Street Cred Magazine - March 2020

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The Phoenix Newspaper - March 2020 - Page 17

Music fashion Film Gadgets holiday education health and fitness

MARCH 2020

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Experience The Magic

As Disney favourites take to the ice

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ENTERTAINMENT

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THE HOTTEST ENTERTAINMENT SUPPLEMENT

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Digbeth nightlife mapped out in new street art work

T

he vibrant nightlife of the Digbeth area in Birmingham has been mapped out in a new street art work unveiled in the historic city quarter.

The 16ft by 10ft ‘Digbeth Nightlife’ creation, commissioned by Richard Hughes, owner of bar and nightspot The Ruin, Digbeth and produced by renowned Midlands street artist Andrew ‘Title’ Mills, will proudly sit on the Little Ann Street side of the venue.

Illustrating the diverse evening offering across the warren of roads and streets that make up Birmingham’s creative centre,

the new art work – produced by Title over 48 hours – features 37 venues offering live music and DJ sets, bars and pubs, eateries, games and entertainment as well as Moor Street Station and Selfridges markers to aid with navigation.

Ranging from Irish pubs to British barbers, craft beer specialists to board game cafes, and tapas themed bars to hidden clubs, the ‘Digbeth Nightlife’ map is a visual document of the rapidly changing landscape of the post-industrial area.

Speaking about the latest addition to the area’s eyepopping collection of graffiti

and street art, Ruin boss Richard praised the breadth and depth of the local economy, saying: “Dedicating a new piece by Title to the explosion in evening entertainment that we’ve seen here in the past couple of years – following the success of our Digbeth Dozen piece in 2018 – seemed a great way to celebrate the community that is building here as well as offering a guide for visitors and residents alike.

The Ruin is very proud to be part of Digbeth’s vibrant and thriving night-time economy alongside so many hard-working and creative venues and their teams.”

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ENTERTAINMENT

BRB’s Stunning Swan Lake B irmingham Royal Ballet maintained their ridiculously high standards as they brought Peter Wright and Galina Samsova’s ‘81 production of Swan Lake to Birmingham’s Hippodrome.

Ballet’s greatest love story returned to Birmingham, and for ballet first timers, Swan Lake first timers, or even seasoned theatre goers, this romantic fable of ill-fated passion, powerfully illuminated

by Tchaikovsky’s legendary score

played live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, has to be one of the most amazing experiences.

Principal’s Tyrone Singleton and Céline Gittens danced exceptionally well, leading a full flock of equally talented dancers.

The designs of Philip Prowse perfectly frame every set piece, from the palace’s dark marble to the dreary lake beautifully silhouetting creeping branches.

The meeting of Gitten’s Odette and Singleton’s Siegfried was wondrous to behold, with delightfully swan-

like accents both with her head and hands, while the entranced Siegfried watches on.

Coming to Birmingham on the back of a stint at the Mayflower in Southampton, before it moves onto The Lowry, Sunderland Empire and Theatre Royal Plymouth, it was evident as to why the performance was already receiving rave reviews.

Under Paul Murphy’s direction, the orchestra put on a beautiful performance of Tchaikovsky’s score, perfectly complimenting the stunning views on stage.

l Natasha Oughtred as Odette and Jamie Bond as Prince Siegfried with Artists of Birmingham Royal Ballet; photo: Bill Cooper

Criticizism grows of BAFTA’s lacking of diversity in nominations

A

fter Joaquin Phoenix used the platform during his ‘Best Actor’ award acceptance speech for the film Joker to criticize the British Academy and then the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, also hit out at a lack of diversity this year’s BAFTAs all eyes will be on the upcoming Oscars as they again seem to have mostly ignored films about women and people of a BAME culture.

Phoenix’s comments followed an outcry about the all-white acting nominations line-up at the 73rd Awards event at the Royal

Albert Hall in London.

He said: "I think that we send a very clear message to people of colour that you're not welcome here.

“I think that’s the message that we’re sending to people who have contributed so much to our medium and our industry in ways that we’ve benefited from,” Phoenix said.

“I don’t think anyone wants a hand-out or preferential treatment, although that’s what we give ourselves every year.

I think people just want to be acknowledged, appreciated and respected for their work.”

In his address Prince William said: “The Academy’s voters must stop overlooking Black and Ethnic Minority talent”.

The Prince, who is president of the Bafta, added: “It simply cannot be right in this day and age” that film awards have allwhite shortlists.

“Both here in the UK and in many other countries around the world, we are lucky to have incredible film-makers, actors, producers and technicians, men and women of all backgrounds and ethnicities enriching our lives through film.”

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0121 339 5885 (Birmingham) l The Stereophonics return to Arena Birmingham on February 29th

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ENTERTAINMENT HEALTH AND BEAUTY EXPO

H

undreds of people turned out to the Health and Beauty Expo at the British Indian Association on Ealing Road in London.

Celebrating Brent as London’s Borough of Culture (LBOC), Brent’s Mayor Cllr Ernest Ezeajughi and 10 current and former mayors from across London including last years LBOC Waltham Forest, Ealing and Redbridge.

Featuring stalls promoting laughter yoga and reiki healing alongside a number of fashion and beauty stalls, there was also some very impressive Indian dancing, delicious Caribbean, Indian and European food, as well as a gospel singer.

“It was amazing. The weather wasn’t fantastic but all the mayor’s showed up,” explained Paul Harrison, Tropical Sun’s Brand Ambassador.

“It was a recipe from heaven for us to have people come together.”

There were hampers for the Mayoral visitors containing goodies from both Tropical Sun and some of the stalls on the day.

“Everyone really appreciated it,” Paul continued, “and nobody left empty handed.”

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London Mayors Come Together For Health And Beauty Expo

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ENTERTAINMENT

ENTERTAINMENT

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MARCH Gig Listings BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY

Tour Announcement

T

he Weeknd has announced his new headline world tour, The After Hours Tour, on the heels of his upcoming album, After Hours.

The After Hours Tour will showcase state of the art production and one of the most innovative stage

designs to date, containing the most LED lights and video for an arena show.

Produced by Live Nation, the world tour will hit cities across United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France with support from 88GLAM and Sabrina Claudio across Europe.

After Hours album merch bundles became available with the announce of the title track and album preorder.

All purchases of the album or album bundles via the UK webstore also give priority access to pre-sale tickets for the upcoming UK and EU tour dates

March 01 Michael Kiwanuka 01 Nasty Cherry 03 Marika Hackman 03 Supergrass 04 Supergrass 07 Bulsara and His Queenies 07 Magic Lantern Rave 12 Phil X & The Drills 13 The Blindboy Podcast Live 13 Catapult Club feat. The Mood 14 Poppy 14 The Southmartins (Tribute To The Beautiful South & The Housemartins) 14 Stiff Little Fingers 18 The Regrettes 19 Home Free - Dive Bar Saints World Tour 19 Twinnie 20 Catapult Club feat. The Last Rogues 21 Skull Fox 21 Lee Scratch Perry 26 Rat Boy 27 Blossoms 27 Darcy Oake 28 The Slow Readers Club 30 M Huncho 31 William DuVall (of Alice in Chains)

O2 INSTITUTE

March 02 Love Fame Tragedy 06 The Orielles 06 Gala Disco Polo 06 Catapult Club feat.

Southern Smoke 07 Oh Wonder 11 Turnover 12 Jax Jones 13 Ghetts 13 Tori Kelly 14 Uproar: The Laser Spectacular 2 16 Louise Redknapp 17 Palace 17 Hak Baker 18 NF - The Search Tour 19 Highly Suspect 19 The Cat Empire 21 Yelawolf 21 Rews 22 Grace Carter 24 I PREVAIL: The Trauma Tour 24 DigDat 25 Cigarettes After Sex 26 Mr Sam & The Dednutz 26 The Subways - Young For Eternity 27 The Alarm 27 Catapult Club ft. Kitchen Party Club 27 Lightning Seeds Jollification 25th Anniversary Show 28 Kojey Radical 28 Midland 30 GZA - 25th Anniversary of Liquid Swords 31 Barenaked Ladies

Regional Cheerleading 28 David Gray

ARENA BIRMINGHAM March 01 Michael Ball & Alfie Boe Back Together 02 The Original Harlem Globetrotters 04 An Evening with Whitney The Whitney Houston Hologram Tour 07 James Arthur 11-15 YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2020 19 What’s Love Got To Do With It? 22 Shreya Ghoshal 28 Gymnastics World Cup 2020

NEC

March 01 The National Wedding Show 05-08 Crufts 10 RCNi NURSING CAREERS & JOBS FAIR 11-14 The Big Bang Fair 2020 13-14 The National Franchise Exhibition 14-17 The Photography Show & The Video Show 17-18 Naidex 17-18 Smart Home for Assisted Living 19-22 Sewing for Pleasure inc Fashion & Embroidery 19-22 The Creative Craft Show 20-21 Dyslexia Show 21-22 MCM Comic Con 21-22 MINIATURA – THE DOLLS HOUSE SHOW 26-29 The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show 27-29 Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show

TOWN HALL & SYMPHONY HALL

March 01 Sampad Asian Spring 2020 (TH) 01 Paul Carrack The 20/20 Tour (SH) 02 Brendan Cole - Show Man (SH) 03 Tommy Tiernan: tomfoolery (TH) 04 The Beryl Chempin Memorial Piano Masterclass with Gabriela Montero (TH) 04 Tom Watson: Downsizing (TH)

RESORTS WORLD ARENA

March 05-08 Crufts & Best In Show 2020 12 KISSTORY presents The Blast Off! Tour 21-22 Dream Extreme: Super

04 CBSO: A German Requiem (SH) 05 Max Raabe & Palast Orchester (TH) 06 Jimmy Carr: Terribly Funny (SH) 08 Gabriela Montero in recital (TH) 09 Lunchtime Organ Concert For All The Saints (TH) 09 An Evening with Frankie Bridge: Open (TH) 09 Jazz Connective: Sara Colman, Riverloam Trio ft.

Paul Dunmal and Bowrain (SH) 10 CBSO: Bartók and Bruckner (SH) 11 Clannad (SH) 12-13 Stewart Lee Snowflake/Tornado (SH) 12 Jess Gillam in recital (TH) 13 An Evening with Sarah J Maas (TH) 14 Carmina Burana (SH) 15 Jamie Cullum (SH) 15 The Dublin Legends (TH) 16 West Midlands Music Big Sing (SH) 17 Susan Boyle - The Ten Tour (SH) 18 Elvis Costello & the Imposters (SH) 19 David Baddiel: Trolls Not The Dolls (SH) 21 BANFF Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2020 (BLUE PROGRAMME) (TH) 21 Elektra – Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (SH) 22 University of Birmingham Music Society presents Verdi’s Messa da Requiem (TH) 23 Lunchtime Organ Concert – Thomas Trotter & Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (SH) 23 Simon Höfele in recital (SH) 25 Colin Thackery (TH) 26 BLADE RUNNER In Concert (SH) 27 CBSO: 100 Years of Movie Magic (SH) 27 Giovanni Pernice - This is Me (TH) 28 Pod Bible Podcast w/ Drunk Women Solving Crime & Richard Herring (TH) 28 Singalong with the CBSO: Verdi’s Requiem (SH) 28 Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast (Except at The Birmingham Town Hall) (TH) 28 Drunk Women Solving Crime (TH) 28 Satinder Sartaaj (SH) 28 Table Manners with Jessie Ware (TH) 29 Films to be Buried With with Brett Goldstein (TH) 29 Standard Issue (TH) 29 Singalong with the CBSO: Verdi’s Requiem (SH) 29 The Two Shot Podcast (TH) 30 Magnum (TH) 30 A Night at the Symphony Hall with the Royal Air Force and Friends (SH) 31 Goldfrapp (SH) 31 A Theatre For Dreamers - An Evening of Words and Music featuring Polly Samson and David Gilmour (TH)

l Satinder Sartaaj comes to Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on 28 March

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ENTERTAINMENT

B

lackburn, a small town in Lancashire known for its textiles in the 1800’s, it’s rarely a byword for music.

Dig a little deeper, you’ll find copious amounts of musical collectives spreading the length and breadth of of the small county town.

One artist in particular is Tayyib Hussain, aka, ‘InSain’. Born and raised in Blackburn currently studying in Manchester, the young producer marries a fusion of Grime and Hip Hop, wrapped up in a professional mix that would make any seasoned Mc salute.

The self-taught producer started out making beats at Pleckgate High School as a past-time.

This later flourished into something he would take seriously “initially I started making music in high school, I didn’t take it seriously for ages, once I started getting into it though, I quickly latched onto Grime”.

In his early days, InSain explains he has always loved music. “It’s cliche, but I have always loved music.

My mum would play whatever bollywood songs she was feeling at the time whilst cooking or cleaning up so I got into the habit of that a little”.

With no idea about production, InSain recalls going around his cousins who was a DJ, and running through a 5minute tutorial of some DJ software and a little know production suite named ‘Reason’.

After going home and completely forgetting what the software was called, he searched the web anyway and stumbled upon FL Studio (Fruity Loops for the OG’s).

After getting to grips with the software, InSain started looking for artists to work with.

He later on teetered across a priceless opportunity to be a part of the grime crew ‘Rhymes Galore’ (shouts to Rame) along with a few other talented producers including myself (insert wink face here).

He started producing raw, brash beats that really stood out, distinctive 808’s, throbbing drums, all topped off with many bells and whistles, InSains music was a destructively uncooked journey.

Of late, InSain has been releasing music through the

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Are you InSain?

iews v Inter YouTube p l a t f o r m ‘EveryDayGrime’ (Shouts to Westy) as well as producing the track ‘Too Many Soundbwoy’ for the Essex-based Grime group ‘Stars & Deeza’.

The track in question got played on BBC The South for weeks!

Now in the process of stockpiling music, InSain’s aim is try to create something contrasting “I’ve been working with local

rappers and singers to try to create a vibe that’s different , I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone”.

InSains eyes are looking to the future, with an EP on the horizon, he explains how the small touches equate to big touches.

“The EP is pretty much ready to release, it’s just about adding the finishing touches now and knowing how and when is best to release”.

With enormous amounts of support from his family and friends, InSain explains how

excited his family get when he takes a step forward musically “whenever I’m on radio, no matter how small my family is always buzzing.

My fiance will text in to let the radio host know I made a beat if it gets played haha I recently, literally, had a 4 second clip of a beat get played on ITV and my mum has it recorded.

Not sure if she’s got that recorded to mock me though or if she’s genuinely happy haha. They’re very supportive, I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

InSains unlimited goal is to set up a charity which teaches kids who aren’t in school or work something in media, this is one of the kindest most genuine ideas I’ve ever heard.

InSain goes on to say “whether it be music, film, photography, etc. I’d love to get to a point financially where I could set that up without having to work to fund it as we go along”.

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing InSain personally now for a number of years, whenever I’ve needed help he has never said no,

this article is to promote what a wonderful musical InSain is, but I hope it comes across how much of a wonderful human being he is to.

Anything you’d like to add?

“Not really, other than thanks for having me! It’s been fun”.

Socials Twitter @InSainRG Instagram @insainproducer Facebook @InSainProducer And don’t forget to check out Alien Muzik on Twitter @Alien_Muzik, and on Instagram - alien_muzik

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Carlos Is Looking To BRB’s Future

I

t has been less than a month since Carlos Acosta took his position as Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, but in a short space of time he has already made a big impact.

The Phoenix Newspaper caught up with Carlos at a media breakfast ahead of Swan Lake’s return to the Hippodrome, where he talked at length about his ambitions for BRB and for ballet in Birmingham.

“It is a big challenge for me, I love big challenges. It’s a large company, and it will give me the chance to evolve,” explained Carlos.

“I have been blessed to work with companies all over the world and to have gained so much knowledge that I want to pass on to the dancers.”

“Our key aim to position ourselves differently. Traditional Ballet Companies talk about the past a lot, but we want to see what is happening today, to be more appealing and mainstream.

“I’m bringing Don Quixote because it’s a very accessible ballet, parents will be able to

bring their kids as they will be in for a really great journey with flamenco dancers and bull fighters.

“This mad world which is very funny and colourful, it’s basically the extension of who I am as an individual.”

Curated By Carlos

A three week summer festival spanning London and Birmingham will take place in June 2020 and will give a unique insight into Carlos’ cultural influences and his vision for BRB, as a company hungry for creative collaborations.

It will be staged around the Birmingham premiere of Don Quixote from the 19th-27th June.

“This season we will have over 20,000 tickets for £20 so that we can get people in the city to participate in and enjoy the ballet.

“It also needs the engagement of the people, and I want to change the audience composition, I want to see a more diverse crowd, but it takes effort on both sides.”

Carlos was also honoured with

a plaque for his very own seat in the city’s iconic Symphony Hall, ahead of the Company’s A Valentines Celebration Evening of Music and Dance on Friday 14 February.

He is only the second artist to have a seat named after him by the venue, with the first being singer Tony Bennett.

Speaking about his seat dedication Carlos said; “It’s a huge honour to have a seat dedicated to me in the

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iconic Symphony Hall, not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this happening.

“I’m very grateful for this recognition and I only feel further inspired to do my very best for the city of Birmingham.”

It seems like the Birmingham Royal Ballet is in great hands, and with support from all of the wonderful communities in Birmingham, Carlos’ legacy will be one to remember.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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Daniel O’Donnell Hops Over To Symphony Hall Birmingham

D

aniel O’Donnell, MBE, the loveable, Irish folk singer, TV personality and philanthropist, with over 20 UK Top 40 albums and sales of 10 million records to date, hops over from Ireland this autumn to delight fans with a show at Symphony Hall on Tuesday, 13 October 2020.

After rising to public attention in 1983 O’Donnell has since become a household name in

Ireland and Britain; he has also had considerable success in the US and Australia. In 2012, he became the first artist to have a different album in the British charts every year for 25 consecutive years.

He has sold over ten million records to date and is widely considered a ‘cultural icon’ in Ireland. O'Donnell is also a prominent ambassador for his home county of Donegal and competed on BBC’s Strictly Come

Dancing in 2015.

Known for his close relationship with his fanbase, and his charismatic and engaging stage presence, O'Donnell's music has been described as a mix of country and Irish Folk.

Of his fans, O’Donnell says: “There are no words to describe the feelings that I get from an audience when I perform on stage. It is heaven on earth to me.

Without the people who follow me I would not have this life. They say that when you ‘re doing a job that you love, you never work a day in your life. Well, that is certainly the case with me. I have never worked since I became an entertainer. So I have a great respect and great love for the people who follow Daniel O Donnell the entertainer”.

“I’ve always loved meeting the people after shows. Sometimes now I feel that I am meeting people too quickly and I would love to be able to say, ‘We need to slow this down’. I know we can’t slow it down because you’d be there all night. I do a long show and meeting people is not the norm for the majority of performers. So I know we have to keep it quick and that I can just go and say a quick ‘Hello’ to people and have a picture taken.”

An Enchanting Royalty Descend

T

ake adventure to new heights as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and your friends from around the Disney Kingdom come together with Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival.

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stage for a star-studded talent extravaganza as Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival skates into the UK.

Gear up to enter a world of excitement as the show skates into an arena near you this Spring.

Come and see how far Moana goes on her action-packed voyage with mighty demigod Maui.

Sing along with Sebastian as he strikes up his band along with the Daughters of Triton as they introduce Ariel.

The production will be visiting Birmingham at the Resorts World Arena from 30th April – 3rd May 2020. Tickets are available from www.disneyonice.co.uk

Get tangled up with a chorus of rowdy inhabitants from the Snuggly Duckling when they get a visit from Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy set the

Relive a tale as old as time when Belle opens her heart to

new adventures as the Beast’s enchanted objects take center stage for a dazzling skating spectacle.

Experience Anna’s devotion to her sister, Elsa, on her journey to stop an eternal winter.

“We wanted to capture the moments and attributes that truly define these beloved characters and we’ve really done that through these stunning athletic performances.

That’s what makes Magical Ice Festival different, we selected iconic scenes and then took our time on the details to create truly awe- inspiring performances.” says Director Patty Vincent

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g Mix Of Disney d On Birmingham

Army Reservist Releases Her First Single To Help Combat Stress

A

reservist Army officer, who is also an accomplished singer-songwriter, has released her first single.

Lieutenant Colonel Thao Nguyen, of Birmingham-based 202 Field Hospital, has recorded a song, Trapeze, about mental resilience.

The single is being released across social media, including iTunes and Spotify, with proceeds going to Combat Stress, the UK’s leading charity that helps military veterans deal with mental health issues.

Thao says: "A few years ago I went through a dark time in my life and turned to music, particularly singing, to help with my mental well-being.

"With the support of my vocal coach, Kirsty Morris, and my

Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival is an exhilarating showcase of royalty, highlighting the stories of Disney’s most beloved heroines with energetic choreography that will have audiences singing, dancing and cheering for their favourite Disney characters as they each embark on their own epic journeys.

“By pulling together moments from classic Disney stories to the breakout feature film sensation Frozen and combining them with elements of comedy and music, we developed a truly unique way to retell each fairytale,” says Producer Juliette Feld.

ENTERTAINMENT

husband, Chris, family and friends, I have been able to share my love and joy of singing through live performances.

"Trapeze is about when you are ‘lost in the darkness’ and you ‘are never alone because I know that you care’.”

Thao lives in Milton Keynes where she works as a GP. She joined the Army Reserves in 1997 as an Officer Cadet while she was in medical school.

She wanted to use her medical skills to help injured troops and has served as an Army medical officer on exercises in France, Germany, Gibraltar, New Zealand and the United States of America.

Thao added, "As a serving army officer, I dedicate this song to all

our past and present servicemen and women because ‘together we are stronger than we ever were before’.

"The song is also dedicated to anyone who has gone through, or is currently experiencing, their own dark time. It is never too late to talk and it is always okay to talk."

Thao is raising money for Combat Stress via an online fundraising page. Just search for 'Thao's TRAPEZE Charity Song' on www. justgiving.com

COMPETITION For your chance to win a family ticket of 4 to see Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival, just answer this simple question!

Which famous mouse is Disney most well known for? a) Danger Mouse b) Mighty Mouse c) Mickey Mouse Just email your answer, with your name, address and contact number to competitions@thephoenixnewspaper.com with the subject “Disney On Ice 2020 Competition”. Competition closes at 23.59 on 10th April 2020. There is no cash alternative.

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Page 26 - The Phoenix Newspaper - March 2020

THE SIGNATURE AWARDS BIRMINGHAM 2020 ENTERTAINMENT

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l Small Business of the Year - Imperial Roofing Supplies UK Ltd

l Contribution to Industry and Commerce

Signature Awards 2020 Continues to Celebrate Businesses Great and Good l International Enterprise of the Year - GB Tyres

A

s it again shines a bright light on the success of often not acknowledged businesses and organisations – locally, nationally and international – the 2020 version of the highly successful Signature Awards again ‘stepped-up’ with some of the great and good gathered at the ICC Birmingham to celebrate experienced business professionals, entrepreneurs and start-up business people

alike.

In its usual exuberant surroundings it was yet another stand-out show, headed by its organister the much celebrated and respected Ninder Johal DL, CEO of the Nachoral Group of Companies, and his wife Narinder.

With the event’s ubiquitous presenter, the BBC Asian Network presenter Tommy Sandhu again hosting the night; what was there not to love at this Signature Awards – Sponsored by Investec Wealth & Investment?

In the presence of some of the West Midlands region’s favourite ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’ – the likes of which included Lord Digby Jones, the former Director General of the CBI and Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Bobby Singh, celebrated founder of multiaward winning estate agents, Love Your Postcode, equally celebrated solicitor and lead partner at Bailey Wright & Co. Solicitors - Karen Bailey, Diamond Travels’ Dr Beverley Lindsay OBE OD, Dr Steve Walker of ART Business

Loans, broadcaster and successful business woman Anita Bhalla and TPN Media’s own Editor In Chief, Dr Marcia McLaughlin F.Birm.

Soc, all was set fair for this 2020 edition – with Acorn Children’s Hospice the main beneficiaries of the night’s proceedings.

“We have a lot to shout about in the West Midlands”, Ninder said.

“With Coventry being the City of Culture, in 2021, Birmingham hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and the West Midlands becoming the UKs first

l Excellence in Real Estate - Barrows & Forrester Property Group

l Excellence in Financial Services - Falcon Insurance

l Excellence in Promoting Apprenticeships -Training Event Safety Solutions

l Business of the Year - Enzen

l Business Woman of the Year - Tehmi Parinchy l

Excellence in Legal Services (Individual) - Vic Younis

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www.streetcredmagazine.com www.streetcredmagazine.com ENTERTAINMENT THE SIGNATURE AWARDS BIRMINGHAM 2020

l Excellence in. Legal Services (Organisation) - FBC Manby Bowdler

- Dr Aman Puri

full-scale 5G test-bed there’s a lot to be proud of in this region.

“And, in addition, we can also celebrate the coming West Midlands-India partnership we have to make sure that we get on

the ‘front foot’ when it comes to international business.

“We are at the cutting-edge of technology here” he said “so we have to invest in our future and cherish the region’s diversity”.

l Excellence in Financial Services (Individual) s Mandeep Rajput

Having thanked The Phoenix Newspaper as one of The Signature Awards main supporters over the years, he went on to say: “Let’s make sure that we leave a legacy”.

Martin Lord, Senior Investment Director at Investec added: “All of us here have the great opportunity to make an impact on our future.

And we (Investec) are here to help you to succeed and preserve wealth.

“Now is not about ‘me’ – like in the yuppie era. It’s about collective growth.

“Life is a journey – not just an event.

“For what he has done – for the West Midlands – we should address Ninder as ‘Your Highness of the West Midlands’.”

With a much-hyped auction offering some fantastic prizes – and raising always-welcomed funds for Acorns Children’s Hospice - to add to what was yet another outstanding ‘Signature Awards Birmingham’ as always, will be remembered for highlighting all who is great and good in business – local national and international “Don’t be scared to take risks”, Ninder said. He is prime example of rewards at hand when you willingly do.

As the Signature Awards continue rising from strengthto-strength, all eyes are already on Ninder Johal’s other night of rewarding greatness – the Nachural Awards 2020!

l Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion - Irwin Mitchell

l Excellence in Creative and Design - HDY Agency

l Excellence in the Owner Practice for the Professionals - ASR

l Business Person of the Year - Lola Ojomo

l Entrepreneur of the Year - Gurpreet Bassi

l Excellence in Community Services - HugglePets In The Community and Bootcamp Media

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ENTERTAINMENT FASHION AND BEAUTY

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Beyond Hair Summit 2020

B

By Joan ‘LJ’ Hunter

eyond Hair Summit 2020 took place this year in Birmingham on 8th February 2O20 at Millennium Point ,the event which is in it's third year, was previously held in Nottingham.

Hair is crucial part of every black women's make up, the concept of Beyond Hair is about going beyond what’s on the outside, and looking at how define ourselves and whether we are women who also have substance in a very image focused world.

A Entrepreneurial vision started by two friends, Oyinkansola

Adebayo and Laolu Dada, who met whilst studying at Nottingham University.

Laolu discovered that Oyin had hidden talents as a hairdresser and there their relationship strengthened, as Oyin became Laolu’s go to stylist whilst at university.

There they also found their common passion for building businesses that not only create profit but have strong social impact in doing, The Beyond Hair Summit started out as an event to launch Niyo Enterprise, which comprised of two brands - Niyo Network

(events and empowerment) and Niyo Hair (mobile hairstyling services that service over 200 clientele across the Midlands).

The 2018 event was a huge succes, it attracting over 100 women. which led to these ladies decision to makes this an annual event, for in-depth talks around personal development, creativity and entrepreneurship, that sets out to empower women to use ‘innovative tools to economically empower’ themselves.

The Beyond Hair Summit has evolved into a platform and launching pad for women - black women to be empowered to reach

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their potential , connect with high networth individuals and educate themselves.

We know that black hair and beauty is the honey for many but when you attend the event you leave with more than hair products.

The event gave an opportunity an opportunity to anyone with a ideas to attend the open audition Dragons Den Style to pitch to win £1000.

The judges has a difficult decision to make, as all the

entrants were ‘Excellent’: • Dawn Duhane, Just Hair, online platform/ecommerce website that makes ethical high quality hair extensions made easy.

• Laurece Dawson, Black Origins, game studio that create new innovative games by black gamers and designers.

• Fola Dandare, Innovating into a tech business that simplifies the process black women use for buying product and booking hairstyling appointments.

• The winner : Ronke Oladele

with her project Anchorise.

Anchorise, a social enterprise centred on empowering young women through education in the developing world by creating raw material such as pineapple leaves, to make low impact handbags and stationary products.

Ronke is currently conducting this research at the researched at the University of Birmingham where she is a student. Her hope is the sale of these bags, will help to fund young girls in Nigeria to maintain their place in education.

The judges all agreed that Ronke’s idea was scalable (into an enterprise that could grow and make great profit), the presentation and communication were excellent , core value of the reason behind the business were moving They closed the event by Thanking the Sponsors who were Crème of Nature , Kera Care , Vive Con Style , Olu Olu foods , Black Beauty and Hair magazine , The Eman Effect ( Emmanuel Asuquo – Financial Advisor), BYP Network , and the statement of see you at BH2021

0208 865 1922 (London)

The Phoenix Newspaper - March 2020 - Page 29

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Bentley DEFINING B OPEN-TOP LUXURY

entley Mulliner Bentley’s bespoke commissioning division - is today announcing the introduction of the new Continental GT Mulliner Convertible: the luxury pinnacle of the Continental GT family.

Mulliner has gone above and beyond the industry-leading craftsmanship so synonymous with Bentley and the world’s definitive Grand Tourer to create the Continental GT Mulliner Convertible and redefine the pinnacle of roof-down automotive luxury.

The new Continental GT Mulliner Convertible has been created to appeal to those customers wanting an even greater focus on beautiful details.

The new Double Diamond design has been inspired by Bentley’s exclusive Diamondin-Diamond interior quilting design concept, which adorns all four seats, the door casings, rear quarters and now for the first time furnishes the tonneau cover.

The Diamond-in-Diamond interior quilting itself has been tailored to include contrast stitching in two complementary

MOTORS

colours to accentuate the thread against the quilting.

It takes almost 400,000 stitches to deliver this quilting across the cabin of the car, with each diamond containing exactly 712 individual stitches – each one precisely aligned to point to the centre of the diamond it creates.

Developing the embroidery process to deliver this process alone took 18 months.

Furnishing the sleek and muscular profile of the Continental GT Mulliner Convertible are all-new 22” 10-spoke painted & polished wheels with floating, selflevelling wheel badges that remain upright as the wheel rotates.

The ultimate handcrafted Continental GT Convertible interior offers eight custom-made three-colour combinations.

A new Mulliner-designed colour split defines the eight colour ways, including a third accent colour to the interior in the form of a distinctive design line. The hand-stitched hides are embellished with unique Mulliner branded embroidery.

HRH The Prince Of Wales Visits Aston Martin Lagonda St Athan Aston Martin Lagonda welcomed His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to its new manufacturing facility at St Athan in Wales.

The visit was also enjoyed by a group of Aston Martin apprentices and school children from the local area who came along to see the new facility.

Aston Martin Lagonda, St Athan now also bears a plaque, commemorating the Royal visit, which was presented to the team

by His Royal Highness.

During today’s visit, Aston Martin Lagonda apprentices had the opportunity to talk The Prince of Wales through the skills and knowledge they’ve gained during their time as apprentices.

The group has a strong mixture of skills, coming from commercial roles such as marketing and communications, through to manufacturing and engineering.

Aston Martin

Lagonda currently employs 93 apprentices across its operating sites.

The final step in the manufacture of every Aston Martin is the application of the marque’s iconic wings badge to the car.

A very special pre-production DBX received the Royal seal of approval when The Prince of Wales applied its wings.

Aston Martin Lagonda Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman said: “It was an honour to welcome His Royal Highness to St Athan today. To have transformed St Athan from a former MOD site to a facility fit for a Royal visit makes us all feel extremely proud.

“It is well-known that The Prince of Wales is a fan of Aston Martin, so it was a pleasure to be able to show him around the

future of the brand here today.”

Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart said. “Locating this world-class and globallyrecognised brand in St Athan is a huge vote of confidence in the Welsh workforce.

“It is an example of how the UK and Welsh Governments can work together to secure the investment of companies like Aston Martin Lagonda driving economic growth and creating jobs.

“I look forward to the first made-in-Wales Aston Martins rolling off the production line later this year.”

St Athan is the home of Aston Martin’s first SUV, the DBX. Upon the commencement of full production at St Athan in the second quarter of 2020, the company will have created up to 600 new highly-skilled jobs, rising to 750.

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Page 30 - The Phoenix Newspaper - March 2020

ENTERTAINMENT

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Madonna, Queen of Pop Rules London S

By Mandip Singh Taunque

ublime, classy and surreal are the words I use to describe a truly unforgettable night of singing, music and, unexpectedly, chatter by the undisputed Queen of Pop, Madonna, who took over The London Palladium for a series of intimate performances as part of her Madame X world tour.

As massive fans for nearly all our lives, my sister and I have been fortunate to have seen Madonna at least once during each of her world tours over the past 20 years. What amazes us

the most is Madonna’s ability to do something different each time.

Opting for theatres as her choice of venue for her Madame X tour, Madonna created an intimate setting where for the first time we got to truly engage with her.

This was a new side we hadn’t seen before, she was softer yet still enigmatically strong and we felt she wanted us to have as much fun as she was having.

She chatted to members of the audience and even took time out to have a beer with them during the show. At one point she did some fundraising when she auctioned off a polaroid she took of herself on stage for her Malawi charity.

If you are planning to go to a Madame X show and don’t want spoilers then don’t read any further. Trust me, you would want to be surprised.

It was clear that Madonna, who has lived in Portugal for three years, has been heavily influenced by her life there and without this I doubt we would have seen this side of her or indeed, hear this side of her on her 14th studio album, Madame X. She went on a journey and she took us with her. Her theatre setting allowed us to join her in a Portuguese fado bar setting.

A fado bar? Until I heard Madonna’s Madame X and read up about its production, I had no

idea what fado music was.

As Madonna explained fado means ‘fate’ and is a musical art form. Most travel websites will tell you that going to a fado bar is essential when visiting Lisbon.

So Madonna decided to bring fado to us. Fado music is characterised by being expressive and melancholic. This made the perfect tone for part of Madonna’s set.

That wasn’t the only genre Madonna introduced us to.

Another part of the show was dedicated to ‘batuque’ music which, as Madonna described, was created by women that originated in Cape Verde.

Madonna brought batuque to a whole new audience. Madonna joined a group of ‘batukadeiras’ on stage as they rhythmically played drums, sang and danced.

This was a show like no other.

Madonna’s setlist comprised mostly of her Madame X album however there were a few classic tracks.

She opened with 1990’s killer dance track ‘Vogue’ which got the audience on their feet; She also performed ‘American Life’ from 2003 and her oldest track of the night, 1986’s ‘La Isla Bonita’.

For the last track of the night before the encore Madonna

performed her 1989 hit ‘Like A prayer’ with a full choir and complete with a backdrop showing her original video.

The song sounded just as good now as it did over 30 years ago.

But what stole the show was her performance of ‘Frozen’ from her multi-award winning 1998 album ‘Ray of Light’.

Whilst Madonna sat on a stool and sang, a giant clear screen came down which had a video of Madonna’s eldest daughter, Lourdes, doing an interpretive dance.

Madonna’s vocals were on point and Lourdes’s dance was stunning. Mother and daughter were matched so well. The encore was a sublime rendition of ‘I Rise’ from her current album.

Madonna was on stage for close to two hours despite sustaining several injuries on tour. Whilst fans were disappointed at a slightly shortened set list, they loved the fact that they had more opportunity to engage with the

queen of pop.

This must be one of the best shows by an international artist of Madonna’s calibre that I have ever seen.

At the time of writing Madonna extended a record she broke several years ago. She achieved a record-breaking 50th number one on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart with Madame X track ‘I Don't Search I Find’.

By doing this Madonna continues to outperform runnerup Rihanna with 33 number ones. Beyoncé and Janet Jackson follow with 22 and 20 number ones, respectively.

Madonna is every bit an icon and legend and long may her reign continue. ***** If you have an event you think our readers might be interested in, please contact me at m a n d i p . t a u n q u e @ thephoenixnewspaper.com

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ENTERTAINMENT

The Phoenix Newspaper - March 2020 - Page 31

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BIG DAVE’S SAFE PAGE

Enough Is Enough It’s Time To Come Together As One F ollowing the referendum result in 2016 there was a 52% 48% split over leaving or remaining in the EU which led to a further 4 years of division within the country and split friends, families, colleagues alike dependent on which camp you fell into.

Now that we have finally delivered the Withdrawal Agreement there is no going back.

Now is the time when all UK citizens need to pull together in the same direction to deliver and make this country a prosperous nation for all.

We need to stand together and come together once more, no matter what your political standpoint was, recognise that we can deliver a stronger Britain that is good for everyone.

No more country divide, we are one nation and by working together we can harness people power to drive the country forward.

Senior police officers, politicians, local city councillors and others

have come to the conclusion that the issues that we are facing today in our communities are becoming an epidemic in our towns and cities and we need to work together to find a solution.

Now is the time for the community to stand together and be counted and say Enough is Enough.

This is now beginning to happen and accelerating with various groups set up around the country to look at the issues that touch us all in some way in our normal lives and can be devastating when families find themselves having to deal with its effects.

With this Enough is Enough attitude and mindset people power is starting to make a difference and having a positive effect and beginning to turn the tide away from negative pathways.

So it shows that people power does have an effect and can be the silver bullet that many of these senior figures are looking for.

So we all need to stand up and be counted and to send a strong message to the youth of today

that Enough is Enough. Most importantly spread the Love and stop hating each other and learn to Respect one another.

We can build safe positive relationships and make our communities a safer environment for us all to live and work in.

Because this is the ethos of the Phoenix Newspaper people power lately has shown to lead the way on all sorts of issues and topics that matter to us all.

Read more about our work at www.dgangelofstrength. co.uk and on www.bigdave. online.

It shows that by standing together we are much stronger and can build a wall that can halt negative influences rather than be the lone brick which will struggle to do so by itself.

Having the fantastic opportunity to produce my own page in this incredible positive global newspaper which is also available online.

What is is important to everyone who reads it and how can we all come together and harness the incredible power that you the Community have and as as individuals together we have the ‘People Power’.

I believe that ‘People Power’ is so strong and so powerful that if we could all come together we could start to see changes happening around various issues that affect us all in some way.

I was told today that I never

give in until every door that I have knocked on and remains closed to me, I will continue to keep on knocking on doors until I achieve my set goals.

It was also pointed out to me that young people should try to follow my lead and not give up so easily with issues that they may encounter.

I have found that the more you work at a problem, something will happen in a positive manner, so one of my life quotes is ‘Work,

Work Hard, Work Harder’ I always say to people can you imagine how hard I have had to work to achieve my 26 world strength records, how many injuries I have had to overcome, how many buckets of perspiration, the how many’s go on and on. The one over riding thing that drives me are three words.

These three words are so simple ‘Never Say Can’t’, but underpins my philosophy in life.

Can’t is not in my vocabulary and negative thoughts are not there either.

There is only one person who can deliver the goods at the end of the day and that person is me.

So I am a lot like a radio that has FM and AM frequencies – FM is For Motivation and AM is Against Motivation.

So make sure you are tuned in to life’s right channel and remember you are the one in control of the dial. Remember everybody spread the love.

Send your stories in to newsdesk@thephoenixnewspaper.com

Page 32 - The Phoenix Newspaper - March 2020

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