai whisky ice cream for me (£5.25) and mango sticky rice (£5.25) for him.

Mine came thick with sauce, and that whisky ice cream really cut through the sweetness perfectly.

Bonus points include having a terrace for those days when the sunshine shows its face. And they’ve just come on Deliveroo… for the days when it doesn’t. Bridie Squires Victoria Shopping Centre, NG1 3QN. 0115 838 9950 thaikhun.co.uk

wedged between the cob that came complete with fresh salad for extra height. Taking my advice to “just go for it”, she looked in seventh heaven mere seconds after taking a bite. The burger was seasoned with paprika, giving it a chorizo-esque flavour, and once your taste buds had dealt with that slap of joy, the distinctive blue cheese notes took control. A beauty of a burger.

We were stuffed, and knew it was a foolish quest to go in on the desserts, but we couldn’t resist. We ordered the baked cheesecake and the chocolate brownie (£4.50 each), both served with ice cream.

Everything was vegan, you wouldn’t be any the wiser if you weren’t told. The ice cream, although very sweet, was creamy and delicious; the brownie was crumbly with a gooey middle; and the cheesecake – made from tofu and vegan cream cheese – had a divine base, dreamy poached apples and a tangy fruit sauce. A few bites in, we were beaten and had to take the leftovers home.

The city may be overrun with eateries at the moment, but The Angel’s ethically sourced vegan ingredients, organic locally sourced meats and bang-on homemade recipes will keep ‘em on the Nottingham food map for sure. Ali Emm 7 Stoney Street, NG1 1LG. 0115 947 6735 facebook.com/angelmicrobrewery

My dining partner wondered how she was going to fit her burger in her mouth, what with the chunky patty, bacon and fat slab of Stilton leftlion.co.uk/issue81

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Leo (24 July – 23 Aug) These tumultuous times call for clear, concise cognition. It’s time to stop letting others tell you what to think and to avoid all superstitions completely.

Virgo (24 Aug – 23 Sept) Please understand that being a doctor is more complicated than just putting on a white lab coat and knocking on doors to offer people check-ups. You need a stethoscope too.

Libra (24 Sept – 23 Oct) You’ve had to overcome serious obstacles to get where you are today. Primarily, your ambitions, hopes and dreams.

Scorpio (24 Oct – 22 Nov) Despite repeatedly screaming the name of your loved one from the rooftops this week, they’re still too angry to let you back into the flat.

Sagittarius (23 Nov – 22 Dec) Most of the 37 species of fox around the world would a) never be found in Nottingham and b) attack a human. You’ll meet the other type this week.

Capricorn (Dec 23 – Jan 19) After all these years, you’ll finally come out of your shell this week. But you’ll immediately fall foul of a swooping jackdaw attack.

Aquarius (20 Jan – 19 Feb) There are two types of people in this world: those who won’t die in a horrific road accident next Tuesday, and you.

Pisces (20 Feb – 20 Mar) You’re feeling sad that people seem to have lost respect for you this month, but you’re wrong. People can’t lose something they never had.

Aries (21 Mar – 20 Apr) You’ve always dreamed of being on television.

However, after this week’s events it will mainly just be nightmares.

Taurus (21 Apr – 21 May) It takes real courage to stand up and speak in front of a large amount of people. Especially when those people are just there to watch the new Ghostbusters film.

Gemini (22 May – 22 June) Drugs are never the answer to your problems.

But if you smoke enough weed you might forget what those problems are.

Cancer (23 June – 23 July) People are better at keeping secrets when they’re dead. You know what you have to do.

Nottingham Beach

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Reece Straw, BA (Hons) Fine Art

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