that’sall, F olKs

interview: Gemma Cockrell photo: Nic Chapman

The Foolhardy Folk Festival is back for the third year at Nottingham Arboretum for its all day affair on Bank Holiday Sunday, with a lineup curated by Beans on Toast. Joining him will be native New Yorker comic book illustrator and cult sensation Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage, who we caught up with ahead of the festival…

Hey Jeffrey! Are you looking forward to playing the Foolhardy Folk Festival in Nottingham in August?

Do you get a wide range of responses to a question like that?

What should people expect from your performance at the festival? Lo-fi folk, sci-fi punk, and low budget videos!

Which other artists on the lineup are you looking forward to seeing on the day? I don’t know many artists from the 21st Century so it will all be a surprise to me. Beans on Toast curates the festival. How did you first get in touch with him and how did you end up on the festival bill?

Festival gigs are mysterious to me, it’s not like a club gig where I have a list of places I’ve had contact with in the past, and I can reach out and ask about available dates and assemble a tour. Festivals are, for me, the other way around, it’s like I’ll get an email saying a festival is interested in having me play, then I have to decide whether I’d be able to do it. From year to year I have no way to predict or control which festivals might reach out! It’s always something of a surprise and nice to be contacted.

What memories do you have of performing in Nottingham? When were you last here?

I did my tenth gig in Nottingham in January 2020, that was an in-store album release thing at the Rough Trade there. Before that I think I was mostly doing gigs at the Social, but I’ve also played at Rescue Rooms, the Maze or the Bodega. Lots of good times playing with bands I was friends with, like Nottingham gigs that I did with the Wave Pictures, or with Schwervon or with Herman Dune, or with Danielson.

Alongside your music, you're also a comic book artist. How does this co-exist with your music and what is the relationship between the two like? Songs are relatively quick to write, compared to the time it takes to create a whole comic book. The best thing about drawing comics is that I can listen to music for hours and hours while working, which is much better than when I’m trying to make up songs, because of course I can’t be listening to records when I’m trying to make songs. So, with comics it’s a lot of work but it’s very enjoyable work because I can listen to tons of records.

In 2021 you released the Complete Fuff Comix Collection. Have you been working on any more comics since then?

I’ve done a couple issues of my new comic book series Statics, there’s a bit of a delayed release on the second issue but it’s been finished for a while and it should be out later this year. I’m starting to work on writing the third issue, but the tour schedule for my band is starting to get a bit busy so it may take me a while to focus on it. But I’m very happy with the new Statics series, I feel like I’m in a good place with my ability to make comics, and I just want to keep getting better and doing more.

2021 was also the last time that you released any music (2021 Tapes: Suddenly it's Been Too Late for a Long Time). Are you working on anything new?

I recorded a new album with my band a couple months ago, in Nashville, working again with the producer Roger Moutenot because we loved working with him on our Bad Wiring album that came out in 2019. There’s a few decisions to make about the song order and the album art and things like that, but hopefully that will be ready for release sometime before too long. And I try to get in the habit of writing a new song every week, to play at a local open mic, and then by the end of each year I have a little pile of songs.

In the past few years, I’ve been releasing a bunch of those home-recorded solo songs as the ‘tapes’ on my Bandcamp page, like that ‘2021 Tape’ that you mention. At this point, I’ve done four of those annual releases of home recorded songs, for 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, but I don’t know if I’ll keep doing it every year.

The Foolhardy Folk Festival will take place on Sunday 27 August at Nottingham Arboretum @jeffreylewisband

Taking place as one of The Bodega’s Summer Shows, join us at our fave Hockley hangout for an evening of Notts-based music from alt/indie rock five-piece Rad Pitt and self-taught independent musician, singer, producer and viral TikTok sensation Ricky Jamaraz.

Fri 18 August

Arboretum Beer Festival

We’re back in the Arboretum this August bank holiday weekend for the annual Beer Festival, featuring a whole host of local and national brewers, some fabulous street food from Bustler, and live music, including an Acoustic Rooms stage featuring Ellie Stainsby, Shaman Erginer, Josie Beth and Jonny Olley.

Sat 26 August

Foolhardy Folk Festival

Our collaborative festival with folk music legend Beans on Toast also returns to the Arboretum’s historic bandstand for a day of music and revelry with Beans himself, alongside Skinny Lister, Jeffrey Lewis, local act Vona Vella, and a super secret special guest yet to be revealed…

Sun 27 August

Recommends

Romy

BOOM! (Album)

Releasing an entire album at the age of fourteen is not something that many teenagers are capable of doing. Yet the self-assured and talented Romy is not just any teenager. She is an artist in her own right, who has already been picked up by BBC Introducing - no mean feat for anyone who is trying to get their music out there in the world. Her twelve-track debut BOOM! captures how diverse and developed her sound is; she has a bright future ahead of her and this is just the start. Gemma Cockrell

JJ Lovegrove

The Lines We Leave Behind (Album)

Judi’s voice emerges like a flickering flame from the misty ambience of the opening track, before the album grows in power and intensity. In the centre, The Call has a lo-fi feel but high impact, leading into the ‘80s-drenched Dark Room, with infectious pounding drums. After a long power down, we finish with the slow-burning and moving End Credits. The dawn to dusk concept is well executed, with real-world samples adding a sense of immediacy. An impactful and memorable listen; a well-balanced and poetic work from an artist in a place of confidence. Phil

Taylor

Stuart Pearce

Red Sport International (Album)

Never far from the love of The Fall and his politics, Stuart Pearce smashes it with their debut album. Passionate, angry and heavy, it simultaneously looks back to the best of the ‘80s and ‘90s while reaching forwards to offer a glimmer of hope for the future, aspiring to a fairer world. We live in interesting times and Red Sport International reflects our age; it is an album that is intriguing enough to warrant you taking a longer time listening. Michael

Prince

Bored Marsh

The Grind (Single)

Bored Marsh’s recent single The Grind masterfully creates a spacious atmosphere, full of emotional resonance and an echoey, looming distance through expert production techniques. Their signature reverb enhances the track, creating depth to further the darker feel to the song. Rich guitars and incredibly impressive vocals drive the track forward, with moments of light and shade accentuated by the varying drum patterns. The fuzzy indie-rock sound has a vintage feel, but still feels fresh and hints towards a very exciting future for the alternative quartet. I was certainly not bored! Izzy Morris

JAME

Where You Are (Single)

Inspired by electronic, house, and techno, Where You Are is an uplifting listen from Notts dance up-andcomer JAME. The atmospheric, synth-led track builds gradually throughout its lengthy six-minute runtime, with the addition of soaring vocals before skittering beats transform the track into a dance extravaganza. Then, spoken word verses are layered on top, proclaiming that “we just need to forget about everything and have a good time, it really is that simple” - a lesson that maybe we could all learn. Gemma Cockrell

WHAT’S ON AUGUST 2023

Discover our full programme at broadway.org.uk Tickets start from £5

CONTINUING FROM JULY

BARBIE (12A)

From Friday 21 July USA, 2023, 110 min

OPPENHEIMER (15)

From Friday 21 July UK/USA, 2023, 180 min

THE DAMNED DON’T CRY (18)

From Friday 4 August France, 2022, 111 min

THE TUNNEL TO SUMMER: THE EXIT OF GOODBYES (12A)

From Friday 11 August Japan, 2022, 82 min

L’IMMENSITÀ (12A)

From Friday 18 August Italy, 2022, 99 min

Director Greta Gerwig

Starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling

After months of anticipation, Barbie is finally here! Barbie’s life in Barbie Land is pretty perfect - until she has a full-on existential crisis. Margot Robbie stars in the film of the summer.

SERPICO – 50TH ANNIVERSARY (15)

From Friday 18 – Sunday 20 August USA, 1973, 130 min

Director Christopher Nolan

Starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt

Christopher Nolan’s much-anticipated epic thriller thrusts us into the pulsepounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it.

PARIS MEMORIES (PG)

From Friday 18 August France, 2022, 115 min

Director Fyzal Boulifan

Starring Abdellah El Hajjouji, Antoine Reinartz

A mother and her devoted but defiant son Selim - living on the poverty line in Morocco - find their close bond tested when Selim discovers a painful truth about his past.

KOKOMO CITY (18)

From Friday 18 – Sunday 20 August USA, 2023, 73 min

Director Tomahisa Taguchi

Starring Marie Iitoyo, Oji Suzuka

One summer night after school, Kaoru discovers a mysterious tunnel that can grant any wish to those who enter it. Could he use it to bring his sister back from her untimely death five years earlier?

THE MEG 2: THE TRENCH (CTBC)

From Friday 18 August USA, 2023, 116 min

Director Emmanuele Crialese

Starring Penélope Cruz, Vincenzo Amato

Penélope Cruz stars in a vibrant tale of self-discovery that explores gender identity, mental health and turbulent familial relationships, set in sun-drenched 1970s Rome.

THEATER CAMP (12A)

From Friday 25 August USA, 2023, 94 min

Director Sidney Lumet

Starring Al Pacino, John Randolph

In 1971 New York, an honest policeman, Serpico (Al Pacino), investigates rampant corruption in the police force. A brand-new 4K restoration to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sidney Lumet’s New Hollywood classic.

SCRAPPER (12A)

From Friday 25 August UK, 2023, 94 min

Director Alice Winocour

Starring Virginie Efira, Benoît Magimel

A woman’s life is dramatically transformed when she witnesses a gunman open fire in a busy Parisian bistro. Left without a memory, she attempts to reconnect by revisiting the scene of the attack.

AFIRE (12A)

From Friday 25 August Germany, 2023, 112 min

Director D.Smith

This bold debut documentary presents frank discussions of what it means to be a Black trans woman in the sex trade in the US. A compassionate, witty examination of race, capitalism and gender.

Another chance to see some of the best films from the last six months.

All tickets just £5.

Scan for more information and times:

Director Ben Wheatley

Starring Jason Statham, Jing Wu

Joining forces with action favourite Jason Statham, here facing up to colossal prehistoric sharks, director Ben Wheatley takes on the supersized follow-up to 2018’s The Meg.

Directors Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman

Starring Ben Platt, Molly Gordon

After the beloved founder of a scrappy upstate New York theater camp falls into a coma, her clueless son Troy and the camp’s eccentric staff are tasked with keeping the thespian paradise running.

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON

Director Charlotte Regan

Starring Harris Dickinson, Lola Campbell

Dreamy 12-year-old Georgie lives happily alone in her London flat, filling it with magic. Out of nowhere, her estranged father turns up and forces her to confront reality.

Director Christian Petzold

Starring Thomas Schubert, Paul Beer

Four young people come together in a small holiday house by the Baltic sea. As the parched forests around them begin to ignite, so do their emotions.

t he FloP side

words: George White

There’s been a lot of talk about box office ‘flops’ recently. With June seeing both Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and The Flash bringing in… less than gargantuan receipts, plenty of people are asking the very calm, considered questions. Is this the end? Is cinema dead? Shall we just admit defeat and shut every multiplex under the sun?

Yet these cries of panic appear to overlook an important point. Yes, you’d expect a property like Indiana Jones to bring in the big bucks - after all, it has gathered a colossal cult following across several generations. And, sure, you’d think a DC project like The Flash, with the marketing might and fierce fandom behind it, would be a pretty safe bet at the box office.