WOW Oct 2012

WOW 1

Work by the Medway Beaders. Meetings on the last Sunday of each month, 2-4pm at Nucleus Arts Conference Centre, Chatham. £5 per session.

Tel: 07843 230950. medwaybeaders.co.uk

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 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.

Cover image: Lupen Crook by Sara Norling. Photograph of the Editor by Rikard Österlund

Zoë Sparkle is an entertainments agent, photographer and music promoter based in Maidstone. As well as working with circus performers, magicians, sound crew and recording studios, Zoë works closely with original musicians and small venues to put on fantastic live entertainment in the town centre. zoesparkle.co.uk Stuart Turner is a songwriter, occasional musician, front-person of the egotistically named raggle-taggle alternative blues ensemble ‘Stuart Turner & The Flat Earth Society’ and purveyor of unsolicited opinions.

He lives in Rochester. See stfes.com.

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. www.wowkent.co.uk

WELCOME TO WOW! A guide to the best of What’s On Where in Medway, Maidstone and the accessible beyond In the nick of time before going to press, I am utterly delighted to announce that WOW won its first award last night, for Best Creative Business, at the Kent Independent Traders Awards 2012. It is amazing to be recognized in this way.

Enormous, heartfelt thanks are due to Paul Baker, of A Stones Throw Design, who has worked on the magazine from the ‘off’, creating its lovely, distinctive visual identity, and to the many and talented contributors who have written so excellently for the magazine. Thanks also to tireless WOW ambassadors Sheilagh Dyson, Sam Froudist and Carl Jeffrey for being my ‘dates’ on the night!

I’m also delighted to welcome on board a new contributor this month, the very colourful Zoë Sparkle, who will be writing regularly about what’s best on the evergrowing Maidstone music scene.

Emma Dewhurst editor@wowkent.co.uk Please mention WOW when visiting/ booking if you’ve found something in it!

Find us on Facebook facebook.com/WOWMedway

@EmmaDewhurst7

News MAKING ART WORK

ANOTHER EXCITING ADDITION TO MAIDSTONE’S CREATIVE HEART Making Art Work is a vibrant new contemporary arts space in the centre of Maidstone. It is based in a beautiful historic building at 23 Union Street (look for the red door). The space is open to the public for a series of regular, curated exhibitions and workshops.

It also offers flexible studio and office space to local creatives, and a relaxed meeting space for artists to exchange ideas.

The building has light and airy rooms that may be used for individual and collaborative projects. Local artists are sought to join their co-operative and participate in creating a professional workspace, supported by enlightening talks and critiques.

Everyone is invited to workshops on topics ranging from lifedrawing and printmaking, to how to make photographs without a camera. makingart-work.co.uk (Making Art Work is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through ACE)

PHOTOGRAPHY // ABSTRACT // PORTRAIT // LANDSCAPE //SCULPTURE // MIXED MEDIA // JUBILEE // FIGURATIVE…..

ART IN THE DOCKYARD OPEN ART COMPETITION The Historic Dockyard Chatham is once again running its popular ‘Art in the Dockyard’ public art competition. This is a great chance for all artists, professional or amateur, aged 17 and above who live, work or study in Kent-Medway to have their work selected for a special exhibition in No.1 Smithery: The Gallery in 2013. All works entered must be inspired by The Historic Dockyard site and must not have been displayed publicly before.

Registration ends Sun 4 Nov, submissions by 18 Jan 2013. For category details and how to enter tel: 01634 823800 or email artinthedockyard@chdt.org.uk

IN BRIEF • EASTGATE HOUSE: Archives of Great Expectations. 17-31 October. An exhibition of new discoveries from the Rochester City records.

• RECOLLECT MUSIC FAIR (Records, CDs, DVDs and memorabilia) at Rainham Mark Social Club on Sun 21 Oct (9.30am-3.30pm) Admission £1. Next Fair at Rochester Corn Exchange: Sun 11 Nov.

TE Next late-night shopping on LA& Rochester High Street is on L Wednesday 31 October.

A LOC

This year’s CANTERBURY FESTIVAL, the county’s biggest annual multi-arts festival, runs from 13-27 October. canterburyfestival.co.uk

DO YOU BELIEVE IN PSYCHICS?

Sat 13 Oct. Doors: 8pm, Show 9pm.

Ghost hunt 11.30pm An evening with a difference at the Hazlitt Theatre’s Fourth Wall studio, led by psychic medium Paul Gentry and others seeking to answer the question ‘do we all have psychic powers?’, followed by a ghost hunt of the Hazlitt Theatre! Tickets incl. hunt £20, excl. hunt £15 from wegottickets.com

WIGMORE LECTURES The first talk in the 2012-13 series of popular lectures is ‘Black People in Medway 1655-1914,’ given by Brian Joyce on Wed 17 October. Cost £3.75 (season ticket available for all six talks).

Tel: 01634 235576. Or call into Wigmore Library, Fairview Avenue, ME8 0PX

FINISH

ROCHESTERLITFEST.COM JEWELLERS! ARTISTS! MAKERS! If you would like to exhibit/sell at this year’s HAZLITT CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION & SALE (1-29 Dec, Graham Clarke Gallery) please contact Exhibition Co-ordinator Vronni Ward. The closing date for applications is Friday 2 November, 2012.

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THE WINTER MEDWAY OPEN STUDIOS & ARTS FESTIVAL, 8 & 9 Dec 2012

Buy affordable art & find original Christmas gift ideas by local artists.

Free festival guides will be available in November to pick up throughout Medway and surrounding Kent.

Registration is still open if you’d like to take part, closing date is Friday 12 October, see the website for more information. www.medwayopenstudios.co.uk

(14-20 Nov)

MAIDSTONE FILM FEST 2012 A NEW, WEEK-LONG INITIATIVE FROM THE STEPPING STONE STUDIOS TEAM

SAM FROUDIST takes a look at the programme.

Recently mentioned in The Guardian as a Maidstone bright spot, mixed media arts venue Stepping Stone Studios is on a roll. Now founder Emma Whittall is launching a new, free film festival, hoping to forge links between emerging and established local filmmakers.

The Maidstone Film Fest runs for seven days in November, with the intention to showcase as many local filmmakers as possible.

“It’s been really fun to get everyone’s perspective on cinema,” says Whittall. “It’s there to educate people like me… I [found] out how much I didn’t know!”. The first evening rounds off with a darker look at contemporary cultural issues, with a screening by Rochester’s own Korinna McRobert.

Most excitingly, the Film Fest introduces the ‘First Film Development Award: For the Most Aspiring of Amateurs’, looking for submissions by young filmmakers based in the South East. Fresh Funding for the festival was and progressive work submitted provided by Youth in Action, an online will be showcased during EU-wide organisation promoting Young Filmmakers Day on Friday active citizenship by young people. 16 November, with the public The ‘youth of today’ (yours truly invited to vote on the entrants. included) get a bit of a bad rap 12 finalists will be selected in the media, so I’m reassured and the winner revealed at a when Whittall tells me that the celebration on Saturday evening. team at Stepping Stone Studios It’s an exciting opportunity, and are all under 26. The application one that the current film students for funding was in even before at UCA Maidstone have leapt they had secured their current at. An influx of new volunteers premises, which displays the has led Whittall to hope that the sort of delightful enterprise and festival will “fill a void left by the enthusiasm for which the Studios University,” as the course is being are known. discontinued.

The driving force behind the Programming lectures and festival is Jon Terranova, a 22 year documentaries on the history and old Film and English graduate, technology of cinema, Whittall with Alex Proctor, Andy Cooper, says the theme of “then and now” Daniel Burghe and Katie Smith. and “us and them” developed, and The festival kicks off on 14 I find myself really struck by this.

November with the ‘Cinematic They’re championing local Culture Festival’, exploring emerging artists, and supporting political issues in documentary them by drawing on the wealth format.

of experience of established professional filmmakers. It’s not just about the art – their ‘A Future in Film’ day programmed for Saturday 17 November includes a Q&A session with a professional panel, giving insights into what a career in film could actually look like.

The Studios consistently seem to do what they say on the tin, providing space and events that inspire links between amateurs and professionals, locals and their international counterparts.

The Film Fest promises to be entertaining and challenging: what more could we want, right on our doorstep?

Day 1: Cinematic Culture Festival Day 2: The Progression of Cinema Day 3: Young Filmmakers Day Day 4: The Nest...

Day 5: European Cinema Day 6: British Cinema Entries for the Film Fest and First Film Development Award are now open! Short films, animations and documentaries are called for. Submissions close November 9th. steppingstonestudios.co.uk

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Classes for children in ballet, tap, theatre craft and jazz.

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109 High Street, Chatham, Kent ME4 4DH

Sailing Charter - Static Venue - Winter Tea Room

Maggie Osborn Studio at Nucleus Arts, Chatham

WINTER TEA ROOM REOPENING THURSDAY OCT 25th Open 1030-1600hrs, Thurs-Sun throughout winter Homemade cakes and light lunches

MUSIC NIGHTS Fantastic live music in an intimate atmosphere.

Please visit the website for full details.

National Historic Ships Flagship Barge Match Champion 2012

www.edithmay.com Tel: 07814950442

A MEDWAY SCENT?AN FRINGE! EXPLORE THE URB

WWW.URBANFRINGES.WORDPRESS.COM

A most unusual project by Kent Architecture Centre based in Medway and Swale, URBAN Fringe, aims to develop the role of artists as catalysts for engaging communities in shaping local distinctiveness. The project employs art to broaden the idea of ‘place’ beyond the physical and to help communities think more intuitively about their area, and engage in regeneration and change.

During August and September artists Nayan Kulkarni, Simon Barker, Jo Roberts and Stephen Turner were commissioned to spend time exploring and discovering the unique fringe lands of Medway and Swale.

Simon Barker and Nayan Kulkarni are working together on the production of a short film, while Stephen Turner and Jo Roberts are exhibiting their work in a multimedia exhibition at the UCA Gallery in the Pentagon Centre, Chatham.

Most intriguingly, Stephen Turner is testing a new essence of the Fringelands called Eau de Bordure that has been distilled from distinctive local flora – find out what Medway smells like at a testing event on 27 October!

EXHIBITION Journeys and Reflections around the edges of Medway and Swale Mon 22– Sat 27 October, 11am-3pm Mon-Fri, 10am-12pm Sat. Free Exhibition at UCA Gallery, Mezzanine Level, Pentagon Centre, Chatham ESSENCE TESTING ‘Eau de Bordure’ 10am-12pm Saturday October 27 The public is invited to join Stephen Turner and Jo Roberts at the gallery and have a test of Turner’s Medway scent.

BIKE RIDE from Chatham Pentagon to Rochester Riverside Saturday 27 October 1-3pm Jo Roberts leads a bike ride exploring the concept of Urban Fringe and discovering places where she and Turner found inspiration.

BIKE RIDE from Sittingbourne train station to Milton Creek in Swale Sunday 28 October 10am-12pm Jo Roberts leads this bike ride, visiting places which inspired her work for URBAN Fringe.

SUPPORTED BY ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND, KENT COUNTY COUNCIL, MEDWAY COUNCIL AND SUSTRANS.

Rochester’s friendly Designer Florist Same Day Delivery Funerals & Weddings Unique plants and gifts Online shop at sweetpeaandolive.co.uk

DANCE & THEATRE CLASSES FOR 2 YRS+

Annual Shows Regular Examinations Drop in classes from £3.50 Laura Dudman Tel: 07939 241105 www.CaterpillarDanceSchool.co.uk www.LatinEssence.co.uk

PRINTMAKING STUDIOS Fine art printmaking studio for Medway We have new workshops for October in screen printing, etching and mono print

www.coalshedpress.co.uk

Rochester-based bespoke bunting by the metre. Your fabric or ours.

Email Sarah or Sam: buntedlifestyle@yahoo.com Tel: 01634 322 385 bunted.wordpress.com

TASTER… WORKSHOPS… ARTS… TASTER… WORKSHOPS… ARTS… TASTER… WORKSHOPS

AS A PILOT FOR THEIR ART INCLUSIVE PROJECT, NUCLEUS ARTS HAVE ANNOUNCED A PROGRAMME OF AUTUMN TASTER WORKSHOPS Since its inception in 2002 Nucleus Arts, a non-profit arts organisation based in Chatham, has aimed to make creative activity central to the lives of the people living in the communities in which it works, in the simple belief that art enhances, and even changes, lives.

Art Inclusive is Nucleus Arts’ most ambitious community arts programme to date. It is being developed to encourage people at risk from social exclusion to take up motivational, creative art workshops. Its aim is “to make art available to a wider community, especially those who might be distanced from society through disability, isolation due to age, ethnicity or home-schooling, and those who might be in need of guidance and direction away from antisocial behaviour.”

The ‘taster workshops’, have been designed to enable people to get hands-on experience and tuition in a range of creative activities. The workshops take place at each of Nucleus Arts’ three sites at Maidstone, Rochester and Chatham, between October and December. Each workshop will be run by an experienced artist to help participants of any age or ability to unravel the mysteries of their craft.

ALL ARE WELCOME. BOOKING IS NOT REQUIRED BUT SPACES ARE LIMITED AT ALL THE WORKSHOPS SO YOU ARE ADVISED TO TURN UP EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT. MAIDSTONE: Saturday 20 October, 11am-4pm. £5 per session Nucleus Arts Maidstone Gallery, Gabriel’s Hill, Maidstone ME15 6JR Pen and wash – Watercolour – Ceramics – Multi-media – Kiddies Craft CHATHAM: Saturday 17 November, 11am-4pm. £5 per session Nucleus Arts Centre, 272 High Street, Chatham ME4 4BP Pen and Wash – Watercolour – Ceramics – Multi-media – Kiddies Craft ROCHESTER: Saturday 15 December, 11am-4pm. £5 per session Nucleus Arts Rochester Shop, 75 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX • Pen and Wash • Watercolour • Ceramics • Multi-media • Kiddies Craft

Maidstone music

You might not know it, but there are now more than twenty live music venues within a mile of the heart of Maidstone. This, coupled with two successful years of the Maidstone Fringe Festival, a five day multi-venue music event, certainly says to me that the town has a music scene which is on the up.

Although Saturday night covers bands are nothing new, the original music being showcased and supported is a growing entity. Pubs and clubs are working fiercely to get people in the door, and they are increasingly turning to live music to accomplish this. There are a number of promoters in Maidstone helping to support local musicians, and we are beginning to see the fruits of their late nights, endless ‘Facebook-ing’, and constant networking. Promoters such as myself, Make Some Noise, Rebel Events and Pandemonium, to name a few, continue to programme high quality acts in a variety of genres all over the town. And the majority of events here are free to attend, which is always nice!

In an effort to support local musicians, more and more open mic nights are being run

in venues around the county town. One of the best is at The Flower Pot on Sandling Road, every Tuesday from 8pm. This is an electro/acoustic night for any genre, attracting mainly folk, acoustic pop and blues. There’s also Drakes down by the river, who host a fortnightly open mic every first and third Wednesday of the month, and The White Horse on London Road, who hold one on a Thursday night hosted

by Maidstone’s Ben Jones. Jam nights are popular too, with a regular Sunday night at The Old House at Home, Wednesday night at Stepping Stone Studios and Monday night at The Walnut Tree on Tonbridge Road.

October sees some truly energetic acts playing around the town; the most exciting to me is David Migden and the Dirty Words, who sit rather comfortably on the fence of Americana, Rock and twisted Blues. They play the Halloween party on Wednesday 31 October at The Style and Winch on Union Street. Now these guys aren’t new to the area but they’re still not as well known as they should be. With their recently released second album ‘Killing it’ forming the basis of their current set, this gig promises to provide ultimate satisfaction for long term David

Photos by Zoë Sparkle

Music stone Festival Musicpromoter promoterand andMaid Maidstone Festival Fringe E describes Fringefounder founderZOË ZOËSPARKL SPARKLE describes aa vibrant ce n e vibrantlocal localsscene

Migden fans and newcomers alike. The event is held in the ‘back room’ at of The Style and Winch, kicking off at 9pm and will be Halloween fancy dress!

More information at: maidstonefringefestival.co.uk davidmigdenandthedirtywords.com

LUPEN CROOK THE LONE WOLF AT THE BACK OF THE PACK

ROB FLOOD WENT TO MEET HIM RF: What made you choose The Preservation Society Presents label for your next release?

LC: I met Neil (Burrow) about a year ago and he said he’d be interested in putting something out.

It’s a good deal for me - basically it’s a licensing thing. Which is nice as it’s not a scary contract.

RF: You seem to divide the critics as you’re difficult to pigeonhole. Is that intentional on your part?

LC: It’s not intentional. I got put into the anti-folk bracket… but I fell off that shelf as quickly as I got put on it. With the Tap ‘n’ Tin [label], to be fair, whatever criticisms and problems went on with that, they were never “You’ve got to sort your shit out!” I was given absolutely free reign. .. but by the time my relationship with the Tap ‘n’ Tin ended, arguably within the music industry my reputation was in total tatters. Mainly through my own actions. Basically no one was gonna touch me.

So that’s when I started self releasing. I’ve always been, “Well I want to make it – I’ve got a four track

and one microphone – do it.” And then it’s gone on and I’ve been releasing through Beast Reality [Crook’s own label] up until last years’ ‘Waiting for the Post-Man’, which was a totally DIY album recorded in my house. I think the production suffers a bit for that but then all my albums arguably suffer from some quirks.

RF: Do you think you confused the NME then?

They looked in their box for you and you’d gone?

LC: They hate me now. Since their six months of love. I think one of the most pleasing quotes I ever got from them was a negative: “Too weird for the folk fan, too folk for the urchins, the lone wolf at the back of the pack”. But I think it’s just beautiful and I think it’s well done for summing me up.

RF: Were you already working on material for ‘British Folk Tales’ when TPSP first spoke to you?

LC: When Neil spoke to me, I’d spent two days in with Jim [Riley from Ranscombe Studios in Rochester]. We’d done the vocals, drums and guitar for 13 songs. Then done the rest at home under front room conditions. By January it was

IF YOU’RE A REGULAR ON THE MEDWAY MUSIC SCENE, THE NAME LUPEN CROOK WON’T BE NEW TO YOU. GROWING UP IN CHATHAM, CROOK’S FIRST MAJOR IMPACT NATIONALLY CAME WHEN HE WAS FETED BY THE NME AND APPEARED IN THEIR 2005 COOL LIST. SEVEN YEARS DOWN THE LINE, HE HAS RELEASED FOUR ALBUMS AND NUMEROUS SINGLES AND EPS. OCTOBER SEES THE RELEASE OF HIS NEW ALBUM ‘BRITISH FOLK TALES’ ON MEDWAY’S THE PRESERVATION SOCIETY PRESENTS LABEL. HE’S BEEN CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED BY MANY. AND THE NME HATE HIM.

‘British Folk Tales’ is available for download from iTunes and Amazon. CD & Vinyl from live acoustic in store at Sound & Image on 29 Oct and from Non League Extreme gig, 2 Nov - The Royal Function Rooms. Online at thepreservationsocietypresents.co.uk and lupencrook.com

turning me mental and quite depressed and I dumped the album.

and it won’t wait around until you’ve finished your shift. You’ve got to chase it and hunt it down.

RF: I’m surprised by your description of the recording. Every track on the album seems to have so many different elements to it in terms of the instrumentation and arrangements. It sounds like a much more controlled process.

RF: What’s your plan for playing the ‘British Folk Tales’ live?

LC: When I went back to it, I thought, well this is gonna be lo-fi. I was getting bits of violin and hurdy-gurdy recorded around my house and about 1am one morning, one of the musicians, who shall remain nameless, said “Lupen, this isn’t the way to record an album!” But I was thinking, well, I’ve got the structure for the songs, the mic’s in the room, I’m just gonna press play.

RF: How do you write? Do the lyrics come first or is it the melody?

LC: 99% of what I write is just acoustic guitar and vocal. I might have a melody pop in my head or a lyric or a riff or a picking. An idea gives chase.

Like a little lightning bolt. That’s why I’ve always been terrible at any sort of job. That idea hits you

LC: I’m not really interested in having a set band to perform this stuff. So I’ve got members of some of Medway’s finest live bands joining me on stage including Chris from UpCDownC on drums - he played on the album - Brendan from Theatre Royal on bass, Jimmy from UpCDownC hopefully playing a bit of Moog and synth, Chris from Pity Party on guitar and John Whitaker likely providing some trumpet…

I’ve resurrected the Non-League Extreme banner to put on a gig at the Royal Function Rooms in Rochester on 2 November. All the bands on the bill share the same feeling. They all play because they love it. Some of them put stuff out on small labels but they all get on and do what they do. And if something gives way, great. But if not, they’re not going to stop. Do it because you want to, there’s no other reason.

FILM HALLOWEEN HORROR AT THE HORSEBRIDGE!

A SEPARATION (15) 2011 Mon 22 Oct, 8pm Dir: Asghar Farhadi Oscar-winning Iranian drama about a couple’s choice between leaving Iran for their child’s future and staying to look after a sick parent. 123 mins EASTGATE HOUSE

HORSEBRIDGE ARTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE 11 Horsebridge Road, Whitstable, CT5 1AF 01227 281174

HORROR DOUBLE BILL Sat 27 Oct, doors and bar open 7pm. Strictly over 18s only, £5 HORROR EXPRESS (18) 7.30pm. 1972 classic with masters of horror, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. HALLOWEEN (18) 9.30pm John Carpenter’s definitive, 1978 Halloween movie starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance. horsebridge-centre.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. maidstone-filmsociety.org.uk

High Street, Rochester ME1 1ER

THE WAR GAME (12) 1965 Tue 30 Oct 7.30pm.

Dir: Peter Watkins. Shocking 60s TV docu-drama depicting the aftermath of nuclear war.

Tickets £8 from AlanMoss1@btinternet.com MEDWAY FILM SOCIETY Brook Theatre, Chatham ME4 4SE 020 7638 0012

World cinema programme on 16mm prints. Single shows £6.50 (concs £5.50). Membership available FLAVOUR OF GREEN TEA OVER RICE (U) 1952 Friday 26 Oct, 7.45pm Dir: Yasujiro Ozu. A bright and funny exploration into post-war middle class Japanese lives.

Black and white. 115 mins With MAKE ME PSYCHIC (1978) Dir: Sally Cruikshank US short. 8 mins medwayfilm.org.uk SCREEN CLASSICS Central Theatre, 170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338301

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (15) 2011 Mon 8 Oct, 8pm Dir: Lynne Ramsay Tilda Swinton stars in this adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s bestseller. 112 mins

A big-screen celebration of cinema classics introduced

by Nick Walker. £7, concs £5, includes free drink. medwayticketslive.co.uk THE PIRATE (U) 1948 Mon 15 Oct, 7.30pm Dir: Vincente Minnelli Cast: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly See Nick Walker’s article opposite. 102 minutes

THE OTHER CINEMA The Other Cinema continues but news for October screenings was not available when WOW went to print, due to a changeover in bookers. For more information please visit and Like the new Facebook page, where the films will be listed on a weekly basis for the time being: facebook.com/othercinema. rochester SELECT RELEASES OCT: THE BEATLES MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR (Cert tbc) Digitally remastered version of this 1967 Beatles time capsule.

Rel 2 Oct ON THE ROAD (15) Jack Kerouac’s Beat Generation bible turned into a movie.

Rel 12 Oct RUBY SPARKS (15) Comedy drama from the directors of ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. Rel 12 Oct

SKYFALL (Cert tbc) Promised to be the biggest Bond yet, Sam Mendes directs Daniel Craig. With Javier Bardem as the baddy. Rel 26 Oct SHOWING AT THE FOLLOWING: ODEON CHATHAM 0871 224 4007. odeon.co.uk ODEON MAIDSTONE 0871 22 44 007. odeon.co.uk 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

THE PIRATE ‘The Pirate’ is a typically colourful and exuberant MGM musical from a time when MGM were undisputed masters of the genre. In fact a more lively, lyrical film is hard to imagine; and although the film made a box office loss on its original release, like many classics this broad and beautiful Vincente Minnelli musical is absolutely worth revisiting and examining.

The film’s credentials are flawless. Minnelli was an American stage and film director, famous for directing such classic musicals as ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’, ‘The Band Wagon’, and ‘An American in Paris’. The film’s score, which includes the always-great Cole Porter songs like ‘Be a Clown’ [later rewritten as ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’ for ‘Singin’ in the Rain’] was nominated for an Academy Award. So what’s it about? On the surface, it’s a straight-up musical parody of the old swashbuckler film genre, with music and dance substituted for swordplay. Is director Vincente Minnelli just trying to make a parody swashbuckler? Perhaps it’s a commentary on Minnelli’s own obsession with performance and artifice? You must decide…

The dance numbers are typically clever; anything with Gene Kelly is inevitably going to be that. Kelly, at his peak, is an awesome spectacle: graceful and agile, bounding around the screen, upstaging all others, relentlessly striking poses designed to accentuate his strength and form. His powerful physique emphasises Judy Garland’s fragility, highlighting the undeniable chemistry between the pair. One reading is that ‘The Pirate’ might count as one of the star’s most homoerotic films; with Minnelli’s camerawork, Cole Porter’s lyrics, and even the dialogue lavishing attention on the man’s physicality and sexual appeal.

Kelly certainly pitches the comedy to the point where all the Barrymore and Fairbanks in-jokes register and yet we can enjoy him as a sexy lead in his own right, too.

As for Garland, her breathy responses to Kelly could be taken as a parody of all those bosom-heaving ladies of adventure films. This was Garland and Kelly’s second film – the wartime musical ‘For Me and My Gal’ in 1942 paired them for the first time. They clearly enjoy working together and it is mesmerizing to watch. Offscreen, however, Garland’s personal problems were overtaking her talent, sending her into a drug-fuelled nervous breakdown while her marriage to director

Minnelli fell apart. Kelly, who could be a bullying, relentless taskmaster in the quest for perfection, was endlessly and unusually patient with Garland, enduring constant filming delays.

This is a psychological musical, with Garland’s increasing neuroticism and Minnelli’s habitual fussiness counterbalanced by Kelly’s cocky exhibitionism. Minnelli never managed to create anything close to a real-world feel for his films, nor get his actors to appear as actual people. A lush, Technicolor fantasy, always at least three steps removed from reality, ‘The Pirate’, made in a time of uncertainty, is a well-crafted, quick, witty musical, and is undoubtedly a perfect vehicle for the great director’s gaudy sensibilities.

Do you believe in love at first sight? Watch this and find out…

Nick Walker ‘The Pirate’ screens in the Screen Classics season at Central Theatre, Chatham on Monday 15 October at 7.30pm

MUSIC BRITANNIA THEATRE Outlet Centre, Leviathan Way, Chatham Maritime ME4 4LL

RAINHAM LADIES CHOIR Sat 13 Oct 7.00pm for 7.30pm. In concert with the UK Paper Band (Sittingbourne) and special guests the Minnesingers, male voice chorus from Wales. Raffle/ programmes in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. Tickets £10, £5 child (12 and under). Tel: 01634 370797, 371880 or 365806. rainhamladieschoir.org.uk

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

FOLK AT THE BROOK: GORDON GILTRAP & OLIVER WAKEMAN Thu 18 Oct 8pm Guitar and keyboard virtuosi on the first leg of their ‘Ravens and Lullabies’ tour. £14 SURA SUSSO Sat 27 Oct 7.30pm Gambian born kora player, percussionist and composer. A hit at Glastonbury in 2009, this promises to be special. From £5 medwayticketslive.co.uk CENTRAL THEATRE 170 High Street, Chatham, ME4 4AS 01634 338338

JUNK Thu 11 Oct 8pm Hilarious dance routines, harmonized singing and virtuoso percussion by four guys making merry with a lot of junk. From £17, under 16s £5 THE CHRISTIANS Fri 12 Oct 7.30pm. 80s new-wave, soul-inspired tunes from Garry Christian and his band. From £16 medwayticketslive.co.uk

and food available. Special cabaret guests.

HASTINGS ARMS FUNCTION ROOM 18 Lower Rainham Road (leading to Danes Hill) Gillingham ME7 2YD 01634 851310

ROCHESTER SWING PRESERVATION SOCIETY: An Evening of Glenn Miller and other Swing Era favourites. Thu 1 Nov 8.30pm.

Raffle and free nibbles. £5. Tel: 01634 712217 Please ‘Like’ RSPS on Facebook: ‘Rochester Swing Preservation Society’ JAZZ : 144 CLUB AT THE ROFFEN 41 New Road, Rochester ME1 1DX

Jamie Cullum’s saxophonist MATT WATES Wed 10 Oct, doors open 7.15pm for reception, food and bar. Main performance 8.15pm. Alto sax player Matt Wates has recorded and performed with Jamie Cullum, Itchy Fingers, Roadside Picnic and many others. He won the rising star BT Jazz award in 1997 and his band won an award in 2001.

He will be appearing with a full quintet. Tickets £12 or £22 with 2 course meal available from 01634 365453 or 144club.co.uk

The latest clubnight from artists’ collective Moogie Wonderland promises to uphold their reputation for staging fascinating events in interesting places.

Expect a multi-sensory evening of oceanic art and indiepop music on this wonderful ship. £3 (money will be given back if in sea creature costume – prize for the best). Book at moogiewonderland.co.uk or lv21.co.uk ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL Garth Precinct, Rochester ME1 1SX

ROCHESTER CHORAL SOCIETY CONCERT Sat 3 Nov 7pm. Premiere of works by David Briggs for organ duet and choral work

by Patrick Hawes (conducting).

Other works by Walton; Parry, Barber and Copland. Tickets: rochesterchoral.co.uk or tel: 01634 401049 ROYAL FUNCTION ROOMS 12 Star Hill, Rochester ME1 1XB

UPCDOWNC, BLEECH & FRAU POUCH (Downstairs bar) Fri Oct 5 Doors 7pm. £4 DODGY Latest coup for promoters TPSP. Fri Oct 26 Doors 7pm £15 NON LEAGUE EXTREME with LUPEN CROOK, Arrows of Love and more Fri 2 Nov Doors 7pm. £6. See Lupen Crook article. wegottickets.com or preservationsocietypresents.com STEPPING STONE STUDIOS 2 Museum Ave, ME14 1QX

PLUGGED OUT – ACOUSTIC SESSIONS by local bands Fri 8 Oct. £4 DODGY JAMMERS JAM NIGHT 8pm. All welcome steppingstonestudios.co.uk

44TWO SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB

STYLE AND WINCH

Featherby Road, Gillingham, ME8 6AN 01634 405037

72 Union Street, Maidstone ME14 1ED 01622 752 351

DONN BARCOTT BAND Veteran excellence second Thursday of every month. Next gig, Thu 11 Oct. 8.30-11pm. Licensed bar

LIGHTSHIP LV21 Pier Approach Road, Gillingham ME7 1RX FISH DISCO! Sat 27 Oct 7-11.30pm

DAVID MIGDEN AND THE DIRTY WORDS Halloween Special Wed 31 Oct. See Maidstone Music article.

AT THE MAN OF KENT ALE-HOUSE ROCHESTER OCTOBER 2012 Tues 2nd - Ukulele Jam Wed 3rd - Keith James Thurs 4th - Louise Jordan Sun 7th - Jam Wed 10th - Pierre Vincent Thurs 11th - The Mercurials Sun14th - Jam Night Wed 17th - Jinski Thurs 18th - Glenn Barnes Originals Sun 21st - Jam Night Wed 24th - Tattie Jam Thurs 25th - Full Circle Swing Sun 28th - TBA. Please check website Wed 31st Gren Bartley

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

T H E AT R E PRETENDING PEOPLE THEATRE is a new company specializing in site specific theatre, with previous plays custom-written for Kensal Green Cemetery, and a Town House in Northampton. For their next production they have decided to use a conventional theatre space: JUSTICE TOWERS, a new play by Steven Lancefield, is being performed at the Brook Theatre Studio on 24 & 25 Oct at 7.45pm.

‘Justice Towers’ is a thriller about restorative justice set in the near future. It looks into the ideals of the criminal justice system and experiments with what ‘could be’. (Contains strong language). Tickets: £10 Concs £8 BILLABONG CLUB (COMEDY) Victoria Street, Rochester ME1 1XB

JOHN NEWTON Thu 25 Oct Popular, sought-after Medway comedian. With JAMES DOWDSWELL, deft West Country comic telling daft stories.

Doors open at 7.30pm, comedy at 8pm. £9 in advance or with a flyer or £12 on the door. Tickets in advance from the Billabong Club,or the Dot Café at 172 High Street, Rochester or from wegottickets.com THE BROOK THEATRE Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338

COMEDY AT THE BROOK: LEE HURST: Too Scared to Leave tour. Mon 1 Oct 8pm. £13.50 FEVER PITCH Adapted by Paul Hodson from Nick Hornby’s bestseller about an obsessed Arsenal fan. Sat 13 Oct 7.30pm £12.50, concs available BROOK STUDIO: JUSTICE TOWERS from Pretending People Theatre. 24 & 25 Oct, 7.45pm. See box. medwayticketslive.co.uk

THE CENTRAL THEATRE

THE MARLOWE THEATRE

170 High Street, Chatham, ME4 4AS 01634 338338

The Friars, Canterbury CT1 2AS 01227 787787

RHOD GILBERT The Man with the Flaming Battenberg Tattoo.

Tue 9 Oct, 7.30pm. Wildly popular comic. £25

HAUNTING JULIA Mon 1-Sat 6 Oct 7.30pm, Thu & Sat Mat 2.30pm. Chilling ghost story by Alan Ayckbourn. £13-£29 STUDIO: POCKET HENRY V Sat 13 Oct 1pm and 7pm.

An inspiring introduction to Shakespeare for ages 8+ from Ed Hall’s Propeller theatre company with this 60 minute re-imagining of their acclaimed production. £11, concs £10

SWAN LAKE by the Russian State Ballet & Opera House Sun 21 Oct 7.30pm. To Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous score. £21, £22.

AN AUDIENCE WITH DAN SNOW Thu 1 Nov 7.30pm. Entertaining illustrated talk. £17, concs available. medwayticketslive.co.uk HAZLITT THEATRE Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 758611

THE GREAT BRITISH MUSICAL IN CONCERT Season AQUA SPRINGS (Exchange Studio) Fri 5 & Sat 6 Oct 7.45pm Funny, new piece of musical theatre. Two actors, ten songs and ‘a lack of water’! £10.

THE WESTENDERS Sat 20 Oct, 8pm Ex-cast members of ‘Les Miserables’ give their ‘night in London’s West End in your local theatre’. £18, concs £16 HONK! Tue 30 Oct-Sat 3 Nov. Presented by the Hazlitt Youth Theatre, Stiles & Drewe’s charming musical based on ‘The Ugly Duckling’. £9 (Tue 30 Oct: Pay What You Can Preview Night) Save 50% on all shows in the season with a £50 (concs £45) Season Ticket. hazlittartscentre.co.uk

SMASHED from Gandini Juggling. Sun 21 Oct 7.30pm.

A feast of theatricality and skill.

‘Terrifyingly vicious as it is funny’ - The Guardian. £15, concs & family ticket available.

STUDIO: PINOCCHIO Tue 30 Oct 2pm. For ages 4+ Worth a day out to see Scamp Theatre’s family favourite. Puppets, illusion and music. £6 marlowetheatre.com (Note: Booking charge applies via internet)

MEDWAY LITTLE THEATRE 256 High Street Rochester ME1 1HY 01634 400322

DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER Thu 27 Sept to Sat 6 Oct, 7.30pm.

Bonkers French farce. £8, Mon £5 mlt.org.uk THE ORCHARD Home Gardens, Dartford DA1 1ED 01322 220000

PAUL ZERDIN Puppet Master Wed 17 Oct 7.30pm. Comedy ventriloquist extraordinaire for adults. £17.50 orchardtheatre.co.uk

A Co-educational Day and Boarding School

Year 7 to sixth form “RIC is such a friendly place. My teachers are great and they make the lessons really interesting. It’s informal but we still get lots of work done. I want to be a GP when I grow up, working with patients and helping them.”

Caitlin, Year 8 student • Very small classes (maximum 12) • No school uniform • Academically non-selective • College minibus services • No open days - visit us any time • Call for an appointment

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

FEVER PITCH Fri 12 Oct 8pm Exchange Studio £12 Concs £10 Nick Hornby’s story of his Arsenal fixation is also a tale of family,football,class,identity and joy - harking back to the days when football was the people’s game!

Fever Pitch is fast,funny and exhilarating theatre.

Box Office: 01622 758 611 www.hazlittartscentre.co.uk

FARM BOY Mon 15 Oct 6pm Hazlitt Theatre £12 Concs £8

7+

Farm Boy is the compelling sequel to Michael Morpurgo’s award- winningWar Horse.This beautiful tale tells the story of the magical bonds between a grandfather and grandson against the changing face of the English countryside.

‘Morpurgoisnothingifnotamasterstory-teller’ ****DailyTelegraph

VISUAL ART THE DEAF CAT COFFEE BAR & GALLERY 83 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX

Open all week 9.30am-5pm SHARON COOPER See The Artist’s Space From 15 Oct for 4 weeks.

NEW SUBMISSIONS POLICY. The Deaf Cat is introducing a rolling submissions policy, with NO hanging charge and 30% commission. Artists should submit an image of their work(s) to art@ thedeafcat.com. Selections will be made monthly. All work must be priced and ready to hang. Labels are supplied and you will be informed if anything sells.

Open to all. thedeafcat.com FRANCIS ILES 103 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 843081

10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 12-4pm Sun MATISSE: DRAWING WITH SCISSORS 20 Oct – 17 Nov. A Hayward touring exhibition from London’s Southbank Centre. Entrance fee. museum.maidstone.gov.uk NO.1 SMITHERY The Historic Dockyard Chatham, ME4 4TZ 01634 823800

Daily 10am-6pm to 27 Oct, 10am-4pm from 28 Oct. Adults £16.50, Children £11, concs available. Includes unlimited return to all Dockyard attractions for one year.

WHIRRS, COGS AND THINGAMABOBS in No 1, Smithery: The Gallery runs from 15 Oct to 2 Dec. A collection of over 150 antique gadgets by award-winning collector Maurice Collins.

MAKING ART WORK 23 Union Street, Maidstone ME14 1EB

NUCLEUS ARTS

GUILDHALL MUSEUM High Street, Rochester ME1 1PY 01634 848717

A WORLD MADE REAL: Dickens and Victorian Life To 28 Feb 2013. Open 10am-4.30pm (not Mon) Free

A new contemporary art space for the county town: see News TEXT is the theme of the inaugural exhibition, featuring the work of local artists. makingart-work.co.uk MAIDSTONE MUSEUM & BENTLIF ART GALLERY St Faith’s Street, Maidstone ME14 1LH 01622 602838

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 artworks, cards and jewellery by local artists.

ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL The Precinct, Rochester ME1 1SX

ART IN THE DOCKYARD – MASTERCLASSES A series of masterclasses for each category of the Art in the Dockyard competition (see News). These continue into November. PHOTOGRAPHY with Tim Leek Sat 27 Oct 10am12.30 and 1.30pm-4pm. £20 half day (‘enthusiastic amateurs’) £30 whole day (intermediate level).

Bring a digital camera or camera phone. SCULPTURE/CERAMIC with Wendy Daws. Sat 27 Oct 10am-4pm. £30. Beginner to intermediate. Bring old clothes. thedockyard.co.uk

Open 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, late night opening to 8pm 4th Wednesday each month CONTEMPORARY 2012: Michael Chaplin RWS, Jon Gubbay, John Scarland and Terry Watts RBA. To Sat 27 Oct. francis-iles.com

Nigel Adams and David Wilkes.

Preview 5 Oct, 6-8pm, all welcome. CHATHAM ZOO: New works by Christopher Sacre, Marissa Mardon & Mark Barnes.

27 Oct - 8 Nov. The artists themselves will be exhibited in an enclosure, waiting to be fed inspiration and materials to create new work throughout the show. Preview 26 Oct 6-8pm, all welcome. nucleus-arts.com

272 High Street, Chatham ME4 4BP 01634 812108

Gallery opens 9-5pm, closed Sunday Free THE ART OF RECOVERY III 6-18 Oct. Celebrating World Mental Health day, the work of artists with experience of mental health issues. Features Sophie Jongman, Chris Barchard, Peter Reeds, Bill Lewis, Philip Kane,

RUTH DENT - Art for Evensong.

To 31 Oct. 16 banners illustrating the visual journey through Choral Evensong. Free 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.

UNDER A BRIDGE: SIMON BARKER Explores the relationship between the 20th Century M2 bridge and the now demolished 19th Century Jezreels Temple. Work by paper artist JENNIFER COLLIER in the Craft Case.

STEPPING STONE STUDIOS 2 Museum Avenue, Maidstone ME14 1QX

LOU BRIMSON and JILL LUCAS 11 Oct-11 Nov. Vibrant and colourful exhibition of Contemporary fine arts and Surreal photography . steppingstonestudios.co.uk

Contemporary 2012

Our Autumn Exhibition is now open, featuring new works by Michael Chaplin RWS, Jon Gubbay, John Scarland and Terry Watts RBA.

Francis Iles Galleries Rutland House 103 High Street, Rochester, Kent ME1 1LX Tel: 01634 843081 www.francis-iles.com ADVERT WOW 3 - 98mm(h) x132mm(w):Layout 1 21/9/12 11:40 Page 1

Maidstone Borough Council

Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery

MATISSE DRAWING WITH SCISSORS

Saturday 20 October to Saturday 17 November 2012

Late Works 1950-1954

Monday to Saturday 10.00 - 17.00 Sunday 12.00 - 16.00 Closed on Sundays in November Admission Charges

FREE BIG DRAW Event, Saturday 27 October 10.00 - 17.00

A Hayward Touring exhibition from Southbank Centre, London on behalf of Arts Council England

Henri Matisse, Nu bleu II (Blue Nude II) Lithographic reproduction, 1952 © Succession H. Matisse / DACS 2012

Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery, St Faith’s Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1LH T: 01622 602838 E:museuminfo@maidstone.gov.uk

Henri Matisse, Nu bleu II (Blue Nude II), 1952

www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk © Succession H. Matisse / DACS 2012

THE ARTIST’S S PA C E STAFF

BY SHARON COOPER

EDITORIAL: editor@wowkent.co.uk 0845 388 2243 (local rate from BT landlines)

Distributed locally to Medway households and public pick-up points throughout the Medway towns and Maidstone.

FREE LISTINGS: listings@wowkent.co.uk

Current print circulation: 5000 copies.

ADVERTISING: advertising@wowkent.co.uk

Excellent discounts for series bookings available to all advertisers. All ads also appear in the e-edition of the magazine at wowkent.co.uk

DESIGN: A Stone’s Throw astonesthrowdesign.co.uk PRINTING: The Colour Factory Ltd, Sittingbourne, 01795 470 825, www.colour-factory.com

Copy/listing deadline for Nov issue:

PUBLISHER: Emma Dewhurst

©WOW Kent magazine.

22 October 2012

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

“Staff is part of a body of work called ‘Medway Moments’.

I stitch down my memories using reclaimed and recycled fabrics. I’ve recently felt more compelled to explore and celebrate Medway - its character, residents and rituals are a constant source of enjoyment and inspiration!”

The work will be on show and sale for four weeks from Monday 15 October at the Deaf Cat Coffee Bar and Gallery, 83 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX.

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

facebook.com /WOWMedway

@EmmaDewhurst7 WOW magazine is printed on 100% recycled paper

Photos by

Album

MORE THAN JUST pub poetry…

STUART TURNER REVIEWS ‘HERE ON EARTH’, THE LATEST ALBUM FROM THE SINGING LOINS

Here on Earth’ is available from Damaged Goods Records on CD and download from all good retailers from 5 November.

A friend of mine claims to enjoy going to watch Medway punk-folk heroes The Singing Loins play live, but adds that he could never countenance buying any of their records. I remain somewhat aghast at the suggestion that somehow The Loins’ songs amount to little more than a raucous pub sing-along. While their live shows are energetic and do induce waves of beer-fuelled bonhomie, as annual Sweeps festival appearances, or the almost institutional Christmas Loins shows will testify, their recorded work has for years developed and grown. Each of their albums has built on the last, with ‘Stuff’ such a multi-layered album that there was talk of the next being back to basics.

But ‘Here On Earth’ is further proof that there is so much more to the Loins’ material than to dismiss them as mere purveyors of songs about Chatham. From chiming, building opener ‘Hello Heaven’ to tear-jerking closer ‘With All Your Blessed Heart’; from the tense restraint of ‘Crying Out Loud’ to the abandon of ‘Happy Me Up’; it’s a beautiful, engaging recording, addressing mortality, desire, expectation expectation, of others. It drinks, it swaggers and then apologises. There are sailors, unapologetically the language of sailors and awareness of how short human life is.

There is even a hymn. It’s an album about what it is to be alive.

There are more electric guitars than before, more percussion than before; there is flute and even clarinet, but none of it incongruous or jarring. It is a million miles from the live show, yet unmistakeably them.

And undoubtedly an album worth owning.

Thursday, 11 October, 7.30pm, Central Theatre Heralded as the new phenomenon to hit the world of entertainment, JuNk are four guys who collectively feature four elements of performing arts. Hilarious dance routines, harmonized singing, acting and immensely talented percussion go to make up this action packed, totally interactive show. Bins, bottles, brushes, drain pipes…..all get a makeover as these guys entertain, amaze and have you in stitches.

Adults from £17 Theatre Loyalty Scheme Members £10

Under 16s £5 Friday, 12 October, 7.30pm, Central Theatre

The Christians

Enjoy one of the top soul-influenced bands of the 80s', performing an endless string of hits including Ideal World, Born Again, Words, Father and Harvest for the World. From £16 Saturday, 13 October, 7.30pm, The Brook Theatre

Fever Pitch

An hilarious and emotional stage version of Nick Hornby’s classic tale of family, football, class, identity and joy.

“A gem.” The Observer. From £8 Sunday, 21 October, 7.30pm, Central Theatre

Swan Lake

Considered to be one of the greatest classical ballets of all time, performed by the Russian State Ballet and Opera House this has thrilled audiences worldwide for more than 50 years. From £20 Saturday, 27 October, 7.30pm, The Brook Theatre

Sura Susso

Gambian born Sura is a talented multi-instrumentalist absorbing new genres from around the world. A hit at Glastonbury in 2009, he plays from the heart of his traditional roots. From £5 Thursday, 1 November, 7.30pm, Central Theatre

An audience with Dan Snow

TV presenter and historian Dan Snow charts the history and development of castle warfare in his lively and engaging style.

From £15

www.medwayticketslive.co.uk 01634 338338