SY On The Sly November November Remember Remember Remember to party in November! Bonfire and fireworks aside, it’s getting so cold now that surely the best way to keep warm is to get yourself crushed in a tight, bouncing crowd at the front of Academy or Thekla during a gig, or perhaps dancing you nut off to some tunes at Basement 45 or Start The Bus? Although, was else could be cosier than snuggling up for a film at Watershed or Cube? Whatever you do to keep warm this November, enjoy! November sees the tenth issue of SY On The Sly, the sister publication of Suit Yourself Magazine – Bristol’s number one independent, quarterly magazine which investigates, uncovers and promotes everything that makes Bristol such a fun, vibrant and altogether amazing place to live! Read away and don’t forget to check out the latest issue of Suit Yourself Magazine, our listings service and our constantly updated blog, all found at: www.suityourselfmagazine.co.uk www.bristollistings.co.uk
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3/ November November Remember 6/ Severn Estuary Future 9/ Auntie Harper A Sly look back at October 10/ The best of Gig 23/ The best of Art 24/ The best of Clubs 27/ The best of Stage A Sly look forward at November 39/ Recommended Gigs 42/ Recommended Art 43/ Recommended Clubs 45/ Recommended Stage 47/ Recommended Cinema 53/Horoscopes by Mystic Ginger For those of you pretending to work, you can also read the magazine online at www.suityourselfmagazine.co.uk www.bristollistings.co.uk
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Views Wanted on Severn Estuary’s Future People who live along the coast of the Severn Estuary are being asked for their views on how to best manage the coastline over the next 100 years. The Severn Estuary Coastal Group is carrying out a review of its nine-year-old shoreline management plan that covers the area covers from Weston-super-Mare to Gloucestershire and Penarth. Topics are likely to include improving flood defences and ensuring future developments are not put at higher risk of flood or coastal erosion. The public consultation process, which is now under way, closes on 8 January 2010 and people will then be asked to comment on the proposed policies that have been drafted. A number of events will be held over the coming months that will look at several areas of the Severn Estuary Shoreline Management Plan. These will include the history of shoreline management plans, what work has already been done and asking people for their thoughts on what should be done in the future. Dave Harris, chairman of the Severn Estuary Coastal Group, said: “There are thousands of residential and commercial properties in the Severn Estuary at risk from flooding, erosion and climate change, as well as farms, historically important areas and environmental sites. We need to plan now for changes in the future. It is important that the decisions we all make today do not put additional burdens on future generations.� www.severnestuary.net/secg
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Auntie Harper He answers your questions…
What’s good to do on Bonfire Night? In the UK we celebrate the fact that a muppet named Guy Fawkes failed to blow up Parliament. We do this by putting fireworks up cats asses, destroying post boxes with bangers, setting fire to houses and then throwing bricks at the fireman who come to clear up our mess. Well, that’s not for me! I’m spending the night comforting the dog and preventing him from shitting himself all over the living room rug. Should I feel guilty about booking a holiday abroad - flying and all that? I expect you’re looking for me to come up with a reason for you to not feel guilty about your excessive carbon footprint. Well, isn’t masturbation the answer to all our environmental issues? Oh, I’m sorry that was last month! I guess I should be saying something controversial this time. “Fuck global issues, I just nuke and go!” You can thank the person who wrote that on the arched bridge near Temple Meads for that literary gem! When is my boyfriend going to propose? Should I do it for him? You’re asking me, as if you think I know your boyfriend. Well, you are in luck! However, the news isn’t pretty. He thinks you’ve put on a few pounds recently and is biding his time before he lets you down gently. In fact, he’s entrusted me with the responsibility of doing that instead. To put your queries to Auntie Harper just email: info@suityourselfmagazine.co.uk
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A SLY look back at October Reviews of all the best gigs, art, clubs, stage and cinema over the last month in Bristol 10
Bat For Lashes
Friday 9th October 2009 @ Colston Hall, Bristol As we entered the plush, new golden-shining Colston Hall, my friend Kate said she thought it felt like an airport. I’m sure that’s not what they were going for when they spent £2mill plus on it but I could see her point. A “Bing-Bong” call for the start of the performance made it sound like an airport too. Before the band came on, fresh crispy white towels were laid out by the instruments; this is The Colston Hall after all. A sleazy guy behind us kept calling out; “We love you Natasha,” like a dirty old pap which was mildly distracting but when they started, the bass was far louder than any noise from the audience. Bat For Lashes, aka. Natasha Khan, wore a white Marilyn Monroe skirt and as she danced around I could see where the Kate Bush allusions reviewers give her came from. My friend Kate said she was pleased that they were doing a lot of music from the first album as she hadn’t liked the second as much and this was reiterated by several friends after the gig. It was brilliant to see female drummers in the band. The vocals were in the vein of Bjork but without the accent and very prepossessing. I preferred the songs at the beginning and there were some slight sound issues which Natasha was clearly aware of because she kept signalling to the tech guys. If anything, however, it was good to see a talented band with no signs of manufacturing who were predominantly female. In the encore, a video image was wheeled out on a trolley and the lighting (particularly the fairy lights) was fantastic. It was a very atmospheric gig with beautiful ladies and a guy with braces on his trousers. www.batforlashes.com Sophie Collard
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Mumford and Sons Wednesday 7th October 2009 @ Moles Club, Bath With Support From: Pete Roe
With an album out on Monday to the cheer of a mighty ho-down barn dance and sell out tours across the land, I think it is fair to say that Mumford and Sons may be on track for the big lettered, glitter infused words of “MASSIVE FAME”. I don’t think that is necessarily what they’re chasing for however. They’ve spent years mincing about on tours, helping other folk lovelies such as Laura Marling, and generally building a very dedicated and loyal following. As opposed to scampering off after every gig, leaving the devoted selling their t-shirts and albums, you could find them smoking rollies with their enamoured music lovers. A while back I myself enjoyed a chat in the cold, and friendly fellows they are indeed; sweet charmers. A characteristic backed up perhaps by many of their lyrics, from which I would say that a certain Mumford has been a bit of scamp with the ladies in the past, in that impossibly attractive/annoying deep-thinking manner. Unable to commit, using metaphors and heart wrenching thumping notes, joyfully and equally puzzlingly, there is huge surge of empathy for the love-torn chap in question. Happy you are for the apparent sense of feeling, and the vision of Mumford and Co dressed in their 17th century attire under a tree with anguish in their eyes, but still you question - what makes them so damn special? Well, you could ask the exceptionally forceful girls telling everyone to ‘Shut the f*@k up!’ throughout the gig at Moles, so they could mouth the words to their satisfaction. Or you could ask the marvellous support acts, namely Pete Roe, a country artful dodger with a caramel voice and “priceless” sound help. Or indeed the t-shirt seller (aha they have one now), dancing woodland folk creatures, or the closed eyed fans at the back. All of them would say they hit you hard with passion; for the emotion itself and for all that it brings. Looping hearts and the magnificent adrenaline, depression, self reflection and despair – all cubed into the shape of a song.
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Their new tracks involve more electric guitar, but they have maintained their individual Mumford sound, through their delicate to thumping use of the piano, acoustic guitar and double bass, not to mention the growling voice of Marcus Mumford. They threw themselves in the sold out Bath gig with pure gusto and Texan belts. They may be part of a record label but the sweat from strumming, straining and singing whips out that hair product in a flash. The music is what counts and the music is what they are in it for, and it’s grand! www.mumfordandsons.com Helen Martin
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Dizzee Rascal Sunday 11th October 2009 @ Academy, Bristol
Turning up a little early for a gig is always a good idea; however, it seems turning up early to a Dizzee Rascal gig is a necessity as Frogmore Street had a queue going all the way up it half an hour before the doors even opened. Dizzee had a lot to live up to! The audience became part of the show from the off when, in typical panto style, they were split up for an “Oi!” shouting contest, the introduction for a rousing rendition of Fix Up, Look Sharp. There was so much energy and interaction in the performance that all you can focus on is Dizzee and his live rapping companion. The grime or gangster rap attempts don’t seem to work with Dizzee’s persona anymore and the new material has been heavily influenced by dance and dubstep, an area which best suits him. I was surprised how in just a week the audience had committed the new album, Tongue N’ Cheek, to memory and were able to sing along to practically every word. This gig was so much fun and with anthems like Holiday and Bonkers that seemed to make the building shake, everyone left buzzing and with a smile on their face. An incredibly sweaty gig for all involved but a success none the less. If Dizzee tours again, I suggest you book tickets quick as I have a feeling most of these folks from tonight will be first in the queue for another helping! www.dizzeerascal.co.uk Stu Freeman
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Buena Vista Social Club Friday 2nd October 2009 @ Colston Hall, Bristol
Buena Vista Social Club are as Cuban as mojitos, communism and Fidel’s beard, right? Well…sort of. Tonight’s show at Colston Hall saw an 11-piece ensemble sort through the tracks popularised by the 1999 Wim Wenders film and although six of the original members has since died, brand Buena Vista continues to tour and there is no shortage of fans desperate to lap up a bit of La Musica de la Habana. As Cuban’s aren’t allowed to travel, it is a testament to the power of this brand that even strict communist rules can’t stop them! Buena Vista Social Club was originally a private members club where Cuban legends such as Ibrahim Ferrer and Ruben Gonzalez belted out Cha-Cha-Cha and Mambo numbers in a pre-revolution Havana. The location is now lost, although travel to Cuba and about 100 jiniteros will, for a small fee, take you there! Tonight’s line up didn’t disappoint. They provided the audience with a heady mix of Afro-Cuban rhythms, Latino horns and Spanish guitar, transporting you to the sultry, tropical heat of Cuba. The musicians perfectly blended their various instruments and wowed the crowd during the solo performances. The set was a combination of instrumentals and vocal numbers but I felt that Colston Hall was not the venue for this kind of performance. I want my rhumba served up to me in a sweaty club where the crowd have room to get down and dirty, after all this is dance music! Sadly until the end, the crowd were as rigid as Castro’s hatred of free-market economics. BVSC is something of a tourist information commodity and not the sound of ‘sexy young Habana’. You’ll hear them anywhere there is a tourist with money but wander around the back streets and you’ll hear gritty hip-hop presenting a much darker view of Cuba. But that said, tonight there was no doubt that BVSC are brilliant! www.buenavistasocialclub.com Hazel Goodfellow
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Skindred
Tuesday 13th October 2009 @ Academy, Bristol With Support From: Karnivool I was pretty excited to be called up an hour before the Skindred gig by my friend, Emily, who’d won a pair of free tickets on the Bristol Academy website! Packed like sardines in the outdoor smoking area, we missed most of the support act - Karnivool? but what we heard was a bit done before but alright. We emerged from the-area-most-likely-to-make-you-want-to-kick-the-habit to an excited, catchy atmosphere. Skindred came on led by their ginger-bearded baldie and Commander-kitted-out Chief Benji to a riot of applause. The (predominantly male) audience lifted their arms in the air and gave grunts and whoops of satisfaction, some of them sweating and smelly before they’d even begun moshing. I’d definitely worn the wrong shoes… They started with a mild track as is the way, before launching into an immediate crowd pleaser. Patois mixed with a clear, Welsh accent and good humour made Benji a good compère for his band and the mix of metal and reggae (or ragga-metal as the band dub it) was unlike anything else. It was brilliant for Bristol who love their ragga/reggae music more than a lot of cities. I revived my moshing skills – a mix of being able to push grown men a distance from myself and blocking — so I’d survive the onslaught. I was impressed at the orderly pit forming and chivalrous rules of the moshing itself. Forming a perfect circle and then apologising to anyone you hurt after you’ve jumped into them. There was a lot of jumping up and down as well as side-to-side stepping and positive energy. It was unlike anything I’d seen before and I really enjoyed it for that as well as for being good feel good music. www.skindred.com Sophie Collard
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NME Radar Tour 09
Thursday 8th October 2009 @ Thekla, Bristol Featuring Performances From: Yes Giantess, The Local Natives, Golden Silvers The evening has an unfortunate start; Marina and The Diamonds have cancelled due to illness. This is the second time they’ve cancelled a Bristol date and I’m more than a little dismayed . With one woman down, it’s up to Yes Giantess, The Local Natives and headliners Golden Silvers to fly the flag for new music. US youngsters Yes Giantess already have a double page spread in NME and an EP under their belts and they play with bundles of enthusiasm, but it’s not really enough. Their 80s themed, sugar-coated synth-pop doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Even though some of those blips and bleeps are kind of catchy - probably enough to fill a few indie club dance floors – it’s all been done before, and with much more panache; namely by the likes of Passion Pit and Late Of The Pier. The addition of saccharine vocals and lyrics that could have been lifted directly off an N-Sync album, tip the balance to sickly sweet. With unusually high moustache stats (three out of five members), second support from US band The Local Natives, don’t even need to play a note and I’m already won over. Oh boy, it’s a good job they do though! They completely steal the show; these guys should be headlining their own tour. Exquisite vocal harmonies layered with galloping rhythms and enough shifts in tempo to keep you on your tippy toes. They sound like the playful younger sibling of Grizzly Bear; managing to reach atmospheric climaxes that sweep up your heart whilst also remaining delightfully danceable. One member mentions how cool it is to play on a boat; “Do you think we can make it go? I hear it’s a pretty old boat, but it’s a possibility...” There’s no doubt that they could; with all those beautiful sounds they could sail a whole fleet of ships away.
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It’s a shame that Golden Silvers had such a hard act to follow. Returning to the 80s theme that kicked off the evening, their fairly formulaic pop and lacklustre performance feels bland in comparison. With a credible first album in True Romance, released last April, I was looking forward to seeing them live. They have some catchy tunes but even the funky bassline of Arrows Of Eros didn’t get me dancing. Lead singer Gwilym Gold has a wonderfully rich voice but spent the entire set looking incredibly bored - it was fairly uninspiring. With one cancellation and only one out of three bands having something new to offer, it could have been a bit of a drab evening. Fortunately The Local Natives more than make up for it; I hope their own headlining tour isn’t too far away! www.nme.com Serena Mitchell
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Therapy?
Thursday 15th October 2009 @ Thekla, Bristol Grunge, they say, is back on the fashion radar but how many alt-rock bands touting their wares back in 1991 still remain? Not many. That’s why it’s good to see Therapy? bring their never-ending tour back to a sold out Thekla tonight. Hailing from Northern Ireland, Therapy? were somewhat of an anomaly in British music when their major label debut, Nurse, dropped in 1992. A world away from other alternative acts such as Suede or Blur, they drew constant comparisons with US acts, notably with a rather famous Seattle three-piece. The band were an MTV staple back in the mid-90s with their blend of grinding feedback, darkly angsty lyrics and surprisingly melodic guitar-hooks. Tonight’s gig was like stepping into the past; the smoky atmosphere (I assume dry-ice), the forgotten band T-shirts (Wildhearts and Faith No More) and the general air of excitement from the crowd. Despite touring their latest album, Crooked Timber, the band kept fans sweet with a set full of old favourites including Turn And Face The Strange, Teethgrinder and an excellent encore of Going Nowhere and Screamager. Singer Andy Cairns proved to be a charismatic and intense front man when performing, whilst providing charming repartee between songs. In a set was full of songs with enough feedback and bass to cause heart palpitations, boy did we need a bit of light relief! The biggest cheers of the night may have been for their older work but Therapy? prove they still have what it takes with their new work. The Thekla was absolutely packed and the rather wild moshing had to be seen to be believed. Tonight was noisy, sweaty and raw – everything a good rock gig should be. Awesome! www.therapyquestionmark.co.uk Hazel Goodfellow
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Enter Shikari
Wednesday 7th October 2009 @ Academy, Bristol After being out of the country for 6 months, watching the almighty Enter Shikari and The Devil Wears Prada as my first show back was amazing! As I walked into the Academy, everybody was bouncing their heads to the hectic dub-step that was playing, all reared up and ready for a sick show ahead of us. The Devil Wears Prada did not disappoint. The band pounced on stage and the crowd roared as the beatdowns started. The entire band moved every inch of their body simultaneously to every single beat echoing out of the speakers, not afraid to often reach up towards the sky showing deepest love for their God. Keys player James Baney, kicked and head-butted his keyboard trashing it completely by the end of the set! Feet stomped the floor, hands punched the air, arms and legs span as words were screamed out louder than the band! Front man, Mike, really knew how to involve every single member of the audience in the room, bar staff and security included! The place was pumping and perfectly set up for headliners Enter Shikari who took to the stage edging everyone on and encouraging everyone to dance. Glow sticks flew around the place as lasers and strobe lights flooded the room. The place was lit up with energy as vocalist, Roughton ‘Rou’ Reynolds, jumped around screaming lyrics into band members’ faces, competing with the noise of the fans screaming back at him. Suddenly, mid-song - BANG! Rave time! The whole room was moving! With a combination of old and new songs to impress us, these boys really did Hertfordshire proud. The whole night was such a mixture but it really worked! www.entershikari.com Chloe Jackson
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The End Of The Line: Attitudes In Drawing
Friday 11th September until Sunday 1st November 2009 @ Bristol City Museum And Art Gallery, Bristol It was always going to be hard to follow in the footsteps of Banksy versus Bristol Museum. However, while End Of The Line will remain in the shadow of a show that attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors and inspired them to queue up to 6 hours, it also means some much deserved added attention is on the Bristol City Museum. The End Of The Line: Attitudes In Drawing can therefore expect more visitors than it might have otherwise and all who enter the grand building will be treated to a show that successfully explores fresh approaches to drawing in contemporary art. The exhibition is a touring show that brings together new works from eleven well established international artists, embracing the vast range of mediums within the subject including animation, installation, still life and graphic design. The works depict a variety of themes with realism a dominant one throughout and adolescence and historical events also documented alongside. Amongst the artists in The End Of The Line, we have the German, Marc Brandenburg, who distorts perception and plays with negative forms to create watery, silvery images of popular culture using graphite on paper – really interesting stuff. Another exciting aspect of the exhibition is artist Monika Grzymala’s work; she has created an interweaving installation using household materials, almost hair-like paper construction that considers both the architecture and the space of the building. In the works on display it is evident that drawing remains the starting point of the process of the artists’ work. While contemporary techniques and newer, more technical and advanced mediums of art are explored and push-forward every day, it is refreshing to see that simply drawing is still one of the primary mediums. www.bristol.gov.uk Rebecca Maskell
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Groove Armada Friday 9th October 2009 @ Motion, Bristol
There is no mistaking Motion’s place on the Bristol club scene. Since its opening to the odd club night over 3 years ago, Motion has grown exponentially to be, by far, the biggest and most influential club Bristol has to boast about. It ticks all the underground scene boxes, all the kids want to party there and all outof-towners want to feel like they are buying into the Skins-esk cool we have somehow adopted recently. Needless to say the club is always busy and tonight was going to be no exception. Grove Armada was going to be the highlight; everyone’s festival favourite playing at Bristol’s best club was guaranteed to be a recipe for success, and so it was! The main room was completely heaving, a bit of a body crush as hot, sweaty bodies eagerly jumped up and down to bangers like Easy. It was a strange thing to listen to them inside a huge warehouse rather than lying in a field at Glasto, but the crowd seemed to get into it. As the set wore on, one thing became very much apparent; although the newer, less well known tracks are good and generally come alive in the live arena, it’s the old tracks that the crowd are here to see. Nothing gets a reaction quite like Superstylin’ and it’s no wonder. If one song could ever sum up Groove Armada it’s this, sassy, party track and still sounds fresh as ever. The band still know how to work the crowd and they appreciate where the old and the new tracks fit into the set. I left wondering if any of the kids in the audience really ‘get’ Groove Armada. Sure I grew up listening to them, but perhaps someone half my age would recognise their big tunes from TV adverts but whatever the situation, the people at Motion loved them! www.groovearmada.com David Penfold
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Rusko
Thursday 15th October 2009 @ Lab, Bristol As one of the biggest names in dubstep and quite possibly my favourite artist, Rusko at the Lab (formerly the Arc Bar), hosted by Shoestring, was always going to be a brilliant night out for Bristol’s dubstep fans. Rusko wasn’t the only big draw to the event; Chasing Shadows, Bristol’s local dubstep talent, supported the artist with an incredible warm-up set that certainly hyped up the headline act. Their combination of rap and dubstep beats was a draw to the crowd that packed the small space from the stage all the way back to bar and turned the club into gridlock for the middle stages of the night. Lab’s impressive array of lights, an impression function 1 sound system and their newly decorated glowing walls, a bizarre fusion of glass and brick, were certainly the ideal setting for Rusko’s set, which saw him return to the UK for the first time in two and a half months. Clearly in his absence he’s been working on new material, which saw more commercial samples mixed with hard-edged dubstep beats. But if this didn’t please more underground dubstep fans, and some did seem slightly aggravated by this transition into a different sound, there was plenty of time for some classic Rusko tunes and a move into Drum and Bass for the final ten minutes that was, for me, the highlight of the set and really got the crowd raving. Certainly lab and Rusko have pulled it off again. www.myspace.com/ruskonfire Rory Evans Photos by Della Emsworth
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21:13
Wednesday 30th September until Sunday 11th October 2009 @ The Tobacco Factory Brewery, Bristol 21:13 follows the story of an English boy and an Italian girl as they share an overnight wait at a deserted train station. Any attempts at communication between the pair are thwarted as neither can speak the other’s language but they soon find new ways of communicating that go beyond words and embody the beauty of a shared humanity. It’s a scenario we’ve all experienced in our lives and can empathise with and Milton Keynes-based theatre company Dancing Brick manage to encompass the frustration of a language barrier but also the enjoyment of bonding with someone at a simpler, base level perfectly. In between these engaging and often hilarious scenes we cut away to dramatic, abstract set-pieces and the performance takes on a whole new level. Each dream sequence is deliciously conceptual, full of subtle metaphor and the questions raised within them are left hanging, open to every individual’s own interpretations. The cutaways gel superbly within the context of the show and themselves are often poignant, funny, charming and breathtaking in their beauty: The stunning scene of the two silently and abstractly playing catch will live with me for a long time. The introduction before the real performance begins is interesting but jars a little with the rest of the show and apart from another point when one of the actors pointlessly engages with the audience and briefly shatters the magic they worked so hard to create, the show is a triumph. 21:13 is a brilliant piece of raw theatre and anyone who watches will engage and empathise with the characters so much that they feel giddy afterwards. www.dancingbrick.net Matt Whittle
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Saturday 26th September until Saturday 10th October 2009 @ Bristol Old Vic, Bristol The combined imaginations of Rupert Goold and Ben Power have turned Luigi Pirandello’s 1920s postmodern stage play into a multimedia opera which simultaneously scales the giddy heights of metadrama and that of exaggerated reality. The version currently playing at the refurbished Bristol Old Vic is melodramatic and dizzying but refreshingly original. Both the audience and a fictional team of documentary makers attempt to interpret the bizarre lives of six larger-than-life characters who march into their office demanding to be heard. The problem of deciding whether life or theatre are stranger, is cleverly foregrounded by offsetting caricatures of broken familial relationship with the media. The image-distorting selfscrutinisation of modern society comes through well. Clever touches such as both the opposite appearances of ‘acting’ characters and ‘real’ characters mean that the vital confusion between reality and drama is effectively conveyed.
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Goold’s direction is bold and the co-ordination of the whole production seamless. Special effects such as a girl drowning in a tank of water, not unlike that in Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet film, are well worked and surprising. Even the highly disturbing scene of a dishevelled maniac from under a bed at one point shocks us so much that we almost forget to be disgusted at his obscene sex obsession and demeanour. But on a set resembling that of Extras, references to euthanasia clinics’ ethics seem unnecessary and are as superfluous as the over-long final scene. It is coincidence that euthanasia has so recently been in the news but this is unfortunate timing and its inclusion seems a little tasteless. In fact it often seems that impact is achieved at the expense of subtlety. The production feels like it wants to be a film and is not happy to just to include television in the plot. It sometimes forgets that the speed and energy saturation of film cannot be transferred to the stage without overwhelming the audience a little. So, whilst very effective, the intensity of the action could do with dampening at times. 6 Characters In Search Of An Author is not the kind of show one might expect from a postmodern play. It is worth seeing as unique but be warned: The phrase ‘mindblowing’ applies to much of this production but it leaves odd sense of dissatisfaction as we wonder what on Earth the final scene was for and whether we have missed something amidst all the shouting. What Pirandello would have made of it is anyone’s guess. www.6characters.co.uk Katy Austin
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Moby Dick
Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th October 2009 @ Bristol Old Vic, Bristol Oh my good god!! I don’t think in my life I have ever seen a show that was as unpredictable, hilariously surreal and as utterly bonkers as Spymonkey’s latest production. Moby Dick is a re-telling of Herman Melville’s classic novel and follows Captain Ahab onboard his whaling vessel, the Pequod (Peckward? Peacock??), as he sails across the Great ‘Specific’ Ocean in search of the giant, white whale that took his leg. Any notion of Spymonkey’s comedy quartet getting weighed down and restricted by this classic story though is quickly thrown out of the window in favour of a glorious mishmash of surreal scenes, riotous songs and lunatic characters. The lack of plot is far from disengaging though and each set-piece is an absolute joy to watch. And even in between the underwater ultra-violet discos, violent storms, insane prophets, a priest with four 8ft long arms, making whale noises into microphones, repeatedly falling down stairs and sea shanty sing-alongs, all across a grand and satisfyingly well used set, they were still able to create some genuine and beautiful moments. Every time you thought the evening’s proceedings had gotten as surreal as they could though, Spymonkey would take us to a whole new level of insanity until the show finally culminated in a truly brilliant battle scene between Moby Dick and Captain Ahab. I won’t spoil the surprise but needless to say my lungs were hurting from laughing so hard. Occasionally the controlled lunacy did get a little too anarchic though and we really didn’t need the mermaid singing about dried sperm on her pubes. The cast would from time to time try to reign each other in as they literally lost the plot - “Come on! We’re more than half way through the show and only about 20 pages into the novel!” - but the surreal nature of the performance made it difficult to tell what was scripted and what was improvised. That, however, was the real joy of watching! It’s not often during theatre you can genuinely say you have no idea what is going to happen next but this seems to be the philosophy Spymonkey live by and it’s what makes Moby Dick so fantastic. www.spymonkey.co.uk Matt Whittle
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Shappi Khorsandi
Thursday 22nd October 2009 @ Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol Showing as part of the Bristol Festival of Ideas Shappi Khorsandi’s story is a fascinating one. Born in Tehran in the 1970s, her family were forced to flee from Iran to the UK when she was very young after her father was targeted for being a political satirist. Shappi is now a popular and successful stand-up comedian but tonight she is in the Tobacco Factory to promote her new book, A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English, which tells her story as a young Iranian growing up in London. The book is full of interesting, funny, beautiful and often poignant tales of the culture clash her and her family experienced. To break us in gently, Shappi treats the audience to a sliver of her usual stand-up style banter and gets some good laughs as she riffs off Nick Griffin appearing on Question Time that evening and extrapolates the lunacy of racism; “Multi-race? What does that even mean? If you look back, we’re all multi-race. I think the only people who should be called multi-race are people who are really obviously multi-race when you look at them…like a mermaid.” She then introduces her new book, explaining why she has written it and who for, before reading us several passages from its pages. She tightly holds her already dog-eared copy and we can see it is bursting with bookmarks and pointers, all highlights she has personally chosen to read. Shappi is sharing with us her experiences from 25 years ago and it’s like watching a poet performing their own work, her voice transporting us all back and giving the evening added intimacy and grace. On the strength of tonight’s event I think I will be buying A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English as a present for a friend on the express understanding that I get to read it first. www.ideasfestival.co.uk
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Matt Whittle
The Singing Bones
Thursday 1st until Saturday 3rd October 2009 @ Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol Storytelling is not just for kids; nor does it start with ‘once upon a time’ or end with a ‘happily ever after’. In the hands of The Devil’s Violin company, storytelling comes alive and is cracking, high-quality entertainment for adults and youngsters alike. This unique consort of violin, cello, accordion and vocalists invoke devils and violins to bring the folk story back to the disturbing fantasy found in Grimm. To place it in a more modern context, their act is perhaps the Angela Carter of storytelling and, in the same fashion, the audience respond with noticeably surprised enjoyment. The narrative style used by Daniel Morden is startling without being over-the-top; his voice creeps up from friendly, familiar introduction to tap you hard on the shoulder with a line like; “There is no life without death.” This brings a wonderful humanity to proceedings and Morden is also blessed with the capacity to embody the many different voices required to act out all family members in a fairytale without sounding ridiculous or as if he is trying too hard. At times it seems bizarre to be sitting in a formal theatre atmosphere watching this piece of literary and musical performing art, when the act is perhaps more suited to festivals, but in fact this is rather refreshing. The violinist and storyteller met in a pub and perhaps this is why they are so relaxed together and, as they are happy to relate, will play village halls as happily as the newly reopened Bristol Old Vic. This versatility reflects the diverse appeal this quartet possesses. The surreal whispering effect they create to raise the hairs on the backs of our necks hushes us into excited anticipation repeatedly but Morden’s command of the stage never fails to bring us back to the harsh realities of life, love and death. No bedtime story club performance this, but intriguing, engaging and even better than Mum used to tell ‘em. www.thedevilsviolin.co.uk Katy Austin
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The Seagull
Saturday 17th October 2009 @ Bristol Old Vic, Bristol Showing as part of Bristol Jam: the UK’s first festival of improvised performance As I enter the BOV studio there are people milling on stage. I assume they’re actors, but it’s pretty hard to tell; they could just have walked in off the street. No, they’re definitely actors: well-worn copies of the Penguin Classics Chekhov are sticking out of their back pockets and there’s a superfluity of bottled water. A few minutes in and director Tim Carroll, an earnest, energised presence, takes the stage and delivers a simple statement of intent. This isn’t, he tells us, an improvised performance of The Seagull; rather it is a performance of The Seagull in the actors’ own words. The idea was born out of his frustration with forever being told you might as well not do the play if you’re doing it in translation. There must, thought Carroll, be another way. So here we have it: there is no script; these actors will call each other by their own names, tell the story in their own words, with belongings they’ve scrounged off the audience and on a stage sparsely furnished with assorted BOV chairs and tables. The excitement and anticipation, both on stage and off, is almost palpable; the collective will to make it work, thrilling.
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If it hadn’t done anything else, the Factory’s performance would have been a treat for reminding me what a really great play The Seagull is. The performance’s ordinariness and unfussiness really allows the story and its ideas of aspiration, idealism, how to live, love and what to believe in to breathe and take purchase. Things don’t always entirely work. There are moments when an actor’s obligation to be faithful to the character’s train of thought results in something that sounds rather like dutiful paraphrasing informed by a palimpsest of translations. And, especially in the second half, some of the ensemble scenes lack tension and focus and can’t quite be carried along by the communal commitment to telling the story alone. But this is improvisation, and part of the deal is that you accept these moments for what they are because the same thing that throws them up also throws up what’s brilliant. And there’s much to enjoy here, emerging largely out of the way the relationships on stage are so complexly layered, comprising as they do of those between the characters, between the actors playing those characters, between versions of themselves in previous performances, playing the same character or a different one, opposite the same person or someone else. Undoubtedly the best moments come when an actor is in the grain of his character so deeply and has apprehended the shape of a scene so completely that the way he expresses himself feels genuinely fresh and alive, creating moments of truth and insight that arguably only this approach to the play could have arrived at. I’d like to see the process and performance take a few more risks. Why toss coins to decide who plays just some of the characters? Why ask the audience for some props and yet supplement them with your own when it suits? But these are pretty minor gripes, and, as any improviser will tell you, there needs to be some rules. The Factory’s Seagull was a real revelation: informal, utilitarian and utterly riveting. www.bristoljam.ning.com Carrie Rhys-Davies
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The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus Friday 16th until Thursday 29th October 2009 @ Watershed, Bristol
As soon as I laid my eyes on the trailer for this colorful, fresh film, the first thing I thought was how this is going to be the last time I ever see Heath Ledger on the big screen. That fact alone pulled me in to see it but this film was actually so much more than I believed it would be. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus tells the tale of a touring theatre show which is financially out of pocket. On their travels they pick up Tony (Heath Ledger) who causes the first mystery in this story. At each stop they ask the general public to enter the mind of the spectacular and graceful Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) by stepping through a custom made mirror. The twist is that Doctor Parnassus is seeking five souls to obtain as after many pacts with the devil (played by Tom Waits) he has to either give his daughter away or get the souls before he does. Five minutes in and I was completely absorbed. After the tragedy of Heath Ledger who died before the completion of this project, we see other tremendous actors play Tony to help make this the masterpiece it was always going to be. Johnny Depp who is a perfect candidate for this type of cinema is also joined by Collin Farewell and Jude Law who both outdo themselves. Director Terry Gilliam, who I should remind you brought us classics like Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Brazil and the Monty Python series, has brushed away the dust from his director’s chair after four long years to take on the challenge again. His presence is most defiantly noticed with a strong balance between comedy and some delightful scripting. All these factors piled on top of each other and the absolutely outstanding special effects make this a ride you just don’t want to miss. www.watershed.co.uk Andrew Dex
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DATE: SAT 7TH NOVEMBER EVENT: LONGEVITY – THE LAUNCH PARTY MUSIC: DRUM & BASS (ROOM 1), DUBSTEP/ DUBSTEP / DRUM N BASS (ROOM 2) DJ’S: ORIGINAL SIN, TAXMAN, BASSLINE SMITH, ZEN, TWISTED INDIVIDUAL, URBAN THERAPIST, HAVOK, RAMJACK, UK ROCKA MC’S: HARRY SHOTTA, RHYMES, DREAD MC, IMPACT MC, SYE, POTTA, FUNATIC, DEADLEE PRICE: £10 + BF/ MOTD DATE: FRIDAY 13TH NOV EVENT: NU-CLEAR SOUNDS MUSIC: D & B (ROOM 1), DUBSTEP (ROOM 2) DJ’S PHOBIA (RENEGADE HARDWARE 90 MINS SET), SKITTY (METALHEADZ 90 MINS SET), JUNE MILLER, (HORIZONS), FRATERNAL, ION, VEGA, MC’S: HOSTED BY REMIDY & SYNTAX. HYETAL, PHAELEH, CHRIS INSTINCT, GRAMAH ACIDIC, DJ N/A, TOMAN PRICE: £5 TICKETS FROM BRISTOL TICKET SHOP DATE: SAT 14TH NOVEMBER EVENT: DMT PRESENTS HARD SESSIONS AND CELEBRATING ITS 10TH BIRTHDAY MUSIC: RAGGA JUNGLE/BASSLINE/OLDSKOOL/REGGAE/BREAKCORE/HARDBASS (ROOM 1), HARDCORE/ACID TECHNO/DRUM & BASS/TECHNO/HARDTEK (ROOM 2), ALL LIVE ACTS PLAYING JUNGLE/RAGGA/DRUM & BASS/ MASH UP/ HIP HOP/ GRIMECORE/ GYPSIE/ DEADLY HUNTA, CONGO NATTY, DREADZONE SOUNDSYSTEM, KRUMBLE, HEATWAVE COLLECTIVE, DUB BOY B2B IRONSIDE, WONKA. JONNY SIDEWAYS, DANGER MARC, ACID TED, MICHAEL BARRYMORE, VANDAL B2B PSYKOSIS, IAN IRRITANT, SMALL PAUL, JIMIGE, GROOVE. BAKARAK B2B HOMEBOY. CONTACT PLAY (ALBUM LAUNCH), SMB CREW V’S SMUTBOT (A MASSIVE 4 MIC MASH UP FEATURING DIRTY DIKE/ MR KEY/ JAMM BAXTER/ ED SEISSOR TONGUE, ALSO PLAYING LIVE SCAMP, GHOST, MDS, SCRAMBLED ED, STIVS, SMOOTH, MONSTA, MATTYKORE, J SAINSBURMISSREPRESENT, SPIN SISTERS, DUTTY B, ANN JAI, LADY SNAKE, BASS FLY, SHADED PRICE: £8 EARLY BIRD TICKETS £10 OTHER TICKETS DATE: FRI 20TH NOV RAVERS ARE IS BACK WITH THE BIGGEST EVENT FOR HARDCORE TO HIT LAKOTA EVER, THIS EVENT SEE’S THEM HOSTING BONKERS IN THE MAIN ROOM AND FREEFORMATION UNDERGROUND TOUR IN ROOM TWO WITH CONTACT INFLUENCE REACTION HOSTING ROOM 3 AND HARDCORE DISTORTION
RUNNING ROOM 4, IF YOU ARE INTO HARDCORE THEN YOU MUST OF HEARD OF THE MIGHTY BONKERS, FIRST TIME EVER IN BRISTOL. NOT ONLY THIS BUT A MASSIVE 83 DJ’S AND MC’S PERFORMING WITH 45 HEADLINE ACTS ON THE BILL. THIS IS ONE NOT TO MISS!!!! RAVERS ARE WITH BONKERS ALBUM & FREEFORMATION UNDERGROUND TOUR MUSIC: HARDCORE WITH BONKERS(ROOM 1), FREEFORM BY FREEFORMATION( ROOM 2), HARDSTYLE – HARDTRANCE- TECHNO BY CONTACT INFLUENCE REACTION (ROOM 3) UP AND COMINGS BY HARDCORE DISTORTION (ROOM 4) £14 EARLY BIRD £18 TICKETS £20 DOOR DATE: SAT 21ST NOV EVENT: FILTHY KLEAN MUSIC: D & B (ROOM 1), DUBSTEP (ROOM 2) DJ’S. ADAM F, RAY KEITH, J-DAMM, KING CONNERS PLUS MORE TBC. GEZ, SKEKSI PLUS HARLEY PLUS MORE TBC TIME: 10.O0PM -5AM PRICE: TICKETS £7 +BF, £10 DOOR DATE: FRI 27TH NOV EVENT: CHAMPION SOUND D & B & JUNGLE (ROOM 1), DUBSTEP (ROOM 2), OLDSKOOL HARDCORE & BREAKS DJ’S . GENERAL LEVY, TOP CAT, DEMOLITION MAN, APHODITE, BRYAN G, NICKY BLACKMARKET, BAD COMPANY, MC’S SPYDA, STIVES, STANZA STUDIO ROCKERS & SHANTI SOUND PRESENTS “STUDIO ROCKER ALBUM LAUNCH WITH JAZZSTEPPA, THE MOODY BOYZ, COTTI, DJ DERE. SY, WAYS & MEANS (KOSHEN BREAKS SET), VINYL JUNKIE, STIVS, HOUSE WIVES, FRESH DJ’S WITH MC MAD P & MORE PRICE: £12.O0 TICKETS IN ADVANCE, MORE OTD DATE: SAT 28TH NOV EVENT: TRIBE OF FROG MUSIC: PSYTRANCE/ BREAKS/ PROGRESSIVE(ROOM 1), ELECTRO/ DUBSTEP/ CHILL (LOFT ROOM), ACIDIC BEATS & TWISTED PSYTRANCE(ROOM 3) DJ’S FAR TOO LOUD (LIVE), FLIP FLIP (LIVE) PIEMAN, DR PSY, PSYCHOSONIC. PLODUCUS (LIVE), APARTHESIS, IP CRESS, GEO. HEMP. DJ TWISTED V’S PSYANIDE, BORIS, TETRA SOUND, F’DA F’DA, POD PRICE: £5 EARLY £10 TICKET/ MEMBERS £12 NON MEMBERS
A SLY look FORWARD at NOVEMBER Reviews of all the best gigs, art, clubs, stage and cinema over the NEXT month in Bristol 40
La Roux
Friday 20th November 2009 @ Bristol Academy Elly Jackson is 20 years old, she has a short ginger bob, freckles, a nose that makes your heart turn to a puddle but, more importantly, a way with melodies that makes everything else around you completely vanish. La Roux (French for ‘the red haired one’) isn’t about disposable dancefloor fodder or meaningless pap though, her groundbreaking electro-pop has already earned her a Mercury Music Prize nomination and you’d be a fool to miss her live. www.laroux.co.uk
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Other Recommended Gigs for November in Bristol Martha Tilston
Wednesday 4th November 2009 @ Thekla
Kanda Bonga Man
Wednesday 18th November 2009 @ Bristol Academy
Grizzly Bear
Thursday 19th November 2009 @ Thekla
Erik Mongrain
Friday 20th November 2009 @ Colston Hall
The Airborne Toxic Event
Friday 27th November 2009 @ The Cooler
Hundred Reasons
Saturday 28th November 2009 @ Bristol Academy
Ugly Duckling
Sunday 29th November 2009 @ Colston Hall
Thursday 5th November 2009 @ Metropolis Friday 6th November 2009 @ Anson Rooms Saturday 7th November 2009 @ Colston Hall Sunday 8th November 2009 @ Anson Rooms Monday 9th November 2009 @ Thekla Tuesday 10th November 2009 @ Metropolis
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A Day To Remember / Bring Me The Horizon Wavves
Snow Patrol
The Motherload
Killswitch Engage
Rodigo Y Gabriela
Recommended Art for November in Bristol PLATFORM
Saturday 3rd October until Sunday 29th November 2009 @ Arnolfini, Bristol C Words: carbon, climate, capital, culture How did you get here and where are we going? Artist-activist group PLATFORM and their collaborators propose C Words, a two-month investigation into carbon, climate, capital and culture. Based on PLATFORM’s 25 years of research, art and action, C Words cross-examines the present and looks to the next two decades. How did we get here? Where are we going? Who’s deciding? Who’s made invisible? Whose future matters? PLATFORM members will be in residence at Arnolfini throughout the project. www.arnolfini.org.uk
From The Outside In
Friday 13th until Wednesday 18th November 2009 @ Centrespace Gallery “Painting is silent poetry…” Plutarch. Enhance your life with one of these stunning abstracts – an original collection by Kevin Milsom and Kelly Heggart. www.centrespacegallery.com
Nikill Solo Show
Friday 13th November until Sunday 6th December 2009 @ Weapon of Choice Gallery An exhibition of new works by excellent graffiti artist Nikill. www.weaponofchoicegallery.co.uk
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Recommended clubbing for November in Bristol Pressure
Every Thursday @ Thekla
Finite
Saturday 7th November 2009 @ Black Swan
Shoestring (ft. Plastician, Foreign Beggars, Starkey) Friday 13th November 2009 @ Thekla
Drawn Recordings Digi Release Launch Night Thursday 19th November 2009 @ Mr Wolfs
Party For Malawi (ft. Lake of Stars, Temwa, The Blast) Saturday 21st November 2009 @ Basement 45
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The Colour Of Nonsense
Tuesday 10th until Saturday 14th November 2009 @ Tobacco Factory Theatre At the studios of Splash, Line & Scuro, Cutting Edge Conceptualists, things have been sliding dangerously down hill of late. Then out of the blue comes a salivatingly remunerative commission for the very first ever completely genuine ‘invisible artwork’. As the studio is thrown into animated confusion by escapees from everything from cave-paintings to cartoon-strips, only the Dong with a Luminous Nose seems able to shed light on this chiaroscuro of chaos. The Colour of Nonsense is an escapist comedy sci-fi thriller that takes the audience on a journey through the wild and ever-shifting borderlands between sense and nonsense as it explores the never-ending puzzle of how and why we see the way we see. www.forkbeardfantasy.co.uk
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Other recommended stage for November in Bristol Full Twist
Wednesday 28th October until Sunday 8th November 2009 @ The Brewery
Uncle Vagna
Friday 30th October until Saturday 21st November 2009 @ Bristol Old Vic
Is That A Bolt In Your Neck?
Monday 2nd until Wednesday 4th November 2009 @ Tobacco Factory Theatre
Welsh National Opera
Tuesday 10th until Saturday 14th November 2009 @ Bristol Hippodrome
The Winter’s Tale
Monday 23rd until Saturday 28th November 2009 @ Tobacco Factory Theatre
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Recommended Cinema for November in Bristol Fantastic Mr. Fox
Friday 23rd October until Thursday 12th November 2009 @ Watershed, Bristol A rousing adventure following Mr. Fox and his quirky band of animal friends as they try to outwit the human farmers on their tails; a magnificent fusion of Roald Dahl’s and Wes Anderson’s creative minds. Anderson regulars Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman join a star-studded cast which features George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr. and Mrs. Fox. www.watershed.co.uk
An Education
Friday 30th October until Thursday 12th November 2009 @ Watershed It’s 1961 and London schoolgirl Jenny’s mundane suburban existence is capsized by the arrival of David, a much older suitor who introduces her to his sophisticated life of hip, smoky jazz clubs, art auctions and Paris. An endearing coming-of-age story adapted by Nick Hornby from Lynn Barber’s memoir. www.watershed.co.uk
Encounters Film Festival 2009
Tuesday 17th until Saturday 21st November 2009 @ Watershed Encounters Short Film Festival is celebrating its 15th year showcasing new talent in filmmaking and providing a platform for emerging filmmakers to screen their work. Over 150 films in competition will be screened over five days with a chance of winning one of 12 awards. The films and animations are a selection of the best new drames, comedies, music videos, documentaries and animation from 58 different countries. www.encounters-festival.org.uk
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Scorpio: With Jupiter, planet of swine flu, in your career chart, be cautious at work. Don’t shake hands, or speak to anyone directly facing you. Sagittarius: Mars, planet of love-talk, is leaving your chart. You may feel frustrated and unable to express how you feel. Have you thought of using the medium of interpretive dance? It’s always sexy. Capricorn: Stepping on the cracks in the pavement is bad luck for you this month. Bear-attack tips: roll into a ball to protect your innards and hope it gets full up eating your bum off. Aquarius: This month a stroke of luck by email! One of your long lost relatives wants to put several million pounds into your account. Mystic is jealous. Pisces: You face a hard decision this month. Mystic already knows which path you will take. But you might as well start thinking now – what are you going to do with the head? Aries: You should be ashamed of yourself this month. There will be no point apologising – your grandma will never forgive the soon-to-be-infamous ‘flammable penis trick’. Taurus: With Saturn leaving your chart, it’s time to really deal with your problems and exorcize some old demons. You will need a pint of mouse blood, a beating virgin’s heart and a herd of pigs. Gemini: A change of career looms – and they will appreciate you properly. You will get a certificate printed from the manager’s home computer for making the most Big Macs in an hour. Well done! Cancer: You are holding a powerful hand this month! Keep it close to your chest, is Mystic’s advice. It wants to touch your boobs. Your lucky twist: to the left. Leo: Financial worries are relieved this month when you have a chance meeting with an unconscious stranger. Your lucky career: organ harvester. Virgo: Romance is covered in flies this month, Virgo. Brush them away and get her back in the freezer. Cold is better than smelly. Libra: This may start out a difficult month for you, Libra. Things are confusing and may seem dark. It may be time to give up fighting. Once you get settled in they will give you jelly and organize crafts and bingo.
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SY On The Sly – November Issue Editor: Matt Whittle / matt@suityourselfmagazine.co.uk CEO: Faye Westrop / faye@suityourselfmagazine.co.uk Design and Illustration: James Penfold / penfold@suityourselfmagazine.co.uk All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of Suit Yourself Magazine. Suit Yourself Magazine and SY On The Sly are independent publications distributed throughout Bristol. Advertising Enquiries: faye@suityourselfmagazine.co.uk Contributors for Issue: Katy Austin, Sophie Collard, Andrew Dex, Della Emsworth, Rory Evans, Stu Freeman, Hazel Goodfellow, James Harper, Chloe Jackson, Helen Martin, Rebecca Maskell, Serena Mitchell, Dave Penfold, Carrie RhysDavies, Matt Whittle