LeftLion Magazine - December 2004 - Issue 2

our style is legendary

Whycliffe Styly Cee Six By Seven

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Issue two/winter 04/05 www.leftlion.co.uk

House Gymnastics Miles Hunt and more

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credits LeftLion Magazine December 2004 Issue 2 Editor Jared Wilson Sub Editors Alan Gilby Timmy Bates Al Needham Distribution Yemi Akinpelumi Design David Blenkey reasondesign@ntlworld.com Photographers Ben Cipher David Bowen Dom Henry Joe Ryder Contributors Adrian Bhagat Bones Guy Gooberman Lydia Towsey Miles Hunt Mr Reason Pete Jordan Roger Mean Sam Care Tom Cowdrey “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”

Hunter S. Thompson

contents . . .

editorial

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Whilst the country’s most famous names in music get together to launch their Band Aid assault on the charts this Christmas, spare a thought for the struggling Nottingham musician.

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LeftLion 349a Mansfield Road Nottingham. NG5 2DA info@leftlion.co.uk

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for advertising enquiries please contact: advertising@leftlion.co.uk 07770 985025

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Local News for Local People Flyposting: A Resolution Christmas shopping in Nottingham “There have been people tapping away at the rock here for years, but no-one has really smashed it yet.” Styly Cee Interview Wonder Stuff lead singer Miles Hunt writes exclusively for LeftLion Six By Seven Interview A Crap Deal A croupiers account of working in a Notts Casino What happened to Whycliffe?

LeftLion uncovers the story of a familiar face around the city…

House Gymnastics We speak to James Ford, founder of the ultimate Winter Sport.

English Litt LeftLion catches up with one of British Literature’s ‘young lions’.

When Saturday Comes Why Notts County striker Steve Scoffham is living the dream LeftLion events listings theatre/ club nights/ live music/ exhibitions/ comedy

Nottsword Rocky Horrorscopes and Bones’ Fun Cave

Other cities have had more than their fare share of music scenes. From Manchester’s ‘baggy’ and ‘acid house’, to Liverpool’s Beatles, Bristol’s trip-hop and Brighton’s big beat. In comparison Nottingham has been starved for musical success, with only the likes of Paper Lace and KWS to ‘boast’ of.

Maybe it’s because our music scene is too insular, maybe it’s because the media is unsupportive or maybe it’s just bad luck, but in this issue we feature a range of musicians from Nottingham who have stories to tell about their attempts to make an impact in the national scene.

Hiphop all-rounder Styly Cee has been around the Nottingham hiphop scene for donkey’s years. He’s by no means a big name nationally, but has in recent times found a lucrative side project with the UK’s premier rapping miner Pitman.

Rock band Six By Seven have been dropped by their record label, yet survived and are now shifting thousands of units of their new album from their cellar. They’ve also launched a label Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Records and are looking for other Nottingham bands.

The most dramatic story, however is that of Whycliffe. Many of you will have walked past him in the streets of Nottingham over the last year. Some of you may have given him money, some of you may have avoided eye contact. Not many will realise, that he gigged with James Brown and released 2 albums on an American label back in the day. Nowadays he sings for spare change…

There are kids and grown ups around these parts who have waited their whole lives for something to break and reach beyond the city boundaries to a greater national conciousness. We don’t know when it will finally be, but whatever happens, it’s getting closer and when it does LeftLion will be there. It’s been a long while since ‘Please Don’t Go…’

jared@leftlion.co.uk

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Nottingham Voices things people have said on the leftlion forum RIP Daniella Beccan

local news for local people with Guy Gooberman our correspondent in London

”I know you shouldn’t let things likes this get you down but I can’t help it when it involves an innocent 14 year old girl. I’m shocked, saddened, appalled and angry.”

Pisces J

Please note that Guy Gooberman is a fictional character and therefore only as real as the news he writes

”Notts rep has been steadily going down hill for the last few years. Each time I say that is where I am from the reaction gets slowly worse.”

Stavros ”Kids round here are growing up with f*ck-all expectations, the people from their estates who actually made something out of their lives have been forced to move away to do it, and the only people they can see who are successful are more often than not making dodgy moves.”

Nishlord ”It is fair to say that some of the past Nottingham shootings may have been drug related but smoking/ selling weed and doing Drive-By’s on a bunch of kids are two totally different things. This shooting has touched even the hardest of drug dealers!”

Wisdom

RIP John Peel ”A truly, truly sad piece of news. This was the chap who formed so many peoples knowledge of contemporary music. How many people here still have tapes of his shows? I bet I’m not the only one.”

Niffer ”Although I only listened now and again to John Peel’s show, I was always interested in the music he played, his passion for it, and his knowledge of the wide varieties of scenes. I am glad that they are going to name the New Bands stage at Glasto after him. It’s the right way to remember the legend.”

Denz

Capital Of East Midlands?

”John was a rare genius in the music industry - a normal bloke. Very few dj’s can mingle with artists and journo’s alike. beyond his radio show, his constant involvement with festivals and new producers was remarkable.”

Slugasaurus ”Hopefully it will make people (and the industry) notice (who didn’t notice before) what effect an amazing, genuine person can have on so many people.”

The Milkman

Bush Vs Kerry “Has everyone forgot Bush lost last time? We should overthrow the next president with the help of the UN to restore true democracy to the nation of freaks.”

Dirty Joe ”I’m still fuming about it and shouldn’t be. I simply can’t believe he’s been voted back in after all the despicable things he’s done.”

D

”The whole world should have the right to vote in the presidential elections, this affects us all!”

Betty

make your voice heard

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Silverdale To Be Banned

After securing a second term for his neo-conservative imperialist regime that aims to stamp a North American hegemony upon the rest of the globe by force, George Bush expanded his axis of evil to a square, the fourth corner being humble Nottingham.

Why? It seems that just as with the invasion of Iraq there is very little evidence for Mr Bush to add the city to his hit list but when Guy Gooberman probed a Bush spokesperson for some hard facts with his fist, the idiot blurted out the following: “George thought Nottingham was in Iran.”

Nottingham officials are to introduce controversial legislation to ban people saying they live in Silverdale when clearly they live in Clifton, next to the great big bypass. Those in power are tired of these ‘mini areas’ springing up and being used by people to increase the price of their house instead of accepting the fact they live in a crap area. After Silverdale they plan to ban Carrington (Sherwood), Sherwood Rise (Forest Fields) and people saying they live in Mapperley when it’s really St. Anns. Gedling Borough Council are watching closely as they contemplate the future of Daybrook (Arnold).

Israel Comes To New Basford Jimmy Yuck opened the curtains at his Nottingham Road residence yesterday and was shocked to discover that a large ‘separation wall’ had been constructed between his house and the main road, cutting him off from all his local amenities and the basic facilities which he needed to survive. Little did he know that Ariel Sharon’s wall around Israel had got a little out of hand and that building had started in

”Never expected that to happen. Thought he’d be on Radio 1 for ever.”

Baron of Carlton ”People feel like they knew him personally, even though they often didn’t. His death has had a noticeable effect on many, Radio 1 (and radio in general) will never be the same again.”

Prof Yaffle

Bush Targets Nottingham

Garry Birtles Face Seen On Tea Towel In Hucknall “Contemptible!” “Nonsensical!”

“Twaddle!” “Where’s Northampton?” These are just a few of the comments we paid people to say about Northampton being made the capital of the East Midlands instead of our own fair city of Nottingham. The controversial decision was made by a faceless bureaucrat who scares everyone in his office because he has no face.

Disgusted Nottingham residents have threatened to go down to Northampton and sort the matter out through the medium of dance.

You’ve already heard of the Turin Shroud, well now we have the Hucknall Shroud; however this one is no fake perpetuated by a fading cult.

Mrs Swiss Cottage was washing the pots early one morning, listening to Radio Nottingham, when she suddenly came over all queer and started to shake. She looked down at the tea towel she was clutching in her talons and saw the face of former Forest striker and Evening Post football pundit Garry Birtles appear in all his holy glory. Forest fan Duncan Tile, said of the item: “You should put that tea towel on Ebay.”

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Flyposting: A Resolution

Over the past decade, club and music event promoters around Nottingham (and the UK), have used posters as a cost effective and direct way of advertising their events.

Words: Pete Jordan. Photo: David Bowen Whether it was big posters pasted anonymously overnight on disused buildings, stapled posters on wooden telegraph poles or cardboard tied on traffic lights, the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 defines all these as illegal forms of advertising.

It seems that everybody from the lonely wandering promoter with their staple gun and a bag of photocopied posters, to the big corporation, had their own interpretation on the laws of advertising. As did the general public, who at least once or twice a year would be found by some Fleet Street wannabe journalist, who would go on to sensationalise and misrepresent an issue they had little understanding of, creating further discord between the public, the council and the promoters.

The misconception held by so many people and quite often the focus in the seemingly annual Evening Post ‘crackdown on fly posting’, is that (leftfield music) promoters are all ‘raking it in’. From my experience as a promoter in this city, most of them are just scraping by and are in it to push a genre of music that they are passionate about.

In a city with plenty of derelict buildings it’s also arguable that putting posters on them will not make them any less appealing to the eye. Posters advertising events that people might be interested in is often better to look at than just another boarded up window.

There was a similar crackdown on events promoters and flyposters a few years ago in Liverpool, shortly after it had been named European Capital of Culture 2008. Within a few days a torrent of flyposters had appeared around the usual places in the city that simply read ‘This Is Culture’.

What is overlooked is the great cultural and financial benefit such a diverse array of musical events brings to this city! The dedication and hard work of the promotion community over the years has gained Nottingham’s club and gig scene the excellent reputation that it deserves, unlike the cheap booze and stag do culture that has dragged our good city through the dirt (and

many a TV documentary).

The council’s initial ‘no tolerance’ approach to postering and illegal advertising caused big problems for promoters unable to afford other forms of advertising. The (seeminglyhollow) threat from the council of on the spot fines and £1000 per poster was never actually met with action, probably due to the difficulty in pin-pointing the perpetrator. It certainly made those with long term ambitions in the city think twice about what they were doing though...

This all changed last year when a law was passed in Parliament that made it possible for fly-posterers to be given ASBO’s (Anti-Social Behaviour Orders), and the council made it clear that a club could have their license revoked if their promotion was not kept legal.

This included litter from flyering after events, outside universities or in the town!

Although it remains to be seen if any legal action will be taken against offending promoters or venues, the threat has been made and this time people have taken it more seriously.

So the council successfully enforces a ban on postering, and what does this result in?

Obviously a cleaner city which is a good thing for everybody!

However, promoting events has become more difficult and I would expect that this has had a negative effect on both big and small venues and events in and across the city.

However, down to the hard work of a number of individuals it seems that the start of something positive is about to begin. After months of meetings, research and consultations (you know the usual approach!!), £10,000 worth of funding has been allocated to erect two poster hubs that will be there to inform the public of forthcoming events. This will create legal postering options for the promoters and venues. The two drums will be situated near the Old Angel in Hockley and near Trent University on Shakespeare Street.

any surplus going towards funding of further sites if the scheme proves to be a success. Similar schemes in other UK cities such as Leeds have proved a great success and have reduced the problems of illegal advertising. It is hoped that this scheme can be expanded in the future.

The poster sites will be funded by the promoters who will be charged between £1.25 and £1.50 per week per poster.

This will fund the maintenance of the sites by the council’s Neighbourhood Services with

At November’s Nottingham Pub and Club Watch meeting, the poster sites were revealed and the hubs are to be hexagonal in shape, 2 A3 portrait posters wide and 4 high, with each holding 48 posters. It is

hoped eventually that sponsorship might be found to fund the hubs further and expand the scheme. At the meeting 22 promoters agreed to the terms and conditions of the poster sites and many more are expected to commit in the next few weeks. The scheme is scheduled to begin in early 2005.

the council and other organisations) have managed to cut through the abundance of red tape and forge a positive solution. Although this might only be a partial solution (I think more hubs will be required) this is a step in the right direction to legal advertising for those wanting to promote their events in Nottingham.

In summary, I would like to say that all too often the council gets criticised for its actions (or lack of) but this time it seems that the persistence of a few notable people (within

If you’re interested in sponsoring this scheme contact christine.shirt@ nottinghamcity.gov.uk.

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Stuff to buy this Xmas...

Never sure what to get people for Christmas? Sick of buying the same toiletries and chocolate oranges for people all the time? Your local neighbourhood is full of great ideas if you look hard enough. Here are just a few gift ideas we found to buy people in and around Nottingham…

For Sister . . .

For Brother . . .

If your brother is into his music then head to Funky Monkey for a selection of the finest new and second hand music available in the city centre. They stock a range of CD’s and Vinyl ranging from house to hiphop. If you’re not entirely sure what to get him then they also do handy gift vouchers.

If you think he’d be interested in taking up a new hobby why not check out Jugglers in Hockley? They offer everything from beanbags to Diablo’s, catering for all talents from novice to full on festival goer.

If your sister is politically aware like Lisa Simpson then she might appreciate Zapatista coffee. This is fair trade coffee straight from the Mexican front line. £4 per 250g packet.

If she’s into her fashion then send her into Sample to check out a large range of interesting clothes on offer. What seems to be the biggest hit is that the items are all samples (hence the name).Nothing is mass produced and they also stock fair trade labels such as Jasmine fish, Komodo and the birds and the beads cotton and hemp wear.

These goods are available at: mm…deli, 610 Mansfield Road, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 2FS. www.mmdeli.co.uk : General Store, 570 Mansfield Road, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 2FS. www.periodlife.com : Spowage Arts studio, Estate House, 2 Byard Lane, Nottingham, NG1 29J. www.pspowageartstudio.co.uk : Funky Monkey, 14 Goose Gate, Hockley, Nottingham. www.funkymonkey.co.uk Jugglers, 4 Goosegate, Nottingham, NG1 1FF Sample, Bridlesmithgate, Nottingham NG1 2GN.

For Mum . . .

It’s always hard to know what to get Mum for chrimbo. Buy them something radical and they might not like it, but if you buy them something that useful then you somehow feel that you’re cheating them. Best therefore to aim for strictly luxury items…

Oregon Chai is a black tea base infused with eastern spices like cinnamon and clove with added honey. Developed by ‘chai-oneer’ Heather Howitt, who came across it when a local handed her a cup half way up a mountain in the Himalayas, it has taken the US by storm. It is an indulgent sweet and spicy treat for the senses that can be consumed hot or cold. Availa ble exclusively at General Store, Sherwood. £4.60 per Mm.. deli… own brand Lemon curd is a real tasty treat. It’s a thick and tasty, luxurious treat made from only the finest ingredients. £2.30 for 320g jar. Available from mm…deli.

Or you could splash out a little more and buy her some edible gold. Sounds bizarre, but Xocoa have launched a 22 carat gold chocolate bar. The 85g bar is 73% cocoa with 22 carat gold plate on the top, which is totally edible. What’s more, apparently it has beneficial effects, such as great nutritional and medicinal properties. Available from mm…deli.

For Dad . . .

It’s a lot easier to please your dad than it is most people when buying them presents. If it’s edible or drinkable, then you will usually hit the spot. It’s nice to splash out a little though…

Kopi Lupak is a real conenoses coffee.

It comes from inside the Common Palm Civet Cat, which prowls the Sumatran coffee plantations at night, choosing to eat only the finest, ripest cherries.

The cherry stones (which form coffee beans) are then collected by cleaning through the droppings. It is widely considered to be the finest coffee by native Sumatrans and has a rich chocolate like flavour with no aftertaste, which is unique. It’s available exclusively at General Store.

If he’s a fan of hot food then you can’t go wrong with ‘ Pain is good’ chilli sauce, part of the new mega-hot sauce range from U.S.A. These are sauces guaranteed to clear out any form of British winter cold. £5 per bottle from mm… deli.

If your dad is an art collector, then head for the Spowage Arts Studio. They offer a range of original and bespoke pieces at prices ranging from £50 to £600. Resident artist is Pete Spowage. His style is very modern and streetwise, using lots of figurative art and acrylics and oils. Alongside him is Mike Leeson, whose work is more weird and wacky.

For more information about shopping in Nottingham, visit the LeftLion Directory at: www.leftlion.co.uk/shopping The LeftLion Online shop is an outlet for independent musicians, designers and artists in Nottingham. We stock CD’s and vinyl, recorded by local artists, T-Shirts designed and produced by local designers and bespoke works of art and photography.

Music currently in includes the Get Out 1 and 2. These albums are highly exclusive and selling fast.

Last year Nittngham rapper Cappo released his huge selling debut album Spaz The World on the Brighton-based Zebra Traffic label. This is the follow-up, with Zero Theory on Production, in two instalments

and is available exclusively through the LeftLion shop. All copies come signed personally by the artists.

Other music currently available in the LeftLion shop includes: First Blood, Dap-C, Smokes and Bluntz, Gag Records, Sam ‘Blues Man’ Lindo and Glockz Da Hunter.

Clothing in the LeftLion shop includes new T-shirt designs from Forecast and Beshlo clothing.

Forecast’s range focuses particularly on the city of their birth and designs have incorporated aspects of the city including Robin Hood,

Nottingham maps and even the council logo. T-shirts from £20.

Beshlo is a new range of clothing designed by Matt Crowe. All designs are screen-printed in house and feature elements of both graffiti and comic book culture.

The new Beshlo range available on LeftLion includes pieces for both him and her. Items from £20.

We are always expanding our range of stock at LeftLion. If you are interested in having your goods stocked with us email shop@leftlion.co.uk

To see a full range of our stock, visit the LeftLion shop at www.leftlion.co.uk/shop

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Legendary Styly Styly Cee is something of a hiphop jack of all trades in Nottingham, but he seems to be mastering a few of them at the moment... words: Jared Wilson, photos: Joe Ryder

Styly first came to prominence as one half of turn of the century rap and production duo Lost Island, releasing a succession of EP’s and Debut LP on Son Records.

Since then he has become a respected producer and the man behind a number of successful releases for rappers such as Cappo, Scorzayzee and C-Mone. He also has a close working relationship with UK rap parody Pitman. Ya get me?

He didn’t want to talk about the rapping miner from Coalville in this interview, but we got his thoughts on a few other things…

So how long have you been going for as Styly Cee now? Where did it all start..? ”I’ve been around for 18 years. I got the name in my school days at Alderman White school in Beeston.

I can’t even remember how I got it.

I’m that old!! It sounds almost cheesy these days, but I’ve had it that long that I don’t want to change it.” ”My sister had some portable decks, one of those little sets with speakers in a suitcase. I nicked that, cut a slipmat out of my old school trousers and scratched my dad’s Labi Siffre record to bits. It was mashed!”

Who were the people you grew up listening to back then? ”A big one for me is Jazzy Jeff. As a scratch DJ, him and Cash Money are where it’s at. Even now, I saw him last year at Rock City and thought he was wicked!”

Tell us about the old days with Nottingham pirate radio station Heatwave… How long did you do your show for? ”I was at Heatwave for five years altogether. It almost seems now that those were the good old days! At that time we didn’t have Cable TV channels brainwashing the kids. Westwood was on pirate radio and there was no 1xtra, so the pirate scene fed everything in Nottingham. Heatwave was mainly a reggae station.” ”In those days, despite it being a pirate, I still had to edit out all the bad language as best as I could. The argument was that it was a community station and that children did listen in. I used to do a show on Saturday afternoons and if the odd one did slip through I’d get a phonecall straight away.” ”I haven’t got that many tapes of old shows, but I’ve bumped into people that have and it’s mad to listen back to when we were playing Lords of the Underground and Common tracks for the first time. It’s good to think we were encouraging hiphop. Nowadays I’m more like a grumpy old man who rants on about how good it was back in the day…”

How does it feel looking back upon the Lost Island Days? ”Funnily enough I played the Lost Island album the other day, after not listening to it for at least a year. Not for any reason, but I don’t listen to my own music much anyway. We didn’t have major success, but at the time we were putting out some quality

hiphop and the only thing that snagged us was the American accent. Back then it was still acceptable, but now you can’t get away with rapping full-on American.” ”We eventually did the album. It came out. It went okay. We didn’t really sell many of them, but we got good reviews. I think afterwards Frisco got bored of it and we ended up like a bickering husband and wife. We only see each other occasionally these days, but I’d be up for doing a track with him again…”

It’s a bit different from nowadays where people rap in thick Nottingham accents… ”Nowadays in the UK scene you can see distinct differences between regional styles in accents. You get loads of people copying London accents when they’re not even from London. People think that’s a definitive British style, but that’s not what its about either.”

So what do you think to the state of the current Notts scene? ”As the old bastard of Nottingham hiphop I would say that Nottingham is better now than it ever has been in terms of the products that are coming out. There have been people tapping away at the rock here for years, but no-one has really smashed it yet.”

“Cappo’s Spaz The World album has got to be in the Top 3 albums of last year. I still think that record has been slept on a little bit. It’s different to his Get-Out stuff because Zero Theory comes at it from a more leftfield angle.

They’re both valid because Cappo can drop it at both ends.” ”Tempa has done well on Chancers on Channel Four. I saw an episode, where they went to New York. The programme looked a bit shit, but I think she can see that and is using it to get exposure for herself and her music. Good luck to her!” ”I recorded a couple of tracks with Scorzayzee just before he went away.

Great Britain is an amazing track.

I’m not sure how you would go about following it up tho. What else is there left he can possibly say? He’s covered everything from his whole personal opinion in one track…”

What are you working on at the moment ”A few things. Some more secret that others. I’ve done a track for C-Mone.

That was on my last 12”. She’s been around a bit with the Outdaville crew and now she’s breaking out on her own. At the minute female emcees are coming into their own. Estelle’s doing well and she could follow on from that success.”

What are you doing for Christmas?

What will Santa be bringing Styly?

“I’ll be doing the same thing everyone does really. I’ll be sitting back and relaxing with family. Hopefully I’ll get some good games, sit and play them and drink. I’ve got all the consoles. At the minute I’m big into Burn Out 3!”

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Born In The Future The new technologies…

I love ‘em. Couldn’t think of anything worse than going through life without ‘em.

Not the big important stuff like power grids or defence systems or mass production of food stuffs though.

It’s the small trivial stuff that gets me going.

My laptop for instance.

I don’t even have to get out of bed to work any more. Set me up with my laptop, fluff up my pillows, keep my telephones within arms reach & I’m in for a day’s hard graft.

Where am I writing this from? Duvet Town, Baby!

If I’m working on music, you’ll find me on the mattress with a pair of earphones & a midi keyboard hooked right into the laptop. Get sick of working? I start firing out emails to all manner of addresses from all over the world. I can sound like the most active guy on the map when I write about my activities, but the truth is, I’m rarely out of my pit.

It’s not all about how much time I can dedicate to the boudoir though. In fact, my love of the new technologies is not based entirely on my inherent idleness. I’ve had a life-long aversion to the advertising industry, particularly on television. If I’m at home in front of the TV, does it not go without saying that i’m not in a shopping mood?

TV advertising isn’t as irritating as cinema advertising, but in my book it’s an affront to common decency all the same. I remember a time when advertisers made special adverts for the cinema, adverts that were for cinema consumption only. Okay it was still advertising, but because those adverts were made especially for the silver screen it seemed to embellish the sense of occasion. It ain’t so anymore! The same bollocks that you have to put up with at home will stalk you all the way to yer local Warner Village these days.

A means by which to avoid the advertising industry during your TV hours is to simply record each show you fancy watching, then viewing them at some later date, by simply fast-forwarding the ad breaks. Follow this to the letter & you will be seizing back a degree of control robbed from you years ago by those bastards in the advertising business! That is unless of course your favourite show happens to be ‘Friends’. In that case you should ignore all of the above, as you deserve to wallow in your own stupidity. You probably need to watch the adverts in order to not miss out on any of the conversation when you next visit your local wine bar.

All we have to do now is stop the BBC from advertising themselves.

You’ve already got us by the balls, you c*nts! The protection racket that is the Television Licence assures The Old Boy’s network an income for the foreseeable future. Why do we need to be encouraged to watch a channel that we are quite plainly already watching? Did I miss a meeting?

They are like some hideous school bully constantly bragging at how good they are at, well, everything.

I had intended to write a well constructed, nay positive, account of my warm feelings

toward the new technologies, I seem to have gone awry. Fuck it! While I’m at it...

Mobile phones. I’m a fan, particularly of the text message. This form of communication fits well into my bedroom routine. Too idle to talk?

Without question! Then text it. But take the things out of the slumber chamber & it’s a whole other matter.

As a performer of live music I’ve watched audience behaviours change dramatically in recent times. It used to be that when the band played ‘the slow one’ the audience members would hold cigarette lighters aloft.

As mobile phones have increasingly nestled their way into our lives the lighter is most definitely with The Luddites.

I accepted the sight of mobile phones held high above heads with scant concern at first! I reasoned that it was actually quite a wonderful thing to phone a friend & really stick it to them that they hadn’t managed to get to the gig & now here’s their favourite band in the world playing their absolute favourite song.

I did it myself, to my Brother, when Sex Pistols played Finsbury Park in 1996. But now, mobile phones have developed photographic capabilities. Something I’ve yet to buy into. What I see now at gigs is these phone/camera hybrids held in the air throughout the entire show.

There’s no saving it for ‘the slow one’ anymore kids. Tradition be damned…

The new technologies are completely altering our behaviour and there’s seemingly no stopping them. But as we all reel from the excitement of change and physically glow at the warmth of always being in touch, are we not missing the real point? Wasn’t the lighter option considerably cheaper and easier?

More importantly, what am I gonna light my fags with?

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Six By Seven have had it rough over the past few years.

Critically acclaimed yet never quite converting it into record sales, it’s an all too typical story plaguing many of Nottingham’s music acts.

Words: Sam Care During the past three years the band has had a particularly painful habit of losing things; a bassist, a guitarist and most unfortunately a record deal.

But in true Nottingham graft style, they remain undeterred.

Now a threesome, with James Flower on Hammond organ, keyboards and saxophone, Chris Davis on drums and Chris Olley on bass, guitar and vocals, they have set up their own label, and have started selling records out of Olly’s cellar. They’ve named the label, Saturday Night, Sunday Morning after the gritty urban novel and film of the same name.

Set in a Raleigh dominated Nottingham, the film stars Albert Finney as the anti-hero of the Free British Cinema movement. It is set up as an angry young man rant against it all, making quite the fitting title for a record label born out of need and pure determination against the run of play. As Chris told me on an uncharacteristically mild November night, before the band’s recent Rescue Rooms gig: “It’s a great film and we wanted to name the record label after something to do with Nottingham.”

The label is run by Chris with only a computer and a mobile phone, from the depths of a Nottingham basement.

He disagrees with some of the band’s critics who, he says, have written Six

By Seven off.

“People think that the band is on its knees, and you know, whenever you read the reviews it’s like ‘they’ve lost their record deal’. But really, you lose a record deal and you gain something else. We have total control over our music now. We’ve just sold nine thousand records from the basement of my house! I mean if you can sell nine thousand of anything you’re doing alright.”

Such an optimistic attitude might surprise some of those that have read the band’s reviews over the years. One reviewer in the NME recently wrote that the band have made a career out of being, terminally miserable. I put this to Chris and asked him straight...

“Am I terminally miserable? ...erm? I don’t think so. Do I come across that way? I think what’s happened over the years is that I have been typecast in that role really and because we are a band that...”

At this point the interview was briefly interrupted by a passing friend of Chris’s and the answer to my question was unwittingly answered: Chris’s unnamed friend: “So are you ready?”

Chris: (unconvincing) “Yeah!”

Friend: “Haha, you’re not really up for it then?”

Chris: “Err... I don’t like playing Nottingham really.”

Friend: “Why? Is it ‘cause you know too many people (laughing)?”

Chris: “Well... you look out into the audience and everyone is like... (pulls a face) Every local band, is down there trying to see if we can slip up.”

It’s all in good humour, but you can see where they got the miserable reputation! I gave Chris the chance to explain further when the interview continued…

“I’ll tell you what’s odd, when we go to other places we get more people coming to see us than we do in Nottingham. I find that weird. It’s a bit odd that we can go to Exeter and twice as many people come to se us. Or Cardiff or Glasgow or Birmingham. The crowd is always bigger than in Nottingham.”

and talk about Amusement Parks on Fire and Punish the Atom, you know... try and put the place on the map a bit more.”

I offered the possible reason that it’s the “local band effect”. The “oh they’ll be back. They live here, we’ll see them next time,” sort of thing...

“Yeah, when we get some more money coming in. You know...when we’ve put food on our own table. We are asking people to send us demos. We would like to hear as much as possible, we’ll go and see anything.”

Chris looked visibly happier, relieved that at long last a possible reason may have been worked out. A note of surprise crept into his voice, when he replied, “It could be that, yeah!”

The band played their first ever gig in 1997 in the Old Angel in Nottingham and Chris despite his reservations about playing in Nottingham is proud of his connections to the city, “This is a great city. This is a great place to live. We’ve always tried to try to talk up Nottingham. There are not many bands that come from here and we always try to mention local bands.

When we do interviews we always try

I asked him whether the band are planning to sign more acts to their new label.

Sounds like all the East Midlands hard graft is paying off then? Members leaving, record deal lost, it all seems to be being dealt with. Life doesn’t seem to be too bad for the band, these days.

“The three of us are just mates that are making music together. We still enjoy it. This fourth album is a much more positive record. It encapsulates the period we are in now. We are moving forward. We aren’t miserable, we’re just doing things on our own terms.” www.sixbyseven.co.uk

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It’s Friday night, 3am, and though the chips are stacked up on the roulette table like the Manhattan skyline, I can’t take my eyes off Chadda, who has entered the sixth minute of his strop on the opposite table.

Everyone at the casino knows him, mainly because he’s a cheating little shitbag.

I went on me break to discover a workmate dabbing his bloody nose.

When I asked if he was going to report it to the police, he laughed so hard he covered the toilet mirror with blood and snot. “You should have been here when we had the riot. They overturned three of the roulette tables, we had to barricade ourselves in here, and it took 24 riot police and a dozen dogs to calm them down”.

The manager comes over and has a word. Chadda’s on his best behaviour.

He shakes his hand, apologises to everyone, and walks away to have a fag. But while I’m going through the military routine all dealers do when the ball drops (place glass dolly on winning number, clear all losing chips down the hole, work out who gets paid first, how much they’ve won, display to them their winning chips and push them out in the precise manner, repeat procedure for the next winner, etc), I can’t help noticing Chadda with a malevolent glint in his eye fingering a large cut-glass ashtray.

“How many arrests?”

The next thing I know, the mountain of chips on the opposite table has exploded. Chadda has only gone and flung the ashtray at the dealer, recreating the opening scene of Independence Day a half-decade before it was filmed. The inspector and pit boss drag him away. The punters are going berserk. All of them, to a man, claim that all of their chips were on the winning number, and they all demand to be paid out…

I hadn’t thought about Chadda for years, not until the Government thought it’d be a good wheeze to open whacking great casinos in every town. Let’s be honest, one of them is bound to come to Notts, even though there’s already four of them a stones throw from Slab Square. Boost to the night-time economy…sophisticated alternative to clubbing…chance to win shitloads of cash…what’s wrong with that?

I’ll tell you what’s wrong with it; it’ll be in Nottingham. As a former croupier at a city centre venue, you would not believe the abuse we got. I could walk into Yates on a Saturday night, naked from the waist down in a Derby shirt, and would never cop as much grief as I did on an average night working in Notts.

Many of the clientele worked at or owned Chinese restaurants (or Triads, depending on who you talked to in the staffroom), and somehow forgot that they weren’t in a noisy kitchen any more. It wasn’t just the Chinese.

You get a proper multi-cultural coating when you’re a dealer. I was sworn at in Urdu, Polish, Lebanese, Patois, Greek, Punjabi, Gujarati, and plain old Nottingham. A Benetton poster of spite and disgust, if you will.

Some of them would think nothing of leaning over and sticking one on a dealer. The first night I was there,

More laughter. “The casino doesn’t want them in the nick, they want them back here wasting their money. All the charges were dropped, but they boycotted us for a fortnight. We had to do free buffets every night to gerrem back in”.

He was right. I don’t know what you’d have had to have done to get barred from that casino. There was nothing more galling than to see the bastard who smacked the shit out of your mate the night before roll up to your table and start throwing his weight about again.

Actually, there was something more galling - having to stand there and watch obscene amounts of money being spunked away. I’ll give you one example. One night, an enormous bloke who I was told was the boss of the Nottingham Triads came over to my roulette table, wearing the kind of furry waistcoat not seen since Giant Haystacks died. He threw down a fistful of fifty pound notes, asked to have them changed into £25 chips, and dumped them all over the table,

covering all the numbers bar two.

One of the two numbers came up. I shovelled £2,500 of his money down the hole where all the lost bets go, trying not to shit myself.

bollocked, which was as pointless as the boss of Ladbrokes getting Red Rum into the offices of Ladbrokes and shouting at him for winning the Grand National.

He shrugged, delved back into his pocket, threw another £2,500 on the table. Same thing happened. He looked at me, laughed, winked, and went on another table. I found out later he’d lost another two grand on one spin and went home. In five minutes, he had spent my entire yearly salary. Still, with all that money flying about, the tips must have been good, right? Well, they would have been, except that a) British croupiers weren’t allowed tips, and b) the punters wouldn’t have given you the steam off their piss.

By the end of six months, I’d had enough of it. I was sick of having to work double shifts from 1pm to 4am and having to come in the next morning. I got pissed off with meeting my mates in town for a drink and then have to go to work while they went to Rock City to twirl tongues with goth birds. I was narked when me Christmas ‘bonus’ was a couple of bottles of wine that not even KwikSave would put on their shelves, and then informed I was working on Christmas Night and New Years Eve. I also felt guilty when I saw blokes with no money for a taxi home kipping on benches as I left the building.

In any case, the management treated us worse than the punters did. Not only were the pockets in our trousers sewn up, but fraternisation with anyone at the casino was forbidden.

You even had to inform management if you were knocking off anyone at work.

I once thought about drafting a memo that read “Dear Sir, I can’t stop looking at the jubblies on that new female dealer and am thinking about having a go at her after work”.

Even worse, if you lost a hefty amount on the tables, you’d be taken into the office and

Oh, and the fact that one of the bouncers who regularly threw chairs about and threw screaming fits when he lost a quid on the Blackjack had threatened to stab me in the street and followed me about town one night rather clinched it for me. So if you ask me, a whopping great casino in Nottingham would be about as clever an idea as The Works doing an Uzi promotion night. Bet you it happens, though…

What happened to Whycliffe?

The city of Nottingham is full of artists and musicians with dreams of making it. From indie bands to urban rappers, the output of local artists in this city is as fluid as any other. Unlike the Liverpools and Manchesters of this world, however, it’s rare that anyone from this city make a real impact on the National music scene.

Donovan Whycliffe Bramwell has been a regular face on the streets of Nottingham for the past few years.

Now in his late thirties, he’s better known as the guy who sings for small change in the city centre and lives in a sheltered housing complex.

A decade ago, however, he was signed to US Record label MCA, sold out the Hammersmith Odeon in London, toured Europe with the Godfather of Soul James Brown and dated Aussie babe Danni Minogue.

Everyone in this city has a past, every person a story to tell.

Not many, however, get as close as he did to the big time, only to see it all crumble in front of them. I met up with Whycliffe one afternoon in his local pub and let him tell me his story...

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words: Jared Wilson photos: David Bowen

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“There was so much happening to me at such a young age that I couldn’t cope with it all. It’s one of dem ting, innit?”

Are you originally from Nottingham? ”I’m born and bred in Notts. I was born in the city hospital and I was brought up in Broxtowe. I left school and had a few different little jobs. I went to college for a bit to try and better myself, but my attendance was poor so they kicked me out!”

When did you first start singing? ”I always liked music. When I was a little baby I remember sitting in the living room with my mum and she put a tape on and we were dancing. My dad used to play the guitar in the church and he taught me how to play keyboards.

Whenever I saw popstars on the TV I always wanted to be them.”

What venues have you played in around the city? ”I played at the YMCA, the Narrowboat, I headlined the Wollaton Park festival once.

I can’t remember when though. I’m not so good with years. It all started when I was signed to MCA records in New York when I was 19 or 20. I did a recording for a guy called Tim Andrews and he sent it off to loads of record companies for me.”

It must have been exciting for you at such a young age… ”It was an amazing time! I went all over the world and did music videos and stuff. We recorded videos in Los Angeles. One was called Heaven and one was called One More Time. I had longer hair then, but the locks were implanted. The second video I did was even more surreal.”

Did you ever get in the UK charts ”I didn’t get to the top 40 in this country. The best I got was number 52 or something. I went on tour around Europe with London Beat tho and that was exciting.”

They were the guys who did that ‘I’ve been thinking about you’ song, right? What were they like? ”They were sound. I got on well with them. There were nuff jokes and lots of taking the mickey out of each other. We just used to playfight with each other all the time. We used to have this games called ‘face grab city’ and used to run around the tourbus attacking each other.”

I understand you also toured with James Brown… ”Yeaman! I played Wembley Arena and Birmingham NEC with him. It must have been about 1993. I made sure I got my picture taken with him after the show. We had a bit of a chat. He is definitely the Godfather of soul!”

I also heard these rumours about you and Danni Minogue. ”She was on the same record label as me and she liked my music. I was going out with her for a while. She was a really nice girl. She talked to me and made me feel really nice.” ”When I was touring my Rough Side album (1994), I played at the Hammersmith Odeon and she came to meet me after. That was when I first started seeing her.” ”Sometimes you see somebody and think they’re really nice and you don’t want to spoil them. In my heart she

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Whycliffe Albums Rough Side (MCA,1992)

Whycliffe’s debut album was produced and written by himself in the Square Studios. It contains singles such as Magic Garden, Love Speak Up and Whatever It is, of which continue to be played regularly on dancefloors in Europe. The latter song was also remixed by David Morales. The Tracklisting of the CD is: 1. Rough Side 2. Whatever It Is 3. I Tried 4. A Kind of Class 5. Kiss Me 6. Which Road 7. Dynamic Sense of Pride 8. Magic Garden 9. Confusion 10. Love Speak Up 11. Kiss Me Tight 12. Whatever It Is (It’s got to be funky) 13. Higher 14. Magic Garden (Magical Ragga Mix) 15. Irresistible Lover 16. Love Speak Up (Censored Love Mix) sort of overpowered me. I was so excited that I didn’t know what to do. I felt like if I stayed around I might dry things up for her.”

Did you ever meet her sister? ”Yep. I met Kylie as well. We both played on the Saturday Morning TV Show Live and Kicking. I was on that and there was Zoe Ball and that other guy (Jamie Theakston) presenting. We did the gig and then afterwards we all stood up in a line to meet Kylie. She shook hands with us all one by one. It was like how the queen comes to say hello.”

So what happened with the second album ‘Journeys of the Mind’? ”With Journeys of the Mind I think I thought of a name that would capture the imagination and had everything about what I was doing in it. It was like a trip about loads of things. I wrote most of the songs on that album too and it was produced by Chris Porter, who at the time was also George Michael’s producer.” ”I was excited about the prospect of working with him.

After doing all of the first album myself, I wasn’t sure whether to put my nose in and to try and have a big part in it or whether I should just let him at it. Sometimes I think

about it and think that it was good that Chris Porter did it, but at other times I think I should have put more into it.”

So where did it go wrong from there? ”After Journeys of the Mind I went into my own mind and deep into myself. I got ill. It’s hard to remember much of what happened, but it was a downward spiral that I couldn’t get out of. I blame it on myself still. I was weak. I’m trying to be strong when I say it, but it ain’t easy! There’s a lot of things I don’t remember…” ”I live in sheltered housing these days with people who cook my meals and look after us a bit. I was living on my own and I had problems. I mashed up my flat and broke up all the ornaments and the window, and mashed down the toilet. I mashed off the sink.”

Was it the fame? Was it drugs?

”It was both. It was a bit of everything really! There was so much happening to me at such a young age that I couldn’t quite cope with it all.

It’s one of dem ‘ting innit!

These days I just like singing in town for people.”

Journeys of the Mind (Diverse, 1994)

Are you still on drugs? ”A little bit! I tell you though, weed is better than crack.

When you smoke crack you just want it so much because you can’t get it. In your heart you feel like you want it more because you can’t have it. It’s a sin, but you can understand it. I mean well most of the time, but I know that sometimes I’m ill.” ”When I look out of my eyes, I don’t feel like they belong to this body anymore. I can’t really explain it, but I’m not afraid of dying these days.

When I was younger I used to really fear it and it was what drove me on, but now it’s not there anymore.”

The follow up to Rough Side was a departure for Whycliffe in that it was produced with minimal involvement from him.

Instead Chris Porter (who was also making beats for George Michael at the time) took the reigns. The result is a slightly edgier and funkier effort than his debut. Singles from this album included One More Time, Heaven and Whatever It Is. The Tracklisting of the CD is: 1. Journeys of the Mind 2. One More Time 3. Heaven 4. Rainchild 5. Sole Lover 6. Same old Game 7. I Pray 8. Sweeter Than Honey 9. Whatever It Is 10. Shake It 11. Through It All 12. Journeys Of The Mind

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Harrison & Ford’s House Gymnastics Original Moves 1. Ceiling Walk

2. Elevated Dog Stretch

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House Gymnastics

Harrison & Ford’s House Gymnastics Original Moves 1. Jumping Jack Wedge

Post-uni blues can lead many people to begin climbing the walls, but Nottingham duo James Ford and Spencer Harrison took this literally and turned what was once considered a sign of madness into House Gymnastics: part-artform, part-sport, part-media phenomenon, which you can indulge in without leaving your home. Leftlion caught up with the latter half the Harrison & Ford team tea to discuss Carpet Crabs, climbing around a Swedish tattoo parlour for German TV and passing out on the Nottingham Goose Goose... words: Mr Reason

2. Door Wedge

One Handed Starfish, Ford’s favourite move.

Just to bring people up to speed, how long has House Gymnastics being going?

3. Shelf Pirouette

“Since September 2002, so just over two years.”

It started in Notts. Could you tell us how it came about?

“Spencer and I were both at home at the time, unemployed, drinking a lot of tea, you know, that postuni blues sort of thing… we had to fill our days and I had a blind which needed putting up in my room but we didn’t have a stepladder, so we thought, well let’s climb the window frame. It took us almost all day because it was so awkward, we had to balance and prop each other up to screw it in, but after we did it we started looking for other things to climb on and it went from there…”

Did you expect it to catch on as it has done with worldwide membership?

“Not at all… it was a sort of snowballing thing. It started by emailing pictures of us doing moves to friends and naming the moves.

They sent them to their friends and then we started getting emails from these people saying ‘When are you going to send us some more?’

That was when we thought of putting together a basic website where we could upload stuff to show people. Then, I forget how it came about, but we had an article in Dazed & Confused then somehow we got Yahoo Pick Of The Day, which is their site of the day, in January 2003 which gave us 6,000 hits per day and melted our server… then radio, TV and magazine people started phoning up and it snowballed from there.”

The media interest has been crazy… the idea is off on such a tangent but it has universal appeal…

“Exactly, that’s why it was able to be in art magazines, computer magazines, health magazines, fashion magazines. You name a magazine and we’ve probably been in it.”

How would you define House Gymnastics?

“It has a fitness side to it, but that wasn’t its main purpose. It was more like a skateboarding thing, a breakdancing thing. I mean how would you define those things? Its not a sport, its not an exercise, its just an activity. We used yoga when stretching in the house and that kind of influenced the moves we created.”

Do you still bust moves regularly now?

Any strange experiences busting moves in public?

“No, I’m a bit fatter now. It got to a point where we were doing so much admin and interviews that we didn’t have time to do it, so we handed it over to the people and they tell us what they want on the website and do the moves of the month, so it’s their thing now really.”

“Once we were doing a photoshoot for the Daily Mail in Nottingham city centre. I was ill so Spencer had to do it by himself and the guy interviewing asked him to climb a lampost, so he got up there but then he started getting harassed by this group of 16 year old pikey kids who crowded round him and started shouting abuse, baying at him like dogs. He said he was a bit scared, that was probably the worst thing.”

So what’s your favourite move?

“It’s got to be one of the first ones… the One-Handed Starfish.

I think it was the third move we made up and it just looks brilliant – really fluid and spectacular, with a great name too.”

What’s the worst injury you’ve sustained?

“I chipped my heelbone busting a move on the Notingham Goose.

As I dismounted, I slid down its tail and landed on one heel. I passed out from the pain for a little bit actually.”

The site specific idea is brilliant…

“Yeah, it means you can take it out of the house but still use the same moves.”

What are the best venue’s you can think of for HG in Notts?

“We did a performance once in a place down near the train station, it was an art event with loads of different performances by various people which had loads of nooks and crannies… that was good.

People have busted moves on the Lion… the Goose… the Sky Mirror.”

How do you see HG growing?

Have you plans to develop it?

“We became a bit numb to it because we did it so much. Now the members are more inspired than us… it kinds of fades out after a while… initially you get really excited about it, for a month or two, and you have a great creativity with it, but after that time

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there’s only so much you can do.

But because there’s so many new people discovering it, they’re all having that fantastic two month period and coming up with new ideas, it’s coming from the people who visit the website now, so it’s up to them.”

You did a House Gymnastics day in Zurich, was that earlier this year?

“No, summer 2003. It was really weird. For some reason we ended up being in a newspaper in a town called Basil? Just outside of Zurich. This girl contacted us and was like ‘I love it, I love it.

Why don’t we arrange a HG day?’

Spencer and I just thought yeah right, it’s never gonna happen, but she managed to hook up with Vox TV, which is the big German sports channel out there and they filmed it. She put posters up everywhere and there were about 30 people who turned up. We stayed at her place. She had talked to all these different shops and we were split into 2 groups in Zurich city centre and went off on our separate ways with film crews and there was a list of things we had to accomlish, like you had to do a move in a tattoo shop and other little challenges.”

Any advice for the novice house gymnast?

“I would say start with the easy stuff which is on the ground like a Floor Chicken or something, or one not too dangerous, like a Door Wedge or something and slowly progress. Don’t take things to steeply at first. Just like the book says. The moves have star ratings, so just follow them up.”

What are your plans for Christmas?

“I’m going to go home and see my parents. Go see my drunken grandma. She’s always drunk and a bit racist, but she’s quite funny.”

What do you want Santa to bring you?

“Erm… a House Gymnastics book… and a toy model of Stephen Hawking...one that could sing the ‘I love House Gymnastics’ song.”

James, thankyou very much. www.housegymnastics.com The House Gymnastics book is available from selected bookshops, priced £7.99

3. xXx

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words: Lydia Towsey from ame today c st li a n r u A jo sked aper (I’d a sp w e n l a c the lo arLondon to in l ir g y it c the publi ress f regional p o it b A . is range th to feel ones e k li y e th ; never hurts em.) to talk to th le b u o tr e taking th lawn and e th to n o t u I took her o deck another on e n o te si o p we sat op little mouse sy u o m a s a w chairs...She . pe recorder ta a e v a h who didn’t r ad, with he p e th n o te ro When she w d ould see an c I il c n e p end chewed : no her writing d a e r n w o upside d ng e was so you h S . r e h it e short hand bove ut circles a p l il st e sh and girly ing to if I was talk s a lt fe I s. her I` er . But give h e in z a g a m the school oks” d all my bo a e r ’d e sh her due

Coming across the above extract in “Finding Myself” (Toby Litt’s 6th novel) a couple of days after interviewing him, I couldn’t help but cringe a little.

Though a fictional account written from the perspective of a fictional author, it was nonetheless an accurate description of our meeting. I hadn’t bought a tape recorder, didn’t know shorthand and in addition to the insult of my end chewed pencil, had also forgotten my notepad...

Victoria About, the “Finding Myself” author of Litt’s imagination was scathing. But had Toby Litt, dressed causally and seemingly a model of understanding, actually been thinking the same?

Fiction is all about imagination. In “Finding Myself” Litt imagined he was About - About wasn’t actually him.

Except for this: Is it actually possible to be completely other than yourself? Whether Victoria had been made from a little bit of Toby...or Toby had absorbed a little bit of Victoria, it is difficult to believe that finding himself in virtually the same circumstance as her, he would not experience more than a little de ja vu and perhaps start to think some of the same things.

So, besides perhaps thinking his latest interviewer a little crass, what did Toby Litt think about his own authorial voice? I began by asking him: “I am not a writer that has a voice.

Martin Amis has a very strong, instantly recognisable voice, but is embarrassingly bad if he has to do someone else. My books are unrecognisable from one another.”

This is certainly true. In “Finding Myself”, he is the irreverent female author of above. In “deadkidsongs” he is a homicidal 11 year old capable of committing unspeakable evils. This is a writer who can throw his voice. And makes each character and book radically different from the last.

“What I do is mainly about identity: how people put themselves together, not a simple thing of inner essence but that we’re made up of things around us and these are self conscious. The things we’re imititating aren’t simple things like family as they used to be, they are Reality T.V and Eminem. In Adventures in Capitalism (my first book) someone who wins the lottery decides to believe every advert and follow them to the letter and so loses themselves. “

If this is the consequence of living outside of yourself why would anyone do it? I think about the 21st century brands, whose huge marketing budgets are dedicated to making us feel naked without them: Beckham in Nike, Madonna in Gap. Buy this and be somebody... without it you are nothing. In “Adventures in Capitalism” Litt was stepping outside of himself and into his lottery winning character to help us see what goes on commercially and perhaps take a step back from it ourselves.

Often referred to as an author that takes risks, in Ghost Story: Litt’s latest novel, you get the feeling that he has risked most. Of all his other work he denies reality: “I don’t mind people making the mistake of thinking things are true, but that wasn’t my intention: I was posing a `what if’.”

pain of the author describing it and perhaps the catharsis of writing: of healing, reconciliation and reaching out.

As this book comes out in hardback the author and his partner are again expecting. This time things look different with only a few more months to go, so perhaps the ghosts of the past can finally be put to rest. It spoils nothing to say that the book ends by asking us to hold Agatha and Paddy in our minds. We will of course, as we also will their real life shadows.

Tragically, in Ghost Story there is a departure from this as “what if” becomes “what was”. The main body of the book is the fictional story of Paddy and Agatha: the bereavement they suffer and the devastating impact it has on their relationship. The preface of the book is the true story of Toby and Leigh: The author and his girlfriend - and the consecutive deaths of their three unborn babies. Reading this the reality is crushing...

This time there are no games of what is and isn’t. There are no horrifically or comically exaggerated circumstances.

There is the truth of miscarriage, the

www.tobylitt.com

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It’s every bloke’s dream! You’re working on a building site and ripping up the park every week as a centre forward for your Sunday league team. A scout from the local football club comes knocking and suddenly you’ve been thrust into the professional game. words: Jared Wilson Football can be a cruel profession.

Most of those who were even close to making it will have given up the dream of being a pro by their late teens. Steve Scoffham, however, is one that got away. A builder by trade and a free scoring striker for Gedling Town at weekends, his form prompted interest from Notts County at a time when the club were looking for affordable solutions to their administration crisis.

There was one stumbling block, however. Gedling required a fee for their most valuable player and Notts County had not spent any money on transfer fees for over two years. Enter the Notts County Supporters Trust who raised the £5000 necessary to keep him at the club Scoffham does backflips to celebrate after scoring... something Notts County fans have not seen in a long time at meadow lane - if ever! A pity therefore when a bad tackle on the last day of last season broke his leg and put him out of action for 7 months. I caught up with him as he was getting on the way road to recovery...

It must be frustrating for you sitting on the sidelines at Notts...

“It’s been very frustrating. I can’t wait to get back and fire some goals in!! They say that the end of the season is the best time to break your leg, but there’s no real good time for that! I’m going through my pre-season training at the moment, all on my own, so it’s pretty hellish!”

How did it feel back in February when you were signed up by Notts?

“It’s a great feeling, especially having the fans pay for you! I’m desperate to get back and repay the faith that has been shown in me. It’s a dream come

true to pull a Notts shirt on and kick a football around for a living. Even despite this injury, I’m loving life!”

You were brought up in Nottingham I understand?

“Yeah. I’ve lived in Nottingham for eighteen years, though I was actually born in Munster in Germany. My mum and dad were both in the forces, but they moved here when I was little and I’ve lived in Nottingham my whole life.”

Did you support Notts County before they signed you?

“My dad used to bring me to watch them when I was a kid, but the truth is that I’ve always been a Wolves fan at heart.”

You were working on a building site before you signed for Notts?

“I’d been a builder for four years. I came out of school and went straight into an apprenticeship. I knew a couple of the lads that were already working there, so I just did that as a career for a while. I don’t want to go back to doing it again at any time soon tho, so I’ve got to work hard when I get back to get a new contract!”

Was there any resentment from the senior pro’s to this `brickie’, who had suddenly found himself in the team.

“It took a few of them a bit longer to accept me so well at first. A lot of them had been pro’s all their lives and were looking at me realising that I’d come straight from non -league and predicting that it would be hard for me. It was, but I was ready!

The squad all changed again at the start of this season, anyway...”

Who did you pretend to be in the playground when you were a kid?

“Gary Lineker! His discipline was incredible. To play that many games and to never get booked once is a crazy record! His scoring record was brilliant at every level he played at.”

I understand that you were told to stop doing backflips after scoring!

“It was the physio that told me I had to stop it. He’s a great physio and I really respect him. He thinks it could damage my back, but then again he’s always looking at things that can damage you and it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. His viewpoint is that it can’t be good for me and that I should stop, but the fans love it! I might be a little wary when I initially come back though, because my leg will still need time to return to full strength.” ”I’m not sure if anyone picked up on it, but with the first one I did when I scored for Notts against Grimsby, I landed on my toes and had to take another step forward or else I would have fallen. I’ve got another trick in my locker to show off when I get back...”

How many goals do you think you can get from when you get back until the end of the season?

“At the beginning of the season I said twenty. I know that a lot of games have gone by while I’ve been injured, but I still want to get into double figures! If I do that I think I’ll probably get a new contract with the club!”

Where do you see the future of Notts County.

“The Club is too good to be in this division, but confidence is low at the moment and it’s not going to be easy to get ourselves up the table.”

Where do you see the future of Steve Scoffham “I want to play for England. It’s a long shot, but it would be a proper dream come true! I want to score lots of goals and get us out of this division and eventually pull on a shirt with the three lions on it. You never know...” www.nottscotrust.org.uk

Nottingham Voices Things People have said

on the leftlion forum

listings...

Is Anybody Listening?

Ahead of his long awaited return to Nottingham for a special 3 hour set at Repercussion’s monthly party at “We’re all adults and surely we should be able to choose to smoke if we want. In the same way Snug, Drum n Bass DJ Klute we should be able to have a drink, take drugs got accosted by Leftlion’s and have sex, people will always want to do roving reporter Howard these things, surely its about trying to make it Gray for a brief chat…

On the smoking ban

safer and educating people instead of the old thou shalt not game?”

Who are you? What is it theonelikethe that you do?

“My name is Tom Withers and “I’m about to leave the office and will no doubt I’m an international jet setting be forced to breathe in someone’s second hand producer and DJ of drum and smoke on my way home. Unfortunately I have bass music. A similar line of no choice, because someone else has made it work to a butcher really.” for me!”

Contractor Has being a professional music producer always ”It’s not actually that bad going outside for a been your ambition? Did smoke, unless there is sideways driving rain. you always think it would I found myself in better shape after a nights happen? knees up in a place with no smoke... it did “I’ve been in bands since I make a difference, I smoked less, breathed less was 13 and for me it was smoke in and woke with a clearer head.” always a case of doing it cos Slugasaurus I loved it, never thinking about being professional. For ”From a going out point of view, they should let me all the best music is from the heart. Money and career the venue decide. If people want to go to a no-smoking pub then they can, and if they don’t has the potential to taint the artistic direction. I guess I’m then they can go somewhere else. Why should lucky that since the start I’ve our nanny state decide for everyone?! We mostly been able to maintain should vote with our money as usual, if people go to non smoking pubs then more of them will a living.” get created.”

Scumtron How do you produce - lock yourself away, or have a load of people around you? ”I think non-smoking venues are a great idea, “I almost always produce just as long as it’s not every venue in the city. alone. I like to get into the The ban is obviously aimed at pleasing people, zone and lose myself. Saying but a total ban is obviously not going to please everyone because it doesn’t cater for smokers.

Maybe we need a smoker’s rights group…”

Mr Reason

”One thing I f*cking detest with a passion is people who smoke in restaurants, or just generally near where people are eating. Even if you do smoke, how can you say that it’s enjoyable to have that smell mixed in with your dinner?”

Jamie ”Before a policy like this can be decided on, it should be made clear what reasons will be considered as part of the debate. If it were proved that smoking in public places could cause bad health in others, then perhaps we should ban smoking. However it starts becoming complex when we consider all the other things that affect public health (eg smog, pollution etc…)”

Hipster K

clubs/theatre/live music/comedy/exhibitions

that, it’s great to bounce ideas off someone else when collaborating.”

away from anywhere else but I still think London holds the mantle.”

Your label Commercial Suicide has been very busy of late…

“I’ve got a brand new album about to come out. Vinyl is released in late November (i.e. out now!) with the CD dropping in late January 2005, featuring 12 extra tracks.”

What do you think of the Nottingham’s DnB scene?

“I’ve always had a great time playing in Nottingham. From what I’ve seen people seem to be more open minded and interested in things slightly different.”

What is the ethos behind the label?

“Basically to try and not be the same as everyone else. It’s not exactly rocket science.”

You’ve recently done tracks featuring former Nottingham DJ and promoter Moocha.

How did you two start working together?

“She was a nutter that always used to turn up at various Klute gigs around the country and eventually we started talking. I was really surprised when I finally heard her sing.”

What artists are you into at the moment?

“Break, Silent Witness, Amit, me, Cocteau Twins, Death Cab for Cutie, loads of others.”

London has always been the recognised ‘home’ of D&B. Is there anywhere else in the world that you think can compete on any level?

“There are many other places that have or had a wicked scene with loads of enthusiasm. New Zealand is great, San Fransisco used to be one of the best, however not to take

Do you remember the first Repercussion night (Lizard Lounge, March 2003)?

“Yes, I do very well. The whole day had been a bit of an event. I fell down some stairs hard 10 mins before I went on, but luckily no one saw.

The place was going fucking mental until the fire alarm was set off by the sheer temperature created by sweaty bodies.

It was a night of true spirit, exactly how these nights should be.”

What was the last CD you brought?

“I picked up the Violet Indiana album which features Robin Gutherie and I’m a huge Cocteau Twins fan, but it wasn’t that good at all.”

Best and worst things about drum & bass?

“Don’t get me started! There’s a lot of great music out there but you have to search harder than ever to find it because there’s a ridiculous amount of stuff being released at the moment.”

Is there ever a point where if the music became over commercialised and suffered as a result, you would consider leaving the scene?

“I don’t think its going to suffer from being over commercialised, but if anything loses its soul and I don’t feel able to do anything to change that then perhaps its time to move on.”

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played? ”I can’t even begin to try and pick one, there have been a lot of great ones... but Repercussion’s shows are always up there.”

Klute plays at Snug on Wednesday 1st December.

make your voice heard

www.leftlion.co.uk/forum

For more info check out: www.heavyrepercussion.co.uk www.commercialsuicide.org

listings...

clubs/theatre/live music/comedy/exhibitions

Period Of 01/12 - 31/01

Club Nights wed 01/12 Repercussion Style: Drum and Bass, HipHop, Funk Venue: Snug Price: £5 Times: 10pm - 3am Commercial Suicide Album Launch Party “No Ones Listening Anymore” Main Room: Klute (3 Hour Set), Stress Level & TC1 MC Stirlin, Bassline MC, Wylie D, Ollie-K MC ManiKular Basement: Deepercussion Reason Soundsystem,XS:iF, Dave Murphy Suave Style: House Venue: Sugar Bar Price: Free Times: 9pm - 1am Banjo Stew Paul Marshall

thu 02/12

fri 03/12

Movement Style: Drum and Bass, HipHop, Breaks Venue: Bomb Price: £tbc Times: 10pm-3.30am Bryan Gee, J Majik, FTBI Vestax / Movement Winner, Lowkey, MC Moose, MC Menace and Ninety Breakdown in the back room.

Basement Boogaloo Style: Soul, Funk, House Venue: Bar None Price: Free Times: 9pm - 2am Nick Shaw, Ed Cotton, Alphonse Haywire Sessions - Allnighter Style: House, Techno Venue: Stealth Price: £12 door / £10 adv Times: 10pm - 6am Laurent Garnier, Random Factor Live, Dave Congreve, Matt Tolfrey, Timm Sure Pure Filth Style: Techno Venue: Blueprint Times: 10.30pm - late D.A.V.E the drummer + Residents

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

sat 04/12

Spellbound Style: Alternative, Electronica Venue: Cookie Club Price: £3 Times: 10.30pm - 2am “If you are into Goth, electro, and alternative sounds from the 80’s then you will not be disappointed with this night.”

tue 07/12 Basementallity Tour Style: Hiphop, Drum & Bass Venue: Rescue Rooms Price: £6 Times: 9pm - 2am HipHop: Foreign Beggarz, The Beat Brikkies, Skrein, Doobie, Wyt-Fang, Graziella, Prem C, Gringo, Thre, Defdfirez, Contact Play, Shameless, Excalibah Drum&Bass: Agent Orange, T.K.O. Disaster, DJF, OBI1, Eclipse, Menace Funktion Style: Drum and Bass, HipHop, Breaks Venue: Synergy Price: Free Times: 9pm - 2am Dj’s on rotation: (max 4 tunes each!)

Jest:R, Random Guy, Timmy, The Weasalman, FYA

fri 03/12 Spectrum Style: Breaks, HipHop Venue: Stealth Price: £10 adv £12 otd Times: 10pm - 4am Quantic Soul Orchestra (live), DJ Food, DJ Hyper, Osymyso, Phantom Beats (Deck and Drum FX set), Pete Jordan, Aled Jones, Dave Boultbee, Windows 78 All Torque Breakers

Notts’ 10’s

Detour Style: Drum and Bass, HipHop, Breaks Venue: Stealth Price: £3.50 adv £4 otd Times: 10pm - 2am Detonate Vs Kombination Funk Transit Mafia, Lowkey, MC Menace Prescription Hosted by Ste (Dealmaker Records), DJs Teka, XS.iF, Theologic, Guest Turntablist ANGELO (UK Gemini DJ Champion 2003 & 2001), Featuring Tom Calvert & Co. Beatboxer - PeteBox, Prescription Breakdancers, Open Mic Suave Style: House Venue: Sugar Bar Price: Free Times: 9pm - 1am Ade Smart, Chris Nobles

thu 09/12

Detonate Christmas Party Style: Drum and Bass Venue: Dogma Price: £2 Times: 10pm - 2am Bailey, Transit Mafia, Priceless, Maveric

fri 10/12 Bedbug Venue: Bomb Price: £8 Times: 10pm - 2.30am Beta Band, Belle and Sebastian DJ set, Bent DJ set, Speakers Push the Air DJs

fri 10/12

Camouflage Style: Breaks, HipHop, Funk Venue: Stealth Price: £8 adv. £10 OTD Times: 10pm - 4am Leftfield electronic beats: A Warp records showcase: Plaid, Milanese Live, Max Hedroom, Too-B, Dubfella Live hip hop -- elementz universe volume 1 release party The Elementz, Hard Livin’, Karizma, Foz, Empress, Wax, Shiva, Soldier, T-Cutt, Windows78, Open Mic And Night Hosted

By Karizma

sat 11/12 Psycle Style: Venue: Price: Times:

Psy-Trance, Drum and Bass Blueprint £5 10.30pm - late

thu 16/12

Suave Style: House Venue: Sugar Bar Price: Free Times: 9pm - 1am Andy Daniell, Liam ‘El Wood

fri 17/12

Simple Venue: Bomb Price: £tbc Times: tbc New night for The Bomb’s residents Sunglasses At Night Style: Electronica, Eighties Venue: Social Price: Free Times: 9pm - 2am Christmas special

Stealth Attacks Style: Breaks, House, Deep House Venue: Stealth Price: £12 door / £10 adv Times: 10pm - 4am Layo & Bushwacka! (4 hour set), Dave Congreve, Deep Freaks Presents: Hexadecimal, Sound Alliance, Matt Tolfrey

Kombination Funk Style: Drum and Bass, Techno, Breaks Venue: Blue Print Price: £5 Times: 10.30pm - Late Room1: Dirty Drum and Bass Devize & MC PM (3d mode, radius recordings), Tantrum (movement), Smyla (pure filth), Wings, Lowkey (kf, brutal), MCs 90, Menace & PM Room2: Techno Techno Techno MACP, MarkJacobs, & more

Superfly Style: Funk, Soul Venue: The Social Price: Free Times: 22.30pm - 2am Dave Boultbee, DJ Detail

Shrewd Venue: Bomb Price: £tbc Times: 10pm - 4am

Firefly vs Bedbug Style: Breaks, Techno Venue: Bomb Price: £tbc Times: 10pm - 4am Scratch Perverts, Breaks and eclectic sets

Stealth’s Christmas Party Style: Hiphop Breaks Drum and Bass Venue: Stealth Price: £6 Times: 10pm - 3am Transit Mafia, Pete Jordan, Windows 78

wed 15/12 Industry Productions Style: House, Funk, HipHop Venue: Snug Price: £5 Times: 10pm - late Student Discount “The Industry World Tour continues, and where better to spend Christmas than in New York?

Room One will be transformed into a Manhattan loft with skyline views as we throw the sexiest, sassiest cocktail party in the city.

While in Room Two the bloc party kicks off in our Brooklyn Basement with breakers, ballers and street graffitti.

The soundtrack will be House, Funk, Hiphop and Big Apple classics which are sure to keep everybody in the festive mood.”

thu 16/12 The Blueprint Website Launch Party...

Style: HipHop, Drum and Bass, Funk Venue: Blue Print Price: £3 Times: 10.30pm - late In Association With LeftLion Presents...

Prescription vs Camouflage Repercussion vs Funktion Basement Boogaloo vs Noodles

sat 18/12

Bugged Out Style: House, Electro, Techno Venue: Stealth Price: £8 adv £10 otd Times: 10pm - 4am Jacque Le Cont, Damian Lazarus Matt Tolfrey, Riotous Rockers

Suave Style: House Venue: Sugar Bar Price: Free Times: 9pm - 1am Mark Anderson, Mark Wevs

thu 13/12

fri 24/12

The Bomb residents Venue: Bomb Price: £tbc

sun 26/12 Confetti studios free party Venue: Bomb Price: Free Times: tbc Chibuku vs Kinky Movement get lashed meets hotdog Style:Hard House, Funky House, Breaks Venue: Works Price: £15 Times: 6pm - 6am

Detonate Chart December 2004

1. Tornado - Blame (Charge Dub)

6. Thunder – Die & Photek (Full Cycle)

2. Meteor - Killer Instinct (Detonate Recs Dub)

7. Thirteen – Hold Tight (Detonate Recs Dub)

3. Desperado - Artificial Intelligence (V Recs)

8. Trippin’ (Gridlock Remix) – Swift (Charge Dub)

4. Rhubard & Custard – Zen (Formation Dub)

9. Turkish – TK (Detonate Recs Dub)

5. Mocsha - XRS (Bingo Dub)

10. Nemesis – Friction (Valve)

28/01 Venue: Stealth Price: £10 Times: 10pm - 3.30am Ram Records Presents: Fresh, Moving Fusion, Subfocus, Transit Mafia, SP MC Hip Hop: Tommy Evans & DJ Blakey, Santero, Detail Beats / Breaks: Oris Jay & MC P-Fine Casual Breakin, Problem Child

listings...

clubs/theatre/live music/comedy/exhibitions fri 14/01

nye 2004!!

Stealth & Renaissance Presents NYE Style: House, Breaks Venue: Stealth Price: Tickets £20 Times: 9pm - 6am Dave Seaman, Mark Wilkinson, Dave Congreve, Spectrum: Pete Jordan vs Hexadecimal Matt Tolfrey and Timm Sure.

New Years Eve Party Style: Rock, Indy, Alternative Venue: Rock City Price: £20 Times: 8.30pm - 6am The Bomb’s residents NYE bash Venue: Bomb Blueprint New Years Eve Party Style: Drum and Bass, Techno, Breaks Venue: Blue Print Price: £10 adv.

Times: 10pm-Until The Last Man Drops Room 1: A Kombination Of Drum And Bass Flavours Mainframe, Lynkx, Vaccine, Smyla, Cipher, Lowkey, Macp MCs Ninety, Menace & Yons Room 2: Filthy Techno Dirty Dom, Mingin Mossop, Dirty Dave Macp vs Lowkey Room 3: Breaks Hosted by Elation

Kombination Funk Style: Drum and Bass, Techno, Breaks Venue: Blue Print Price: £5 Times: 10pm - late Underground Drum and Bass Heist aka Strider, Fatal, Mainframe, Nursa, Lowkey MCs Ninety & Menace Room 2 - Breaks n Techno Fat-Habit Live!, Max Cooper, Mark Jacobs, Macp Stealth Attacks Style: House and Tech Venue: Stealth Times: 10pm - 4am Price: £8 adv, £10 otd.

Jesse Rose, Dave Congreve, more tbc.

sat 15/01 Psycle Style: Venue: Price: Times:

Psy-Trance, Drum & Bass Blueprint £5 10.30pm - late

fri 21/01

Spectrum Style: Breaks, HipHop Venue: Stealth Price: £10 Times: 10pm - 4am Room One: Live Breakbeat Experiment Spectrum Live, Hexadecimal, Pete Jordan Room Two: Funk and Soul Classics Dave Boultbee and guests

sat 08/01 Bugged Out Style: House, Techno Venue: Stealth Prices: £6 Times: 10pm - 4am Matt Tolfrey, Riotous Rockers, more tbc.

Superfly Style: Soul, Funk Venue: Social Prices: Free Times: 10.30pm - 2am Pete Jordan, Dave Boultbee

fri 14/01

HipHop, House, Breaks Dogma Free till 2am

Tiger Style Venue: BRB Stone Price: Free Times: 9pm - 1am Pete Jordan, Futureproof Love Shack Style: Eighties Venue: Rock City Price: £4 adv. £5 otd.

Times: 9.30pm - 2am Atomic Style: Eighties, Nineties Venue: Cookie Club Price: £4 Times: 10.30pm - 2am Student Discount Friday night at The Cookie Club is Retro night featuring two decades of music.

Audio Style: Venue: Price: Times: Student

Funk, Soul, Disco Snug £5 (£3 b4 10.30pm) 10pm - 3am Discount

Starlight Style: Funky House, House Venue: Bomb Price: £6 members / £8 guests Times: 3.30am - 7am (not for the faint hearted!)

“Private members club” People wanting to visit Starlight will need to apply for membership 48 hours in advance.

Sunglasses At Night Venue: Social Price: Free Times: 9pm - 2am Mysterymen Live Chibuku Shake Shake Style: House, Breaks, Techno Venue: Stealth Times: 10pm - 3.30am (RND) Venue: Dogma Price: Free Times: 10pm - 2am

thu 27/01

fri 28/01

Detonate Style: Drum and Bass, HipHop, Breaks Venue: Stealth Price: £10 Times: 10pm - 3.30am Ram Records Presents: Fresh, Moving Fusion, Subfocus, Transit Mafia, SP MC Hip Hop: Tommy Evans & DJ Blakey, Santero, Detail Beats / Breaks: Oris Jay & MC P-Fine Casual Breakin, Problem Child

Pure Filth Style: Techno Venue: Blueprint Prices: Free Times: 10.30pm - late

fridays

saturdays

fri 07/12

Basement Boogaloo Style: Funk, Soul, House Venue: Bar None Price: Free Times: 9pm - 2am Nick Shaw, Ed Cotton, Alphonse

Salt Style: Venue: Price: Times:

sat 29/01

Camouflage Style: Breaks, HipHop Venue: Stealth Price: £10 Times: 10pm - 4am Lineup tbc.

The Boutique Style: House, Techno, Breaks Venue: Stealth Price: £10 adv, £12 otd Times: 10pm - 4am Felix Da Housecat plus more tbc.

Notts’ 10’s

Pure Filth Chart December 2004

Tony Global Style: HipHop, RnB, Soul Venue: Snug Price: Free Times: till 2am ‘Expect an eclectic mix spanning soulful house, hip hop, RnB, soul/funk, Drum & Bass, peppered with old school and party classics’ Funk U Style: Funk, Disco, Soul Venue: Cookie Club (The) Price: £5 Times: 10.30pm - 2am Student Discount With access to Rise downstairs included in the price.

Rise Style: Indy, Alternative Venue: Cookie Club Price: £5 Times: 10.30pm - 2am Student Discount The Clubs long running indie night continues with access to Funk U in the price.

sundays

6. Tora Bora LP - Tok Tok (Horspiel Muzik)

2. Bring On The Hurricane Pain DJ Hellfish (Deathchant Records)

7. Blow Jobs Babes And Grass - Andreas Kramer (Working Vinyl)

3. Luring Disco Dollies 2 A Life Of Vice - Michael Forshaw (Chan’n’Mikes)

8. Tool Box EP - Lars Klein - (white?)

5. 02grammes - Electronik Weed Crew (EWC Records)

tuesdays

Crash Style: Venue: Price: Times: Student

Indy, Alternative Rig £2 / £3 9.30 - 2am Discount

Dusk Style: Venue: Price: Times: Student

HipHop, Soul Snug £4 10pm - 3am Discount

The Bomb residents Venue:Fuse XS.iF Style: Venue: Price: Times: Student

Funk, HipHop, World Music Bar Humbug Free 8 pm - 12 am Discount

The Bomb residents Venue:Fuse

wednesdays

The Big Wednesday Style: Alternative, Rock, Pop Venue: Cookie Club Price: £2.50 Times: 10.30pm - 2am Student Discount A good mix of music for a comedy drunken nite. Upstairs plays current Indie and downstairs is nothing but Rock/ Metal/Punk & Ska all evening.

Tuned Style: Venue: Price: Times: Student

thursdays Indy, Alternative, Pop Rock City £3.50 - £4 8.30pm - 2am Discount

Dogmatic Style: HipHop, Breaks, Funk Venue: Dogma Price: Free Times: till 2am Club NME Style: Indy, Rock Venue: Stealth Price: £4/£3/£2 Times: 10pm - 2am Featuring live bands and residents: Riotous Rockers and Joey Bell Mirrorball Style: RnB, Disco, Funk Venue: Snug Price: £4 Times: 10pm - 3am Student Discount Up The Junction Style: Sixties Venue: Cookie Club Price: £2.50 Times: 10.30pm - 2am Student Discount

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.

1. Siamese Twins EP - Andreas Kramer (Maximum Punishment)

4. Uglyfunk 4 - Cutout and Crystal Distortion (Ugly Funk)

mondays

Recover!

9. Control Freak - Cirez D (Mouseville) 10. Witchhunt - The Black Jackal (Blackout Audio) (in no particular order!!)

04/12 Venue: Blueprint Times: 10.30pm - late D.A.V.E. The Drummer D.A.V.E. The Drummer is a rare breed of musician who possessed the ability to cross techno with many other different forms of music ultimately driving the genre forward in the 21st century Mr Seavers Filthydom & Mossup DJ Smith Planar

listings...

clubs/theatre/live music/comedy/exhibitions mon 13/12

Vanity Fair Venue: Lace Market Theatre

By Declan Donnellan Directed by Lorna McCullough

Period of 01/12 - 31/01

Theatre wed 01/12

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Venue: Lakeside Arts Centre Price: £7 / £5 Conc Times: 8pm “Greetings to you...from Willy Wonka. I do invite you to come to my factory and be my guest for one whole day!”

Charlie Bucket can hardly believe his luck when he finds the last Golden Ticket.

He wins the opportunity of a lifetime: a magical day witnessing the creation of the most sensational, scrumptious chocolates in the world!

Runs Until: 2/12

tue 07/12 St Petersburg Ballet Venue: Royal Centre Price: £12 - £24.50 Ballet Programme; La Bayadere, The Nutcracker & Swan Lake Runs Until: 11/12 Dick Whittington Venue: Royal Centre Price: £9 - £17.50 Times: Various Runs Until: 23/1

fri 10/12

mon 13/12

For serious, bah-humbugging theatregoers, the festive season can feel like having your home taken over by squatters. Panto time arrives and theatres are occupied by screaming, over-excited brats for nearly two months.

Thank God, then, for the Lace Market Theatre’s amateur production of Vanity Fair, adapted from Thackeray’s novel.

Manipulative, greedy and immoral Becky Sharp fights her way up in society, but is never satisfied - will her over-ambition lead her to meet her Waterloo? Promising to be a lavish production, it will be worth going just to see how they cram a 700 page novel into one night of theatre.

Runs Until: 28/12 New Years Eve Gala Venue: Royal Centre Price: £6 - £15.50 Times: 7.30pm sinfonia ViVA Fame Venue: Royal Centre Price: £10 - £25 Times: various Runs Until: 15/1

wed 26/01

Copenhagen Venue: Lace Market Theatre

by Michael Frayn Directed by Hazel Salisbury In 1941 a German physicist makes a trip to Copenhagen to see his Danish counterpart and his wife. Once colleagues, the two scientists are now on opposite sides, both knowing that the other could be a traitor Runs Until: 29/1

mon 31/01

fri 31/12

Playboy of the West Indies Venue: Playhouse Price: £6 - £20 Times: 7.45pm Directed by Nicolas Kente. Set design Adrianne Lobel.

mon 10/01 Moscow City Ballet Venue: Royal Centre Price: £10.50 - £28.50 Times: 7.30pm + matinees

fri 21/01

Richard Alston Dance Company Venue: Playhouse Price: £6 - £16 Times: 8pm Richard Alston Dance Company returns to Nottingham with an exhilarating evening of quick-fire choreography and uplifting music. Alston is widely acknowledged as master of his craft and his work has a sweep and freedom that makes dancing look irresistible.

Runs Until: 22/1

fri 28/01

The Moscow City Ballet’s many international tours have established their reputation as one of Russia’s leading ballet companies. Every year they gain new audiences countrywide, selling out theatre after theatre. Led by Artistic Director Victor Smirnov-Golovanov, their company of over 70 are delighted to return to Nottingham.

Mon 31st & Tues 1st: Sleeping Beauty Wed 2nd & Thurs 3rd : Giselle Fri 4th & Sat 5th: Nutcracker Runs Until: 5/2

J. M. Synge’s ironic comedy Playboy Of The Western World caused a public scandal when it was first performed at Ireland’s Abbey Theatre in 1907.

This seminal work has been dramatically relocated to Trinidad in Mustapha. It doesn’t take much to become a hero in the sleepy village of Mayaro, Trinidad.

So when a stranger runs into Peggy’s rum shop announcing he has killed his father, he instantly becomes the envy of all the men and the object of desire for all the women.

Playboy Of The West Indies was first performed at The Tricycle in 1984, Nottingham Playhouse Theatre Company and The Tricycle Theatre have come together as co-producers to re-stage the production on its 20th anniversary.

Runs Until: 12/2

tue 25/01 The Holly and The Ivy Venue: Royal Centre Price: £8 - £17 Times: 7.30pm + matinees A Winter Drama by Wynyard Browne

Aladdin Venue: Nottingham Arts Theatre Price: £6.50 - £8 One of the happiest shows in town.

The story of Aladdin and his magic lamp, brought to life with songs and laughter.

Pure entertainment for all the family.

Written by Malcolm Sircom. Directed by John Uttley Evening performances 13th - 18th December 2004 at 7:30pm Matinee performances - 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th at 2:30pm Runs Until: 19/12

The award-winning Middle Ground Theatre Company, received The Times and Guardian ‘Critics Choice’ for their recent productions of Flarepath and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner. This new year they bring their highly acclaimed production of The Holly & The Ivy to Nottingham.

Starring Tony Britton as Reverend Martin Gregory, the play is set in a Norfolk vicarage on Christmas Eve, 1947. The vicar is joined by a son on leave from the army, an errant daughter and two comic bickering aunts. A family gathering, with a tipple too many?

Runs Until: 29/1

“He’s behind you!”

Roger Mean Panto Correspondent

Pantomime is a strange phenomenon in British Theatre. For one month of the year Britain’s bastion of high brow culture loses all it’s scruples, goes downbeat and rakes in the cash catering for the townie crowd.

You know the entire plot before you walk in. For the next two hours you will be entertained by a group of minor celebrities, performing routine lines to a children’s fairytale formula.

Cast-wise they usually read like a C-list graveyard. From Reality TV contestants, to Soap stars to TV Gladiators, panto is a haven for those no longer in the limelight. On the Royal Centre conveyor belt this year will be ‘Curly’ Watts, former ‘Dr Who’ Colin Baker and the ropey old tart from TV’s Last of the Summer Wine. The silver lining is Nottingham’s own Chris Gascoyne (former Corro star Peter Barlow), who we have higher hopes for. Over at the Playhouse you can catch Kenneth Allan Taylor’s starless, but more stylish 21st season production of Sleeping Beauty.

I don’t like pantos, but I go to them because they offer an opportunity to shout at people I’ve seen on TV in public. It’s a kind of catharsis for me and my Doctor thinks it’s good to get out more! Who’s up for coming to confuse Curly…?

Notts’ 10’s

Funkey Monkey Chart December 2004 1.Stay with you - Lemon Jelly Taken from the forthcoming album, a gorgeous peice of house music set to rock dancefloors everywhere this winter.

2. The other mixes vol 2 - Nick Holder Awesome Leftfield EP featuring remixes

by A Man Called Adam and Chicken Lips, who can do do wrong at the moment.

3. Knowhow 1 - Middleton’s MusicMashUp Cheeky mash up from Tom Middleton with samples from Young MC, Daft Punk and Madonna. A real party rocker.

4. Crooked - Evil 9 feat Aesop Rock Delayed by record company politics, this James Lavelle favourite is available at last.

5. Body and Soul - Twilo People Head for the Slam mix for superb French house, looping bass, smoth male vocal.

6. Divine - Wescott Superb undercover project from Deep House gurus Lawnchair Generals. This has been produced in strictly limited numbers.

7. Flash Gordon - Talib Kweli Deep, dark and dirty Hip Hop from the man of the moment, Talib Kweli. Massive on both side of the Atlantic.

8. Watching Cars Go By Felix Da Housecat Championed by Radio 1 all summer, the

awesome Sasha mix is at long last available, is now alongside an Armand Van Helden mix. Massive!

9. My Life Is Acid - The Visitors Another house music legend under an assumed name. This time Jon Pleased Wimmin delivers deep and dark house music.

10. Bridging The Gap Nasir Jones/Olu Dara This record just refuses to go away.

Nas is back, this time with his Dad. If you haven’t heard this yet, you need to get out more!

listings...

clubs/theatre/live music/comedy/exhibitions Bus Station Loonies sat 04/12 Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £tbc Times: 8.30pm - 12.00pm Bus Station Loonies (TBC), Guns On The Roof, + Support

Period of 01/12/ - 31/01 Live Music

wed 01/12

The Faint Venue: Rescue Rooms Price: £tbc Times: 9pm - 2am The Faint, Beep Beep, Liars Club Disco

Machine Head Venue: Rock City Price: £14.50adv Times: tbc Machine Head, GodForbid, Caliban Bosco Venue: Bell Inn Price: Free Times: 9pm

thu 02/12

Modey Lemon Venue: Social Price: £tbc Times: 7.30pm - 10.30pm With Support From: The Redcoats

Your Code Name Is Milo Venue: Rock City Price: £6 Times: 8pm

Enjoy The Ride Venue: Malt Cross Cafe Bar Price: £tbc Times: 8pm - 11pm A crazy collection of quality acts, prepare to be amused, astonished, educated and above all entertained.

sun 05/12

Rachel Stap Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £tbc Times: 8.30pm - 12.00pm Rachel Stamp, + Support

Lightning Bolt Venue: Boat Club Price: £5 adv £6 otd Times: 7.45pm Lightning Bolt, Joeyfat, Prints

The Picander Ensemble Venue: Lakeside Price: £12 / £9 Conc Times: 7.30pm

Groove Venue: Price: Times:

fri 03/12

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree Venue: Royal Centre Price: £14 - £15.50 Times: 7.30pm

Illuminatus Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £5 Times: 9pm - 1am Twin Zero, Splint, Illuminatus

Armada Rock City £17.50 adv tbc

Elton John Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £32.50 STS Presents sat 11/12 Venue: Rock City Price: £15 adv.

Times: 7pm Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple/Black Sabbath and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers Wildside Xmas Party Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £tbc Times: 9pm - 1am

Happy Mondays Venue: Rock City Price: £20 adv.

Times: 7.30PM

mon 06/12

Sunburned Hand Of The Man Venue: Maze Price: £5 adv £6 otd Times: 8pm Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Birds Of Delay, Death Of Love

New Rhodes Venue: Social Price: £tbc Times: 9pm - 2am With Support From: The Boyfriends

thu 09/12

Dean Roberts Venue: Bar None Price: £4 adv £5 otd Times: 8pm Dean Roberts, Cass McCombs, John Chantler, Model Fighter

Punish The Atom Venue: Bar None Price: £3 adv £4 otd Times: 8pm Bird Blobs, Punish The Atom

Lo Ego Venue: Rescue Rooms Price: £3 adv Times: Early show 10.15 finish Lo Ego, Clarksville

A Silver Mt. Zion Venue: Rescue Rooms Price: £9 adv.

Times: Early show - finish at 10.15 With support from: Little Wings Fear Factory Venue: Rock City Price: £14.50 adv Times: 7.30pm

sat 11/12

Magic: A Kind of Queen Venue: Royal Centre Price: £12 & £14 Times: 8pm Queen Tribute

mon 13/12

Blink 182 Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £20 Times: 7.30pm

Poison the Well mon 06/12 Venue: Rock City Price: £12.50 Times: 7.30pm With support from Dillinger Escape Plan

sat 04/12

Manic Street Preachers Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £22.50 in advance

Nottingham Hospitals Choir Venue: Royal Centre Price: £7 - £12 Times: 7pm

Fourway Kill Venue: Rock City Price: £5 adv Times: tbc

Kasabian Venue: Rock City Price: £12.50 adv Times: 7pm

Will Young Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £28.50 Times: 7.30pm A must see(!)

Apollo & Pan Venue: Lakeside Price: £12 / £9 Conc Times: 7.30pm

Notts’ 10’s

Hexstatic Venue: Rescue Rooms (The) Price: Tickets £8 Hexstatic, + Guests

Old Basford Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £4 Times: 8.30pm - 12.00pm Student Discount, Cardboard Radio Team, Old Basford

Xmas XS Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £12.50

fri 10/12

Hot Renault Traffic Night Venue: Boat Club Price: £4 Times: 7.15pm 3 ring circus, Computerman, The Tommies, The High Jinks, The Fever

Nottingham Harmonic Society Chorus Venue: Royal Centre Price: £6 - £15.50 Times: 7pm

Chernobyl Children Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £3 Times: 8.30pm - 12.00pm Chernobyl Children, Metro Joe, Stuntmen

Wireless Stores Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £3 Times: 9pm - 1am Wireless Stores Swimming Fred

wed 08/12

Jackie-O-Motherfucker Venue: Bar None Price: £5 adv £6 otd Times: 8pm Jackie-O-Motherfucker, Wolves! (Of Greece), Spin Spin The Dogs

tue 14/12 tue 07/12

Date: 7/12 Thirteen Senses Venue: NTU Union Price: £5 Student Discount With support from burning man Hinterland, Public Relations, =Viterbo=, Wes, Lucy Blinder DJs”

Faithless Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £19.50 (plus booking fee)

WetWetWet Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £25 - £37.50 Times: 7.30pm

UK Subs Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £5 Times: 8.30pm - 12.00pm UK Subs, Mybe, Splynta

The Saw Doctors Venue: Rock City Price: £17.50 adv Times: tbc

Hoover Venue: Maze Price: £5 adv £6 otd Times: 8pm Hoover, Lords, Bullet Union

fri 10/12

Steve Earle Venue: Rock City Price: £17.50 adv Times: 7.30pm

wed 15/12

Liars Club Chart December 2004

Current and past favorites... backwards, shuffled and merged: 1. Death From Above 1979 - Romantic Rights remixes and upcoming LP. 2. Moving Units - Dangerous Dreams upcoming LP. 3. Bloc Party - Helicopter.

4. Clor - Welcome Music Lovers.

5. Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere.

6. Glass Candy - Life After Sundown.

7. Girlschool & Gary Glitter - Leader.

8. Lotter Boys - Alter Ego / Beastie Boys mash-up!

9. Le Tigre - Nanny Nanny Boo Boo remixes.

10. Rockwell ft. Michael Jackson Somebody’s Watching Me. 11. Slade - Mama We’er All Crazee Now (see disclaimer).

Disclaimer: “Slade has to be at number 11 because it is ALWAYS cranked up to 11 on the dial and ALWAYS played after security threatens us not to play another track.

This actually resulted in my being temporarily barred from Rescue Rooms and nearly getting in a few scrapes with security. True story.” Ricky Hayley

listings...

clubs/theatre/live music/comedy/exhibitions

Tarpot wed Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £4 Times: 8.30pm - 12.00pm Tarpot, Sack Trick, Pillowtalk

15/12

thu Glitterati Venue: Rock City Price: Normal admission prices Times: 8.30pm

16/12

Best Of Venue: Price: Times:

The West End Royal Centre £15 - £19.50 7.30pm

Gentle Electric Xmas Party Venue: Malt Cross Cafe Bar Price: £3/£2 Times: tbc Fonda 500, Bitmap, Punish the Atom Will all be playing / Djing / singing christmas carols!

sat 18/12

Chas And Dave Venue: Rescue Rooms Price: £12.50 adv Times: 7.30pm Rock ‘n’ Roll Mystery Extravaganza Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £2 Times: 9pm - 1am A night of rock ‘n’ roll mayhem & mischief with special guest appearances

sun 19/12

fri 14/01

Taking Back Sunday Venue: Rock City Price: £11 adv Times: 7.30pm

sun 23/01

wed 26/01

Grupo Maya & Ana Cali Venue: Lakeside Price: £10 / £7 conc Times: 8pm

Johann Venue: Price: Times:

Strauss Gala Royal Centre £15.50 - £21.50 7.30pm

thu 27/01

New Generation Supstars & Friends Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £4 Times: 8.30pm - 12.00pm The Lone Rangers + Support Glenn Miller Orchestra Venue: Royal Centre Price: £12 - £16 Times: 7.30pm

thu 23/12

The Fight Venue: Rock City Price: Normal Admission Prices Scarlet Soho, Piano, Ardency Payback Venue: Running Horse Price: £3 Times: 8pm Date: 24/12 Human Venue: Price: Times: Student Human,

mon 20/12 Nottingham Harmonic Society Chorus Venue: Royal Centre Price: £5 - £11.50 Times: 7pm Runns Till: 22/12

Liars Club Venue: Social Price: £tbc Times: 9pm - 2am

fri 24/12

Junktion 7 £4 8.30pm - 12.00pm Discount Cyberwaste, Tensile (TBC)

fri 31/12 Sinfonia Viva - New Years Eve Gala Venue: Playhouse Price: £6 - £15.50 Times: 7.30pm

Rescued New Years Eve Special Venue: Rescue Rooms Price: £7 adv Times: tbc A one off Rescued! for NYE, with live bands to be announced...

wed 05/01 Cosmic American Music Presents Venue: Rescue Rooms Price: £14 adv Times: tbc Kevin Montgomery and The Road Trippers

Green Day Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £22.50 Times: 8pm

Leopold String Trio Venue: Lakeside Price: £15 / £12 Conc Times: 7.30pm Tiger Army Venue: Rock City Price: £8 adv Times: 7.30pm

One Hell Of A New Years Eve Party!

Venue: Junktion 7 Price: Free Times: 9pm - 3am Student Discount Weeble, Hinterland, Neon Set

That’ll Be The Day Venue: Royal Centre Price: £15 - £17.50 Times: 7.30pm

Notts’ 10’s

fri 07/01

Enjoy The Ride Venue: Malt Cross Cafe Bar Price: £tbc Times: 8pm - 11pm A crazy collection of quality acts, prepare to be amused, astonished, educated and above all entertained.

NME Awards Tour Venue: Rock City Price: £15.50 Times: 7pm

wed 22/12

Manuskript Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £6 Times: 9pm - 1am Student Discount Manuskript, Devilish Presley, Rhombus

Dogs D’Amour Venue: Rock City Price: £11 adv Times: 7.30pm

K

wed 05/01

The National Youth Orchestra Of Great Britain Venue: Royal Centre Price: £8 - £17.50 Times: 7.30pm Conductor: Keith Lockhart Soloists: Mark Chertock (piano)

Noddy Live Venue: Nottingham Arena Price: £16.50 - £10 Times: Various Runs Until: 22/12

Rich Robinson Venue: Rescue Rooms Price: £8 adv Times: 8pm + Guests

Interpol Venue: Rock City Price: £12.50 adv Times: tbc

tue 21/12

Kings Of Leon Venue: Rock City Price: £17.50 adv Times: 7.30pm

Headhunglow Venue: Junktion 7 Price: £tbc Times: 8.30pm - 12.00pm + Support

Aled Jones Venue: Royal Centre Price: £18.50 Times: 7.30pm

The Bootleg Beatles Venue: Royal Centre Price: £16.50 - £18.50 Times: 8pm

BBC Radio Nottingham Tribute to Elvis Venue: Royal Centre Price: £10 Times: 7.30pm Calreen Anderson Venue: Rescue Rooms Price: £12adv Times: tbc

sat 15/01

fri 28/01 tue 18/01

wed 19/01

Sorepoint Venue: Bell Inn Price: Free Times: 9pm Pop Will Eat Itself Venue: Rock City Price: £15 adv Times: 7pm (Early Show)

The Kings Of Swing Venue: Royal Centre Price: £13.50 - £14.50 Times: 7.30pm

Liars Club Venue: Social Price: £tbc Times: 9pm - 2am acts tbc

thu 20/01

fri 21/01

LeftLion Presents...

Venue: Malt Cross Cafe Bar Price: Free Times: 8pm - 11pm Bringing you the best live music that Nottingham has to offer. (But then we would say that...)

sat 29/01 BBC Radio Nottingham Family Concert Venue: Royal Centre Price: £5 - £16 Times: 7pm Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra

mon 31/01 sat 22/01

Joan Enric Lluna & Nigel Clayton Venue: Lakeside Price: £10 / £7 Conc Times: 7.30pm

Scooby Doo in Stage Fright Venue: Royal Centre Price: £15 - £19.50 Times: various Runs Until: 5/2

Camouflage Chart December 2004

Camouflage: A Break Heavy, Funk & Hip Hop Top Ten! 1. Nostalgia 77 - Seven Nation Army (Tru Thoughts Recordings) 2. Doc Brown - Donnie’s Lament ft. Low Key (White Label) 3. Keno-1 and The Hermit - Heavy Heavy (Breakin Bread) 4. Madvillian - One Beer (Remix) (Shaman Work Records) 5. Windows78 - Suspect Bundle ft. Mercury Waters (White Label)

6. The Elementz - Letterbombs ft. Karizma, Shiva and Wax (EU Entertainment) 7. Queen Eve and the Kings - All Hail The Queen (Melting Pot Music) 8. The PC’s Ltd - Fast Man (Funk 45 Records) 9. The Soul Seven - “Mr. Chicken----” (Soultex Records) 10. Malcom Catto - Rock (Mo Wax)

Date: 10/12 - Stealth Room1: Leftfield electronic beats: a warp records showcase:Plaid (DJ Set - Warp Records), Milanese Live (Warp Records), Max Hedroom, Too-B, Dubfella Room2: Live hip hop: elementz universe volume 1 release party, The Elementz, Hard Livin’, Karizma, Foz, Empress, Wax, Shiva, Soldier, T-Cutt, Windows78 Open Mic And Night Hosted By Karizma

listings...

clubs/theatre/live music/comedy/exhibitions

Period of 02/12 - 31/01 Comedy

thu 02/12

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £19.95 - £24.95 Times: 7pm Smug Roberts, Ronnie Edwards, Rick Right, Simon Bligh Runs Until: 4/12

07/12

Just the Tonic Venue: Cabaret Price: £tbc Times: 7.30pm

11/12

sun 12/12

tue Get A Grip Venue: Social Price: £5 (Student Discount) Times: 8.30pm Alex Lasarev, Roland Gent, Oxse Del Strain, MC Ryan Gough.

14/12

Get A Grip Venue: Social Price: £5 (Student Discount) Times: 8.30pm Improvised Comedy Show

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £34.95 Times: 7pm Sinck, Brian Higgins, Anthony King, Phil Butler

fri 31/12

Just the Tonic Venue: Cabaret Price: £22.50 Times: 7.30pm The JTT New years eve show sells out every year. You will have a laugh, you will singalong, you will dance, hug your friends, get drunk and be very happy to be alive. Hurry and book!!!

fri 07/01

18/12

sun 19/12

Just the Tonic Venue: Cabaret Price: £tbc Times: 7.30pm Xmas Special See www.justthetonic.com for further info. Likely to be a ram packed night of hooting and hollering in a pre-xmas drunken style.

Notts’ 10’s

mon 27/12

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £15 Times: 7pm Roger Monkhouse, Ninia Benjamin Pommy Johnson, Brendan Dempsey Runs Until: 8/1

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £14.95 - £24.95 Times: 7pm Dom Carroll, JoJo Smith, Sinck, Paul Provenza

sat Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £24.95 Times: 7pm Steve Hughes, Roger D, Michael Smiley, Alex Boardman

Get A Grip Venue: Social Price: £6 (Student Discount) Times: 8.30pm Jared Christmas, Barry Dodds Peter Vincent, Neil McGhee MC Tom Bell.

Ken Dodd Venue: Royal Centre Price: £14.50 - £17.50 Times: 7pm

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £8 - £13 Times: 7pm Simon Fox, Sandy Nelson Mark Walker, Kevin Gildea Runs Until: 15/1

thu 13/01

thu 20/01

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £8 - £13 Times: 7pm Brendon Burns, Paul Tonkinson Paul Chowdry, Mike Milligan Toby Foster Runs Until: 22/1 Get A Grip Venue: Social Price: £5 Times: 8.30pm Student Discount Mark Watson, Helmut MC Spiky Mike

Exhibitions

wed 01/12

tue 28/12

wed 08/12 Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £14.95 - £24.95 Times: 7pm JoJo Smith, Gordon Southern, Simon B Cotter, Brendhan Lovegrove Runs Until: 10/12 Jongleurs sat Venue: Jongleurs Price: £24.95 Times: 7pm Alex Boardman, Ian Edwards, Mandy Knight, Pommy Johnson

tue 21/12

tue 21/12

Just the Tonic sun 05/12 Venue: Cabaret Price: £tbc Times: 7.30pm Jason Byrne is an anarchic Irishman with a rubber face. Armed with material, but manically surfing off of the room, his shows are always an event to remember.

Get A Grip tue Venue: Social Price: £5 (Student Discount) Times: 8.30pm Susan Murray, Matt Hollins, Jared Goodhead, MC Spiky Mike.

Jongleurs Venue: Jongleurs Price: £14.95 - £24.95 Times: 7pm Sean Percival, Adam Crow, Simon Bligh, Tony Gerrard Runs Until: 23/12

tue 25/01

World War II - A Local Perspective Venue: Lakeside Price: Free Times: Mon - Sat 11am-4pm Raises questions about the impact of the Second World War on local communities.

The material on display provides a local perspective on the war years for young and old alike.

Runs Until: 16/12 Bad Behaviour Venue: Lakeside Bad Behaviour charts a subversive streak in contemporary art, focusing on a generation of artists who challenge conventions and social codes. This exhibition includes words and images that some people may find offensive.

Runs Until: 19/12 Annual Open Art Exhibition Venue: Angel Row Gallery A celebration of creative work produced by artists and makers in the East Midlands. Painting, photography, glass, ceramics and textiles are among the 100 plus works to choose from.

Runs Until: 5/12 Mini Randomscapes Venue: Wax Cafe Times: Whenever the bar is open An exhibition featuring small paintings based on the artists’ surroundings past and present, inspirations, dreams and nothing in particular.

Runs Until: 22/12 2D Open Exhibition 2004 Venue: Surface Gallery Times: 11pm - 5pm This exhibition features a variety of 2D work by both established and emerging artists. The pieces are selected from entries to Surface Gallery’s annual 2D Open competition.

Runs Until: 9/12

sat 04/12 Track Changes Venue: Yard Gallery A contemporary installation associated with conservation and ecology. Artist Dawn Badland explores new ideas of representing natural science activity, while using techniques such as screenprinting, mono-printing and resin casting.

Runs Until: 30/1 tue 14/12 Postcard Show Venue: 1851 Gallery Price: Free Times: 11am - 5pm Annual exhibition of postcard-sized work.

An opportunity to pick up a genuine piece of art at an affordable price.

Runs Until: 23/12 sat 18/12

Unearthed Nottingham’s Medieval Alabasters Venue: Nottingham Castle Price: Castle admission Prices In the Middle Ages, Nottingham was a centre for the production of alabaster carvings showing saints and their stories.

Few of them still survive. Nottingham Castle will be showing its entire collection of 21 alabasters, including the complete altarpece of The Passion of Christ, one of only two that exist in the UK today.

Runs Until: 13/2

wed 05/01 Surfacing Venue: Surface Gallery Times: 11am - 5pm Surface Gallery is run on a voluntary basis by those committed to the arts, and in particular to encouraging emerging artists. This exhibition is a chance to see work produced by Surface Gallery’s dedicated team of volunteers Runs Until: 13/1 Resurrection Stories Venue: Lakeside Price: Free Times: 11am - 5pm

sat 08/01

Resurrection Stories continues an exploration of themes in mythology, which transcend time and place.

Visually lavish and multi-layered, it taps a rich and elemental vein of mythology relating to spiritual journeys, metamorphosis and rebirth.

Runs Until: 20/2 Inside - Peter Griffiths Venue: Lakeside Price: Free Times: All Day Peter Griffiths’ abstract prints combine photography of spaces with marks that either merge with the image or rest on the surface. They invoke memories of places with which we feel familiar but at the same time have a slightly unsettling air. Rather than reveal the reality of a situation, these works express a visual reading of an abstract moment in time.

Runs Until: 13/2

tue 11/01 Writing against War Venue: Lakeside Price: Free Times: All Day Ingeborg Bachmann (1926 - 1973) This exhibition is a tribute to the life and work of Austria’s prolific and best known post-war writer whose life was cut tragically short at the age of 47.

It contains photography, film, video material, and text (including excerpts from her unpublished war diary).

Runs Until: 22/1 sat 15/01

Objects Of Ridicule Venue: Lakeside Price: Free Times: Weekdays 11am-4pm Weekends 12pm - 4pm The art of political caricature enjoyed a golden age in Britain in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The exhibition draws on the University’s collections of archives and printed books. The subjects of satire range from William Pitt and his political rivals to the cause of female emancipation.

Runs Until: 13/3

tue 18/01 15cubed Venue: Surface Gallery Times: 11am - 5pm An exhibition of 15x15x15cm aluminium boxes created by students currently on Masters programmes at Derby University. With disciplines as varied as textiles, graphic design, fine art and photography, this should be an eclectic and inspirational mix.

Runs Until: 27/1

Pete Jordan Breaks Chart December 2004

1. Hexadecimal - Deep Frequency/Brain Machine (Heavy Disco) Spectrum’s Hexadecimal take the breaks world by storm with their debut release.

2. Splitloop - KFC (Supercharged) This Irish act have continued to deliver hit after hit during the last year, this one does not dissapoint!

3. Unknown - Boot The Way (Boyo) The Spectrum breaks remix of Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way finally hits vinyl.

4. Freestylers - Boom Blast (Against the Grain) Check Deekline’s remix for full on dancefloor action!

5. Distortionz - Pure Play (Bass Invaderz TP) Distortionz new label materialises in the form of this bass bin busting killer of a release.

6. Ctrllive - King of the Bongo (White) CTRL’s breaks guise takes Manu Chao and gives him a makeover like you would never believe.

7. Vigi & Nectarious - Guru Meat Katie Mix (Streetwise) Meat Katie’s remix take this tune to new heights!! Quality.

8. Unknown - Boot Decor (DDB) Still rocking the joint, another cheeky Spectrum remix that has gained an “official” release.

9. Michael Morph - Pranged Jordan & Morph Mix (White) Championed across Australia on Phantom Beats recent tour, check the funky bassline on this beast.

Due for release in 2005.

10. Sinosine - Two Sysytems / One Country (Mob) Tayo’s terrific label comes up with another example of the strength of depth in the worldwild breakbeat scene

www.leftlion.co.uk/issue2

25

All of the clues below can be answered using the names of Nottingham bars, pubs and clubs.

Clues Across: 1. Has this bar been displaced from Prague? (5) 2. A rock hard bar! (5) 3. Cinema bar which can also be found in theatreland, NYC. (6) 4. Roughest pub on Pelham Street. (12) 5. See 13a.

6. You might need to use your skills to creep into this club. (7) 7. See 8d.

8 + 12d. LeftLion Presents venue. (4,5) 9. Tiny punk rock bar near Cornerhouse. (8) 10. Did this bar emerge in Russia in the early 1900s or in France in the late 1700s? (10) 11 + 7d. Edgar Allen Poe could be a regular at this gothic pub. (3,3,8) 1.

12. Raise a glass to our monarch at this Beeston ‘gastro-pub’. (8) 13 + 5a. It’s Nottingham’s famous alternative gig venue and club! (4,4) 4.

14. See 16a.

15. This 80’s bar might be where a doctor 5. could choose to test your reactions. (6) 16 + 14a + 1d. Take the surnames of a famous Notts actress and the bassist from U2 and you’ll 7. get a couple of thoroughly decent people.

And the name of a riverside pub (7,6,3,7)

Tommy C’s Challenge: A special prize, and the respect of all at LeftLion, will be awarded to the brave soul who dares to take a drink in every one of the places in the crossword. Evidence of your crawl can be posted on the leftlion forum at www.leftlion.co.uk/forum

3.

4.

5.

2.

3.

6.

6.

7.

8. 8.

Clues Down: 1. See 16a.

2. See 10d.

3. ______ Bar. A really central location. (4) 4. Welcoming old inn which offers a fond hello. (10) 5. Just the place to drink Guinness. (5) 6. Hopefully, you won’t get injured in a California hip-hop turf war in this St. James’ street bar. (8) 7. See 11a.

8 + 7a + 9d. The star of the fair moves nearer to LeftLion’s home. (5,2,3 6) 10 + 2d. Take a stumble on a journey to the holy lands. (4,2,9) 11. A very friendly Pelham St. venue. (6) 12. See 8a.

2.

1.

9.

10.

9.

10.

11.

11.

12. 12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

26

www.leftlion.co.uk/issue 2

Roger Mean’s

Rocky Horrorscopes

Aries

Libra

Buried treasure lies in your garden. Despite the morbid winter weather it’s time for you to get out and do some digging. Green fingers and a big spade will bring you good fortune. Be careful not to disturb Hammy the hamsters coffin!

Ever since you were little you have been lied to. Santa really does exist and he hates you. Watch out for his sleigh this Christmas eve as he is planning a special visit to your house. Not even mince pies and brandy can save you from this time…

Taurus

Scorpio

The alignment of the stars over the next month means that Jupiter will orbit the mighty David Hasslehoff. The former Baywatch star will be your lucky talisman. Listen carefully for hidden meanings and spiritual advice in his music.

You have been hypnotized for your entire life. Reading these words may cause you a sudden panic as you attempt to wake up from your Matrix like existence. Wait for the white rabbit in Trinity Square…

Gemini

Sagittarius

It’s time to run! You should immediately make arrangements to relocate to outside of Europe, preferably outside of the Western hemisphere. Leave all your friends and family behind or I will feast upon your immortal soul!

The child is well bling, the carollers sing, The old has passed, there’s a new beginning. Dreams of santa, dreams of snow, Fingers numb, faces aglow.

Christmas crime. Robbing all the time. Stealing your presents, without doing time…

Cancer You’re a poet and you know it. This doing it yourself technique is all very well and good. The words are plants and your book is the garden. The future looks rosy as long as you can avoid the thorns that lie embedded in the winter night.

Capricorn You will be unlucky in love this Christmas. Let’s face it, no-one likes you!! You think you’’re misunderstood, but really you’re about as appealing to others as getting a good kicking! Try plastic surgery or the lifestyle of a hermit.

Leo

Aquarius

Fish and chips for me supper please. Don’t let them put salt and vinegar on tho. I’ll put it on meself when I get back to the house. Get me some of that curry sauce as well. In a pot mind, not already soaked into me chips.

Just got home from clubbing? Were you standing too close to the speaker again? Can you hear a faint ringing in your ear? It’s not the telephone, it’s you going crazy. This ringing will never stop. Hahahahahaha!

Virgo

Pisces

New carpets in your home smell nice and will improve your daily outlook.

If pressure from annoying chair and sofa legs make unsightly shapes in the weaving then you can always put an ice cube on the denty bit and it will pop back up. Cold.

Fancy some no-strings attached sex? Or do you prefer it puppeteer style, with all the strings left on? Either way, our sources say that all you need to pull Pinnochio this xmas is good manners and a gottle of geer. He’s got wood!

NOTTS

Bones’ Fun Cave...

Grate Misstakes in Cultural Histroy

TRUMPS 96 Trent FM

Copycat Local Radio Stations

Century 106

...and if it leaks again, I’ma have ya legs broke

Variety of great music claimed (%) Actual variety of great music played

#02: Jan 1956 - Sinatra cuts his masterpiece, “I’ve Got You Under My Sink”

100

ed Variety of great music claim

100

(%)

13

ic played (%) Actual variety of great mus

11

Wank SUVs with tinted windows

2

ows Wank SUVs with tinted wind

0

Breakfast team nausea factor

960

Breakfast team nausea facto

Teeth-clenching godawfulness rating

10/10

ness ratin Teeth-clenching godawful

(%)

703

r g

8/10