Colchester 101 August 2011 by Simon Colchester

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:07 Page 1

Free Please take one

Issue 10 August 2011

All hail

New Town Kings Free Festival Line-Up Modern English to Headline LISTINGS COMMUNITY FA S H I O N H E A LT H & W E L L B E I N G HOME & GARDEN

Essential Events Guide Gig Review Eating Out in Colchester Guide

Colchesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Access All Areas Magazine

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:07 Page 2

l l u u B B e Th e

Sunday 4th September £7.00 in advance - £8.50 on the door Doors Open 7.00pm - Live from 8.00pm

The Bull 2 – 4 Crouch St, Colchester, CO3 3ES. Tel: 01206 366647 www.thebullcolchester.co.uk

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:07 Page 3

It’s the Festival Season! ummer is here, though not that you would think so if you look out of the window today, and the local festival season is in full swing. 101 were at the Kelvedon Free Music Festival the other week to see some of our favourites, including The Overwrought, The 633, Animal Noise and Surfquake, and next weekend we will be making the short trip up the road to the Brightlingsea Music Festival.

Whilst we are on a festival theme, this month resident columnist DJ Gilly talks about the Weeley Festival in 1971, 101 looks at the issues surrounding the tragic death of Amy Winehouse, and of course we have our exclusive interview with cover stars the New Town Kings, as well as all your regular favourites. Not forgetting of course our Essential Events Guide and our Eating Out Guide to help you plan your weekends and evenings and make the most of what this great town of ours has to offer.

jjdoyle.com

However, the big one that everyone is talking about is the Colchester Free Festival in Castle Park on August 27th. The first Free Festival was held last year and was an outstanding success, providing as it did an afternoon of free entertainment throughout the upper and lower park. This summer’s event promises to be even better with the best of Colchester’s favourite musicians and bands, as well as the town’s up and coming talent, performing on three stages. And this year Colchester 101 has played its part in making this a very special day by introducing Modern English to the Festival organisers as the headline act and co-sponsoring them along with fellow local businesses Alphaprint, Van Cols, H2O, Pullman Contracts, Denim City, Colchester Plastics and North Hill Hotel. We could not be more pleased if we tried to have played such an important role in bringing one of Colchester’s most successful bands back to the town to headline what promises to be an amazing day.

New Town Kings - Page 16

Colchester 101 The Studio Tye Road Colchester Essex CO7 7BN Tel: 01206 544700 Email: mailus@colchester101.co.uk Editors: Simon Crow and Paul Clark Sales and Marketing: Rebecca Price Food Editor: Melissa Porter Fashion Editor: Angela Mitchell Designer: Paul Clark, Tonic Creative Solutions

Colchester Free Festival headliners Modern English

See you next month

Simon Crow Editor

Thanks to our contributors: Adrian Multon Andrew Dell Craig Fookes Peter Sherlock Becky Davis Kem Izzet and Colchester United Sven Wombwell Jason Cobb Hazel Humphreys Angela Mitchell Ocean WhiteHawk Rosie Hunter DJ Gilly Front cover and page 3 photos courtesy of jjdoyle.com

Find us on

All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole without publisher’s written consent is prohibited. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of all details and information the publishers are not liable for errors and omissions to any features, listings or advertisements. Any views expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers.

www.Colchester101.co.uk

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:07 Page 4

COMMUNITY

The Jason Cobb

101 Blog What Makes a Community? What makes a community? It is a question that is as simple as it is complicated. It is also a question that has been occupying Colchester Borough Council of late. Concern has been raised that the area around the Hythe has no identity. The accusation is that a spiralling sprawl of a satellite town has been allowed to shoot up, yet no one knows exactly what is the point of existence for the Hythe. If that sounds slightly existential, then it really shouldn’t. The Hythe has a proud industrial history connected to Colchester Docks. Now it seems it is simply a byword to describe either a stretch of buy to let properties, or a shortcut for the B&Q roundabout. When looking at what makes a local community co-operate together, Colchester is blessed as a borough with some rather wonderful examples. The Dutch Quarter manages to contain a unique historical perspective, whilst simultaneously living in the back garden of the centre of the town itself. Wivenhoe is well known for the unique community spirit that has grown organically, not to mention slightly anarchically. Look beyond all the misguided bad headlines that the Greenstead estate attracts, and you can also find a genuine community spirit within. But the Hythe is simply the Hythe. Manufacturing has long since been lost. In its place, the town planners have failed to manufacture a self-contained community in which to live. It’s not surprising really - people constitute a community, not a collection of identikit one and two-bedroom commuter flats. The area has been allowed to over-build with buy to lets, with little or no thought as to the social infrastructure that is needed to support the locals. The Pride wine bar has recently closed, leaving little optimism for the area around the Hythe that still remains undeveloped. A worrying spate of ‘random’ fires have characterised the old industrial units in the past six months. Essex Fire Brigade is concerned about the ‘randomness’ of these incidents and is investigating further. The irony of course is that the Hythe should be the perfect place in which to grow community activities. The natural riverfront could provide the perfect backdrop for a thriving mini-town within itself. Instead we have a hangover from the industrial past, with neither the political, nor economic will in which to dredge the Colne. The Pooh Factory downstream provides a constant reminder of the industrial euphemism in which Colchester Borough Council now holds for the Hythe. And so what can be done to try and build a genuine community to match the matchbox housing that has appeared around the Hythe? The University’s Knowledge Gateway is going to add to the immediate local area over the coming couple of years. Private residential accommodation is all part of the plan, hopefully bringing in some new energy and enthusiasm for the Eastern edge of Colchester. But for Colchester Borough Council to create a sense of community around the Hythe then people must be put first, rather than the profit of private developers. A micro community does currently exist along the banks of the old Colchester Port. The houseboats have shown how local folk can have a pride in where they live, if they are allowed to live the lifestyle in which they choose. It’s not going to happen overnight, but bringing on board the experiences of the houseboat owners to the buy to let neighbours, is the first step towards bringing a genuine sense of community back to the Hythe. Jason Cobb onionbagblog.com

Colchester 101 touches down in Miami

Modern English fan Nikki Nelson of Miami, Florida, takes delivery of her autographed copy of Colchester 101. Her quote about the band’s single I Melt With You was featured in our Robbie Grey interview.

Colchester 101 Flys to Edinburgh

When David Plumb visited Edinburgh recently for his cousin’s wedding, he took a copy of Colchester’s must-read magazine to entertain him. Over the next few days 101 was treated to visits to Edinburgh Castle, a shopping trip George Street and of course a wonderful Scottish wedding.

To Advertise in Colchester 101 Call 01206 544700 or email us at: mailus@colchester101.co.uk

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:08 Page 5

COMMUNITY

By SSgt (SSI) “Lenny” Leonard RAPTC

hen I was asked to contribute to the Colchester 101 magazine I realised that this was my one chance to influence so many ordinary peoples lives, how they are in mind and body. A healthy body makes you feel good about yourself. This is one article you should cut out and stick to the fridge door.

1. Cut down on sugars: When we take in sugar, it causes our bodies to release insulin, and insulin causes the body to store fat. That’s why those fat-free desserts with extra sugar are actually causing you to gain weight. Take a good look at the ingredients label and stay away from products high in sugar and fructose corn syrup. “Healthy” breakfast cereals and bars are notorious for being high in these two ingredients. 2. Stay away from foods that contain hydrogenated oils and processed foods: Hydrogenated oils (trans fats) cause havoc on the body and some countries are even banning them. Read ingredients of the foods you eat, the label will tell you if it contains hydrogenated oils - and if it does, get rid of it! Processed foods are the chemically altered and packaged foods like so many of the foods that target kids now days. You can usually tell if food is processed if the ingredients show a list of chemicals a mile long. 3. A simple way to keep weight under control is to stop eating before you’re full: Portion control is the easiest way to not over eat. If

you continuously eat until you’re uncomfortably full, you will end up consuming too many calories and which will result in a stretching of the stomach, causing you to eat more, more frequently. 4. Give Yoga a chance: You’ll be surprised at the difference it will make when the body is flexible, plus it helps reduce the chances of injury. Yoga consists of a routine containing deep stretching, controlled breathing and some meditation. The body will feel younger, your posture will improve and stress levels will drop. Combine this with some cardio, weight training and a good balanced diet and in 12 short weeks you’ll be in the BEST shape of your life! 5. Try adding more of the following foods to your diet: Whole grains, olive oil, eggs, natural peanut butter, fish, poultry, berries, apples, almonds, protein powder and water. These foods will help you burn more fat, get in shape and better your health. 6. Drink MORE water: I know we hear this all the time and there’s a good reason for it - because it’s important! We know from research that this is what the body needs to function properly (from helping the brain to work at its optimum, to eliminating waste). If you drink enough your energy levels will be more consistent, muscle function will be better, it will improve your concentration levels and anyone with gut problems such as IBS and constipation should find their condition gets better too. Also your skin will be clearer - and because the cells at the roots of your hair will be hydrated, even your hair will have more volume! It helps to stagger your water intake throughout the day rather than going for hours without anything, then downing half a litre - if you do this your kidneys will struggle and you’ll find yourself dashing to the loo. You should aim for 2.5 liters of water per day up to 3-4 litres if you are very active. 7. For fast fat loss and to build a stronger heart, try HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is hands down the best way to lose fat without causing the body to catabolise muscle tissue. Studies have shown long endurance activates, such as marathon running, can cause muscle catabolism (the breakdown and loss of

muscle tissue), which can last for up to 7 days after the activity takes place. On the other hand, HIIT training, will allow you to metabolise fat without

minimum, you should add a quality multivitamin to your diet and fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids). Most people don’t get a sufficient amount of

Table 1. Weight Lifting Rep Chart Rep Range % of 1 Rep Max

Goal

1 to 4 reps 4 to 6 reps 6 to 12 reps 12 and above

Primarily Power and Strength Some Strength and some Size Primarily Size and some Strength Primarily Endurance and some Size

88% - 100% 83% - 88% 70% - 83% 70% and lower

losing precious muscle mass. A simple example of HIIT would be to sprint 200m and then walk back at a moderate pace, then repeat this 10 times. It can however be adapted to almost any activity including boxing, swimming, static exercise machines, skipping, weight training to name just a few. 8. Add weight training: Adding weight training to your exercise routine will build muscle making you stronger and more robust which will mean less chance of injury in the future. In addition research has shown that regular resistance training can increase your Basal Metabolic Rate (how many calories you require per day) by up to 15%. So for someone burning 2000 calories per day that is an extra 300 calories (the equivalent of a mars bar) burned every day. The table below will give you a good idea of what weights and repetitions (reps) to use for your goals. 9. Supplement your diet: At the

vitamins and minerals from foods alone so it’s important to compliment your new found healthy eating habits with a strong multivitamin. Fish oil is important because most people’s diets are lacking in omega-3 fatty acids and this is suspected to be a contributing factor to many health diseases, including obesity. Fish oil is the best way to get omega-3’s into your diet. 10. Do Something! When all is said and done it is better to do something rather than nothing, the best form of training is the one you will do!! Once you are a committed exercise enthusiast you can then start worrying about the finer detail. No amount of prescribed programmes and diets can replace desire and commitment to the achieve your fitness goals. Happy Training, Lenny Mens Sana In Corpore Sano (a sound mind in a healthy body)

The Afghanistan Trust is dedicated to assisting wounded members of the Regiment, their families and the families of those who have been killed.

Registered Charity Number 1121647

Since becoming a Physical Training Instructor in the Army nearly 13 years ago, I have seen training techniques and diet fads come and go. Physique and health progress should be continual and consistent, there will always be trends within the fitness industry but the basics always remain the same. If you are not seeing progression then something has to change. Forget about the excuse of having below par genetics, we are of the same species, human... homeosapiens. We all breathe the same air, digest food virtually the same way, have the same vital organs and grow muscle tissue through the same process as all the top athletes in the world. The only difference is that they understand how to get the best from theirs bodies and have the discipline and commitment to make that happen. The world of health and fitness is a big and often overwhelming place so I have just highlighted a few points for your consideration. By no means is this list exhaustive, it ranges from healthy eating habits to exercise ideas. These health and fitness tips will hopefully open your eyes to a few points you may not have considered before:

For further information regarding assistance or fundraising email: ceo@afghanistantrust.org

www.AfghanistanTrust.org 05

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine August 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Ten Tips to Get in the Best Shape of Your Life W

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:08 Page 6

H E A LT H & W E L L B E I N G

Dog About Town

Life With Miss Berta By Andrew Dell

Dog owners will know all too well about those amusing or troubling encounters with other dog owners when you’re out with your furry friend. The old fella with the morbidly obese Jack Russell recently told me about the time he saw an angel sitting on his kitchen counter. One smiles and nods and escapes as swiftly as good manners allow. We met the Strange Lady in the park again the other day. I was going to refer to her as the ‘crazy woman’ but it’s politically-incorrect to use such disparaging terms and I have no desire or qualification to pass any judgement against her mental health. But her behaviour, as she has told me herself, can indeed be rather strange. To say the least. She’s clearly an animal lover and her grumpy, shaggy little mongrel folics around with Berta, stopping occasionally for a growling ‘stand-off’. While they play, the Strange Lady and I chat. She once told me about her other animals - a couple of cats and some rodents. Mice, hamsters and guinea pigs, I believe. I commented that I’d had a few hamsters when I was growing up and how their short lifespan can be terribly upsetting for a child. “Not just a child!” she exclaimed. “It’s always so, so sad when they pass.” This polite euphemism for death struck me as fairly amusing when applied to a rodent but I managed to maintain my sad expression for her. And then she told me something that is in equal parts hilarious and horrifying. Something that beggars belief. Something that immediately threw a host of different images into my mind, the most enduring of which saw me at the bottom of a disused well with her shouting “it rubs the lotion on its skin” down to me. The Strange Lady told me how she finds it impossible to part with any of her little pets when they die. She told me of her elaborate system of wrapping their corpses in cling film, placing them in cardboard boxes or toilet roll tubes and storing them in her freezer. And she told me that when she’s feeling a little sad, she’ll thaw one out with a hairdryer and stroke its fur to comfort herself. Yes, really. As she related this Jeffrey Dahmer-esque tragi-comedy, all I could do was nod and murmur the occasional “oh”. “Well, it’s what I used to do,” she concluded. “My boyfriend complained that we were running out of space for food and made me bury them all.” What amuses me most are the differing reactions I receive when I tell people that story. Men tend to laugh in astonishment but, without fail, single women always exclaim: “WHAT? She has a BOYFRIEND?!” Yes, when it comes to random encounters, dog owners tend to know better than most that ‘there’s nowt so queer as folk’.

The Juicy Column By Ocean WhiteHawk

The company we keep affects our disposition. To be happy, we need to be close to happy people. It seems that pure, unadulterated happiness has become more and more elusive in our daily life. We may have advanced in technology, but the same cannot be said for our state of happiness. On the contrary, it seems the more possessions we have, the more we think we need and the less satisfied we are. Having more money at our disposal may mean more pleasures, but it’s not the same as being happy. Being happy means we are relaxed, deeply contented, and serenely peaceful. This modest goal has become the most difficult to achieve. These days we are all too willing to lower the bar on the scale of happiness. It usually means we are ‘satisfied’ that everything in our life is ticking along and there’s no major catastrophe. I’m ok and the people close to me are fine too, so I’ve no complaints. Such is our level of happiness. We have forgotten what it means to be ecstatically happy - when your heart is humming with constant joy and your body electrified with life-force. Your mind is free because it doesn’t believe in fear, and your soul is at the forefront of your life, manifesting your life purpose. Your face glows, your body flows and your heart is generous. Now, how many individuals do you know who fit this description? Not many. Such people are a minority indeed. Instead, we have depression on the rise and doctors prescribing anti-depressants left, right and centre. Emotionally we feel fragile, and we are easily offended. We stop believing we can have it all. There is a quiet desperation as we continue to trot on this path of mediocrity, feeling neither vibrantly bright nor brilliantly happy. What is going on? How can we turn this around so happiness becomes part of our everyday reality? One of the vital components for happiness is the ability to get on with people around you.

happy people. The more happy people we have around us, the greater our chance for happiness. It also works the other way round the happier we are, the happier people around us will be. This is because happiness is infectious. To get on well with people, we need to lower our guard. Instead of being defensive, be open. The world is full of goodness, and blessings come to us when we are open. See only good and you will attract the same. Everything in life happens not to you but for you. They come bearing gifts, so be ready to welcome all with open arms. Being open with people also involves a willingness to be vulnerable. It means revealing our tender side. Being open also means to have no agenda. When you are open with a person, you don’t impose anything on him or her. You don’t need others to have the same views. Even when they disagree with your ideas, you don’t feel threatened. An open attitude is an open door wonderful interactions can flow back and forth, nurturing both your gentle hearts. We are also more available for good relationships if we don’t take offence easily. When someone seems to be having a go at us, the automatic reaction may be to feel offended. It could be the tone of their voice or the look on their face. We feel hurt and closure happens. Slam! We shut them out of our heart. In truth, the seeming attack may not have anything to do with us. Deep down they are unhappy, and their behaviour towards us is simply a cry for help. See beyond the appearance of their action. Of course, we must never stand for any kind of abuse from anyone. What we are referring to here are those times when we fall out with family or friends because of what they said about us. It’s never about us anyway; it’s about the person’s perception of who they think we are. It’s not possible for anyone to truly In a nutshell, relationships. understand us. The quicker we let go of the need to be understood, the happier we will be. To be truly happy, you need to get on well The more you know who you are, the less with your partner or spouse, family members, affected you will be by what others think of friends and colleagues at work. This is because you. And when you are not easily offended, happiness comes from having happy you are a better friend. Your heart remains relationships. Because of our inherent need to open and spacious, allowing you to be feel good, people who have given up seeking compassionate. Only Love begets Love. happiness in relationships resort to seeking And the day we can love ourselves pleasure without relationships: alcohol, drugs, unconditionally, we will be a lover of all life. casual sex, even violence. Pleasure that comes from sensation-gratifying activities often And a happy friend. removes the need to interact with other people. This sort of pleasure gives you a short-term Ocean WhiteHawk is author of ‘JuicyWoman buzz, whereas happiness gives you a long-term A Spiritual Guide to Your Feminine Radiance’. glow. And until we create a society in which She mentors on health, personal & spiritual more people are happy, it will be impossible development and affairs of the heart. Her to reduce these destructive choices being made second book is being launched later this year. by so many of us. It’s in our genes that we need people in our See www.oceanwhitehawk.com life. And to be happy, we need to be close to for further details.

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:08 Page 7

FA S H I O N

Scent Train Bid TV and Price-Drop TV’s resident expert gives his regular lowdown on scents for both men and women, old and new, good and bad. This month, Peter suggests reviews some new and recent fragrances. Regular readers of this column, if they were feeling particularly unkindly, might accuse me of being a little old-fashioned in my fragrance recommendations. And to some extent, it’s true. The vast majority of new scent releases are woefully bad in my opinion and, with so many wonderful perfumes from yesteryear to discover and cherish, I tend to overlook many of the latest creations. Did you know that there are around a thousand new fragrances released every year? Frankly, that’s ridiculous. It’s an overcrowded market already and most of those new releases fail to find customers and disappear pretty swiftly. But to prove my finger is on, or at least hovering around, the pulse of the latest fragrances, this month I’ve come up with a selection of new and recent releases for you. When Kate Middleton married our future King earlier this year, the enormous scrutiny of the world didn’t stop at her dress, bouquet and sister’s bottom. The fashion press and beauty bloggers were clamouring to find out which perfume she’d chosen for her big day as well. When the answer came a few days after the event, many were surprised to learn that she’d gone for White Gardenia Petals by the new niche brand Illuminium. An obscure and surprising choice, but quite a good one I’d say. This is a clear, direct white floral and I can imagine it working very well for a bride. However, it’s not like any other gardenia-based scent I know - the rich, fleshy Penhaligon’s classic Gardenia or Annick Goutal’s deep, buttery Gardenia Passion. It’s much simpler, but still very pretty. It’s currently only available

You can find plenty of fragrance bargains and loads more besides at Bid TV and Price-Drop TV.

online and the enormous global demand means you’ll have to go onto a waiting list for a purchase. It’s around this time of year that you’ll spot lots of new scents on the department store counters as brands capitalise on their existing successes with a whole host of summerthemed flankers. This year’s special edition of the groundbreaking ‘shared’ scent, CK One Summer 2011, certainly stands out - the bottle is a bright, cheerful reworking of the original frosted glass flacon in blue, yellow and red. The scent is a bright, cheerful affair too with a citrus opening that dries down to a pleasant aquatic and musk combination. I’m including my next choice as much for its beautiful bottle design as the fragrance itself. Stella Sheer from Stella McCartney is a light and airy reworking of her eponymous scent from 2003. An excellent modern rose fragrance, this version blends in fresh fruity notes and a warm amber base and the whole thing delivers exactly what it promises - a sheer, almost transparent summer scent. The latest fragrance from heritage brand Hermès is a new addition to its Jardins collection, Un Jardin Sur le Toit. Created by their in-house perfumer, the minimalist genius Jean Claude Ellena, the fragrance was inspired by the roof garden atop the Hermès Paris store and bears Ellena’s hallmark style of light, elegant clarity. The whole Jardins collection is intended to be unisex but this offering definitely errs on the feminine side with crisp, green apples against a pretty, blooming rose. It’s not his best work but it certainly lives up to the brand’s inimitable quality and style

THE

SCENT TRAIN

and provides a nice twist on the fruity-floral trend that’s dominating scent right now. The Marc Jacobs’ Splash collection was recently expanded with three new additions – Cranberry, Ginger and my personal favourite Curacao. The translucent blue juice in its enormous 300ml flacon may resemble a bottle of upmarket mouthwash on your bathroom shelf but the fragrance is inspired by an exotic cocktail and that’s never a bad thing in my book. It’s a light scent that’s designed to be applied with spritzing abandon and the zingy limes against fresh violets and apricots make for a very pleasing summer scent indeed. The latest offering from the unique fragrance house Diptyque, purveyors of the finest scented candles in the world and creators of some truly original perfumery is 34 Boulevard St Germain. Celebrating the brand’s 50th anniversary, this fragrance blends a whole host of ingredients and was inspired by the scent of the company’s original boutique (on Blvd St Germain in Paris, natch). With fresh green notes, fleshy tuberose, fruits and spices all in evidence, this could be in danger of coming off as a big old mess. But it doesn’t. It’s a masterful work that seems to offer something new every time you smell it. And that’s why I tend to go for the fragrance classics or the 80s powerhouse scents over and above the latest releases - it’s the artful compositions and clever complexity that win me over every time. Thankfully, that’s well and truly on display in 34 Boulevard St Germain, making it a welcome addition to this year’s thousand or so releases.

Peter is Managing Director of The Scent Train, a unique organisation that provides fragrance sales videos for online retailers and creates bespoke staff training courses.

www.TheScentTrain.com 07

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine August 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Peter Sherlock’s

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:08 Page 8

FA S H I O N

Fashion Tips & Trends By Fashion Editor, Angela Mitchell, Alter Ego Hair Design

A Bewitching Summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day

Photography - Nick Mitchell Model - Morgana Hair - Angela Mitchell Make-up - Morgana

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:11 Page 9

FA S H I O N Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine August 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

So here we are getting into the great outdoors producing a photo shoot here in Colchester’s own Castle Park and beautiful Dutch Quarter, with the most bewitching, elegant, stylish and alluring clothes from spectacular international designers, with the beautiful Morgana modelling for our Summer 2011 Fashion Collection: “A Bewitching Summer’s Day”.

This month I am producing this article in a slightly different way. Instead of just expressing as a whole what we are seeing in fashion this year, I thought we could look a bit deeper at more specific designers from across the world. Morgana and I have known each other for a while now, and when I was expressing to her our vision for this months shoot; beautiful light, bright summer colour, with a darker more mysterious elegance, we decided that we should use some of Morgana’s beautiful pieces she has collected from fabulous designers this year. We were praying for a beautiful dry, sunny day, and when that’s what we got, we let the fun begin! With the hair we wanted to create a commercial look, soft but glamorous, with a slight 70’s feeling. Keeping a gentle but precise wave and curl pattern in the hair was perfect to accentuate the soft curves in the clothing. I used Paul Mitchell’s Curling Wand and then pulled each curl apart using a pintail comb. I used Alterna’s brand new Bamboo Kendi Dry Oil Mist and Bamboo Hair Spray. The two products worked beautifully allowing us to keep re-working the hair whilst holding its great shape throughout the long day shooting. The colour used was a glossy dark brown with lighter accents shinning through. Shoulder pads with lace and tassels are beautiful to accentuate the shoulders and create a soft movement and bounce. This piece was hand made by the designer Metamorph. In addition to lovely shoulder pads they also make beautifully stunning lace gloves and masks. In the shoot we decided to use the lace mask as a piece for the neck and it worked great! It’s important not be afraid to change things up a bit in a shoot, like taking an eye mask and making it a necklace… why not!? Metamorph have some gorgeous pieces in their etsy store online: www.metamorph.dk. Now check out those shoes! They are smooth, shinny, leg lengthening and incredibly sexy. Now I do understand platform shoes are not for everybody but they do make it a whole lot easier to wear an incredibly high heel... sometimes in fashion they are a necessity. This female designer has thought of everything as well. The amount of cushion in the shoe is truly a wonderful thing to see. When you hold the shoe in your hand, feel and see the quality up close it is beautiful. If you want to have a shoe made specifically for you then this designer is your girl. Her name is Natacha Marro and she grew up in Nice and then moved to London to study before opening her first shop in South London in 2000. Natacha was 14 years old when she started to make shoes and through the years she has built up a client list that includes Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani and Girls Aloud. She has also made shoes for many different film and TV productions including Star Wars and Simon Magnus. I loved researching Natacha and seeing her work. In her bio her motto is quoted as ‘anything is possible’ and she loves

making dreams come true. Check out her web site at www.natachamarro.com. The skirt was beautiful, with its gorgeous fabric creating a fabulous frame; it was just so flattering to feminine curves. The designer of this skirt is Ly Yin of the label Evyie in Sydney. On her facebook page she describes the Evyie woman as intelligent yet playful, casual but glam, exuding both beauty and substance every day of the week. I like how that sounds, and it shows in the craftsmanship of the item. She has a beautiful web page at www.evyie.com, a must see. When I saw Morgana in the fushia corset it was mesmerising to see the female shape in such a surreal form. Corsets are amazing and women have been wearing them for centuries. There is just something about how they form to our body and push everything into a more hourglass shape. Puimond Progressive Corset Design is based in LA and his attention to detail and unique patterns has made him his industry leader. Celebrities from Mamie Van Doren to Madonna have commissioned him to design for them. His standard-sized corsets have been said to fit as if they were made-to-measure. The material and colour is what first drew us to the corset for the shoot and when it was on it fit beautifully. Puimond’s web page has so many beautiful corsets on it... its a great one to check out at www.puimond.com. So when you’re wearing a gorgeous fuchsia corset and some amazing heels, shinny leggings from Black Milk, who have a reputation as one of the most exciting designer leggings label in the world, are a must-have. They are based in Australia and I love that their aim is to make “leggings for girls who like a little bit more punch than average department stores provide”. Their work has been featured in many magazines such as Vogue and they sell thousands of leggings around the world, so it’s easy to get your hands on a pair. Just visit their website, www.blackmilkclothing.com. My favorite item that we worked with that day and by far the most interesting and delightfully daring is the leather belt harness. This is a beautifully made accessory with an old world feeling that works great with other modern clothing. Audra Jean have pre-made items and also offer a customising for your specific size, colour or materials. There are so many gorgeous pieces to choose from at www.etsy.com/shop/AudraJean. So there it is: some inside information on one of our fashion shoots. I hope you have enjoyed finding out about the ideas behind a photo shoot and receiving some detailed info on the designers that we were fortunate enough to work with that day. Remember if you are interested in any of the clothes or hair styling you can visit the web pages of all the designers and join Alter Ego Hair Design on Facebook.

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:11 Page 10

ART

TONE UP YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY Keep It Clean! Cleaning your camera may not be the sexiest subject for the photo page in a trendy local zine, but we are here to inform as well as entertain. If there’s a new tog doing this slot next month you’ll know I called that wrong. We’ll look at cleaning the whole camera: body, lenses, sensor (for those who can access it), as well as looking at how to keep your equipment in tiptop condition. If you own an SLR, the manual probably recommends that you visit a professional to get the sensor cleaned. Fair advice, but if you’re very careful and follow the procedures detailed below, you can save yourself a few quid and still enjoy blemish-fee photos. Kit A quick shopping list: • lens pen • soft microfibre cloth • camera wipes • air blower • lens cleaning fluid OR a complete lens cleaning kit All should be easily available and relatively inexpensive. Dirt Detective Before cleaning check if dust is causing blemishes on your photos. They are usually most visible in areas where there is little colour or tonal contrast, such as a clear blue sky, but you can double check: 1. Selecting a small aperture, take a

picture of an evenly lit piece of white paper. Be sure to fill the frame. 2. Examine the photo on your computer, zooming in to identify blemishes. 3. If you see dust and blemishes (often dark fuzzy spots), it’s time to clean. Body First Cleaning the camera body first helps keep dust from getting inside your camera if and when you clean the sensor. Wipe the exterior of the camera body and lens (not the glass, yet) with a soft microfibre cloth or camera wipe. Don’t use a household duster, or you’ll probably end up with more detritus on the camera than you started with. Be sure to clean around the lens mount, so trapped dirt does not get in when you clean the sensor.

Are you aged 16-18? Not sure what to do next?

LEARN EARN AND PROGRESS WITH TBG LEARNING… • GAIN NEW QUALIFICATIONS • EARN CASH WHILE YOU LEARN • WORK TOWARDS THE CAREER YOU WANT TBG Learning can help you improve your skills and qualifications so you can go onto college or further education, secure an Apprenticeship or find employment. Choose from…

EARN UP TO

£200

ACHIEVEMENT BONUSES

■ Beauty ■ Childcare ■ Hair

■ Business Administration ■ Construction

Plus Maths, English and ICT Enrol at anytime, call now for details. TBG Learning Colchester Portal House, 27 Southway, Colchester CO2 7BA Tel: 01206 366 341 customerservice.colchester@tbglearning.com

TBG Learning Tendring 103–105 Carnarvon Road, Clacton-on-Sea CO15 6QA Tel: 01255 430 053 customerservice.tendring@tbglearning.com

Every person matters, you have the right to be and feel safe

www.tbglearning.com

Don’t forget to clean the inside of lens caps, where dust can easily collect. Spit & Polish Clean your lenses next. This might remove all blemishes, and avoid the need for sensor cleaning. When cleaning the glass at either end of a lens, start with an air blower to remove loose particles. Do not use compressed air. Then place a small amount of lens cleaning fluid on a microfibre cloth and wipe the lens in a circular motion, starting from the centre, to remove more stubborn dirt. Do not put the cleaning fluid directly on the glass otherwise you may damage the lens. Use a dry section of your cloth to wipe off any excess fluid. A lens pen is a great investment for location photographers. They feature soft bristles that shift loose dust, and a small non-abrasive pad for cleaning more stubborn muck from your glass. I usually breathe on the lens and then apply the pad in the same manner as the aforementioned cloth. It will fit in your pocket, so even if you’re not taking a camera bag, you can still clean your lens on location. The Scary Bit You may be able to avoid cleaning the sensor altogether if your camera has an auto sensor cleaning function. It usually only takes a second or two, and may do the trick. If not, ensure you’re in a light, dust-free room. Roll up your sleeves so fibres from your clothes don’t get into the camera. Make sure the camera battery is fully charged, or connect the camera to an AC adaptor. You’re going to be sticking things into the guts of your camera with the mirror locked up, and don’t want that mirror to come crashing down in the middle of things! If you have one, mount your camera on a tripod, and angle it face downwards so gravity works in your favour and the dust falls out - and no more dust falls in. Grab your manual and follow the instructions to put your camera in

sensor cleaning mode (mirror up). Carefully blow air onto the sensor, using an air blower. Do not touch the sensor with the air blower. Do not blow air from your lungs; you might accidentally spit on the sensor. Do not use compressed air; it can damage the sensor. Do not clean the mirror; it does not impact image quality and is easily damaged. You may now feel that the camera is clean enough to shoot again. Check by photographing the same piece of paper again. If you need to clean further, you have two options: Wipe your sensor with a sensor cleaning brush. Take it to a pro. (Much safer!) I only recommend option one if you are completely confident that you know what you’re doing and have a surgeon’s steady hand. If so, a sensor scope or magnifying glass will help you examine the sensor in more detail. Don’t Do It Again! (For as long as possible) Keep your camera in a bag when it’s not in use, and when it’s dangling from your neck, keep the lens cap on. Vacuum your camera bag regularly to keep dust out. If you’ve been to the beach, vacuum again – that sand gets everywhere! Wipe the area around the lens mount regularly to decrease the chance of dust getting inside your camera. Next Month: back to the fun stuff with a look at landscape photography Adrian Multon is a freelance photographer based in Wivenhoe. He provides high quality imagery for local businesses. Adrian also offers group and 1-2-1 photographic tutoring and image editing workshops. See www.adrianmulton.co.uk for details.

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:11 Page 11

ART Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine August 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Slack Space in the Community By Abigail Cheverst, Slack Space Not all of Slack Space’s work takes place in the main exhibition space. In addition to a number of ‘come and go’ shop windows, used to display art to the general public in a busy town centre, we also do a lot of work at local festivals. This can be a great way of reaching out to new groups of people and complementing exciting events with the Slack Space offer. Our ‘pop up gallery’ at local festivals has become very popular. We take pens, paints and other materials as well as paper and outlines to colour. For Wivenhoe May Fair our graphic design team made painstaking outline drawings of previous May Fair posters and designs for children to colour. Work is then exhibited in our pop up gallery for the duration of the event and beyond. We often also run workshop activities and always give out information about

Slack Space and its work. We have a portable Camera Obscura which we sometimes takes to events and it never fails to spellbind children and adults alike. Children love the pop up gallery and it’s great to see huge numbers getting involved and then seeing their work displayed with pride. We’re looking forward to running our space at Colchester Free Festival on 27 August and are looking for artists and other creatives to help run workshops in the area. If you think you might be able to help then please email Gary Hill on garyhilluk@live.co.uk We’re also always looking for people to generally help out in our festival areas so please let us know if you’re interested in doing a bit of volunteering for us. Slack Space is always looking for volunteers to help out in its main

exhibition space in Queen Street. The gallery is open Wed - Sat 11am - 6pm. This splits into two shifts of 11am 2.30pm and 2.30pm - 6pm. We aim to always have two volunteers on each shift. It’s an amazing and vibrant place to work with lots of stuff going on and lots of exciting and creative people coming and going. We also need help with all the free events Slack Space organises, from mini fests to meetings, DJ nights, workshops, poetry nights, CPD, networking events and more. If you’d like to volunteer to help with either invigilation shifts or with events at Slack Space then please contact us at colchesterslackers@googlemail.com Alternatively, maybe you’ve got a special skill that might help Slack Space and would be able or happy to take on a specific role in the organisation such as fundraising, PR,

artist liaison etc. Just get in contact and let us know if you’d like to help out. It’s great fun and great for your CV too! Slack Space Colchester is run by volunteers and receives no regular funding. We reply on time and donations freely give to carry on our work in the community.

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:11 Page 12

MUSIC

Gilly Looks Back...

Modern English to Headline Colchester Free Festival 2011

While everyone is getting excited about the local festivals, especially the Colchester Free Festival in Castle Park, I thought this month I would take a look back 40 years at the Weeley Festival that took place from 27th to 29th August 1971 (and before you ask, no I wasn’t there... I was too young!). Colchester Free Festival returns to Castle Park between 11am and 6pm on Saturday 27th August 2011 with bands, DJs, artists, performers, workshops, trade stalls and activities for all the family. The not-for-profit volunteer led public event is partnered by Lion Walk Shopping Centre, Essex Health and firstsite and will again provide a celebration of Colchester’s music, art and culture. Now when we heard the line-up of the music stages was being announced two days after we had booked to go to print with this very issue we had a big decision to make. Go to press without the information or negotiate an even quicker turnaround with our printers? We went with the latter, simply because after the success of last year’s festival we wanted to help tell even more people about the free event that celebrates Colchester’s music and art scene. At the time of going to press we’ve got the line-ups for the 3 live music stages that’ll be located throughout the park, and of course we’re delighted to see Colchester’s very own Modern English playing the Main Stage, having introduced them to the Festival organisers and put together a group of local businesses, headed by Colchester 101, including Alphaprint, Van Cols, H2O, Pullman Contracts, Denim City, Colchester Plastics and North Hill Hotel, to sponsor their appearance. Robbie and the band recently got back together and will be leaving for their American tour a few days later, so what better way to celebrate their achievements by headlining the Festival right here in their home town. Excited? You bet we are! The Bandstand is again taken over by a host of Colchester’s DJs and will be transformed by Hot Chilli Promotions. The children’s Festival, Kidstival takes place again which for many families was the highlight from last year. We hear that this year’s dedicated children’s area has an Outer Space theme The Buffalo Tank is back, again taking place behind the Castle. So many people said it was this area that made the event really feel like a festival. We know nothing about this year’s offering other than it’s going to be something special. There are going to be four bars, a wide range of catering stalls, even more trade stalls plus lots of interactive aspects of the festival that you’ll experience while walking around. We’d love to give you more information but our printers can’t wait any longer. Visit www.colchesterfreefestival.co.uk for more details as soon as you read this. The Colchester 101 team can’t wait for this!

The Line-Up Main Stage Modern English Cav OK Animal Noise The Kuru Smile Housework Ady Johnson Lady Bird and The Larks We Are Embassy Station Holytrees Stage (in association with Lion Walk Shopping Centre) Jazmine Ava Band Holsten Cadaver The 633 Anna Pancaldi Gulls This Blank Page Slopes Broken Heads IntoTheNorthSea Lion Walk SoUNDAY Shopping Winner Castle Stage The Scoobs in Columbia Los Trios Amigos Black Cat Bone Adrian Nation Electra Reg Web & The Short People Modern English sponsored by:

Located between Colchester and Clacton, Weeley was the unlikely setting for a major festival. And indeed it did not start out that way having been organised as a small fundraising event by the Clacton Round Table, with an expected attendance of around 5000. But that year’s Isle of Wright Festival was cancelled and suddenly Weeley found itself firmly on the musical radar. The festival began to grow as some of the top bands and artists of the time were booked, including The Faces featuring Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, the late Marc Bolan’s band T-Rex, Mungo Jerry, Rory Gallagher, Mott the Hoople and many, many more. In fact there was so many acts that they ended up performing day and night from Friday night to Sunday morning, with acoustic acts appearing between the electric acts. And so the festival grew, and grew and grew as advanced ticket sales reached 100,000 with the actual attendance believed to have been in excess of 150,000. In fact so many music fans descended on Weeley that the site was bursting at the seams and a plea was put out for people to stay away. As was common in those days, the Hells Angels provided the security, and the event went without a hitch with the only reported trouble ironically being clashes between the Hells Angels and stall holders. Anyone who was hip and cool was there, and enthusiastic festival goers put up flags outside their tents, lit bonfires and danced into the night. The acts included: The Faces, T.Rex, Status Quo, Mungo Jerry, Mott the Hoople, Pink Fairies, King Crimson, Rory Gallagher, Barclay James Harvest, The Edgar Broughton Band, Stone the Crows, Colosseum, Quintessence, Groundhogs, Caravan, Lindisfarne, Tír na nÓg, Van der Graaf Generator.

Gilly

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:12 Page 13

MUSIC

Surfquake @ Kelvedon Free Music Festival By Simon Crow The Kelvedon Free Music Festival promised to be a great day for music fans, and it certainly delivered. Polished performances from 101 favourites The Overwrought and The 633 in the Essex Rocks tent set the scene for an afternoon of top quality local music from a host of local bands on this sunny summer’s afternoon. Surfquake have a special place in our hearts here at 101 having been featured in our third issue in January, when Nelson was the subject of my first ever, very nervous, interview. Since then I’ve seen them play a couple of times and know what crowd pleasers they are, but never before at the festival. So this was to be a first for me. The moment Nelson, Nick, Ophelia and stand-in drummer Mark took to the stage they had the crowd rocking with their heady mix of surf-guitar classics which included Squad Car, Joe 90, Misirlou and the Munsters theme alongside their own self-penned tunes Surf and Destroy, Stink Eye, Kool Kat Beasty and Mustang 10. The people at the front were letting everything go as they threw themselves around to wave after wave of bangin choons, while the rest of the crowd stood or sat in the sun grinning from ear to ear enjoying, what for me at least, was the best band on the main stage that afternoon.

Hair & Beauty

Photos: Simon Crow

Live Review:

Animal Noise @ Kelvedon Free Music Festival By Paul Clark

I wasn’t to be disappointed. My first impressions was of a stripped down sound of skiffly, soulful funk. The sound they make from a classical guitar, drums, bass and a soulful singer is, I guess, somewhat like if The Violent Femmes had wanted to sound like Red Hot Chilli Peppers. As a band, they are as tight as you can get and energetic with it too. Combine this with their remarkable technical skills and you have yourselves one heck of a live band, as evidenced by the reaction of the large crowd in the Essex Rocks

Tent. They loved them, and for many this must have been one of the highlights of a great afternoon. Animal Noise have already proved themselves not only to be a ‘must see’ band on the local scene, they also showed they can cut it with the best of them. As time goes on, and with some even better and more varied songs, there is great potential for them. STOP PRESS: We’ve just received the Colchester Free Festival line-up and the 101 team are looking forward to seeing Animal Noise get a whole field of people bouncing when they take to the main stage on 27th August. Festival goers are in for a treat indeed.

Sian and the team are proud to be sponsoring Modern English and supporting the Colchester Free Festival

37 High Street, Wivenhoe, CO7 9BE. Telephone: (01206) 822293

Surquake were da bomb!

After seeing much talk on various social media of how amazing Animal Noise are I was looking forward to seeing them at the Kelvedon Free Music Festival.

H2O

H2O Hair & Beauty Photos: Simon Crow

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine August 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Live Review:

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:12 Page 14

LISTINGS

This Month’s

Essential Events Guide Sponsored by Cool Publicity www.coolpublicity.co.uk Friday 29th July Colchester Arts Centre, Church Street Jimmy Mcghie and Jen Brister’s Edinburgh Festival Preview. (Comedy).

Wednesday 3rd August Colchester Arts Centre Russell Kane: Manscaping. Edinburgh Festival Preview. (Comedy)

Molloy’s, 66 North Hill Stiff In The Morning. (Live Music)

Molloy’s Live Music.

Qube, 8 Crouch Street SHAFT: Soul Classics, Jazz, Funk, Weekender Anthems, RnB - DJs Gilly, Jimmi Dixon, Chaz J.

Slack Space The Buffalo Tank. (Exhibition) Plus, Slack Stitch. Weekly Knitting & Crochet Circle. (Crafts) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) _____________________________________ Thursday 4th August Colchester United Football Club The Comedy Club with Dave Twentyman, Martin Coyote, Stefano Paolini. (Comedy)

Roberts Live Lounge, 18 Vineyard Street Live Music. Slack Space, 19-29 Queen Street The Buffalo Tank. A modern day ark collecting independent thoughts and skills to produce images, physical structure, sounds and media content, by coalition, projecting out into the community. (Exhibition) Plus, Pianofriday. (Live Music) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) Stoke By Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa, Keeper’s Lane, Leavenheath Fleece Jazz featuring Paul Booth. (Live Music) The Bull, 2-4 Crouch Street Junkyard Aliens are in the Main Bar. The Friday Night Blues Jam is in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley, 7 Queen Street Stoney Road. (Live Music) Victoria Inn, 10 North Station Road Jam Night. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Saturday 30th July Molloy’s Stalker. (Live Music) Roberts Live Lounge Live Music. Slack Space Slack Jazz. (Live Music) Plus, The Buffalo Tank. (Exhibition) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) The Bull Under Ether are in the Main Bar. Andrew Black is in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) The Fat Cat, 65 Butt Road Jazmine Ava. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Live Music. _____________________________________ Sunday 31st July Lion Walk Shopping Centre SoUNDAY Shopping. 2 acts battle it out for a chance to perform at Colchester Free Festival. (Live Music) Stanway Rovers FC, New Farm Road Colchester Jazz Club with The Northside Jazz Club. (Live Music) Straws, 1 St. Johns Avenue New Town Kings Album Release Party. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Jam Night hosted by Richard Dobney. (Live Music)

Molloy’s 4 Play Karaoke. (Live Music) Slack Space The Buffalo Tank. (Exhibition) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) The Bull Jukebox Fury are in the Main Bar. The Jazz Project and Jazz Jam is in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Live Music. Wivenhoe Black Buoy Open Mic Night. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Friday 5th August Colchester Arts Centre The Laughter Zone. Stand up comedy with Simon Fox, Danny Ward and Junior Simpson. (Comedy) Molloy’s Angel Fire. (Live Music) Roberts Live Lounge Live Music. (Live Music) Slack Space Pianofriday. (Live Music) Plus, The Buffalo Tank. (Exhibition) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) Stoke By Nayland Golf Club Fleece Jazz featuring Allison Neale Quartet. (Live Music) The Bull Beth White, and The Fabulous Feedback Band are in the Main Bar. The Sagittarian Club ‘Summer Birthday Party’ - Animal Noise, Broken Heads, Hoslten Cadaver, and The Raffles Gang is in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Snake Oil. (Live Music) Victoria Inn Jam Night. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Saturday 6th August Colchester Arts Centre Temperamento EspaĖol. Flamenco, classical Spanish and Mexican dances, with live music. (Dance) Lakeside Theatre SEGUE Music Workshop Weekend. Molloy’s Fly. (Live Music)

Victoria Inn Live Music. _____________________________________ Monday 1st August Molloy’s Radio Play (Acoustic). (Live Music)

Roberts Live Lounge Soul Night. (Club Night)

The Bull Jam Night hosted by Lee Carter. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Tuesday 2nd August Colchester Arts Centre, Church Street Easy Star All-Stars. (Live Music)

The Bull Beggar are in the Main Bar. Guilt Coins are in The Soundhouse. (Live Music)

Molloy’s Richard Dobney Blues Band. (Live Music) The Bull Piano & Brass Night. (Live Music)

Slack Space The Buffalo Tank. (Exhibition) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids)

The Fat Cat Acoustic Night. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Kartel. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Sunday 7th August Castle Park Bandstand. (Live Music)

Lakeside Theatre SEGUE Music Workshop Weekend.

Tin Pan Alley The Strangerhood. (Live Music)

Layer Marney Tower, Layer Marney Farm Day. Enjoy the Maze Maize, horseless gymkhana, farm walks, farm machinery on show and tractor rides. (Day Out)

Victoria Inn Jam Night. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Saturday 13th August Colchester United Football Club The U’s host Wycombe. (Football)

Lion Walk Shopping Centre SoUNDAY Shopping. 2 acts battle it out for a chance to perform at Colchester Free Festival. (Live Music)

Molloy’s Was 3000. (Live Music)

Slack Space Summer Harmonies. (Live Music)

Roberts Live Lounge Retro Night. (Club Night)

Stanway Rovers FC Colchester Jazz Club: The Muskrat Ramblers. (Live Music)

Slack Space Slack Folk. (Live Music) Plus, August Mini Fest: The Mixing Bowl with eCLECTIC mEDICINAL sYSTEM. (Club Night) Plus The Buffalo Tank. (Exhibition) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids)

Tin Pan Alley Jam Night hosted by Richard Dobney. (Live Music) Victoria Inn Live Music. _____________________________________ Monday 8th August Molloy’s Newtons Apple. (Live Music) The Bull Jam Night hosted by Lee Carter. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Tuesday 9th August Molloy’s Live Music. The Bull Adrian Nation. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Wednesday 10th August Molloy’s Ice Breaker Promotions presents. (Live Music) Slack Space The Buffalo Tank. (Exhibition) Plus, Slack Stitch. (Crafts) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) The Bull Open Mic Night hosted by Theo Pearce. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Thursday 11th August Molloy’s 4 Play Karaoke. (Live Music) Slack Space August Mini Fest: Singing Concert. (Live Music) Plus, The Buffalo Tank. (Exhibition) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) The Bull The Shagamaloo Shufflers. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Live Music. _____________________________________ Friday 12th August Molloy’s Batman’s Cat. (Live Music) Roberts Live Lounge Live Music. Slack Space August Mini Fest: Live Lounge. (Live Music) Plus, Pianofriday. (Live Music) Plus The Buffalo Tank. (Exhibition) Stoke By Nayland Golf Club Fleece Jazz featuring Simon Spillett and Alan Skidmore. (Live Music) The Bull Legion 7, Stu E Skinner, and Squeal in the Main Bar. The 633 presents The Raging Bull in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) The Headgate Theatre, 14 Chapel Street North The Importance of Being Earnest. Theatre shouldn’t all be about the sets, the lighting, the special FX and the huge chorus of dancers, and this Dot production certainly isn’t! Six actors, a simple set and imagination are all that are required to bring this witty and entertaining play to life. (Theatre)

The Arena Jackdaw 2: Space Ritual (Live Music) The Bull Full Phat 5. (Live Music) The Fat Cat Acoustic Night. (Live Music) The Headgate Theatre The Importance of Being Earnest. (Theatre) Tin Pan Alley Live Music. _____________________________________ Sunday 14th August Castle Park Bandstand. (Live Music) Layer Marney Tower Tower Tour. A member of the Layer Marney Tower team will give a brief history and tour of the Tower and church to bring the history of Layer Marney Tower to life. Lion Walk Shopping Centre SoUNDAY Shopping. The Final. Two acts battle it out for a chance to perform at Colchester Free Festival. (Live Music) Stanway Rovers FC Colchester Jazz Club with John Shillito’s Select Six. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Jam Night hosted by Richard Dobney. (Live Music) Victoria Inn Live Music. _____________________________________ Monday 15th August Mercury Theatre, Balkerne Gate Mozart By Candlelight. (Live Music) Molloy’s Ryan Galvin. (Live Music) The Bull Jam Night hosted by Lee Carter. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Tuesday 16th August Colchester United Football Club The U’s host Charlton. (Football) Mercury Theatre The Searchers. (Live Music) Molloy’s Live Music. The Bull Animal Noise. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Wednesday 17th August Mercury Theatre Back To Broadway. (Live Music) Molloy’s Ice Breaker Promotions presents. (Live Music) Slack Space Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) Plus, Slack Stitch. (Crafts) The Bull Open Mic Night hosted by Theo Pearce. (Live Music)

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:12 Page 15

LISTINGS

Molloy’s 4 Play Karaoke. (Live Music) Slack Space Recorder Orchestra. (Live Music) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) The Bull Lola and The Assassins. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Live Music. Trotters Bar Trotters Bar 2nd Annual Cider and Real Ale Festival. _____________________________________ Friday 19th August Mercury Theatre Motown’s Greatest Hits - How Sweet It Is. (Live Music) Molloy’s Angel Fire. (Live Music) Roberts Live Lounge Live Music. (Live Music) Slack Space Pianofriday. (Live Music) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) Stoke By Nayland Golf Club Fleece Jazz featuring Georgia Mancio. (Live Music) The Bull GrooveTails, Ady Johnson, and Backtrackin are in the Main Bar. Surfquake are in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley In The Land Of The Blind. (Live Music) Trotters Bar Trotters Bar 2nd Annual Cider and Real Ale Festival.

Trotters Bar Trotters Bar 2nd Annual Cider and Real Ale Festival. Victoria Inn Live Music. _____________________________________ Monday 22nd August Molloy’s Cancer Research UK Charity Event. (Live Music) The Bull Jam Night hosted by Lee Carter. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Tuesday 23rd August Molloy’s Con Artists. (Live Music) The Bull Holsten Cadaver. (Live Music) The Headgate Theatre Shakespeare Workshop. (Theatre) _____________________________________ Wednesday 24th August Mercury Theatre Cider With Rosie. Adaptation of the Laurie Lee classic. (Theatre)

somewhat like a mixture of ‘Yoga’ and ‘Ki’ Plus, ‘WA’ Japanese Cultural Exhibition. Plus, Japanese Kids Crafts (Kids) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) Pianofriday. (Live Music) Stoke By Nayland Golf Club Fleece Jazz featuring Shanti. (Live Music) The Bull Drum, and Skandal are in the Main Bar. The Blues Jam is in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) The Headgate Theatre Shakespeare Workshop. (Theatre) Tin Pan Alley Live Music. Victoria Inn Jam Night. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Saturday 27th August Castle Park Colchester Free Festival 2011: A one day festival celebrating Colchester’s music and arts scene. 3 live music stages, DJs in the bandstand, ‘Kidstival’ Children’s Festival and interactive art areas. (Festival)

Molloy’s MMG Promotions Hi-Jack Night. (Live Music) The Bull Live Music. _____________________________________ Wednesday 31st August Mercury Theatre Rhinestone Mondays. Join the maverick members of the Warbleswick ‘Monday Night All Star Line Dancing Club’ as they fight and feud. There is a traitor in the ranks and mutiny on the horizon… (Theatre) Molloy’s Ice Breaker Promotions presents. (Live Music) Slack Space ‘WA’ Japanese Cultural Exhibition Plus, Jiriki Seitai. Plus, Japanese Kids Crafts (Kids) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids) Plus, Slack Stitch. (Crafts)

Colchester United Football Club The U’s host Oldham. (Football)

The Bull Open Mic Night hosted by Theo Pearce. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Thursday 1st September Mercury Theatre Rhinestone Mondays. (Theatre)

Slack Space ‘WA’ Japanese Cultural Exhibition. The exhibition, led by the local Japanese community, will consist mainly of posters by a Japanese photographer Ryuichiro Baba showing ordinary people within the devastation of the recent earthquake. Plus, Slack Stitch. (Crafts) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids)

Molloy’s Voodoo Child. (Live Music)

Molloy’s 4 Play Karaoke. (Live Music)

Roberts Live Lounge 70s and 80s Night. (Club Night)

Slack Space ‘WA’ Japanese Cultural Exhibition. Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids)

Sky Rooms THE BIG LICK Metal/Rock/Alternative Club Night.

The Bull Live Music.

The Bull Open Mic Night hosted by Theo Pearce. (Live Music)

Slack Space ‘WA’ Japanese Cultural Exhibition. Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids)

The Headgate Theatre Shakespeare Workshop. (Theatre) _____________________________________ Thursday 25th August Mercury Theatre Cider With Rosie. (Theatre)

The Bull Scooby are in the Main Bar. Four Wheel Drive are in The Soundhouse. (Live Music)

Molloy’s Ice Breaker Promotions presents. (Live Music)

Molloy’s 4 Play Karaoke. (Live Music) Slack Space Souterrain: Slack Space Singing Group. (Live Music) Plus, ‘WA’ Japanese Cultural Exhibition. Plus, Japanese Kids Crafts (Kids) Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids)

The Fat Cat Acoustic Night. (Live Music) The Minories Freedom Sounds Reggae Night: Boper Rankin, DJ AL, Stagz.

Tin Pan Alley Live Music. _____________________________________ Friday 2nd September Mercury Theatre Rhinestone Mondays. (Theatre) Molloy’s Live Music. Roberts Live Lounge Live Music. Slack Space Pianofriday. (Live Music) Plus, ‘WA’ Japanese Cultural Exhibition. Plus, Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids)

The Bull Dicky Hart. (Live Music)

Tin Pan Alley Station. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Sunday 28th August Layer Marney Tower A Very British Summer. Fun day for all the family. (Day Out)

Molloy’s Soul’d Out. (Live Music)

The Headgate Theatre Shakespeare Workshop. (Theatre)

Molloy’s Stalker. (Live Music)

Tin Pan Alley Pistols And Vultures. (Live Music)

Roberts Live Lounge 80s and 90s Night. (Club Night)

Tin Pan Alley Live Music.

Stanway Rovers FC Colchester Jazz Club with The French Quarter All Stars. (Live Music)

Victoria Inn Jam Night. (Live Music)

Slack Space Free Kids Crafts Table. (Kids)

Wivenhoe Funny Farm Wivenhoe Town Cricket Club, Rectory Road Wivenhoe 11:30pm - 2:30am

Victoria Inn Jam Night. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Saturday 20th August Mercury Theatre London Community Gospel Choir - Gospel Greats. (Live Music)

The Bull Double Trouble are in the Main Bar. Essex Rocks is in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) The Fat Cat Acoustic Night. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Live Music. Trotters Bar Trotters Bar 2nd Annual Cider and Real Ale Festival. _____________________________________ Sunday 21st August Stanway Rovers FC Colchester Jazz Club with The Down Home Jazz Band. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Jam Night hosted by Richard Dobney. (Live Music)

_____________________________________ Friday 26th August Colchester United Football Club Guns 4 Hire - Guns and Roses Tribute Band. (Live Music) Mercury Theatre Cider With Rosie. (Theatre) Molloy’s Stiff In The Morning. (Live Music) Qube SHAFT: Soul Classics, Jazz, Funk, Weekender Anthems, RnB - DJs Gilly, Jimmi Dixon, Chaz J. (Club Night) Roberts Live Lounge Live Music. Slack Space Jiriki Seitai. Demonstration and participation of the Japanese self maintenance exercise,

Tin Pan Alley Jam Night hosted by Richard Dobney. (Live Music) The Bull Panic In Detriot, Stiff In The Morning in the Main Bar. Runaway Ducks presents in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) Victoria Inn Live Music. _____________________________________ Monday 29th August Layer Marney Tower A Very British Summer. (Day Out) Molloy’s Live Music. The Minories Sunvibes: DJs Miss Hazey, Stat, Jazzie, Bones E Boy, Dutchie, Lady K. _____________________________________ Tuesday 30th August Colchester Arts Centre Willy Mason. (Live Music)

Stoke By Nayland Golf Club Fleece Jazz. (Live Music) The Bull Live Music.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in our events listings, we cannot accept responsibility for any inaccuracies or omissions. Events may be cancelled or postponed, and you are therefore advised to check with the relevant venue before travelling.

For your event to be considered for inclusion in Colchester 101 please call us on 01206 544700 or email mailus@Colchester101.co.uk

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine August 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Trotters Bar, 22 Middleborough Trotters Bar 2nd Annual Cider and Real Ale Festival with Live Music and DJs. _____________________________________ Thursday 18th August Mercury Theatre Newhart and Lehrer. An entertaining and light-hearted evening of wit, dedicated to the satirical humour of American comic legends Bob Newhart and Tom Lehrer. (Theatre).

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:12 Page 16

New Town

Kings By Simon Crow you haven’t seen or heard of the New Town Kings yet… where have you been?

I ask about the name, surely they

from early 20s, with the older members

can’t all be from New Town? I learn Out in their talks early thirties “We caught the Kissy Sell If Colchester-born that apart from Chris, who lives in tail end of the 70s. I remember except for once spending a Madness was always on the telly, and about his Chelmsford three year spell in Colchester, all the the Specials” recalls Tommy. New Town Kings are Colchester’s very members of the band are locally based. Chris adds “It’s kind of weird with fast-rising success atodance producer own Ska/Reggae band who, for the Theyas explain me that they allmusic either us because if you take each one of us past five years, have been making an impact around the UK and Europe, as well at delighting their own fans back in the town. It all began with two of the band’s nucleus, Tommy and Chris, enjoying drunken nights out in the former Picasso’s bar in St John’s Street. Tommy recalls “On Wednesday nights this guy Eldon would do cocktails, shots and reggae. Chris and I decided to form a band so New Town Kings were born.” The new band did not even have to book their first gig “A fan rung me up and said “I’ve gone and done a stupid thing, I’ve booked you a show! So we did this show at the Twist and it all just took off from there.” New Town Kings were an instant hit and were soon very much in demand on the local music scene “For the next two years we didn’t have to go out and search for a gig” says Chris, and they were soon signed by British independent label Do the Dog, who released their first album Sounds Of The New Town to much critical acclaim.

grew up in the area, or rented houses there “This whole little area seemed to be where the musos were, with drum kits going off at God knows what hour of the night. New Town is cool. There’s a lot of pubs as well which is always a good thing!” says Tommy. There are currently ten members of New Town Kings, but this has not always been the case, sometimes there has been eight, sometimes ten. Stu explains “We didn’t have a horn section for the first 6 months and we’ve gone through lots of players. We’ve had the current line-up for the past year or so and it’s the best we’ve ever had, but the brass section has always been the same from the start, the same drummer, bass, two guitarists, keyboards.” To start with, keyboard player Scott couldn’t actually play keyboards, so he turned up with decks and a sampler saying he’d do fx and scratching “We told him to get a keyboard and he really learned it!” Stu added. The age range of the band spans

Photo: www.thezeitgeistagency.co.uk

away and ask us what music we are into it’s a completely different thing... drum and bass, dance music, disco, funk, Prince... what you’re into really influences you.

“Well an MP3 isn’t a thing.

It’s just something you have on your hard drive. You get it. And you can chuck it away.” “I’m Jamaican so my dad is obviously Jamaican. He was born in Jamaica but I was born in Walthamstow. But, if you’re the son of a Jamaican immigrant there is no need for you to get into reggae. You just know reggae. It’s just there.” It is clear from the banter that Chris’s father has been a major influence on the band and their sound. “So my dad had a box of 7 inches

and other stuff and I lent them to Tommy for a while” continues Chris. “I hit them hard” laughs Tommy “Oh God I hit them hard!” That got Tommy heavily into the whole New York Ska sound. “There’s a great Ska scene in New York” he adds. “A lot of the bands eventually go off towards the punkier, poppier end but there’s still a hard core of them around New York, like HEPCAT, the Slackers, West Bound Train. They are great bands and they play really traditional Ska” The band would love to play in Jamaica, the home of Ska and Reggae“To go over there and play music that Jamaicans are into would be our crowning glory.” Back in the 50s Jamaica was awash with American music, with demand for live music driven by American tourists and US Navy crews who filled the island’s bars and tourist clubs. It was out of this that Ska was born, mixing traditional Jamaican sounds, including calypso and mento, with American R&B, resulting in a high energy style of music perfect for Jamaica’s dance halls. Since achieving independence from Britain in August 1962, the sound has further developed into Rock Steady and Dance Hall. Stu adds “It was a happy mistake

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:09 Page 17

C OV E R S TA R S

Pictured from left to right: Sky Roskell-Cheale - Drums, Show Pony - Trumpet, Scott James - Keys, Rory Sadler - Sax, Tommy Marchant - Bass, Chris Watts - Vox, Stuart McClung - Guitar, John Maynard - Guitar, Rob Band - Percussion.

how it became Ska. They got the beat wrong basically and ended up with this great music.” One of the first exponents of this new sound were Toots and the Maytals who were signed to the Studio One label ‘the Motown of Jamaica’. Toots himself is a fan of the New Town Kings, and was recently recorded on film telling them “I’ve become your fan, you’re doing good.” Praise indeed from a living legend. We talk about their new album M.O.J.O Music of Jamaican Origin. It’s an amazing album, but before you even hear it you know you are in for something special, packaged as it is in a replica ‘old school’ style record sleeve, with the CD itself printed black to look like a vinyl record. It even has a sticker in the middle. If this much love has gone into the packaging you just know the contents are not going to disappoint. Talk of this great packaging leads the band to bemoan the way that ownership of music has changed over the past few years. When young record buyers would once have bought an album and listened to it over and over for weeks, getting to know each song inside out and backwards, until they could afford to buy the next album of their desires,

now the ‘shuffle generation’ just downloads the tracks they want and add them to the 1000s already on their iPods.. “We’ve become music junkies” adds Stu. “My step-daughter’s boyfriend was in my shed the other day and he was surprised at the amount of videos, CDs and vinyl that I had collected over the years, and he was like “How do you collect all this stuff?”” Chris laughs. “Well an MP3 isn’t a thing. It’s just something you have on your hard drive. You get it. And you can chuck it away.” Stu replies. M.O.J.O is the total opposite. It’s tangible. It’s real. And so too are the New Town Kings. They are a recording band. They are a performance band. It doesn’t get much more real than that. www.facebook.com/newtownkings www.myspace.com/newtownkings M.O.J.O is available to download from http://www.bombermusic.com Amazon, itunes, HMV.com Play.com

Photos courtesy of jjdoyle.com

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:09 Page 18

MUSIC

The Overwrought By Becky Davis

This month 101 catches up with Owen Bennett and Dom Stevenson from The Overwrought to talk politics - Nick Clegg and meeting Bob Russell. The Overwrought have been around for a year now and have taken the Colchester scene by storm. After playing almost every live music venue around the town their next plan is to take on London. “I think we are going to start playing London more because we’ve played everywhere you can play in Colchester now” says vocalist Owen. “I think people thought six months ago when we were playing every bar, every week: oh not The Overwrought again” [laughs]. Before playing London “we wanted to bide our time, have a good set of songs and be really tight. I think we are there now” says Owen. If you’ve been lucky enough to catch them performing live you’ll know that The Overwrought are nonconformists when it comes to writing songs. Rather than singing about love and heartbreak they would rather write songs about Nick Clegg and soldiers beating people up. “We consciously decided not to try and not write love songs because so many other bands do it” says Owen. As vocalist and lyric writer front-man Owen is able to put forward his own political views and concerns. “I did a degree in politics. Quelle surprise!” he says. “I didn’t want to be in a band just for the sake of being in a band. I wanted to be in a band because I genuinely want to make music that I didn’t think that anyone else is making, or at least write lyrics that no-one else is writing”. The Overwrought are first and foremost a political band. “We’re a political rock and roll band and that’s final” states Owen. “We deal with social political issues” he adds. Their song Condemned was written about Nick Clegg. “I really like Condemned because it spoke of the time” says guitarist Dom. “It’s a song we definitely wrote to put a marker down now” explains

Owen. “People are really annoyed with Nick Clegg and that song had to be written. Criminal proceedings should be brought against him for lying to people to get into power. It’s the equivalent to a fascist dictator, I strongly believe that. Owen wrote the song with young people in mind. In the song it says that: “I think that smashing windows is such a drag, but tell me what other voice do young people have?” Their goal as a band is to challenge people’s views and question what they believe in. “I think we invite people to question if what they’re told is true” says Owen who was once approached after a show in Sudbury by a guy who said the song Attack, which is about violence between soldiers and civilians, really upset him and how dare the band sing those lyrics. “The best thing about the argument was that he came up and had it with me. He said you don’t get a chance to speak to people about their songs when you see a big band. I said even though you don’t agree with me, the fact that you’ve come up to me and challenged me is exactly what I think music, art in any form should do. It should challenge your views and if that song made his own views even firmer well at least he realised that” explains Owen. Guitarist Dom tells us about the unforgettable time he met Bob Russell. “I was hung-over in my dressing gown and Bob Russell came door knocking. He asked me what I thought about Colchester. Out of everything I could think of I said “Buses, not enough buses in Colchester.” “And what happened? They shut down the bus park, thanks Dom - the opposite of what you said!” adds Owen. The Overwrought are a band who look to a realistic and achievable future. “A lot of bands want to headline Glastonbury and that’s the dream but it’s kind of setting yourself up for a fall” reckons Owen.

Kelvedon Free Music Festival was on their list of goals as a band. When they went last year as punters they thought it would be great to play at the festival and this year they were invited to open the Essex Rocks tent. “We were really chuffed to do it” says Owen. “Kelvedon festival was on the list, the Arts Centre is the next one” he continues. The band was going to play the Arts Centre last month but unfortunately had to pass up the opportunity as Owen had already made arrangements to attend a friend’s wedding. “I think the Arts Centre is a great venue, I’d love to play there. We really want to play the free festival too, if we don’t play it I’ll be gutted. I’d be so proud of the band if we achieved that” says Owen. Dom says that he’d be quite happy to “just play for half an hour in the beautiful grounds of Colchester Castle”. The band doesn’t get paid for performing live. “We literally don’t make any money out of our music but if we wanted to make money we’d be in a covers band” says Owen. “If we get offered beers we’ll take a beer” adds Dom. Owen continues to say that “people expect stuff for free off Facebook now. We couldn’t make any money out of our recordings which is why we don’t spend a lot of money in the studio. We record it ourselves which is why the quality is quite poor. As much as a financial hindrance free downloads are, it’s also great because people will go on Facebook and download your songs. Then they might come down to a gig and buy a t-shirt or CD”. The Overwrought have songs available for free download from their Facebook page: facebook.com/theoverwrought

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:09 Page 19

View from the

Funny Farm

The diary of an independent comedy promoter by Hazel Humphreys

lopsy-haired, tramp-ear-eating comic Alan Davies has been speaking out about the sanitised production of televised stand-up comedy and how it gives a false impression of live performance, which includes fumbled words, mic feedback and occasional periods of baffled hostile silence.

Alan is promoting the new ITV comedy reality programme “Show Me the Funny” (yes, the one I auditioned for), which promises a “warts and all” expose of the way comedy sets are developed, by taking a group of comedians and plonking them into unfamiliar surroundings (gigs at schools, old folks homes, hospices etc.) so they have to quickly come up with new material aimed at a new audience. Mr Davies, who is one of the show’s judges (the other being the fearsome all-powerful comedy reviewer of “The Scotsman”; professional harridan, Kate Copstick), compared the slick perfection of TV shows like “Live at the Apollo” to “watching a football match where every shot is on target”, but he should consider the vast differences in audience expectation for televised comedy versus live gigs. Comedy is one of the few professions where people only find out if something works by performing it in

front of an audience. (I’m guessing brain surgeons don’t decide to experiment on the job by using a corkscrew and a Dyson). All of the material performers showcase on telly and DVDs has gone through this tortuous testing process, giving a polished final product to meet an audience demand for undemanding entertainment. Live audiences enjoy the rugged charm of new material within a show, becoming part of the comedy themselves through their responses. That’s not to say people watching comedy on the box don’t enjoy cock-ups, but they’re generally saved for DVD extras or special out-takes episodes. “Show Me The Funny” will be fascinating to all stand-ups as it documents how painful it can be for any performer outside of their comfort zone, but many viewers may be disillusioned by this stripping away of the magic. I’ll be watching, gripped; one of the nicest, funniest comedians I know, Patrick

Monahan, has made it onto the show, and is my tip to win the whopping £100,000 prize. Recently, I’ve received messages “warning” me of new comedy gigs springing up around Colchester. When I started Wivenhoe Funny Farm six years ago, we were the only local independent comedy gig, but suddenly there’s loads and rather than worry about it or order dead horses heads for competitors, I’d rather wish them luck and concentrate on running a funny gig. I’ve been asked to run a free open mic comedy night at Wivenhoe’s Black Buoy Pub (August 15th), thus becoming my own competition. I’ll be buying concrete booties and sending myself to swim with the fishes next. August 26’s Funny Farm features a return from our popular old MC Tony Cowards (whose star has now risen to such an extent that Keith Chegwin is nicking his jokes on Twitter). For booking details see www.wivenhoefunnyfarm.co.uk

COLCHESTER UNITED FC

Fired up for the new season Photo: cu-fc.com

The summer break is over for us now and it is now back to training in anticipation of the new season starting at the beginning of August. I’m not expecting to have to do loads of long distance running though. Things have changed over the years in terms of the type of training that goes on once we are back as a group. When I started out, pre-season was used to get players fit again after their summer break. These days, managers want to be able to work on tactics and how they want their teams to attack and defend in matches. Don’t get me wrong, we still do

a lot of physical work when we’re back, working specifically on power and intensity, rather than the strength and endurance work we were given to do during the break. Having us already at a decent fitness level means that the manager can work with us on the actual pitch, with a football involved from very early on. We usually have a couple of session each day, one working on the football side and the other improving our fitness even more. This year we are going over to Holland for a few days, something that can be very beneficial to us as a squad.

We’ll do pretty much the same as we would over here but it gives us a fresh environment to get that work done. We also have a couple of pre-season friendlies against Dutch opposition, which should be good as we’ll have to work out different ways of breaking down different systems of playing the game. After those few days away, we return to two fantastic fixtures here at the Weston Homes Community Stadium. We play Watford on July 30th but first we take on local rivals Ipswich Town on July 26th. It might only be a pre-season friendly but I’m

sure that both sets of players and supporters will want to be able to boast about winning. So, get yourself down to the stadium and back us with plenty of noise against the Tractor Boys, and Watford of course, as we build up to the new League One campaign.

Kem Izzet

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:09 Page 20

FOOD

Food for Thought

Street Food By Melissa Porter Not so long ago the only street food you could find in Colchester, and the rest of the country for that matter, were pretty rotten burger & chip vans, or an overpriced ‘Mr Whippy’ ice-cream truck. Things are rapidly changing in the street food world, if you are looking for the next best eat then you are increasingly more likely to find it on a street corner than in a swanky restaurant. It seems that unachievable restaurant start up costs, are pushing more and more experienced and imaginative chefs into a mobile catering truck to sell their unique brand of food. This is what good street food is about: delivering a local and culturally enriching experience with unique flavours that you would never find in a restaurant. Of course, you don’t get the whole side show - no white tie, no tablecloth, no one to look after you and no sommelier to suggest the right wine matching - but the experience goes beyond that. Street food brings you to places you have never been. Street food is a journey to new countries. Street food pushes the envelope of the culinary world. Street food is a new expedition every day. According to Richard Johnson, food

journalist, street food is an adventure. “Ask a resident of Mumbai, and they’ll tell you - with pride - that the city’s restaurants are for tourists. They just can’t compare with the authentic Indian food served by the blind chaatwala beside the open drain behind the railway station. And they are probably right. There’s something about discovering real street food that makes it tastier.” A cart, a big pot, and some cooking skills: street food looks deceptively simple. Yet, just as in well-known restaurants, every vendor has developed their signature dish and the concept attracts more and more people every year. The trend is such that one of the vendors in New York, Will Goldfarb, was trained at El Bulli no less! To help nurture the vibrancy and diversity created by street food entrepreneurs, awards are organised in main cities around the world to recognise the best amongst thousands of mobilers working hard day in day out, whatever the weather. The British Street Food Awards were set up in 2010 to recognise the best of the 10,000 mobilers who sell their wares on British streets. The first prize

last year was a food mixer. This year, the 2011 British Street Food Awards will be taking place at ‘Harvest at Jimmy’s’ (September 9-11), the winner will leave with a business makeover from M&S and a pitch to trade in the Olympic village. The days of the dirty burger van are numbered... At the Colchester Free Festival, taking place on Saturday 27th August, in Castle Park you will have the opportunity to sample some local street food, prepared by people with a passion for good food. After the success of last year’s Festival - the organisers were taken a little by surprise when over 15,000 came to see what all the noise was about they admit that they were a little overwhelmed. Graham Tidd, Trade Stall Manager explains, “This year the catering provision has been doubled, almost without exception we have sourced local vendors”.

Seasonal Food Guide

Look out for Raymond Baignent cooking up a Paella storm, Mei Bryan with her Wok n Roll van, Cassandra Iwelu serving classic African street food, Hollie Bennett with her Hog Roast and Ken from The Chickpea serving his delicious Curry. If you miss them at the Festival you may be lucky and spot one of them on a street corner near you!

Corn Chowder

By Melissa Porter It’s the peak of the summer with everything growing in abundance, now’s the time to forage away for the winter months. Get making jams, pickles, and chutneys. Pack an abundance of fruit into fruit pies, or stew lightly and freeze for later. Steep some fruit in gin or vodka for a taste of the summer in the winter months. Herbs don’t freeze too well, but chop them up and freeze in ice cube trays with a little olive oil to protect them, then drop into winter soups and stews straight from the freezer.

Spotlight on...

‘Sweetcorn’ Sweetcorn is a form of maize, and the kernels we eat are the fruit of the plant. Originally a Central/South American food, the Spanish explorers are thought to have brought it to Europe, and it is now grown plentifully in southern Britain. In season August and September Storage Buy whole cobs with the husk (leaves) still on, and eat them as freshly as possible because the sugars turn to starch after it has been picked. Better yet, go to a pick-your-own farm. If you can’t eat them immediately, store

Fruit Apple (bramley), apricots, blackcurrants, blueberries, cherries, gooseberries, greengages, peaches, plums, raspberries, redcurrants, strawberries and tomatoes. Vegetables Artichoke, aubergine, beetroot, broad beans, courgettes, cucumber, elderflowers, fennel, globe artichoke, lettuce, mushrooms, peas, peppers, radishes, rocket, rhubarb, runner beans, spinach, sweetcorn, swiss chard and watercress. Herbs Basil, garlic, mint, parsley, rosemary. Meat & Game Grouse, Hare, Lamb. Fish Crab, crayfish, herring, john dory, mackerel, salmon, sardines, sea trout.

them in the fridge for a few days. Quick serving ideas If you pick your own, try eating it raw immediately; it’ll be wonderfully sweet. Boiling is quickest, but barbequed sweetcorn is the best. Leave the husks on and soak in cold water for around 10 minutes, then barbeque for around 15-20 minutes. Smother in butter, sprinkle on a little salt, or chilli flakes, and dive in. Use it up Strip the kernels from cooked cobs by standing them upright (cut the end flat first) and running a sharp knife down the sides. You can then bag and freeze the kernels. Get creative with your sweetcorn kernels: they make good little fritters, you could make a salsa, or scatter them on a pizza.

Corn chowder is a great American brunch dish. A large bowl with some crusty bread makes a welcome meal on its own. Chowders are pretty versatile too, you can add anything from crab meat to smoked haddock to make a more substantial meal. 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed 4 rashers of smoked, streaky bacon, chopped 60g butter 1tbsp flour 1tsp tomato purée 1.2 litre hot chicken stock 1 x 250g can of sweetcorn, frozen is fine too 1 large potato, peeled and cut into rough 1cm cubes 2tbsp chopped parsley 60ml double cream Gently cook the onion, garlic and bacon in the butter for 4-5 minutes until soft. Stir in the flour and the tomato purťe and cook on a low heat for 1-2 minutes. Gradually add the hot chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sweetcorn and potatoe, season with salt and pepper and simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove about one-fifth of the soup from the pan; blend until smooth. Return to the pan add the cream and parsley. Serve with some crusty bread.

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:09 Page 21

FOOD Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine August 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Mum I’m Hungry By Melissa Porter

Sweetcorn Fritters with Crispy Bacon Still following the sweetcorn theme, these crispy sweetcorn fritters take minutes to make and are loved by kids and grown-ups. The best thing is you can add all sorts of extras into the batter, like peppers, courgette, a little smoked fish, maybe some tuna, or Peel the husks off the corn cobs, then boil go sweet with a little chilli jam... for about 10 min until tender. Drain them the choice is yours! and stand them on their ends; cut off the kernels with a knife. Makes 16 small fritters Put the flour, baking powder, and sugar 4 Corn Cobs in a bowl. Add the eggs and yolk and beat 180g plain Flour (or use self-raising well. Beat in the milk to get a thick batter. and omit the baking powder) Lightly brown half the butter in a pan and 1 tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Sugar add to the batter. Add the onion, corn, pars2 Whole Eggs ley and chilli (if using) and season well with 1 Egg Yolk salt and pepper. Grill the bacon until crisp. 150ml Milk Meanwhile heat the oil and remaining 2 tbsp Butter Pinch Chilli Flakes, or as much butter in a frying pan. Drop in tablespoons of a fresh Chilli as you fancy of the mixture and fry over a medium heat Handful of Parsley, chopped for 2 min on each side until golden brown. 4 Spring Onions Serve immediately with your grilled 4 Bacon Rashers 4 tsp Sunflower Oil, for frying crispy bacon.

Elderflower Champagne By Melissa Porter I couldn’t let the elderflower season go by without introducing you to Elderflower Champagne. It is easy to make, you don’t need any special equipment, and it tastes delicious! It’s similar to lemonade but with a beautiful floral taste, and is mildly alcoholic. You only need 5 or 6 ‘heads’ of flowers to make one gallon of champagne, and it’s ready to drink in two or three weeks. For 4.5L (one gallon) you will need; • 5-6 heads of Elderflower • 2 Lemons • 750g of Sugar • 2 tbsp of Vinegar (preferably cider vinegar) • Recycled plastic fizzy drinks bottles to hold the Champagne.

Plastic bottles are better than glass because you can give them a squeeze to see how much pressure has built up, and if you forget them for a few days they won’t explode - the crimp at the bottom will pop out instead to alert you. Note that there is no added yeast in this recipe. The flowers are not scalded or sterilised, which leaves the wild yeasts naturally present on the blooms to start the fermentation for you. To make your Champagne... Pick nice young flower heads, where the flowers have not yet started to drop petals or turn brown. Use the flowers promptly or the aroma will change and become unpleasant. Put 4.5 litres (1 gallon) of water in a large lidded saucepan. Add the elderflower heads (having shaken any bugs off them first) and two sliced lemons. Put the lid on, and leave it for 24 to 36 hours. Strain the liquid through a clean cloth or a sieve. Add 750g of sugar and two tablespoons of cider vinegar, stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Pour into fizzy drinks bottles. Put the tops on, but don’t screw them on tight yet - just stand the bottles in a corner and keep an eye on them. After a few days they will start to ‘fizz’ as the wild

yeasts get to work on the sugar. After one or two weeks the bubbles will gradually slow down. When they look like they have pretty much stopped, screw the lids down and put the bottles somewhere fairly cool. Give them another few days to generate enough gas to carbonate themselves, and you’re set - just refrigerate the bottle before you need it, and serve over ice with lemon. The elderflower champagne is still ‘live’ and continuing to ferment, so the longer it is stored the more alcoholic (and drier) it will become. Keep a note of how long it takes to be perfect for your taste, and bear in mind for following years: by three months old it will be too dry for most tastes, but unless you make large quantities it’s unlikely to last that long.

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:09 Page 22

FOOD

The Rose and Crown, Great Horkesley

It takes the farmer a couple of years to raise the animal, the butcher a month to get it ready for the kitchen, and less than ten minutes for a chef to mess it up. That is unfortunately the story of too many steaks. But not in the kitchen of Edward Halls at the Rose and Crown, Great Horkesley. My steak was cooked to perfection. But more about that later. Seven years ago Edward was enjoying a successful career in recruitment, until he woke up one morning and decided he wanted to cook for a living “I begged borrowed and stole my first job at the Mistley Thorn, which was just opening,” he tells me. “I just wanted to know if I could actually do it.” Eventually he ended up in London at the Royal Garden Hotel, before being taken on at Petrus, one of the UK’s top restaurants and one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. It was at Petrus, working with Marcus Wareing, that Edward began to really hone his skills “I learned how to approach the kitchen, how to manage it, and how to work really hard. I got my approach, attitude and focus there, but in terms of the actual cooking it was a real mixture from eating out, to work, to cooking at home. I became really obsessed, and on my days off I’d work at a butchers, a fishmonger, picking up every skill I could. I did a diploma in patisserie. I went part time at college... I did everything. I’d go home and make two or three different ice creams just to learn about the different levels of sugar, and moisture and fat and how it

affected the texture and flavour.” After Petrus Edward became a private chef to General Sir Richard Dannatt who was the then Chief of the General Staff and Head of the British Army at his official residence at Kensington Palace, before eventually taking over the lease at the Rose and Crown in March 2010. Almost immediately he closed the pub for six weeks to refurbish and redecorate it, before reopening as a gastro pub that April. He’s rarely been out of the kitchen since. “It’s a Green King pub and all beers are supplied by them, along with guest ales. They’ve been very good to me, if they can support you or help you they will, and they’ll also let you go on their own training courses.” Now back to that steak… The Rose and Crown offers a Classic Pub Menu containing delights such as their 6oz Dedham Vale Steak Burger, and freshly sliced Severn and Wye smoked Salmon, but we opted to order from the À La Carte Menu. My partner Helen started with Twice Baked Soufflé of Montgomery Cheddar, Slow Roasted Cherry Vine Tomatoes, Basil and Pinenut Dressing which she described as “extremely fluffy and light with beautiful flavours that melted in my mouth. The delicious cheddar flavour worked brilliantly with the cherry tomatoes and basil and pinenut dressing.” I opted for the Fresh Shetland Mussels in a Provencal Sauce of

Tomato, Onion, Garlic and Fresh Herbs. More used to mussels being served in a white wine sauce I was a little unsure what to expect. But my fears were unfounded as the combination of flavours worked superbly with the delicious mussels. For her main course Helen could not resist her favourite, the Pan Roasted Fillet of Wild Sea Bass, Buttered Samphire, Herb Gnocchi and Baby Summer Vegetables. The fresh local sea bass was cooked to perfection, the herb gnocchi and baby summer vegetables added colour, texture and some delicious flavours to the scrumptious fillet of fish. “Probably the best sea bass I have ever eaten” she enthused. As you know by now, I went for the steak. Edward only uses 28 to 35 day dry aged Dedham Vale Beef, and my 12oz Rump Steak was quite simply one of the very finest steaks that I have ever eaten. Anywhere. Tender and succulent, it was chargrilled exactly how I had ordered it, medium rare, and was served on a wooden platter with delicious hand cut, twice cooked chips, slow roasted garlic tomatoes and watercress salad. I was in steak heaven! Now, I’m not usually a dessert eater, but this was no time to stay set in my ways, so after a short break and a glass or two of Merlot we decided to share the Chocolate Trifle and the Honey and Cinnamon Roasted Peach. The trifle, if you’re a chocolate lover, was orgasmic, a huge portion with delicious pieces of chocolate brownies, creamy chocolate sauce and mousse topped with fresh cream and grated white chocolate. The Roasted Peach was quite simply delicious, with glazed marzipan, raspberries, crushed nougatine and Greek yogurt sorbert creating an explosion of tastes in our mouths. Our choices were exquisite and we congratulated ourselves for ordering so well! “We are seeing a lot repeat business” Edward tells me “and I like to come out of the kitchen to talk to the customers whenever I can. We are getting a lot of recommendations ... my mother... my aunt... my hairdresser has told us we must come... we must try your steaks... we must experience your food...” We could fully understand why. We had a fabulous evening at the Rose and Crown with delicious food prepared by a top chef, excellent service, all in a comfortable, relaxing environment.

Food Events in August Colchester Farmers Market Friday 5th August Colchester Arts Centre, Church Street, Nr Mercury Theatre 9.00am - 1.00pm Free Admission Quality foods, locally produced. Over 20 Stalls. Make a date to support your local producers. Glen Miller 1940’s Concert Night Saturday 6th August Cedar Lawn, Kentwell Hall, Long Melford Tickets: Adult £25.00 Child £20.00 Gates open at 6.30pm, Jive Demo from 7.00pm, Concert starts at 8.00pm. It promises to be another evening of pure nostalgia as once again the strains of Glenn Miller’s unique sound fill the air. Join the throng to Jitterbug on the Courtyard. Or just relax on the lawns in Kentwell’s magical romantic setting to enjoy the music and the occasion while you picnic. Art and Wine, Wine tasting and culture event Monday 15th August Colchester United Stadium 7.00pm - 9.00pm Wine tasting with a Spanish wine expert. Wivenhoe Farmers Market Saturday 20th August The Congregational Church Hall, High Street, Wivenhoe 9.00am - 12.00pm Free Admission. Over 18 stalls of fresh, seasonal and local produce. Tea Party Saturday 20th August St Martin’s Church, West Stockwell Street, Colchester. Contact Anne Broen, 01206 543531. All are welcome to an afternoon Tea Party, in aid of the Dutch Quarter in Bloom. Supper Afloat Monday 22nd August Topsail Charters, Maldon 01621 857567 4.30pm - 6.30pm £18.50 sail only, £28 with a Ploughman’s, £32 with a Seafood Platter. Take a two hour cruise from Maldon Quay past the RSPB reserve to Osea Island and back, aboard an original wooden Thames Sailing Barge. Colchester Free Festival Saturday 27th August Castle Park, Colchester 11.00am - 7.00pm The free festival is free for all! This amazing not-for-profit volunteer led public event will again provide a celebration of Colchesterís music, art and culture. The kids have their own mini-festival too in the shape of Kidstival. Dress up your little ones to join in the alien fun ‘Space’ theme this year. Mexican Themed Evening Saturday 27th August The Cooking Experience, 9 High Street, Hadleigh £25 per head, for reservations contact 0844 556 9323 Experience a taste of Mexico. Masses of good Mexican food, some Hispanic dance music and good company. You may bring your own drink. BEER FESTIVAL - Charity Event Sunday 28th and Monday 29th August The Sutton Plough, Main Road, Sutton, Woodbridge 0844 556 9268 Local stalls, live music, auction of promises. All in aid of the East Anglian Children’s Hospice. The Royal Joust with Food & Craft Market Sunday 28th and Monday 29th August Hedingham Castle 10.00am - 5.00pm Adults £11, Child £8.50, Family £39.00. The Knights of Royal England show their worth to the mighty medieval lord. Meet the falconry birds and ferrets, wander the streets of the food and crafts traders, and buy some medieval style goods to take home.

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:09 Page 23

E AT I N G O U T

PIZZA AND PASTA Strada 19-20 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 542854 Valentino’s 11 High St, Wivenhoe CO7 9BE Tel: 01206 825738 Ristorante Favoloso 2-4 Balkerne Passage CO1 1PA Tel: 01206 549080 Finezza 45 Osbourne Street CO2 7DB Tel: 01206 619128 Ask Colchester 16 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 366379 Pizza Express 1 St. Runwald’s Street CO1 1HF Tel: 01206 760680 Zizzi 12 Headgate CO3 3BT Tel: 01206 576816 Prezzo 1 Culver Street East CO1 1LD Tel: 01206 573388 Granata’s Restaurant 42 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PY Tel: 01206 762277 Portofino Haven Rd, Colchester CO2 8HT Tel: 01206 795043 Pizza Hut Turner Rd, Colchester CO4 5JR Tel: 01206 546545 GASTROPUBS Rose & Crown Nayland Road, Great Horkesley CO6 4AH Tel: 01206 271251 The Anchor 26 Court Street, Nayland CO6 4JL Tel: 01206 262313 FAMILY Balkerne Gate Brewers Fayre Ipswich Road CO4 4WP Tel: 01206 852932 Harvester 186 London Road, Stanway CO3 8NZ Tel: 01206 575456 Nando’s Chicken Restaurant 11-13, Head St, Colchester CO1 1NX Tel: 01206 760344 AMERICAN Sloppy Joe’s American Dinner 37 High Street CO1 1DH Tel: 01206 577229 Clowns Restaurant 61a, High Street CO1 1DN Tel: 01206 578631 Frankie & Benny’s Tollgate West CO3 8RH Tel: 01206 216220 TRADITIONAL The Coast Inn 108 Coast Rd, West Mersea CO5 8NA Tel: 01206 383568 The Lion Public House The Street, Ardleigh CO7 7LD Tel: 01206 230083

The Cricketers Spring Lane, Fordham Heath CO3 9TG Tel: 01206 583357

Naree Thai Restaurant 10 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 560633

La Tasca 14-15 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 768060

Beefeater Restaurant & Pub The Albert, Cowdray Ave CO1 1UT Tel: 01206 561914

The Thai Dragon 35 East Hill CO1 2QX Tel: 01206 863414

La Cascada Fox St, Ardleigh CO7 7PP Tel: 01206 864030

Dedham Restaurant & Boat Hire Boat House, Mill Lane, Dedham CO7 6DH Tel: 01206 323153

Thai 1 82a East Hill CO1 2QW Tel: 01206 870011

The Old Siege House 75 East Street CO1 2TS Tel: 01206 792333

Fountain House Dedham Hall, Brook Street, Dedham CO7 6AD Tel: 01206 323027

INDIAN Alishan Tandoori Restaurant 19 Osborne St CO2 7DP Tel: 01206 564009

BAR AND GRILL Qube Bar & Grill 8 Crouch Street CO3 3ES Tel: 01206 578800

The Greyhound Pub and Restaurant 62 High Street, Wivenhoe CO7 9AZ Tel: 01206 825573

Ashiana Tandoori 181 Magdalen Street CO1 2JX Tel: 01206 570533

Green Room Restaurant North Hill Hotel, 51 North Hill CO1 1PY Tel: 01206 574001

Tandoori Villa 6 Villa Road, Stanway CO3 0RH Tel: 01206 369600

ORIENTAL Fai’s Noodle Bar 26-27 St. Botolphs Street CO2 7EA Tel: 01206 762288 Banquet 1408 Chinese Restaurant 342 London Rd, Stanway CO3 8LT Tel: 01206 211588 North Hill Noodle Bar 2 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 618790 House of China 19-21 Crouch Street CO3 3EN Tel: 01206 575111 Embassy Oriental Buffet 2 Balkerne Hill CO3 3AA Tel: 01206 572266 Fulin Chinese Restaurant 24 Osborne Street CO2 7DA Tel: 01206 577888 Orientation Oriental Restaurant Mercury Theatre, Balkerne Gt CO1 1PT Tel: 01206 368100 Chef Canton Chinese Restaurant 2a Crouch Street CO3 3ES Tel: 01206 572703 China Blue 25 Head Street CO1 1NH Tel: 01206 761876 China Chef 73 Crouch Street CO3 3EZ Tel: 01206 546953 SPECIALITY Le Talbooth Gun Hill, Dedham CO7 6HP Tel: 01206 323150 Milsoms Stratford Road, Dedham CO7 6HW Tel: 01206 322795 Chystal Restaurant 49, St. Botolphs Street CO2 7EB Tel: 01206 545566 The Barn Brasserie Brook Road, Great Tey CO6 1JE Tel: 01206 212345 Bellapais St. Johns Street CO2 7AH Tel: 01206 571830 Baumanns Brasserie Ltd 4-6 Stoneham St, Coggeshall CO6 1TT Tel: 01376 561453

Curry India Tandoori Restaurant 119-121 Crouch Street CO3 3HA Tel: 01206 571555 Raj Palace 28 North Station Road CO1 1RB Tel: 01206 760920 Way to the Raj 90 Coggeshall Rd, Marks Tey CO6 1LS Tel: 01206 211495 Titash Restaurant Ltd 40b High St, West Mersea CO5 8QA Tel: 01206 381778 ENGLISH Indulgence Restaurant & Bar 62 High Street CO1 1DN Tel: 01206 765090 Fountain House Dedham Hall, Brook Street, Dedham CO7 6AD Tel: 01206 323027

FISH ‘N’ CHIPS Fish N Grill 120 High Street CO1 1SZ Tel: 01206 540333 Myland Fisheries 32 Nayland Rd, Mile End CO4 5EQ Tel: 01206 841495 Rons Plaice 56 London Rd CO3 4DF Tel: 01206 540436 Nindys 28 Dugard Ave, Colchester CO3 9EJ Tel: 01206 769184 The Islander 37 High St, West Mersea CO5 8QA Tel: 01206 382305 MODERN CUISINE The Bakehouse 5 High St, Wivenhoe CO7 9BJ Tel: 01206 824569 Parliament Restaurant at The Red Lion High Street CO1 1DJ Tel: 01206 577986 The Lemon Tree 48 St Johns St, Colchester, CO2 7AD Tel: 01206 767337

BISTROS AND BARS Love Bistro The Minories, 74 High St. CO1 1UE Tel: 01206 765131

The Lexden Crown 235 Lexden Rd, Colchester, CO3 4DA Tel: 01206 548490

The Anchor 26 Court Street, Nayland CO6 4JL Tel: 01206 262313

Warehouse Brasserie 12 Chapel Street North CO2 7AT Tel: 01206 765656

The Peldon Rose Inn Colchester Rd, Peldon CO5 7QJ Tel: 01206 735248 The Angel St. Marys Square, Kelvedon, CO5 9AN Tel: 01376 573746 Jardine 140 High Street, Wivenhoe CO7 9AF Tel: 01206 820390 Copacabana Bar and Grill 62 High Street CO1 1DN Tel: 01206 765090 Restaurant at The George Hotel 116 High Street, CO1 1TD Tel: 01206 578494 EUROPEAN The East Street Grill East Street CO1 2TZ Tel: 01206 866677 Cafe Rouge - Colchester 59 High Street CO1 1DH Tel: 01206 541839

FISH AND SEAFOOD West Mersea Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant Oyster House, Coast Rd, West Mersea, Colchester, Essex CO5 8LT Tel: 01206 381600 The Company Shed 129 Coast Road, West Mersea CO5 8PA Tel: 01206 382700

For your restaurant to be considered for inclusion in Colchester 101 please call us on 01206 544700 or email mailus@Colchester101.co.uk

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine August 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Your Guide to eating out in and around Colchester

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:09 Page 24

HOME & GARDEN A D V E R T O R I A L

Colchester’s A B Block Paving & Landscape Specialists will Premier transform your driveway, Driveway garden or patio. With over 27 years experience throughout East Anglia and the South East you will have expert advice and guidance with creating your beautiful low maintenance driveway, patio or any outside area that will enhance your property.

Installer

• 27 years experience • Block paving • Slabbing • Fencing • Garden Design • Concrete • Groundworks • Supply and lay service

Many of A B Block Paving clients have eagerly promoted and recommended the excellent finish and professionally completed driveways, patios and garden areas. Visit our website to see the process of work undertaken from start to finish. No more water or puddles lingering after rain - all drainage is professionally installed to correct specifications. No more weeds creeping through as the correct sub-base is installed which prevents this occurring. We also offer pressure cleaning and remedial work of paved driveways and patios to freshen up older installations.

Pride in our work makes us proud of our jobs.

Contact A B Block Paving & Landscape Specialists for all your driveways, patio, garden pathways and fencing requirements. Call 01206 763643 or 07765 347331 for a free quotation.

BLOCKPAVING & LANDSCAPE SPECIALISTS

Let BELVOIR! find the right tenants for your property Winner of the “Best Lettings Agency Franchise - Gold Award” at the Lettings Agency of the Year 2010 in association with The Sunday Times and The Times.

To arrange a free professional appraisal of your property, call us on 01206 364444 www.belvoirlettings.com/colchester Belvoir Colchester, 1 Montrose House, Eld Lane, Colchester, Essex CO1 1LS

BELVOIR! the lettings specialist

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:10 Page 25

HOME & GARDEN

3 bedroom terraced house to let

5 bedroom attached cottage for sale

Dutch Quarter, Colchester. £825pcm An unfurnished 3 double bedroom terraced house situated in Colchester’s popular Dutch Quarter within the vibrant town centre. The accommodation is spread over three floors. The basement accommodation comprises: family/dining room, fitted kitchen with built in oven and hob and fridge/freezer. To the ground floor there is a sitting room and double bedroom and family bathroom with shower over the bath. Two further double bedrooms to the first floor. There are two off road parking spaces to the rear with access via St Peters Street.

Call Belvoir: 01206 364444

BELVOIR! the lettings specialist

Adelphi Cottages, Langham. £475,000 Grade II Listed Five Bedroom Attached Cottage situated in a central position in the popular village of Langham. The property has been substantially extended over recent years. The extended part of the property is mainly weather boarded where as the original cottage is rendered and both are under a peg tiled and slate roof. Accommodation includes a large master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, kitchen/breakfast room, beamed sitting room, lounge and dining room. &

Call Palmer & Partners: 01206 572233

5 bedroom detached house for sale

Call Boydens: 01206 762244

Property sales with service

2 bedroom detached bungalow for sale

Coopers Crescent, West Bergholt. Guide price: £350,000 Located in the popular village of West Bergholt, this 5 bedroom detached house has accommodation over three floors with double garage and conservatory. On the ground floor, two reception rooms, cloakroom, kitchen/breakfast room and conservatory, on the first floor, four bedrooms, two bathrooms and on the second floor the master suite with en-suite and balcony with views to the rear.

Palmer & Partners

Stanway, Colchester. Guide price £200,000 Ezelet are delighted to offer this desirable 2 bedroom detached bungalow. Situated in the popular area of Stanway. Benefiting from local shopping facilities, schools and easy access to Colchester town centre. Part double glazed, part central heating, good sized rear garden, double length garage. Must be viewed.

Call Ezelet: 01206 564700

eze let

The Property Detective • Building Surveys • • HomeBuyer Reports • • Specialist Commercial Property Services • • Rent Reviews & Lease Renewals • • Small Business Rates Advice • • Town Planning Matters • • Property Developments •

Proud sponsors of Modern English at the Colchester Free Festival

Leslie J Long FRICS Chartered Surveyors, Valuers, Property Consultants & Managers

Telephone: 01206 545139 Email: LJL@eyesurvey.co.uk 54 Prettygate Road Colchester Essex CO3 4EQ.

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine August 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Editor’s Choice Our top four homes of the month

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:10 Page 26

HOME & GARDEN

Photo: www.nickstrugnell.com

Grow Your Own Veggies in Your Back Garden By Sven Wombwell With the credit crunch still looming large and space of such a premium these days more and more people are looking to find room to grow their own fruit, veg and herbs. Now not all of us have gardens that can accommodate a large vegetable patch, so we have to look at ways we can shoe-horn crops into our gardens.

Many small gardens have the majority of the space dedicated to the green stuff... lawns. I am only a fan of lawns if you have enough space for it to be worthwhile, so why not use the space for growing veg. There are a few ways you can go about this, firstly what is called the no-dig method. Build raised beds right on top of the lawn using either untreated sleepers or chunky timber. These should be about 300mm high and as big as you can afford them to be (ideally 1.5m by 3m or more) then add a good layer of well rotted farm yard manure to the bottom and cover with a thick layer of news paper and give it a good soak then fill it up with good top soil or compost. The paper and manure all rots down adding nutrients and attracting worms that will work the soil for you, meaning you don’t have to dig!! Turf is full of nitrogen when it rots down and this make great plant food promoting leafy growth so is ideal for salad crops and leafy veg like spinach and chard. You can also buy instant raised vegetable garden kits, they are dead easy to install and only take a few minutes to set up. Fill them up with compost and off you grow! The other option is to strip the turf off and double dig the area adding plenty of manure. I would dig a trench a spade deep add manure to the bottom and then back fill mixing in the manure as you go. This is more work and you also will most probably disturb dormant weed seeds, so be prepared for some weeding over the coming season. Replacing ornamental plants or growing veg alongside them. One of the best space saving methods is to grow food crops among the other plants in your beds and borders. The obvious first choice is to grow globe artichokes which have been grown as ornamentals since Victorian times, they look great planted in the middle of a border and are a real talking point. Add structure to the ‘veggie border’ by planting shrubs such as Rosemary officianalis or Sweet Bay as a back drop for other herbs such as thyme, sage and chives. Winter savory

(Satureja Montana) is an evergreen sub-shrub that adds height and drama to the vegetable/herb border or try Creeping savory which ideal for the front of the border, or in containers. Savory is know for complementing bean and meat dishes and is also a know aphrodisiac. Leeks, Spinach, Chard, Celeriac, Celery, Kohl rabi, and Fennel, all are perfect for growing amongst other plants and they are all attractive enough to warrant a place in the border. Treat them just as if they were normal annuals and plant them in groups of 3’s, 5’s and 7’s near the front. I often like to plant a block of sweet corn at one end of the border; it is an annual that grows to well over a metre tall and is a great alternative to ornamental grasses. It does need to

be planted in a block to ensure pollination and does require a long growing season with temperatures generally above 16C to thrive, so if you live in a cooler area try an early-maturing cultivar. I think that a veggie border works best if things are planted in a regimental manner. Think straight lines, with accent plants acting like exclamation marks and box balls as full stops. Parterres/potagers are perfect for this, with clipped low hedges containing groups of edible plants. Try companion planting within the space using for example plants such as French marigolds to ward off white fly. I have noticed recently more and more people making really clever use of their front gardens to grow edible plants, not only great use of space but it can look great too. We are all too aware of the decline of the front garden and the fact that many are simply concreted over and turned into drives.

Just think how much better the average street would look if every garden was full of vegetables, and ornamental plants. Every good garden should be greened up around its boundaries so why not plant edible hedges as a back drop for other plants. Japanese quince, Myrobalan plum, crab apples and hazel are all a good choice and even the hawthorn produces edible fruits. Admittedly these are not your usual ‘foods’ and are more suited to the forager types, but I am sure Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall would have some suitable ideas! In all seriousness though, I would plant the hedge and every couple of meters stick in a fruit tree of some kind such as an apple, or a pear to maximise productivity and it will be far more attractive than a boring old fence. Fruit trees can take up lots of space in the garden but there are ways which you can train these plants to save space and still ensure a great crop. Step-over apples and pears, are readily available and are great along paths, along low walls and around the edge of patios. Espaliers cordons and fan trained plants can be grown against fences and walls and can be bought ready trained if you are not inclined to do it yourself! There are loads of dwarf varieties of fruit trees available that are ideal for the small garden, some are ‘self-pollinators’ but they will do much better if you plant two different varieties that can pollinate each other. Most fruit and veg can be grown in containers which will not only save space but you can create the perfect growing conditions for each plants requirements (all be it harder work keeping then well watered!) A few years ago I bought an old birdcage at a fair and turned it into a hanging basket planted up with tumbling tomatoes hanging from my shed, it looked... well different... but that was the point! Anything that can hold soil can be planted; old oil drums are ideal for

root veg and when they start to rust look great. I hate to admit it but an old metal bath can actually look really good planted up with carrots, pak-choi and mustard greens and even a trellis at the back with some runners. I would probably draw the line a growing my spuds in the loo but a little bit of creativity goes a long way! Even if you don’t have a garden you can still grow your own herbs, fruit and veg! A bright window sill is ideal for growing herbs like parsley, basil and coriander. Window boxes are useful for fast growing crops like rocket and mizuna, just make sure to keep them well watered; I would suggest getting some water retentive gel to add to the compost that soaks us the water releasing it as the plants need it. For the ultimate in indoor growing get your self an aerogarden (or put it on your Christmas list!). This is a really smart indoor growing kit that amazingly uses no soil, and promises increased growth rate of up to 5 times faster than plants in soil and higher yields and they look really smart too! It is ideal for tomatoes, herbs, peppers, chillis, salad green and it actually monitors itself, letting you know when it needs more water and plant food... easy!

My company specialises in design, consultation, garden construction and makeovers which start from £99 and we also offer a full planting service. If you want to chat through any ideas please feel free to get in touch at sven@internationallandscapes.co.uk or call on 0845 4085 382/0790 4087 188.

eze

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:10 Page 27

let Let your property the

eze way

At eze let we know that each landlordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s requirements are unique. Our highly experienced team will work with you to ensure a stress free, tailor made solution to letting your property and ensuring the best return on your investment.

Call today on 01206 564700 Email: info@ezelet.co.uk 7a Magdalen Street, Colchester.

www.ezelet.co.uk

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:10 Page 28

Proud sponsors sors nEnglish o of Modern p the s at the d h at s i rou l P g n Colchester Free Festival ern E tival of Mod ter Free Fes s Colche

ITE uk WEBS nimcity.co. e d www. .uk EMAIL city.co m i n e d info@ HONE TELEP 3475 56 01206 ter, olches C , e n ld La 1a-1c E O1 1LS. C Essex

Specialist family law solicitor Solicitor-led negotiation in divorce and separation Advice and representation in court proceedings Family Mediation Collaborative negotiation Fair and cost effective solutions to meet you and your familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs Armstrong Family Law Unit 9, North Colchester Business Centre, 340 The Crescent, Colchester CO4 9AD. Tel: 01206 848426 Email: info@armstrongfamilylaw.co.uk

www.armstrongfamilylaw.co.uk 28

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:10 Page 29

Colchester‘s No.1 Discount Voucher Scheme - Save money and support your local businesses! Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine August 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Simply cut out the vouchers below and present to the participating business or call them and quote ‘townvoucher’ to redeem the offer.

SAVE £££s RELOCATION SALE

£19.99 SPECIAL OFFER Valcore

Patricia R

AGE UK approved boiler service for over 60’s for ONLY £19.99.

RELOCATION SALE, MASSIVE CLEARANCE, SAVE £££s

37 Eld Lane Colchester, CO1 1LS 01206 546 745

Telephone Valcore Ltd Valid until 31 Aug 2011

01206 433 533

FREE CAKE Kathleens Kitchen 26 Long Wyre Street Colchester, CO1 1LJ 01206 574 939

FREE CAKE when you spend £2.50 (excludes fresh cream)

Valid until 31 Aug /2011

Reopen in September at 10 Red Lion Yard, Colchester , Tel. 01206 546 745

Valid until 31 Aug 2011

WIN a £100 voucher every month! Visit townvoucher.com/competition to enter this month’s prize draw!

20% DISCOUNT

FIRST LESSON FREE

Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP

SALSA-LICIOUS Beginners 7.30, Intermediate 8.15, Advanced 9.15

Norfolk House 23 Southway Colchester, CO2 7BA 01206 217 585

On simple single wills priced at £140 plus VAT and couples mirror wills at £240 plus VAT

Valid until 30 Nov 2011

@ The Kingscliff Hotel Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 5HS

New entrants, one per person only.

07875 955 971 EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY Valid until 31 Aug 2011

OF THE MONTH

Get more discount vouchers from your local businesses on townvoucher.com To get your business featured on this page or to be the host for our next competition call us now on 01206 266 992.

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:10 Page 30

A Problem Shared

They tried to make me go to rehab... By Simon Crow

As a magazine that has a strong music focus and tries to give something back to its readers and the town with this regular column, this month our Problem Shared takes a look at the tragic death of Amy Winehouse, and the issues surrounding her problems that caused her passing at the age of only 27. I sit and write this Amy Winehouse has not yet been dead for 24 hours. There can be few amongst us who did not, to one extent or another, follow her train wreck of a life over the past few years as she stumbled and slurred her way along the sad path that ultimately led to her death. On a personal level many of us will find her death all the more tragic because her music may have been part of our personal musical soundtrack during unhappy times in our own lives. Listening to Amy expressing the pain in her own existence may have helped you manage and process whatever pain you were dealing with and, as so often happens with music, you could have been left believing that some of her songs really were written about you. Like other chronic diseases, and as happened to poor Amy, addiction involves cycles of relapse and remission. It is progressive and can result in premature death. This tragic young woman had so much talent yet was caught in the vice-like grip of powerful addictions to drink and drugs. Possibly fuelled by her own demons. Addictions such as these are incredibly difficult to break and, once broken, it requires a lifetime commitment to remain free from them. Imagine it for a moment from an addict’s perspective. Most of us can have a bad day at work and relax, if we choose, with a couple of glasses of wine, a beer, or something stronger when we get

home. The recovering addict cannot, yet their addiction would love to have that drink, that line of coke... sadly though that would likely not be the end of it. It is all too easy for people to see someone destroying their life in the way Amy did and say “She should sort herself out!” If only it was that easy. Nobody ever chose to become an addict, however reckless their drinking and drug taking may be. Some seem to be born with it, as if it is part of their genetic coding. I once heard an alcoholic telling how at the age of 15 she and her friends bought some vodka to share, and how she knew instinctively that there would not be enough for her needs, so she bought another bottle just for herself. She had never actually consumed an alcoholic drink before that day! Others may not show signs early on of a future problem, then push their drinking and/or drug taking to the point where they become dependent, whilst their peers one day reach a point where they realise enough is enough. And stop. The addict doesn’t have that option, and may well have a long way to fall before they are able to stop, if indeed they ever manage to. You often hear talk of an addict needing to reach ‘rock bottom’ before they turn their life around. Some can lose their marriage, children, job, home… and still not have sunk low enough to start the process of recovery. It is not just the addicts themselves who suffer while they are in the throes of their addiction. The people that love them suffer

alongside them. They suffer the lying, the manipulation, the false hope when the addict appears to be getting on top of things and the despair when they fall again, they endure the endless blame game “I wouldn’t need to drink if it wasn’t for you…” Spouses battle in vein to save their relationship as their lives fall apart “We can’t even go out for a meal anymore in case he gets off his face and makes a scene like he did the last time.” And worst of all they are drawn into lying and covering up for them “Sorry to let you down at the last minute but Jim has some work to finish for the morning.” Amy’s poor father Mitch must have been through all this and more in his very public battle over the years to try to get his daughter to get herself clean and sober and turn her life around. Sadly for Amy, and Mitch, it was not to be. RIP Amy. If your drinking or drug taking is worrying you there is an alternative. You DON’T have to end up like Amy Winehouse. Contact Alcoholics Anonymous www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk or UK Narcotics Anonymous. www.ukna.org If you have a loved one whose drinking is affecting your life do not suffer in silence. Contact www.al-anonuk.org.uk

If you have a story to tell then send it to us at mailus@colchester101.co.uk

HELPLINES

If you need help and support to deal with an addiction or crisis, below are contact details for organisations dedicated to providing support and advice for a variety of problems.

Alcoholics Anonymous Support group for persons needing help to overcome and recover from alcoholism. Helpline 0845 769 7555 Email: help@alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk Al-Anon Family Groups Support for anyone whose life is, or has been, affected by someone else’s drinking. Helpline 020 7403 0888 Email: enquiries@al-anonuk.org.uk www.al-anonuk.org.uk Narcotics Anonymous Support group for persons needing help to overcome and recover from drug addiction. Helpline 0300 999 1212 www.ukna.org

Cocaine Anonymous Support group for persons needing help to overcome and recover from cocaine addiction. Helpline 0800 612 0225 From UK Mobile Phones 800 612 0225 Email: helpline@cauk.org.uk www.cauk.org.uk Colchester Gay Switchboard Help and advice for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender individuals and those affected by HIV and AIDS. Helpline 01206 869191 or 0845 1 23 23 88 www.gayessex.org.uk Brook Free and confidential sexual health advice and services for under 25s providing professional advice on Contraception, STIs and Pregnancy. Helpline 0808 802 1234 www.brook.org.uk

Overeaters Anonymous Overeaters Anonymous is a fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience, strength and hope, are recovering from compulsive overeating. Helpline 07000 784985 www.oagb.org.uk beat The leading UK charity for people with eating disorders and their families. Helpline: 0845 634 1414 Email: help@b-eat.co.uk Youthline 0845 634 7650 Email fyp@b-eat.co.uk www.b-eat.co.uk Relate Support and advice, relationship counselling, sex therapy, workshops, mediation, consultations and support. Telephone: 0300 100 1234

Families Need Fathers Support and information if you are separating or divorced and are worried about not seeing your children, or the effects on them. Open to mothers, fathers, grandparents, new partners and extended families. Helpline: 0300 0300 363 www.fnf.org.uk Samaritans If you are in crisis, feel distressed or are perhaps thinking of suicide, Samaritans trained volunteers can give you the time and space to talk about your feelings, help you explore your options and perhaps seek a way to face the future. 24/7 Helpline 01206 561234 www.Samaritans.org Open Road Reducing the harmful impact of drugs and alcohol on users, their families, partners and society. Telephone: 0844 499 1323

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:10 Page 31

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine August 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Economic revival? Or just wishful thinking? Your future growth depends on effectively promoting your business.

Would a rebrand or corporate identity makeover give your company a competitive edge? Maybe it is time to refresh your website to make it truly work for your business? Do you want sales and marketing literature that will really get you noticed?

Then talk to Tonic, Colchester’s graphic design and creative communications specialists.

Call today to find out how we can help you take your business forward.

01206 544700 www.TonicOnline.co.uk The Studio, Tye Road, Colchester, Essex CO7 7BN. Email: enquiries@e-Tonic.co.uk

Advertise

with Colchester

Colchester 101 is a full colour FREE A4 Colchester magazine bursting at the seams with local news, interviews, things to see and do, reviews, music, theatre, sport and much more... Free Please take one

Issue 10 August

2011

101

Advertising Opportunities INSIDE FRONT PAGE Type area 270 (high) x 190mm (wide) Full Bleed 303 x 216mm (297 x 210mm type area) SINGLE PAGE Type area 270 x 190mm Full Bleed 303 x 216mm (297 x 210mm type area) OUTSIDE BACK PAGE Type area 270 x 190mm Full Bleed 303 x 216mm (297 x 210mm type area)

All hail

New Town Kings Line-Up Free Festival h to Modern Englis Headline Essential Events Guide

LISTINGS Y COMMUNIT FA S H I O N WELLBEING H E A LT H & RDEN HOME & GA

Gig Review Eating Out in Colchester Guide

INSIDE-BACK PAGE Type area 270 x 190mm Full Bleed 303 x 216mm (297 x 210mm type area)

I.T. SOLUTIONS YOU CAN TRUST Computer, Server & Network Support Disaster Recovery Planning Web Design, SEO & Hosting Packages

azine ss All Areas Mag

Colchester’s Acce

Find us on

HALF PAGE (landscape) Type area 133 x 190mm QUARTER PAGE (portrait) Type area 133 x 93mm

Contact: 01206 544700 mailus@Colchester101.co.uk

www.Colchester101.co.uk

EIGHTH PAGE (landscape) Type area 64 x 93mm Advertorial Features Get your business noticed

Colchester 101 is the Colchester magazine written by LOCAL people, for LOCAL people, about LOCAL people, LOCAL issues and LOCAL events, and some other pretty cool stuff thrown in too!

GRANITE COMPUTER SOLUTIONS

GRANITE

Business I.T. Solutions & Services

Tel: 0845 871 0821

GCS

E-mail: info@granitecomputers.co.uk Web: www.GraniteComputers.co.uk

101issue10SL_Layout 1 27/07/2011 11:10 Page 32

I moved in with

Martin & Co Colchester 11 North Hill, Colchester, Essex CO1 1DZ colchester@martinco.com

01206 760950