ISSUE 112. June 2014
Destination BarBour aston Bourne launch
Frank skinner Owner of the showing-off gene
CrystAl King
miss ProuD Pin-uP 2014
Al Fresco Dining summer is here at last
COCKTAIL MASTERCLASSES
& WINE TASTINGS
HAM SE C PAGNE UR
WINE DINN ER
NER DIN
5C O
AT HOTEL DU VIN
OLLY SMWITH ITH
8T
THE PERFECT SOLUTION FOR A NIGHT OUT WITH A DIFFERENCE
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£95 PE R PERS
THE VIRTUOSO MIXOLOGISTS AND VETERAN SOMMELIERS AT HOTEL DU VIN BRIGHTON PROVIDE EXPERT GUIDANCE IN ONE OF OUR MANY COCKTAIL MASTERCLASSES AND WINE TASTING EVENINGS COCKTAIL MASTERCLASSES:
WINE TASTING EVENINGS:
5TH JUNE VODKA COCKTAIL MASTERCLASS 3RD JULY RUM COCKTAIL MASTERCLASS 7TH AUGUST SUMMER LOVING
4TH JUNE GERMAN&AUSTRIAN WINES 2ND JULY ORGANIC, BIODYNAMIC&NATURAL WINES 6TH AUGUST WINES OF NEW EUROPE
4TH SEPTEMBER ON THE ROCKS
3RD SEPTEMBER VS BURGUNDY BORDEAUX ~
A MASTERCLASS IN OF SUITABLY SUMMERY DRINKS
SHORT SIPPERS AND SLIVVERS OF ICE
SAMPLE SOME FINE WINES FROM CROATIA, SLOVENIA AND HUNGARY
ALWAYS STARTS AT 6:30 | £25 PER PERSON CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS: www.HOTELDUVIN.com/offers HOTEL DU VIN&BISTRO SHIP STREET, BRIGHTON, SUSSEX BN1 1AD
0844 736 4251
events.brighton@hotelduvin.com
What’s on at Ghyll Manor? Flavour of Brazil
Sunday 22 JunE, from 12pm
To celebrate the start of the World Cup we’re hosting a Brazilian themed afternoon including: Barbecue with Brazilian food • Carnival music • Learn how to Samba dance and more. Great fun for all the family!
Just £18 per person
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Sunday 20th July, from 2pm, StartS at 4pm
Join us for some open air theatre with this Shakespearian favourite. It’s a great one for family and friends alike so, bring your picnic rug and enjoy! Refreshments will also be available to purchase.
Just £14 per adult, £10 per child (under 16 years). family ticket £42 (two adults and two children)
BBQ’s on The Terrace
EvEry Sunday in July, from 12pm
Feast your eyes on one of our tasty barbecues – with a range of meats including 100% peppered beef burgers, ribs and minted lamb steaks, cooked to order by Chef, and served with a lavish dressed buffet. Finish with some tempting desserts - the perfect Sunday afternoon!
Just £18 per person
Interested? 03301 230 371 and quote ‘AB Mag’ (8am – 11pm daily) enquiries@ghyllmanor.co.uk ghyllmanor.co.uk facebook.com/csmaclub
@CSMAClub
GHYLL MANOR H OT E L & RE S TAU R A N T Rusper, nr Horsham
Issue 112. June 2014
For all enquiries please contact:
Lynne Edwards - Sales & Marketing Director lynne@absolutehomesmagazine.com Anya Zervudachi - Sales Manager Food & Drink anya@absolutemagazine.co.uk
Ian Trevett – Managing Editor ian.trevett@absolutemagazine.co.uk
Daniel White – Deputy Editor dan.white@absolutemagazine.co.uk
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Frida Clementz - Senior Designer frida.clementz@absolutemagazine.co.uk
Alan Prior - Publisher
6. ASTON RE-BOURNE
Clothing store Aston Bourne celebrated the launch of their brand new Barbour concession store by showcasing their Barbour and Barbour international Spring/Summer collections. Absolute Lifestyle Limited Premier House 11 Marlborough Place BRIGHTON BN1 1UB Tel: 0870 005 2211 Fax: 08700 052 082 info@absolutemagazine.co.uk www.absolutemagazine.co.uk Absolute Magazine and Pinnacle would like to thank the advertisers that appear in this publication for their support, and wish them every business success. The contents of this publication are believed to be correct at the time of printing; nevertheless, we cannot endorse, and readers should not rely solely upon, the accuracy of any statements or claims contained herein, without prior consultation with the service provider.
Printed by Afinis Design and Print 01903 875940, nick@afinis.co.uk
CREATIVE | DIGIT AL | WEB experts in digital communication
Cover photograph by Mark Berimen See page 36 for interview with Crystal King.
welcome
At A Glance 6 Fashion 14 ASTON BOURNE 23 Health & Fitness 30 FRANK SKINNER 33 Stephen Grant
35 ZOE LYONS 36 CRYSTAL KING 38 FOOD & DRINK 54 CINEMA 55 MUSIC
30. FRANK SKINNER
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Find out how to make the worst guess ever made as Perrier Awardwinner and Room 101 presenter Frank Skinner tells us why he is happy to be back on the stage again, away from the television screen.
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It is fair to say that the city’s experiment with a Green council has divided opinion, especially with the transport policy (do we really need a bus lane in Edward Street, a road which rarely had traffic queues?). The verdict on their administration will probably be decided on parking and speed limits, the headline policies that have infuriated as many as people as they have cheered. There is a bigger picture. Brighton and Hove is a hub of environmental innovation and ecological excellence. This month, the city hosts the UK’s premier event for sustainable energy, build, transport, technology and resource efficiency. The Eco Technology Show, brainchild of two Brightonians, Nicola Gunstone and Billy Mauseth, is establishing a reputation for thought-leadership, debate and entrepreneurship. Nicola says, “The Eco Technology Show is a window on how technology and low carbon solutions can save money and deliver genuine benefits to communities, businesses and cities. It is about what you can do right now. Anyone with an interest in treading a bit more lightly on the globe or just reducing their utility bills will find a visit to this completely free event worthwhile.” It is a fascinating event and one that could have an enormous impact on the quality of life for our children and their children. Go to www.ecotechnologyshow.co.uk to register for your free tickets. The show is at the Brighton Centre on 26-27th June.
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45. AL FRESCO Where are the best places to enjoy al-fresco-style? In Brighton we are blessed with plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants that offer beautiful outside space so we decided to take to the streets of Brighton and Hove to answer that question for you.
Enjoy,
Ian Ian Trevett – Managing Editor
Aston (Re) (Re)Bourne Coinciding with the 120th anniversary of Barbour, one of the heavyweights in British heritage design, Aston Bourne are celebrating the launch of their new store showcasing some of the brands SS14 collections
Available at
Aston Bour ne
Available at
Aston Bour ne
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BarBour Facts • 120 years ago, Barbour was founded in South Shields by John Barbour, a Scotsman who saw a need for waterproof, reliable, hardwearing outerwear amongst working communities of the North East. Previously, fishermen had used stiff, badly wearing jackets coated with tar and fish oils. The introduction of oilcloth meant a softer, more comfortable jacket with the same water repellency and added longevity.
Destination Barbour
Aston Bourne is launching its new store that is exclusively Barbour
• John Barbour’s grandson Duncan, joined Barbour in 1928. A keen motorcyclist himself, he introduced a motorcycling range that quickly took off. Virtually every British international racing team wore Barbour motorcycle suits from 1936 through to the 1970s. In 1957, 97% of riders at the International Six Day Trials (ISDT) wore Barbour Internationals. • In 1937, Captain George Philips took command of the HMS Ursula submarine. Unsatisfied with the standard issue Royal Navy uniform for submariners, Capt. Philips commissioned and paid for Barbour two piece suits for the whole HMS Ursula crew. The ‘Ursula’ suit as it was known, became standard issue for members of the Submarine service.
Aston Bour ne Aston Bourne is now the place to go for the classic fashion staple, the Barbour jacket, but there is much more to the brand than protecting the country set from the elements. With a wardrobe of clothes from shirts to knitwear to trousers, the range is just as relevant during a long, hot and very stylish summer: Ian Nelson, Account Manager, Barbour said: “As Barbour has evolved over the years, so have our collections, and we’re now pleased to offer not just our famous wax jackets, but t-shirts, knitwear, shoes and accessories to suit all seasons, all inspired by our countryside heritage. From country capes to playful prints, our new Spring/Summer 2014 collections are perfect for long summer days spent rambling in hillsides, dancing at muddy festival weekenders or taking full-throttle day trips on the motorcycle.” Ivan and Sarah Mather originally started selling Barbour from 12 East Street in 1982. Mark Sinclair joined the team as General Manager when the growth of the brand spread across two new shops. “Over the last five years 60
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% of our sales have been to women - either ladies fashion or the classic unisex jackets.” They are now expanding next door at 10 East Street with a shop that is exclusively Barbour (they stock top brands such as Hunter Wellington Boots, Dubarry of Ireland Clothing, and Ilse Jacobsen Boots at number 11, as well as the country pursuits shop at number 12). It offers a wide range of Barbour ranges, and will further establish the store as a destination outlet. Both Ivan and Sarah are very proud of their Barbour connection. “Like Barbour we are a family business, and they treat us like we are part of the family. They aren’t just interested in how much we sell. They are much more concerned about seeing things done in the right way and preserving the brand. We have customers from all walks of life and from a wide geographical area, including customers who have been with us since we first stocked Barbour. It is a unique brand in that it wouldn’t be unusual to see the granddad, dad and son all wearing a Barbour jacket.”
- Interview -
• En route to the 1964 ISDT in East Germany, actor Steve McQueen and the rest of the US motorcycle racing team stopped by in London to pick up Barbour International suits. One of the most famous wearers of the brand, Steve McQueen’s effortless style married with the spirit of Barbour International perfectly. • Barbour has three Royal Warrants from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (1974), HM The Queen (1982) and HRH Prince Charles (1987). Barbour is one of only a small number of companies to hold all three Warrants. • For her contribution to British industry, Margaret Barbour became a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2001 New Year’s Honours List. She was named one of Vogue’s inspirational ‘Wonder Women’ in 2011 with a tribute to her, written by past Barbour collaborator and British Fashion Designer Anya Hindmarch. Anya describes Dame Margaret, the Chairman of Barbour, as a ‘National Treasure’. www.astonbourne.co.uk telephone: 01273 227775 11, East street, Brighton, East sussex, BN1 1HP
guestlist
What? The opening of Aston Bourne
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Where? East Street, Brighton Why? Aston Bourne is launching its new store that is exclusively Barbour 2
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Who?
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1. Mark Sinclair, Sarah and Ivan Mather 2. Mathew Parr (Looking Good) and Vashikeh Miller (Milla Grace) 3. Alan Oprea and Corina Butusina 4. Zoe Pangalos and Josh Mather 5.Anya Zervudachi, Peter Grobbelaar and Luke Thacker 6. Jimmy Holtham and Amy Mather 5
7. Bob and Paula Cookson
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8. Julen and Fionnuala Plumart 9. Adam Inglis, Amanda De Zilva 10. Rob White and Natalie Courtois
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If you would like to see your event on these pages email us on guestlist@absolutemagazine.co.uk
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Photos: www.snapitnow.co.uk
- Guest|List -
JUNE 2014
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DESIGNER LABELS WE STOCK:
A BRIGHTON LANDMARK Located on the prestigious Dukes Street of the Brighton Lanes, Mottoo is situated in the heart of the city of Brighton. Established in 1988, Mottoo is an independent fashion boutique specialising in both designer womenswear and menswear clothing.
WOMENSWEAR *Clothing* Paul Smith McQ by Alexander McQueen
most highly regarded fashion labels in the world, from McQ to Paul Smith. Addressing the real life needs of people everywhere, from work to weekend, casual to eveningwear, our aim at Mottoo is to retain individuality and exclusivity through the designer collections it brings to its customers each season. Moreover, we constantly deliver a mix of international style from across the globe, which is both fashionable and of an exceptional quality.
Undoubtedly one of Brighton’s most valued fashion landmarks, Mottoo creates the ultimate shopping experience by offering a unique personal service to every customer.
Marithe Francois Girbaud Patrizia Pepe Hudson Jeans Goldhawk Xenia Peter Twiss Joe Jeans MENSWEAR McQ by Alexander McQueen Marithe Francois Girbaud
At Mottoo, we also offer a unique personal shopping service. To make an appointment please drop into one of our stores. Alternatively, contact us via email or telephone.
Mottoo is targeted at the sophisticated, cutting edge market. Constantly evolving, introducing new labels and seeking out the new season’s must-haves, we tend to our customer’s every desire. Not only do we seek out the best emerging global brands but we also stock the
WE-R-Replay Seal Kay Independent No1 (limited edition shirts) Jeffery West
Mottoo: 01273 326633 Email Address: brighton@mottoo.com
Mens Store - Brighton Square, the Lanes Womens Store - Duke Street, Brighton
B&HLife_March06 8/2/068/2/06 3:17 pm B&HLife_March06 3:17Page pm 1Page 1
Thai Massage / Beauty / Well-being Thai Massage / Beauty / Well-being
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THE TREATMENT ROOMS THE TREATMENT ROOMS 21 NEW ROAD, BRIGHTON 21 NEW ROAD, BRIGHTON Tel: Tel: 01273 818444 info@thetreatmentrooms.com 01273 818444 info@thetreatmentrooms.com www.thetreatmentrooms.com www.thetreatmentrooms.com
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Stand out
from the crowd this summer want to be cool and noticeable this season? Get a pair of brightly hued trousers or shorts. chinos are everywhere in the high street. Go for rainbow colours this summer - washed pinks, greens, reds and purples too. It doesn’t stop at the ankle. Crank it up a notch in above-the-knee shorts. I love short shorts, who doesn’t? This summer you won’t really have any choice at all. We should all be in screaming bright colours and why not?
Mens Fashion by Igor Srzic Cartledge Fashion stylist www.personal-style.co.uk igor@personal-style.co.uk
Bright shorts are very summery and reminds me of hot weather and a nice stroll on the beach somewhere in the Mediterranean. Just back from the lovely Island of Mykonos and the brighter the better, if you can find some dark colour boat shoes to go with the funky and bright shorts or trousers.
Burton Blueinc Dusty Rose chinos £29.99
Eye-catching they may be but they are not as difficult to wear as they look. When wearing very bright colours for one item, try to keep the rest of the outfit toned down - either a dark top or a white T-shirt with canvas plimsolls and add some cool shades to accessories, like Prada or D&G. Sydney driver (blue) form office £74.99
But be very careful, don’t play on the wet grass or spill a nice glass of Merlot. If you really can’t face the invasion of colour this summer, or you are looking for a pair of chinos to last you a bit longer than this season, then it might be better to get yourself a subtler, more conservative colour. Match them with some fabulous printed short sleeve shirts and converse. If you are not sure you can always contact me :
Jacamo - William&Brown boat shoe (d blue) £45.00
Blueinc shirt £10.00
www.personal-style.co.uk
Jacamo Green shorts £23.00
Burton-black Wayfarer sunglasses with blue lens £12.00 - Fashion|Blog -
June 2014
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Prestige Watches & Exquisite Jewellery
Specialists in Vintage & Pre-Cherished Watches service, repair, & restoration. gold, silver & prestige watches purchased
29 Station Road, Portslade, East Sussex BN41 1GB Tel: 01273 239763 www.jamesrossjewellers.co.uk
v
intage
Brighton
introducing our new columnist, Misty Monroe, our monthly go-to-girl for retro fun and vintage glamour! Discussing this column with the editor, we questioned “What is ‘Retro’ or ‘Vintage’?”. With retro defined as ‘imitative of a style or fashion from the recent past’, and vintage ‘representing the high quality of a past time’, I think the two convey very different images. A lifestyle or image choice replicating that of a certain era, Retro conjures images of bright colours and fun, while vintage is a bit more glamourous. My era of choice is post war 40s through to the early 60s; a combination of pin curls and waspies, diners and poodle skirts, Cadillacs and kissing in the back seat. Pin Up girls brought the glamour; silk lingerie, satin dresses and kitten heels, with every day wear of the 50s bringing the ‘retro’ vibes with neckerchiefs and bomber jackets. This trend is particularly prevalent in Brighton, where we bring it up-to-date with Sailor Jerry tattoos from head to toe. As well as the modern day pin-up girls roaming the streets every day, 50s fashion is a visible trend on the high street for this Summer as well, making the Sandra Dee look easier for everyone to try. Primark’s check skirts and cherry prints, H&Ms high-waisted bikinis and New Look’s gingham and tropical print shirts among the many ways to get a hint of the trend as the sun comes out. Check out the column over the coming months for ways to get hair and make-up styles to suit the trend; how to wear hints of the fashion or go all out pin-up Goddess as well as events, nights out, menswear and even food and motors. I write this opening column after returning from an event way up in Northampton. Called the Atomic Festival and run by the same people who run the Hotrod Hayride in Surrey, the weekend was an array of circle skirts, quiffs, Hot Rods and Jive Dancing, including a Poodle Parlour and Roller Rink. Showcasing the largest selection of vintage stalls I have ever seen, the event, and even the British weather, was a huge success. Saturday saw competitors of the Quarter Finals of the UK Jive Championships take to the stage to twist and shake their way to the Semi’s. With the Semi’s and Final’s held on the Sunday, a congratulations goes out to Brighton Jive’s Dylan and Tamsin for coming third overall. The teenagers were the youngest in the competition and put on some incredible performances. The weekend was brilliant... Bring on the Hayride. That leads me to my final point for my column debut. I apologise for the morbid closer but I’d like to dedicate this column to my Granny. One of those close to me who suggested Journalism as a career path, she passed away before I got the chance to tell her I was writing for Absolute, and just a day before I write this. But I know she’d have loved it. For regular retro updates, feel free to visit my online blog, www.mistymonroe.blogspot.com, and follow me on Instagram, miss_mistymonroe, and Facebook. Otherwise, I’ll be back next time! Kisses, Misty x - Vintage -
June 2014
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Fashionista Directory Julian Stephens Goldsmith
Exclusive Jewellery
Tramp Vintage Boutique
Woodies Brighton
Design Lab
Cloak
Julian Stephens Goldsmith is a contemporary retail jewellery shop, showcasing Julian’s own exquisite collection of silverware, gold, platinum and palladium jewellery set with stunning precious gem stones. All our pieces are handcrafted in our workshop and we love to work with our customers to bring their ideas to life and create unique bespoke items. 37 Gloucester Road, Brighton, BN1 4AQ Tel: 01273 692110 email: info@julianstephens.com www.julianstephens.com
Nestled in the heart of Brighton’s famous North Laine, Tramp Vintage Boutique was founded in 2010 by Michelle Terras as a treasure box of unique items from the golden ages of fashion, targeting women of elegance with character in their style. We specialise in couture and accessories from the art deco 30s to the avant-garde 80s. Opening Hours: Monday and Tuesday – CLOSED Wednesday to Saturday – 11am-5pm Sunday 12pm-4pm 22 Trafalgar Street, North Laine, Brighton, 01273 687968 www.trampvintageclothing.com
Design Lab is one of the largest Independent fashion clothing stores in the South. Located in the heart of Brighton town centre in Duke Street and known to many as “Brighton’s Best Brands” for casual-wear it offers a comprehensive, in depth collection from Denim industry giant Diesel. Other collections to complement these are Franklin & Marshall, Henry Lloyd, Gibson London, Boss Orange & Sweeney London shoes. Pay a visit to the coolest shop in Brighton and you would be chilled out! 01273 776 777
At Exclusive Jewellery we believe in celebrating love. As an independent business we provide a personal service in a relaxed environment, taking the time to really understand our customer’s desires and provide them with an unparalleled experience. Using the latest in design software, we work with you to create the perfect piece to serve as a symbol of your everlasting love. 01273 777198 10 Union Street, Brighton, BN1 1HA
Woodies, Est in 1980, is located in Duke Street Brighton. Our aim is to bring the best brands from around the world to our customers and create a relaxed, informal, friendly shopping atmosphere. From suiting and leisure wear to contemporary fashion our aim is to have something of interest for everyone. Our global brands are Corneliani, Moschino, Richard James, Hugo Boss, J.Lindberg, Eton Shirts, Gant, Hackett, Paul & Shark with shoes from Oliver Sweeney, Loake & Jeffrey West completing our collection. 01273 776 777
Located in the heart of the famous North Laine, Cloak is the freshest fashion retailer in the city! An urban style sanctuary covering 600 square meters, Cloak is a male and female contemporary retail space stocking some of the best labels in the world including Comme des Garcons, Mark Jacobs and Griffin, and with imports and limited runs you’ll be sure to make a statement. 01273 684469 shop@cloakstore.co.uk www.cloakstore.co.uk 1A Jubilee Steet, Brighton, BN1 1GE Mon - Sat: 10:00 - 18:00 Sun: 11:00 - 05:00
Pretty Eccentric
Milla Grace
Take a walk on the wild side with PRETTY ECCENTRIC. Exquisite collections inspired by the 1920s-1950s are created by Michelle Scott and curated in her jewel like boutiques to transform you into a beguiling seductress. Bows, frills and lashings of lace bring a shot of old-fashioned glamour, perfect for that special occasion. Finds: Exquisite lace dresses, dreamy silk kimonos, jewellery made of Victorian artefacts, gin and Rosewater L’eau de parfum. Pretty Eccentric is a celebration of all things individual but above all beautiful. www.prettyeccentric.co.uk, info @ prettyeccentric.co.uk, 10 Bond Street and Meeting House Lane, Brighton.
Milla Grace is an independent Womanswear boutique located on Dukes Lane. Offering well designed high quality and individual clothing. Milla Grace stocks everything from the perfect shaped dress to amazing scented candles which are locally-sourced from right here in Sussex. Visit us at the boutique or shop online, quote “ABSOLUTE” to receive a 15% Discount – www.millagrace.co.uk – 24 Dukes Lane, Brighton, BN1 1BG - 01273220409
Griffin Denim
Aston Bourne
Thread is a new menswear Mecca, inspired by global travel, The UK’s most established denim specialist! years of experience as clothing connoisseurs and challenging Opened in 1969, Griffin Denim are proud the “plain vanilla” offerings in stores and the web. All products are ethically sourced and respect highstockists standardsofofsome of the finest denim and streetwear fabrication and finish. With seasonal and perennial offeringsbrands around including Edwin, Levi’s, Nudie available at our flagship store in Brighton’s South Lanes, and Jeans, Lee, Carhartt, Diamond Supply Co and Cheap Monday. Footwear web-store offerings www.thread-brighton.com, 9 Dukes Lane, Brighton, BN1 include the newest releases from Nike and deluxe sneaker brand NFN 1BQ, 01273 746746 Gourmet. 41 Warwick Street, Worthing, BN11 3DQ, 01903 206227 www.facebook.com/griffindenim
Aston Bourne is part of C & H Weston who have been established in Brighton, East Sussex since 1819. C & H Weston have been the main Barbour Clothing and Authorised Hunter Boots Retail Stockists in Brighton and throughout East Sussex for over 25 yrs. New Barbour concept store opening next door this Spring 2014. Mon - Sat: 09:30 - 17:30 Sun: 10:30 16:30, 01273 227775, info@astonbourne. co.uk, www.astonbourne.co.uk
To be featured in the fashionista directory please email Anya Zervudachi at: anya@absolutemagazine.co.uk 20│
June 2014
- Fashion|Directory -
The 24th Annual Brighton & Hove Pride Festival 2014 Celebrating the Freedom to Live
PRIDE WEEKEND 1st - 3rd August PRIDE ARTS & FILM FESTIVAL 18th July - 3rd August
Film Arts Theatre Cabaret Comedy Debate Spoken Word Sport d Vote DOOR UT IDE O T BES ENT/PR L EV STIVA e FE
“This year we have much to celebrate in the UK, with same sex marriage equality and our Freedom to Live. However in five countries across the globe Homosexuality is still punishable with the death penalty, while a further 70 imprison citizens because of their sexual orientation”
zin aga zm Boy
THE WORLD’S A PRIDE ARTS & FILM FESTIVAL 2014 18th July-3rd August 2014
Sunday 20th July 2014 DOGGY PRIDE Hove Rugby Club, 12pm-5pm
Saturday 2nd August 2014 PRIDE FESTIVAL Preston Park 12 Midday-10pm
Two weeks of events celebrating Freedom to Live LGBT Arts, Film and Spoken Word.
Novelty classes, pedigree classes, doggy fun and games.
Pride is back, Bigger and brasher with extended opening times. 8 entertainment areas/ Main stage/ Dance tents /Funfair / Market/ Community area.
Sunday 27th July 2014 PRIDE RAINBOW RUN & PICNIC Preston Park, 12pm-5pm 5K Rainbow Run/Drag Race/Bears tug of war and much more.
Brighton-Pride.org
Saturday 2nd August 2014 LGBT COMMUNITY PARADE Madeira Drive 11am “The World’s A Disco” celebrates music, dance and colour from around the globe
photos © ChrisJepson.com
PRIDE FESTIVAL EXTENDED OPENING TIME : 12NOON - 10PM EARLY BIRD TICKETS SOLD OUT £17.50 ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE DURING JUNE* Then £20 and more on the day *Available for a limited time only
FOR DETAILS OF THIS YEAR’S VIP PACKAGES, PLEASE VISIT BRIGHTON-PRIDE.ORG
JEREMY HOYE’S NEW JEWELLERY EMPORIUM
HOUSEOFHOYE
HOUSEOFHOYE.COM
HOUSEOFHOYE
INFO@HOUSEOFHOYE.COM
22A SHIP STREET BRIGHTON
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01273 776097
IntroducIng our new fItness wrIter sarah hItchman Daniel White caught up with Sarah to find out more about our lifestyle guru
When I turn up at the charming shabby chic Big Beach Café to meet Sarah Hitchman she is in full swing; on the phone to a client who has fallen foul to the temptation of cake and steadily calming her down as she sips at her espresso. A few moments later after pleasantries have been exchanged we are now in full swing. Our new fitness writer is a personal trainer, sports therapist and all-round lifestyle guru. With more than a decade in the fitness industry she has developed into one of the most versatile trainers in the city. “I can offer the whole package,” she begins. “I can take a client on and I can do all of their nutrition for them, so food diaries, work out what they need to eat and what they are eating too much of or drinking too much of. Then I train them to get them to their goal training-wise and if they get broken or injured during the meantime I can fix them, so it’s the whole journey.” Sarah, who works out of The Personal Training Studio, began her career early, gaining a job as a part-time personal trainer at PTS when she was still at college. Since then she has gained an endless list of qualifications and her passion for the job has never been in doubt. “I always knew what I wanted to do,” she explains. “I wanted to be a personal trainer and it just worked for me, I have just fallen
“I’m not one of those people who cracks the whip. my outlook on fitness is to try to make life easier and still achieve what you want to achieve.” on my feet really. Don’t get me wrong, I have worked really hard but I’m so lucky as well. “There aren’t really any disadvantages; it’s a lovely job. You get to meet a lot of different people from all walks of life, ages and abilities. You get to help a lot of people, you can make a massive difference to some people and if you work in it for 12 years you must be doing something right.”
is also a lifestyle exper t, helping clients through tough times or whenever she is called upon, and she explains her simple attitude towards getting fit. “I’m not one of those people who cracks the whip,” she smiles. “That is often the worst thing, the harder you are on people the quicker they fall off. My outlook on fitness is to try to make life easier and still achieve what you want to achieve. I can’t take back that you got hammered last night, so let’s just work it out and deal with it.” Sarah works with a number of high-profile clients from TV and the music industry and she feels it pushes her to never let up. “Your work is always scrutinised, which I really like as it makes you work a bit harder. You get an awful lot of feedback; you see them in magazines and on TV, which I really like. “Like the lady on the phone, I asked her how it’s going and she said she had a dreadful day yesterday and I think ‘you do know that yesterday is only Tuesday?’ But it’s part of the job and if she didn’t eat the cake she wouldn’t need to train.” Sarah Hitchman will be writing our monthly fitness column and if you would like to contact her or for more information please email s.hitchman@googlemail.com or call 07702 224451.
The highly trained professional not only provides help with fitness problems but
- Fitness -
June 2014
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WASHBOARD ABS with Scott Defty, General manaGer at la fitneSS
During the winter months most of us aren’t keen to stress about an inch of tummy fat hanging over our buckle. Winter coats, baggy jumpers and loose tracksuit bottoms allow us to avoid the worry without thought.
How often should people work out their abs? Abs recover very quickly so they can be exercised frequently. Be sure not to overdo it, it’s good to have a rest day in between, sometimes more after a particularly intense session.
However, as spring moves into summer, that inch becomes less and less concealed as out coats become vests and our desire to hit the beach grows uncontainable.
What are the biggest mistakes people make when taking their workouts from the winter to the summer season? The biggest mistake is decreasing the frequency of gym sessions! People have much more to do in the summer and tend to start skipping their gym sessions as soon as the weather gets nicer. We see a decrease in gym visits in the summer months each year. It’s important to keep going to the gym even when we don’t feel like it. And don’t forget, Gym’s are quieter in the summer months!
For many, this means it is time to get to work on those washboard abs and, therefore, we caught up with LA Fitness General Manager, Scott Defty to find out how you can get perfect abs for the summer sun. Are crunches and sit-ups the key to Perfect Abs? The key is frequency and variety. Abdominals are a large and diverse muscle group and it’s important to exercise all parts of them through different exercises to achieve good results.
How does the right preparation contribute to a successful workout program? Well planned workouts should progressively increase in difficulty as muscles get used to a certain intensity and reach a point of plateau if
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they are not challenged – so they stop developing and toning. Your body will naturally always try to make any movement/ exercise easier so variety really is key. What foods should you eat and which should you avoid? A part of creating good abs starts in the kitchen. Avoid carbohydrates like bread, pizza and anything made of flour. Eat lots of salads as this will increase your fibre intake and help you get leaner quicker, which in turn will show off your developed abs. How long does it take before I’ll see results? Results can depend on a number of things, diet, training and don’t forget your own body type! However, if you follow a good diet and workout plan you should start to see the results within 8–12 weeks. * LA Fitness are offering every reader a free 3 day trial of the club. Simply log onto lafitness. co.uk/brighton to download yours today*.
Get your FREE 3-day trial membership for LA fitness Brighton! Get fit and start today at LA fitness Brighton, the all inclusive gym that gives you everything! Whether you want to row, run or spin, jump, dance or swim, we've got all the kit and classes you're looking for; all for one great price!* Plus, we’re offering you the chance to try us FREE for 3-days! Simply visit laftness.co.uk/fitness and download your FREE 3-day trial membership for LA fitness Brighton. To find out more about our membership offers visit us in club or call us on 01273 685868! LA fitness Brighton, Tower Point, North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YR
*For terms and conditions please visit lafitness.co.uk/terms.
IT’S ALL IN THE DETAIL Lesley Taylor has created a ground-breaking app that is set to modernise event photography WORDS BY DANIEL WHITE
Lesley Taylor has always had an eye for detail. The Sussex-based photographer runs a company called Infinity Photographic Ltd and has dedicated the last few years of her life to developing her ability with a camera and has always had a certain style about her work. “I’m definitely someone who works in the background and documents the day,” she begins. “A documentarian if you like. It’s all about capturing people’s emotions and the little things; like the strap line on my flyer says ‘It’s all in the detail’. “So yes I do the group shots that my clients want but the most important things for me are the bride wearing her mum’s earrings, an engagement ring delicately placed on the heel of your Jimmy Choo wedding shoe, the first ‘look’ at the end of the aisle. Memorable things so when my couples get their album, it’s like a story book from start to finish.” However, the mum-of-three is regularly booked to photograph weddings and, during such an event, saw a missing detail in the occasion’s photography. “I noticed a gap in the market for weddings that have disposable cameras, so I developed an app called Jaunty Twig. It’s basically a high-tech replacement for disposable cameras along with an electronic guest book and ten second video messaging.” explains Lesley. “In a nutshell, people sit down at the wedding breakfast or arrive at the evening reception, download Jaunty Twig, put in a unique event code and then they start sharing pictures on the app which appear live at the venue after moderation on a large monitor or TV screen. It’s a fun, focal point at your wedding and it’s a live feed but from your guest’s perspective. The feedback since launching earlier this year has been phenomenal.” “Unlike Instagram or Facebook, wedding couples receive a complete copy of everything for their social media, allowing them to make up a guest book, image and video montage,” she clarifies. “Guests take pictures on their phones throughout weddings, so this is a great way of having an unplugged wedding ceremony, so, for example, asking your guests not to use their phones during your wedding and
10% off booking when you mention Absolute Magazine leaving it up to the professionals and most importantly, allowing your guests to enjoy the moment. You can tease your guests with a message close to your wedding date by asking them to download the app and that more will be revealed on the day.” “I want to reassure other professional photographers that Jaunty Twig will never replace you! This is a fun app that enhances a guest’s experience but it’s not print quality. In fact, Jaunty can actually be hired and used by photographers across the UK at their own couple’s weddings.” Jaunty Twig can be used for any number of events, not only weddings, and Lesley recently signed a five-week deal that will see her app used by guests attending the Brighton Big Screen from 12th June – 13th July. The deal will allow people to share their photos and experiences with Jaunty Twig, seeing themselves live on the big screen during film breaks, with daily chances to win a pair of VIP tickets, and she is now readying herself for an explosion of interest. “Jaunty’s scope is actually massive as it covers the entire event’s industry. Event codes are set up remotely for amongst others; photographers, virtual events, DJ’s, videographers, festivals, venues, gigs, exhibitions, event organisers and they run Jaunty Twig themselves. I’ve already got bookings for 2015!” The hire of Jaunty Twig costs just £175 for a 3-hour period (ideal for either your wedding breakfast or evening reception) or £300 for 6 hours.Yearly, quarterly and monthly venue contracts are also available. To find out more about Jaunty Twig visit www.jauntytwig.com or to talk to Lesley directly email jaunty@jauntytwig.com or call 07867 525090.
Your Smile Says It All ... General and Cosmetic Dentistry Teeth Whitening Sedation For Nervous Patients Children’s Dental Care Dental Implants Orthodontics
New Patients Welcome Dr P.W. Grobbelaar 39a Salisbury Road
Hove East Sussex BN33AA T: 01273 711507 E: hove@concordiadental.co.uk W: www.concordiadental.co.uk
guestlist What? 1
VIP launch party where guests bid for a top of the range cut and colour at Trevor Sorbie
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Where? Crafty Chooks, Hove Why?
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To raise money for Rockinghorse Children’s Charity
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Who? 1. Annette Day, Dean Day-Sheriff and Leanne Day-Sheriff 2. Jon Rutter, Lulu Rutter and Leo Day 3. Natasha Askaroff and Michael Pay 4. Leo Day (Owner) and Analiese Doctrove (Rockinghorse Appeal) 5. Ray Williams, Alan Heal and Dave Day 6
6. Frida Clementz, Alan Prior and Anya Zervudachi
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7. Rosie Tappin, Claire Byrd and Kelly Caplin 8. Nik Askaroff, Heidi Skerritt and Richard Skerritt 9. Sophie Dodds and Clothilde Collot 10. Georga Bullivant and Nick Harvey 11. Celia Mullins and Kelly Edwards
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If you would like to see your event on these pages email us on guestlist@absolutemagazine.co.uk
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Hip & Knee u o y o s y r e g r Su h t i w n o t e g n ca living again
Our Orthopaedic consultants will get you back on your feet quicker. Our consultant will see you quickly and offer rapid access to the right treatment s for your condition. You’ll see the right person, in the right place and at the right time. Whether you’re insured or want to pay yourself, we offer a number of finance options to suit you. 2
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* Not including private patient units at NHS hospitals. Local area defined as within 15 miles of the Nuffield Health hospital. We will match against written quotes only. Promise is valid for patients paying for themselves. ** Where possible, we promise to assist you to receive any follow up advice, treatment or care that is clinically required from your Consultant for as long as you may require it. If a prosthesis is used as part of your treatment this is guaranteed for the manufacturer’s official lifetime of that prosthesis. “Clinically required” indicates where further intervention and/or monitoring of a patient’s condition is deemed necessary as a direct result of surgical intervention.
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Nuffield Health Brighton Hospital removes time-limits on aftercare for patients, in an unprecedented move for private healthcare. At Nuffield Health Brighton Hospital, we are proud to launch a unique service to local patients who require common surgical procedures. For the first time, patients choosing to have their care outside the NHS have no time limits placed on their aftercare following procedures like hip replacements or hernia repair. Our Hospital, part of the Nuffield Health Charity, has launched the service in light of high profile concerns about patient care, both in the independent sector and the NHS. We are simply making our ethos official, that we always put our patients first. The move is significant as currently providers of private healthcare offer only short term guarantees of up to 28 days to patients following surgical procedures.
What the Nuffield Health promise includes: Our Pricing Promise If you find an alternative private hospital in your local area offering a better price for the same individual treatment, sold with the same service conditions, we’ll lower our price to match* Our prices will always be totally transparent and when you are quoted an inclusive procedure price it will be inclusive of all costs - with no hidden surprises. Our Treatment Promise We understand that any health care procedure can be stressful. We therefore promise to guide and support you through every stage of your treatment at Nuffield Health. Our Matron led system sits at the heart of this. Our Follow-Up Promise Our relationship with you doesn’t end when you walk out of one of our hospitals. As a Nuffield Health customer there are no time limits on your aftercare** The Nuffield Health difference We can make these promises because Nuffield Health is a social enterprise. This means any surplus we make doesn’t go to investors but is re-invested into improving the quality of the healthcare we deliver.
* Not including private patient units at NHS hospitals. Local area defined as within 15 miles of the Nuffield Health hospital. We will match against written quotes only. **Where possible, we promise to assist you to receive any follow up advice, treatment or care that is clinically required from your Consultant for as long as you may require it. If a prosthesis is used as part of your treatment this is guaranteed for the manufacturer’s official lifetime of that prosthesis. “Clinically required” indicates where further intervention and/or monitoring of a patient’s condition is deemed necessary as a direct result of surgical intervention.
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LET’S BE FRANK Frank Skinner is embarking on his first stand-up tour since 2007 and we caught up with the acclaimed comedian to talk about honesty, filth, history and much more If there is a finer live comedian than Frank Skinner currently at work in this country, then I have yet to see him (or her). So it is with great excitement that he’s back for his first major national tour in seven years. He is hitting the road this spring with a big tour of his coruscating new show, Man in a Suit. And he just can’t wait! Frank has had an immensely successful broadcasting career ranging from The Frank Skinner Show and Fantasy Football League in the 1990s to today’s Room 101 (which is currently in its third series for BBC1), and his Sony Award-winning Absolute Radio show, which commands 600,000 listeners every week and has had more than 13 million downloads as a podcast. However, it is as a stand-up comedian where he feels most at home. The live arena gives full rein to Frank’s spontaneous wit. It allows him two hours to demonstrate how he cannot help but be funny. He is one of Nature’s most effortlessly hilarious people. The great thing is, Frank is equally funny in person. An hour-long interview with him is like being treated to a command performance – to an audience of one. It is a delightful experience spending time in his company and you emerge at the end of it feeling upbeat and uplifted. Frank, who has over the years won numerous awards for his stand-up, including the prestigious Perrier Award in 1991, begins by underlining how much he is looking forward to returning to the stage. “It’s so different from other stuff. I like the sense that it’s not being recorded. Even when you come to record your DVD, no matter how much you fight it, you feel that you’re wearing a slightly smaller suit. It feels a lot more restrained. “So much stuff is recorded these days. Small stand-up clubs will often have a camera at the back of the room and you never know where the footage will end up. In the end, memories will be completely closed down. YouTube has
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YouTube “ has already totally killed the anecdote. It provides anecdotes for the illiterate: ‘Here’s a funny thing – look at this!
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already totally killed the anecdote. It provides anecdotes for the illiterate: ‘Here’s a funny thing – look at this!’” The other aspect about live comedy that Frank revels in is the terrific rapport that he enjoys with his audiences. “I love interacting with the audience,” affirms the comedian, the proud father of a one-year-old son called Buzz. “When it goes well, suddenly I feel like I’m part of the audience as well. That’s very exhilarating. Last week a woman in the front row had an American accent, and I asked if she was from the US. She replied, ‘No, I’m from Iraq’. I’d made the wrong-est guess anyone’s ever made and my life flashed in front my eyes – but the audience laughed about it for at least a minute. “Those moments are very precious because they’re not repeatable.They happen so quickly that you’re not even aware of the process. During my last tour, a guy came up to me and told me he had been doing comedy for eight - Interview -
months. He said, ‘You know when you come back to the audience really quickly – how do you do that?’ I replied, ‘I don’t know’. ‘Come on, it would really help me. What difference would it make to you?’ ‘I’m honestly not keeping anything from you. It just happens’. I don’t know how you could rehearse those exchanges – unless you practiced with your partner. But she doesn’t always appreciate my comebacks! Anyway, those moments on stage are very pleasurable indeed.” What makes Frank’s live work so special is its unalloyed candour. As he ranges over such varied subjects as relationships, religion, rows with your partner, filth, salty popcorn, Prince Charles, long black leather coats, the yard of ale, giving to the homeless, the Tube and taste, he delivers his material with an admirable sense of honesty. This makes sense from a comedian whose first autobiography was simply entitled Frank. “Honesty is vital,” reflects the comedian, whose Absolute Radio show was downloaded 2.8 million times last year, making it both Absolute and commercial radio’s most successful podcast. “Everything I do is autobiographical. When I’ve strayed from that and tried to write a novel in the third person or sitcoms, they have not been great. I’m essentially an autobiographical writer. I once read a biography of Jack London. It revealed that he wrote by buying a story from someone and then developing that into a novel. His justification was that his gift lay in expression, not invention. I suspect I’m the same.” So just how much of Frank’s material in Man in a Suit is lifted directly from his own life? “You’d be amazed! I embroider very little. I never completely invent anything. I think it would lack conviction if I did. It feels more real when it is true.” One thing that has changed about Frank’s act over the years is that it now features far less blue material than it did in the past. The
“Last week a woman in the front row had an
American accent and I asked if she was from the US. She replied, ‘No, I’m from Iraq’. I’d made the wrong-est guess anyone’s ever made and my life flashed in front my eyes.
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comedian, who also penned Frank Skinner on the Road, which chronicled his 2007 sell-out return to stand-up, explains that Man in a Suit is merely an account of who he now is. “There’s a bit of filth, but not much. When I do Room 101 or my radio show, I’m very me. I don’t feel phoney. I’m very clean because it’s eight in the morning. David Baddiel said to me recently, ‘When I think of ‘your funny’ off stage, I don’t think of you doing knob jokes. I think of you talking about John Updike.’ That’s more who I am off stage these days. “I’ve done a lot of knob jokes in my time, but maybe I’ve emptied my supply of them now. Your comedy should be a reflection of what’s in your head and I just don’t think of sex as much as I used to. When you get into a long relationship, sex is no longer the dominant thing.” All the same, 57-year-old Frank adds, “I still have to do a bit of filth on stage. If I didn’t, that would be like Bernie Clifton not performing with his ostrich. So I go through a process of negotiation with my audience – ‘let me read you some haikus, and I’ll trade you that for some knob gags later on.’ I think that’s a fair deal. I’ll talk about Plato and I’ll then give you a knob gag. It’s like training a dog: you have to sit while I say my bit but then I’ll reward you with a chocolate biscuit afterwards.” Frank, who had three number one hits alongside David Baddiel and The Lightning Seeds with their football anthem, “Three Lions”, continues that his current cleaner act mirrors the present state of comedy. “In the past, people would always laugh at the rude stuff because they were getting something they couldn’t get elsewhere. When I did my first tour in 1991, that was certainly true. 32│
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“But now 8 out of 10 Cats is much ruder than my stuff was in 1991. So people don’t have to go to live comedy to get that anymore. That means I’m able to do more stuff that I like. It’s great because it keeps my show fresh. When I’ve done the live show 40 times, I don’t feel, ‘Oh God, here we go again.’ Maybe that’s because I’m doing stuff that is not so much on the button anymore.”
“If people don’t know something, they’ll be angry with themselves, rather than me. On my Radio 4 comedy, Don’t Star t, one section was largely based on Androcles and the Lion. That would’ve been harder to pull off on The One Show. In fact, the last time I was on The One Show, I did a CS Lewis joke and I said to them, ‘I bet that’s the first time you’ve had a CS Lewis joke’.
Frank, who has recently published Dispatches from the Sofa, a collection of columns he wrote for The Times over a two-year period, muses that he is relishing the prospect of this tour so much because it is a very accurate portrait of who he is now.
“I thought I’d like to do a panel show where I could talk about anything to do with history. I love history but I haven’t studied it. So I thought, ‘I’ve got two choices – Google or a radio show. Well, I might as well get paid for it!’ So the aim of the show is to teach me about history – you can listen too if you like! I’m hoping this will be one of those Radio 4 shows that lasts for 50 years and that my son Buzz will present it when I retire!”
“I’m enjoying this tour more than I did in 2007. Then I was still feeling a strong obligation to be who I was in 1997. I’m never good at playing a version myself. I like being me and reflecting where I am at that time. “That’s why I don’t like greatest hits albums. I like to hear a particular slice of time and know where a band were when they recorded an album – ‘This is where The Kinks were when they brought out Village Green Preservation Society’. Man in a Suit is very much about where I am at the moment.” Frank is also currently preparing to record The Rest is History, a tremendous new sixpart Radio 4 comedy discussion show on the subject of history. The comedian, who recently also really enjoyed co-hosting with Joan Bakewell Sky Arts’ fascinating series, Portrait Artist of the Year, comments that, “I like the idea of doing a panel show on Radio 4 because I can say anything as far as cleverness is concerned.
- Interview -
Frank closes by returning to the subject of how much he is looking forward to performing live once more with Man in a Suit. “I’ve always had the showing off gene. I see it now in my son. The other day he did an impression of me doing the impression of Louis Armstrong, and I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder! So on stage I want to show off. If the audience are laughing, I want to make them laugh even more. Above all, I really care about the audience having a very good time indeed.” And there is little doubt that that is exactly what they will have. Frank Skinner will be performing Man In A Suit at the Brighton Centre on June 1st. For more information visit frankskinnerlive.com
Stephen Grant Planned of Hope And Glory
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here are very few skills you pick up in your pre-child life that prepare you for the practical hurdles of parenting. But I think I’ve found one. Getting planning permission. In Britain, which is rightly concerned about conserving our natural geographic and architectural beauty (and not repeating the errors of the last 200 years where we’ve systematically ruined it), this is tough at the best of times. But in Brighton and Hove, it’s a black art that requires you to have nous, tact, bottomless pockets and telepathy. The problem is, that there’s no advice up front to tell you what’s OK. You know the ‘yes/no’ game where you have to guess what someone’s thinking and they can only answer yes or no? It’s like that. Except each question takes eight weeks and costs just under a grand. And then it dawned on me. Getting planning permission in Brighton and Hove from a planning officer is a bit like getting food into a toddler - they won’t tell you what they want, but they’ll happily tell you what they don’t want, long after you’ve gone through the cost and effort of putting something together. Oh, and they’re very unlikely to give a reason for saying no; or at least, not
one that makes any sense whatsoever. Of course, there are people who offer to get planning permission for you - ‘specialists’. Though that specialism appears to be pulling a convincing, ‘I can’t believe the council didn’t agree’ face, shortly before taking your money.
enlargement who is then told after a six month period of submitting sketches and plans of her breasts (along with site visits from interested parties), that she can only do it to the volume and protrusion of the other breasts in her immediate area.
Remember, this is Brighton. Home of the artiste; a bastion of the avant-garde; a beacon for dynamism. But in the field of home improvements, originality and creativity must be punished.
Facetious? Not really. Your only glimmer of hope is that some other poor sap has tried to do something similar and succeeded. This is a level of conformity only matched by the recent edict by North Korean leader Kim-Jong-Un that all male students should match his haircut. When I was 14 at school everyone got baggy, flowing, chino trousers. So I did too. With my spindly teenage legs, I looked like a clown. Looking back now, maybe that’s where it all started.
Hey. I’m not blinkered enough to not realise those rules exist to stop people constructing unwanted antisocial eyesores. And of course Brighton’s a taller hurdle; the nicer the place you live, the harder it is. We should all be grateful this problem exists. Satellite dish in Regency Square? I don’t think so. Two storey extension in Crawley? Please start tomorrow. Hell, if you suggested to Wigan council that you’d like to ‘remodel your home’ by flinging car-sized rocks at it from a 30ft trebuchet they’d probably offer you some sort of national regeneration grant. Maybe we shouldn’t grumble. Maybe we should consider ourselves lucky that the planning permission mentality is not used in other areas of personal choice. Imagine the young lady who has elected to have breast
Hell, if you suggested to Wigan “ council that you’d like to ‘remodel your home’ by flinging car-sized rocks at it from a 30ft trebuchet they’d probably offer you some sort of national regeneration grant.
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That’s why people are so keen to do interior decoration – it’s the only way they can let their creativity run riot. Unfortunately, once that creative urge has been bottled up by two year’s of failed attempts at a porch alteration, it leaves them with a psychosis akin to a permanent acid flashback. Next time you visit a friend with neon Formica skirting boards, don’t scoff. Give them a cuddle and never mention how pointlessly small their kitchen extension is.
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Zoe Lyons Come on come on.....Let’s stick together
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am penning this month’s column from the comfort of my Norwegian hotel room. When I say “penning” I of course mean bashing it out on my touch screen and when I say “comfort” I mean minimalist with a lot of hard surfaces. I am in Stavanger to perform to some expat Brits and no doubt some slightly confused Norwegians. Norway, as everyone knows, is breathtakingly beautiful, it is also eye-wateringly expensive, the purchase of even a modest pizza may require you to take out a loan to be paid off over the next 20 years. It is harder to enjoy a slice of margarita knowing that the debt incurred might outlive you. People have a tremendous standard of living here, they have good teeth, a healthy glow and every newborn child is presented with a flying unicorn (I made the last bit up but if you could buy unicorns, they could afford them). The only chance to save a few bob on a trip to Norway is in the duty free. Being a non EU country, us booze loving Brits can cash in on the bargain grog offers before we take off for the fiords. It’s because of its non EU status that Norway is often held up as a shinning example of how good life can be outside the grip of Brussels. There is no doubt life is good here but that is because of many reasons including small population, massive oil reserves and a very
well managed sovereign wealth fund. With so much debate at the moment about whether we would be better off out of the EU it’s got me thinking about how I think of myself. Where do I see myself on the map? English? British? European?
Scotland will decide in a few months if its future is to lie outside the UK. The people of Cornwall have been granted minority status, how long before they want to push for full independence from England? What next? The republic of Essex?
I have come to the conclusion that while cer tain aspects of my character and outlook on life are distinctly British I do like thinking of myself as a European. My reasons for this are a bit nuts but I don’t care, they are my reasons and probably protected under the European Cour t of Human Rights... So Nahhhh!
I just feel we can achieve more together. After all, I live in a city that only came into being when two towns joined forces. Brighton and Hove, together we are better.
I like being a European because I am proud to be par t of a continent that produces so much cheese. I love cheese, French, Italian, Spanish, Bavarian smoked, British I love it all. I want to be par t of this massive cheese continent. Also, there are still wild wolves and bears to be found in par ts of mainland Europe, I want to be connected to a place where I can dance with wolves, not just side-step pavement pigeons. European supermarkets excite me to the point of inducing dizziness, 5 litres of table wine that doubles up as diesel for 3 euros? Yes please! Drive from Brittany to Bulgaria without once having to flash your passpor t? Lets go.
“It is harder to enjoy a slice of margarita knowing that the debt incurred might outlive you” - Culture|Columnist -
Zoe Lyons hosts Bent Double at the Komedia on the first Sunday of the month. Follow Zoe @zoelyons
Crystal King Miss Proud Pin-uP 2014 IntervIew by MIsty Monroe
Photo: Russ Bell
Photo: Clair Wallace On April 2nd, Brighton’s Proud Cabaret held their first Pin Up girl contest. With the first round held on Facebook; Brighton’s public voted in their droves for their favourite ten ladies to take to the stage. Across three, five minute rounds, the contestants were judged by Sophia, manager of Fresh Models agency; Simon Webster, Brighton hairdresser and owner of Simon Webster Hair and a special Guest Judge, announced on the night as Proud Cabaret’s own Ji. The night was hosted by Coco Dubois, a blonde bombshell who performs regularly at Proud’s sister venue in Camden. All sultry looks and killer curves, Coco whipped the crowd into a frenzy in preparation for the three rounds. Among the beautiful girls competing for the coveted title was stunning red head Crystal King, “it’s my birth name, my mum knew I’d be a burlesque dancer!” Nervous and down to earth, Crystal won the crowd over and went on to win with a relatable performance in the question round and a daring Burlesque performance as her talent. “I really didn’t think it would be me, obviously, but I was hoping! It was mad!” Crystal says of her win, “Especially looking at the talent round, I was up against such great competition!” I meet Crystal in her basement Brighton flat, filled with the delightful scent of incense and furnished with comfy, low sofas and blankets. The model and dancer is dressed down in comfy jeans and a jumper, still looking as beautiful as she was all dressed up on competition night. This down to earth side of her is obvious in conversation, particularly when talking about the contest itself. Asked that most tricky of questions, ‘Why do you deserve to win?’, Crystal simply answered, “I’m a Brighton Girl and I think I represent
Brighton well.” A valid point; given Crystal’s transformation. Born and raised in the New Forest, Chrystal studied dance in GCSE and A-level, even taking part in The Nutcracker with the English Youth Ballet. Proceeding to study professionally, she auditioned for Brighton’s Platinum Angels, an agency she now plays a major part in. When they required a Burlesque choreographer, Crystal tried her hand and never looked back. She has done glamour and fetish modelling in the past, “I did glamour modelling when I was blonde. When I went red that was it, I started making money!” However, her gravitation from ballet dancer to sultry pin up starlet came about from her move to our Seaside City. “I love the people in Brighton. Everyone is so creative and they don’t bat an eyelid at things. Everyone is just accepting aren’t they… anything goes!”
“I have ideas for animal friendly burlesque products” Though the redhead is into a more alternative style of performance, Crystal went for a more classic routine for the Proud contest. “I’d done a couple of Halloween shows at Proud before but they have a more classic style than what I usually do,” she says of her normal routines. “The contest was a good way to showcase my new classic routine. I choreographed it specially.” Winning her first ever contest clearly proves that this new “classic” performance works for her. Her winning routine was done to Fred Astaire’s ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ and can be found on her YouTube channel.
- Proud|Pin up -
Utilising an umbrella to tease her audience after stripping herself of a beautiful velvet costume, Crystal wore shimmy’s and glittery pasties as she glided across the stage in her lingerie. Looking back on the performance, Crystal jokingly suggests it didn’t take much to win, “I think it was my boobs that won it!” Despite getting down to just nipple tassels and a thong on stage, Crystal has a somewhat surprising day job, further reiterating her down to earth personality. “I also work in Child care believe it or not! A different end of the spectrum! I looked after children with mental health problems, it grounds me that stuff. But I’m just starting a new job at the Fun Factory with a friend, it’s just opened off London Road, a soft play area for kids. I’ll be putting on events there.” It’s not hard to see Crystal is an incredibly hard worker and deserves every success in life. As well as managing events for children, choreographing for Platinum Angels, fire dancing, modelling and, of course, Burlesque, Crystal also joins a huge part of the Brighton population with her passion for Animal Rights. “I’m looking into doing more with Animal Rights maybe a modelling campaign. Brighton is perfect for it and it’s something I’m really passionate about,” she enthuses. “I’d like to get together with some animal friendly shops for promotion.” It doesn’t stop there, “I have other ideas for animal friendly burlesque products as well. It’s just about raising awareness really, making people aware of what they’re eating and using and where it comes from.” So, this is a girl who really embodies the Brighton way of life. Deserving of her new title of ‘Miss Proud 2014’, she’s happy just carrying on with the day-to-day for now, “Just for the craic I did try entering Miss Sussex but they told me I was too old. I think I’m happy with just the one title for now!”
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AMY’S ENCHANTMENT Peter James stopped by the restaurant Amy’s at the Gatwick Hilton
I wrote recently that the old rule of thumb about eating out used to be that the better the view, the worse the food. But is the reverse true? For sure a flashy exterior to a restaurant is no guarantee of much other than the hefty bill that will be presented at the end of the night. Some of my most memorably meals have been in fairly scruffy places. Yona Schimmel’s knish bakery in New York’s Lower East Side is in a building that looks like it’s been waiting for the demolition ball to swing for the past fifty years, but the simple knishes that comes up from the kitchens in a dumb waiter are amazing. Eaten outside on a cold winter’s day, one of their warm potato knishes hits every spot that only great food truly can. I’ve had similarly joyous experiences in street markets of Munich and Frankfurt, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. And if I had to single out the one single greatest meal, to date, of my life, it was in a little former station hotel in Roanne, a small town in France, thirty klicks from Lyons, formerly called L’hotel Moderne.
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Well, that’s what the place had started life as, until bought by three brothers in 1957, who were to become a legend. The gaff was renamed, eponymously, Les Frères Troisgros – and is now known as Maison Troisgros. In 1976, when I had first started to take an interest in food, I read three different reviews in major publications by well-known critics, who each declared that this was the finest restaurant in the world. The reviews were so effusive that my wife and I drove seven hundred miles to have dinner there. So dull was the exterior we drove past it three times without noticing it, and we wondered if we had been the victims of a clever hoax. Then we went inside and everything changed. Getting on for 40 years later I cannot remember what we ate or drank but what I can still remember is the stunningly, understated beauty of the interior, the utter charm of the staff, and course after course of food that truly had been, as the Michelin Guide would say, Worthy of a Detour. But above all, what I remember about Troisgros was how the place made us feel. It
- Food & Drink|review -
was as if it had cast a beautiful, enchanted spell on us. And so, in the same category of unpromising exteriors, we segue neatly to this month’s restaurant, Amy’s (named after aviation pioneer Amy Johnson) at the Gatwick Hilton. On arrival, I had the similar feeling of gloom I’d had all those years back when seeing the exterior of Troisgros. When I left I felt something of that enchantment I’d had from Troisgros. Last time I’d eaten at the Gatwick Hilton, the lobby restaurant was a standard burger and tired Caesar salad joint, so I went with some trepidation, despite assurances that the place had been transformed. One of the problems with airport – and station – hotels is that travellers come in all shapes and sizes and with vastly varying ideas about what to wear in a restaurant – especially a hotel lobby restaurant. And most such places are usually three-quarters empty, with dreary music playing and bored looking staff. Not
“Most such places are
usually three-quarters empty, with dreary music playing and bored looking staff. Not Amy’s.”
Amy’s. We went on a mid-week night and the place was packed – as the truly delightful manager, Biju, informed me it is every night. After a dinner there, I can see why. Within a few minutes of arriving in its small lounge, the selection of pre-dinner canapés – tapas style – washed down with Champagne had already charmed us with their presentation and array of flavours. They included a ceviche of scallops with caviar, a mini cone with goats cheese, a curried king prawn with a kiwi fruit shot and miniature chicken tandoori. In the restaurant itself I started with salmon tartar with a vodka lime jelly that, surprisingly was a sublime combination both in artistic presentation and taste. One of my guests had a magnificent platter of lightly curried tiger prawns, another had scallops with pancetta crisps and the fourth had the fashionable pan fried squid and chorizo – done superbly here. I’ve not often sat at a table where all four diners have instant food envy. So to solve the problem we all shared. Four faultless,
inventive and stunning starters, all priced from £10.50 to £15.00. For mains one guest had a teriyaki-style tranche of salmon. So often this fish can have a nasty, oily tang to it, especially farmed salmon, but this one was moist, delicate, exemplary. I had pan-seared calves liver on a bed of mash, with a sweet onion puree and bourbon sauce. It was a very clever and superb take on a simple comfort-food dish. Equally good, too, were a pan fried duck breast and also pan fried sea bass, a staple of every restaurant these days. Personally, I think it can be a dull and tasteless fish but here it was executed with real flair, serviced with a caramelized olive risotto and a fennel and orange compote – not a combination I’ve seen before – my guest borrowed the famous phrase of late food critic Michael Winner by declaring it historic. The mains range in price from £14 through £24, but there is a small separate section offering grilled meat, from £24 or £39.
- Food & Drink|review -
The puddings are equally inventive. I had an apple pie doughnut which was so good I nearly ordered a second one. A mocha chocolate millefeuille was equally moreish, as was the ‘deconstructed cherry kirsch cheesecake’ and the baked orange custard tart. All the puds are £8-9 and there is a fine cheeseboard option. There is a good range of reasonably priced wines from a number of regions. We drank a truly stunning Blackstone Chardonnay from Monterey, California – a relative bargain at £32.00, and a Robert Mondavi Private Selection Pinot Noir at £35.00. The staff at Amy’s are an utter delight. For three hours I forgot entirely I was in an airport hotel restaurant, and when we finally and reluctantly left, it was with something of that same feeling of enchantment I’d had from Troisgros all those decades ago.
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More than just a song ANYA ZERVUDACHI TALKS TO LUCKY VOICE ASSISTANT MANAGER JAMIE HENDERSON What makes Lucky Voice so unique? We provide a great experience with our private karaoke. We have a very modern approach to karaoke with our touch screen technology which is easy to use. There is a lot more to the world of Lucky Voice than just karaoke. It’s home to one of the best subterranean cocktail bars in town. BELOW LUCKY VOICE has over 40 cocktails. Some classic and some of our very own creations. Not enough people know we are here so we are trying to draw people to our little hidden gem. We will be adding a mobile outside bar for the summer which we will be doing various types of cocktail ice lollies and smoothies for customers to take away. Do you have to do Karaoke to drink in the Lucky Voice cocktail bar? No our bar is open to anyone whether you’re singing or not. We have DJs every Friday and Saturday. It’s 2-4-1 on some of our delicious cocktails Sunday to Friday till 10pm every night. What are your top 3 cocktails? Phil Raspberry Collins - vodka bases with fresh raspberries and lemon juice. Brighton Rocktail – Gold rum combined with lychee, peach and guava juices. Savage Garden – (Anya’s favourite so far) Gin with apple, cucumber and elderflower flavours. We also have seasonal menus and we are currently putting together our summer menu so be prepared for vibrant, colourful, fresh delicious cocktails. Do you have any special deals on drinks or Karaoke throughout the week? Do we! We are like deals central: 40│
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Drinks: Sunday to Friday: 2-4-1 cocktails till 10pm Tue/Wed Student deals: £2.50 spirit mixer or £1.50 half pint Asahi Karaoke: Sun & Mon: Worthy Workers: We’re talking doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers, firefighters, charity workers, police officers and anyone else who dedicates their lives to public service! You lovely people can claim two hours free room hire on Sundays and Mondays. Only one person in a party needs to qualify and they just need to bring a bit of proof regarding their job. Tue/Wed: Student Night: two hours of free karaoke at Lucky Voice Brighton for up to 15 people. Thursday: Half Price on rooms when you book two hours.
What kind of events would you recommend to celebrate at Lucky Voice? Hen night’s, birthdays, leaving do’s, corporate events, weddings, divorces, general fun, Christmas parties, private parties (we hire the bar out) and stags. How many people can hire one room? Minimum of one if you’re shy or up to 15 max in one room but you can always hire multiple rooms if you have loads of friends! Do you offer room service with drinks? If we didn’t that would be rubbish, singing without alcohol would be like choir practice…. To make it a true experience we’ve added a thirsty button, when your throat is dry from belting out your favourite tunes, press the thirsty button and we come running!
Friday: Facebook Friday – If you have a two hour booking check into either Lucky Voice Brighton or Below Lucky Voice Facebook pages and you get one hour for free. Albion fans have a free two hour sing Monday to Thursday and 50% off room hire on Fridays. Just bring a new or old Albion ticket with you!
Would you say Lucky Voice is a destination venue, or can you just pop in? A bit of both really. Some people come for just the singing and others for the cocktails. The weekend nights are always booming especially since the new management are changing up the nights to create a new and different buzz in the bar. We would suggest booking in advance for the weekend as we get booked up very quickly.
We have just added several packages: from children party packs to life drawing packs for hen and stag do’s!
What five words would you use to describe Lucky Voice? Cocktails, Late-night, Hilarious, Alternative and Fresh.
Just keep an eye out on: www.luckyvoice.com https://www.facebook.com/ BelowLuckyVoice https://www.facebook.com/pages/LuckyVoice-Brighton
We guarantee that Lucky Voice is one of the
- Food & Drink -
best kept secrets in Brighton, bar none!
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Food & Drink Directory Boho Gelato
The Marwood
The Foragers
Hove Place
Drury
Topolino Duo
Plough Inn
Little Bird
Lovely traditional village pub situated on the pond in Rottingdean. Highly regarded for very well kept local real ales, excellent gastro style pub food and hosting a good variety of quality live music acts from time to time. Typically rammed for Sunday Roast so booking early is essential! Vicarage Lane, Rottingdean, BN2 7HD – 01273 390635 – www.theploughinnrottingdean.co.uk
Little Bird is a gorgeous little cafe located in the heart of the North Laine, Brighton. Serving some of the most delicious coffee and truly scrumptious cake. Like and share ‘Little Bird’ on facebook or even better pop in and sample the delights for yourself. Open 10am-5pm 16 Kensington Gardens littlebirdbrighton.wordpress.com
The Coffee Counter
Mucho Burrito
Brighton’s Original Home Of Gelato! 24 changing flavours (taken from a list of over 450!) made fresh on site daily using Sussex produced milk and cream and top quality ingredients. At least 5 non diary vegan flavours are also available. 6 Pool Valley (near Brighton Pier) 01273727205. Also stocked in businesses across Sussex.
“While many pubs are trying to serve up local grub with a seasonal twist, the foragers have gone a step further. Several steps in fact” The Observer. Recent winners of the Brighton and Hove Food & Drink Awards 2013 & the Sussex Food and Drink Awards 2012, also awarded an AA Rosette for the past 4 years. The foragers are trailblazers in both sustainability and fine pub grub and are therefore a must for all foodies. Now serving an all day bar menu alongside their other menus and also now open on Sunday evenings for food. 3 Stirling Place, Hove 01273 733 134, www.theforagerspub.co.uk
Brighton has enjoyed Drury tea & coffee from the mid 1960’s. Now located in Richardson Road in Hove, it is a joy to all who know it. A real hidden gem and just a step away from the hurly burly of town centre life. You can sit and enjoy an expertly made coffee, or a pot of tea whist your coffee is ground to take home with you. 12-18 Richardson Rd, Hove, East Sussex BN3 5RB 01273 888600
The Coffee Counter was started by two friends with a love of Coffee and a passion for Micro-Business and Independents. Their simple aim: To serve great Coffee with a smile. Discover this hidden gem and their wonderful 5 bean blend Coffee on Vine Street, North Laines. Or check out our new counter at 1a North Road BN1 1YA SSSSSHHHHH it’s a Secret!!!! 13 - 16 Vine Street, BN1 4AG Brighton 07760 917716
The Kitchen at Marwood is serving a brunch style menu with daily lunch specials from 8.30am Monday - Friday and early weekends too. As always, serving kickarse coffee, life changing cake and booze a plenty. Open 8-late 7 days a week. 52 Ship St, Brighton - 01273 382063 Check out our new kitchen Facebook page. www.facebook.com/ TheKitchenAtMarwood
Basement level at the top of First Avenue, just off Church Road. Renowned for a relaxed atmosphere, Hove Place has earned a fantastic reputation for its excellent food and great service. The intriguing Bistro menu in particular is extremely popular! 35/37 First Avenue, Hove, BN3 2FH – 01273 738266 – www.hoveplace.co.uk
Topolino Duo is a fabulous family run Italian Ristorante/Pizzeria situated in the heart of Hove. They have been established for over 25 years, are known in Brighton and Hove for having a fantastic long standing reputation and a huge choice of mouth watering dishes. Open 7 days a week. Topolino Duo 65 – 67 Church Road Hove BN3 2BD 01273 725726 See our website for special offers www.topolinoduo.co.uk
Mucho Burrito, No.1 for Mexican flavour now open in North St, Brighton. A range of five homemade salsas from zero heat to fiery hot to suit all palates and accompany the varied menu of Tacos, Salads, Quesadillas, Soups, and of course Burritos all washed down with a beer. Eat in or take away made in front of your eyes all from £4.95. 01273757095 FB – Mucho Burrito Brighton Twitter @MuchoBurritoUK
To be featured in the food & drink directory please email Anya Zervudachi at: anya@absolutemagazine.co.uk 42│
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- Food & Drink|Directory -
POP-UP DINING What is Tabl? Tabl is the new online hub for pop-up kitchens, supper clubs and food adventures and offers unique dining experiences in unexpected, often residential places. It works by connecting the people who love to eat with the talented cooks who love to host. Tabl is a trusted community platform that provides everything each side needs to create or enjoy great sociable events around food and enables the transactions between guests and hosts to happen safely and securely. How did the concept come about? The team behind Tabl has years of experience in creating digital communities and managing user generated content, working with clients from all corners of publishing from ITV, Sky Media, Daily Mail to The Guardian. With history in the food sector and accreditations in The Observer Food Awards and Waitrose Small Producer Awards, it was a small leap to arrive at the concept of an innovative social dining platform delivered with the latest advances in digital media and a passion for good old fashioned hospitality. We may be a Brighton based start-up but we were privileged to win a national business award this February where we were ranked in the ‘Future 50’ by a panel of expert judges. That means we are rated as one of 2014’s ‘most exciting new businesses in the UK’. Our aim is to contribute to Brighton & Hove and Sussex’s credentials as a destination for inspiring food experiences by nurturing, supporting and facilitating a burgeoning scene of pop-up dining activity and events. If we can prove the concept here – and what better place - then we aim to take Tabl to a much wider audience. Who can get involved with Tabl? Tabl is for anyone who enjoys food, eating it or preparing it. It’s about sharing hospitality and experiences and it’s about connecting with people. The joy of Tabl is the blurring of lines between producer and consumer and you can be both or either. For hosts, Tabl takes away the administrative burden of running events so you get to concentrate on the part you love - the hospitality and the cooking. That means you don’t have to be a pro chef to host events.
Launch event for www.tabl.com in Brighton’s North Laine
It’s like having the management infrastructure of a well-run restaurant at your fingertips, whenever you need it. Tabl showcases your event, manages your guest list, takes care of invitations, bookings and payments and even handles waiting lists if you’re over-booked. You can build your own personal guest list on Tabl, letting people subscribe to automatic invitations every time you post a new event. It also integrates social media so you can spread the word about your event through Facebook and Twitter with one simple click. Tabl gives access to host insurance, food hygiene training and many other relationships that support the host community. For guests, you get instant easy access to a hidden world of pop-up dining from your mobile, tablet or desktop. It’s so simple to use, you can explore local events, see pictures and menus, review the host’s background and who else you’ll meet there. The exact venue remains a secret just until you book your place. And you get easy options to feed back after the event so you can see which hosts are popular. Are there any up-coming events over the summer? There are loads of great events happening around Brighton & Hove and wider Sussex, the way to access them is to browse and book online at www.tabl. com. Events on Tabl range from swanky seven course feasts and experimental menus by accomplished chefs to comforting homely roasts by enthusiastic home cooks. Some have themes around literature, art or interests other than the food. They are typically unique or infrequent and there are always more and more being added. Whether you fancy dining with famous writers (Julie Burchill and Julia Crouch http://tabl.com/events/29), in a Grand Designs House with a chef to celebrities http://tabl.com/events/87 or your mood is more for a homely roast supper club http://tabl.com/events/83 there’s plenty to tempt you. How do you get in touch? You can find us at www.tabl.com, facebook/tablHQ and @popuptabl on Twitter and you can email us at hello@tabl.com to get added to our newsletter. If there are particular hosts that interest you, you can go online and subscribe to their individual pop-up on Tabl and be the first to find out whenever they hold a new event. - Food & Drink -
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n e p o w o n o it r r u Mucho B m a 11 9 t s a f k a for Bre Order a breakfast Burrito between 9 - 11am during June and quote ‘Absolute Brighton’ to receive a free portion of Churros and Dulce de Leche sauce with your order
Mucho Burrito Brighton @Mucho Burrito UK
www.muchoburrito.com 54 North St, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1RH, 01273 757095
Opening hours Mon to Sat 9am to 11pm Sun 9am to 10pm
THE ABSOLUTE GUIDE TO
AL FRESCO The sun is finally out in full force across Brighton and Hove and here in England we take the slightest opportunity to get out and make the most of the beaming rays. Shorts and vests appear when neither should yet be in the wardrobe and we’re straight into the sea when temperatures have barely hit double figures, however, there is one thing we can all enjoy with only the slightest slither of sun. Going Al fresco. Here in Brighton we are blessed with plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants that offer beautiful outside space. Whether you’re out for a family meal, a few cold beers or cocktails in the sun or a romantic early evening dinner watching the sunset, here at Absolute we decided to take to the streets of Brighton and Hove to find the best places across the city to enjoy al fresco-style, saving you the time (and money) so you can simply sit back enjoy the sun, food and drink.
Neighbourhood
Azure Like It
Anya talks to Mattia Casadei General Manager at Azure real seaside feel. A Pina Colada served in a cored frozen pineapple is hard to top in this sense. We also have fine wines tasted and selected by myself with the help of one of the finest Sussex-based suppliers; all at the most reasonable prices possible. ‘We work closely with Mixology Group, mainly to help us keeping our feet solid on the ground and keeping us realistic on the projects and ideas we have for the place. Myles with his experience and calm helps us not to rush in to things head first and eyes closed.’ What are your top 3 favourite dishes to enjoy out in the sunshine on your terrace? Being Italian, a Bruschetta with the Ricotta and pesto made by Ingrid, the buttered prawns sautéed in tomatoes with olives and Arak, chicken wings twice-cooked so that the skin is nicely crispy smothered in a lemon, chilli and sumac butter. What type of restaurant is Azure? Azure is a very versatile venue. We have a large terrace to enjoy quality cocktails, mock-tails, bubbles and food.The indoor space is fresh and tastefully decorated and we also have a relaxing ambiance for more privacy in our booths. We have great food; our chefs prepare tasteful dishes by making everything from scratch in our kitchen. Only base ingredients are bought in and the vegetarian offering is wide thanks to our concept of serving Mediterranean cuisine with a Middle Eastern influence. Our coffee blends are also unique, while the beers are local and hand-crafted; with original, traditional ciders and bottle-conditioned ales as well as our own Pilsner-style lager just going in to production to be available from July.
Pier and the Brighton Wheel. There are no noisy clubs anywhere around us making it the perfect setting for families and couples who look for fun without indecency. You can hear the birds and the waves of the sea of which you get a perfect view from your chair or deck chair. There is even an acoustic guitar available for people to play. What special promotions can be expected this summer? Wet 4 Wet: while it rains all our cocktails, beers and house wines are on a 2 for 1 and with our prices being already some of the most competitive, it makes for a killer session. What kind of drinks do you sell at Azure? We have some fantastic cocktails, with the
If you eat with me I would add a salad of grilled Halloumi, chicory, pomegranate, walnuts and fresh parsley. Is the outside space at Azure available for private hire? It is and so is the whole venue. However, we do want the right clientele and events here so the client will need to have a good feel for the venue and we need to feel that the client and the event satisfy our parameters in terms of decency and quality. It is a very versatile space and in the first weekend of opening we have hosted a couple of smaller functions, which proved to us just how functional this venue is.
Where did the concept originate from? The owner Max has developed a passion for middle-eastern food through his travels and I wanted a place where one could enjoy all the seaside treats of the Bel Paese. We looked for a chef who shares these likes and we have been lucky enough to find the missing piece of the puzzle in a woman who’s passion, experience and skills are proving to be real added value to our team. What makes your outside space so unique? The decked terrace is set between two main Brighton attractions: the Brighton
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9-11 Lower Promenade Madeira Drive Brighton, East Sussex (01273) 620-856 - Al fresco -
In the Hood
Anya Zervudachi talks to the owner of Neighbourhood, Ben Gill What style of bar would you describe Neighbourhood as? Neighbourhood is an industrial dive bar tipping its hat to Brooklyn hang-outs. We strive for a friendly place with no airs or graces where you can kick back and enjoy yourself. We use the best ingredients around for our food and as local as possible. We use Bramptons Butchers for our meats as we trust the quality that they provide. When it comes to the booze, we like anything that is not the run of the mill. I had some friends down from London and we went on a pub-crawl through the North Laine and even though we went to about six pubs, we could have been in the same place. The offerings and menus were so similar, I thought ‘this does not reflect what Brighton should be or is’ but you have to look a lot harder now to find individuality. What is a dive bar and where did the concept originate from? Well, the definition I most like is from a 1961 dictionary, which defined a “dive” as “a disreputable resort for drinking or entertainment”. For us, it’s somewhere you can kick back and relax after work, before going out or just hang out and catch up with the neighbourhood goings on, everybody’s welcome, dogs and children too! So many places exclude too many, you know that awful sign that says “take your little darlings out of here by 7.30!” generally people do but do they need to be told. The Brooklyn link relates to the fact that the Brooklyn scene repelled against the expensive corporate-ness that became Manhattan, oh and we serve an Americana menu! We liked what was going on there and places like east London a few years ago and Berlin.
Neighbourhood has a very distinct look, where did you get the inspiration? Neighbourhood was created using reclaimed and vintage furniture, mixed up with street art and put in the pot. All the soft furniture is handmade using original vintage 70’s fabrics. Individuality is its main component. The installation on the wall in the entrance was created by a local Brighton artist but we got it from a bankrupt shops’ frontage in Brighton. Pubs and bars are losing their independence and are having identikit refits. Brighton is becoming one big pubco and we don’t think that’s good! What kind of drinks do you sell at Neighbourhood? Again, it stem’s back to individuality. We want to try different craft beers from the normal offerings in most pubs and we recently have got right into gins and small batch offerings.We recently purchased some very rare speciality gins from an auction to enjoy, there are so many great little premium brands out there to sample but with us you don’t have to be in a posh cocktail bar to try them. What makes your outside space so unique? Our garden reflects the look of the interior - different. So many gardens are identikit spaces, when you go abroad their outside areas are the focus and that’s what we have tried to create. You can’t beat sitting in the sun with a cold one.
onto dinner until close. Everything is priced reasonably as, being a neighbourhood bar, we want people to eat here frequently, daily even, and quite a few do. Do you have any special offers, nights or events we should look out for? Well, we all like a party and we do have garden parties and specialist BBQ’s through the summer, not loads but a few, mostly once a month through the happy sunny months. We do a night on a Tuesday called Big Meat Boutique where we do our burgers for just £3. Tuesdays always seemed like a drag of a day to the weekend warrior so something that doesn’t hurt your wallet seemed appropriate. Thursdays are our alternative midweek offering and if you haven’t been to Boogaloo Bingo or Lynn Ruth Miller comedy night yet, you should. Is Neighbourhood available for private hire? Yes, we are available for private hire; we have a cabana at the back of the garden, which holds up to about 20 and a downstairs space as well if the weather is not on your side. We can cater for parties from 10 to 100. For bookings or for more information please get in touch by calling 07787573610.
What’s on the menu at Neighbourhood? The menu is American-based and burgers are a big part of that but my favourite is the Chocolate Louisiana Chilli, which is a recipe that Kim perfected and has been passed onto our chefs and our heart and soul is in that dish. We serve breakfast from 10am – you should try one of the hashes - through lunch and
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Special 2-course menu ÂŁ9.75 3-course menu ÂŁ11.75 (not available Saturday)
Street Thai Words By Anya Zervudachi
Photgraphs by Maria Sullivan
I can think of few more enjoyable places to sit back on a beautiful Brighton day than the huge sun filled terrace at Street Thai. The concept of Street Thai is simple and perfectly summed up by the restaurant’s name. For Thai people and most visitors to Thailand, street food is the best and most authentic way of eating and experiencing real Thai food. With its wonderful fresh aromas, flavours and colours it’s also affordable, simple and super tasty. That is exactly what Street Thai have brought with them to the sunny streets of Brighton. Located in Brighton Square, in the heart of Brighton’s Lanes, Street Thai serves modern, fresh Thai street food, in a cool and contemporary setting. The light and airy restaurant is spread over two floors, with colourful graffiti of Thai street scenes dotted throughout and the fabulous roof top terrace overlooking Brighton Square. The terrace comfortably seats 50 people and is suitable for just about every occasion I can think of. Whether you are after an authentic Thai feast out in the sunshine, a few cold Chang beers or are tempted by one of Street Thai’s delicious cocktails, it is the perfect place to sit back, relax and watch the bustling square below. The executive chef and manager of Street Thai has created a menu packed with speciality dishes from every corner of Thailand. The menu has everything from fresh light salads, rich curries and of course the classic noodle dishes. My personal favorite for a summer’s day is the Yum Mamuang Koong Pao. A delicious light salad of green mango with grilled tiger prawns, toasted coconut flakes and cashew nuts in a chili sauce. I can also highly recommend the fantastic set menu Street Thai have on offer, two courses for just £9.75 or three courses for £11.75, an absolute bargain for the amazing dishes on offer. It might not be Thailand but I can assure you with the sun in the sky, an ice cold Chang and delicious plate of food in front of you, the terrace at Street Thai is the next best thing.
5 & 20 Brighton Square, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1HD, Tel: 01273 207444
- Al fresco -
June 2014
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TAKE
D
UTDO O G N INI
ORS
ENJOY LAZY AFTERNOONS& BALMY NIGHTS DINING IN OUR BEAUTIFUL OUTDOOR SPACES
OUR AL FRESCO MENU BRINGS YOU FRESH, VIBRANT DISHES CREATED TO BE SAVOURED IN SUN OR SHADE. FLAVOURS OF THE ENGLISH SUMMER ARE CELEBRATED IN ABUNDANCE WHILE OUR STYLISH AND RELAXED OPEN-AIR SETTINGS COMPLETE THE EXPERIENCE
DINE AL FRESCO& LET NATURE ACCOMPANY YOUR MEAL
0844 736 4251 reception.brighton@hotelduvin.com w w w. H O T E L D U V I N . c o m HOTEL DU VIN&BISTRO SHIP STREET, BRIGHTON, SUSSEX BN1 1AD
ClassiC CoCktails at the Grand, BriGhton
– with a twist Come to The Grand, Brighton and enjoy a vintage cocktail experience Watch the masters at work in a front row seat at the bar to enjoy all the action from the exper t mixologists, or unwind in the terrace with an after-work cocktail as the sun sets. The Victoria lounge bar at the Grand is the ideal place to celebrate or relax with your friends in style. You can expect to be treated to smooth jazz sounds from Matthew vanKan and a host of talented local musicians (see the Facebook page for dates). The extensive bar menu includes a variety of exper tly shaken or stirred cocktails and long drinks, as well as the alternative option to add a twist from the new summer cocktail collection. Gabor Kovacs, Lounge Manager, has created homemade infusions and bitters to give a twist to the classic cocktail. Try a Bloody Mary (£8) with a homemade cucumber and rosemary vodka infusion or a modern Manhattan (£9.20), with infusions of vanilla and cherry. The Grand, Brighton have added new kids’ smoothies, shakes and non-alcoholic cocktails (£3.50 each) so the whole family can be involved too. There is a choice of two Japanese influenced cocktails to try, which make the perfect accompaniment to the hotel’s Californian sushi roll platter (£8.25). Order the Sake Rise Wine Wasabi Martini (£7.50) with Sake rise wine, Wasabi gale, cucumber juice, lime juice or the Japanese Old Fashioned (7.50) with Hibiscus Bitter, Angostura Bitters, St-Germain Elderflower and Hibiki 12 Japanese whisky.
Visit us at www.facebook.com/thegrandhotelbrighton. Reservations can be made at eat@grandbrighton or 01273 224300.
- Food & drink -
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guestlist Where? Foragers Pub Why? 1
To celebrate the launch of Local Food Sussex
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Who? 1. Guests enjoy gin from Blackdown Spirits, Lurgashall 2. A selection of Sussex goodies on offer 3. Anya Zervudachi (Absolute Magazine) and Claire Beveridge (Places I eat Brighton) 3
4. Sarah Thompson from Blackdown Spirits, Lurgashall, was kept busy serving up her local tipple
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5. Dan Howes from Veasey and Sons fishmonger whose boats fish between Eastbourne Harbour and Poole Bay 6. Guests tucked into a Sussex spread
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ONE GIANT LEAP FOR LOCAL FOOD A revolutionary local food project has taken its first steps in Sussex. Local Food Britain is a nationwide online network that will make the buying, selling and finding of the very best produce across Britain easier than ever before. Food specialist and writer, Tracey Carroll, explains her ambitious plans to build a virtual shop window for thousands of independent food and drink businesses. “So many people want to support local and the new network will make it simpler,” says Tracey. “Over the years, I have met with many hard-working people, from beekeepers to bakers and cafe owners and it’s long been my dream to find a way of helping them to share their voices and get found by people who want to buy from them and, in turn, support the local economy.” Visitors to the site can search by categories such as bread, pies, butchers and tea shops and will also be able to read recipes and local food news. LocalFoodBritain.com will also give business owners the opportunity to connect with each other, helping to develop their trade beyond their local town and Tracey explains that she chose Sussex as the starting point because it has one of the UK’s most thriving food communities. She says: “There’s such a diverse landscape of sweeping countryside, quaint towns and rich shorelines making for an abundance of produce and activity.” For more information or to sign up to the site visit www.LocalFoodBritain.com
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Absolute Cinema Guide with
Bill Murray This month it’s glamour and Glitz in equal measure at the movies. When you’re not down watching classics like Jaws and ET at “Brighton’s Big Screen” you might like to check out three star studded offerings at your local multiplexes. Jersey Boy
Jersey Boys is a musical biography of the Four Seasons-the rise, the tough times and personal clashes, and the ultimate triumph of a group of friends whose music became symbolic of a generation. Far from a mere tribute concert, Jersey Boys gets to the heart of the relationships at the center of the group-with a special focus on frontman Frankie Valli, the small kid with the big falsetto. In addition to following the quartet’s coming of age as performers, the core of the show is how an allegiance to a code of honour learned in the streets of their native New Jersey got them through a multitude of challenges: gambling debts, Mafia threats and family disasters. Jersey Boys is a glimpse at the people behind a sound that has managed to endure for over four decades in the hearts of the public. Clint Eastwood directs this stylish and yet often dark and gruelling master class in the art of filmmaking. 4/5 from me and out late June 54│
June 2014
Grace of Monaco
The story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly’s crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco’s Prince Rainier III and France’s Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960s. Grace Of Monaco has its share of toe-curling, Diana-style moments. In particular, the scenes in which Grace makes small talk with opera star Maria Callas (Paz Vega) are excruciating. The jokes about whales’ penises cracked by Callas’ husband, shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis (Robert Lindsay in a role a long way removed from Citizen Smith days), fall very flat. There are moments when the film plays like a Riviera-version of Dynasty. Some of the dialogue - “politics is never on vacation Miss Callas” - is clunky in the extreme. However, for all the crudity of its plotting, this is a subtle and stylised character study. Watching the film, it is easy to be reminded of Gloria Swanson’s famous line from Sunset Boulevard, “we didn’t need dialogue, we had faces.” The director understands the power of the close-up and in doing so has created an excellent study mired by some lame mismanaged scripting and plot holes! 3/5 and that’s just because I love Roth and Kidman so much - out on the 6 th June
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Chef
A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family. Written, produced and directed by the modern maestro that is Jon Favreau. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr, Sofía Vergara, Dustin Hoffman, John Leguizamo and Jon Favreau, this is hilarious in parts and full of good meaning sentiment. It never gets too mushy and Favereau yet again shows us how America can still do funny and fancy in equal measure. 4/5 and out late June too! That’s it from me for this month. See you at the Big Screen! Bill Murray
MUSIC NEWS IYES release demo Modernistic pop duo IYES released their new demo Toys last month. The Brighton duo surprised everyone with the release of their track in which Josh Christopher takes a more prominent role than normal, with Melis’ sweet vocal adding to the late-night ambience of the demo. Love Supreme adds to line-up The Love Supreme Jazz Festival has added a number of high-profile acts to their line-up including hip-hop pioneers De La Soul. The New York trio will perform songs from their illustrious 25-year career, while
other names to be added include Irish rockabilly star, Imelda May, and acid jazz legends Incognito, who will be playing a set to mark their 35th anniversary. Passenger set to release album Mike Rosenberg, who has been busking around bars and street corners for over a decade, is set to release his new album Whispers on June 9th. The Brighton singersongwriter became an overnight success following the release of Let Her Go, which reached number one in 17 countries.
The Kooks set album release date Brighton band The Kooks have announced they will release their new album Listen on September 1st. The LP is produced by frontman Luke Pritchard and hip-hop producer Inflo and features their recent releases Down and Around Town. The album will be the first from the fourpiece since their 2011 Junk of the Heart and Pritchard said: “To me this album is about pure expression. Even the way we made the album felt fresh. We were really listening to what was going on around us, picking up ideas. The whole thing was much more natural.”
GIG GUIDE Studio 9 Orchestra – Sun 1st Jun @ The Brunswick The Fleshtones – Mon 2nd Jun @ The Prince Albert Public Enemy – Tue 3rd Jun @ Concorde Considered by many to be the most important hip-hop group ever, the controversial rap group from New York visit Concorde bringing their flavour of 80s politically charged hip-hop. Over 27 years since PE first hit the stage, the group have released 13 albums with their first four all certified either gold or platinum. Smoke Fairies - Wed 4th Jun @ Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar Shannon And The Clams – Thu 5th Jun @ The Hope Primetime – Fri 6th Jun @ The Cowley Club Future Islands – Sat 7th Jun @ The Prince Albert POW! – Sun 8th Jun @ Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar Tijuana Panthers – Mon 9th Jun @ The Hope Eaux – Tue 10th Jun @ The Green Door Store The Polyphonic Spree – Wed 11th Jun @ Concorde Little Barrie – Thu 12th Jun @ Bermuda Triangle Rod Stewart – Fri 13th Jun @ AMEX Stadium Half Crown – Sat 14th Jun @ The Haunt Catherine Feeny & Chris Jonedis – Sun
PUBLIC ENEMY Photo by David Wong
15th Jun @ Latest Music Bar Charlie Dore & Julian Littman – Mon 16th Jun @ The Greys George Ezra – Tue 17th Jun @ Concorde One of the BBC’s Sounds of 2014, George Ezra has been likened to his idols Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie after impressing audiences with his bluesy, acoustic ballads. He will arrive in Brighton promoting his debut studio album Wanted on Voyage which will be released on June 30th. Jeffrey Lewis & The Jrams - Wed 18th Jun @ The Green Door Store Youthblood – Thu 19th Jun @ Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar The KVB – Fri 20th Jun @ The Green Door Store Norman Jay – Sat 21st Jun @ Concorde The Delines – Sun 22nd Jun @ Palmeira
- Music News|GIG GUIDE -
Brooks Williams – Mon 23rd Jun @ The Greys Garden City Movement – Tue 24th Jun @ The Hope The War On Drugs – Wed 25th Jun @ Concorde tUnE-yArDs – Thu 26th Jun @ Concorde John Grant – Fri 27th Jun @ Brighton Dome The Osmonds – Sat 28th Jun @ Brighton Centre Bam Margera’s F**kface Unstoppable – Mon 30th Jun @ The Haunt The skateboarder known for his antics on Jackass, Viva La Bam and others, Bam Margera has teamed up with his brother Jess, Guttermouth’s Alex Flamsteed, Waldie, Novak, Matty J, Murry, Hanna and the Brandywine Eel from Gnarkill to produce the group F**kface Unstoppable.
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FRINGE FUN IN THE SUN If you are looking to escape England next summer then the country, people and music of Saint Lucia have it all Words by Daniel White
The view from the peak of the Tet Paul Trail The Great Escape, Brighton Festival, Shakedown, SD2, Love Supreme, Brighton Pride, Brighton Fringe, the list goes on.
throughout the islands to assemble and enjoy many types of genres, including jazz, soul, R&B, reggae, Latin, pop and hip-hop.
In Brighton we are lovers of all things creative… especially music.
While there are headline performers at each year’s event - this year included The Commodores and Tessanne Chin - there is also a heavy focus on the fringe events across Saint Lucia, with concerts and small performances being played at malls, restaurants, marinas, hotels, bars and more, all for free.
Brimming with talent and libertarian unpredictability, it is a breeding ground for artistic expression and, in particular, the Fringe Festival has become renowned for its outside-the-box boundary-pushing performances, from music to plays to comedy and cabaret. Therefore, it is with open arms that we welcomed the inaugural Fringe St. Lucia to our sunny city; forming an artistic, cultural, economic and educational collaboration between Saint Lucia and Sussex. Fringe St. Lucia is the younger sibling of Saint Lucia’s Jazz and Arts Fringe Festival, which takes place on the Caribbean island from April 30th – May 11th, and has now developed a strong link to the Brighton Fringe Festival. The Saint Lucia Fringe is one of the most anticipated events in the Caribbean calendar, providing a gathering ground for music lovers 56│
June 2014
Much like the world’s third largest fringe festival, which takes place across Brighton throughout May, the Caribbean Jazz Fest includes a few higher profile performances, with the largest gathering coming at Pigeon Island for the weekend’s headliners. However, it is the fringe events that dominate the calendar and are regularly the starting point for many artists, as legendary jazz pianist Monty Alexander explains. “The fringe events are very crucial because that’s more valuable than playing in your school or to your professor with letters after their name,” affirms Alexander. “That’s good but when you’re playing for people it’s life,
- Culture|travel -
you’re playing in front of people and that’s what I grew up on, that’s what Charlie Parker grew up on. So playing at a live event with live people, that’s a better school in my opinion.” Many visitors make the trip for the festival alone, yet, there are a plethora of other reasons to visit this island in the sun. Fun is sure to be had here, with tours including the Segway Nature Trail, an island zip line tour, the All Terrain Vehicle Trail and the St. Lucia Volcano Tour, which includes a mud bath and a waterfall swim. There is also a warm welcome from the locals. Tourists are treated well, with the locals on the island enjoying good conversation and, as Alexander explains, a sense of pride in representing Saint Lucia. “Everybody’s gracious,” he begins. “People are friendly and warm, it’s the ideal island in the sun and of course the environment is just breath taking. Saint Lucia is a beautiful place with good people and they love their music and their country.”
The crowd enjoy the live music
Monty Alexander plays at The Saint Lucia Jazz Festival With some of the most picturesque sights across the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, there are also an endless list of treks, trails and walks to experience including the Gros Piton Hike and the Tet Paul Trek as well as a range of Rain Forest Hikes. Although, if your sole aim of visiting Saint Lucia is to cram in as much music and fun as can be had, then the Friday Night Jump Up is not to be missed. The quiet fishing village of Gros Islet transforms every Friday night into a huge street party welcoming anyone and everyone. There are BBQs and drink stalls set up in the main street and, with booming speakers playing music into the early hours, it is a great experience that allows tourists to have an authentic taste of the real Saint Lucian lifestyle and culture. From England, flights can take between 8-9 hours and, therefore, it is worth your while to stay for at least a week. As such, hotel choice can play a big part in your island experience. Hotels and Resorts based in the upper quarter of the island - from Castries upwards - provide the best opportunity to experience everything Saint Lucia has to offer. Hotels in Rodney Bay such as Coco Palm Resort, Bay Gardens Beach Resort and The Ginger Lily Hotel provide luxury living at an affordable price but if you want to go all out then Sugar Beach Resort cannot be beaten.
Jamaican artist Tessanne Chin Personal butler service, separate swimming pools for each room, a tree house Rainforest Spa, three restaurants, four bars, a pool and a private beach as well as some of the most picturesque views on the island make Sugar Beach the most lavish location in Saint Lucia and is renowned for its celebrity visitors. There are also different ways to travel to Saint Lucia, with British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and the recent addition of Thomas Cook all offering a non-stop return ticket to the island from as cheap as ÂŁ559 per-person in summer. So if you have a chance to make the trip to Saint Lucia next May for their Jazz and Arts Festivals then it is an experience not to be missed, one you will not regret and one I cannot recommend highly enough. - Culture|travel -
However, if you are feeling the pinch next summer then make sure to visit one of the events by Fringe St. Lucia that bring a taste of the Caribbean to your doorstep. For more information or to book Sugar Beach Resort visit www. viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/en/sugarbeach To book Coco Palm Resort visit www.coco-resorts.com To book Bay Gardens Beach Resort or Hotel visit www.baygardensresorts.com To book The Ginger Lily Hotel visit www.gingerlilyhotel.com
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The Bohemia Jazz Lounge Music And A Meal offer!
Come to Bohemia and enjoy two meals for the price of one, and then stay to enjoy a live music performance till late Every Thursday, for food bookings between 5pm-9pm(last orders) To take advantage of this special offer, simply quote code 241bohemia when booking your table either online or by calling 01273 777770 Please note that this offer is for advance bookings only Bohemia 54-55 Meeting House Lane, Brighton www.bohemiabrighton.co.uk
ExprEss LunCH!
We understand how hard you work and deserve a fast, freshly cooked quick meal…not a cardboard lunch at the desk! Come and join us for our popular ‘Express Lunch’…perfect for meetings or just escapism from the office £7.95* The Express Lunch includes homemade soup of the day, a sandwich (options vary each week) and homemade chunky chips *Available Monday-Friday 12-5pm Bohemia, 54-55 Meeting House Lane, Brighton. T: 01273 777770 www.bohemiabrighton.co.uk