WOW May 2012

WOW 1

TRANSMANCHE ENTERPRISE NETWORK (TEN) IS DELIGHTED TO BE WORKING WITH WOW TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES

breathe

Business Insurance

Need business insurance?

Looking for a business insurance broker? email: info@breatheinsurance.co.uk tel: 01622 620531 www.breatheinsurance.co.uk

Hand made with the finest ingredients, full of flavour, with the added bonus of containing less fat and sugar!

Slim Sam’s Cakery T: 07855 694 462 E: sami@slimsamscakery.co.uk www.slimsamscakery.co.uk www.facebook.com/slimsamscakery

supply cupcakes for all occasions and events AngelWingsCupcakes@talktalk.net 01634 686437

FOOTSTEPS IN TIME As seen on BBC, Costume Guided Walking Tours around Dickens’ Rochester led by his characters info@footstepsintimerochester.co.uk www.footstepsintimerochester.co.uk

TEN encourages young entrepreneurs to explore new business opportunities and to develop their business into Europe. The project provides language training, tri-lingual website development and workshops on core business skills.

It also offers exhibition space at trade fairs and access to business events in Kent, Nord-Pas de Calais and Western Flanders.

Contact: estelle.timothy@medway.gov.uk

01634 818630

Three acts appearing in this year’s Fuse Medway Festival in June. From R to L Little Cauliflower’s The Machine, Granny Turismo and Tangled Feet. Page 8

CONTRIBUTORS 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, blogger, and Bunting Enthusiast.

Hailing from the Colonies (Australia), she’s a fresh Medway resident and has recently co-launched bunted!, a small bespoke bunting business in Rochester.

Cover photograph John Lydon by Onigiriword/Dreamstime.com Photograph of the Editor by Peter Still

Sam loves watching great theatre, getting overly passionate about things, and feeling so bourgeois that she has to throw red wine all over herself. goodbyesamantha@gmail.com Mr Young is an independent filmmaker based in Rochester. His first feature film, ‘East 3 – Exploring a Frozen Frontier’ was released in 2007 and premiered in New York. He has made over 10 short films, 6 of which have been screened on UK TV and have been screened at over 30 festivals. www.themoontheeye.co.uk Nick Walker is an events director, film critic and filmmaker. His flagship Medway project, The Other Cinema, is a weekly event held every Thursday at the Chatham Odeon. Nick also set up the Screen Classics programme at the Central Theatre, Chatham. He writes, directs and produces short films and is the editor of Film Essay, for cinéastes wanting to write about film culture.

Nick has worked for The Guardian and the London Film Festival. Currently he is Events Director at Film Education and Director of National Schools Film Week.

WELCOME TO WOW!

an arts and entertainment magazine for Medway, Maidstone and the accessible beyond…

I’ve rarely been more excited about an issue of WOW! This month, we are thrilled to have secured an interview with John Lydon, frontman of Public Image Ltd., the band booked to headline ME1, a new music festival for Rochester taking place in July. You can read the extended version of the interview online at www.wowkent.co.uk from 1st May. Also this month, we have filmmaker Mr Young describing his creative process; Sam Froudist interviews Adam Piper about a new printmaking project; Nick Walker extols a classic movie and we take a look at this year’s Fuse festival highlights. All this, and the usual listings in Film, Music, Theatre and Visual Art. Do enjoy.

Emma Dewhurst editor@wowkent.co.uk Please mention WOW if you use our advertisers’ services or attend an event found in our listings www.wowkent.co.uk

Find us on Facebook facebook.com/WOWMedway

@EmmaDewhurst7

NEWS

National Trust Stoneacre, Otham, Kent ME15 8RS 6 May, 12-4pm

Tickets are £5, which includes access to the House, its gardens, the Fair and a free soft drink. Under 16s go free. Parking available

create a new audience for the dance since its formation in 1995 with its dynamic, earthy style with not a hankie in sight, is seeking new members. You can catch them performing at Sweeps, 5-7 May, where they will be making their bid (for the 17th year in a row) to run away with the long-deserved-butnever awarded Green Man Shield.

A RT S . A N D . C R A F T S . FA I R

SUNDAY 6 MAY 12-4PM

AT

NATIONAL TRUST STONEACRE.

£5 ENTRY

TICKET INCLUDES ENTRY TO FAIR, HOUSE, GARDENS AND A FREE SOFT DRINK. UNDER 16S GO FREE.

STONEACRE, OTHAM, KENT, ME15 8RS. FOLLOW SIGN POSTS FROM A20 ASHFORD ROAD OR A274 SUTTON ROAD. PLENTY OF PARKING AVAILABLE.

VENDORS INTERESTED IN A STALL OR FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT KATIE@CRAFTEDBYKATIE.CO.UK.

MORRIS SIDE WOLFSHEAD AND VIXEN which has done much to

ART S . A N D . CR A FT S . FA I R

SUNDAY 6 MAY 12-4PM

AT

NATIONAL TRUST STONEACRE.

£5 ENTRY

TICKET INCLUDES ENTRY TO FAIR, HOUSE, GARDENS AND A FREE SOFT DRINK. UNDER 16S GO FREE.

STONEACRE, OTHAM, KENT, ME15 8RS. FOLLOW SIGN POSTS FROM A20 ASHFORD ROAD OR A274 SUTTON ROAD. PLENTY OF PARKING AVAILABLE.

VENDORS INTERESTED IN A STALL OR FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT KATIE@CRAFTEDBYKATIE.CO.UK.

STONEACRE ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR

poetry PA RT Y SAVE THE DATE! WHEN: Sunday 22 July, 12-4pm WHAT: Garden Poetry Party WHERE: Eastgate House Gardens, Rochester WHY: This lovely event, which will feature readings, a Kids’ Corner, book stalls and Open Mic sessions, marks the launch of the Rochester Literature Festival – a brand new initiative from WOW’s editor Emma Dewhurst and writers Philip Kane and Jan Nolan.

Currently in the planning stages, the Festival will take place in October 2013. The Garden Poetry Party is just one of many events planned between now and then to grow an audience for the Festival and encourage as wide a participation as possible.

ROCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL

IN BRIEF WINGETTS AT WORK AND PLAY - Eastgate House is hosting a small exhibition from Medway Archives about the Strood factory, 16-30 May The next ASHFORD ART MARKET will be on Saturday 19 May. Find it on the lower ground floor of County Square by Debenhams’ entrance.

Next ROCHESTER FARMERS’ MARKET is set for Sunday 20 May 9am - 1pm

Dickens House

WORKSHOPS… WORKSHOPS…

WINE EMPORIUM

Over 600 fine wines, 100 Champagnes, Specialist Spirits and a Walk-in Humidor with over 100 Cigars

If you’d like to try your hand at something new, FRANCIS ILES are running a lively programme of Spring Craft and Art workshops at The Vines United Reform Church, The Terrace, Victoria Street, Rochester ME1 1NX. Booking is essential on 01634 843881 or email advice@artycat.com

CRAFT WORKSHOPS run 10am-2pm. £30 12 May – Special occasion stationary with Daphne Ramsay 19 May – Felting with Naomi Hatcher

53 High Street Rochester Kent ME1 1LN

www.dickenshousewine.co.uk Tel: 01634 880887

ART WORKSHOPS run 10am-4pm. £40 May workshops include Techniques in Acrylics; Portrait Sketch; Line and Wash and Watercolours. A good set of brushes is required, other materials supplied.

www.artycat.com

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CRAFT TASTER WORKSHOPS are run in-store on Fridays, 10am12pm. Cost: £10. May taster: Shrink Plastic, 18 May.

Sailing Charter· Static Venue· Winter Tea Room 

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3 hour Day Sailing   ‘Edith May’ 

 Chatham Maritime Lower Halstow Queenborough - Special Offer!    

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www.edithmay.com Tel: 01634 365343

As I walk up to our meeting spot I see a man in a hat jauntily smoking a cigarette. Something in me really hopes it’s Adam Warren, the man behind The Coal Shed Press, a new studio and workshop space for printmaking based on Rochester-Chatham High Street. Happily it is, (there are few things better than a man in a hat) and I get to ply him for information on his latest venture, launching June 2.

SAM SAYS that The Coal Shed Press, a new printmaking space on the waterfront, is here to stay The Coal Shed Press Opening Day is June 2 at 367 High St, Rochester ME1 1DA (behind Café Maroc).

All welcome.

For course details and more information email: awarrenpiper@gmail.com

Born and raised in London, Adam studied both a BA and an MA in Printmaking at The Manchester School of Art before returning to the South East. I ask him what brought him specifically to Rochester, and he says “Well we were actually looking for a houseboat,” a reply that both surprises and delights me. Adam and his partner have been residents of the River Medway since 2009, which seems to suit him down to the ground. Or water, as it were.

“It has kind of driven itself,” says Adam of the studios. He teaches painting and drawing at the Adult Education Centre in Rochester, and soon realised there were no printmaking facilities locally. The nearest were either in London or Whitstable and he could see printmaking studios “dying a bit of a death” within the education sector in the area. He saw a demand for space right here in Medway, and the idea was born.

After getting the capital together and some initial consultations with Medway Council, he soon found a shed by the water in Rochester and “the guy who showed me around told me that it used to be an old coal shed,” says Adam. The name stuck, conjuring up images of the type of industriousness he hopes to engender there.

The Press will run traditional etching, block and screen-printing workshops to complement digital printmaking classes. Much like photography, the two go hand in hand, and I can see that it’s the process that Adam is really passionate about.

He believes that “printmaking is a communal experience, a shared experience” suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

Which suits me, as I can feel myself drawn in by Adam’s enthusiasm, but my current printmaking skills, *ahem* leave something to be desired.

The Coal Shed Press is an exciting new addition to the art scene in Medway, and it’s easy to see it only adding to the area’s growing vibrancy.

Sam Froudist

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a new play BY ALIS HAWKINS

rochester cathedral garden

2nd & 9th june 2012

12:30 pm and 7:30 pm

admission free

for any enquiries please phone (01634) 810 066

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Fuse Medway Festival 2012

7 15 – 1

June

ONE One OF of THE the YEAR’S year’s MUST-GO must-go EVENTS, FUSE events, Fuse FESTIVAL Festival 2012, 2012, MEDWAY’S Medway’s FREE free STREET street ARTS arts FESTIVAL, festival, PROMISES promises TO to BE be BETTER better THAN EVER BEFORE, MAKING than ever before, making THE the MOST most OF of EXCEPTIONAL exceptional LOCAL local TALENT talent AS as WELL well AS as ADDING adding MORE more THAN A LITTLE INTERNATIONAL than a little international FLAVOUR TO the THE mix.

MIX. flavour to Artistic Director Lélia Gréci is back for a second year, but this time she has also programmed the festival, so she is particularly proud of what’s in store. “The whole concept of art being for everyone, with no restrictions, really appeals to me… people who don’t really experience art in a big way find out just how exciting it can be.”

From an international perspective, the festival is growing in significance and stature, which has helped attract both the Kawa Circus and The Jaipur Kawa Brass Band from India. Both performances form part of the Street Arts Day on 16 June: expect exhilarating physical theatre to the music of Rajasthan.

The festival kicks off with Lighting the Fuse (11-15 June), an annual week of workshops with schools and communities. French company PADOX have been secured for a week long residency, where they will work with Medway people (among whom will be nine long-term unemployed) culminating in a show during the Fuse weekend. Lighting the Fuse is a warm up to the Festival weekend and ignites the community participation that is so integral to the ethos of Fuse.

Circus is also featuring heavily this year, and Gréci says the focus has been intentional.

“Circus is a brilliantly life-affirming artform…

I really believe it develops confidence, selfesteem, team-work –and commitment.” With this in mind, Fuse has spent a year preparing for the visit of No Fit State Circus, and their production, Barricade, by taking circus activities into schools, libraries, theatres and outdoor spaces within Medway.

“Being able to offer such a spectacular festival free to local communities is what we’re all about… and supporting local artists living and working in those communities is also key,” says Gréci.

It is reassuring and rather delightful that this year’s Fuse Festival has been the recipient of a sizeable Arts Council grant, which cemented the commission opportunities and is a huge vote of confidence in Gréci’s vision. In an uncertain time for the arts, there’s no doubt that Fuse is holding its own.

This year two Fuse Festival Spark commissions have been awarded to Medway practitioners. Both commissions feature Medway’s often intriguing relationship with its river. Ri-zound is a floating festival choir project, featuring a 100-strong choir spearheaded by Jane Pitt.

The second commission has been awarded to The Right Step Dance Company’s site-specific work Changes in the Current, a riverside performance incorporating dance, photography and the written word in an interactive ‘visual memory bank’.

Sam Froudist

Full Fuse programme to be released at beginning of June. www.fusefestival.org.uk Community participation is key to Changes in the Current; so if you have a story or an image of the River Medway you’d like to share, email it to info@therightstepdc.co.uk.

s l a i c e p s r Summe

ARTWORK_WoW advert 23/04/2012 14:23 Page 1

Tue, 15 May 8pm

Buster plays Buster

Classic silent movie Sherlock Jr. by Buster Keaton with live jazz accompaniment by the Buster Birch Quartet and Jo Fooks on saxophone. £11, concessions jazz mailing list and Theatre Loyalty Scheme members Sat, 19 May 7.30pm

Coco Xpress Lively Latin band playing popular modern Latin rhythms from salsa, merengue, bugaloo, and bachata to cha cha cha and more. £10, concessions available Sun 20 May, 11am and 2pm Blunderbus Theatre Company presents

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark

ays Surne dfor kids

An irresistible blend of live music, puppetry and storytelling for children aged three to seven years. Based on the children’s book by Jill Tomlinson. Adults £6, children £5, four for £20

a at heatre kT The Broo

Mon 28 May, 8pm

Icon Theatre presents Release A fusion of high-energy physical theatre, an original score and mixed media create an explosive insight into just how hard it is for prisoners to go straight. ”…simply terrific” The Times. £10, concessions available Fri 1 June, 7.30pm

David Copperfield Charles Dickens’ classic tale with a twist and a flourish in Mad Dogs & Englishmen’s new adaptation. Fast-paced, dynamic and with a cast of two this will be an evening of pure theatre. £10, concessions available Sat 2 June, 7.30pm

Jaipur Maharaja Brass Band Indian melodies, brass rhythms, traditional Rajasthani folk music and Hindustani classical music, complemented by a gypsy dancer and a fire-eating, knife-juggling fakir. £10, concessions available

www.medwayticketslive.co.uk 01634 338338

FILM MEDWAY FILM SOCIETY The Brook Theatre, Chatham ME4 4SE 020 7638 0012

World cinema programme on 16mm prints. Single shows £6.50 (concs £5.50).

Membership available Friday 25 May, 7.45pm BALLAD OF A SOLDIER (PG) 1959 Dir: Grigori Chukrai Humane, unrhetorical view of wartime Russia.

With LISTEN TO BRITAIN (PG) 1942 Dir: Humphrey Jennings Masterpiece of wartime documentary. medwayfilm.org.uk

CARNAGE (PG) 2011 Thu 17 May, 7.45pm Dir: Roman Polanski Cast: Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly Black comedy revealing the underbelly of middle class manners. 80 mins MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (15) 2011 Thu 24 May, 7.45pm Dir: Sean Durkin Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes A damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult.

102 mins

The Brook Theatre, Chatham ME4

Tue 15 May 8pm £11 See Music listings for details BEST OF MAY RELEASES: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D (U) Disney’s Oscar-winning love story gets the dark glasses treatment.

Rel 4 May SAFE (15) Explosive action thriller for those who like… Rel 4 May ALL IN GOOD TIME (12A) Bolton-based comedy from the directors of ‘East is East’. Rel 11 May JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME (15) Comedy from double-act director brothers Jay and Mark Duplass.

Rel 11 May

THE OTHER CINEMA Chatham Odeon Cinema, Maritime ME4 4LL 0871 22 44 007

A weekly showcase of quality films from around the world, with a post-show discussion led by Nick Walker over a free glass of wine. £8.25/£6.25. theothercinema.info

SPECIAL SCREENING BUSTER PLAYS BUSTER

A DANGEROUS METHOD (15) 2011 Thu 31 May, 7.45pm Dir: David Cronenberg Cast: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen Thought-provoking take about the birth of psychoanalysis set on the eve of the first World War. 99 mins

MOONRISE KINGDOM (tbc) Bill Murray and Bruce Willis in quirky search for two missing children. Rel 25 May

HOUSE OF TOLERANCE (15) 2011 Thu 3 May, 7.45pm Dir: Bertrand Bonello Cast: Hafsia Herzi, Celine Sallette, Jasmine Trinca Set in a 1900s Paris bordello, telling the stories of the women who work there and their visitors.

122 mins

SCREEN CLASSICS

ODEON MAIDSTONE, Lockmeadow, Barker Road, Maidstone, ME16 8RG. 0871 22 44 007. odeon.co.uk

THE DESCENDANTS (15) 2011 Thu 10 May, 7.45pm Dir: Alexander Payne Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller Much-lauded performance by Clooney as a land baron trying to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers an accident. 155 mins

TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (PG) 1944 Mon 14 May, 7.30pm Dir: Howard Hawks Cast: Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart After Hemingway’s novel, the Hollywood duo’s first film together. See Nick Walker’s article. 100 mins

The Central Theatre, 170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338 301

A big-screen celebration of cinema classics introduced by programmer Nick Walker. £6/£5 (booked online). Students £3.50.

See four Screen Classics and get a fifth free. medwayticketslive.co.uk

Showing at the following: ODEON CHATHAM, Dickens World, Leviathan Way, Chatham Maritime, Chatham ME4 4LL. 0871 22 44 007. odeon.co.uk

ROCHESTER CINEWORLD MULTIPLEX Medway Valley Leisure Park, Chariot Way, Strood,ME2 2SS. 0871 200 2000. cineworld.co.uk THE ROYAL CINEMA, Faversham, Kent, ME13 7AG. 24hr info line: 01795 591211, Box Office: 01795 591211. From £4.50-£5. royalcinema.co.uk SHOWCASE BLUEWATER, Water Circus, Bluewater, Greenhithe, Kent, DA9 9SG. 0871 220 1000. showcasecinemas.co.uk/ bluewater

28 JULY 2012

A STORMING LINE-UP MARKS THE LAUNCH OF THIS MAJOR NEW FESTIVAL

Almost 800 years on from King John’s attempt to knock down the walls of Rochester Castle, another Great British King John is coming to give it another go. Only this time, it’s King Johnny Lydon and his band of merry men.

The legendary Public Image Ltd will be headlining the main stage of the inaugural ME1 Music Festival with support from John Peel favourites The Wedding Present (‘‘the boy Gedge has written some of the best love songs of the Rock ‘n’ Roll era. You may dispute this but I’m right and you’re wrong!’’” John Peel). Local bands Theatre Royal and Kids Unique complete the bill.

As well as the main stage in the castle grounds, fringe events will run throughout Rochester during the day. The live music will continue after the main event well into the night. Confirmed

highlights include a stage from local independent record label The Preservation Society Presents at the Nag’s Head (featuring Stuart Turner’s album launch), a folk stage from the Man of Kent Alehouse and an Artrocker stage with an excellent line-up promised (you can follow which acts are to play as they become confirmed in several ways - see opposite).

Other venues include the Eagle Tavern, the Queen Charlotte basement bar, the Prince’s Hall & the Royal Function Rooms. There will also be a Metal stage and a spoken word stage at venues TBC. It is hoped that the Festival will grow by a day each year (although ME2 won’t be moving to Strood!).

The musical line - iconic, established and upcoming - is already threatening to be the most interesting blast of talent within earshot of the Castle walls for years.

Tickets for the Castle are £26.

They go on sale on 4 May from a special box office at the Rochester Visitor Information Centre (cash tickets bought here avoid a booking fee); from the Medway Council Box Office and from ticketmaster.co.uk Rochester Castle, Castle Hill, Rochester, ME1 1SW Programme updates: Follow @musicevent1 (#musiceventone) Music Event One musiceventone.co.uk

PROPER MUSIC f o r

p r o p e r

p e o p l e :

ROB FLOOD INTERVIEWS JOHN LYDON

PUBLIC PUBLIC IMAGE IMAGE LIMITED LIMITED (PIL) (PIL) ARE ARE CONSIDERED CONSIDERED BY

BY MANY MANY TO TO BE BE THE THE SEMINAL POST-PUNK BAND. FOUNDED TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM IN SEMINAL POST-PUNK BAND. FOUNDED TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM IN 1978, 1978, THIS YEAR SEES THE RELEASE OF THEIR FIRST NEW MATERIAL IN THIS YEAR SEES THE RELEASE OF THEIR FIRST NEW MATERIAL IN 20 20 YEARS. YEARS. IN IN ADVANCE ADVANCE OF OF THEIR THEIR HEADLINE HEADLINE APPEARANCE APPEARANCE AT AT THE THE INAUGURAL INAUGURAL ME1 ME1 MUSIC MUSIC FESTIVAL FESTIVAL AT AT ROCHESTER ROCHESTER CASTLE CASTLE ON ON 28 28 JULY, JULY, II WAS WAS LUCKY LUCKY ENOUGH TO CATCH UP WITH FRONT MAN JOHN LYDON. ENOUGH TO CATCH UP WITH FRONT MAN JOHN LYDON.

RF: Thanks for talking to me John. First of all, your new single ‘One Drop’ and the follow up album ‘This Is PiL’ are being released on your own label. Is this a sign of your frustration with the UK music industry?

JL: It means I’ve had enough of them, yeah. In many ways I’ve helped the record industry to collapse and I’m very pleased about that. Because they’re corrupt – all corporations are…

So we decided we’d raised enough money, why don’t we go the whole hog and put it out on our own label.

RF: Your lyrics are often quite personal, songs like ‘Public Image’, ‘Albatross’, and ‘Death Disco’. ‘One Drop’ seems to be about your early days in Finsbury Park.

JL: It’s about all days everywhere really. I like the lines in it “we are the ageless, we are teenagers”. That’s telling you something – don’t f***ing give up. Don’t roll over.

And don’t stop thinking. And learning. Not at any age. And that’s a process I enjoy.

RF: Are there other tracks on the new album that are autobiographical?

JL: Yes there are many. There are many with deeply political roots. But that’s not to say they’re preachy – far from it…

Every single one of them will get your brain thinking.

RF: Since PiL reformed, some of your live sets have been well over 2 hours. Can we expect something similar at Rochester?

JL: Sometimes I do two and a half hours. I’m yet to break the barrier and hit three but I think if I did I’d probably die of a f***ing heart attack. When I’m really into it and the gig’s going somewhere, I don’t leave. I can’t help it.

RF: Can you tell us a bit about your band?

JL: Lu [Edmonds – guitar] and Bruce [Smith – drums] I’ve known the longest and that’s an extremely long time. It was kind of obvious that it was gonna be with them two… We’re so attuned to each other… And we

needed a bass player. We tried to work with some of the old players but they wouldn’t have it.

And at their prices, we wouldn’t have them. We found a new bass player [Scott Firth] and he’s bloody brilliant.

RF: Following on from your former band the Sex Pistols declining to appear at the Olympics Closing Ceremony...

JL: No. It’s not my former band.

It’s us. What they invited us to do was to edit out the nasty and offensive bits of ‘Pretty Vacant’.

And then they might allow us to play for 15 seconds. And I think you know in no uncertain terms what yours truly had to say to that. Because if you want to be representing Britain then you get full on British answers.

And when they ask us to do any sort of compromise at all – well I tell you, there goes the Olympics… And there goes this country… But then mind you, not many people have the heart and soul of Britain as much as me. So I hope it will be a happy day for all the second-handers.

RF: Last year, we had Damo Suzuki from Can come and play locally. You’ve mentioned in the past that Can were an influence on you.

JL: No I never said influence.

I said they were one of the many bands I loved... But in as much as I’m being picky here, because I’ve listened to such an extensive range of music. Of course one way or another, all of it influences you. But not directly.

RF: Is there current stuff you like to listen to?

JL: No I don’t listen to anything while I’m working… I won’t listen left nor right nor straight forward when I don’t need to.

RF: When I was a kid, my mate brought a copy of the first PiL album to my house. We’d read somewhere that you cut your own hair so we both had a go.

JL: Good on ya. Did you make a right botch job of it?

RF: Absolutely.

JL: Listen, I found the answer.

Two mirrors. When you’re looking in one mirror, have another one behind your head so you can angle it.

‘WE’RE LIKE A VIKING RAIDING PARTY. EXCEPT WE COME BEARING GIFTS’

RF: Do you still cut your own hair then?

JL: Yeah. I don’t want to join in that High Road nonsense… All right then.

RF: Thanks for talking to us John.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you in July.

JL: Well let’s shake your old town down to the bones.

Cheers.

Read an extended version of this interview at www.wowkent.co.uk

The album ‘This Is PiL’ launches 28 May A four-track EP ‘One Drop’ was released 21 April www.pilofficial.com

ROCHESTER-BASED FILMMAKER MR YOUNG IDENTIFIES A PROCESS

FROM THE OUTSIDE IN Outsiders. That just about sums it up. I’m sure all filmmakers see themselves as outsiders. As a filmmaker I spend my time looking, watching, observing and I think it’s only now I can see that this is a theme that permeates all of my films; most of my characters are outsiders in some way or another.

I grew up in Birmingham, specifically in an area where you worked for a factory or you were on the dole. Nobody became filmmakers. Eventually I realised that filmmaking was what I wanted to do. Actually I realised I wanted to create and film became my primary medium.

I started experimenting with Super8 film stock (some of which ended up in my 2008 film ‘The Moon, The Eye’), and my first film was completed during the end of my university stint in Derby.

Called ‘Death of a Detective’ it secured a six night run at a local cinema. I had made a film with no money, no support, no backing and got it screened, got it an audience. From then on I knew anything was possible.

I made a few more shorts and music videos, all of which were successful in that they were screened somewhere or other.

In 2003 I went to the Canadian Arctic to shoot my first feature film. Inspired by the Indie ethics of American cinema I just went for it. Six months, volunteering work to ‘pay’ for the film and a couple of years spent editing and the film was completed. ‘East 3 – Exploring a Frozen Frontier’ premiered in New York in 2007 and went on to Chicago before completing a small UK tour. The film was broadcast on UK television in 2010.

A few more short films followed, and the pattern of the outsider was becoming stronger. This year I release a compilation DVD ‘Caged Fire –

The Short Films of Mr Young’, a retrospective of my shorts so far. To celebrate, a selection of these films are being shown at the UCA Pop-up Gallery in Chatham on 26 May. Earlier this year I was asked to write about the Medway arts scene. Again, my role as outsider has proved useful in highlighting the amazing independent talent Medway has to offer. I have also just produced a CD of 21st Century beat poetry by 7th Adventure Recordings entitled ‘Curious Fascinations’, with another in the pipeline.

As for films, I am currently developing my second and third feature films, as well as a couple more shorts. A couple of music videos by local bands are also planned.

And so I feel being an outsider is essential to my filmmaking. But now Rochester is very much my home and everything I create is definitely a product of Medway. The outsider looking at his home; the filmmaking balance.

‘Caged Fire – The Short Films of Mr Young’ screen at the UCA Pop-up Gallery, Unit 67, upstairs at the Pentagon Centre, Chatham on 26 May, 4-7pm. Free www.themoontheeye.co.uk www.twitter.com/Mr_Young www.facebook.com/themoontheeye

to have and have not NICK WALKER TELLS THE FASCINATING STORY OF HOW THIS HOLLYWOOD CLASSIC CAME TO BE MADE

Few would question Howard Hawks’ position as one of America’s great directors. He was able to work intuitively and spontaneously, improvising on the set, repeating himself but always looking for something different. He detailed the pathos and absurdity of modern life, the thrill and abjection, heroism and hysteria ¬so that the focus was firmly on the interplay of words and gestures between characters defined by their actions.

So, the story goes like this…

Howard Hawks and Ernest Hemingway were having drinks and Hawks claimed he could take even Hemingway’s worst novel and make a successful movie out of it.

They agreed that ‘To Have And Have Not’ was about the worst and the bet was made, although the writers altered the novel extensively for the film – principally changing the location from Cuba to the Fort de France, Martinique under the Vichy regime in the summer of 1940, shortly after the fall of France, which made it similar to Bogart’s earlier film, ‘Casablanca’.

Some critics suggest it’s a copy of ‘Casablanca’ (some elements and supporting players from that movie were used), ignoring the fact that Hemingway’s novel was the basis and the second half of ‘Casablanca’ was hastily written while it was being filmed, cribbing ideas from several sources including Hemingway.

The story sizzles with sexuality and a duo was needed to provide the spark. Lauren Bacall was cast in her debut role at 18 years old, initially noticed by ‘Slim’, Hawk’s thenwife, on the cover of ‘Harper’s Bazaar’. However she bonded with Humphrey Bogart instead of Hawks, as had been the plan, and the rest is as they say cinematic history… The romance that developed between Bacall and Humphrey Bogart was disapproved of by Hawks but the public loved the dynamic and the duo would continue their on-screen relationship in ‘The Big Sleep’, ‘Dark Passage’ and ‘Key Largo’.

The dialogue is always crisp and the one-liners bristle: Bacall teaches Humphrey

Bogart how to whistle, “You just put your lips together… and blow,” and when they do kiss she tells Bogart, “It’s even better when you help!”

In Hawks’ films, women are independent, self-supporting and competent. Their choices are made by personal will rather than by social or economic pressures – they can choose or refuse a man because they are aware of their own value. Bacall is perhaps Hawks’ archetypal arch-heroine: aggressive, gutsy and sexually experienced – the most masculine of Hawks’ female leads.

The film is simply a classic of Hollywood cinema; most often remembered as the film that brought Bogart and Bacall together. Celebrate her cool stoicism and Bogart’s masculinity – go and remind yourself what all the fuss was all about…

To Have and Have Not is screened in the Screen Classics season, Monday 14 May, 7.30pm at the Central Theatre, Chatham.

MUSIC THE BROOK THEATRE Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338

JAZZ AT THE BROOK: BUSTER PLAYS BUSTER Tue 15 May 8pm A special concert featuring a screening of the classic silent movie Sherlock Jr by Buster Keaton with live jazz accompaniment by the Buster Birch Quartet, featuring Jo Fooks on saxophone. £11

family activities, open mic. Free lovemusichateracism-medway. co.uk HAZLITT THEATRE Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 758611

ROCHESTER SWEEPS FESTIVAl

ELKIE BROOKS Thu 17 May 7.30pm Big voice songstress. £22.50 THE TEMPERANCE SEVEN Fri 18 May 7.30pm Funny big band £14, £12 www.hazlittartscentre.co.uk

5-7 MAY. To download full programme visit whatsonmedway.co.uk HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: EDITH MAY THAMES BARGE, Rochester Pier (medwayticketslive.co.uk) Rory Mcleod 5 May 8pm Oneman soul band, poet, storyteller and troubadour. £12 An Evening With Sally Ironmonger Sun 6 May Medway’s answer to Victoria Wood. 8pm £6

HORSEBRIDGE ARTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE FOLK AT THE BROOK: JIM CAUSLEY Thu 17 May 8pm Devon singer-musician £10 COCO XPRESS Sat 19 May 7.30pm Authentic modern salsa, merengue and ChaCha-Cha. £10 Book online at medwayticketslive.co.uk THE BOTTLENECK BLUES CLUB The Roffen Club, 41 New Road, Rochester ME1 1HS

24 PESOS Energetic blues.

Tue 29 May Doors 7.30pm Show 8.45pm www.bottleneckblues.com THE CENTRAL THEATRE 170 High Street, Chatham, ME4 4AS 01634 338338

CITY OF ROCHESTER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Sat 19 May 7.30pm. Works by Mendelssohn, Beethoven & Dvorak. £9-£15, children £1, concs available THE SOUNDS OF THE SUPREMES Tue 29 May 7.30pm Featuring Kaaren Ragland (not a tribute band). £18.50, £20 COMMAND HOUSE Chatham and the RAFA

LOVE MUSIC, HATE RACISMMEDWAY 5, 6 and 7 May. Music (inc Contraband and The Flowing)

11 Horsebridge Road, Whitstable, CT5 1AF 01227 281174

PETER KNIGHT’S GIGSPANNER Sat 5 May, 8pm (doors/bar 7pm) Cool world folk. £12 JAZZ WITH THE BLUE RHYTHM KINGS Fri 18 May 8pm (doors/ bar 7pm) The iconic music of the 1920s. £9, £7 concs horsebridge-centre.org.uk MAIDSTONE FRINGE FESTIVAL 3-7 May Mostly free festival of live music by artists from Maidstone, Medway and wider Kent, at 13 town venues.

Highlights include Pete Molinari; Syd Arthur and The Singing Loins. maidstonefringefestival.co.uk

MOTE HALL Maidstone Leisure Centre, Mote Park, ME15 7RN 01622 735830 (Memb sec)

MAIDSTONE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Sat 19 May, 7.30pm Soloist Maurizio Baglini (piano). Debussy, Beethoven & Elgar. £10, £19, £23 (phone 0845 155227) mso.org.uk

High Street, Rochester ME1

ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL The Precinct, ME1

BARBARA DICKSON Sat 5 May, 7.30pm (This is a no-alcohol event) £16, £20 GORDON HOUSE HOTEL Didi Bergman Sun 6 May 6-6.30pm MAN OF KENT ALEHOUSE SUR LES DOCKS Sat 5 May 8.45-11pm ROCHESTER 144 CLUB The Roffen, 41 New Road, ME1 1DX

NIGEL HITCHCOCK Wed 9 May World famous saxophonist.

Doors 7.15pm for bar and food; show 8.15pm Non-members £12 (£22 with food); membership concs available SARAH ELLEN HUGHES Sun 27 May Sunday lunch concert. Doors 12.15pm, Music 12.45pm, Lunch served at 1pm. £22, £20 for members 144club.co.uk SINGAPORA LOUNGE 51 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LN

MOOGIE WONDERLAND Eve of Sat 5 May, Chill-out sounds with exhibition by illustrator John Sutherland.

AT THE MAN OF KENT ALE-HOUSE ROCHESTER MAY 2012

Tues 1st Ukulele Jam with Scary Dave Wed 2nd Kent DuChaine Thurs 3rd Kingsize Slim Fri 4th Ash Mandrake Saturday 5th 2pm Funke & The Two-Tone Baby 8.30pm Sur Les Docks Sunday 6th 2pm Greg McDonald & Gemma Gayner 8.30pm Feral Mouth Monday 7th 12.30pm Galley Beggar

Wed 9th Reuben’s Train Thurs 10th Louis Turpin & Roger Hubbard Sun 13th Jam Night Wed 16th Pierre Vincent Thurs 17th Dave Ferra Blues Band Sun 20th Jam Night Wed 23rd Alister Atkin Trio Thurs 24th Glenn Barnes & Question 17 Sun 27th Jam Night Wed 30th Skinner’s Rats Thurs 31st Tener Duende

6-8 John Street, ROCHESTER, ME1 1YN 07772 214315 www.themanofkent.com

T H E AT R E THE BROOK THEATRE Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338

THE OWL WHO WAS AFRAID OF THE DARK Sun 11 May 11am & 2pm Continues The Brook’s excellent track record of drama for the very young.

(For 3+) Adult £6, Child £5, Family tkt £20 (any combination) MEDWAY COMEDY CLUB Mon 14 May 8pm £10 CABARET OF CURIOSITIES 18 May 8pm Cheeky cabaret (16+) £11 RELEASE Mon 28 May, 7.45pm Icon Theatre’s Fringe First award winner.

(For 16+) See The Artist’s Space. £10, concs £8 medwayticketslive.co.uk EXCHANGE STUDIO, HAZLITT ARTS CENTRE Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 758611

ELIZABETH Fri 11 May 8pm Acclaimed onewoman show set in 1568, adapted and performed by Rebecca Vaughan. £12, concs £10 hazlittartscentre.co.uk MEDWAY LITTLE THEATRE 256 High Street Rochester ME1 1HY 01634 400322

DANCING AT LUGHNASA

by Brian Friel 10-19 May 7.30pm £8, Mon £5 mlt.org.uk

Featuring a live 16-piece big band. £15.50-£23.50 orchardtheatre.co.uk ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL GARDEN The Precinct, Rochester ME1 1SX Enq: 01634 810066

CHARLES DICKENS – HERO OR ZERO 2 and 9 June, 12.30pm & 7.30pm A new play performed by members of the local community written by Alis Hawkins. See opposite.

Bring a picnic and a blanket to sit on! Free THE GOOD INTENT 3 John Street, Rochester ME1 1YL

JOKING WITH INTENT Thu 3 May, 8-10pm Rochester’s new comedy night. £2 THEATRE ROYAL MARGATE Addington Street, Margate CT9 1PW 0845 130 1786/01227 787787

24 HOUR MUSICAL Fri 1 June 6.30pm (participants only), Sat 2 June (audience) The Theatre’s annual 24 hour challenge to produce a full-length show from scratch in just 24 hours.

Sounds like mad, glorious fun. Open to all – musical theatre experience appreciated but not THE ORCHARD necessary! (14+) Call Home Gardens, Dartford DA1 Elvi on 01843 282956 to 1ED 01322 220000 register. Backstage help BUGLE BOY The Life Story also needed. Participants of Glenn Miller 17-19 May £10, Show £6 7.30pm, Sat Mat 2.30pm theatreroyalmargate.com

DICKENS MANIA: THE ANTIDOTE? WHEN ALIS HAWKINS WAS COMMISSIONED BY ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL’S DEAN AND CHAPTER TO WRITE A NEW PLAY TO MARK DICKENS’ BI-CENTENARY, SHE SOON REALISED THAT SHE WANTED TO CONCENTRATE ON DICKENS THE MAN RATHER THAN FOCUS ON THE WRITER’S WORKS. She read a couple of biographies, called together some people to brainstorm ideas and out of that grew ‘Charles Dickens – Hero or Zero’, a play with an utterly novel approach to its subject. It takes the premise that Dickens has been dragged “by telekinetic time travel” to a modern-day television studio, where he is interviewed Jeremy Kyle-style in front of a live studio audience – or rather, you.

Hawkins co-directs the piece with Richard Harding, of Alternate Shadows theatre group and the cast was drawn by open audition from members of the local community. This is Hawkins’ second play for the Cathedral: ‘Ancient Stories, Stories Told’, was a promenade piece performed in 2009. As well as being a published author (her novel ‘Testament’ is available on Amazon), she is a consultant in autism, about which she has also written: ‘The Really Useful ASD Transition Pack’ is published by Speechmark Publishing.

The unique idea behind this latest play, its beautiful setting in Rochester Cathedral Garden (bring blankets and a picnic) and the fact that you get to vote for or against the man at the end of the night all make this sound like a welcome antidote to the more sycophantic offerings circulating during this bi-centenary year.

2 and 9 June, 12.30pm and 7.30pm

Festival ad_WOW quarter page#2:Layout 1

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...scintillating music,

unforgettable world premieres, Kent's most entertaining street theatre, open air opera in stunning parkland, Shakespeare, touching movies and the

‘A moving emotional and passionate production…

A definite must see for history and theatre addicts’

best of Dickens'

bicentenary celebrations...

What larks, Pip! For full programme details visit www.dealfestival.co.uk

29 June - 8 July 2012

BOX OFFIC E OPEN S 22 MA Y

valley Park school Presents:

By David Edgar, adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens at

Dickens WorlD courtyarD, chatham Part 1: 9th, 11th anD 13th July 2012 Part 2: 10th, 12th anD 14th July 2012 starting at 7Pm tickets: aDults - £10.00, chilDren - £5.00 sPecial DiscounteD rates to see Parts 1 & 2:

aDults - £15.00, chilDren - £7.50 grouP anD Family rates available Please contact the box oFFice on

Exchange Studio Friday 11 May 8.00pm Tickets: £12 Concs £10

07805 178664 For Further Details

This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Limited

Hazlitt Box Office: 01622 758611 www.hazlittartscentre.co.uk

VISUAL ART THE DEAF CAT COFFEE BAR & GALLERY 83 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX Open all week 9.30am-5pm

SUSAN AMOS To 13 May SARAH-LOUISE KNIBBS and JODIE 14-27 May ALEXANDRIA WELCH 28 May to 10 June thedeafcat.com FRANCIS ILES 104 High Street, Rochester, ME1 1JT 01634 843222

Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm. Free SPRING EXHIBITION featuring GORDON RUSHMER and CHRISTOPHER JARVIS francis-iles.com GRAHAM CLARKE GALLERY Hazlitt Arts Centre, Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL

Open Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm.

Entrance in Rose Yard.

MERELY PLAYERS – Paintings, glass and ceramics inspired by Shakespeare 5-27 May. Free hazlittartscentre.co.uk HORSEBRIDGE ARTS CENTRE 11 Horsebridge Road, Whitstable CT5 1AF 01227 281174 Open 9am-6pm

FOUR May 30-5 June Mixed media works by Christopher Sacre, Marissa Mardon, Peter Reeds and Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq. Free. horsebridge-centre.org.uk MAIDSTONE TV STUDIOS New Cut Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 5NZ Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.

Info: laura@francisknight.co.uk

THE FOREST WITHIN To 23 May Photographs by Carol Fulton; installation and sculpture by Alun Heslop. Free NUCLEUS ARTS 272 High Street, Chatham ME4 4BP 01634 812108

Gallery opens 9-5pm, closed Sunday Free FOR THE LOVE OF… David Wilkes and Sophie Jongman To 10 May WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE – Marion Smith 12-24 May

Intricate, beautifully coloured drawings. Meet the Artist/ Preview Fri 11 May, 6-8pm, all welcome DIVERSION NEXT LEFT - DAVID FALTREGO 26-31 May Retrospective of 30 years of pseudo-surrealist paintings.

Preview Fri 25 May, 6-8pm

ARTISTIC SOLUTIONS Chatham Historic Dockyard, the Galvanising Shop and Smitheries Nos 1&2 28 May to 2 June. Re-opens 11 & 16 June to celebrate Fuse Medway Festival.

Mon-Sat 10am-4pm.

Exhibition Opening: 26 May, 4-7pm. kentdegreeshow.tumblr.com This promises to be a thoughtprovoking showcase of artworks by the first MA Fine Art students and BA (Hons) Fine Art students to graduate from the University of Kent at Medway. Their work offers a culmination of Artistic Solutions to philosophical debates. Through installation, sculpture, film, painting and drawing, the contemporary arguments which narrate our 21st century culture are exhibited and older ones re-examined. Free NUCLEUS ARTS, ROCHESTER 75 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 780932 Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm

Gallery shop with artworks, cards and jewellery by local artists.

NUCLEUS ARTS, MAIDSTONE 2-4 Granada House, Gabriel’s Hill, Maidstone ME15 6JR 01622 690337

Gallery space and shop.

Times as Rochester nucleus-arts.com ROCHESTER ART GALLERY & CRAFT CASE Medway Visitor Information Centre, 95 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 338319 Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10.30am-5pm.

EVALUATION OF SPACE To 29 June Andrew Mackenzie, Oliver Barratt, Rosie Lesso, Dan Stafford. Painting, drawing, sculpture and applied arts exploring transformation in the context of interior and exterior space. In the CRAFT CASE: Bud Latven, Lesley Risby FREE FAMILY WORKSHOP (6+): Sat 9 June 12.30-3.30pm with Wendy Dawes. Booking essential on 01634 338319 or email arts@medway.gov.uk ROEBUCK HOUSE 47 St Margaret’s St Rochester ME1 1UF Mon-Fri 10-5pm Sat 11-6pm, Sun 12-4pm. Enq: 01634 817874

ECLECTIC BLUE: Paintings, watercolours & drawings by Wynford V Thomas - 17-31 May. Free ROSE YARD WINDOW GALLERY Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS May features MVAN artists Sue Pritchard and Diane Sergeant Free TURNER CONTEMPORARY Rendezvous, Margate CT9 1HG 01843 233000

Tues-Sun 10am-6pm plus Late Night Live to 10pm one Friday every month. Closed Mon (except Bank Holidays)TURNER AND THE ELEMENTS To 13 May. Free HAMISH FULTON: WALK To 7 May TRACEY EMIN: 26 May-23 Sept.

Emin’s first major solo show at TC, inspired by Margate.

Also, Rodin’s iconic sculpture THE KISS (to Sept 2012). Free turnercontemporary.org UCA POP-UP GALLERY Unit 67, Upstairs at Pentagon Centre, Chatham, ME4 4HW 07551 037695 or email: uca.popupgallery@gmail.com Open Mon, Wed, Sat 10am-6pm.

THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS To 12 May. What it means to evolve our consciousness in contemporary society. Free

FINE ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, 3D, FASHION AND TEXTILES, GRAPHIC DESIGN, FILM AND MEDIA, THEATRE STUDIES

visual and performing arts STUDY AT GCSE AND A LEVEL

www.rochester-college.org STAR HILL ROCHESTER ME1 1XF 01634 828115

YEAR 7 TO SIXTH FORM ISC ACCREDITED

s imply ART

Framing Services

EXHIBITION

THE PILGRIMS WAY ARTISTS

Canvas Stretching . Box Frames Conservation . Sports Shirts

B

B

Studio at Nucleus Arts 75 High Street, Rochester ME1LX Te l : 0 7 9 5 0 2 9 5 1 0 8

18th - 27th MAY 2012

THE TITHE BARN - LENHAM - KENT - ME17 2QD

Daily 10am - 6pm, late on Fri 18th till 8pm, closes 4pm Sun 27th

Artists demonstration evening Wed 23rd May 6.30 - 9pm Craft in the barn Fri 25th & Sat 26th May 10am - 4pm Art workshops Monday 21st and Thursday 24th May Illustrated catalogue ÂŁ1 Admission and car park free - follow signs off High Street and Village Square Further information contact 01233-770425 or 01622-863554 Email: yvonnebonham@gmail.com

www.pilgrimswayartists.org.uk

T H E A R T I S T ’ S S PA C E VERITY HEWLETT AND CAST IN A SCENE FROM RELEASE BY ICON THEATRE

Awarded a Fringe First at last year’s Edinburgh Festival, RELEASE was created following two years of interviews and research. The show fuses high energy physical theatre, an original score and mixed media to capture the lives of three prisoners following their release.

RELEASE returns to The Brook Theatre, Chatham for one night only on 28 May at 7.45pm

ICONTHEATRE.ORG.UK

Read an interview with director Nancy Hirst in the July 2011 issue of WOW at wowkent.co.uk.

Contact us

Please mention WOW Medway if you use our advertisers’ services or attend an event you found in our listings

EDITORIAL: editor@wowkent.co.uk

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Current print circulation: 5000 copies.

Excellent discounts for series bookings available to all advertisers. All ads also appear in the e-edition of the magazine at wowkent.co.uk Copy/listings deadline for June issue is 22 May 2012 ©WOW Kent magazine.

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

facebook.com /WOWMedway @EmmaDewhurst7 WOW Medway is printed on 100% recycled paper

Annual Passes now available from just ÂŁ10

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Jongleurs Comedy Nights Fri 27th April 2012 Fri 1st June 2012 Fri 29th June 2012 Prices: from £10.80 per person Doors open 7:30pm, show 8:30pm, Disco 10:30pm – late! Strictly over 18s only.

Edith May Barge & Dickens World Join us aboard a restored 86ft Thames Barge and enjoy sailing the River Medway, boarding from the Marina at Dickens World. Tickets: £23 adult, £18 child, £21 Concession – prices include entry into Dickens World. For dates and any further information please call 01634 890421.

Tom O’Connor & The Vintage Corporation Date: Saturday 2nd June 2012 A night of Top Class Comedy and Music from the 60s and 70s.

Get ready to laugh your socks off, clap your hands and stamp your feet to the 60s and 70s beat!

Tickets: only ÂŁ14.75

La Boheme Opera Presented by the Mantissa Opera with The Virtual Reality Orchestra.

Saturday 16th June 2012 Tickets: £39.50 including 3 course silver service dinner at 7:00pm. £25.00 ticket only – doors open at 8:00pm for 8:30pm start.

Dickens World Special Offer ÂŁ2 off standard admission prices into Dickens World.

Voucher valid for a group of up to 6 people.

Voucher valid until 31st May 2012 Please present this advert at Dickens World admissions in order to receive reduced entry.

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medwayfestival world-class performance Friday, 15 to Sunday, 17 June

Friday, 15 -

Fuse opening Gillingham High Street

Saturday, 16 - Street Arts Day Chatham High Street and Riverside

Barricade

Great Lines Heritage Park

Sunday, 17 -

Fuse Big Picnic Rochester Castle Gardens

it’s arts. it’s yours. it’s free.

www.fusefestival.org.uk

fuse