LeftLion Magazine - August 2006 - Issue 12

LeftLion Magazine Issue 12 August-September 2006 Editor Jared Wilson (jared@leftlion.co.uk) Deputy Editors Al Needham (nishlord@leftlion.co.uk) Nathan Miller (nathan@leftlion.co.uk) Technical Director Alan Gilby (alan@leftlion.co.uk) Artistic Director Dave Reason (mail@woot-design.co.uk) Listings Editors Florence Gohard (florence@leftlion.co.uk) Tim Bates (timmy@leftlion.co.uk) Music Editor Sadie Rees-Hales (sadie@leftlion.co.uk) Proofreaders Charlotte Kingsbury (charlotte@leftlion.co.uk) Natasha Chowdhury Photography Editor Dom Henry (dom@leftlion.co.uk) Photographers Ed Jaison Jon Rouston Kevin Lake (staticsoulphoto@yahoo.co.uk) Matt Dalton Ruth Edwards Contributors Amanda Young Amir Bazrafshan Floyd Ferris Katie Doubleday Kelsey Tobolik Lynn Hanna Miles Hunt Mike Greenwell Rich Fisher Roger Mean Tatiana de Araujo Alves Woolley Tom Hathaway Tom Reed Marketing and Sales Manager Ben Hacking (ben@leftlion.co.uk) “A free press can, of course, be good or bad. But most certainly without freedom, the press will never be anything but bad.”

Albert Camus LeftLion 349a Mansfield Road Nottingham NG5 2DA 0115 9123782 If you would like to reach our readers by advertising your company in these pages please contact Ben on 07843 944910 or email ben@leftlion.co.uk LeftLion magazine has an estimated readership of 40,000 in the city of Nottingham. In July 2006 LeftLion.co.uk received over 500,000 page views.

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Notts The Nine O’Clock News The Big Track Football Season Previews The Complete Cricket Master Team Hughes and Fonceros Still Crazy After All These Years…

Sci-Fi Lullabies The House That Drop Built Dear John by Miles Hunt Extreme Direction Howdy Sheriff A Life Less Ordinary Still Cool As… LeftLion Birthday Special Artist Profiles Out and About Reggae on the Rise Nottingham Events Listings Notts Abroad and Notts Landing Nottsword and Pub Quiz Rocky Horrorscopes and The Fun Cave

“It’s our birthday! We’re gonna party like it’s our birthday. We’re gonna drink Bacardi like it’s our birthday….”

Actually we probably won’t be drinking Bacardi because none of us really like it.

It’s all about beer, wine and whisky here at LeftLion HQ. To be perfectly honest we’re not really big fans of Mr Cent either. His raps seem a bit simplistic, gangsta and frankly crap to us.

But nevertheless, this issue celebrates the birthday of Nottingham’s foremost showcase of homemade culture. It’s been three years since we launched our website onto the unsuspecting public of Nottingham. It was a year later that we started putting on live music nights and printing the magazine you hold in your hands. Then a year ago we also decided to start podcasting banging local vocals to you via LeftLion Radio.

So as you can see this is something of a time of celebration. Three years into this and we’re still at it, bringing Nottingham Culture to you via several different means of sensory perception! This in itself is an achievement to anyone that knows the way we work. It’s not easy bagpiping the underground out to the masses and we still don’t do this as a full-time ‘real’ job, but if you catch us at the right time we are very very professional.

In this issue I had a chat to the Sheriff of Nottingham. She was a lovely lady, born and raised locally, who has pride for Nottingham in the same way that we do. I put some questions to Larry from Family Care, the man entrusted with the proceeds of Drop In The Ocean, to find out what they’re going to do with the cash we all helped raise. We also spoke to the last survivors of Madchester, the Inspiral Carpets. They were random at times, but a lot of fun.

On top of this there is your regular slice of Nottinghamia, such as interviews with Team Hughes, The Fonceros, Seretone, Highness Sound System, filmmaker Simon Ellis and more. Miles Hunt gets enthusiastic about Johnny Rotten and Shedfixman looks back at the life of a good man who recently passed away.

We also took the opportunity to tell you a bit about the history of what we do here and what you can expect from the relaunch of Nottingham’s favourite website. Three years on and it’s time for a bit of a facelift.

We do hope you’ll like our new all-singing, all-dancing online styles.

So if you love what we do then next time you’re having a tipple raise your glass to our dedicated team and the hundreds of others not mentioned in the credits column who care enough to have helped us along the way.

See you in da pub… jared@leftlion.co.uk

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nOTTs THE NINE O’CLOCK NEWS with Nottingham’s Mr. Sex Al Needham

Riots In Bestwood “Absolutely depressing. Or, even better, ASBOlutely depressing. Anyone would have thought the Notts Constabulary had murdered Steve Biko, instead of banged up three murderers.”

Lord of the Nish “You get a bit of hot weather and the Brits get all hot and bothered under the collar!

Now if they were rioting about something a bit more worthy, I may have a little more sympathy!”

Sara “Anyone would have thought we were back in the middle ages and the wicked Sheriff had put Robin in the castle.”

Mr Garvey “Slum clearance is the only option.”

Guy Gooberman “I can’t shake the feeling that in a couple of years time, kids in Inglewood will be playing Grand Theft: Bestwood on their Playstation 4.”

Lord of the Nish “GTA: Shottingham. Take control of the killer B’s: Bestwood, Broxtowe, Bulwell before taking things to the next level; Radford, St Anns and Meadows in the battle to be top shotter.... ya get meh!”

MegamanX

Zidane’s world cup final headbutt “What an idiot Zidane is, why did he have to headbutt the Italian?”

Denz “It was pure Thurland, that headbutt.”

Lord of the Nish “I am absolutely gutted. Zizou is my favourite player and I cannot imagine what was said to make him lose it like that. I feel empty inside.” themn “Best piece of action in the whole World Cup in my opinion. Come ‘ere ya bastard.

Ultimate fighting is calling, right in the solar plexus.”

Baron of Carlton “Surely he should get arrested for something like that? Is it not considered GBH if it’s on a footy pitch?” tq zetia “Excellent way to end his professional career. He makes no more money from football directly, so go out with a bang and cause a huge aftermath furoure, pictures in the papers. Yes, its thuggish and brutish, but compare him to England players and/or fans.” myhouse-yourhouse “Such a cool move! After this, they should make head-butting an Olympic sport.”

Kate Hood “Maybe he’s been wanting to do that for ages to said person and thought to himself ‘Well being as though I’m finishing footie, I may as well get the fucker now’ Who knows?”

Sara

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June 1

A Google survey claims that Nottingham’s most popular searches include Brian Clough, Robin Hood, Ferraris, gourmet food and Tom Cruise. All I need to do is create a porn site with Robin Hood ramming arrows up Tom Cruise’s ringpiece whilst bent over a sports car while Cloughie rubs coq au vin into his chest and I’m minted.

June 3

Forest announce the appointment of Colin Calderwood as new manager and ramp up their season ticket price by 10%. This means it could cost you up to £40 more to chuck it on the pitch in September after another crap start to the season.

June 8

Bad news if you’re a Samurai, Gurkha or in the Swiss Army and you commute into town from Beeston. Nottingham Station installs knife detectors.

they can’t stand up and have to be taken to a hotel. However, they fail to mention the escorts in their classified section who offer a ‘very thorough massage’.

June 28

A dead rich Notts businessman gets banged up in Singapore for the double murder of his chauffeur and the chauffer’s girlfriend. On hearing the result, he curls his fingers into a ‘WB’ and shouts “I roll deep with Bridgford! Park Killa 4 Life!”

Alright, I made that last bit up.

June 30

Three local blokes are jailed for an extremely long time at the end of the Stirland murder trial. One of them still can’t be named for legal reasons, which doesn’t stop the Post devoting half of Sherwood Forest to the story.

July 1

Nottingham’s first cemetery in 85 years opens in Bulwell, with separate Christian and Muslim areas. Why? Are the council scared of a potential undead race war, with skellys hacking at each other like in Jason and the Argonauts?

England finally bring their limp dog’s-cock of a World Cup campaign to its inevitable end, causing mass outbreaks of sulking across the city. Meanwhile, Bestwood decides to have a riot, with police horses, riot shields, helicopters and everything, as a reaction to the events of June 30th. On an even more depressing note, a lad is stabbed to death at Cuba Libre.

June 10

July 3

June 9

There’s a bus strike. Funnily enough, it’s on the same day as the first England game in the World Cup. England are fucking shite. There isn’t another bus strike. Fancy that.

June 11

Drop In The Ocean raises over £27,000 for the Pakistan Earthquake Fund and the building of a shelter for kids in Cambodia rescued from sex tourism. It was skill.

June 12

Notts County announce the appointment of Steve Thompson as their new manager, much to the delight of Mansfield Town fans.

June 18

Hooray! Hooray! It’s a Freemasons open day! The local masons throw open the doors of their lodge (next door to the Rescue Rooms), in order to prove that they’re not lizards who blew up the World Trade Center and then blamed it on Osama bin Laden.

June 19

Seventy bible-bashing mentalists from Christian Voice, the organisation that likes outing Gay policemen on their website, hold a protest outside the Concert Hall against the (yawn) ‘controversial’ Jerry Springer: The Opera. A bad day for Free Speech, but a great one for me, as I meant I could have bum-sex with goats on the steps of the Council House in tribute to the Horned One without being hassled. Ha!

June 21

It’s the League Cup draw. Forest get Accrington Stanley, Notts get Palace, but why are Forest in the Northern section while Notts (who are a few hundred yards to the north of the City Ground) are in the Southern section? While we’re on the subject, why is it called the City Ground when it’s in Rushcliffe?

June 23

The tram wins an award for regenerating Radford and Hucknall, presumably after convincing the locals it wasn’t a big metal snake that virgins had to be sacrificed to, or summat.

June 24

Mouth-breathers in Mansfield stage a reconstruction of Assault On Precinct 13 bricking a police station twice in 24 hours. It’s not known whether they then left a cholo on the floor made out of their Mams tea towels.

June 26

Post story of the month: our lovely, wouldn’t-think-aboutripping-anyone-off-ever cabbies are kerbcrawling on behalf of blokes who are too scared to go up Forest Road themselves.

According to the Post, some of the punters are so battered that

81 year-old Beryl Withers of Basford gets threatened with a two grand fine for dropping a bit of sandwich for the pigeons outside Specsavers at Viccy Centre, causing a epidemic of whining letters to the Post.

July 4

Jake Shaw of Mapperley gets two parking tickets, due to his permit being obscured by bird shit on his windscreen. You see the trouble you’ve caused, Beryl Withers of Basford?

July 5

Nottinghamshire’s status as Crime Capital of the Universe is sealed, as a concrete bagpiper garden ornament is nicked in Ilkeston.

July 6

A Tory councillor gets a right mard-on about the council donating two grand to Nottingham Pride, spouting the usual Political-Correctness-Gone-Mad wank. Cha. Doesn’t this woman know how much poppers cost these days?

July 7

Nottingham’s knockers-like-two-Spacehoppers-in-a-cupboard icon Lea gets voted out of Big Brother. Rat-boys in Top Valley react to this crushing blow to the city’s spirit by burning down the local Tesco.

July 9

More Saturday night miserableness: a shooting at The Edge puts three people in hospital. More importantly, it gives twats who live in the wanker-flats across the road the chance to have a good bleat. “I have problems getting friends to come and visit me, they are so frightened of what might happen to them.” says one of them. Serves you right for living in a ponce-box then, doesn’t it?

July 15

It is revealed that Forest and County spent much of 1990 thinking quite hard about sharing a 60,000 stadium on the site of the old Wilford power station, but Cloughie canned the idea. Thank god!

July 16

No-one gets shot or stabbed in town. Well done, everybody.

July 20

New survey, Nottingham, crime capital, blah blah fucking blah.

July 21-31

It was dead hot.

all truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.

Friedrich Nietzsche

A new foot and bicycle path, known as The Big Track, has been opened alongside the canal and the River Trent. words: Alec Kiwan photo: Ruth Edwards

This is the latest venture from the Big Wheel organization, a partnership of councils and companies across the Nottingham conurbation, who aim to create a greener transport network.

The path runs from Trent Bridge to Beeston Lock with the city centre in between. It’s seen as a method of encouraging people out of their cars and onto their bicycles, increasing the health of the Nottingham public and encouraging them to learn more about their surroundings.

The Big Track is designed to take people past sites of local historical importance. These include the medieval Hethbeth Bridge, which was said to be low, narrow and terrifying to cross when the river ran high. A bit further along is the Embankment, where you enter the later years of Queen Victoria’s reign and wider promenades were installed for summer strolling.

Further west tall reeds and shallow pools give clues as to how the Meadows would once have looked. On a more macabre tip, within St Wilfred’s churchyard there is an 18th century mortuary, used for bodies washed up by the Trent’s fearsome currents. Following the river, as invaders once did, you reach a Saxon landscape. Around 700AD a Germanic Tribe sailed down the Trent and settled on a high place they called Clifton, or Cliff Farm.

Turning back towards Nottingham along the canal, local industry becomes prominent, with modernist architecture at Boots and the nearby Players factory. Then heading back to the castle the canal flows with you. A watercourse, which has long served the needs of Nottingham, was diverted from Lenton under orders from William the Conqueror to defend, equip and drive the mills of his forbidding clifftop fortress.

Lynn Hanna, Communications and Marketing Manager of The Big Wheel, says using the Big Track is a green alternative to commuting by car or bus: “We’re hoping this will appeal to all age groups from cyclists to the more elderly rambler. It certainly goes past enough important places in Nottingham for everyone to use it.”

The historical aspect is aimed at a wider audience than the usual sixty plus age group of local historians. It sprang from a walk organised by local historian and artist Chris Matthews.

Back in May Chris and the art collective Via Vaudeville! led 100 people through the streets of Nottingham on a tour which changed the way many people viewed their own town. Chris says, “I thought only half a dozen of me mates would turn up – but when I saw the crowd I nearly kecked me pants. After the initial shock it were ace, the police drove by twice and they asked if it was a protest! In a way it was… take more interest in where you live!”

After this success Chris and Via Vaudeville! were commissioned by Lynn at Greater Nottingham Partnership to promote the Big Track with a midsummer walk. Chris was also asked to write for the Big Track Walk booklet. Blue Firth and Tomas Chaffe at Via Vaudeville! created the promotional material and a poster for those that completed the walk – an A4 poster featuring the wild flora and fauna of Nottingham. Again, nearly 100 people turned up on a hot summers evening, Chris reflected, “I had a megaphone this time and this meant I could be slightly camp, which always gets a laugh. You can’t be camp when you’re shouting”. www.thebigwheel.org.uk To find about any future history walks visit: www.viavaudeville.com

Everybody’s walking, everybody’s talking Things people have said about walking and cycling...

“If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.”

Raymond Inmon

“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.”

H.G. Wells

“I can only meditate when I am walking. When I stop, I cease to think; my mind works only with my legs.”

Jean Jacques Rousseau

“My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.”

Aldous Huxley

“The world belongs to the energetic.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Meandering leads to perfection.”

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.”

Robert Louis Stevenson

“If you want to know if your brain is flabby, feel your legs.”

Bruce Barton

“The sum of the whole is this: walk and be happy; walk and be healthy. The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose.”

Charles Dickens

“The longest journey begins with a single step.”

Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching

Lao Tsu “When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.”

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle “I thought of that while riding my bike.”

Albert Einstein on the theory of relativity

powers and the character of the country; one is compelled to see it as its natives do. Then every man one meets is an individual.”

Aleister Crowley

“When one walks, one is brought into touch first of all with the essential relations between one’s physical www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

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footy season previews Nottingham Forest FC The City Ground Matchday tickets: £20-£26 (Adults), £15-20 (senior citizen), £5-£10 (children). www.nottinghamforest.co.uk Club history Forest fans are often accused of living in the past… but given how bad things have been in recent times, who can blame us? The Reds have long had a proud tradition of playing attractive football, and the era that most fans get misty-eyed about is the late 70s and early 80s, when Brian Clough was at the peak of his powers. He transformed Forest from being a team of under-achievers in the old Second Division to European Champions, all in the space of three years. Forest’s team from 1959 is also worth mentioning for their achievement in winning the FA Cup in spite of having only ten men after goalscorer Roy Dwight (uncle of Elton John, trivia fans) was carried off with a broken leg. No subs in them days…

battle. Frank Barlow and Ian McParland duly took over on a joint caretaker basis, with Barlow becoming a cult figure among fans due to his eerie resemblance to Zelda from Terrahawks. The team promptly enjoyed their best run of results for nearly forty years and almost gatecrashed the play-offs. Despite this strong finish, however, the season was ultimately a big disappointment.

New manager As a young boss, Calderwood is a bit of an unknown quantity, but his record at Northampton was good and he seems to command a lot of respect in the game. Fan reaction to his appointment seems to be mixed… though anyone who seriously thinks the Reds stood any chance of landing Martin O’Neill is living in cloud cuckoo land.

Past greats How long have you got? Very top of the Forest all-time heroes list is undoubtedly Brian Clough and his trusty sidekick Peter Taylor. In terms of players, those most fondly remembered by the City Ground faithful include Stuart ‘Psycho’ Pearce, John ‘Robbo’ Robertson and Joe ‘Zigger Zagger’ Baker.

New signings Calderwood has been told that there is money to spend, however, it appears he’s going to take his time and assess the players he’s inherited before starting to bring in new faces. Goalkeeper Paul Smith has been signed from Wolves.

Last Season A crock of shit, frankly, with the charmless Gary Megson seemingly hell-bent on destroying all of the traditions that Forest fans hold dear and plunging us into a relegation

Famous supporters Quite a few actually, with Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield, MP Ken Clarke, Boxer Carl Froch and Su Pollard among the better-known ones.

words: Rich Fisher

Biggest rivals Derby. Though the mutton-botherers currently reside in a higher division than the Reds, their general haplessness has been one of the few crumbs of comfort for Forest fans in recent years.

Random facts It was one of our players in the 1800s who invented the shin pad! Arsenal wear red because the Gunners were founded in the late 1800s by a couple of ex-Forest players, who approached their old club to scrounge some kit. You’d think Arsenal could find it within themselves to return the favour by letting us have Thierry Henry on loan for the season!

Predictions for this season: 1st It’s shit or bust really. With one of the biggest wage bills outside of the Premiership and a 20,000-strong fanbase rapidly running out of patience after years of dross, not succeeding in their second attempt to escape League One is simply not an option. A great deal of pressure will be on Calderwood from day one, though with the squad and resources he has at his disposal, Forest ought to walk it.

Notts County FC Meadow Lane Matchday tickets: £16 (Adults), £10 (senior citizen), £9 (students), £5 (children). www.nottscountyfc.co.uk

Club history Notts County have two main claims to fame, though both of them took place over a century ago. First off they are officially the oldest professional football club in the world (no, we’re not sure who they played against at the time either). The other is that Juventus wear black and white stripes because Notts gave them a load of old shirts, rather than take them down to the charity shop.

Past greats Tommy Lawton and Don Masson, as well as the wonderful manager Jimmy Sirrell. In more recent years Notts have had two successful ex-managers in Neil Warnock (Sheffield United) and Sam Allardyce (Bolton), as well as a handful players who have gone on to the Premiership like Steve Finnan (Liverpool), Jermaine Pennant (Birmingham) and Mike Pollitt (Wigan).

Last Season Woeful. The lowest ever finish in the Football League, nearly resulting in its league status being ripped out of its hands. Manager Gudjon Thordasson had to make do with a veritable car boot sale of players and free signings that just didn’t cut the mustard. It all started so well, too! Notts were top of the league in early September, but then hurtled downwards like a divebombing youth at Bulwell Lido. All in all it was a morbid carousel of hoofing, clogging, choking

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and losing. Gudjon then left the club under a cloud at the end of the season after one too many disagreements with the board. All but six of the first team squad were released on free transfers and a whole new team has come in. So if you see any stripey-topped tramps playing the penny whistle in town, now you know why.

New manager The announcement of Steve Thompson as manager caused utter outrage amongst fans, who remember the last time he darkened the door of Meadow Lane (as assistant to Colin Murphy, he helped steer Notts from play-off finalists against Bradford to relegation the following season). Since then his career highlights have included taking Cambridge United down into the Conference and apparently working on a building site for the past year.

New signings The infamous pineapple-headed ex-Forest striker Jason Lee has been signed up and made club captain, presumably for his ability to harass defenders at this level. Former loanee winger-cum-striker Andy Parkinson has signed on for two years, much to the delight of the Magpies faithful. The almost unpronounceable Tcham N’Toya has come in from Chesterfield. Others who have joined the club this summer include Lawrie Dudfield, Alan White, Matt Somner, Gary Silk, Stephen Hunt, Junior Mendes, Tom Curtis and more.

words: Jared Wilson

Famous supporters Cradle of Filth (rock group), Shane Meadows (film-maker) and the manager of Selectadisc in town.

Biggest rivals These days our biggest rivalry is definitely with Mansfield Town (affectionately known to Notts fans as ‘the inbreds’), but there is certainly not much love for Forest to be found at the Lane either.

Random facts Notts’ first games were played inside the grounds of Nottingham Castle. Jimmy Sirrell designed Sheffield United’s current badge. ‘County’s The Team For Me’ by Jimmy Willan has been described as the worst Pop song of all time by Noel Edmonds. Harold Shipman was a Notts supporter.

Predictions for this season: 12th The squad looks pretty good for the division this season, but they need time to gel. A mid-table table finish would stop the mithering and quieten the calls for sacking the board/ manager/ woman behind the tea stall.

The Complete Cricket Master Garfield Sobers moved to Nottinghamshire at the age of 32. Against Gloucestershire he became the first batsman to hit six sixes off one over of six consecutive balls in first-class cricket. The ball was mounted and put on display in the Trent Bridge museum.

words: Kelsey Tobolik illustration: David Blenkey Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club has been blessed with some truly great players over the course of the last century, but the one who particularly stands out is a man considered by many as the greatest of all… Sir Garfield Sobers.

He was born on 28 July 1936 in Barbados and was one of seven children of a merchant seaman. Sobers was born with two extra fingers, one on each hand and although these were removed, they were an early sign that Garfield was destined to go onto achieve greatness. He was hit by tragedy at a young age when his father died at sea during the 1942 war, but continued to play cricket. After early success with Inter-school championships, he caught the eye of several club captains and honed his skills. At the age of sixteen Sobers was a prodigy in the Police first division team and earned a trial for the West Indies, who were selecting for India’s tour of the country. He made his Test debut the following year against England and impressed with his versatile bowling by taking four wickets. Sobers showed much promise over the next three years with the bat and ball. He scored his first half-century in the 1957 tour of England and scored 320 runs in the series.

Sobers set a Test record the next year with an impressive 365 in one innings against Pakistan which included 34 fours. He completed his first Test century in style with perfect technique in hitting a variety of strokes that were exceptionally timed. He did so in an elegant yet powerful style and his record stood for 36 years. By this time he had successfully made the step from a promising player to a great one. Two more centuries followed in the series and he produced some fine all-round displays in victories over India and England. By the early sixties he was a key part of his country’s team with the bat, ball and in the field. In 1964 he was named Wisden Cricketer of the year whilst playing in South Australia and enjoyed much success there too.

Sobers set unprecedented records including 1000 runs and 50 wickets in one season. This has never been equalled.

Sobers took over as the West Indies captain in 1965 and inspired his side to a series win over Australia. This carried onto English soil the following year as he had an excellent record of 722 runs, twenty wickets and ten catches in another superb all-round display. As captain, Sobers was always enterprising and wanted to entertain with attacking tactics. This was shown in the 1968 series against England when his bold declaration allowed the opposition to win the decisive match. He did make amends in the next with 152 and 95 not out as well as six wickets but it ended in a draw. Sobers moved to Nottinghamshire at the age of 32 and against Gloucestershire he became the first batsman to hit six sixes off one over of six consecutive balls in firstclass cricket. The ball was mounted and put on display in the Trent Bridge museum. As captain of the county side he once again led by example and continued his success at international level. In the 1968-69 series against Australia he took his best bowling figures with six wickets for 73 runs in Brisbane, which formed a third of his total wickets in the series, as well as scoring two centuries. During this time, Sobers also married Australian Prudence Kirby and was amongst the first personalities to try to integrate apartheid countries through sport when he coached black youths in Zimbabwe whilst playing out there. Two years later and Sobers was still going strong with the bat as he scored a superb 254 for a Rest of the World team against Australia to receive praise from Don Bradman.

In 1973, Sobers played his first One Day International match only to be omitted from his country’s Test team because the selectors were concerned over his fitness. Sobers just wanted to play and returned for the July series in England which he marked in fine style scoring two half-centuries, 150 not out and six wickets in the 2-0 series win. He played his last Test match against England in Trinidad the following year before retiring from cricket at the age of 38 when his knee cartilage gave out and brought an end to his remarkable career.

In 1975, Sobers was awarded a knighthood for his services to cricket. The Queen even overturned tradition by knighting him at Garrison Savannah in Barbados instead of Buckingham Palace. He and his wife divorced a decade later and Sobers returned to his homeland. In 1988 he was declared a National Hero by Barbados and over the years has inspired a number of people to play the game which he loved. Sobers is the perfect role model to all at home and worldwide. He is still remembered fondly in England and opened the Trent Bridge cricket centre in 1998. He also received an honorary degree from the University of Nottingham and the ironically named ‘Sobers Bar’ at Notts cricket ground is named in his honour. Today, Sobers love of sport and his country remains. He now plays golf and has represented his native Barbados at that too, whilst working for the Tourism Authority.

Garfield Sobers was a true all-rounder and the complete cricketer. He played with great style and had the ability to change a game in an instant with the bat, ball or a catch.

He was the player that crowds wanted to see and one who the opposition feared the most. He was liked by everyone from all corners of the cricket world and just loved playing the game, which shows in his career totals. He set a record of an amazing 8032 runs and 235 wickets in Test matches.

In further tribute to him, Sobers was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century in 2000 after receiving an astounding 90 votes out of 100. It further cemented his place as one of the finest players ever to grace the sport and it is unlikely anyone will ever possess the variety of cricketing skills that he had. Garfield Sobers was a unique all-rounder and a truly great ambassador for the game.

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The Fonceros are a fairly new band on the Notts scene, but there are plenty of familiar faces in there. Russ Clark (vocals, guitar/bass) was one of the founders of Left of the Dealer, Chris McDonald (vocals, guitar/bass) is a member of the magically musical Mcdonald family (which also includes brothers Nick and Tim) and Tommy Jones (guitar) is part of Team Hughes (also playing for LeftLion Presents at the Orange Tree in September). Also involved are David Keye (keyboards) and Chris Reed (drums). The Fonceros are playing LeftLion Unplugged at the Malt Cross in August. We put some questions to Russ and Chris beforehand…

So how did you guys get together?

Around September last year Chris M, Tommy and Chris R did a couple of shows together before asking James Carsan of Sideshow to play bass and David Keye of Infant to play keys. Then Russ Clark, on departure from Left of the Dealer, was asked to add some guitar and songwriting. Due a busy schedule away from the band, James left to concentrate on Sideshow and Chris and Russ took over bass duties.

Is there a Bernie Taupin in the band or is it more of a collaborative affair?

It has to be said that Chris M and Russ bring most of the songs to the band, however, the production side of things is definitely a collaborative affair. We all believe in the importance of listening to each other during rehearsal, as it adds a great dynamic to the sound of the band.

What has been your best gig together as a band so far?

It was probably our first gig as a full band at the Maze. We achieved a pin drop atmosphere and we’ll probably remember that gig for the rest of our lives.

Is the Notts music scene still touching you in all the right places at the moment?

It certainly is!! There’s so much talent in this city at the moment, it’s getting silly! With bands like Team Hughes, Majik, The Nick Mcdonald Band, Left of the Dealer, 1st Blood, Sideshow, Broken Asbos, Sidearm, Grain, Haiki Loki, the list goes on. This is without even mentioning all the songwriters like Tim McDonald, Andy Whittle and Will Jeffery. We could do this all night….

words: John Phillips photos: Kevin Lake It’s basically Drop in the Ocean but it would be all weekend and hopefully include all the major local music venues this time.

Has Russ ever left you in the lurch?!

Yes he has… and he’d like to take the opportunity to apologise fully and frankly to everyone involved in the Massage In the Park gig for getting battered and staying up too late to play the next day.

What’s playing on the Foncheros iPod at the moment?

It’s got its mouth wide open, waiting for the new Radiohead Album to come out.

What can we expect at LeftLion Unplugged?

Our set is pretty acoustic-based so it will lend itself well to the unplugged setting. We’re working fast at the moment on getting as many songs in our repertoire as possible so hopefully they’ll be a few new ones for the gig.

So what exactly is a Foncero?

Tommy came up with the name so in his brain somewhere is the answer but none of us have dared delve deep enough to find out.

So if the world ends tomorrow and you’re putting on the best all-Notts show ever, who’s on the bill and where would it be held?

The Fonceros and Becky Syson play LeftLion Unplugged at the Malt Cross on Tuesday 15 August.

Team Hughes played on the LeftLion stage at Drop In The Ocean and got us all excitedly jumping around with their funky percussion. The band are Mark Strawbridge (harmonica and slide guitar), Tom Dempsey (drums), Tommy Jones (guitar), Lester Trouton (bass/vocals) and the Incredible Danny Hughes (vocals/ guitar). We had no hesitation in asking them back to do us another set at LeftLion Presents at the Orange Tree in September. Just so we can jump around with them again…

If Team Hughes were the A-Team, who would be who?

Danny: I’d be Hanibal, Tommy could be Face, Tom could be BA due to his tidy beard and Chris could be Murdock.

Any music releases coming up?

Danny: We’ve done a fair bit of recording at Underground, Bluewater and Yellow Arch studios, all of which can be heard on our Myspace site. There’s plenty more in the pipeline too...

Did you have a good time playing for LeftLion at DITO? Danny: We certainly did! It was great to have the place buzzing at 6.30pm… they were a good crowd, bless them.

What are your favourite cities and venues to play?

Danny: Warsop has a wonderful cultural history and a great venue called Black Market. My favourite venues in Notts are The Orange Tree, The Loft, The Social, The Maze, Raffles, The Golden Fleece and The Rose of England.

Have you had much interest from labels?

Danny: We’ve not gone down that route. As yet we are still a relatively new band at just over a year old. Once we get the definitive versions recorded and packaged up we’ll be on it!

I understand you’re all in a few other bands too?

Danny: I play in First Blood, The Hasta Huego Sunshine Band (jazz standards, funky blues and Latin), an Irish Band called Ferocious Dog, The Nick Mcdonald Band and a soul band called The Spaces.

Tommy: I also play in the Foncheros and First Blood occasionally.

Tom: I also play in Lois, First Blood and the Nick Mcdonald Band.

Chris: I’m in the Foncheros, The Nick Mcdonald Band, The Spaces and making music with First Blood, Science of Sound, Kumarachi and hiphop music maker Ryan Hill.

What do you do when you’re not being rock stars?

Danny: Teaching Guitar and drinking chocolate milk.

Tommy: Wearing Speedos.

Tom: Drinking the finest cooking lager money can buy and smoking Andy McNabes.

Chris: Making films, raising goats and watching re-runs of Cheers.

If you could get anyone in to do a tune with the band, who would you choose?

Danny: Billy Connolly What can people expect from your LeftLion show at the Orange Tree?

Danny: Hi-octane modern blues with a devilish latino groove.

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words: Joe Higgins photos: Kevin Lake What are your favourite hangouts in Nottingham?

Danny: Mm..Deli, The Gladstone, First Blood Towers, The Chestnut Tree and Woodthorpe Park.

Who are your favourite other Nottingham artists and bands?

Danny: First Blood, Foncheros, Left of the Dealer, Nick Mcdonald, Old Basford What was the last album that you bought?

Danny: The Raconteurs.

Tom: Ernest Wranglin Chris: Thom Yorke’s solo album What was the last book you read?

Danny: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Chris: Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder.

What was the last thing that made you laugh?

Danny: My brother’s Family Guy impression.

Chris: Doing scenes from Goodfellas in an Australian accent What was the last thing that made you cry?

Danny: Mike Baldwins exit from Coronation Street.

Chris: English mustard.

What is coming up for Team Hughes over the next year?

Danny: More songwriting, gigs, recording, opening supermarkets and the search for excellence Anything else you want to say to LeftLion readers?

Danny: Stay classy and come to our gigs.

Team Hughes play LeftLion Presents at the Orange Tree on Saturday 2 September. www.myspace.com/teamhughes

Still Crazy after all these years... words: Amanda Young

Nottingham is bursting at the seams with musical talent.

Like an A to Z of music you can find ambient, dance, electronica, garage and rock with much more in between.

Some of these acts succeed, while most fall by the wayside.

But Crazy P (formerly known as Crazy Penis) have seen more success than most with their albums The Wicked Is Music and 24 Hour Psychedelic Freakout leading them to a string of international tours and festival appearances.

We met up with Jim Baron and Chris Todd, the two-man production team behind the crazy tunes that have stormed Australia, in their studios on Wollaton Street.

Who are the people that make up Crazy P? Jim: There is me and Chris who do all the production work and we’ve got a six-piece live band. In that there’s Danielle on vocals, Tim on bass, Mav on percussion and Matt on drums. They come up and work with us in the studio and me and Chris get at the computer and make the magic happen!

How would you describe your style?

Jim: We were signed to Paper Recordings in Manchester and kicked off making house music. As the band has developed we have moved away from that. Even though we make up-tempo music it is more live based and organic.

Tell me about the history of Crazy P… Jim: I met Chris in Nottingham when I was doing my law finals and he was doing a contemporary arts course. I was doing a bit of music and had a couple of records out.

We met up and just started working together about ten years ago now. It was just the two of us with very little equipment and it was a real laugh. We got signed and did okay, so we got quite a lot of requests for live work on an Orbital kind of tip with banks of samplers and equipment.

It wasn’t what we were really about at all because we are both musicians really, so we decided to get a band together. Tim the bassist is a good mate and slipped right in there. Mav and Matt were mates and I met Danielle in Manchester, we became friends and I dragged her in too!

You used to be called Crazy Penis and changed this to Crazy P, what is the story to this?

Jim: When we started, it was just a laugh. We never

photo: Dom Henry

thought we would go beyond a couple of releases. Chris’ flatmate at the time had this 7” by a band called Loco Pinga which is a colloquial Mexican translation for Crazy Penis.

We’ve grown away from that which is why we weren’t so precious about keeping the ‘enis’. The name has also held us back for radio play, gigs, licences and TV stuff.

What are your favourite cities and venues to play?

Jim: One of our absolute favourites is the Hi-Fi room in Melbourne, Australia. It is always absolutely amazing. It’s a 15,000 capacity venue and we always sell it out. Another one for me personally is the Sugar Club in Dublin. Our last gig there in April has got to be one of our best, just from the energy of the crowd.

What do you like most about live performances?

Jim: We are getting a little more rock’n’roll now. The live performance aspect is so different to DJing or the studio work, it is a good team effort. We are all pretty close and there are no egos in the band, so we just help each other through the experiences, relax and enjoy it.

What relates you to Nottingham?

Jim: I did my finals here, then moved back to Manchester.

Chris remained down here and I moved back three years ago. It is a good place to come back to.

In comes Chris, who tells us he has just woken up.

Beady-eyed he takes a seat and joins the chat...

What are your favourite hangouts in Nottingham?

Chris: A place that has re-opened just down the road, called Moog. That is turning into a favourite…

Jim: It’s very local!

When are you next playing Nottingham?

Chris: We are going to do another UK tour in September/ October and will definitely have a Notts date in there.

What do you think about other Nottingham acts like Bent, Six by Seven and the DIY Crew?

Jim: They are all shit!

Chris: Obviously we are the best!

Jim: I think it is unusual, Nottingham, because of the

amount of people making music for the size of the city. I definitely rate most of the people that make music. Bent are amazing, Bob and Tom Fug are brilliant, Smooth (Schmoov?) boys across the way make some really good stuff too.

Who would you most like to remix?

Jim: Kylie. Oh no, remix sorry wrong question.

Chris: (smutty laugh) Jim: I wouldn’t mind a really high profile one.

Chris: Like Prince.

Jim: It would be nice to get some vintage 70’s stuff and get it in the computer to work on. I am also up for a bit of a comedy remix.

What are you listening to at the moment?

Chris: Jamie Lidell’s album Multiply has been on the system quite a lot.

Jim: I’ve been getting into weird Detroit electronic stuff and Raul Midon, a blind performer from New York who sings and plays guitar. He is a really raw Stevie Wonder style talent. I saw him on Jools Holland the other day and he blew the whole thing away. I also can’t wait to get hold of the new Muse album, I’ve heard a couple of tracks from it and I’m really looking forward to that.

What’s coming up for Crazy P over the next year?

Chris: Hopefully another album will come out early next year.

What can we expect from that?

Chris: We’ve been getting everyone together and having jamming sessions and we’ve come up with a lot of good ideas that need developing.

Jim: I think we are going to try and move it on. The last album was quite a labour of love as the production values were quite big and we used a lot of live instruments. It is quite full sounding. Personally I would like to strip it down and make something a bit grittier. We are doing a lot of festivals this summer too, so check us out. www.crazyp.co.uk www.shivarecords.com

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son d Wil : Ja re words d Jaison :E photo

Seretone are familiar faces to LeftLion Presents regulars.

They rocked out our Christmas party last year and also did us a gig at the Malt Cross towards the end of 2004.

We are definitely fans of their chirpy funky sound. The band are Nick Keen (vocals, guitars and programming), Adam Berman (keyboards, synths and vocals), Ralph Frost (guitars), Gav Stephenson (bass) and Did (drums). They’re back with a new album, having just returned from a UK tour, so we thought it was only right to invite them to play for us again….

Your new album is called Secret Robot Romance.

What’s that all about then?

Ralph: It’s a tribute to our love of every thing sci-fi. A number of us are true geeks on that front. It also has a melancholy feel to it, which fits with the album very well.

Nick: It’s a combination of electronic and organic, mixing emotions, with the need for digital communication.

Adam: Basically people find it too easy nowadays to escape reality and lock themselves away in their own self-made cyberspace, rather than dealing with all the shit in their lives. Computers will never let you down like people will.

Gav: Except when you’re trying to write your dissertation at 3am in the morning on the day it’s due to be handed in!

If you were to pick two celebrity robots to have a romance who would you choose?

Nick: Robocop in a dress, getting it on with my microwave, while cooking a selection of Linda McCartney veggie foods.

Did: Short Circuit and a Rampant Rabbit.

Ralph: My first choice would have to be 7 of 9 from Star Trek Voyager. She’s not a complete robot, but she certainly has all the assets.

Gav: Well it’s got to be Twiki from Buck Rogers, for the amusing sex noises and then any Transformer for their versatility in the sack. Probably Megatron, he’d rip Twiki to shreds.

The official album launch is at the Social in August. What do you have planned?

Ralph: Expect some fireworks, and some Cosmic Rough Riding, with a few planetary collisions on the way.

Adam: A massive laser show courtesy of Jean Michel Jarre and a tombola hosted by Jean Claude Van Damme.

What are your favourite sci-fi films, TV programmes and authors? Have these helped to inspire the new album?

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Nick: Dr Who, but they should have kept in Christopher Eccleston, the new one is crap, and Event Horizon because it reminds me of the sun shining in dark times, shabba!

Ralph: Any sci-fi film that leaves you thinking ‘what the fuck was that all about then?’

Adam: Button Moon.

You all met at Glastonbury. I bet it would be great to go back as a band and play the festival…

Ralph: It definitely would be great, more than great. It would be like a childhood dream come true. To play in front of that many people on the Pyramid stage would be simply amazing, and something to aspire to.

Adam: We did play the Secret Garden Party last summer which was brilliant. Desmond Dekker (RIP) borrowed one of my keyboards in exchange for all the crisps and beer we could eat and drink. That’s the sign of a legend, god rest his soul.

You’ve had a few nightmare rock and roll moments on your recent UK tour...

Ralph: The pinnacle of it all would have to be the women’s piss leaking through the roof onto the stage at a venue in Leeds. The urine definitely had a distinctive odour which will not be easily forgotten. It delayed our stage time by about half an hour, but we still went on and rocked the show… although with piss sodden shoes.

Adam: On top of that, a week later we had a gig in Brixton and had our van keys nicked. It wasn’t fun in the slightest to be stranded in the middle of Brixton with no money, nowhere to stay and all of our musical equipment stuck in a room that was shortly to hold the weekly Brixton Gun Bazaar. Luckily enough one of our fans who Nick was hoping to get intimate with said she’d put us all up for the night, much to his dismay. She also turned out to be a member of the AA, which came in very handy.

What can people expect from your show at the Orange Tree?

Ralph: The earth to move, and open up before their eyes, and show them something that they’ve never seen before.

Nick: A tree that is orange.

Did: Good food, and some great bar service. Have you tried the Bangers in Mash in there? Exceptional.

Adam: Boombastic electro pop dance anthems that’ll make you clap your hands and stomp your feet.

Who are your favourite other Nottingham artists and bands?

Gav: I’m always impressed by Majik. Let the hair wars commence.

Ralph: Dan Rattomatic, Lo-Ego, Hinterland and Computerman to name but a few.

Adam: Yeah! Computerman are one of Nottingham’s brightest hopes of being that breakthrough band that puts our fair city on the map, along with us of course!

Did: Tindersticks, Headway, Mr C and that blues guitarist guy (Sam Lindo) who busks in the street.

Nick: We Show up on Radar and the first Seretone cover band Los Seretones.

What was the last thing that made you laugh?

Did: Gav’s hair. The state of the Seretone magic bus. It is really is shocking how bad it’s getting… I’m surprised we haven’t been pulled over. I think someone’s taken a paintball gun to it in the night… there’s loads of blue splats on it!

Nick: Did’s pulling technique on a Saturday night.

Ralph: Watching Nottingham’s very own Lea crying when she got evicted from the Big Brother house!

Adam: The guitarist from Young Offenders Institute who we supported at Junktion 7. He passed out on stage mid-song cause he was so pissed. Lightweight.

Anything else you want to say to LeftLion readers?

Gav: At the risk of sounding boring, keep supporting all the cool culture coming out of Nottingham. There’s no reason why we can’t finally have a scene to rival the big smoke, or the northern monkeys!

Ralph: Treat people how you want to be treated and do good things and you’ll get good things back.

Nick: Don’t take drugs kids, don’t drink too much, buy our album and drink those weetabix milkshakes.

Adam: Beware of the flowers ‘cause they’re gonna get you.

Seretone launch their new album at the Social on August 3. They also play LeftLion Presents at the Orange Tree on Saturday 2 September. www.myspace.com/seretone

THE HOUSE THAT DROP BUILT

words: Jared Wilson photo: Family Care Foundation

The second annual Drop In The Ocean Festival cemented Nottingham’s reputation as a music city, but there was a serious side too. We put some questions to Larry Corley of the Family Care Foundation, the man entrusted with spending the proceeds you helped raise at Drop…

Tell us about the orphanage that Drop ‘05 paid for…

The Children’s Home is located in Karankadu, Ramnad District, Tamil Nadu, India. Work on it is still underway. It’s a big event for this village and the first step in ensuring they have a brighter future. It’s our vision that those who do well in their studies could be eligible for scholarships for further study and have the talent and motivation to bring new forms of livelihood to their village. If one or two each year have the aptitude and perseverance to go into the India Administrative Service or be eligible for Government employment, the village will be strengthened.

How did DITO and the FCF get together?

Ash Dilks from DITO contacted us not long after the first festival. He asked about our ability and willingness to work closely with them after receiving the funds, to ensure they knew exactly how they were being used. We jumped at the opportunity because that’s exactly how we think things should be done. One of the many things I appreciate about DITO is how seriously they take their responsibilities with the money people have entrusted to their care. That’s something I wish more donors would insist upon.

How do you make sure that you spend the money in the most efficient way?

We receive monthly financial and activity reports and when we have extra money for special projects, such as that provided by DITO, we ask for specific proposals of how the funds will be used. Our reporting and accountability procedures then make sure what we agree is carried out.

FORUM QUOTES ON DITO...

The drum group went off in the square, with crack heads skanking out alongside rudeboys and hippies - never seen anything like that before!

Jamie Highlight for me was Grain. To a packed, steam-filled Dogma they played an awesome set, completely naked except for aprons. This festival is so important for Notts; people go to new venues, it proves we have a stupid amount of talent, it makes the place seem proud of itself rather than depressed at its constant battle with the press... the list goes on. Oh yeah, the charity bit…

The Waiter I had such fun running between bars, apart from wearing wedge sandals and having to get taxis after I had done a

You came to the DITO festival this year. What did you make of it?

It was terrific! I was impressed with the number of truly world-class musicians Nottingham has produced and also with the amazing community response the festival produced. I think Nottingham should be very proud of producing such a good organisation as Drop in the Ocean and of its rich musical talent.

What did you think to the city?

The history, architecture, and culture of Nottingham are well known and appreciated. But the thing I liked best were the people. I felt a strong sense of community, which was evident in the way DITO was able to involve so many people. It’s a truly beautiful city with friendly people, good food, great music, and empathy for other people far away.

Describe your average day at the foundation…

I tend to start my day with a time of quiet reflection. Then once I am at my office I generally have meetings with our staff, project oversight staff, bookkeepers, fundraisers and more. There are cheques to sign, projects to fund, phone calls and decisions to make regarding grants and project funding, as well as legal and regulatory matters to stay in tune with.

Are there other groups of people you work with in a similar manner to DITO? We work with other donor organisations on specific funded projects. For example there’s a fishing town in the US that has ‘adopted’ an Indonesian fishing village that was affected by the tsunami, who did a local fundraiser for that village. What’s truly unique about DITO is that the people of Nottingham all got involved to make a difference to raise both awareness and money. That was the most energising thing for me. I think it is a great model that other cities could adopt. A city can do a lot by making a targeted appeal where everyone is united around a common need and vision. It’s a great community unifier! couple of laps of town. Personal highlight was Lo-Ego, the new line up really gives them an edge.

Kate Hood What a great day. Started at Dogma at noon and finished the day at 4am at Muse and still managed to miss loads. We must have picked the right venues at the right time as all were of a high standard and busy with plenty of feel good factor!

Daddio Award for highest temperature venue: Loggerheads back room. At least 49808oC. Thanks to everyone who made it happen, never before have I experienced that sort of atmosphere across the entire city.

Myhouse-Yourhouse It was also a great opportunity for loads of people like me, photographers, musicians, poets etc. etc. to contribute

What other projects are you currently working on?

There are so many ongoing and special projects that I couldn’t possibly list them all! We have around 85 Project Partners in about forty countries who are all working full time in their respective fields and we are funding at least some of what each one of them are doing.

The Power of Love Foundation, our Zambia-based Project Partner, is doing groundbreaking work with AIDS care and prevention. One of our Partners in Chile is operating a vocational training school for underprivileged youth. There are other tsunami-related projects currently going on in India and Indonesia, including desalinisation projects. One of the more prominent ones is Helping Hands Korea, which helps North Korean Food Refugees.

How much good do events like Live8 (and to a lesser extent DITO) really do to alleviate poverty?

I think they do a lot of good and certainly make a difference.

The problem of global poverty is immense and ultimately tied to global politics and economics in ways that are far above any individual to make a lasting dent. A lot of people get discouraged by that and tend to give up. But while any group of us may not be able to change the whole world, we can change part of it. If you help change even one life, you’ve already changed part of the world!

The people of Nottingham are helping to change the village of Karankadu. There are specific children who will be able to complete their education because of them. Who knows, perhaps one of those kids will grow up to become a person of great stature and significance who will in turn help their community, country and perhaps even the shrinking community we call the world. Maybe one of those girls in the shelter will grow up to be a scientist who discovers a cure for AIDS. If you change one life, you’ve changed the world for that person and for all of the other people who they can help. www.dropintheocean.org www.familycare.org and develop. So as well as raising a shedload of money for charity, it’s also providing an event that really contributes to the future of the talent that comes out of Nottingham!

Big Fat Badgeroonie Drop proved that Nottingham people are generous, creative and know how to have a good time. It was great to see the Council open up the Council House so that the people of Nottingham could enjoy the use of the City’s most outstanding public building.

Ravi It is a cultural phenomenon. People willingly and happily gave up jobs, time, money, venues to help people less fortunate than themselves. Nottingham took a stand and showed those who may not think it that somewhere in the (western) world there are people who will care and do want to help.

Emma www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

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illustration: Rob White

An open letter to

John Lydon

by Miles Hunt...

I’ve been meaning to talk to you about what follows upon this page for years. Only we’ve never actually met. There’s been a coupla opportunities… there was that time that we both played at Reading Festival back in 1992. Then there was that other time I couldn’t cope with.

I was seeing a lovely girl called Jaki out in California in 1995 and her friend Sean had been working with you. I think you’d taken a seat in the producer’s chair for a band that he was helping at the time. It’s funny… to me at least.

Sean had not really been aware of the things you had done prior to meeting you in the mid nineties. He knew that ‘punk rock’ had featured somewhere in your life and he thought you’d been something of a ‘player’ in that field.

But he’d grown up in Missouri and I don’t suppose that The Roxy in London, along with a bunch of other dives you must’ve set alight in 1977, had played a big part in his life at that time.

I’d flown to LA to spend an undetermined amount of time with Jaki at her home in Hollywood. She was an actress and comedienne at the time, and hopefully still is because she was bloody good at both. Being fully acquainted with my arrival time at LAX she turned up late to collect me and I was left sitting on my bag outside the arrivals terminal.

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During what felt like at least two hours, but in reality I suppose was only a half hour (me convincing myself that her enthusiastic invite to come spend some time with her in California was now considered an error on her part… oh Lord when will my insecurities desist?) she arrived in her great big 4x4. The cursory hug and kiss, followed by “let me help you with yer bags, you must be exhausted… how was the flight?” dealt with, I took the shotgun position inside the confines of her ample vehicle. Within seconds she was apologising for her tardy timekeeping, citing a last minute casting as the reason for her late arrival. She quickly shifted the conversation onto what at first sounded like an alarming itinerary.

“It’s that punk rock guy he’s been in the studio with…” came the reply.

“Okay Milo, we gotta get you back to my place, get you showered and changed ‘cos we gotta meet Sean in a half hour to go over to that guy’s house he’s been telling you about”.

“Too fuckin’ right there’s problem!!! What the fuck do you mean, ‘Is there a problem?’? It’s a major fuckin’ problem for Chrissakes! Do you have any idea who this man is?

Don’t answer, ‘cos it’s as plain as day that it would appear not! My God… it’s only the singer I hold most dear in the world!”

“Who’s that then..?” I lazily enquired.

“Is it John? I think his wife’s name is Nora. We’re going over to their place tonight with Sean to have drinks. Sean’s arranged it all, he said you know him?”

“Who the fuck-shit are you on about Jaki?”

“Hang on a fuckin’ minute…” I interrupted “...the only ‘John and Nora’ I’ve ever heard of is Mr and Mrs John and Nora Lydon. Given your ‘punk rock guy’ association I can only assume that the ‘John’ involved in this coupling is John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, formerly of the Sex Pistols and to no lesser extent, latterly of the genii that are Public Image Limited!? Is this sounding familiar, please tell me that it isn’t!” I was now in a state of fear and panic.

“Yeah… that’s the guy… is there a problem?”

“So what’s the ‘fuckin’ problem,’” she mimicked back at me.

“We ain’t going!” I came back with. Not so much a demand as a plea.

There was no way on earth I could have come to your house, having just exited a transatlantic flight or not. There was just no way. No fuckin’ way!

Just being a few short paces away from you as you prepared to go on stage at Reading Festival in ‘92 was almost more than I could bear. There was one other band between mine and yours’ that evening, we were headlining and that felt bad enough to me at the time. How dare our agent accept the offer of a billing for our puny effort of a band over the mighty PiL!? There was no way I could’ve summoned the courage to speak to you that day, even if we’d been opening the show for you. But given the perverse circumstance of us lot headlining over you… it was absolutely not going to happen.

These feelings I have of absolute fear, when it comes to making your personal acquaintance, are not anything to do with your ‘press’ image. I ‘get’ that shit, I’ve played a similar game, to a lesser extent myself. But y’know, I have no trouble at all admitting that it is simply because you are the one male that has affected my life, outside of family members, more than any other.

I was ten years old when God Save The Queen was released. Completing my last year at Marston Green Primary School on the outskirts of Birmingham. Thankfully my Mom gave birth to my only brother, Russ, three and a half years ahead of me. That blessed me with a musical education ahead of my years. Russ possessed (and still does to this day) an absurd appetite for music. Not only that, but we were blessed with a father that eagerly encouraged us both to have an awareness of popular music’s finer moments. For example, on Christmas day of the same year, 1977, Mom and Dad presented me with Never Mind The Bollocks… for my Christmas gift, and Dad said “This is the Bob Dylan of your generation, listen to him, he’s actually saying something you should be aware of.”

You will of course remember that your debut album was released in the November of ‘77, a full month before I got my hands on my very own copy. To this day, a full twenty nine years later, it’s the only album in my collection that resides in a protective vinyl cover. I had heard the album though.

My best friend, Billy (a couple of years later the spelling of this childhood nickname was adjusted to BiL), had access to a copy that belonged to his elder brother, our local style guru, the formidable Strangler Pearlman. Strangler’s real name was Steve and he had yet another year on my own brother, making him almost sixteen years old and easily the coolest person any of us had ever encountered in the year “The Bollocks Album” was released.

Problem was, Steve didn’t like BiL and his underlings going anywhere his prized record collection. This was a collection that would eventually boast a white vinyl 12” of Dillinger’s Cocaine In My Brain, an original pressing of The Adverts’ One Chord Wonders and Steel Pulse Nyah Love, among too many other perfect examples of the human endeavour to mention. They were pressed so lovingly onto sweet smelling vinyl that we would steal precious moments with the records in his absence.

It was left to BiL to not only find an evening that Strangler and his mother and father were all out of the house, but locate the well hidden treasure that was Never Mind The Bollocks… somewhere within their three bed roomed domicile. But find it he did, along with the family home’s otherwise vacant evening upon the calendar. Other disciples were in attendance, Hammond was definitely there, maybe even Delmonte, but essentially as small and carefully chosen an audience as BiL could put together to hear, for the very first time, the soon to become life long companion that has been Never Mind The Bollocks, here’s the Sex Pistols.

But John, forgive me, I move too quickly. This was not the first time that I experienced one of your many gifts. During my primary school’s summer fayre of 1977 my Dad won a prize on the Tombola. It was a £2.50 record token for Virgin Records and bless that man if he didn’t immediately hand it over to Russ and I. The following Saturday the two of us

took the train up to Birmingham and hit Virgin Records on Bull Street. This was long before the Megastore days and Virgin was like Aladdin’s Cave to us. The shop was all black carpeted walls and the singles department was the prize of the store. Behind the counter the back wall of the shop had a vast selection of glowing 7” sleeves carefully pinned to it. As memory serves I spent what I now would estimate as at least 70% of my teen years gazing up at those record sleeves wondering what I should spend my £1.50 a week pocket money on. But this particular Saturday we had almost double that, which would buy you three 7”’s back in those day. Russ, without hesitation plumped for God Save The Queen. I hadn’t heard the Sex Pistols at this point, but agreed, that was a sleeve that every selfrespecting would-be junior punk simply had to own. Radio One were playing Peaches by the Stranglers at the time, albeit the horribly compromised clean version and we again agreed that we needed it, for not only might we get to hear the vulgarities that NME had informed Russ about, but that was one hell of a bass line!

Now this is the bit that I am shamed to admit. As I said, £2.50 would get you three 7” singles in ‘77 and the third and final choice, pop pickers, was mine. Now let me remind you, I was ten, okay…? So here it is, my shameful confession to you… oh gawd! I can rewrite history here… and I’m more than tempted to do so. Fuck it, here I go (and promise me you’ll read this really fast and should we ever meet, no more will be said on the matter). The third record was Van McCoy’s The Shuffle.

Phew… there, I said it.

Those three records were absolute treasure to Russ and I (yes, even The Shuffle). We both had record players in our rooms, Russ had a stereo by now and I had inherited his mono player, one with the lift up top. The day soon came that I could have Peaches in my room, for that was a shared purchase. But it took for some careful timing before I could sample, what I was imagining to be the ‘delights’ of, God Save The Queen as that most definitely belonged to Russ. Having watched him leave the house, sneaked a peek between the trees by the Village Hall, another 50 yards up the street, to make sure he was gone for real, I waited a few more minutes before I went and swiped your second single from behind the door of the absolute no-go area that was his bedroom.

If the opening instrumental bars of the record weren’t traumatic enough for my young ears, on hearing your voice for the first time I truly believed that the gates of hell itself had opened directly into my bedroom and a demon had been let loose with one simple purpose, to terrorize me. I was pinned to the wall, all I wanted for it was to be over.

This experience was the first genuinely terrifying episode of my life, I swear that my blood ran cold.

And you know what..? I enjoyed it every second of it.

So when news arrived, a few months later, that one of our village’s inhabitants, in the shape of BiL’s brother Steve, had more of this good stuff I could barely contain my eagerness to relive that moment of revelation all over again.

The album opener, Holidays in the Sun, was familiar to us all by now, it having been a single, but when Bodies kicked in I got my fix again, that demon was again let loose upon me and it felt just as exquisitely harrowing as it had the first time.

I still maintain that The Bollocks Album is the most perfect rock record of all time, there’s not a wasteful second on it.

The production has done nothing to date itself in almost three decades now and I honestly don’t ever imagine it will be bettered or equalled.

During the mid nineties, while I was signed to Polydor Records, I thought I’d been played like a fiddle when the Managing Director asked me what, in my opinion, was the greatest rock album ever made? I wasn’t gonna fall for that! So I asked him what he thought it was before I would offer my own opinion. Of course he said Never Mind The Bollocks, having read in countless interviews that this was my own true love. But then he went on to qualify why he had chosen your debut album and he hit every nail dead centre.

Christmas 1979 saw Mom and Dad gifting me yet more of your work, this time in the shape of PiL’s Metal Box and yeah, I got the metal box edition. I was by now thirteen years old and I have a wonderful document of my hand writing carefully conserved within the safety of that metal box. A full page advert that Virgin Records ran in one of the inkies for Metal Box was simply all of the lyrics to the album, printed in a neat hand written type. Was that your penmanship I wonder? Anyway I diligently copied out the whole thing. One song to a page, blue biro for the titles and lyrics and red biro to underline titles, then stapled all together like a theatre program for me to hold every time I immersed myself in that stunning album.

Around this time I had also found myself a white with black type PiL logo t-shirt to cover my skinny little frame. Sadly after merely one over enthusiastic wash it shrank and the circular logo was for evermore egg-shaped.

I could go on and on about the events I have filed away within my memory that the two of us have somehow shared, only without you knowing. But that wasn’t the purpose of me writing you this letter, I’ve no need to blow smoke up your arse over every single one of your commercial releases.

So I’ll fast forward to 1996 and a summer’s day spent in North London’s Finsbury Park. They shut the streets for you that night my friend… and I cried tears of joy.

You, Jones, Cook and Matlock had just played in front of 25,000-30,000 people, but as far as I was concerned had played solely to and for me and once again. I was ten years old, transported back to the moment of being pinned against my bedroom wall as God Save The Queen engulfed each and every one of my senses.

As I left the park in search of a cab I saw that Seven Sisters Road had been closed to allow your crowd to leave safely and I wanted to come and find you, to hold you and to tell you that you had finally won. Whatever pains you had endured over the years, with your ideals for punk rock being hijacked by marketing managers, that night my brother, you won. I finally understood what English football fans must’ve felt like when England won the World Cup in ’66, only this was much bigger. You came home to the part of London that had been your childhood stomping ground and they shut the fuckin’ streets in your name! I don’t know if you knew about the Seven Sisters Road being closed that night. I also don’t really care what your thoughts are on the matter, but it meant the world to me and it was simply beautiful to be there.

So… back to that visit to LA I made in ’95. The long and short of it is that I now so wish I could’ve summoned up the courage to have taken Sean up on his idea of coming over to meet you.

Why? John, I promise you, all I have for you is words of thanks. Your voice, your lyrics, your attitude have been to me as child, a teenager, a young man and now a fully developed adult male (physically at least) the reason behind what I have pursued, to the detriment of all other aspects of my life.

All I have is thanks. It’s been an amazing ride.

So, other than that Friday night at Reading Festival in 1992, some curious incarnation of PiL I saw at Birmingham Odeon in 1983 (was that really a honky-tonk piano part I remember hearing during a bizarre version of Anarchy In The UK that you played that night? Maybe you were taking this piss?) and the Sex Pistols reform at Finsbury Park in 1996, that’s as close as we’ve ever got. But the point of this letter hasn’t been to bring you closer to me. Just, in it’s simplest form, to let you know that I appreciate it all, the whole shebang, the full kit and caboodle, the lot. No, appreciate doesn’t say enough. I love you Mr. Lydon, that’s what I meant to say.

May the Gods always smile upon you and yours.

Sincerely, Miles Hunt www.leftlion.co.uk/miles www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

13

Extreme Direction Words: Amir Bazrafshan

For ten years Simon Ellis has been making short films. He now has sixteen to his name and they have been screened over 200 times at various film festivals around the globe.

Simon’s down to earth personality and sense of humour come through in his work, so much so that you can tell it is a Simon Ellis film before the credits roll. He’s recently finished shooting a £50k short film through the UK Film Council’s Cinema Extreme scheme and will shortly begin work on his first full feature, with another in the pipeline…

You’ve just finished shooting your short on the Cinema Extreme scheme. Can you tell me a little about the film and the scheme itself?

The scheme is financed by the UK Film Council and Filmfour, primarily for filmmakers who are migrating from shorts to features. I wrote the script three years ago and was commissioned to make it for a different scheme at the time, but I withdrew it for various reasons. Having not looked at it for over a year, reading with fresh eyes led to a number of re-drafts before it was submitted for Cinema Extreme. It’s a story about a father and son who are both bullied by the same teenager, covering new ground for me as my first non-comedy drama.

You’ll be making a couple of features in the not so distant future. What are they about?

One is a comedy called Dogging, shooting in Newcastle later this year and the other is a broader take on themes covered in the Cinema Extreme short. That one is still in development, locked behind a squishy grey door in the back of my skull until there’s room to let it out.

How does shooting on digital video compare to shooting on film. Do you have to alter your style and approach?

Approach yes, style no. DV is great and I love it! It’s also the ideal format to learn your craft, from shooting through to delivery. Shooting on 35mm film obviously requires a certain amount of discipline when it comes to your shooting ratio. It’s not a few quid for sixty minutes anymore, it’s five hundred quid for ten. If you shoot insane amounts of footage with DV, just because you can, then you’re likely to have trouble adapting to 35mm. I had to stick tape over the footage counter on the video monitor because the sight of money ticking away

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as the camera rolled was too freaky. When I got into things and eventually took the tape off it started to freak my producer out, so the tape went back on again.

What aspects of a film or story attract you to it?

Simple is best for me. I can’t stand twisty-turny shit where you can feel the writer trying to be a smart arse.

What is your opinion of the film scene in Nottingham and in the UK as a whole?

It’s not for me to speculate on the UK as a whole, but the scene in Nottingham and the East Midlands is very much alive. I still don’t think Nottingham realises the extent of it. Every city has their share of creative talent, but these people don’t always talk to each other and there’s definitely a good spirit here. As so many filmmakers here know each other and often work together in one way or another, it’s relatively easy to crew your film, but the real beauty is the knock-on effect. If one person working on a film becomes inspired enough to go home and finally start preparing the film they have been meaning to make for ages, then that’s a result. It’s very important to preserve regional filmmaking and it’s encouraging to see so many filmmakers remaining in Nottingham as opposed to relocating to London, which at one time was considered the only path. Doing it this way, you can hone your skills quietly and eventually enter the industry as a filmmaker, as opposed to struggling your way up some shitty production ladder where you start out as some director’s fluffer and ascend to bigger departments that aren’t really teaching you much about the process of directing anyway. I’ve talked at length about this with directors from London and overseas and I can’t stress how thriving Nottingham’s filmmaking culture is.

What sparked your interest in films?

This is always a killer question, especially as I’m not that interested in them. I have a vivid childhood memory of being terribly distraught when my dad taped over his Jack Lemmon films, which is probably my earliest memory of appreciating movies (one particular sci-fi franchise goes without saying). More importantly, the summer after graduating from my Fine Art degree I started writing and making stuff. That same summer I was feasting on Asian

cinema and wanted to run away with Maggie Cheung, so maybe it’s her fault.

What motivates you to make films?

I don’t like anything on the telly, so I thought I’d make my own stuff.

Any key influences on your career so far?

The twat in me, who neglected to mention that making films instead of getting a proper job wouldn’t make me rich.

Oh and film festivals. I always say that film festivals have been my film school. Make films, get them into festivals, travel to as many of them as possible, see other films, meet other filmmakers, come home fired up for the next one, ad infinitum. It’s a cyclical process that’s similar to the one I mentioned earlier, getting kicked up the arse by inspiration each time you visit a festival with a new film. Those who don’t put themselves about, so to speak, are really missing out.

Are there any artists or filmmakers that you really admire?

I’m not into any one filmmaker, consistently speaking, but yes of course there are all sorts of people I admire. If I say anyone though, I’ll regret it later when I remember those I forgot, so I’m not saying anything.

What do you hope to achieve in film?

It would be nice to reap the benefits of having persevered so that the ten-year struggle hasn’t been for nothing. That satisfaction could come from any number of things, but I made a conscious decision after graduating that I was going to stick at it even if it meant scrimping and scraping.

I sort of burned out in 2002 and stepped out of things for a year, then somehow sniffed my way back. So long as I’m satisfied that I’ve not settled for being an ant and I’ve achieved my own goals in my own way, free of debt, then I couldn’t ask for more than that. It’d also be cool to work in a chippy at some point.

You can view some of Simon’s work on www.britfilms.com

Howdy Sheriff! words: Deputy Sheriff Wilson photo: Deputy Sheriff Henry

Back in the day the Sheriff of Nottingham was responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. These days they leave all that nasty business to the police, but believe it or not the city does still have a Sheriff.

With the legend of Robin Hood spreading around the globe, so too did the tales of his arch-nemeses and the post portrayed on screen by the likes of Alan Rickman and Melville Cooper has continued, though these days it revolves mainly around tourism. The current incumbent is a locally-born councillor called Jeannie Packer. On the day we interviewed her she had a busy press schedule planned including a TV appointment with BBC’s Jonathan Ross.

So how did you become the Sheriff of Nottingham?

The leading group in the Council elect a new Sheriff each year from the current crop of councillors. It’s a great honour to be elected this year. The tradition goes right back to the Domesday book.

So who do you work with on a day to day basis?

I work with the civic office, the community, the Lord Mayor, my consort who is also my husband, the leader of the Council and a vast amount of other people who perform various roles around the Council.

Tell us about your average day?

My average day can start off like it did this morning. The car picked me up at ten to eight. I came straight here and did a bit of work and then had a few meetings. In the afternoon I’ll be heading up to Nottingham Castle for some promotional work.

Then a few more meetings and I’ll probably finish up at about eleven o’clock tonight. Sometimes the days can be very long.

What’s the current strategy for the capture of the notorious outlaw Robin Hood?

(Laughs) I keep my eye on him. As long as he doesn’t get up to much trouble we’ll be alright.

What’s the most enjoyable thing you’ve done during your time in office?

It’s all generally quite good fun, but one memory particularly stands out. That was the Hands Around St Anns event. We were all made extremely welcome and it was a good chance to mix with members of our community. I’d like to do more like that because it brings everyone together, which is what we’re ultimately trying to do.

What’s been the least enjoyable thing?

It might sound a bit twee, but it hasn’t really happened yet. I think I’ve been very fortunate and enjoyed it all so far.

Do you wear your official robes out much?

I do. It’s part of my official duty and I’m happy to say that I think I’ve looked pretty good in them so far. I have the black robes to use when I go up to the castle and raise the flag.

Are there any odd quirky things about the post?

Tony Robinson (nb: not the guy off Maid Marian and her Merry Men but a previous Sheriff) had to ride on horseback from the council house up to the castle as part of his duties. That doesn’t have to happen every year, but it’s something I’d be very happy to do if it came up.

Are you originally from Notts then?

I am. I was born and bred just around the corner on Peel Street where I grew up with my father. These days I live on the Aspley / Broxtowe estate with my family.

Have you had many dealings with previous Sheriffs?

Yes. I’ve been really well supported by some of my predecessors. John Hartshorne is someone I’ve worked with as a councillor over the years and he’s been the Sheriff twice so he has a good idea of what the post entails. Then there are women who have been the

sheriff before me like Joan Casson who have been supportive too. I also sometimes go to meetings with the various other Sheriffs around the country such as the Sheriffs of Lincoln and Birmingham.

You’re not the first lady Sheriff then?

No, I’m the fifth. The first one was in 1931 and a lady called Caroline Margaret Arthur. She must have been very special because at that time it’s almost certain that the post was considered to be a male one.

Do you think that Alan Rickman did your role justice in Prince of Thieves?

Yes I do. I think he was brilliant. He brought the city a lot of attention and tourism by being so good in the role. I’m looking forward to the new series that starts on the BBC in September. I’d like to get in on that production and get a part as an old woman in the background or something. Just think, they could get the actual Sheriff of Nottingham a part in the series…

Do you know much about this new production then?

Not that much. I’ve been told that there isn’t going to be a Friar Tuck in it, which I think is a bit of a shame.

I was told that you have Jonathan Ross coming in to see you later today…

Yes I have. I’m very excited about that. We’re meeting up at the castle and are going to have a chat about the new production for a programme he’s doing that will be screened a week or so before it’s launched.

So how important is tourism to Nottingham’s economy?

It’s vital. We do get a lot of tourism, a lot of people coming over to England from other countries and continents just to find out more about Robin Hood.

Do you think that the slanty N campaign was a deliberate attempt to move away from the legend of Robin Hood?

No, not really. I think Nottingham will always be intrinsically related to Robin Hood, but that was just an attempt to highlight some other aspects of what goes on in the city too, things like our local sports teams and facilities, the nightlife in the city and the shopping centre.

Did you catch any of Drop In The Ocean on 11 June?

I didn’t because I was at another public event, but I heard all about it.

It’s really pleasing to see people in the city get together and make things happen for a good cause. Proof positive that Nottingham people are very generous and good hearted.

Where do you go for a night out in the city when you’re off duty?

I’m not a nightclubber. I go in Langtrys a bit because you can have a good chat in there without being disturbed. I always like going to the pantomime as well. It’s a good place to take the family.

Do you feel safe going out in Nottingham?

Absolutely. I’ve never felt unsafe going out in the city. I know it’s had problems in the past, but that’s definitely because of a small minority. This is my home and I’ll always feel safe here.

What’s been your favourite portrayal of Robin Hood?

When I was a child I used to like watching Richard Greene.

What would you say to cities like Doncaster and Sheffield who keep trying to claim Robin Hood for themselves?

It’s a load of rubbish and you’re not having him! You ask anyone where Robin Hood comes from and they’ll all give you the same answer…

Can we become your deputies?

Absolutely! I think we should all become deputies. We all want people from outside the city to want to come here and that’s something we should all try to encourage together.

She then gave us both a sticker and certificate and we walked away very happy.

www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

15

A life less ordinary...

A tribute to Nottingham musician and raconteur Mark Askwith. words: The Shedfixman

Mark Askwith

The band was to frustrate and confound the Nottingham music scene throughout the eighties.

Most working groups at the time would turn up to go and flatter each other. But few felt secure about patronising a group who packed every venue by treating every gig as an extension of a day-long piss-up (which it always was).

Mark Askwith was born the son of an RAF officer in Devon in 1954. As he came of age in the sixties he was forcibly packed off to a Derbyshire public school (to his vehement loathing), before legging it to Nottingham, which would become his long-term home. He held down various jobs along the way. I recall one as a window cleaner when some disgruntled old boiler demanded to know his VAT number he replied ‘It’s one. I was the first bloke to get one.’ By his teens, Askwith had soon flourished into a very popular man with the ladies and yet was a proper blokes’ bloke, care of his dashing good looks and massive charisma.

where he began to supervise boozing sorties to the nearby Test Match. Invited by its publicans to write a punk panto version of Snow White with ex-Matarka keyboardist Paul (The Skipper) Simons, the two then got very drunk when literally no-one turned up to see the performance. But instead of crying into their beers, they ordered many more and decided to recruit three other regulars (John Clegg on drums, Kevin Johnstone on bass and Andy Cope on vocals) and form a new band called The Chimneys.

Chimney. Bon Viveur.1954-2006

By the mid-seventies, Askwith had infiltrated Nottingham’s local music scene. The advent of punk rock was Askwith’s meat and ale, as a boy who had been bestowed with every privilege in life and yet furiously despised the very mention of the word ‘privilege’.

In 1977 he formed and fronted on vocals a band called The Some Chicken, along with drummer Bob Fawcett (an old public school pal), guitarist Jez Adlington and Greasy Pete on bass and pies. Local entrepreneur Dave Nettleton went to see the band playing The Sandpiper in Commerce Square one Friday night and immediately badgered them into a management contract. The next morning he caught the morning train to London and landed them a tasty recording deal with his contacts down at Raw Records in Soho.

Singles Blood on the Walls and New Religion (which John Peel chose as a Desert Island Disc) were soon to dent the top 100 in 1978, followed by Arabian Days, which hit the number 48 and triggered clubland demand for the group around the UK. In the same year, following a fight in the recording studio (Bob was told that he was playing off the beat and replied ‘What fucking beat?’), Nottingham’s best and most energetic drummer of the time Peter Clark replaced Fawcett in order to finish the album. Clark seriously beefed up the rhythm but, constantly beset by in-bickerings fuelled by Adlington’s manic descent into paranoid and often violent schizophrenia, the group self-destructed. After shafting their manager over an appearance which they were too pissed to play, they were instantly dropped by Raw Records.

By Christmas 1981, Askwith was in a houseshare in West Bridgford affectionately known as the ‘111 Club’, from

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This band, in its variously amended line-ups, was to frustrate and confound the Nottingham music scene throughout the eighties. Most working Nottingham groups at the time would turn up to go and flatter each other, but few felt secure about patronising a group who packed every venue by treating each and every gig as an extension of a day-long piss-up (which it always was). Yet they were usually musically competent enough to carry it off as if it were meticulously rehearsed (which it never was).

In 1983, Askwith married his girlfriend Wendy Burn, took a break from the band and departed to Hong Kong to work as a professional drinker at the Kings Arms in Kowloon Tong.

He was given a daily budget of two hundred quid in pocket cash to buy drinks for errant crews of British squaddies and policemen coming in off-duty around the Protectorate. This was in order to get them chatting misty about England, start them buying rounds and remain in the boozer all night. Once again, his innate charm had landed him the best job in South East Asia!

In the following year, Arabian Days suddenly re-charted big style and he rushed back to England to investigate his dues, only to find that former band-mate Adlington had been busy securing the copyright on all The Some Chicken songs for himself (he still reaps sole royalty benefits to this day). After a patchy spell of gigs thereafter, The Chimneys reformed in 1987, but Askwith had soon fallen out with Simons and left the band. When Johnstone also left to cope with a sudden shift of sexuality, Joe Planet, a refugee from the glory days down at the Hope and Anchor in Islington (he often sat in alongside Weller, Ian Dury, Dr. Feelgood, Shakin’ Stevens, U2, Graham Parker) was drafted in on guitar along with the Shedfixman on bass.

Nevertheless, this latest Chimney line-up promised to be the greatest Nottingham group of all time. Both the musical and comical panache were finally installed and strutting.

The expectancy was electric. The venues were pestering.

The fans were baying. The telephones were a fucking nuisance.

Yet soon the bickering returned. The Chimneys were in freefall over gig money, as pub and club owners took full advantage of the band’s drunkenness when it came to paytime. The Shedfixman’s persistent petitioning for Askwith to be returned to a six-man line-up met with a clinical deafness from the others.

The group never survived the year and Askwith retired into a very happy nine to five with his wife and became an exceptional pool player. He began to travel and took a good job with the Notts Treasury. They had a son who grew up to be the sort of child that parents idealise of.

Whether friend or stranger, no-one who came within earshot of Mark Askwith’s voice could fail to be mesmerised and elevated by his cheer, wit and charisma.

As a raconteur, he was easily on a par with Ustinov, Niven or (dare I say? Yes, I fucking do) Milligan.

To be such, it’s impossible not to have had a life extraordinaire and that’s exactly what he had. Jam-packed to the rafters with wizzo japes, brash outrageous fortune and derring-do. Yet he never ever shoved the fact at anyone. Always sensible in a crisis, always generous to his many friends. We’ll always love you, Marko!

Mark Askwith died on Monday 3 July 2006 of a heart attack in a swimming pool in Southern Spain. He was doing what he did every day of his life, effortlessly bringing joy to his family and everyone else around him. My mind will return every day to a lunchtime back in 1982, in the main bar of the Newshouse in St James Street, where I was then working as a barman. I was casually invited by Mark Askwith to go out for a beer or twenty six with The Chimneys later that evening. The best day’s work I’ve ever done in my life was to say ‘Okay’.

words: Tom Reed photo: Ian Hilton

Fifteen years ago the UK music scene was dominated by ‘Madchester’. Three bands in particular took centre stage: The Stone Roses, The Happy Mondays and The Inspiral Carpets. Nowadays Ian Brown has a solo career and doesn’t speak to John Squire, Shaun Ryder is probably holed up in a flat taking serious drugs (possibly with Bez), but the Inspiral Carpets have survived despite the odds.

The band who pioneered the phrase ‘Cool as fuck’ are playing at the Marcus Garvey Ballroom in August. We spoke to singer Tom Hingley and bass player Martin Walsh about the reunion…

So what was the inspiration for getting back together?

Martin: It’s not really a road to Damascus story, just a lot of small events that don’t look good in print. But the final catalyst was a club night called Inspiral Club in our hometown of Oldham. They asked us to reform for a one-off gig, which was supposed to be secret. But people found out, it got packed out, we started getting offers for other gigs and we got onto it.

How excited are you all about this new tour?

Tom: We are all very excited. We were shit in the first rehearsal when we played together for the first time in eight years in 2003. But the first time we played together since a few weeks ago we sounded really good so it should be fun and exciting.

Martin: On a scale of one to ten it’s a ten! We’ve been rehearsing today and the vibe was that, although it’s a hot summer day, all we want to do is be in the Inspirals. In one word: very.

Back in the day, were you all mates with other bands from the Madchester scene?

Martin: When Madchester was exploding, we were never really all in Manchester together. People have this vision of the Hacienda as a melting pot where we’d all turn up on a Friday night and get off our faces together, but everyone was so busy making music that our paths never really crossed that much. There is a mutual respect there, but it’s not like we all go on holiday together.

Do you think there is still a place for the Inspirals in 2006?

Martin: If the world is ready for ID cards and World War Three then there is definitely a place for us. You never know, we might be the thing that takes everyone over the edge.

So where do you see the band going over the next year?

Tom: After this tour, we’ll probably go back to doing our own separate things.

Martin: It’s all reliant on people enjoying it. One of the reasons we still like it is because it’s relaxed. But as soon as we have to play the game then it loses its appeal. That’s why we’re not doing an album tour. We’ve sidestepped that for the moment.

How has the band changed since your heyday?

Martin: Well, we have all progressed as songwriters and it will be interesting to see how that meets when we all get together in the studio. We’re all bringing new baggage and life experience along. Essentially we’ve all grown up, but not in a boring way. It’s still really exciting playing together.

So you’re still all good mates then?

Martin: Like any marriage or relationship you have your ups and downs. But the whole point of a recording is to capture a band on fire. I believe the best records are never produced, they’re just captured in the studio. It’s just how insightful you can be when things are going well. We’re all happy, but we’re never content.

Where did the band name originally come from?

Martin: The amount of times we’ve been asked that question… it’s like the search for the holy grail. Only god knows the answer. Graham was one of the founders and even he doesn’t know. In 1994 we toured Australia for the first time. A guy who was also an original member came to the gig and said he knew. We cornered him on the night hoping he could tell us, but he looked like a bank clerk and didn’t actually have any idea.

The 8.15 From Manchester theme was where many people of my era first became aware of you. Do you think that was a good career move for you?

Martin: Yes. We stand by it as it was just a really good song.

We played that today for the first time in ages and loved it.

This band never had a manifesto. We just do things that are right at the time. That was right for us. It’s nearly as good as the Swapshop theme.

Where can people get hold of your more recent music?

Is a new single on the cards?

Martin: Good question. We’re not recording new stuff for this tour, but if things continue as we are now then we might consider making new tunes together. I’m working on a new project called DC10. It’s a vehicle for conspiracy theories, kind of punk but with an electronic element.

Tom: I’m doing loads of solo stuff and working with The Lovers and Too Much Texas. Also the Inspirals Greatest Hits is still available from all good record shops.

What are your favourite hangouts in Nottingham?

Tom: Red light district luncheon vouchers accepted and the Irish Club Martin: Isn’t it the most violent city in the UK? Aren’t there loads of women there? Last time I was there we played Rock City in 2003. We’re also good mates with Chris from Six by Seven and Rick, who used to be in Candy Flip and is now involved with Amusement Parks On Fire.

What was the last album that you bought?

Tom: The new one by Morrissey.

Martin: The new Muse album. It’s good. There’s some bits that err on Queen, but I like their poppier stuff. They’re not afraid to give it a go and there’s not enough bands who are prepared to push things forward. Blur are a good example of that. Oasis, on the other hand, have a formula that they stick to.

What was the last book you read?

Tom: Beowolf translated by Seamus Heaney. It’s good for lyrics!

Martin: The Last Templer by Raymond Khoury. It’s a Da Vinci Code style conspiracy story. The powers that be are sanitising us for messages to come. What we’ve been told to believe in for the last 2000 years isn’t necessarily true.

What can people expect from your gig at the Marcus Garvey ballroom?

Tom: Old songs played like they are new.

Martin: When we got back together in 2003 there was a lot of uncertainty, but now we have a momentum. We’re really enjoying playing live together. Out of the Madchester triumvate of bands, we were definitely the best to see live.

The fact that we can still pull it off is proof of that.

Anything else you would like to tell LeftLion readers?

Tom: Roll up, roll up the circus is coming to town!

Martin: My uncle lives in Nottingham. I’ve never been to see him, but I’m sure he’ll be at the gig and give me shit. It would be good to get people to the Garvey too. The more variety you get in venues, the better it is for the city.

The Inspiral Carpets play at the Marcus Garvey ballroom on Friday 11 August. www.inspiralcarpets.com www.the-ballroom.co.uk www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

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LeftLion Magazine When we started out there wasn’t much in the way of underground press in Notts. As our friends at Saggy Pants put it ‘There were no magazines in Nottingham which covered the underground and local culture. The release of LeftLion was the start...’

Here is an issue by issue run down of what we’ve been up to…

words: Alan Gilby

New LeftLion Website LeftLion started out life on 1 September 2003 quite simply as a website. It featured articles about local movers and shakers along with a load of information about local venues and events. The aim was to show you the multitude of options and wide range of talent that lies within the borders of Nottingham. We added a forum a year later which is now one of the busiest discussion boards in the city.

Then we started this magazine and topped it all off by putting on a load of free live music gigs across town.

But we never forgot our roots, the website is where it started and has always been a very important part of LeftLion. The reality is more people visit the website than read the paper and we publish way more material online than we do in these pages.

The beauty of the web is it doesn’t restrict you like print. We can use multimedia content, write as much as we want and correct mistakes until the end of time.

Three years on and lots of writing, planning and coding later we decided it was time to unleash version two of the website. It’s got a load of new features and brings the magazine and website closer together.

If you’re reading this after 1 September 2006 you can see the new site in its full glory. If not here’s a sneak preview of what we’ve come up with! We have more in the pipeline, but if you have any suggestions or feedback we’d love to hear them, email info@leftlion.co.uk.

Issue 1 was our printing debut. We hooked up with Shane Meadows to talk about his film Dead Man’s Shoes and One For The Road’s Chris Cooke. We also got Miles Hunt from the Wonder Stuff and C-Mone in for the ride.

Issue 2 saw us catch up with Whycliffe, Nottingham’s infamous pop-star turned street busker. Six By Seven, Styly Cee and the House Gymnastics crew also featured.

Issue 3 was an urban art special with a cover designed

by Small Kid and the Coverage crew. Interviewees included artists Dilk and Popx and reclusive rapper Scorzayzee.

Issue 4 was a Notts What I Call Music special, where we asked the question “Why hasn’t Notts had a chart act since KWS?” Interviewees Paper Lace and Bent couldn’t figure it out either.

Issue 5 took us to the seaside, with a Skegness special and interviews with DJ Format, The Gob Squad and Just The Tonic.

Issue 6 was a sporting feast with Super Middleweight boxing champion Carl Froch and footballer turned author Dave McVay. We also chatted to comedian/ author Rob Newman and Roots Manuva.

Issue 7 was TV-tastic. We looked at the history of Notts on the small screen and spoke to Ian Smith (Central Drama Workshop) and the Shims (actors Andrew and Shauna).

Issue 8 was a Christmas special where we put questions to the almighty Prodigy, Dizzee Rascal, Earache records and George Akins from Rock City.

Issue 9 featured a history of Notts on the radio, as well as interviews with Sway, Skin from Skunk Anansie, Sudha from Faithless and Ed Byrne.

Issue 10 was the Art Issue. We gave over the cover to the awesome Rob White and the centrespread to the equally awesome Jon Burgerman. We also put questions to Nightmares on Wax and the CCAN crew.

Issue 11 was a world cup bonanza where we looked at England’s chances of lifting the Jules Rimet. We also interviewed Damian (son of Bob) Marley and the BrianJonesTownMassacre.

Issue 12 is currently sitting nicely in your hands, offering you a straight up view of whatagwarn in Hood Town. Plenty more where that came from…

LeftLion Events LeftLion’s first live event was at the Malt Cross on 30 July 2004. Playing were Sam Blues Man Lindo and Rapunzel Map. From then on we took up a monthly Friday residency at the venue and over the next year showcased acts like First Blood, Cappo, Computerman, Skinny Sumo, The Hellset Orchestra, We Show Up On Radar and Left of the Dealer.

Since then we have moved onwards, doing one-off nights at Blueprint and Rock City (in association with Detonate we brought you Bent, Crazy P, Secret Stealth and more).

Along the way we also found ourselves a second home at the Orange Tree and put on a monthly session with acts like Urban Space Lab, The Elementz, The Henry Road, Lost Project, The Recovery, Dragonflies Draw Flame and Formication.

We mellowed out our Malt Cross gigs to Unplugged sets and got acts like Old Basford, Grain, Majik, Trickster and Jez Hall to rework their tunes into acoustic pleasure.

In future you can expect to see the best musical talent in Nottingham, twice a month for free. Unplugged is a laidback Tuesday session, three weeks into each month and Presents is a more raucous affair with dancing and drinking aplenty.

We’ll also be doing a big LeftLion Extravaganza on Sunday 22 October at the Rescue Rooms with The Hellset Orchestra, Lo-Ego, Grain, Weeble and The Atoms. More details soon on LeftLion.co.uk.

Split into four main sections...

1. Articles, with new categories, making it easier to find related content 2. Audio, provided by our podcasts, live event recordings and sample tracks by local artists.

3. Photo galleries, our crew have been taking pictures for three years and we thought it was time to share them properly.

4. Video, this one’s still a bit hush hush and won’t be making an appearance until later in the year, but be warned and ready.

Replacing the old venue pages with a directory for all kinds of Notts venues, from shops to bars via theatres and galleries. This section of the site has been left untouched for too long and will be making a big return. Expect more detail, photos, reviews and comments.

A brand new section, think Myspace on a local scale (without the often hideous design or ‘look at me, look at me’ factor) crossed with a cultural yellow pages (but noisier and with better pictures). Here you’ll find loads of information about people from round these parts doing good things. Expect audio, videos, images, biogs and more.

We’ll be pulling the forum closer into the main site and as a result making it even cosier than it is now. All feedback regarding changes to the forum should be forwarded to ihatechange@leftlion.co.uk.

Why should we make the decision of one new colour scheme when we can have five and just let you choose the one you like best?

LeftLion Radio LeftLion Radio is still a project in its infancy, but something we aim to expand over the next year. It’s basically a suite of online radio shows that you can download from either leftlion.co.uk or the Podcast directory (www.podcastdirectory.com).

Your main hosts are the Nish and the K, who play Nottingham-produced music, swear a lot and generally put their trainers to the anus.

Nish (aka Nottingham’s Mr Sex) is an experienced hack who has written for publications like Scarlet, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Mirror and a lot of porn mags.

The K is something of a muso himself, having fronted Mo Solid Gold and The Dum-Dums, a band once managed by Ricky Gervais (of The Office fame).

We are currently looking for people to do more shows for us. Our only rules are that (a) you must have a decent computer, (b) you must be able to talk and (c) if you want to play tunes, you can only use music made in Hood Town. If you’re interested then email radio@leftlion.co.uk with some ideas.

leftlion.co.uk version two launches on 1 september 2006.

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www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

19

proud Nottingham City Council is

to present

Nottingham events 2006 Nottingham City Council is proud to present an exciting calendar of events for everyone to enjoy. Many of these events are brought to you directly by Nottingham City Council or are supported by Nottingham City Council.

Where in the world would you find Bhangra music and Medieval jousting sitting cheek by jowl on an events list? Nottingham of course!

From July to December, Nottingham’s annual programme of festivals, concerts and events celebrate the city’s rich cultural mix alongside its more ancient traditions.

This year there will be fireworks, street theatre, World music, arts and crafts, walks and rambles, concerts, festivals, carnivals, sports, Victorian games, jousting, outdoor Shakespeare, antiques fairs, open-air concerts, Robin Hood and of course Nottingham’s own Goose Fair with its white-knuckle rides, children’s rides, crafts, entertainment marquees and food stalls selling everything from Caribbean chicken to mushy peas and mint sauce.

02 Jul

Inclosure Walk, Jazz, Ensemble, Forest Recreation Ground

13 Aug

Derwent Valley Wind Band - Bands In The Park, Nottingham Castle Bandstand

02 Jul

Welbeck Estates Brass Band - Bands In The Park, Nottingham Castle Bandstand

15 Aug

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, Coppice Recreation Ground

02 Jul

Chill in the Park, Arboretum

17 Aug

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, Forest Recreation Ground

03 - 08 Jul

Dancing in the Streets, Theatre Royal

18 - 20 Aug

Noddy on Tour, Newstead Abbey

09 Jul

Kirkby Colliery Welfare Band - Bands In The Park, Arboretum Bandstand

20 Aug

Lincolnshire Hospitals Band - Bands In The Park, Arboretum Bandstand

10 - 15 Jul

Girls Night, Theatre Royal

22 Aug

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, King Edward’s VI Recreation Ground

13 Jul - 15 Jul

Newstead Summer Stage - Macbeth, Newstead Abbey

23 - 27 Aug

Dora The Explorer, Royal Concert Hall

15 Jul

Railway Children, Heartbreak Theatre Production, Nottingham Castle

24 Aug

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, Melbourne Park

15 Jul

Sports Relief, Victoria Embankment

24 - 27 Aug

Twelfth Night, Heartbreak Theatre Production, Nottingham Castle

15 - 25 Sep

The Art of Games Workshop Exhibition, Nottingham Castle

27 Aug

15 - 17 Sep

Exhibition - Sheila Ravnkilde, Nottingham Castle

16 Jul

Nottingham Live Music Festival, Arboretum

27 Aug

Steaming Day, Wollaton Park Industrial Museum

18 Jul

Deep in the Frozen Night, Theatre Royal

27 Aug

Nottingham Live Music Festival, Arboretum

19 - 22 Jul

Romeo and Juliet, Heartbreak Theatre Production, Nottingham Castle

29 Aug - 02 Sep

Vagina Monologues, Royal Concert Hall

19 Jul

Roll Out The Barrel, Theatre Royal

30 Aug

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, Southglade Park

21 - 23 Jul

Fireman Sam, Theatre Royal

01 Sep

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, Victoria Embankment

23 Jul

Mela, Forest Recreation Ground

03 Sep

Rolls Royce (Derby) Band - Bands In The Park, Arboretum Bandstand

23 Jul

City of Lincoln Band - Bands In The Park, Arboretum Bandstand

05 - 16 Sep

Grease, Royal Concert Hall

24 Jul - 01 Sep

The Zone Activities, Nottingham City Council Leisure Facilities

10 Sep

Robin Hood Marathon, starts Victoria Embankment

25 Jul

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, Lenton Abbey Recreation Ground

24 Sep

Steaming Day, Wollaton Park Industrial Museum

25 - 29 Jul

The Hundred And One Dalmations, Theatre Royal

28 Sep

Sherman Robertson (Blues & Roots in the City), (Venue To Be Confirmed)

27 Jul

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, Radford Recreation Ground

01 - 31 Oct

Black History Month (Details To Be Confirmed)

27 - 28 Jul

Taming of the Shrew, Oddsocks Productions, Nottingham Castle

04 Oct - 08 Oct

Nottingham Goose Fair, Forest Recreation Ground

29 - 30 Jul

Antiques Fair, Wollaton Park

05 Oct

Nottingham Classics - St Petersburg Symphony, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall

29 Jul

Nottingham Pride, Arboretum

07 Oct - 05 Nov

Exhibition - Open 06 Exhibition, Nottingham Castle

30 Jul

Ilkeston Brass - Bands In The Park, Victoria Embankment Bandstand

13 Oct

Nottingham Classics - Halle, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall

30 Jul

Steaming Day, Wollaton Park Industrial Museum

19 Oct

Exhibition - Nottingham Lace & Fashion (1950 - 2000), Nottingham Castle

01 Aug

Clare Teal, Theatre Royal

21 - 22 Oct

Robin Hood Pageant, Nottingham Castle Grounds

02 Aug

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, Bulwell Recreation Ground

21 - 29 Oct

NOW Fall, (Venue To Be Confirmed)

02 Aug

A Night At the Musicals, Theatre Royal

23 - 27 Oct

The Zone Activities - holiday fun for children , Nottingham City Council

04 Aug

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, Clifton Playing Fields

04 - 06 Aug

Riverside Festival, Victoria Embankment

29 Oct

Steaming Day, Wollaton Park Industrial Museum

04 - 05 Aug

English Youth Ballet, Theatre Royal

05 Nov

Bonfire Night, Forest Recreation Ground

06 Aug

Long Eaton Silver Prize Band - Bands In The Park, Victoria Embankment Bandstand

Leisure Facilities

Carlton Brass Band - Bands In The Park, Victoria Embankment -

13 Nov

Nottingham Classics - Czech Philharmonic, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall

Riverside Festival

18 Nov - 28 Jan

Exhibition - Wedgwood, Nottingham Castle

06 Aug

Shirebrook MW (Unison) Band - Bands In The Park, Arboretum Bandstand

20 Nov - 23 Dec German Christmas Market, Market Square

07 Aug - 02 Sep

Classic Thriller Season, Theatre Royal

21 Nov

09 Aug

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, Lenton Recreation Ground

26 Nov

Christmas Light Switch On (Venue To Be Confirmed)

10 Aug

Castle & Coronets event, Nottingham Castle

26 Nov

Steaming Day, Wollaton Park Industrial Museum

11 Aug

Parklife - Community Sporting Events, Broxtowe Park

1 Dec

Carols in the Abbey, Newstead Abbey

12 - 13 Aug

Nottingham Carnival, Forest Recreation Ground

7 - 9 Dec

Newstead by Night, Newstead Abbey

12 - 13 Aug

Steaming Day/Outdoor Agricultural Event, Wollaton Park Industrial Museum

17 Dec

Steaming Day, Wollaton Park Industrial Museum

12 - 13 Aug

The Wind in the Willows, Newstead Summer Stage, Newstead Abbey

Nottingham Classics - Sinfonia VIVA, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall

Alternative or large print format available upon request: 0115 915 2794 www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/enjoy For further information about these events and many others log onto www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk or you can call 0115 915 5555 or 0115 989 5555 for all Royal Concert Hall, Theatre Royal events.

Information correct at time of going to press. Whilst every effort will be made to keep to the programme it may be necessary to make changes with or without notice.

artists profiles some movers and shakers in the local arts scene...

David Bowen

Describe your style: High quality photography serving editorial and corporate clients worldwide.

Favourite colour: Orange.

Most influential artist: Robert Frank. All his work, including the films he made, has been a constant source of encouragement and his last show at the Tate Modern in London was great. As a whole, the humanist documentary snappers of the 1950’s and the Family of Man exhibition were great stuff.

Current activity: I’ve been taking photos in Bulgaria, Croatia, Scotland, Barcelona, Ireland and I’ll possibly be in South America again soon.

Favourite art space in Notts: A View From The Top (Waterstones) gallery.

Who bought your first piece of work? DIY discs in Nottingham for CD gatefold.

Dream project: Any of my book proposals. I’ve been lucky so far....

Top tip for upcoming artists: Believe in yourself and others will too.

What’s the last thing that made you laugh? The BBC interviewing the wrong man (Guy Goma).

What’s the last thing that made you cry? Losing a friend of 21 years, his wife and their child.

It’s our birthday issue. What you gonna buy us? I’d get LeftLion a delivery van and I’d get ‘the’ left lion a fold down bench attachment for people to sit on when their friends are late.

Anything else you want to say? Stay off the crack kids! www.bophoto.co.uk

Jamie Allan Describe your style: It’s like a dinner party consisting of Monty Python, Tartan Asia Extreme, Alex ‘InfoWars.com’ Jones and Kojak.

Favourite colour: Blue, dark blue, somewhere around #05416F to be precise.

Most influential artist: I couldn’t say I’m influenced by any single artist a great amount more than another.

The people who probably influence my style and work the most are my friends.

Current activity: Aside from my usual work with Synoptics Media, I’m currently involved in a new live Drum’n’Bass group called Vinyl Abort. Check the first gig at the Ambush Launch night at the Social in October.

Favourite art space in Notts: The Arches and Russells Youth Centre.

Dream project: Saving the world from its impending doom.

Top tip for upcoming artists: I don’t think I’m old enough to be giving advice yet!

What’s the last thing that made you laugh? I’m always laughing when I’m with my friends.

What’s the last thing that made you cry? The anniversary of my Uncle’s death. The man led an incredible life and was taken before he’d achieved half of what he could. He’s my constant inspiration for what I do and who I am.

It’s our birthday issue. What you gonna buy us? An office, loads of computers and a few clones of Alan to work there.

Anything else you want to say? Well done for reading what is most definitely the best independent local magazine in the world. I’d kiss you if I could. Massive props out to all the Synoptics Media crew and to all my friends and family. I started to list you all, but it went a bit OTT. Long live the King. Down with the Reptilians. www.synoptics.org.uk

Amanda Young Describe your style: Legendary really, full of fun, soul and sound.

Favourite colour: White, it contains every colour.

Most influential artist: Disinformation has had me captivated for the last few years, Fluxus and John Cage are important to me too.

Current activity: I’ve been doing a sound installation at Green’s windmill in Sneinton. It uses analogue radios and the movement of the sails to trigger sound. It’s worth going on a windy day when it is in full animation.

Favourite art space in Notts: Raffles art space is ace, full of character and the art/music is always pretty raw.

Who bought your first piece of work? Mother, bless her.

Dream project: To do a sound piece at the Eden Project or in the Amazon rainforest.

Top tip for upcoming artists: Listen to your soul, keep making art for yourself, and experience as much art as possible.

What’s the last thing that made you laugh? Listening to my fella talk to the telly.

What’s the last thing that made you cry? My lovely nanapops’ death.

It’s our birthday issue. What you gonna buy us? A jigsaw puzzle of a picture of the new market square for those rainy days in at home when the leckie has run out and there ain’t much to do.

Anything else you want to say? Get out in the sunshine and share your iPod earphones and loveheart sweets with the person next to you.

Amanda@leftlion.co.uk

Angi Fletcher Describe your style: I’m not sure, I guess I’m still experimenting, but when I find out, I hope it’s as legendary as yours…

Favourite colour? Red. Most influential artist? There are many, but I think Daniel Johnston is truly great. Also, it might be the most obvious, but I do like the sound of Damien Hirst’s platinum, diamond encrusted skull. It makes me think of Indiana Jones.

Current activity: Designing a mix of visual stuff for Supernight, a night me and good friends put on at the Social. We collaborate with lots of artists and musicians and it’s a great platform to be creative. I also do stuff for the band I’m in, The Fist of the Champions.

Favourite art space in Notts? The walls of our music studio… a free space for friends.

Who bought your first piece of work? Rushmoor Borough Council. I won a competition as a kid and got book tokens.

Dream project: An album cover design or maybe animation for music.

Top tip for upcoming artists: Do what the hell you like, there will always be someone who’ll appreciate it. Also you might have to do a few crap jobs to pay your way. Remember, you’re not the only one and you can meet some great people who can often be a source of inspiration.

What’s the last thing that made you laugh? The baby mind reader.

What’s the last thing that made you cry? The baby mind reader.

It’s our birthday issue. What you gonna buy us? A diamond encrusted skull. There’s always a place for one.

Anything else you want to say? Those skulls don’t come cheap. If anyone wants to chip-in, contributions would be gratefully received. myspace.com/missfletcher www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

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OUT&ABOUT BARS/GYMS/RESTAURANTS/SHOPS

LeftLion whips out the credit card and wallows in the retail wonderland that is Nottingham.

Our correspondents this time around were Charlotte Kingsbury, Katie Doubleday and Tatiana de Araujo Alves Woolley.

Moog

Iberian Delight

The world of modern music would be a very different place without the inventions of Bob Moog, the pioneer of the early Moog synthesizers which were used to shape the music of everyone from the Beatles to Funkadelic.

The bar of the same name, situated in the Canning Circus area of the city, had been a fixture on the Nottingham scene for several years, only to have closed and reopened under new management in June 2006.

The venue has emerged from this looking stronger than ever before, with the new owners (including Crazy P’s tour manager and an owner of Bar Schnaps) injecting some tangible spark into the show.

Staying true to Mr Moog’s heyday, the interior is similar to its previous incarnation, with leather sofas and orange lamps setting the retro vibe.

The food is delicious and all homemade, even down to their tomato sauce, with a creative regular menu and daily specials. Top tips include the chorizo and new potato salad, or the lamb burger with root chips!

But the cherry on top when it comes to a Moog visit has to be their terrace; a funky outside setting to make your skin bubble to its hearts content. This is a space built for partying and the Sunday sessions with the decks out are not to be missed.

Musical highlights include Bocajito on the last Saturday of each month (with Neon Heights and Crazy P DJs taking over the decks) and Red Rackem Presents on the first Friday of each month.

The Moog mission is all about attention to detail, something missing in too many venues.

Good food, good drinks and good music. Check it out!

Iberian Delight is a new delicatessen in Hyson Green which can provide you with an exotic and exciting menu of food and drink from Portugal, Brazil and Angola.

Run by a Portuguese family, Leonel and Leonor Pereira, with a slogan “Our customers are more like old friends”, there is no doubt this affable attitude is taken seriously by the owners.

Everybody is welcomed with a warm smile and the international clientele ensures you feel abroad as soon as you walk through the door.

The deli has a great selection of cheeses, hams, chorizos, tempting sea food and succulent meats. Plus, a whole range of sweet cakes and patisseries, such as Pateis de Nata (Portuguese traditional custard cake), Brigadeiro (small Brazilian balls of chocolate cake), rissoles and croquettes. There is also high quality imported wine and authentic Portuguese strong coffee to whet your pallet.

When you pop in for something to eat or a take out, the chef, Carlos, will provide you with a range of traditional sandwiches from Portugal, such as Prego and Bifana, delicious steak and pork fillets marinated overnight in special Portuguese sauce.

Or you may treat yourself to a jacket sweet potato, with yogurt, fruit, and grilled pineapple.

Of course, if you prefer to do the cooking yourself, Iberian Delight has all the ingredients you can usually only get by visiting these countries, so you can make your own delights.

So, if you’re inspired by watching South American teams in the World Cup and fancy something a little different for your dinner, then this should be your first stop.

Moog, Newdigate Street, Nottingham, NG7 0115 9784500 www.moogbar.co.uk

Iberian Delight, 215 Radford Road, Hyson Green, Nottingham, NG7

Hotel Deux

Surface Gallery

There are several great places to eat, drink and relax in Carrington and Sherwood, and a fair few of them have been run by the same landlord. Having looked after both Le Mistral and the Gladstone, Rob Gibson then opened the Hotel Deux bar and bistro that has become the new ‘local’ for many…er…locals.

Continental in demeanour and attitude, it is a great place to meet friends, relax with a book, or just sit at the bar and chat with the very friendly and down-to-earth staff.

Situated on Clumber Avenue just off Sherwood Rise, opposite the Polish Centre and just around the corner from New College Nottingham’s Clarendon campus. It has a large car park and a fabulous front garden, with several outdoor tables which get the sun into the evening, pretty floral arrangements and even a boules ‘pitch’.

The inside boasts two sections, both of which are served by the same bar. The first has small tables by a bay window and has the feel of a small bistro. The second, larger section has many tables of different shapes and sizes, giving an eclectic and cosy feel.

It has a small stage area which is put to excellent use for a range of musical and other events. There is a good variety of traditional drinks on offer, and the cuisine is very highly recommended.

Check out the posters inside to discover what activities are forthcoming, so that you don’t miss the excellent musical jambalayas, themed quizzes and crepe-tastings for which the Hotel Deux is becoming renowned. The Deux may not be a hotel in the English sense, but you’ll certainly want to extend your stay.

Surface Gallery is at the start of a new yearlong programme of work for 2006, following a successful funding bid to Arts Council England.

Sited in the basement of the Nottingham Voluntary Action Centre on Mansfield Rd, it’s not the first place you would expect to find an independent art space dedicated to showing contemporary art from new and emerging artists.

The Gallery is piloting a year of exhibitions with its recent funding. Recognising the surge of high quality and innovative contemporary work from new artists and recent graduates based outside of London. Its aim to partner with curators and artists from all over the UK, specifically those in the region and a little further north. This year Surface has produced exhibitions in collaboration with independent curators in Sheffield and Manchester and a series of week long exhibitions with students from the local Fine Art course here in Nottingham.

The Gallery is run as a co-operative by a dedicated group of volunteers. It’s keen to support artistic activity locally by providing opportunities for recent graduates to get involved in the running of the Gallery and producing exhibitions.

Currently on the schedule is Open Show 2006, which will launch on Thursday 27 July at 6pm. Sixteen artists will show their work within the Gallery, offering the opportunity to see a diverse selection of work from across the UK. The Gallery is open to the public from 11am–5pm Tuesday to Saturday.

Hotel Deux, Clumber Avenue, Carrington, Nottingham, NG5 0115 9856724 www.hoteldeux.com

7 Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG1 0115 9348435 www.surfacegallery.org

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www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

THANK YOU! On June 11th 2006 Nottingham raised over £27,200 for the Lord Mayor’s Pakistan Earthquake Appeal and the construction of a shelter in Cambodia for kids rescued from sex tourism.

Drop in the Ocean would like to thank the artists, venues, promoters, volunteers, businesses and all the punters who made this years festival happen. Special thanks to: The Big Wheel, Nottingham City Council, LeftLion, Dealmaker Records, Be:, Sound Control, Family Care Foundation, Synoptics, Bradgate Films and the Nottingham Evening Post.

We’d love to reel off the full list of all our supporters who gave up their time, efforts, equipment and facilities but it runs into the hundreds. You know who you are and we appreciate everything you did to make the festival such a roaring success.

THANKS NOTTINGHAM!

www.dropintheocean.org

Where have all the club nights gone?

I’ve been away for a while walking the planet, then I come back and there are no clubs left in Nottingham. Maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places or has my worst nightmare come true, has Nottingham clubland been sold off to the highest bidder?

Danceyerpantsoff You want to check out BluePrint, the Edge and the Maze mate, if atmosphere is what you’re after. The Bomb going is a fucking tragedy but there are still alternatives, you just have to work a little harder to find them.

Lewis I get the feeling that the council are trying to revoke several licenses as they have given out too many. Also several premises are up for sale, so I hear.

Victoria The only reason the Bomb closed is not enough people went. Maybe if people supported venues and nights by actually going to them rather than waiting until they have gone bankrupt and then banging on about how good they used to be we would not be having this conversation.

Hegbert Maybe dance music just isn’t as big as it used to be? It’s much more about bands, and if you’re thinking about good nights with bands, there are quite a few being run by independent promoters around the city. Try Supernight, Audio Massage, Don’t Start Feeling All ‘Romantic’ and Hot Renault for a start.

Pollypocket Clubs themselves may be in a little short supply but the clubbing scene in Nottingham is the best it’s been for the past five years.

Detonate and Spectrum are putting on great nights and there’s plenty of smaller locally run nights that have a great following: Psycle at BluePrint springs to mind.

Ravi

Nottingham Porn Films Debbie Does Daybrook; Bobbers MILF Hunter Lord of the Nish Dunkirk Diggler Piethagoras Throbbing Hood and His Merry Men: Friar Fuck, Little Schlong, MILF Marrion etc...

MrGeesBigCircus Room in Romeo’s Ass; Three At A Time In The Midlands; Dead Man Screws. All directed by Shaven Meadows.

NJM Best Wood Ash D Nude Base Fuck Pants On Phyre Gay Up Me Duck; Victoria Flaps Lord of the Nish

Reggae On The Rise words: Michael Greenwell photo: Matt Dalton After being on the fringes of Nottingham’s club scene with their lively roots session, Highness Sound’s profile has been growing and growing, and they now have a regular night at The Social. We spoke to Ben Highness and Raffiki about their roots in reggae, the future and taking things to the next level.

How did the Highness collective begin?

Ben: I came up to Notts from Cambridge and met a guy called Peter and we started playing music together because we couldn’t find anywhere that played the music we liked. I had bought two speakers in Cambridge and began to play out with these. I then bought another speaker from Big Apple records in Nottingham. Along with Peter’s equipment, we played as the Highness Majestic sound system.

Raffiki: This was about September 1998. Me and Ben had met at Wisbech college in Cambridgeshire in 1997. Ben was doing horticulture and I was studying animal care.

I used to MC jungle when I was 17 with Ben playing records in his bedroom. One day he put on a Welton Ire record and I was struck by how simple but heavy it was. It was just some drums, some bass and just that voice. It totally inspired me. It slowed me right down to what the solid foundations are of music and emceeing.

Ben: It was really amazing seeing this voice emerge from Raffiki.

Sometimes we’d be playing and then these lyrics or this great voice would appear and I’d be like “where did that come from?”

What happened to the Majestic sound system?

Ben: Well Peter (Little Dread) moved down to Brighton and bought half of the Good Vibes sound system from Ben Shakisha.

Ben, who we didn’t know at this time, then moved up to Notts from Brighton in 1998. He came to a Highness night and noticed his old sound system at the gig. We then played with him, after becoming friends and then as Highness Skakisha. Sometime later I bought the rest of the system from him and it is now the Highness sound. Ben Shakisha taught me so much about operating and managing it though.

What is involved in managing a sound system?

Ben: All sorts of stuff. Storage and maintenance is a big thing.

It has to be constantly updated and improved depending on the room you are going to use it in. It’s in my garage at the minute and my car is parked on the road… I’ve got my priorities right!

The actual logistics of it are a big part, organising people to move it for nights. You’ve got to prepare everything right!

Raffiki: There’s a lot of lifting involved, getting it to the right place on time. There are six core members of Highness, not including lifters and other selectors. They are Blue Cat, Jeffers, Boysie, Lenny Ranks, Tim Beatz, Jah Bundy and Baron D, as well as Ben and I. What’s in store for us at your new nights at The Social, how will it differ from Blueprint?

Ben: Blueprint will remain our roots session. Everyone knows it’s the first Thursday of the month and has been for ages, so we

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don’t want to change that too much. We’ve got Highness DJs at the Golden Fleece monthly and at those nights you can hear a lot of soulful sounds and ska. The music at The Social will be UK sounds, UK dubwise and new Jamaican sounds, but it will still be a Highness night. We won’t be playing any grime or bashment, it will still be true to our sound. We can expand what we’re doing in a venue like The Social.

Raffiki: We know a crew in Norwich called Foundation and we’ll probably get them down as our first guests. That way we can exchange gigs and take Highness on the road a bit more.

Ben: Blueprint has levelled out a bit. We don’t actively publicise Highness, as it is more about word of mouth. We love playing to about 80-100 people in Blueprint because of the atmosphere that is created. We deal with the music and everyone else involved creates the rest. With The Social, things can get a bit bigger for us.

With Nottingham’s reggae heritage, are you surprised the roots scene is not bigger?

Ben: At one time you had a sound system in many areas of Nottingham, Clifton Hi-Fi or St Annes Sound for example. We play roots music and people come down for that. Our crowd is a mixed one, different classes, different ages, we get the old rastas come down to hear us at Blueprint. There are other soundsystems in Nottingham who play to the black community such as V Rocket and Success who play at the Garvey. Their sound is very different to ours though and is more modern in terms of the music they play. We stick to dub and roots music. There’s been the potential in Nottingham for ages to take it bigger like Iration Steppaz in Leeds, Jah Shaka from London or Aba Shanti have done. They have larger systems, but I think Highness is ready to go to the next level at The Social.

Have you always been supported in what you do with roots music?

Ben: We know other selectors around the city, like the boys at Crucially Blaque records for example, but again they are doing different things to us. We are friendly and we all support each other, there’s no rivalry.

Raffiki: Dub Judah (bass player for Jamaica’s Twinkle Brothers) and Percy Dread of the Naturalites are based in Nottingham and they have always helped me and nurtured us. I was quite nervous at first chanting in front of these men, but now I have the confidence to stand shoulder to shoulder. I might wear a hat and have the hair but I’m not a Rasta, I sing about the things that are important to me and are relevant. I write lyrics all the time and sing from within.

Ben: We feel the message comes through our music and is relevant today. Politically and ideologically we are not concerned about spreading a message ourselves as our music will do that for us.

www.highnessroots.co.uk

listings...

Tuesday 01/08

music / weeklies / theatre / exhibitions / comedy Thursday 03/08 I’m Not From London v Audio Massage presents....

Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 8pm With Post War Years, You Slut! and When People Become Numbers and a lot of crazy antics including laughing gas, Burlesque, a super eight movie and ice cream ladies!

Clare Teal Style: Venue: Price:

Jazz Royal Centre £16 / £14

Laura Viers Venue: The Rescue Rooms Price: £8 adv With support from The Tortured Souls Saggy-Pants Presents Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 7.30pm Ed Bannard, Andy Whittle, Bombard

Wednesday 02/08

Friday 04/08

Seafood Venue: Price:

Harry and the Last Pedstrians Venue: Maze Price: £8 adv Times: 7.45pm doors With support from Kevin Thorpe

Thursday 03/08 Captain Everything Venue: Rock City Price: £5 adv Times: 7.30pm

Bent Venue: Price:

The Rescue Rooms £8.50 adv

Kids in Glass Houses / Cover Girl Venue: Junktion 7 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Highness Sound System Style: Reggae, Roots Venue: BluePrint Price: £5 Times: 10pm - late

Wildside Venue: Junktion 7 Times: 8.30pm - 12am With Headrush, Innocent Rosie and Strutter

Sunday 06/08 Spectrum Style: Venue: Times:

Breaks Stealth 10pm - 3.30am

Red Rack’em Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 8pm - 12am

LeftLion Presents...

Venue: The Orange Tree Price: Free Times: 8pm - 12am We’ve switched our dates around. As we move to the first Saturday of the month. August sees the excellent First Blood Band, recently signed to Tricky’s label Brown Punk and other guests help us celebrate change!

Basement Boogaloo Style: Soul, Funk, Disco Venue: Maze Price: £5 Times: 10pm - 3.30am Mark Rayner and Legendary Tone plus a Boogaloo resident Bad Dog Venue: Price:

Southbank Bar Free

Pure Filth Style: Techno, DnB, Venue: BluePrint Price: £6 Times: 10pm - late Room1: Filthy Techno Rowland The Bastard, Filthy Dom, Mossop and Mr Seavers Room Two: DnB DJ Smith, Suspect One and Mr Fijjitt Room Three: Deep House Paul Murphy Presidents Of The United States Of America Venue: Rock City Price: £13.50 Times: 7.30pm

Carnival Weekend Venue: Forest Recreation Ground Price: Free Runs Until: 13/08 Saggy-Pants Presents Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £3 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Sanzen, Yes My Ninjas and Bite The Kerb!

Friday 11/08

Venue: Victoria Embankment Price: Free Covering a distance of one mile along the banks of the River Trent, probably the best outdoor festival Nottingham has to offer.

Runs Until: 06/08

Shirebrook Miners Welfare Band Venue: The Arboretum Price: Free Times: 2pm - 5pm Moog Is Sunday Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 12pm - 12am Live music and DJs on the roof terrace.

Tuesday 08/08

The Inspiral Carpets Venue: The Ballroom Price: £18 adv Times: 7.30pm - 2am Joe Strange Venue: Southbank Bar Bleached Press Presents Venue: Junktion 7 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Spoon-Fed Style: Hiphop, Breaks, Funk Venue: Muse Price: £2 Times: 9pm - 3am Rob Life (Breakin’ Bread), Styly Cee (Son), Fluff and Detail Go Go Venue: Loggerheads King Kahlua and Daddy Bones playing soul, funk and gogo beat.

The Kull Venue: Price: Times:

Maze £4 9pm

Saturday 12/08

Whitesnake Venue: Rock City Price: £33 adv Times: 7.30pm

My Milkman Has AIDS Style: Pop, Cheese Venue: The Rescue Rooms Price: £5 after 10.15pm Times: 10pm - 3am The Funky Way Venue: Southbank Bar

Wednesday 09/08 Fab 2 Venue:

The Bell

Battle of the Bands (Week 6) Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £4 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Opus Venue: Muse Price: Free Times: 8pm - 1am A night combining local art and music, with live acoustic sets, DJs and a local artwork displayed throughout the night.

With Poppy Seed, Beane and Daddio.

I See Hawks in LA Venue: Maze Price: £8 adv Times: 7.45pm With support from Tony Gilkyson

Saturday 12/08 Urban Spacelab Venue: Maze Price: £4 / £5 Times: 9pm Plus guest DJs and more acts

Le Chunk Style: Breaks, Tech House Venue: Pelhams Price: £2.50 Times: 10pm til late Room 1: Party breaks beatboxing and scratching from Hank and Jeebo Room 2 : Tek’tro house Neil Pritt and Josie Jackson

Joe Strange Venue: Southbank Bar Price: Free

Saturday 05/08

Battle of the Bands (Week 5) Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £4 Times: 8.30pm - 12am

Eclective DJs Venue: Loggerheads DJs on rotation from some of Nottingham’s top nights

The Rescue Rooms £7 adv

Interlock Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £tbc Times: 8.30pm - 12am With support from Insidious and Evil Scarecrow

Thursday 10/08

Electric Monkey Style: Deep House, Breaks Venue: Pelhams Price: £3 (NUS) Times: 10pm - 5am Dan Hamilton, Mark Pearson, Phil Sanders and Jakkattak

City Of Dog Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Grooves from any corner of the globe.

VinylJacks Venue: Junktion 7 Times: 9pm - 2am

Jim Beam Music Tour Venue: The Social Price: £7 Times: 7pm - 10pm Following on from the great success of the 2005 events LeftLions favourite Bourban are back with a 2006 follow up. Taking place throughout the Midlands until October are eight live shows featuring The Rifles, Mystery Jets and Paolo Nutini amongst a whole host of other supporting acts. This Notts leg fatures Captain (pictured below), Envy and Other Sins.

Saturday 05/08

Sunday 13/08

Cryptopsy Venue: Rock City Price: £12 Times: 7pm With Garroted and She Said Destroy.

The Fab 4 Venue:

Southbank Bar

Moog Is Sunday Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 12pm - 12am Live music, DJs on the terrace.

Tuesday 15/08 Skygreen Leopards Venue: The Social Price: £5 adv Times: 7pm - 10pm Leftlion Unplugged Venue: The Malt Cross Price: Free We’ve moved our unplugged nights to the third Tuesday of the month, our first gig on this new date is with The Fonceros, Becky Syson and more.

Wednesday 16/08 Doc Foster Venue: The Bell Battle of the Bands (Week 7) Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £4 Times: 8.30pm - 12am

Thursday 17/08 Multi Purpose Chemical Venue: Rock City Price: £3 Times: 8.30pm doors Soundz Global Music Venue: Golden Fleece Times: 8pm - 12am Breaks, hiphop, funk, house, drum and bass and beyond.

Past, present and future global grooves from Europe (East and West), Africa, the middle East and Asia.

Six By Seven Venue: The Social Price: £10 adv The original Notts band make their comeback.

Supernight Summer Jukebox Venue: Loggerheads Price: Free Times: 8pm - late Supernight DJs and special guests who will keep you dancing all night long.

The Kidnappers Venue: Junktion 7 Times: 8.30pm - 12am

Harry and the Last Pedstrians Venue: The Bell Joe West Venue: Price: Times:

Maze £tbc 7.45pm

Friday 18/08 Roy de Wired Venue: Southbank Bar Price: Free

listings...

Friday 18/08

music / weeklies / theatre / exhibitions / comedy Sunday 20/08 Lincolnshire Hospital’s Band Venue: The Arboretum Price: Free Times: 2pm - 5pm The Young Venue: Price: Times:

Product Venue: Stealth Price: £8 adv Times: 10pm - 4am Room 1: Product Phil K (Australia), James Mowbaray Makai and Rez Room 2: Touch presents Lenny Fontana and Touch DJs

Bloodbrass Band The Social £7 adv 8pm

The Rolling Clones Venue: Southbank Bar Price: Free Moog Is Sunday Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 12pm - 12am Live music, DJs on the terrace

Tuesday 22/08 My Morning Jacket Venue: The Rescue Rooms Price: £12.50 adv

Kombination Funk Style: DnB, Techno Venue: BluePrint Price: £5 Times: 10pm - late Well Swung!

Style: Funk, Soul Venue: Loggerheads Price: £2 Times: 8pm - 1.30am Natural Self (Breakin’ Bread / Tru-Thoughts), Windows 78, Tan, Juilet and Foe Trashstock UK 2006 Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £6 (£12 w/e ticket) Times: 9pm - 2am Devilish Presley, Patchwork Grace, DrugdealerCheerleader, Snakeskin

Saturday 19/08 VinylJacks Style: Eighties, Mod, Alt Venue: The Rescue Rooms Times: 10.30pm - 3am Trashstock 2006 Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £8 (£12 w/e ticket) Times: 9pm - 2am The Gliteratti, The High Society, Disarm, Zen Motel and Headrush DJ Beane and Daddio Venue: Loggerheads From broken grooves, wonky boogie, furious high speed latin samba shuffles to deep disco biscuits. It all goes in the pot.

Audio Massage Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 8pm Sweet Velvet C from the Immortal Lee County Killers.

Plus Citizen Kane on Super Eight film.

Wednesday 23/08 Battle of the Bands (Week 8) Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £4 Times: 8.30pm - 12am

Poppycock Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 8pm - 12am A cosmic slop of spacedout spazzed-out jazzed-out bleep-ridden grooves with DJs Shorthand and the Feral Peril.

Mosh Monkey Presents Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 9pm Aphemia and The Aran Route

Quasi Venue: Price: Times:

Default Productions Presents: Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 7.30pm Beyond this point are monsters, The Faster I Drive and The Pirate Ship Quintet

Rise To Addiction Venue: Junktion 7 Times: 9pm - 2am With support from illuminatus and Captive Audio Soundsashire Venue: Rose of England Price: £3 Times: 8pm - late Bocajito Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 8pm - 12am Local Notts label night with DJs on rotation: Bob Sadler and Ron Basejam (Crazy P), Tom Bailey and Cal Gibson (Neon Heights).

Eclective DJs Venue: Loggerheads DJs on rotation from some of Nottinghams top nights.

Sunday 27/08

The Mighty Raw Funk Cafe Style: Funk, Soul, Venue: BluePrint Price: Free Times: 9pm - late The Mighty Funk Collective continue their monthly raw funk affair down at BluePrint with Hexford and The Dumb Waiter and friends. Each month sees a new addition to the night, with a view to eventually opening up the whole club for full-on heavy funk parties the likes of which this city hasn’t seen for years.

Knights of the Round Table Venue: Loggerheads Style: Hiphop, Soul, Breaks From DJs Oz, Wetone and Transmit

Last Tuesday Jazz Cafe Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 8pm

Wednesday 30/08 Pesky Alligators Venue: The Bell

Backyard Boogaloo Style: Funk, Soul, Breaks Venue: Nagshead Price: £5 adv Times: 2pm - 11.30pm Another session of outdoor beats and BBQ treats with Greg Wilson (Electrofunkroots), Annabel Fraser (Hupendi Muziki Wangu), DJ Beane, Fran Green, Ed Cotton and Nick Shaw The Moderators Venue: Southbank Bar Price: Free

Saturday 02/09

Pure Filth Style: Venue: Price: Times:

Techno, Deep House, DnB BluePrint £tbc 10pm - late

Basement Boogaloo Style: Soul, Funk, Breaks Venue: Maze Price: £5 Times: 10pm - 3.30am

Sunday 03/09 Rolls Royce Venue: Price: Times: Fat Lady Singh Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 7.30pm With support from The Jurrasic and Ska Bandits

Thursday 31/08 Disco Ensemble and Brigade Venue: Rock City Price: £6 adv Times: 7pm Metric Venue:

The Bell

All Female Acoustic Night Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 7pm Lisa Marie Glover, The Herb Birds, Beck Goldsmith and Yvonne Lake

Friday 01/09

(Derby) Band The Arboretum Free 2pm - 5pm

Tuesday 05/09 The Subways Venue: Rock City Price: £12 adv Times: 7.30pm Saggy-Pants Presents Venue: Maze Times: 9pm

Wednesday 06/09 Sore Point Venue:

The Bell

Thursday 07/09 Aberfeldy Venue: Price: Times:

The Social £7 adv 8pm - 11pm

UK Guns N’Roses Venue: Rock City Price: £10 adv Times: 7.30pm

Mi and Lau Venue: The Social Price: £7 adv Times: 7pm - 10m Spectrum Style: Venue: Times:

Friday 25/08

Detonate Style: DnB, Hiphop Venue: Stealth Price: £8 Times: 10pm - 4am Nicky Blackmarket, DJ SS and Transit Mafia

Breaks Co-Op Venue: The Social Price: £7 adv Times: 8pm

The Social £8 adv 8pm - 11pm

Congo Street Chimps The Move Venue: The Bell Rockbitch Presents Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £6 Times: 8.30pm - 12am Eternal Lord, Soulfracture, No Consequence and Sanstone

Tuesday 29/08

Saturday 26/08

Thursday 24/08

Joe Strange Venue: Southbank Bar Price: Free

Idiot Joy Venue: Maze Price: £5 Times: 9pm With support from the excellently named Big Gay Following and Delirium Funk.

Friday 25/08

Breaks Stealth 10pm - 3.30am

City Of Dog Venue: Loggerheads Grooves from every corner of the globe.

Red Rackem Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 8pm - 12am King-size operator Venue: Maze Price: £5 Times: 9pm With support from Seretone and The Lotus Eaters

Saturday 02/09

Highness Sound System Style: Reggae, Roots Venue: BluePrint Price: £5 Times: 10pm - late

Friday 08/09 Go Go Venue: Style:

Loggerheads Soul, Funk, Gogo beats King Kahlua and Daddy Bones

Red Star Rebels Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 9pm

Saturday 09/09 Cult Style: Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 12pm - late CULT DJs and live acts on the roof terrace, fresh food and ice cold red stripe.

Devendra Banhart Venue: The Ballroom LeftLion Presents...

Venue: The Orange Tree Price: Free Times: 8pm - 12am This month we present Team Hughes and Seretone, read interviews with them both in this issue. Probably the best free night of local music in the city.

But then we would say that!

Bic Runga Venue: Price: Times:

The Social £8 adv 7pm - 10pm

The Stoatz Venue: Maze Price: £5 Times: 9pm Support from Redroom

listings...

Sunday 10/09 Buckcherry Venue: Rock City Price: £10 Times: 7.30pm

Crashed Out Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £tbc Times: 8.30pm - 12am Support from Drongos for Europe Anne McCue Venue: Maze Times: 8.30pm

Wednesday 13/09 Nizlopi Venue: Price:

Rock City £9.50 7.30pm doors

Boothill Venue:

The Bell

Thursday 14/09 The Storys Venue: The Rescue Rooms Price: £8 adv

Psycle Style: Trance Venue: The Ballroom Times: 10pm - late Price: £6 check out www.psycle.info for lineup information.

Sunday 17/09 Will Young Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £30 The LeftLion editor went to uni with him you know...

Stewboss Venue: Price: Times:

Maze £10 adv 7.45pm

Monday 18/09

Product Venue: Stealth Price: £8 adv Times: 10pm - 4am Room 1: Product Steve Porter, DJ Hal, Rez and Makai Room 2: Touch Presents Soul Central, Andy Ward and Touch DJs D’amour) Junktion 7 £9 / £7 9pm - 2am

Friday 15/09

Breed 77 Venue: Price: Times:

Rock City £8 7.30pm doors

LeftLion Unplugged Venue: The Malt Cross Price: Free Times: 8pm - late Richard Snow and One Lost The Other. Plus more tbc.

Thea Gilmore Venue: The Rescue Rooms Price: £15 adv Kid Ego and Majik Venue: Rock City Price: £7 Times: 7.30pm

Wednesday 20/09 Moose Malloy Venue: The Bell

Thursday 21/09 Abominable Iron Sloth Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £8 / £7 Times: 8.30pm - 2am

Kombination Funk Style: DnB, Techno Venue: BluePrint Price: £5 Times: 10pm - late

Saturday 16/09 Aiden Venue: Rock City Price: £12 Times: 6.30pm Plus Bayside, The Audition and The Sleeping Whole Lotta Led Venue: Rock City Price: £10 Times: 8.30pm

Wednesday 27/09

Knights of the Round Table Venue: Loggerheads Style: Hiphop, Soul, Breaks, Reggae DJs Oz, Wetone and Transmit

Saturday 23/09 Blessed by a Broken Heart Venue: Rock City Price: £6 adv Times: 7.30pm doors With support from Enter Shikari Illuminatus Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £tbc Times: 9pm - 2am

Robin Williamson Venue: Maze Price: £10 adv Times: 8pm

Thursday 28/09

Soundsashire Venue: Rose of England Price: £3 Times: 8pm - late

Supernight Presents...

Venue: The Social Times: 8.30pm - 2am

Friday 22/09 Saggy-Pants Presents Venue: Maze Price: tbc Times: 9pm Swimming, Tribal Infinity, Ribtumbler and Deep Sound Channel

AfterDark Venue: Price: Times:

Snug £4 (NUS) 10pm - 3am

Tuesday 26/09 Joe Bonamassa Venue: The Rescue Rooms Price: £12 adv The Kooks Venue: Price: Times:

Rock City £13 7.30pm

Last Tuesday Jazz Cafe Venue: Maze Price: £3 Times: 8pm

Wednesday 27/09 The Blockheads Venue: The Rescue Rooms Price: £15 adv Times: 8pm doors Pesky Alligators Venue: The Bell

Friday 29/09 Poppycock Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 8pm - 12am A cosmic slop of spaced out, spazzed out, jazzed out bleep ridden grooves with DJs Shorthand and The Feral Peril.

Hot Renault Traffic Club Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £tbc Times: 9pm - 2am

Grimewatch III Venue: The Social Price: £4 adv Times: 10pm - 3am DJ set from Stat

Lover’s Block Venue: The Bell

African Fever Night Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 10pm A night of African music, dance, and drumming.

Friday 22/09

Monday 25/09

Tuesday 19/09 The Bell

Friday 15/09

Tyla (Dogs Venue: Price: Times:

Saturday 16/09

Rock City £10 adv

Entombed Venue: Price: Times:

Fab 2 Venue:

music / weeklies / theatre / exhibitions / comedy

Saturday 30/09

Congo Street Chimps The Move Venue: The Bell Solo Acoustic Night Venue: Maze Price: £4 Times: 7pm Dave Blazye, Chris Mcdonald, Russ Clark and James Chadwick

Friday 29/09

Style:

DnB, Hiphop, Dubstep Venue: Stealth Price: £10 Times: 10pm - 4am Scratch Perverts, DJ Friction (three decks), Teebee, Slaughter Mob, Transit Mafia, SP MC, Santero and Detail The Mighty Raw Funk Cafe Style: Funk, Soul Venue: BluePrint Price: Free Times: 9pm - late Funk for funks sake

Firefly Style: Venue: Times:

Techno The Ballroom 10pm - 6am

Bocajito Venue: Moog Price: Free Times: 8pm - 12am Local Notts label night with Nottingham’s busiest DJs and producers Bob Sadler and Ron Basejam (Crazy P), Tom Bailey and Cal Gibson (Neon Heights)

The Displacements Venue: Maze Price: £5 Times: 8.30pm The Displacements, Plans and Apologies, Lucky Bullet, The Fakers amd Delta Red

listings...

Fridays

music / weeklies / comedy / exhibitions / theatre Saturdays Essence Style: Venue: Price: Times:

Salt Style: Hiphop, House Venue: Dogma Price: Free Times: 2am finish Funky breakbeat for the dancefloor laced with hiphop, house and latin flavours.

Sabotage Style: Eighties, Nineties Venue: The Cookie Club Price: £4 (NUS) Times: 10.30pm - 3am Anything from acid house to britpop.

Love Shack Style: Venue: Price: Times:

Eighties, Nineties Rock City £5 otd / £4 adv 9.30pm - 2am

Style: Breaks, House Venue: The Market Bar Price: £4 (NUS) Times: 9pm - 3am With Resident DJ Santero Audio Venue: Snug Price: £5 (NUS) Times: 10pm - 4am Urban Funk Live and Unplugged.

Atomic Style: Eighties, Nineties Venue: The Cookie Club Price: £4 (NUS) Times: 10.30pm - 3am Friday night at The Cookie Club is retro night featuring two decades of music.

Saturdays Stylus Venue: Snug Price: £6 (NUS) Times: 10pm - 4am Opulent House and Tricky Disco Resident DJ Matt Shelton (amillionsons) playing a sumptuous blend of glamorous house, bootlegs, electronica and tricky discothèque with monthly guest DJs Antonio Vendone and Danny Butt (Mono Magico) supported by Bonz on electric guitar.

Distortion Style: Rock, Alternative Venue: Rock City Price: £5 (NUS) Times: 9pm - 2.30am DJs Gazz and Spiky Mike mixing it up, playing mainstream rock, hardcore, punk, ska, indie and hiphop all night.

Dirty Funky Venue: Price: Times: Presents The

Deeds @D2 £3 2am - 6am Legend Sessions

Sundays

Out To Lunch Style: Jazz Venue: Dogma Price: Free Times: Afternoon Less of a club night and more of an experience. Sunday jazz and beats to ease away the night before.

Mondays Motherfunker Style: Venue: The Cookie Club Price: £1 before 11pm Times: 10.30pm - 2am Anything goes music wise on this night. It’s a real pick and mix of retro, rock, funk and alternative sounds to kick start the week. If you want to hear it then they’ll play it.

Saturdays Style: Funky House Venue: The Market Bar Price: £5 Times: 9pm - 2.30am With residents Dean Marriott, Matt Tolfrey, Griff and Damian Wells Rise and Shine / Funk U Style: Indie, Alternative, Nineties Venue: The Cookie Club Price: £5 (NUS) Times: 10.30pm - 3am

Style: Disco, RnB Venue: The Market Bar Price: £4 (NUS) Times: 9pm - 2.30am With residents Matt Tolfrey and DJ Ellis Crash Style: Indie, Alternative Venue: Rock City Price: £3 (NUS) Times: 9.30pm - 2am Crash is Nottingham’s longest running indie night. DJ Spiky Mike plays all the top tunes from the likes of Electric 6, The Datsuns, The Hives, The Music, The Strokes, Muse and The White Stripes. Alongsde indie classics from bands such as The Smiths, Oasis, The Pixies, The Charlatans, The Manic Street Preachers, The Stone Roses and The Smashing Pumpkins. There are often giveaways of cds and posters and whatever else they can find.

Tuesday 19/09

Friday 25/08

WigFlex Style: Hiphop, DnB Venue: Stone Price: Free Times: 9pm - late Spam Chop playing beats, breaks, hiphop, techie house and all things grimey. With live breakdancers, free-play N64 and visuals by Synoptics.

Thursdays The Underground Sessions Venue: Snug Price: Free Times: 9pm - 4am Live in the basement of Nottingham’s premier late night drinking establishment experience the final word in relaxation, with table service, premium drinks offers and acts from Nottingham’s vibrant music scene. Live, original and an excellent Sunday session.

Friday 18/08 Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £15 Sat / £13 Fri Times: 7pm Keith Dover, Andy Robinson Sean Collins and Gary Delaney Runs Until: 19/08

House, RnB Mode £5 10pm - late

Tuesdays Stealth V Rescued Style: House, Breaks, Electronica Venue: Stealth Price: £5 Times: 5pm - 4am Two clubs, three bars, two patios and one cinema all at one price!

Wednesdays

Tuned Style: Venue: Price: Times:

Indie, Alternative, Rock City £3.50 - £4 (NUS) 8.30pm - 2am

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Venue: Maze Price: £4 / £3 (NUS) Times: 8pm doors, 8.30pm start Twelve acts compete. Each act does two minutes and then selected audience judges raise a red or green card to decide whether they stay or go! With compere Spiky Mike.

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £15 Sat / £13 Fri Times: 7pm Raymond Mearns, Phil Butler Susan Murray and Curtis Walker Runs Until: 26/08

Friday 01/09 Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £15 Sat / £13 Fri Times: 7pm Gavin Webster, Steve Hughes, Brendan Riley and Paul B Edwards Runs Until: 02/09

Friday 08/09

Style: Funk, Hiphop Venue: The Market Bar Price: £4 Times: 9pm - 2am With resident DJ Santero Generation Venue: The Cookie Club Price: £2.50 (NUS) Times: 10.30pm - 2am A whole evening of tunes ranging from Beatlemania, mod, beatpop, soul, motown and psychedelia all thrown into one big melting pot of nostalgia.

Club NME Style: Venue: Price: Times:

Wednesday 20/09

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £15 Sat / £13 Fri Times: 7pm Brendan Riley, Johnny Candon and Harry Denford Runs Until: 09/09

Friday 15/09

Grumpy Old Women Live Venue: Playhouse Price: £21.50 Following the sell out knock ‘em dead tour earlier this year the Grumpy Old Women are back by popular grumpy demand.

Have you reached that certain age? Are you more likely to shake your rolling pin than your booty? Are you a little bit hot, a little bit hairy? Then join us for a live grump fest. No heckling, but tutting is allowed.

Runs Until: 21/09

Thursday 21/09

Rock, Indie, Alternative Stealth £4 / £2 (NUS) 10pm - 2am

Comedy Friday 04/08 Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £15 Sat / £13 Fri Times: 7pm Adam Crow, Rob Rouse, Roger D and Dom Carroll Runs Until: 05/08

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £15 Sat / £13 Fri Stu Who? Simon B and Cotter Rhys Darby Runs Until: 16/09

Monday 18/09

Friday 11/08

Funhouse Comedy Club Venue: Grosvenor Price: £6 / £5 adv (NUS) Times: 8pm doors Gary Bell plus guests. With compere Spiky Mike.

(Please note Pat Sharpe won’t be in attendance, which is a bit of a shame really.)

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £15 / £8 Times: 7pm John Mann, Andy Askins Runs Until: 23/09

Thursday 28/09

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £15 Sat / £13 Fri Times: 7pm Mike Wilkinson, Sandy Nelson and James Dowdeswell Runs Until: 12/08

Ross Noble - Fizzy Logic Venue: Royal Centre Price: £16.50 - £18.50 By the time you read this it’s almost certain this show will be sold out. We put it in anyway just to make you angry.

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £15 / £8 Times: 7pm Martin Davis, Pierre Hollins, Steve Harris, Phil Walker Runs Until: 30/09

listings...

Exhibitions

music / weeklies / comedy / exhibitions / theatre Theatre

Saturday 02/09

Sunday 10/09

Wednesday 02/08

The History Venue: Price: Runs Until:

A Night at the Musicals Venue: Royal Centre Price: £15 / £14 Times: tbc

Monday 07/08 A Moment In Time Venue: Lakeside Price: Free Runs Until: 29/09

Classic Thriller Season 2006 Venue: Royal Centre Price: £8 - £15.50 Runs Until: 02/09 Sweet Revenge: 7 - 12 Dial M for Murder: 14 - 19 My Cousin Rachel: 21 - 26 Dangerous Corner: 28 - 2 Making Journeys Venue: Lakeside Price: Free Runs Until: 13/08

Into the light of things Venue: Angel Row Gallery Price: Free Runs Until: 02/09

Open Show Venue: Surface Gallery Price: Free Curators Rachel Goodyear and Prevett and McArthur select artists to exhibit in this year’s Open Show in collaboration with Surface Gallery staff. Promising to be a diverse multi-disciplined exhibition.

Runs Until: 26/08

Wednesday 23/08 Dora The Explorer Live Venue: Royal Centre Price: £19.50 - £15.50 Times: 1.30pm and 4.30pm Dora the Explorer is setting sail with her brand new live musical voyage, Dora’s Pirate Adventure!

Join Dora, her cousin Diego, Boots the monkey and the rest of their crew embark on a trip Runs Until: 27/08

Friday 25/08

Saturday 26/08 Two Venue: The Gladstone Price: Free Times: 7.30pm Two local actors, Timothy Murphy and Kelly Jaggers perform in this production.

Donations for charity welcome.

Saturday 16/09 Helen Maurer Venue: Angel Row Gallery Price: Free Runs Until: 04/11

Based on a short story by Russia’s weirdest little genius.

Hounded by talking dogs, threatened by his platesmashing mother and thrust onto the Spanish royal throne, how can this poor downtrodden clerk win the woman he adores when rumours are rife that he’s losing his mind?

Watch as reason and order fall spectacularly apart in this innovative, comic, but ultimately terrifying new version of one of literature’s most famous creations.

Runs Until: 03/09

Grease Venue: Royal Centre Price: £30.50 - £12 Runs Until: 16/09

Friday 08/09

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change Venue: Notts Arts Theatre Price: £9 (NUS) Times: 7.30pm - 2.30pm This musical comedy celebrates the modern-day mating game, exploring the joys of dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives and in-laws.

The cast of four portray over sixty roles. Unsuitable for children as it contains sexual content and strong language.

Runs Until: 09/09

Saturday 09/09

Iced Energy Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £15 - £45 Eight times British ice skating champion Steven Cousins presents a brand new ice show which premiers in Notts. It’ll bring together the world’s brightest stars skating to five decades of British sounds.

Disney on Ice Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £10.50 - £27.50 Runs Until: 24/09

Friday 22/09

Over the past ten years Manushi has introduced audiences to the sophistication and complexities of the Kathak classical form from subtle nuances to agile footwork and the dramatic spinning of this ancient art.

Monday 11/09 Summer and Smoke Venue: Playhouse Price: From £10 (NUS) Times: Various Runs Until: 07/10

Monday 25/09

Steptoe and Son Venue: Royal Centre Price: £8 - £23.50 Times: All: 7.30pm, Weds: 2pm Sat 2.30pm Harold and Albert are once again at each other’s throats as we get the full account of their relationship from cradle to the grave and beyond.

Runs Until: 17/09

Tuesday 12/09 Burt’n’Joyce Venue: Notts Arts Theatre Price: £9.50 Times: 7.30pm - 2.30pm Sat / Wed matinee A Comedy by Mark Whiteley.

Meet Burt ‘n’ Joyce, an ordinary couple, in an ordinary Nottingham charity shop. They are about to have the most extraordinary day of their lives...

Runs Until: 23/09

Tuesday 12/09 Township Stories Venue: Playhouse Price: £7.50 Times: Various A serial killer is on the loose.

Another brutal murder. Young girls drink, have sex and sometimes go to church. Young men drink, have sex and are sometimes abused. Welcome to the violent world of Township Stories, where life is cheap and you need a strong stomach to deal with the consequences.

Runs Until: 16/09

Friday 15/09

Tuesday 29/8 The Vagina Monologues Venue: Royal Centre Price: £12 - £23 Times: tbc Gives voice to a chorus of original, thoroughly human stories about women and their sexuality.

Runs Until: 02/09

Manushi Dance Company Venue: Playhouse Price: £12 / £10 (NUS) Times: 7.30pm Includes several spectacular new pieces, featuring input from Bharatnatyam and Odissi professionals Shane Shambhu and Kali Dass.

Tuesday 05/09

The Momentum Festival Venue: Lakeside Arts Centre Price: Free Celebrating the best new young writing from the East Midlands.

Featuring plays by writers aged 16-26 from across the region.

Tracy Beaker Gets Real Venue: Playhouse Price: £12 Runs Until: 09/09

Six shows in six weeks Venue: Moot Gallery Price: Free Times: various Runs Until: 26/08

Gogol’s Madman Venue: Notts Arts Theatre Price: £8 (NUS) Times: 7.30pm - 4pm Sat matinee

By Gareth Nicholls, after Nikolai Gogol’s Diary Of A Madman.

Tuesday 22/08

For one week, the theatre will become a hotbed of playwriting activity, including a special visit from the BBC Writersroom. theatrewritingpartnership.org.uk Runs Until: 26/08

Boys Royal Centre £10 - £25 23/09

Wednesday 20/09

Friday 04/08 English Youth Ballet Venue: Royal Centre Price: £17 - £13 Times: tbc Runs Until: 05/08

Tuesday 19/09

Shang-a-Lang Venue: Maze Price: £5 Times: 7pm Katherine Johnson’s comedy play, concerning the exploits of three women, celebrating a 40th birthday on holiday at a Butlins 70’s weekend.

Runs Until: 16/09

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Venue: Royal Centre Price: £12 - £24.50 Runs Until: 07/10

Tuesday 26/09 Not Wisely But Too Well Venue: Notts Arts Theatre Price: £6 (NUS) Times: 7.30pm The Clown’s Tale of Othello, Moor of Venice. Devised and directed by Campbell Kay. Runs Until: 30/09

Wednesday 27/09 Rock ‘n’ Roll Years Venue: Royal Centre Price: £14.50 A brand new show for 2006 starring Duncan Breeze and a company of West End singers, dancers and musicians re-live the songs that shaped a generation.

Thursday 28/09

The Dumb Waiter Venue: Playhouse Price: £8 / £5 (NUS) Times: Various In a seedy basement below a café, two hit-men await instructions for their next assignment. Primed and ready, they don’t know when the call will come, or who their next victim will be. One thing’s for sure, they weren’t expecting an order for steak and chips!

Runs Until: 30/09

words: Nathan Miller

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, the most photographed site in the whole country, sits in the middle of a lava field in Grindavik, near Keflavik International Airport. The water in the lagoon (which has an average temperature of 40oC) is fed by the output of the Svartsengi geothermal power plant: superheated water is drawn from boreholes over 6,000 metres in depth, passed through turbines to generate electricity, then through a heat exchanger to power a municipal central heating system and

finally into the lagoon for people to bathe in. Geothermal energy provides about 17% of the nation’s electricity and around 87% of the heating and hot water for Iceland’s homes. Production of geothermal energy is so cheap that in the winter, some of the pavements in Reykjavik and Akureyri are heated.

The lagoon contains deposits of mineral salts, silica and algae.

Bathing in the waters is an effective treatment for psoriasis, and the lagoon opened a dedicated treatment centre for sufferers of the condition in June 2005. A wide range of mudpacks, face masks, body scrubs and other toiletries containing minerals from the lagoon is also available (as well as Blue Lagoon branded bathrobes, body massage brushes and terry cotton gloves). Other facilities include a conference room, a restaurant, an indoor pool and two saunas. The whole centre will be redesigned and enlarged for spring 2007, with the lagoon itself being enlarged by 50%. Due to the richness of the minerals, it is possible to stay in the water for several hours without your fingers getting wrinkly!

There’s a place in every city where you just want to be. Whether you want to people-watch or think about the good times, everyone’s place is different. Each issue, a member of the LeftLion crew explains the spot they like best, this time, The Canal Towpath.

The Canal Towpath words: Lynn Hanna

Cycling the canal towpath is a private type of time travel, along a ghost road peopled by the spectres of the past. High up above you cars pass in grim procession. The strained, sweating drivers don’t ever look down.

The road and the water run past the same places, although the wharves and factories are now call centres, flats and bars. The canal is a place of parallels - temporal, spatial, personal. Its straight lines stretch back to the 18th century, when natural forces were first made to serve economics. Its water, greenery, wildlife are all constrained by the manmade.

That was the time, too, when the raw energy of cities spilt into the surrounding countryside. The canal still straddles that urban/rural faulltline. A liquid sanctuary for all sorts of species, you go there to disappear, to see and not be seen.

By day it’s the domain of the fisherman and the ghostly grey heron, both watching the water. As evening falls the colours drain and the lines begin to blur. At night the canal has an abandoned glamour that still seduces me into cycling it. The black water glitters and the bridges cast deep shadows. Strangers appear as sudden silhouettes.

Some meet for hasty transactions, animal or chemical. Others seek a refuge for snatched, wary rest. In the morning sleeping bags are folded beneath the bridges. Old tents make a shabby membrane around the sleepers still inside.

Like the humans, the wildlife, too, is strangely makeshift. Moorhens pilot chicks between discarded sandwich wrappers. Swans gather rubbish to make their huge nests. The canal is where these parallel lives must pass each other.

On the narrow towpath there is no escape unless you take to the water. It’s that tense essence of urban life that makes the canal my favourite place.

Sometimes it’s me and the heron. As I approach his eyes meet mine and he edges towards the water. How close will he let me come before he unfolds his spectral wings? Sometimes it’s me and a fisherman, hunched on a stool beside a wriggling box of bait. Will he shift his stuff to let me slide by?

Sometimes it’s me and the rottweiler, on a lead but slathering as his owner assures me he’s harmless.

Sometimes, like me and the rat that keeps pace with my front wheel, you just have to race each other… and you have to hope you win.

www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

31

UK Arts International, in association with the Traverse Theatre Edinburgh, Theatre Royal Stratford East and the South African State Theatre, presents The Lion’s Den production of

by Presley Chweneyagae and Paul Grootboom

Tuesday 12 - Saturday 16 September Welcome to the violent world of Township Stories, where life is cheap and you need a strong stomach to deal with the consequences Starring Zenzo Ngqobe from the Oscar-winning film Tsotsi.

P A R E N T A L Age:18 - This production includes strong

ADVISORY language, violence and scenes of an

EXPLICIT CONTENT explicitly sexual and disturbing nature

Box Office 0115 941 9419* Tickets from ÂŁ7.50

www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk* *booking fee applies

AVP at the Melbourne Festival 15-17 September 2006 - Melbourne, Derbyshire Table top guitar legend

Keith Rowe in concert with

Lee Patterson Matt Davis Benedict Drew with Graham Halliwell -

Quartet, trios, duos & solos throughout the weekend plus workshops

Philip Thomas - piano: Cage, Cardew, Finnessy, Wolff, Burn Rhodri Davies & Fiona Maclaren

Wind Harp - audiovisual collaboration

Rob Flint & Lucy Renton - Projections David Reid - Melbourne Stills Jean Baird - Mango Piece The Rose Consort of Viols

15-17 Century viol music DERBYSHIRE County Council improving life for local people

www.melbournefestival.co.uk Ticket Office: 07962 430450 Contact docder@mac.com http://web.mac.com/misha_david/iweb/mishaxdavid/

All this issue’s answers are the names of people, groups, places or things we have covered in LeftLion over the past three years. The winner gets a Three LeftLions T-Shirt and possibly some more stuff we have lying about in the office.

Last issue’s winner was Richard Bevis of Sleaford. He wins a football signed by last seasons Notts County FC team.

Across 6. Diminutive youthful Nottingham urban artist (5, 3) 8. Street singer whose journeys of the mind have led him to the roughside (9) 11. Mary Whitehouse comedian and author (3, 6) 12. Filmmaker who always has one for the road (5,5) 13. She came Outdaville like a butterfly (5) 15.US hiphop legend who grew famous alongside the Furious Five (11,5) 18. Notts band who like to keep themselves in check (2, 3) 19. Firestarters who were in our Christmas issue (7) 20. Naughty boy in the corner who makes heads spin (6, 6) 21. Former Notts county player turned novelist who only eats Steak (4, 5) 22. Emaciated male UK rap artist (9) 23. Scarfed UK rapper who leans to one side or the other (4) 24. LeftLion writer who makes wonder stuff (5, 4)

Down 1. Batman’s home just south of Nottingham (6) 2. Irish carphone comedian who we spoke to in Issue 9 (2,5) 3. Retired rapper with a film director name (10) 4. Bad vinyl dreams (10, 2, 3) 5. The hardest super-middleweight in Carlton and the Commonwealth (4, 5) 7. Aka Frank Robinson. Legendary busker (9, 3) 9. Skunk Anansie singer who is named after the largest human organ (4) 10. Smalltime filmmaker who was on our first ever magazine cover (5, 7) 11. Stone metropolis that celebrated 25th birthday late last year (4, 4) 14. Meaty artist who did the Issue 10 centrespread (4, 9) 16. The LeftLion style… (9) 17. Notts band who sang Billy Don’t Be A Hero and with Forest (5, 4)

LEFTLION PUB QUIZ The LeftLion Pub quiz will be returning to the Golden Fleece on Wednesdays from the end of August. A gallon of beer is up for grabs each week and there are a range of exciting new hosts, rounds and penny sweets for you to get excited about.

Nottinghamia 6. What was Christopher Dean’s profession before he became an ice dancer?

7. Name the large road built in the 1970s which cuts up the ancient Houndsgate and Castlegate in Nottingham?

8. In what year did Raleigh stop manufacturing bikes in Nottingham?

9. What is Nottinghamshire’s Anglican cathedral called?

10. Nottingham was granted city status to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of which monarch?

Food and Drink 11. What do vichyssoise soup and gazpacho soup have in common?

12. Which fruit is traditionally used in Eton Mess?

13. Muscat, Gewürztraminer and Soave. Are they red or white wines?

Animals

16. What is the collective noun for crows?

17. 100,000 badgers could be slaughtered this summer to prevent the spread of which disease?

18. Horseshoe, pipistrelle, natterer and noctule are British species of which animal?

19. Which animal has the world’s biggest penis?

20. Who owns all the UK’s swans?

Film Quotes Name the films these quotes are taken from: 21. “Animals are fine, but their acceptability is limited. A small child is even better, but not nearly as effective as the right kind of adult.”

22. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.”

23. “We invented Post-Its” 24. “Well, I have all your equipment in my locker. You should probably come get it cause I can’t fit my nunchucks in there anymore.”

25. “Take car. Go to mum’s. Kill Phil, grab Liz, go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over. How’s that for a slice of fried gold?”

The Maverick Round 26. What sport do the Dallas Mavericks play?

27. Who played Wild West gambler Bret Maverick in the film of the 60’s TV series ‘Maverick’?

28. What was one-hit-wonders The Mavericks’ one hit called?

29. Maverick chocolate bars were made by which company?

30. Maverick Records was founded by which pop star?

ANSWERS:

Name the character and show associated with these catchphrases: 1. “Screw you guys, I’m going home” 2. “By the power of Greyskull!”

3. “Shake me up, Judy” 4. “Hey, let’s be careful out there” 5. “I am not a number, I am a free man!”

14. Which two countries claim to have invented vodka?

15. Choux, short crust and puff are all types of what?

TV CATCHPHRASES: 1. Cartman, South Park. 2. Prince Adam, He-Man and The Masters of the Universe. 3.

Smallweed, Bleak House. 4. Sgt. Phil Esterhaus, Hill St Blues. 5. Number 6, The Prisoner.

NOTTINGHAMIA: 6. Policeman. 7. Maid Marian Way. 8.

2002. 9. Southwell Minster. 10. Queen Victoria.

FOOD AND DRINK: 11. Both served cold. 12. Raspberries.

13. White. 14. Russia and Poland. 15. Pastry.

ANIMALS: 16. A murder. 17. Bovine Tuberculosis. 18. Bat. 19. Blue Whale (up to 16 feet). 20. The Queen.

FILM QUOTES: 21. The Wicker Man. 22. Bridget Jones’s Diary. 23. Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. 24.

Napoleon Dynamite 25. Shaun of the Dead.

THE MAVERICK ROUND: 26. Basketball. 27. Mel Gibson.

28. Dance the Night Away. 29. Nestle. 30. Madonna.

TV Catchphrases

www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

33

Aries (March 21 - April 20)

Libra (September 24 - October 23)

Your colleagues want you to loosen up a little and let yourself go. You always say you feel that your workmates are holding you down, but you never mention the intense sexual rush it gives you when they do this. Give in to your desires and you might have more fun in the office.

Bored? Frustrated? Not sure what to do next? Aren’t we all..? It’s a simple equation: work out what it is that you like doing and try to inject as much of your time into that as possible. If you still have too much time on your hands then you probably need to look at buying a smaller watch.

Taurus (April 21 - May 21)

Scorpio (October 24 - November 22)

Laws of man, are just pretend. They ain’t mine. Love so good, love so bad. It won’t die.

Some talk too long, they know it all. I just smile and move on. Words ain’t free, like you and me. I don’t mind. Why’d you have to be so mean and cruel? The dogs are loose, I’m onto you…

Fighting fire with fire is never a good idea. On a very basic level it will only increase the amount of erm… fire. I learned this last October when the candle shop burned down. All the drunk fools stood around singing ‘Happy Birthday’. Except for me of course. I made a quick getaway…

Gemini (May 22 - June 22)

Sagittarius (November 23 - December 22)

Uncontrolled desires lead to slavery and are characteristic of the tyrannical man. The lusts of the appetites become tyrannical if they are allowed to rule. A passionate person can be driven to attempt to fulfill desires by any means, even vicious ones. Power then can only increase the corruption.

Want to buy some cialis? Do you actually know what that shit is? It’s called the weekend pill, but it can’t help you travel through time. It’s basically a compound of Tadalafil,a drug used to treat male erectile dysfunction (impotence). Marty McFly used to take a lot of it back in the day…

Cancer (June 23 - July 23)

Capricorn (December 23 - January 19)

Don’t try to look too far into the future or you will find yourself staring into the abyss. You can only plan your life one step at a time and in times of change such as now, you will do well to remember that in just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.

I went into my local shop the other day and something nasty happened. I got into an argument with the shopkeeper over something or other. He tried to shortchange me. It was hot. Then I smashed him over the head with the till and he fell over and lay there for a while. I left the right amount of money on the counter and then the shop.

Leo (July 24 - August 23) Meaningless jobs dominate the lives of millions of people in the western world. Since humans first learned to stand on two feet and control fire, the aims of our day to day have become more and more confused. Bide your time, but plan your escape. Another day another dollar? Only if you get a pay rise…

Aquarius (January 20 - February 19) Give in to me baby. You know that me and you were meant to be. Now just let me do what I want with you. You know deep down you’ll like it. I got a bottle of champagne, a bumper pack of jonnies and a video camera with our names on it. Come back with me and I’ll put you in the movies. Do you like scary movies?

Virgo (August 24 - September 23) When did you first start using narcotics? Was it before or after you started to freak out at the mention of the feds? There’s no room for such a weakness in my team. We like to look the fuzz in the eye while we’re lifting their handcuffs from their pockets. Sharpen up your style or we’ll feed you to the pigs!

Pisces (February 20 - March 20) You know where you’re from but not quite where you’re at right? Well chico… the secret of the sand is to let it roll through your hands. We are but small grains in the great beach.

Go make yourself a little castle, but be aware that something might come along and kick it over. Build solid foundations.

beast o n !!!actionbeast !!!

Grate Misstakes in Cultural Histroy

THE LEFT LION

Real name

AGAMEMNON

Rumoured to be hidden inside:

CORPSE OF ROBIN HOOD

Photos of students riding it (2005) % who thought they were first to Magazines named after it

The Beginning of Time On the Sixth day, Dog invented Man

34

www.leftlion.co.uk/issue12

THE RIGHT LION

do so

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Real name Rumoured to be hidden

inside:

Photos of students ridin

PASSAGE TO NUCLEAR BUNKER

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Welcome to The Big Track Nottingham’s waterside, car free, route

We’ve designed it to be a great way to get around your city, and explore beyond, on foot or by bike. The Big Track goes all the way from Trent Bridge to Beeston Lock, with the city centre in between. And you can pop up at all sorts of useful places, like the football clubs and cricket ground, the Broadmarsh Centre and Castle Marina.

If you want to shed some stress – and a few pesky pounds – on the way to the office, The Big Track runs past plenty of workplaces. And if you fancy a saunter for a pint or a stroll for a coffee, you’re definitely on the right track.

But look out – The Big Track could change your life as well as the way you get around. It runs alongside Nottingham’s finest waterways, the canal and the River Trent. Water is the source of life and there’s something about it that soothes the spirit, whether that’s a day at the seaside or a long soak in the bath. So although we’re in the most land-locked part of the country, The Big Track will help you unwind and go with the flow.

You’ll quickly be appreciating the little things in life – spotting a heron, chatting to a walker or watching a tree burst into bloom.

The Big Track could bring you some big benefits, too. It makes getting fit and feeling good so very simple. And, like the best things in life, it’s free. So flex those muscles, free your mind and go meet that duck.

The Big Track time trip The history of the Trent Valley Written by local historian Chris Matthews 1. Nottingham Canal wharfs, warehouses & Tinkers Leen Started in 1796, the canal was built to link Nottingham to the coal mines of the Erewash valley to the north and the markets of Grantham to the south. The warehouse of carriers Fellows, Morton and Clayton, now a pub, still has a crane for lifting goods from the boats.

Heading south along London Road, the former lace factory Hicking Ltd is now an apartment block. Turneys Quay, just before Trent Bridge, is apartments, too.

A huge leather dressing works, you could get to it by canal, river and road, although only the roadside building still survives. You can still see the oldest bridge on the canal next to Iremonger Row.

2. Trent Bridge & Hethbeth Bridge The word Trent is an old English word for trespasser, here meaning a river that often flooded its banks and changed course. Hethbeth Bridge was the medieval causeway. From the remnant that survives you can see how low and near the powerful currents it must have been. It had a history of collapsing, too – which can’t have been reassuring for the kings, queens and finery be-decked followers who edged across it on horseback or in carriages.

Today’s bridge was built in 1877 by the Nottingham Corporation. Between 1924 and 1926 its width was doubled to cope with the growth in traffic.

3. Victorian Embankment, Park & Gardens Nottingham has a long history of enjoying itself. And the riverbank has long been an area for fun and games. In the eighteenth century locals played football on Shrove Tuesday, early morning cricket and raced each other. By the end of the 19th century sport had become regularised.

Nottingham’s biggest sports clubs – Forest, County and the Trent Bridge cricket ground, are still nearby, which means that Nottingham people still come down to the river for their recreation.

In 1901 Victoria Embankment provided a setting for more amusement. The boat clubs, tree-lined roads, war memorial, gardens and suspension bridge are all ideal for promenading – seeing and being seen.

The park west of Wilford Grove was bought by the Corporation with money raised from the sale of land for the new Midland Station.

4. Wilford Toll Bridge & The Ferry inn The bridge was built by the Clifton family in 1870 to pay off their debts. Before that a chain ferry was hauled across the river, carrying goods, animals and people to the Meadows, as the seventeenth century Ferry Inn reminds us. Queens Walk in the Meadows, which goes from the Toll Bridge to Nottingham, was built over an old track which often flooded. It was lined with white posts to guide the soggy traveller.

There is a statue of Sir Robert Clifton, a popular Liberal MP during the nineteenth century when Nottingham was famous throughout England for its riotous and radical politics, in the days before the private ballot.

5. St Wilfred’s Church & Wilford Gazebo Beneath the shadow of the medieval church of St Wilfred’s are magnificent carved slate headstones and an 18th century gazebo. This curious structure was built to enjoy views of the Trent. Its ground floor was also used as a mortuary for bodies washed up by the river. Wilford’s tall grass, pools of water and flat, marshy landscape remind us of how the Meadows would have looked before the land was enclosed in the 1840s.

6. Clifton Hall & St Mary’s Church The river runs in almost a straight line here, directed by the cliff on the southern bank. The ancient part of Clifton got its name here, where the medieval church of St Mary stands today. Next to the church is one of the county’s finest 18th century houses, Clifton Hall. There is a small wharf below it designed to take coal to markets in the south of the county. The landscape become flat here, at the centre of the Trent Valley, throughout history a region for arable farming. Beeston means long grass farm, while the Ryelands Furlong once housed narrow “long” fields for growing rye.

7. Boots Office D90 From the canal you can see the Boots complex, housing a company that began life in the late 19th century on Goose Gate. By the 20th century the company had become international, and the style of architecture here reflects its transformation.

The Boots D90 offices were designed by the American team of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The surrounding area showcases other 20th century industries, including the Players Horizon factory.

8. Nottingham Castle & The River Leen The River Leen was diverted into the Trent in the 11th century. William the Conqueror built a castle high on the sandstone rock to control the region. The new watercourse was an extra defence, a route for supplies and it powered the Castle’s mills.

The Castle became the Duke of Newcastle’s property in 1663. He created a mansion reminiscent of stately designs in Italy or Prague, following the fashion created by Grand Tours of Europe after a young nobleman’s formal education had ended. The stone is distinctly less glamourous, being largely local sandstone from Trowell and Mansfield.

In 1831 during the Goose Fair, riots broke out and the people of Nottingham set fire to the Duke’s mansion. The Duke, a member of the House of Lords, was influential in defeating the Reform Bill which would have given the vote to poorer people. After the castle’s restoration it became England’s first municipal museum of art. Castle Boulevard, running alongside the canal, was built after the Extension Act of 1877 allowed Nottingham to build on land called the King’s Meadows, creating tree-lined boulevards – Lenton, Radford and Gregory – encircling the old town.

Cut out and keep Big Track Guide See reverse for map Pick up your free complete Big Track Guide at Shops and Libraries across the city

Fold here

Fold here

Lenton Derby Road

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The Park

ry go re G tle as C ge id Br

London Rd

Canal

City Ground

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Rd

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Lad yB ay

d ar ev ul Bo

e liff dc Ra

West Bridgford

Cricket Ground

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nt re rT ve Ri

Waterway

The Big Track

Train Station

Mile Marker

Bridge

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Green Area

Parking

Nottingham Race Course

Colwick Country Park

Holme Pierrepont

Main Road

Point of interest from The Big Track Time Trip

Gamston

Cycle Path

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Cycle Path with Access Point

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Meadows Way

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For Beeston cycle map or County cycling enquiries email urban.cycling@nottscc.gov.uk, phone 0845 330 4256 For cycle maps of Nottingham please contact Steve Brewer

Nature www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/nottinghamshire www.attenboroughnaturecentre.co.uk

Walking Nottingham City Best Foot Forward christine.adams@nottinghamcity-pct.nhs.uk www.whi.org.uk www.walkingabout.com

Cycling www.sustrans.org.uk www.ctc.org.uk www.bikeforall.net www.pedals.org.uk www.bottombracket.co.uk www.ridewise.org.uk www.britishwaterways.co.uk To download a free cycle permit for canal towpaths

Health www.getmovingnottingham.gov.uk British Heart Foundation - www.bhf.org.uk www.bhactive.org.uk

The Big Wheel www.thebigwheel.org.uk

Find out more...

Key

Bri d g eR oad

River Trent

Daleside Ro

Sneinton

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St

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Inset 2 Riverside Retail Park

Electricity Sub Station

e id de rs Ri ve & Ri ark P

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C ol w ic k

Victoria Centre

City Centre

1. Nottingham Canal Wharfs & Warehouses

Old Market Square Broad Marsh

Upper Parliament St

8. Nottingham Castle

Station St

Meadow Lane

Suspension Bridge

Inset 1

2. Trent Bridge & Hethbeth Bridge

Nottingham Station

3. Victoria Embankment

Wilford

5. St Wilfred’s Church & Wilford Gazebo

4. The Ferry Inn

4. Wilford Toll Bridge

The Meadows

Inland Revenue

Canal

Inset 2

Riverside Industrial Park

HomeBase

Castle Marina Park

ide de rs Ri ve & Ri ark P

Electricity Sub Station

oulevard tle B Cas

Dunkirk

ne Road Tha

Power League

Inset 1

Cyclists must dismount for this section of footpath

rs ve an M

Q.M.C.

Nottingham University Lakeside Arts Centre & Cafe

Boating Pond

7. Boots Office D90

rd va ule Bo ty rsi Tennis ive Centre Un

Rylands al an C

Ar k w rig ht St l th Ba St ey rn Tu

La ne

Cut out and keep

The Big Track Nottingham’s waterside car free route

Wollaton Park

Victoria Pub Beeston Station

nt re rT ve Ri

Clifton

Fold here

River Trent

For your Information Average Walking speed = 3mph Average number of calories burnt = 90cpm Average number of steps in one mile = 2000 Average Cycling Speed = 10mph Average number of calories burnt = 50cpm Having a cycle bell is useful to warn other Big Track users of your approach.

Beeston

Beeston Lock

Canal Nottingham Trent University

St att Py

Riv er T ren t

D er by

Ro ad 6. Clifton Hall & St Mary’s Church

Fold here

La ne

Queens Drive

Me ad ow

Queens Drive

La ne M ea do w

Chilwell

Attenborough Station

Attenborough Nature Centre Fold here

ey

St

W ilf or d The Emb Fraser Roa d ank men t

La ne C lif to n

Ea st Ro ad Q ue en s

Loughborough Road Clifton Boulevard