DOCKYARD
WOW 1
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Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales; SCO39730 (Scotland)
‘RED’
We are hosting a fundraising exhibition for Comic Relief from the 1st - 14th March, Pre-view 6-8pm on the 1st March. If you are interested in contributing to the exhibition please call 01634 812108 or email original@nucleusarts.co.uk www.nucleusarts.com
WELCOME TO WOW Your guide to the best of What’s On Where It’s so exciting that as I write this only six weeks into the year, I am hearing of so many new creative ventures. Not only are the Creative People and Places: Medway and Swale consortium members swinging into action to seek out grassroots, community ‘do-ers’ who could be supported to engage even more people in the arts; over in Chatham Sun Pier House looks set to take that underused part of our riverfront by storm and in Maidstone a brand new gallery, Below 65, run by Gilbert and Clark, has opened right in the centre of town. This month’s centre pages article focuses on the first of three major exhibitions running at No.1 Smithery: The Gallery over the course of 2013. Art and exploration are their chosen themes and what better? It’s important to make dates with ourselves in these straitened times to let the arts interpret for us some of life’s bigger issues, or just to give us a fantastic night out which takes our mind off things for a while! PHOTOGRAPH OF THE EDITOR BY RIKARD ÖSTERLUND
Lastly, if you’d like to sign up for WOW’s free newsletter, go to www.wowkent.co.uk and click on the envelope icon on the home page. Happy reading! editor@wowkent.co.uk MENTION US! WOW needs your help to survive: if you love the magazine please become an ambassador for it and mention it at every turn, especially if you use any of its advertised services. WOW depends entirely on its supportive advertisers.
COVER: ‘OUR MARK’ BY MR A U SUTTON, PHOTOGRAPHY CATEGORY, ART IN THE DOCKYARD COMPETITION
The work of Jeremy Sanders features in the Francis Iles Gallery’s Spring Exhibition, together with new works by the Gallery’s artists. From 22 March to 15 June. francis-iles.com
CONTRIBUTORS Emma Dewhurst (Founder and editor) is an actress, community arts practitioner, writer and mother. She has had a long and varied theatrical career, playing throughout the UK and Ireland, at the National Theatre and in London’s West End. Most recently she appeared on television in Tom Stoppard’s adaptation of Ford Madox Ford’s tetralogy, ‘Parade’s End’. She is the proud recipient of two awards for WOW: Best Creative Business Award in the Kent Independent Traders Awards 2012 and Winner, Media Category, Medway Culture & Design Awards 2012. Robert Flood is a life-long Medway resident. He runs a Rochester based events company called Feet on the Ground which provides technical support for live events. He is a passionate music fan with a love of the Medway scene and a local history buff who is a member of the City of Rochester Society.. Sam Froudist is a writer and bunting enthusiast. She co-runs bunted!, a bespoke bunting business, and is a card carrying member of the Rochester Vintage Society. You can find her blogging over at hellosamgoodbyesamantha.com. Nick Walker (Film) is a film festivals programmer and film writer. Nick is the director of the Rochester Film Society, which currently includes screening and discussion events at the Odeon Chatham and at Central Theatre, Chatham. Nick has worked for The Guardian and the London Film Festival and currently he is Festivals Director at Film Education and Director of National Schools Film Week. For more information on the Rochester Film Society please visit www.facebook.com/ rochesterfilmsociety.
DOCKYARD Find us on Facebook facebook.com/WOWMedway
@EmmaDewhurst7
APPEL AUX ARTISTES! A wonderful opportunity has arisen for local artists to promote their work in the south of France. Laura Brown (co-founder of the Deaf Cat Café and Gallery) and Jo Harwood (formerly of Nucleus Arts) are asking UK-based artists to get in touch to have their work actively promoted and displayed for sale in their beautiful Artist Retreat/Homestay at Cazouls-d’Hérault (5mins from the creative town of Pezenas). 1st Stage: Open submissions – email frenchartistretreat@gmail.com with an expression of interest.
NER N I W WOW IS A DOUBLE AWARD-WINNING MAGAZINE! Winner, Media Category, Medway Culture & Design Awards 2012 Best Creative Business, Kent Independent Traders Awards 2012
WOW SUBSCRIPTION SCHEME COMING SOON: NEVER MISS OUT ON A PRINT COPY AGAIN! Under our new scheme, launching April 2013, a print copy of WOW will be posted out to you first class, hot off the press each month. Plus you will be entitled to all sorts of artsy discounts and you will rest safe in the knowledge that you have helped WOW magazine to keep going in testing times.
ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CATALYST? Creative People and Places for Swale and Medway is an Arts Council programme that will encourage people to experience and be inspired by the arts, making positive connections and improving the two boroughs in the process. The consortium members who successfully secured the ACE funding are currently seeking
ROCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL
“community catalysts” – people of either arts or nonarts communities who already do a lot locally and who could inspire a broader range of people in community activities in Swale and Medway. Nominations can be made via the CPP website: creativepeopleplace.info
AND MEDWAY LIBRARIES INVITE YOU
LITERARY/
TO A
A NETWOR
TIVE MINDS S AND CREA
RS, READER
FOR WRITE KING EVENT
/POTLATCH
SATURDAY 23RD MARCH, 10AM-12 NOON AT STROOD LIBRARY, BRYANT ROAD. FOLLOWED BY INFORMAL COFFEE AT PARANA CAFFE, STROOD (A SHORT WALK) FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO CONTINUE THEIR CONVERSATIONS // Speed debating // Parashare: bring a paragraph to share from a favourite book or from your own writing // Writers’ Games TO BOOK OR FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 01634 335890
ROCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL
MONICA’S VINTAGE FAIR Saturday 16 March 10.30am-3.30pm The Woodville Theatre, Woodville Place, Gravesend DA12 1DD Vintage heaven at this clothing, accessories and homeware fair. Also includes live entertainment by The Three Belles, marvellous homemade cakes and an opportunity to get a 40s style makeover at the pop-up beauty parlour. Admission £2. monicasvintagefair.com
STROOD STEPS UP! Not having its own dedicated arts centre or exhibition space, like Rochester and Chatham, it’s probably fair to say that Strood has been considered somewhat of a poor relation in terms of arts provision in recent years. WOW is excited to report that there appears to be a bit of a seachange going on in the Strood neck of the woods – with grassroots community activity groups taking the lead. North Kent Art Society is a small and friendly group which meets in the evening of the last Tuesday of every month in the Peninsula Church Hall, Cliffe Road, Strood ME2 3EY. The group organises demonstrations and workshops by different artists, covering various aspects of drawing and painting, as well as meetings that members can attend and work on their own creations in a social context. NKAS members regularly exhibit their work in public galleries and exhibitions. The group is keen to accept new members, with its current membership covering a wide range of ages and abilities. For more information, or to join the group, contact Tina (01634 725006) or Hazel (01634 250322). The next event organised by NKAS is as follows: CHINESE BRUSH PAINTING WORKSHOP WITH ANN FAIRCHILD Tuesday 26 March 2013 7.30-9.30pm Oriental painting is great for improving painting technique and gaining confidence from painting ’free hand’. Members £2, non members £5.
THE NEW LIFE
Philip Kane’s latest blog is an eclectic mix of writings from this eminent Medway-based writer. You’ll find posts on Surrealism, art, literature, photography, theatre, historical fencing, Border Morris dancing and more. thenl.wordpress.com
Local author Stuart Taylor’s third novel in his Austin Chronicles series has just been published on Kindle. Priced at 99p, ‘Austin and the Lost Kingdom of Atlantis’ is for children aged 12+ due to some “mild naughty language and slightly squishy scenes”! The first novel in the series is available as a free download from www.excitingstories.co.uk
FLAVOURS OF SPAIN Pop-up tapas divas Teresa & Ana are back! They are holding a Supperclub Event at The Deaf Cat Coffee Bar & Gallery, 83 Rochester High Street on the evening of Thursday 21 March 2013. The menu, which is set, guarantees to be exciting as well as delicious and can be viewed in The Deaf Cat as well as on the Flavours of Spain blog (flavoursofspain.tumblr. com). Expect a handpicked, homecooked selection of Spain’s finest artisan foods. Please note, this is a ticket only event and tickets are very limited. You can purchase these either at The Deaf Cat or by contacting Ana or Teresa initially by email at enquiries@flavoursofspain.co.uk
THE MOOD OF CHATHAM’S WATERFRONT LOOKS SET TO TRANSFORM AS NEW ART AND CREATIVE COMPLEX SUN PIER HOUSE OPENS ITS DOORS
SAM FROUDIST EXPLORES I’d heard of a slightly mysterious project called Sun Pier House long before I realised that Ed Gransden (of the Edith May Trading Barge) and Medway Open Studios’ Heather Burgess were the brains behind it. Word on the street had it that there was a new creative space being developed in central Chatham that happened to capitalise on the great views across the river. My interest was sufficiently piqued, and in need of a little intrigue in my life, I set forth and met with Heather and Ed for a tour around the building. Basing the venture on the Cockpit Arts Centre in London, the team hopes that Sun Pier House will become one of the premiere creative business incubators in the South East. By providing (figurative) acres of affordable studio space to local artists, Heather and Ed also hope to open Sun Pier House up to creative businesses in the area, with the capacity to offer both open collaborative spaces and private office space where needed. I remember the building as the decidedly uninspiring former HSBC bank, and as I walk around the space the sheer scale of the project they’ve taken on astounds me. If Heather is fazed, she’s remarkably good at hiding it, and Ed seems to take on the challenge with a good natured grin. I ask Heather what drew her to the premises, and she says she had been looking for somewhere to host what was to become the highly successful Summer Medway Open Studios Festival. “It was far too big for what I wanted” she says “but then I saw the views”. The views over the pier are particularly lovely, making what could be considered an unusual
location so striking, and actually likely to be used. What was another under utilised corporate space (the building was empty for over a year) is now well on the way to becoming something special, functional and hopefully valued by residents and artists alike. Sun Pier House is set up as a community interest company supported by Medway Council’s Recreate programme and the EU’s Interreg funding, and with a 12 year lease on the building, it doesn’t look like the team will be going anywhere soon. I’m delighted – it’s so encouraging to see young, creative entrepreneurs commit to staying in the area, choosing to be a part of the change that’s occurring throughout the region, rather than upping sticks to London or Brighton. “It’s not the place but the people” says Ed, when I ask why they’ve stayed, “We’re just trying to make it a more attractive place to be…that links in with broader scale redevelopment and regeneration.” A number of studios are already tenanted, and the whole ground floor has been commandeered by TEA Concerts’ MY Noise Festival preparations. It seems that Sun Pier House has arrived at exactly the right time, and I’ll continue to be thoroughly intrigued as the future of the project unfolds. Sun Pier House will be hosting UCA’s 2nd Year Fine Art Degree Exhibition on 19 March 2013. For more information head to Sun Pier House on Facebook or email sunpierhouse@gmail.com For more information on the MY Noise Festival see Rob Flood’s article on p.10 sunpierhouse.tumblr.com
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Creative Holiday Activities for Kids 2-13 April Medway Council’s Arts Team is offering a jampacked programme of creative workshops for children aged 8-16 this Easter.
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BANG Whether your child is a budding actor, dancer or a keen crafter there is something to suit.
Dance and Performance Workshops Jesus Christ Superstar Tue 2-Fri 5 April 10am-4pm The Brook Theatre, £47
Girls Aloud Style Dance Workshop Mon 8 April 10am-3.30pm The Brook Theatre, £14
Justin Timberlake Style Dance Workshop Tue 9 April 10am-3.30pm The Brook Theatre, £14
Medway’s Crown Jewels Did you know that Medway has its very own replica of the crown jewels? Children can work with the Guildhall Museum and the creative team to discover the jewels through these FREE arts and crafts workshops in Medway’s libraries and at the Guildhall Museum, Rochester. Suitable for 8-12 year olds. Hoo Library, Thursday 11 April - 01634 250640 Walderslade Village Library, Friday 12 April 01634 686467 Guildhall Museum, Saturday 13 April Various times - 01634 338319 Please call the venue to book your child’s place for all workshops, call 01634 338319 or email arts@medway.gov.uk. The Arts Team know that money doesn’t grow on trees so there are activities suited to every pocket. Phone now to book your child’s place! enjoymedway.co.uk
A hilarious evening of Victorian one-act farces!
Sat 6 Apr 8pm. £12, £10 concs hazlittartscentre.co.uk
ROB FLOOD INVESTIGATES TEA CONCERTS’ FASCINATING NEW FESTIVAL OF NOISE In addition to all the other fantastic gigs taking place in the Towns this month, promoters TEA Concerts are curating a new festival. I spoke to Matt Ashdown from TEA to find out what it’s all about.
n o i MY n oNOI is
The festival incorporates TEA’s ‘Band Dating’ scheme, a way of connecting musicians who may not have previously met, via a band rehearsal. You can apply by filling out a form on the TEA website and they will link you up with other musicians with the idea that some of the bands formed will perform at the MY Noise festival. Also, established Medway bands have been invited to step out of their comfort zones and play sets in unusual and different ways. Other events include a live Twitter-based sound installation, a bring and share session of people’s favourite noises and noise making instruments, a documentary screening and a Motherboy gig night.
DAMO SUZUKI For a long time I’ve not thought to create music, instead I create energy. Making his second visit to Medway in as many years and as part of the MY Noise Festival, TEA are bringing Damo Suzuki to the Beacon Court in Gillingham on 16 March. Damo is best known as a member of the influential German band Can, which he joined in 1970. His often improvised freeform lyrics, sung in a mixture of Japanese, German and other languages graced several of Can’s most acclaimed albums, including the incredible Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi.
The festival takes place from 14-18 March 2013. Wristbands for the festival are £12 and some events are free but have limited capacity.
In 1983, Damo formed the ‘Damo Suzuki Network’ – a touring vehicle through which he performs improvised music with local musicians. In 2003, he embarked on what he calls the ‘Never Ending Tour’. I spoke with him about the tour, his motivation and his ‘sound carriers’.
Visit teaconcerts.co.uk for more details.
Matt Ashdown
Photo by: Sara Norling
“The idea for MY Noise came after I wrote a blog post about sonically influential artists on the TEA website, which included artists from New York Noise, Krautrock and Futurism. I thought it would be really cool to encourage even more experimentation in Medway. We’re already trying out new approaches to putting on gigs and want to take that to extremes in a curatorial way.”
RF: For people who may not know about your ‘Never Ending Tour’, could you explain a bit about it? DS: Before2003, I toured with my friend sound carriers who I’d known for many years. On March 19 2003, I landed at JFK airport early in the morning from Los Angeles. I saw the news on television - US bombed Iraq. There were many demonstrations all around the world, but US ignored them and the result is many victims - civil, children. Violence is an ugly thing that takes freedom from people. I decided to go this way with free music to support people to open their minds. I don’t force anybody to go on my way. Everybody is free, so they can decide their life for themselves. But, if music can help... open their vision. I call it ‘free energy’. With this Never Ending Tour, I travel from country to country, city to city - I create time and space of the moment with ever changing local sound carriers [musicians]. We share this free energy with people. For a long time I’ve not thought to create music, instead I create energy. RF: I saw you play with UpCDownC on the LV21 lightship about 18 months ago. The gig was incredibly powerful but it also felt like it could fall apart at any moment. How do you strike the balance between being in the moment and keeping things together? DS: Every Network concert is unique and you cannot compare one and the other. I like to make very honest music ...its organic. Anything can happen in the space of quantum field. Everybody is a part of it.
Photo by: Gary Weston
s e ISE e RF: Have you ever found that you’ve bonded so well with one of your ‘sound carriers’ that you’ve considered forming a permanent band with them? DS: I belong to nowhere. There are many good sound carriers with good souls. It’s impossible for me to build up permanent band. Damo is joined by Hand of Stabs as his sound carriers in Gillingham. HoS describe themselves as a sound art collective, a reflection of the idea that they don’t fit into a traditional ‘band‘ constraint. There are three aliases behind three loosely defined components – Signal by Captain Standish, Pulse by James Worse and Interference by Jocelyn Von Bergdorf. You’re unlikely to have seen HoS performing in your local boozer. Von Bergdorf explains “We try to engage with the local psychogeography, places with energies and resonances, good and bad. In reality this means we’ve played in all kinds of lonely, damp, dangerous and abandoned spaces, to small groups of adventurous souls and unsuspecting passers-by. It will be quite a change for us to play in a conventional venue, rather than with one foot in a Neolithic post hole, up a tree, or at the scene of a Victorian suicide”. GIG: D AT E : VENUE: TICKETS:
Damo Suzuki, Hand of Stabs + Pity Party Saturday 16 March, 8pm Beacon Court, 128 Canterbury St, Gillingham ME7 4RY teaconcerts.co.uk damosuzuki.com Find Hand of Stabs on Facebook
WEDDINGS
l
PORTRAITS
l
LIFESTYLES
sara norling PHOTOGRAPHER
10% off all bookings in March & April for WOW readers www.saranorling.com mail@saranorling.com 07878 841898
renew and restore stained glass design and restoration based in rochester: design - creation - repair restoration - installation steve harries - 0779 608 0338 steve.harries@blueyonder.co.uk
It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday March 10th Sweetpea and Olive have all the gifts and flowers to show your Mum how much you really love her! We are open on the Sunday for delivery, too 118 Maidstone Road, Rochester 01634 843024
www.sweetpeaandolive.co.uk
SEASONALLY EFFECTED A Medway cultural open mic
mixing music, poetry, art, comedy, writing, history & film Contribute by responding to the time of year, telling a story, discussing a piece of art or singing about current affairs… Book a 10 min spot: seasonallyeffected@gmail.com Next event: Wed 27 March 6.30-9pm, Dot Café, Rochester seasonallyeffected.wordpress.com
art in the
DOCKYARD
No. 3 ‘Slip’ by Sheilagh Dyson
Our Mark by A.U. Sutton
EMMA DEWHURST VISITS THE FIRST OF THREE MAJOR EXHIBITIONS IN NO.1 SMITHERY: THE GALLERY FOR 2013
Detail, Chatham Dockyard Launch by Peter Reeds
This beautifully displayed, contemplative exhibition of 80 of the 100 or so artworks entered into this year’s Art in the Dockyard competition is full of reflection, both literal and metaphorical. The curve of a building reflected in a puddle of water; the endless, repeating patterns of No.3 Slip; the myriad, patterned surfaces of the site’s architecture and countless meditations on the glories and inadequacies of the Dockyard’s past: all are present here. Guest curated by Stephen Turner, himself a resident Dockyard artist in times past, this is no more evident than in a wall of works entered into the photographic category of the competition. They are shot through with angles; girders; water and sky, creating both complicated and deceptively simple compositions which demand a second look. The overall standard is high, with entries by predominantly professional, Kent-based artists who have been honing their talent for years. At a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult for artists to mount their own exhibitions, it is to the Dockyard’s credit that the competition offers successful entrants such a high profile platform to showcase their work. No.1 Smithery: The Gallery is a state of the art space and the exhibition runs over a substantial period of time, with almost all the artworks up for sale. The entries’ interpretations of the Dockyard’s architecture, history and impact are endlessly varied and inventive, from the ghostly ship lines of Jenny Chissell’s evocative, mixed media ‘Dockyard’; to Dan Stafford’s charming winning abstract in ceramic, ‘Crane’; to the wonderful whimsy of Nicole Mollett’s ‘ Wonder Map’ in watercolour and ink (Winner, Jubilee section). Unsurprisingly, the breathtaking spaces and repeated patterns of No.3 Slip inspired a number of works, including Chris Feakins’ abstract in pigments, marble dust and acrylic binder and Steve Mace’s winning abstract of imprinted linen, ‘Surface: Timber’. A new prize of Young Artist of the Dockyard goes to Jack McDonagh, for his astonishingly accomplished drypoint etching of John Pickett.
art in the
DOCKYARD
But no artwork brings together the exhibition’s themes of past, present, history and reflection more originally and sensitively than Sheilagh Dyson’s Mixed Media winner and overall winner of Artist in the Dockyard, for her ‘No.3, ‘Slip’’. Dyson has imprinted an impression of No.3 slip onto the front of an actual, torn and ‘distressed’ slip, via photographic transfer. The back of the garment is as if spattered with ‘dirt’, evoking the Dockyard’s working past, at the same time as elevating one of its most iconic, haloed spaces to the realm of art. Moving and clever, indeed.
NO.1 SMITHERY: THE GALLERY 2013 – a year of art and exploration ART IN THE DOCKYARD Runs until 6 May
EXPLORING ANTARTICA: THE FINAL EXPEDITION OF SCOTT & SHACKLETON 24 May-30 August FROM SHORE TO SEA: SIR JOHN LAVERY 1914-1918 15 September to 1 December
John Pickett by Jack McDonagh
Where: Historic Dockyard Chatham (Tel: 01634 823800) When: 10-4pm to 30 Mar; 10-6pm 31 Mar-26 Oct; 10-4pm 27 Oct-1 Dec Price: Adults £17.50 Child £11 Concs £15 Family £47 Tickets are valid for unlimited returns for 12 months thedockyard.co.uk
Strength in Numbers by Jane Priston
Detail, Mick “Muddy” Waters by John Woodberry
Detail, Balius by Ian Campbell-Briggs
No.1 Smithery: The Gallery is a state of the art space and the exhibition runs over a substantial period of time, with almost all the artworks up for sale.
FILM CENTRAL THEATRE ‘AFTERNOON TREAT’
170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338338
ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (PG) 1938 Tue 19 Mar 2.30pm Dir: Michael Curtiz Cast: Jimmy Cagney, Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart Matinee screening . £4 (includes hot drink and teacake). 97 mins medwayticketslive.co.uk MAIDSTONE FILM SOCIETY
Hazlitt Theatre, Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 753922
A diverse range of world cinema. Licensed bar. Fixed rate parking in Fremlin Walk after 7pm. Yearly subscription rates: Adult £24; Couples £42; Senior/Student £19; Guest per film £3.50.
LE HAVRE (PG ) 2011 Mon 18 Mar 8pm Dir: Aki Kaurismaki Cast: André Wilms, Blondin Miguel When an African boy arrives by cargo ship in the port city of Le Havre, an aging shoe shiner takes pity on the child and welcomes him into his home. 93 mins maidstone-film-society.org.uk ROCHESTER FILM SOCIETY
Chatham Odeon Cinema, Maritime ME4 4LL 0871 2244 007
The Rochester Film Society’s screenings occur every Thursday at 7.45pm. There is always an introduction to the screening followed by a post film discussion over a glass of wine. £8.60/£6.50. More information at facebook.com/rochesterfilmsociety THE MASTER (15) 2012 Thu 7 Mar 7.45pm Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson Cast: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Pheonix, Amy Adams
A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader. 144 mins SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS (15) 2012 Thu 14 Mar 7.45pm Dir: Martin McDonagh Cast: Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Abbie Cornish, Sam Rockwell Comedy crime movie about a struggling screenwriter who becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld. 110 mins
I, ANNA (15) 2012 Thu 21 Mar 7.45pm Dir: Barnaby Southcombe Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Gabriel Byrne, Hayley Atwell, Eddie Marsan Noir thriller told from the point of view of a femme fatale, who falls for the detective in charge of a murder case. 93 mins LOVE CRIME (15) 2010 Thu 28 Mar 7.45pm Dir: Alain Corneau Cast: Ludivine Sagnier, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patrick Mille French psychological suspense thriller. 106 mins
Humphrey Bogart See Nick Walker’s article. 97 mins medwayticketslive.co.uk STEPPING STONE STUDIOS 2 Museum Avenue, Maidstone ME14 1QX
TUESDAY CINEMA CLUB Every Tuesday from 7pm. See Facebook page for programme. Free SELECTED MARCH RELEASES:
THE PAPERBOY (15) Atmospheric thriller with Matthew McConaughey, John Cusack & Nicole Kidman. Rel 15 Mar WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (Cert tbc) Brit crime thriller with James McAvoy. Rel 15 Mar THE CROODS (Cert tbc) Dreamworks animation featuring upwardly mobile Neanderthals! Rel 22 Mar THE HOST (Cert tbc) Tense sci-fi thriller. Stars Saoirse Ronan & William Hurt. Rel 29 Mar Showing at the following:
SCREEN CLASSICS
ODEON CHATHAM 0871 224 4007. odeon.co.uk
A monthly, big-screen celebration of cinema classics. Introduction and post-film discussion over a complimentary drink hosted by programmer Nick Walker. £7, concs £5, includes free drink.
ODEON MAIDSTONE 0871 22 44 007. odeon.co.uk
Central Theatre, 170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338301
ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (PG) 1938 Mon 18 Mar, 7.30pm Dir: Michael Curtiz Cast: Jimmy Cagney, Pat O’Brien,
ROCHESTER CINEWORLD 0871 200 2000. cineworld.co.uk THE ROYAL CINEMA Box Office: 01795 591211 royalcinema.co.uk SHOWCASE BLUEWATER 0871 220 1000 showcasecinemas.co.uk/bluewater
NICK WALKER PREVIEWS A GANGSTER CLASSIC
A N G E L S W I T H D I RT Y F A C E S
Michael Curtiz was an Academy Award winning Hungarian-American filmmaker, directing more than fifty films in Europe and more than one hundred in the United States, many of them cinema classics during Hollywood’s heyday, including ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’, ‘Mildred Pierce’, ‘White Christmas’, ‘Casablanca’, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director, and of course ‘Angels with Dirty Faces’. The story goes like this… Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney in his first Best Actor Academy Award nomination) is a career criminal, who immediately after getting out of prison meets up with his former partner in crime (Pat O’Brien), who of course is a priest now and loathes the life Cagney leads. It is a sequel of sorts, as it features both Humphrey Bogart, and the ‘Dead End Kids’, who had previously starred in the 1937 film ‘Dead End’.
the idea of social commentary on film through his characterisation and the film’s message that in the long run crime doesn’t pay. Cagney reaches inside himself to find pathos, charisma, self-belief and native street smarts; Rocky is a man used to running the show, accustomed to wielding his wit and influence in a hugely beneficial fashion. Technically, Sol Polito’s photography attains his usual standard of excellence while Max Steiner’s score underpins the action scenes without disrupting them. Rowland Brown’s story is far more complex than the simple gangster melodrama trappings might imply. The dominant characters are fully rounded, with more to them than an initial impression might suggest. Rocky isn’t just a mean gangster, he’s also a man visiting his old neighbourhood, remembering childhood adventures.
James Cagney and Pat O’Brien were great friends offscreen. ‘Angels with Dirty Faces’ was the sixth of nine feature films they would make together. When first offered the project, Cagney’s agent was convinced that his star property would never consent to playing a role where he would be depicted as an abject coward being dragged to his execution. Cagney, however, was enthusiastic about the chance to play Rocky. The film would mark the first of three films with Cagney and Bogart, the next two films would be made the following year, ‘The Oklahoma Kid’ and ‘The Roaring Twenties’.
Michael Curtiz, as director, ensures that Rocky’s statements on society are perfectly timed and focused, helping us to understand the forces shaping Rocky without taking too much from the meat of the story. It’s a journey efficient, economical and informative, preparing us for the times to come.
Cagney is perfectly cast as the gangster we all love to hate and also want to be. He dominates every scene and as he’d been associated with the gangster genre since ‘Public Enemy’ in 1931, audiences bought into
For more information please visit: www.facebook.com/ rochesterfilmsociety
Angels with Dirty Faces is screening at the Central Theatre, Chatham on Monday 18 March at 7.30pm in association with the Rochester Film Society. The film is introduced by Nick Walker and followed by a discussion over a free glass of wine.
MUSIC BEACON COURT TAVERN
128 Canterbury Street, Gillingham ME7 4RY 01634 853186
THE FURRY LOVE LICKERS EP Launch Sat 9 Mar, doors open 7.30pm. With support from Phill Vidler, Cerebral LTD & These Guilty Men. Entrance £2 DAMO SUZUKI + Hand of Stabs + Pity Party Sat 16 Mar 7.30pm. £12. See article p10 HAZEL O’CONNOR Breaking Glass Barefoot Tour + Didi Bergman Wed 20 Mar 8pm. Aftershow meet and greet. Tickets £10 in adv, £12 on door THE AMBIENCE + guests Fri 22 Mar Doors 7.30pm. £5
Mar, 8.30pm. With special guests guitar duo The Barrett Brothers. £5. Free parking. Reservations: 01634 712217
JAZZ:
Award-winning 144Club THE ROFFEN 41 New Road, Rochester, ME1 1DX
Wed 6 Mar JULIAN MARC STRINGLE Acclaimed clarinet and saxophone player. Doors 7.15pm for reception, meals and bar for 8.15pm start. £13 or £23 for 2 course meal.
30 Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PS 01622 751286
THESE GUILTY MEN + guests Thu 21 Mar 8.30pm. Free entry EDITH MAY THAMES BARGE
Lower Halstow Dock 07814950442
MOVEABLE FEAST Sat 9 Mar, £7.50 THE BUBBLE BAND Sat 23 Mar, £8.50 Hatches open 6.45pm, music 7.30pm for both gigs. edithmay.com 44TWO SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB Featherby Road, Gillingham ME8 6AN 01634 405037
DONN BARCOTT BAND with guest vocals and 18 piece big band. Thu 14 Mar 8.30pm til 11pm. Raffle & bar. £6 (no membership required)
ROYAL FUNCTION ROOMS 12 Star Hill, Rochester ME1 1XB
Medrophenia presents SKADEKAT + The Len Price 3 + The Tonics Fri 1 Mar 7pm til late. Tickets £8 from gigantic.com
51 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LN
HOUDINI + BEAR VS MANERO + FRAU POUCH Fri 15 Mar. 8pm. Free entry Sun 24 Mar Roast Lunch with ZOE GILBY. Superb singer from the North East. Her band includes Dorian Ford, an actor/pianist from the Oscar Nominated Film ‘Mrs Henderson Presents’. Doors 12.45pm for reception and bar, main performance and roast lunch served 1.15pm. Tickets £26, includes 2 course meal. SUNDAY LUNCH at LARKFIELD PRIORY RESTAURANT 802 London Road ME20 6HJ (on A20 next to B&Q)
Sun 10 Mar Special Mother’s Day Roast Lunch with SAM MAYNE, charismatic saxophonist from TV’s Pop Idol. Doors 12.45pm for reception and bar, main performance and roast lunch served 1.15pm. Tickets include Roast meal, £26 for 2 courses, £30 for 3 courses. Tickets from 01634 365453 or 144club.co.uk
THE HASTINGS ARMS FUNCTION ROOM
MOTE HALL
ROCHESTER SWING PRESERVATION SOCIETY Thu 28
MAIDSTONE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Sat 23 Mar 7.30pm.
Lower Rainham Road, Gillingham ME7 2YD
FRAU POUCH + PHILTRUM + ZOMBIE MET GIRL Fri 29 Mar 7.30pm. Free entry
SINGAPORA LOUNGE
170 High Street Chatham, ME4 4AS 01634 338338
EARLS
NAGS HEAD
292 High Street, Rochester ME1 1HS Sponsored listing
CENTRAL THEATRE
THE HOOSIERS Sat 16 Mar 8pm Fun rock/pop band of hit single fame, ‘Worried About Ray’. £15, £13.50. medwayticketslive.co.uk
Beethoven, Walton and Berlioz. mso.org.uk
Maidstone Leisure Centre, Mote Park Maidstone, Kent ME15 7RN
THE SOURCE 4-6 Rose Yard, Maidstone ME14 1HN
Live Transmission presents WILDFOWL, THE MUSWELLS + MOURNING BIRDS Tue 5 Mar 9pm4am. £4 on the door ST MARY’S SOCIAL CLUB Belmont Road, Gillingham ME7 5JB
Tape Error + open mic Fri 29 Mar, doors 8pm. £1 to non-members HUNTON VILLAGE HALL West Street Hunton Maidstone ME15 0RR
CHRISTINE TOBIN ‘A Thousand Kisses Deep’ Sat 23 Mar 8pm Quite a coup for Hunton to have secured Irish born songstress Tobin for its beautiful, in-the-round space. The Hall is just south of Maidstone: take the first crossroads west of Coxheath, down Hunton Hill: the Hall is at the bottom, by the playing fields on your right. Licensed bar. £10, under 21, £5. Call 01622 820683 to book or email huntonvillagehall@hotmail.co.uk
TUES 5TH
Ukulele Jam Night
WED 6TH
Bowstring Boys
THURS 7TH
Hobo Jones & The Junkyard Dogs
WED 13TH
The Strangers
THURS 14TH
Tener Duende
WED 20TH
GALLEY BEGGAR
THURS 21ST
Pass the Cat
WED 27TH
Gren Bartley
THURS 28TH
Kris Dollimore
APRIL TUES 2ND
Ukulele Jam Night
WED 3RD
Funke & the Two Tone Baby
THURS 4TH
Two Man Ting
6-8 John Street, ROCHESTER, ME1 1YN Tel: 07772 214315 www.themanofkent.com
at the
MAN OF KENT ALE-HOUSE ROCHESTER
Photo of Tape Error by Phil Dillon
MARCH
T H E AT R E COMEDY BILLABONG CLUB
Royal Function Rooms, Star Hill, Rochester ME1 1XB
PAUL T. EYRES, CHRISTIAN STEEL + ISZI LAWRENCE Thu 28 Mar, doors open at 7.30pm, comedy at 8pm. £9 in advance, available from the Billabong Club, the Dot Café at 172 High Street, Rochester or from wegottickets. com/f/5524 or £12 on door. Groups of 6+ can claim one free ticket. billabongcomedyclub.co.uk COMEDY ZOO
Nucleus Arts, 272 High Street, Chatham ME4 4BP 01634 812108
Thu 28 Mar 7:30pm til late. A new monthly comedy night. Tickets £5 and there is a licensed cafe on site selling affordable drinks, snacks and meals. HAZLITT COMEDY NIGHTS
Exchange Theatre, Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 758611
BEN NORRIS, PAUL CHOWDHRY + MARLON DAVIS Wed 6 Mar 8pm. Special offer: book in advance and get a free drink on the night. £10. hazlittartscentre.co.uk JOKING WITH INTENT
The Good Intent, John Street, Rochester ME1 1YL
Comedy Night first Thurs of every month. Next show 7 Mar 8-10pm. Admission £2. March is a Comic Relief special with all door money donated to the charity. Find Joking with Intent on Facebook. LARKFIELD PRIORY HOTEL
London Road, Larkfield ME20 6HJ 01732 846858
MARK FELGATE, DEBRA JANE APPLEBY + QUINCY Fri 8 Mar, restaurant opens 6.30pm (£24.95 inc meal + drink), comedy 8pm. £10 inc drink voucher (in adv) or £10 on door.
BROOK THEATRE
Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338
SUNDAYS ARE FOR KIDS: THE SAGA OF NOGGIN THE NOG Sun 3 Mar Silly Vikings, puppets, and live music. £6 adult (four for £20) £5 child THE WAY OF THE DRUM Sat 9 Mar 7.30pm Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers – rhythm, choreographed movement and athleticism. £16, concs available KIDS’ CABARET OF CURIOSITIES Sun 24 Mar 3pm. Cabaret acts and circus for all the family. £6 adult (four for £20) £5 child THE CRUCIBLE Wed 27 Mar and Thu 28 Mar 7pm. The Brook Youth Theatre in Arthur Miller’s classic play. £5, concs £3.50 medwayticketslive.co.uk HAZLITT THEATRE
Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 758611
HOUSE presents THE TRENCH Sat 16 Mar 8pm This award-winning show blends live music, puppetry and physical performance to tell one man’s extraordinary WWI tale. £12, £10 concs BOOK NOW: FOUR FARCES Sat 6 Apr 8pm. An evening of Victorian one act farces from popular locallybased European Arts Company, who recently brought us the Pinter double-bill and ‘Chekhov’s Shorts’. £12, £10 concs hazlittartscentre.co.uk MARLOWE THEATRE
The Friars, Canterbury CT1 2AS 01227 787787
RICHARD ALSTON DANCE COMPANY Wed 6 & 7 Mar 7.30pm Three separate works, set to music by New York band, Bang On A Can All-Stars, Jo Kondo and Scott Joplin. Joyous. £11-£23, concs available. Artist talkback: Thu 6.30pm, free THE FULL MONTY Mon 11-Sat 16 Mar 7.30pm, Thu & Sat Mat 2.30pm. By Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar winning writer of the film, bringing
the stage version to life before its West End run. £16.50-£37, concs available. HIGH SOCIETY Tue 19-Sat 23 Mar 7.30pm, Thu & Sat Mat 2.30pm. Adapted from the 1956 hit film, with Cole Porter’s unbeatable music & lyrics, this is a feel-good night out. £20-£38, matinee prices and concs available marlowetheatre.com (booking charge applies via internet )
MEDWAY LITTLE THEATRE
St Margaret’s Banks, Rochester ME1 1HY 01634 400322
THE LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS by Neil Simon Thu 21 Mar- Sat 30 Mar 7.30pm. Classic New York comedy. All tickets £8, Mondays £5, concs available. mlt.org.uk ORCHARD THEATRE
Home Gardens, Dartford DA1 1ED 01322 220000
BOOK NOW: CHINESE STATE CIRCUS Thu 4-Sat 6 Apr 30 Chinese artistes in a two hour extravaganza, including human juggling and Shaolin Master ‘The One’. Thu 8pm, Fri 5pm & 8pm, Sat 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £18-£26, child concs and family ticket available orchardtheatre.co.uk
The Trench Presented by House Saturday 16 March 8pm
Inspired by the true story of a miner who became entombed in a tunnel during World War One. ‘Blending live music, puppetry and physical performance, The Trench is the critically acclaimed new show ‘from razor sharp theatre company’, Les Enfants Terribles’The Telegraph
Exchange Studio Tickets £12 Concs £10
Box Office: 01622 758611 www.hazlittartscentre.co.uk
Great People, Great Place, Great Opportunity
VISUAL ART THE DEAF CAT COFFEE BAR & GALLERY
HORSEBRIDGE ARTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE
ROLLING EXHIBITION OF MEDWAY ARTISTS
WALL SCULPTURES – John Jackson Wed 20 Mar-Tue 26 Mar
New submissions policy of no hanging charge and 30% commission on a sale. Artists should submit an image of their work(s) to art@thedeafcat.com. All work must be priced and ready to hang. thedeafcat.com
WEIRD WHITSTABLE – Quinton Winter To 31 Mar horsebridge-centre.co.uk
FRANCIS ILES GALLERY
10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 12-4pm Sun QUILTS, COMFORT FROM KINDNESS To Sat 23 Mar A display of quilts donated by the Canadian Red Cross to the bombed out families of Britain in World War II. PEACING TOGETHER To Sat 23 Mar Cas Holmes’ work on display in the costume gallery, produced with reclaimed textiles INSPIRATIONS V Throughout March. An exhibition of work, in situ with the museum items that inspired them, by staff and students from K College in Tonbridge. museum.maidstone.gov.uk
83 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX Open all week 9.30am-5pm
103 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 843081
Open 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, late night opening to 8pm 4th Wed of each month. RESTORATION DAY Sat 2 Mar 11am-3pm. Take your paintings along for a free quotation from the Gallery’s experts in oil, watercolour and works on paper. SPRING EXHIBITION featuring JEREMY SANDERS plus new works from the Gallery’s artists. 22 Mar to 15 June. francis-iles.com BELOW 65 GALLERY Gilbert & Clark Frame & Print
65 High Street, Maidstone ME14 1SR 01622 685146
Open 9.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat KAY GRETTON & Chris Clark To 8 Mar. A new gallery for Maidstone. See The Artist’s Space. gilbertandclark.com
11 Horsebridge Road, Whitstable, CT5 1AF 01227 281174
MAIDSTONE MUSEUM & BENTLIF ART GALLERY St Faith’s Street, Maidstone ME14 1LH 01622 602838
16-21 Mar. Oils en plien air, mainly land & seascapes. Preview: Fri 15 Mar 6-8pm, all welcome. WEAR YOUR SCARS LIKE MEDALS/ SOMEWHERE INBETWEEN - Hayley Dawson & Catherine Holt 23-25 Mar. Works considering the interval between life and death and the fusion of these realms. Preview: Fri 22 Mar 6-8pm, all welcome NUCLEUS ARTS, ROCHESTER 75 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 780932
NUCLEUS ARTS, MAIDSTONE
2-4 Granada House, Gabriel’s Hill, Maidstone ME15 6JR 01622 690337
Gallery shops with eclectic selection of artworks for sale. MAIDSTONE’S FEATURED ARTIST 1-14 Mar: Marion Smith; 15-31 Mar: Terry Spinks TASTER WORKSHOPS: Sat 23 Mar, 11am-4pm. Another set of taster workshops at the Maidstone Gallery Shop. Various sessions throughout day at £5 per session. Spaces limited, book on 01634 812108 or email original@nucleusarts.co.uk
NO.1 SMITHERY: The Gallery, The Historic Dockyard Chatham, ME4 4TZ 01634 823800
10am-4pm to 30 Mar, 10am-6pm from 31 Mar. Adults £17.50, Children £11, concs available. Includes unlimited return to all Dockyard attractions for one year. ART IN THE DOCKYARD To 6 May Excellent new exhibition of Dockyard-inspired artworks. See centre pages article. thedockyard.co.uk NUCLEUS ARTS
272 High Street, Chatham ME4 4BP 01634 812108
Gallery opens 9-5pm, closed Sunday Free RED – Various artists Sat 2 to Thu 14 Mar. Raising money for Comic Relief, Kent based artists showing work on the theme of ‘Red’. Preview: Fri 1 Mar 6-8pm, all welcome NEW HORIZONS - Ann Palmer
ROCHESTER ART GALLERY
Medway Visitor Information Centre, 95 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 338319
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, closed Sundays til March MAN’S RUIN – RICHARD HEEPS Evocative, cinematic photographs capturing the spirit and pursuit of the American Dream. FAMILY ANIMATION WORKSHOPS Sat 23 Mar 11am-12.45pm or 1.15-3pm. Create a wild west character and bring it to life in a short animation. Children 7+. Free, booking essential on 01634 338319
Simply ART Starting soon!
BASIC FIGURE DRAWING COUR SES Course 1: 6th - 27th March Course 2: 3rd - 24th April Course 3: 1st - 22nd May These are four week courses, 7 - 9pm To be held at Nucleus Arts, 75 Rochester High Street, ME1 1LX ÂŁ80 per course, includes the supply of all course materials Beginners welcome For further information and to book please telephone Brian Thompson on 07950 295108
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THE ARTIST’S SPACE
WEALDEN SEASONS BY KAY GRETTON Having lost my career as a musician through illness eight years ago, my creativity has been redirected through painting, which has given me a new lease of life. I work from life, photos and my imagination using acrylics, watercolour and pen & ink. Living life more slowly, I’m fascinated by how light and colour change throughout a day or through the seasons.
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DESIGN: A Stones Throw astonesthrowdesign.co.uk PRINTING: The Colour Factory Ltd, Sittingbourne, 01795 470 825, www.colour-factory.com
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PUBLISHER: Emma Dewhurst
©WOW Kent magazine.
Wed 20 march 2013
I have been developing a divisional style, depicting these changes, within the same painting. Exhibiting at the new ‘Below 65 Gallery’ to 28 March at Gilbert & Clark Frame & Print, 65 High Street, Maidstone ME14 1SR kaygretton@yahoo.co.uk 07889 388871
All rights reserved. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that details in this publication are accurate, we cannot accept responsibility for such. Readers are advised to check listings information to avoid disappointment. Views expressed by contributors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect those of the editor and publisher. wowkent.co.uk
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DOCKYARD
16 FEB - 6 MAY
STUNNING WORKS OF ART INSPIRED BY THE DOCKYARD Sponsored by
NO.1 SMITHERY: THE GALLERY PAY ONCE & VISIT AGAIN & AGAIN ALL YEAR!
thedockyard.co.uk