LeftLion Magazine - August 2014 - Issue 60

#60 AUG / SEPT 14

STUART PEARCE / SHAUN DERRY / ROSS NOBLE / DARRELL MARTIN / GALLERY 47 SLEAFORD MODS / SOUL BUGGIN’ / D’ISRAELI / DIY / LENTON FLATS / EVENT LISTINGS

www.itsinnottingham.com

It’s in Nottingham ran a special campaign in June to highlight the strength and diversity of independent businesses in the city centre ch was voted for by the public and then judged by a panel of mystery style shoppers. Many congratulations go to the winner: MemSaab – the gourmet Indian restaurant based in the heart of the city’s legendary “Curry Mile” on Maid Marian Way. In addition, two “highly commended” awards were also given to Wired Café Bar, based on Pelham Street, and The Cheese Shop at Flying Horse Walk.

2013, 2012, 2011

Nottingham’s Best Independent Business 2014 Indian Restaurant Of The Year 2013 City & County - Winner, Nottingham Post

“MemSaab Nottingham is amongst the top three best Indian restaurants in the country” AA Gill, The Sunday Times, March 2014 PRIVATE DINING U CELEBRATION DINNERS U CANAPÉ & DRINKS RECEPTIONS OUTSIDE CATERING U £13.50 EARLY EVE MENU AVAILABLE

0115 957 0009 12-14

maid marian way, nottingham ng1 6hs www.mem-saab.co.uk

WIRED in the Courtyard

................................................................................

Enjoy your WIRED drinks in the Cobden Chambers courtyard this Summer. A beautiful sun trap surrounded by some fantastic independent shops and businesses. Order your drinks at WIRED Café Bar and we will bring them to the courtyard.

...................................................

42 PELHAM STREET NOTTINGHAM NG1 2EG 0115 958 9020 WWW.WIREDCAFE.CO.UK

The Cheese Shop Nottingham Deli & Cafe A family run delicatesssen dedicated to supplying the best local, national and international produce available. Specialising in cheeses, as well as endless culinary delights from olives to oils and from pasta to pickles. The Cheese Shop has established itself as the first port of call for food lovers throughout the Midlands and beyond.

Pop in for a great cup of coffee and a freshly made roll in the cafe.

Takeaway also available. cheeseshop-nottingham.co.uk /cheeseshopnottm search ‘Cheese Shop Nottm’

4 Flying Horse Walk St Peters Gate Nottingham NG1 2HN 01159 419114

For further information visit: www.itsinnottingham.com

LeftLion Magazine is put together every two months by a whole host of local designers, writers, photographers, illustrators and grammar pedants. In the last year we wangled some funding to get our first paid editorial staff in, but the majority of what we do – and what we’ve always done – is contributed by volunteers who love Nottingham.

The magazine has always been paid for by advertising and put together with elbow grease, and although there have been some touch and go moments, in the last decade we have never missed an issue.

What we want to do, to celebrate our tenth year in print, is to go monthly. That would mean you would get almost* twice as many issues from us in a year. We hope you agree that this would be awesome for everyone concerned.

But to do this, we need a bit of a leg-up.

We are asking you, our awesome readers, to help us raise £10,000 to cover the additional cost of printing those extra issues. We currently distribute 10,000 magazines a pop, so if everyone who picks up this issue donates a quid then we’d be sorted. If you can afford more, then we definitely won’t pass it up, though. Did we mention your hair looks well good today?

What’s more, we have some very exclusive rewards on offer: • Signed albums from Jake Bugg, Sleaford Mods, Gallery 47 and Harleighblu • Goodies signed by Sir Paul Smith, Dan Hardy, Joe Dempsie, John Blanche and more • Your name in the mag • LeftLion merchandise • A gig in your living room • Star in a Video Mat poster • Appear on a LeftLion cover • A complete set of mags from our archive • Loads more (seriously!)

Want to help? Want to get your hands on some of that uber-exclusive swag mentioned above?

Then direct your browser to...

LEFTLION.CO.UK/

THE CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF ON SATURDAY 16 AUGUST

*We’re planning for eleven issues a year, with a Dec/Jan bumper special. Even our lot deserve Christmas off.

contents

editorial

LeftLion Magazine Issue 60 August - September 2014

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Bloody hell, while you lot have been spending your weekend soaking up the rays and enjoying the good times, we’ve been sweating cobs in the LeftLion office.

And not just to bring you the latest issue…

This issue is exciting, of course, but the really exciting news is that we’re seriously considering going monthly.

We know you want it, we want it - and we reckon, together, we can do it. LeftLion has been in print for ten years this October and has been gifting Nottingham with the best content every other month for all that time, and all for nowt. Our problem is that this city is just too rammed with things we want to talk about and although we’ve wanted to give you more for a long time, to be honest, we’re always a bit brassic.

Heads Up 06

Maggots, need we say more?

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LeftEyeOn Snap my pics up

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You’re Alright, Jack One-man band Gallery 47 lets us in on his 2014 comeback

giggles, guffaws and goin’ up North

’Tis Noble in the Mind 17

The hairiest comedian talks Twitter,

TV and fifteenth century abbeys

Random Accessibility Memories 18

How the Nottingham music scene

rolls with disability

credits

the disco ball for ten years now

Home Bass 22

DiY, the free party massive, reach

Divide and Conquer We speak to the gobbier half of Sleaford Mods

Grin and Tonic 14

Darrell Martin on twenty years of

Soul Survivors 20

The soulful buggers have been on

the grand old age of 25. Impressive

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Built Up, Knocked Down Lenton flats will soon be no more, we look at their high rise and fall

Quick on the Draw 26

Comic book artist D’Israeli tells

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us about dickin’ around in school Psycho Analysis Stuart Pearce is back at Forest where he belongs

Barrow Boy 29

Player-manager Shaun Derry chats

the beautiful game

Wheeling Around 33

Biking: the pros and cons

Editor-in-chief Jared Wilson (jared@leftlion.co.uk)

Screen Editor Harry Wilding (harry@leftlion.co.uk)

Editor Alison Emm (ali@leftlion.co.uk)

Sport Editor Scott Oliver (scott@leftlion.co.uk)

Zephyrus Alan Gilby (alan@leftlion.co.uk)

Editorial Assistants Sam Nahirny (sam@leftlion.co.uk) Bridie Squires (bridie@leftlion.co.uk)

Marketing and Sales Manager Ash Dilks (ash@leftlion.co.uk) Designer Raphael Achache (raphael@leftlion.co.uk) Sub Editors Shariff Ibrahim Dom Henry Art Editor Mark Patterson (mark.p@leftlion.co.uk) Community Editor Penny Reeve (penny@leftlion.co.uk) Literature Editor James Walker (books@leftlion.co.uk) Deputy Literature Editor Robin Lewis (robin@leftlion.co.uk) Music Editor Paul Klotschkow (paulk@leftlion.co.uk) Photography Editor David Parry (dave@leftlion.co.uk) Poetry Editor Aly Stoneman (poetry@leftlion.co.uk)

Sales and Marketing Assistants Conor Kirk (conor@leftlion.co.uk) Nicola Stapleford (nicola@leftlion.co.uk) Cover Design Relick Frappé Fuel Wired Café (wiredcafe.co.uk) Contributors Mike Atkinson Beane Lord Biro Ezekial Bone Stuart Brothers Derrick Buttress Clare Cole Andrew ‘Mulletproof’ Graves Tom Hadfield Madeline Hammond Hannah Parker Nick Parkhouse Mike Scott Sally Smith Tim Sorrell Daniel Storey Andy Szpuk

Art Works 34

With Hedboy and Stuart Akroyd NHS Walkin’ 36

Mums march for our treasured

healthcare service

Listings 37

The section that got so big, we

gave it its own contents page

Write Lion 48

The local authors we’ve been devouring

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Music Reviews The best of Notts’ musical talent

Noshingham 52

Scran reviews to feast your eyes on The Arthole 54

Plus Rocky Horrorscopes, Notts

Trumps, LeftLion Abroad and Strelleyation

Photographers Rob Antill David Baird Duncan Harris Mark Hills Edward Nurcombe Simon Parfrement Tom Quigley Joseph Raynor Charlie Sharpe AJ Yakstrangler Illustrators Christopher Paul Bradshaw Ian Carrington Jamie Gibson Rikki Marr Jenny Potton Tom Rourke Rob White After ten years, our esteemed Stage Editor Adrian Bhagat has handed in his ‘Lion badge. He’s been with us since Issue #1 and we’d have been lost without him over this last decade. Here’s to you, Sir, for being such a legend! facebook.com/leftlion twitter.com/leftlion youtube.com/leftliontv plus.google.com/s/leftlion @leftlionmagazine

LeftLion magazine has an estimated readership of 40,000 and is distributed to over 350 venues across the city of Nottingham. If your venue isn’t one of them, or you’d like to advertise, contact Ash on 0115 9240476, email ash@leftlion.co.uk or visit leftlion.co.uk/rates

We got the kettle on, looked at some numbers, counted our pennies, looked at the numbers again… And worked out we couldn’t quite do it. Then the bright spark who’d consumed the most caffeine suggested we ask you lovely lot for a bit of a hand. Boom. A Kickstarter campaign plan was born. To print an extra five issues a year it’ll cost us about ten grand. Which is quite good because we print 10,000 copies of each mag. That means, if everyone that reads the mag dobs us a quid, we’ll be sorted. £1. Not much, eh? For ten years of quality and many more to come? Obviously, if you can give us any more, we certainly won’t say no. The campaign goes live mid-August and we may have pulled in a few special favours, so keep an eye out for all the magnificent rewards we’re going to be bribing you with. If you glance to your left, there’s a bit of a teaser...

For now though, we’re rewarding your future good intentions with a proper example of what a stand-out magazine looks like - if we do say so ourselves. Our cover comes from Relick, who has done a cracking job of giving us a football cover that will make you fans smile without offending people who reckon it’s not such a beautiful game. Speaking of football, we grabbed a few moments with the gaffers from both Forest and County to ask them what their plans are for the upcoming season. And we got some predictions from beyond the grave. Ooh, spookeh.

We also had a right laugh with Darrell Martin, the man who gave the kiss of life to Nottingham’s comedy scene with his club Just The Tonic twenty whole years ago.

His good mate Ross Noble also popped by ahead of not one, but two Nottingham shows. More dancey birthday celebrations are going off for Soul Buggin’ who have somehow, through all the late nights, made it to the grand old age of ten. And massive props to the DiY collective who turn 25 this year. That is pure stamina, right there.

Go on with you, I’ve taken up enough of your time…

Ali Emm, ali@leftlion.co.uk

Ian Carrington

Illustrator An illustrator and two-time pub quiz champion, Ian enjoys the movies of Wes Anderson. Having said that, his favourite film ever is Ghostbusters, which he can probably quote in its entirety. He likes to get his doodle on to sounds ranging from Blink-182 to Foals to The Beatles to Chas ‘n’ Dave. In his free time he watches and plays football, supporting the red side of the Trent, jogs for fun and has been known to enjoy the spectacle that is WWE wrestling. A classy man at heart, he can be found with a cheeky In Bloom cocktail at Filthy’s. Oh, and he recommends you check out his favourite YouTube video, Gandalf Europop Nod. behance.net/iancarrington

Mark Patterson

Art Editor Mark is a professional freelance journalist and writer who has worked for magazines as well as regional and national newspapers.

Copywriting, PR marketing and tutoring also help him bring home the meat-free bacon. He has written an award-nominated book, Roman Nottinghamshire, published by Five Leaves Publications, and is currently working on Roman Derbyshire. Passions and interests include visual art, literature, independent travel, arduous walking, outdoors and environment, punk and new wave, cycling and fitness. He has a young son, Christian. leftlion.co.uk/issue60

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PUSS IN SHOOTS Milwood Cat Rescue Centre in Edwalton recently reported a steep rise in black cats being handed in by their owners due to them not being photogenic enough for selfies on social networking. This news has hit the local community hard and several residents have now put their their houses up for sale in sheer despair at the stupidity of their neighbours’ behaviour.

Matthew Mistoffelees, 67, of Melton Road told us “I’ve lived here happily all my life, but this is the final straw. To think there are people who live on my street that have not yet discovered how to use basic filters on Instagram is shameful.”

MONEY FOR NOTHING AND THE LEAFLETS ARE FREE Wondered why there are so many people stood outside the Viccy Centre giving out leaflets about the end of the world? It’s part of a new government initiative whereby the unemployed lose their benefits if they don’t do some voluntary work. One of the volunteers said, “All we have to do is stand still and smile. It’s a lot easier than working in Poundstretcher.”

SAME JAR DIFFERENT JAM This month we learned that Jam Café on Heathcote Street has changed ownership, with Bradley now taking the reins. Renowned for quality live music nights, late night shenanigans, friendly staff and out of this world eggs benedict. The breaking news is that nothing at all will change, except maybe some new cakes and cocktails when he gets round to it.

KUWAIT A MINUTE? News that Nottingham Forest FC look set to rebrand their stadium as the ‘Kuwait City Ground’ may have left club accountants grinning, but local football fans and etymologists are now pondering a whole new set of questions.

“Why would the Kuwait government want to advertise to people in Nottingham? It’s not like we’re ever going to vote for them,” said Neil Down, 33, of Radford. “Not unless they are planning a hostile takeover of County Hall in West Bridgford anyway. In that case I’d wait to see what their policies on recycling and library opening times were.”

“Is our ground going to be named after Kuwait or Kuwait City then?” Brock Lee, of Arnold, pondered. “It makes a big difference to know whether our home for the last 116 years is going to be named after a homophobic Eastern Arabian country, or the capital city of a homophobic Eastern Arabian country. Please let us know Fawaz, on Twitter or summat. YOU REDS!”

ADVERTISING SECTIONED Local adverts ripped from the pages of history, by Wayne Burrows Robin and the Three Hoods (c.1964) The sharp-eyed among you might have noticed that this is neither an advert nor local, to which I can only say, “fair cop”. But it is a piece of publicity material with an obvious Nottingham connection, a relic of the American surf-music craze that shows how, despite being nowhere near the sea, we’re still able to stick our oar in and make our mark on the most unlikely bits of history.

In the early sixties, Robin and the Three Hoods were busy touring the landlocked American states of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin under their original name, The Marauders.

But when their first 45 was due for release they discovered that they weren’t the only band using that name so had a quick rethink, came up with a new moniker – and while they were at it, adopted a whole new look.

Rob Berhagen, aka ‘Robin’, presumably the beaming chap with the long-bow, pudding basin hair-cut and shapely legs, was joined by his three Hoods – Dave Reed, Jim Schwartz and Mike Warner. They spent six years, from 1963 to 1969 tearing up parties and clubs in the American Midwest and Great Lakes region with songs like The Marauder, all in a primal, reverb-drenched surf style.

They got no nearer to actual surf than folks in Nottingham do – despite our own Council’s best efforts to fake golden sands and bamboo beach huts on Market Square every summer – but they did ride out the original punk, the first scene where snotty teenage kids could get hold of cheap instruments, add some limited musical skills, mix in plenty of energy and win record contracts and gigs. If that doesn’t make them proper Notts, at least in spirit, then I’m a surfboard.

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HAVING A LARV-A The audience of Jongleurs Comedy Club were left with churning bellies in July, when maggots started dripping from the air con during a comedian’s set. This makes a difference to most Saturday nights when they crawl in through the doors. The bloke performing decided to call it a night, which we were disappointed to hear: any comedian worth his salt would have built this comedy gold gift into his act. An Oceana spokesperson reckoned it was because a pigeon tried to get into the building. We reckon the poor little bleeder was trying to get out.

WHAT’S ON THE LEFTLION STEREO? Crosa Rosa Jigsaw

Plaids Twenty Nine

Garton Promise

Saint Raymond I Want You

In Isolation Tears

Sergic Jedi

Keto Otherside

Sounds of the Spirit Wrestlers Label Sampler

Kirk Spencer Human feat . Solomon Grey

Timbah Thunder Clacks

Mammoth Wing Think On

Wanderlings Holidazed

leftlion.co.uk/llstereo

WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE ON NOTTS TV

HANDS UP NOTTS

ROBBIN’ THE HOOD A documentary about Nottingham’s rebranding of Robin Hood. The super rich duke and businessman Robin Hood cuts benefits to fund tax cuts for the super rich, among other devious schemes of a similar nature.

“The old legend just wasn’t believable anymore, not since the eighties,” a Notts Council spokesman told us. “We wanted to make the legend modern, relevant, and something people can relate to.”

Malt Cross Music Hall

GOBBLEBOX A look at what goes down while people are watching NottsTV.

ORVILL & DEAN Would Jane be able to do the Bolero with such elegance if her hand was shoved up a furry green duck? You decide.

In the seventies a friend’s dad ran an American-style diner in this building and, after removing some false walls, found what looked like an old theatre underneath. A preserved music hall. When I started puppetising this image the ideas grew, encompassing some brash American imagery with flags and a big burger stuffed in the door and another face over the door. But when I got this far, I thought it just worked and so I stopped. And here it is...

Cabinet reshuffle

I don’t understand it. We don’t know anything about it.

What is a cabinet reshuffle? (looks around shop at shelves) There was that doo-dah, what’s-his-name from Rushcliffe.

Clarke. That’s it. Ken Clarke is retiring or something. Well, he’s an old man. He’s had a good run.

Plane shot down

Now that is nasty. Horrible. But all we can suggest is to fly

by British Airways. They’ve always avoided dodgy airspace which is why none of our planes have ever been shot down.

Or crashed. I don’t think there’s ever been a British Airways plane crash. But it is nasty. It’s the kind of world we live in now. But good PR for British Airways.

Boys’ High School Splendour

They’re all has-beens and we hate outdoor concerts. Who wants to see the Boom Town-bloody Rats? We saw them twenty years ago and they couldn’t sing then. We can’t be doing with standing outside listening to music. It’s a waste of time. You can hear it a few miles away so why waste 35 quid?

Selfies

Isn’t that a department store in London?

We are annoyed and disappointed that the Boys’ High School want to let in a few girls. What a complete waste of time. They’ll have to rip out all of the urinals. It’s a boys’ high school for goodness’ sake. What on earth is the matter with people? Does this means boys will now go to the girls’ school? It’s ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. @tommobros

Awards to the city’s dumbest from June & July!

Some intern at The Nottingham Post got his hands slapped last month for running a story about the murder of some pigs, with a photo of a copper’s badge alongside. We presume it’s an intern at least, because surely no-one who values their job would be so ruddy stupid. When asked if the photo was intentional by a concerned Facebook user, the Post replied “You guessed it *winky face*” At the time of going to press we learned the police are amassing a hefty case against the Post for ‘crimes against journalism’.

Send us an email to nominate yourself or a friend to win next issue’s Stupid Duck Award! youstupidduck@leftlion.co.uk

leftlion.co.uk/issue60

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LeftEyeOn

Notts as seen through the lenses of local photo talent over the last two months...

St Mary’s Square

The Lace Market, Nottingham. Seen from the Adams Building. Not pictured: a student daytime drinker.

Duncan Harris flickr: [Duncan]

Out of Space and Time

A damselfly’s face all up-close and pretty, like.

Edward Nurcombe flickr: odonataman

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Trinity Place

This particular building, from its only attractive angle.

AJ flickr: AJ Yakstrangler

Skating Triptych

Andrew Holt’s backslide 180, Jon Parrot’s stalefish, and an anonymous skater at sunset.

Tom Quigley varialmagazine.co.uk leftlion.co.uk/issue60

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interview: Jared Wilson photo: Simon Parfrement

Divide and Conquer

Sleaford Mods have been playing Notts for the best part of a decade in one form or another. But after releasing their new album Divide and Exit, the rest of the world started to take notice. We caught up with frontman Jason Williamson for a celebratory beer...

Tell us about Andrew. What is it that makes you such a good combo?

I met him about three or four years ago. He was playing a record upstairs in The Chameleon, his remix of the George Michael song Careless Whisper, which I liked. Then we talked a lot about music. He’d seen me before, playing solo at JamCafé under the name of Sleaford Mods. After that we started making music together; it changed a lot when he came in. Before that, I was very angry and misogynistic. I was trying to get across what I was going through at the time, but deep down I was aware of the fact that what I was saying was out of order. I just wanted to communicate that I was dysfunctional and quite amazed at how low I’d gotten in my life. There were a few things that I needed to be educated on and over the last few years, thanks to good friends and my good wife, I have been.

You’ve gone from relative obscurity to interviews with the broadsheets and national music press over the last year. How did that happen?

We had to wait until we were ready… and until our music was.

From the beginning I really resented people sucking up to those who would write about them or help get them exposure to a label. They weren’t thinking about the music, just the career of it all. We tried not to do that. There are people that have helped us though, like Steve Underwood at the Rammell Club and Simon Parfrement. We always knew what we were doing was good, but I guess we were just hoping for a fairytale to come true. And it fucking did.

With the band’s popularity growing, is there a danger of attracting the kind of fans that you despise?

I don’t think I can really despise any fans - especially not our own. You can’t really despise the public. I save my wrath for bands and musicians I don’t like repping us, such as Miles Kane.

He tweeted to say he was a fan. So we send him back a message that said, “this music was born out of a hate for pretenders like you. You can either leave gracefully or I will block you.”

American musicians have vocally shown support for the band recently including Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) and Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre). What is it that they see in your music, which on the surface feels very British?

Anton is a lovely bloke, he’s very interested in English culture as a whole. We’ve been speaking a lot and we’re releasing a record with him. I went to meet him at the Rescue Rooms when he was playing there in June. I’ve also been listening to a lot of his stuff since, which I hadn’t really heard until a couple of weeks ago.

It’s been getting me back into guitar music.

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What went down at Rough Trade on Record Store Day when someone in the crowd took offence and tried to grab the microphone off you?

We were playing outside the front of the shop and there were a lot of homeless people out there. This guy was just one of the thousands roaming the streets. Before the show we were in the pub having something to eat and we saw him walking up and down the road and talking to himself. He wasn’t really bothering anyone, but then when we started playing he was accusing us of being racist. All of a sudden he tried to take the mic and so I calmly took it back off him and told him to leave. He did If I was to walk it to the band afterwards as around behaving well and eventually the police came. I felt a bit sorry for him. like that in real Poor guy was just roaming life it would be the streets because he had nowhere to go. It’s sad. Just fucking stupid. another product of our society.

You had a go at Paul Weller for being “drunk on past glories” but you’ve signed up to support The Specials. Do you think there’s a contradiction there?

I can see why people would think that, but I don’t think there is.

I love Paul Weller to bits, but he was asked whether he thought his peers of that era stood up with him now and he basically said no because they hadn’t made as much music as him. I strongly disagree. I don’t think he’s done anything decent for about sixteen years. I don’t think albums like Wild Wood stand up to London Calling or Never Mind The Bollocks. Those albums eclipse all of Weller’s solo stuff. To me he looks like someone who’s not in touch with himself as a songwriter anymore...

Tell us about something that’s pissed you off recently…

I hate empty statements. I bought the NME today because we’re in it and read about Sergio Pizzorno from Kasabian saying that he and Noel Fielding are talking about playing live shows together and how it will sound like a British Wu-Tang Clan.

Jesus man, do you have any idea of what you’re saying?! Do you have any concept of what the Wu-Tang Clan were and where they came from? It’s not a laughing matter. I don’t like people who try to pretend to be something they’re not. I’ve definitely saved a special bit of hate for people who make crap music and pretend it’s brilliant.

Who are your favourite Nottingham acts?

Grey Hairs are alright. Kogumaza are alright. I like a bit of White Finger. The thing I like about all of them is that they all believe in it. It’s probably not music I’d go out and buy, but if I was going to go out to see a band in Nottingham, it would be one of those.

It’s been noted that you write a lot of songs about bodily fluids...

It’s a big part of life that not many other musicians will touch.

And it’s such a big contrast to what most music is about. But it is real life. The minute you walk out of the toilet there’s loads of advertising and false images bombarding you. And you’ve just been for a big shit.

Do you think you’ll ever write a love song?

Never say never, but you can convey everything about love in just one word or one sentence. That’ll do, there’s no need to continue. When I first started writing generally, I’d get words down but I was always worried that people wouldn’t get it.

Then eventually I saw that people did get it and knew what I was on about. That spurred me on even more...

What about The Specials?

Those guys would never big themselves up like that. They still carry the shadow of Coventry around with them, even though they haven’t lived there for god knows how long. They’re just touring their classic material because so many people want to go and see them play it. There’s nothing wrong with that.

How much of what you’re like on stage is an act?

I can be a bit of an arsehole at times in real life, but it’s obvious that when I get on the stage I’m performing. As Andrew said, if I was to walk around behaving like that in real life it would be fucking stupid. I do get angry a lot and I have got a temper, but these days it’s channelled into music. I’ve only hit people twice in my life and it’s one of the most depressing experiences ever.

On those occasions it’s taken me weeks to get over it, I just felt ashamed of myself.

Owt else you want to say?

I want people to know that if I hear anyone else call us chavs then I’m going to go off at them. It’s an elitist term and that’s why it’s so offensive. But we are proud to be from Nottingham and living here has given me Sleaford Mods. This is my adopted city and I love it to bits.

Sleaford Mods with Grey Hairs and White Finger, Spanky Van Dykes, Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September, £6/£7. sleafordmods.com

interview: Nick Parkhouse

YOU’RE ALRIGHT, JACK

Three years ago, a singer-songwriter called Jack Peachey – with the stage name of Gallery 47 – released his debut album, Fate is the Law, and looked set to be the city’s next breakthrough star. A health scare dented his momentum, but over the last eighteen months things have been going from strength to strength: label interest and a tour with Paul Weller have made 2014 a great year, and his second album, All Will Be Well, is released in September…

A simple record featuring Peachey and his acoustic guitar, All Will Be Well is a more accomplished and serious record than its predecessor and is clearly a collection of songs that are personal to the 24-year-old. “I wrote the album when I was living alone in this little coach house in The Park. I couldn't afford it but I was recently single and desperate to get out of the city centre for a while lest I run into my ex-girlfriend with some dashing new chap. Most of the songs are about just thinking about what had happened. One day I was missing her (Come to New York), then I'd be really bitter (Close to the Mind), then lost (When The World Gets You Down), then hopeful (Little Lost) and eventually acceptant (We've Been Here Before).”

With my music I can be completely direct, completely honest. I don't need to apologise for showing my temper, my flaws, my bad language, my hypocrisy, my delusions.

The majority of the new songs were written some time ago but a health scare delayed the recording. However, these hospital visits also gave Peachey the impetus he needed to finally start work on his second album. “All these songs were written in my head but I'd been too critical to record them. Then it all got a bit scary. I had hernia surgery but the doctor found something a bit more worrying in my thigh. All I could think was, ‘I can't die with one album!’ Suddenly that first guitar take wasn't that bad, so I did fifty and chose the best three, stuck one louder in the middle, one with reverb on the left, one dry on the right.

It turns out Phil Spector used to do all this with the Wall of Sound. The result was me recording ten times as much in that terrifying month as I had in the previous year.

“Finding out that everything was going to be okay with my health was the best feeling. That relief has stayed with me, reminding me to keep writing and to always do the best you can do, even if you doubt yourself.” Illness wasn’t the only reason that Peachey’s second album took three years to arrive. Uncertainty surrounding a major label deal – and the conditions of such a contract – also played a part. “When I thought I was going to sign a record deal, I quit my masters degree and told my mum. Then the deal fell through and I felt really embarrassed. That's life, I guess, but it made me really cautious for a little while. I now focus on songwriting and recording and leave the shark pit to the sharks.”

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Gallery 47’s profile got a major boost earlier this year when he was invited to tour with Paul Weller in Germany. “It was good fun and he was really nice. Also, he had quit drinking so I got all the beer. After the Hamburg show I walked straight into him in the corridor—he smiled and I wished him luck with his set. I was trying really hard not to be a nervous wreck but there are so many variables when you meet someone you respect so much. When I met Scott Matthews I got so scared that I ran away. So, as I was walking towards Paul Weller, I kept saying to myself, ‘Do not run away.’ Weller watched my set and after he shook my hand, told me I had a really nice voice and said I needed to get some better shoes. The show in Berlin the next day couldn't have gone better. They let me use their lights and sound that night – it was the best show of my life.”

the cancer scare. For now, I'm working on a new album called Clean, which I'm a little bit too excited about, considering I can't release it yet.”

In the gap between his two albums, musicians in Nottingham have finally achieved long overdue national and international recognition. Is the city still a great place to live and to make music? “I love living here. I'd like to live in Amsterdam one day but I'll always call Nottingham my home. I was born here, grew up here, went to university here and plan to stay here for a long time. In fact, I've just sold my old amplifier to get season tickets for Forest. Who cares if we've got no money if we have tickets to the game every weekend.”

Peachey’s shyness in talking to Weller is a telling insight.

For a man whose lyrics are, as he admits himself, ‘crazy or paranoid and angry or hypocritical’ he’s a reserved and often wary character who comes across very differently in person to the way he does on stage. “I'm a musician because I'm shy.

I'm confident when I'm around people I know, but I don't trust many people. Or rather I trust them only as much as I would trust myself in that situation. With my music, however, I can be completely honest. I don't need to apologise for showing my temper, my flaws, my bad language, my hypocrisy, my delusions. It's therapeutic to be myself on stage. If someone doesn't like it, or thinks, ‘He's really angry’ or ‘He sounds like he's going insane’; then that's fine—if anything it's a portrait of someone being angry or going insane.”

If you’ve seen Gallery 47 in recent years you’ll know he is an electric live performer. Despite the pared back nature of his music, it’s impossible to take your eyes off a man who looks supremely confident on the stage. It’s clear from our conversation that Peachey finds himself in a good place in 2014.

So what’s next on the horizon? “I don't know what's going to happen. Things are going well and I'm focussing on writing and recording as much as I can while I have the time. If things don't go to plan, I'll write 100 albums, put them out, then live out my days in Amsterdam with my girlfriend and several cats!

“Immediately after All Will Be Well I started working on a double album called Young World, but you can't really release a double album at this stage in a career. I recorded about forty tracks and layered them with other instruments; telecasters, egg shakers, cymbals, drills, church bells, crazy vocal harmonies with something like 35 vocal takes playing at once at different pan ratios, stuff like that. It's too weird to release now, and I was really quite mad when I was writing it, still decidedly in the throes of all the anxiety that came with

“Every day I walk along the canal from the city centre to Sainsbury’s at Castle Marina. I feed the ducks along the way, then continue along Derby Road to my parents' house, where I feed Calla [his cat]. It might seem as though I'm not focussing on the music scene in Nottingham, but that's precisely it. There are lots of energetic, diligent people out there who do all they can to promote emerging talent in this city, but as a very sensitive person I can sometimes find the hype machine a little abrasive. It's still really important to get out there and play, but I think it's also important that you can get away from that scene when you need to. ‘Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and in the end it's only with yourself.’—I like that quote.”

Gallery 47 will be playing Nottingham Contemporary on Saturday 30 August. All Will Be Well is released on Monday 15 September on INFL Records. gallery47official.com

Grin and Tonic Just The Tonic founder Darrell Martin can boast giving the city a comedy scene worth shouting about and is due to celebrate twenty years in the comedy club game. But not before he gets back from running 120 shows a day for a whole month at the world’s biggest arts festival...

Just The Tonic has been around for two decades – how did it all start?

I came up in the recession of 1991 after graduating from Birmingham University. There wasn’t any comedy going on, so I decided to put on a club myself. I didn’t know what was involved, but I taught in Barcelona for a year and saved the ludicrous sum of £600. I started it with James Baillie, who ran Venus Nightclub, he didn’t have much interest in comedy, but we came up with the name together. Within three weeks we were losing so much money he pulled out. I carried on; I lived in a squat and taught English at Clarendon College to support it.

How did your passion for comedy first develop?

My first memory of really laughing was when I was about five watching something like Abbott and Costello or The Three Stooges on telly - I wet myself laughing. I got in to Monty Python and Derek and Clive at about twelve or thirteen, then The Young Ones came along and that was our stuff, our time. Alan Davies did a lot of compering while I was at university. He was so good and looked so natural. I thought he just got up there and talked, but I saw him once after a show ticking off a check sheet of the stuff he’d just done. It was a real eye opener for me, but also a massive disappointment that this bloke wasn’t as funny as I’d led myself to believe.

You started as a stand-up yourself…

I started the club because I wanted to do stand-up but I didn’t know how. I was terrified because I was in this small town and out promoting. My biggest fear was going on stage, being rubbish, then walking around town and have people telling me so.

How did you get past that?

I did a course down in London two years after I started the club. I was seen by Rich Hall’s manager and she let me drive him around on tour and do five minutes for him each time. That was my first gig and I was doing big theatres. I did philosophy at university so I’d written this really clever monologue that was funny if you were in to philosophy or were a Sunday night crowd in Just The Tonic, but for a Friday or Saturday night drunken crowd it was just rubbish. I went on tour with Johnny Vegas in about 1999 and he said, “Why don’t you just be the person you are who takes the piss out of his mates after your club?” So I did that for a bit, but then I went on tour with Ed Byrne and he said, “What you doing that for? I want the metaphysical stuff!” So I went back to doing that. I still compere and do stand-up sometimes, but I’ve had a rest for a while.

Was it a struggle getting JTT off the ground?

You must have had some breaks...

There was a night that Phil Kaye did in 1995. He’d cancelled on me in 1994, in the third week of the club, to film an eclipse in South America for the BBC. I managed to get his personal phone number, so I rang him and said, “Hello, it’s Darrell. You cancelled on me, I’ve been told that if I rang, you’d come and do it.” “Oh yeah, sorry about that. How much were you paying me?” He was originally booked for around £700, so I went, “Pfft, £300…” It was the first night that probably sold out. I gave him more money than I said I would but he got me out of debt.

Jo Brand was the first celebrity I got. It was my first year at Edinburgh, I was drunk and saw her sitting on the floor. I went up and said, “You don’t know me, my name’s Darrell and I run a shitty little club in Nottingham. Do you want to do it?” She went, “Yeah, I’ll do that.” She only charged me £200 and she was massive at the time. She’s a very generous woman, she didn’t have to.

Do you find that most comedians are pretty decent then?

Most of them are, yeah. They’ll come back and do your club as a favour, it won’t be greedy because without clubs like Just The Tonic they wouldn’t have anywhere to start. So they need to keep that going. It’s becoming harder because agents are putting them into theatres.

And arenas…

People just go so they can say they’ve been. If you’ve not been to a live stand-up gig then you don’t know what you’re missing. If you come to JTT, you’ll see someone years before they’re at the Arena. Although there was a time when I paid John Bishop £150 for a Sunday night and within eighteen months he was on at the Arena. It can be that quick.

JTT has moved around a bit. Do you miss your old haunts?

I miss The Old Vic. It was very down to earth, it was dirty, everyone was on stools. You could do what you wanted.

I’ve had three attempts at trying to get the lease on that place but they wanted too much money for it. They were really nice at The Approach but when Jongleurs reopened in town, I had to react and go into a big weekend club or I’d be swallowed up. I got bullied into the mainstream.

You’re a staple at Edinburgh, how long have you been going?

Since about 1995. The first couple of years I was handing out fliers and tech-ing, but then I was taken up as a compere for The

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Big Value shows. I then got asked to produce them. The owner went and did a runner about two years after that and the new owners were so incapable of doing anything I said, “I’m not going to show up unless you let me run the venue.” I had also bought all of the equipment off the people that had done a runner, so they didn’t really have an option.

You’ve got four venues and thirteen performance spaces this year. That must be one hell of a task to organise…

120 shows a day. It’s mental isn’t it?

If you ever sit back and think about it, do you start panicking?

I’m in a moment of panic all the time before it.

About four or five years ago when we first took on the caves, a lad called Shaun – he does nights at The Gladstone, and the Lincoln Comedy Festival – and our full-timer Joe were sitting in the office the day before it launched, and we were pissing around. I said, “It feels like we should be doing something a bit more important than this…” The next day it went absolutely mental and we were running around. Brilliant.

Do you get to see any comedy while you’re there?

Every year I think, “Right, this is the year that I’m going to go see loads of stuff.” And every year I don’t. If I were to see every show in our venues, it would take me twelve days.

Why do you put yourself through it every year?

Originally, because I love stand-up comedy and was able to produce shows cheaper than the bigger venues were. Now the Fringe has come along and it’s changed a bit. One of the reasons that I keep getting bigger is because if you put all your eggs in one basket and someone takes the basket away, you’re knackered.

And, the bigger you are, the better acts you can pull in. If I look back at the last ten years, I can see all these shows that I’ve taken up to Edinburgh, allowed them to do it cheaply and get themselves an established name, and the big venues just come along and nick ‘em. I want to bring people through from the beginning and stay with me until they’re in a 500 seater venue.

We’re a lot more easy-going on the acts, the tickets and things like that. We don’t set ticket prices, we don’t rip people off.

Are you getting harder to impress?

It might have worked the other way. I used to judge it by how much I laughed, but that has led to a few mistakes. Now I can watch someone and even if people aren’t laughing, I can see why they’re funny and just because the people in that room don’t laugh, it doesn’t mean it’s not funny, it just means that this audience doesn’t get it. I don’t sit there and laugh out loud as much as I used to, because I know I’ll sit there and kind of go, “Oh, alright, I can see what he did there… He could have topped it with that…”

Have you ever had anyone completely die on their arse on your stage?

One bank holiday weekend gig, one of the acts cancelled and all I could get was a bloke who I’d seen in London. He was awful but he was the only person I could get. He came on and people started shouting and heckling. I went round asking them to stop but they said, “But he’s shit!” So I just stood back and watched the room go absolutely mental. The guy just carried on regardless, he was so used to that abuse. His set came to an end and I just hid out of the way. When I came out there were a few regulars left and everyone was laughing their heads off. I apologised, but they said, “Nah, best night in ages.” They hadn’t had anyone so bad before, the whole room was unified in hatred for the bloke, they loved it.

Anything else you’d like to say o our readers?

Get on a train to Edinburgh - it is amazing. It’s like no other festival; it’s a whole city and every bar that has a back room or a cupboard is a performance space. With about 3,000 shows a day, it’s bewildering. There’s loads of free shows and it is the biggest arts festival in the world. There isn’t any reason to have not gone to it because it lasts for three and a half weeks. Apart from that, go to Just The Tonic - Nottingham’s own comedy club, not an imposter from Birmingham.

Just The Tonic might be taking over Edinburgh Festival, but business at home continues with their regular Saturday shows at The Forum throughout August.

The Just The Tonic Twentieth Birthday Bash with Johnny Vegas, Paul Foot and more, Royal Centre, Saturday 4 October, 7.30pm, £15/£17. justthetonic.com

interview: Ali Emm photo: David Baird

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Free Entry

Carol Rama & Danh Võ 19 July — 28 September

Weekday Cross Nottingham NG1 2GB 0115 948 9750 www.nottinghamcontemporary.org Open Tue – Sun & Bank Holiday Mondays

Danh Võ, Good Life, 2007. Installation (detail) ‘‘Boy By the River’’ Vinh Long, 1966 Courtesy the artist, Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin Photographer: Nick Ash

‘TIS NOBLE IN THE MIND If you like your comedy a bit surreal and not at all structured, Ross Noble is your man. Not only is he currently on the box with a TV show controlled by Twitter, he’s about to tour the country with his new stand-up show, Tangentleman. With him gracing two Nottingham stages in the coming months, we thought it’d be rude not to have a chat...

What have you been up to today?

I’ve been out in the woods riding a child’s bike. Then I came in and had a chat about my driveway which needs sorting out.

Then I had some chicken, got on my motorbike and came into London. That was my entire agenda for today.

interview: Penny Reeve illustration: Jamie Gibson

Sounds fun. Tell us about your TV show, Freewheeling…

It’s a TV show without a plan or a format. People tweet me ideas to take part in something and if the idea is a good one, I go and film it. I make the show up as I go along. If I need anymore help as I’m continuing along my route then I just tweet out and people join me. I once spent a week in Northampton. Someone said “Northampton’s shit, don’t come here.” So I had to find out whether it was shit or not.

How about the best?

I once had two little kids in Edinburgh, they were about ten and six, and they were just talking about how they had a pet lion and he was a nuclear lion that lived in the ground. That was just great because there was just so much to play with. I suppose that wasn’t so much of a heckle, a heckle implies interrupting a show and I just like to get into conversations with people so it just ends up where it ends up.

Was it?

You’ll have to watch to find out.

I love that people put presents on the stage for you.

I’m glad you like that because there’s some nights when there’s that much stuff on the stage, I worry that people are just watching me tidy up. People sometimes leave gifts and I’ll just go, “Why would you think that this was something worth giving me?” And then other times you’ll have things like bowling pins that someone has drawn faces on… There was one gift that was a collage of John Bentley from the Gadget Show, that really made me laugh.

What’s been your favourite Freewheeling moment so far?

It changes day to day. I ended up on the set of a movie because somebody tweeted me that they were making a film in a castle. The next thing you know I was in full costume with a sword, shield and a big scar on my face, beating up a monk in a fifteenth century abbey.

You’re known for going off on tangents.

Do you just jot some stuff down on some paper beforehand and then go for it?

That might be a bit of an exaggeration.

The great thing about stand-up is that you can make it whatever you want it to be. I really admire people that can write two hours of one liners or whatever but, for me, I think stand-up is best when you’re watching somebody play, so that’s what I try and do.

You obviously use Twitter a lot. Have you reached saturation point yet?

What I find slightly frustrating is when you say something which is clearly a joke that people have to work out for themselves and then you get tweeted back with, “Well, what about this” and you have to reply, “Well, that’s the joke.” It would be good if they added a feature a bit like on QI when you give the obvious answer and the buzzer goes off.

Maybe Twitter could set it so that it disables their phone for a week.

Is that tempered when you release your DVDs? You have loads of extras on there so they’re slightly more structured?

That’s why I put so many extras on. If you just release an hour long show people come away from watching the DVD and think that’s the entire show. That’s where I kind of look at it and think, “Is that a reflection of what I actually do?”

So I tend to put multiple shows on as I want people to get a bit of everything.

You’ve not Freewheeled in Nottingham as yet, have you?

No - we do go to Leicester, though.

Oh no. Don’t tell us that...

Well, we haven’t had a tweet that’s taken us to Nottingham yet. It’s all on the cards.

People keep tweeting me asking when I’m going to such and such a place and I go, “I don’t know, that’s the point of the show.” So tweet me and if it’s something I like the sound of, I’ll come.

Who’s your all time favourite comedian?

Oh blimey... I don’t really have one.

When I was a kid, I really loved Frankie Howard and all the folk club guys like Mike Harding, Jasper Carrot and Billy Connolly.

Nowadays I really like American comics. I absolutely love Stephen Wright, he’s phenomenal. He does all monotone one-liners and it’s the furthest away from what I do, as you can imagine. But equally I really like people like Jonathan Winters and Robin Williams, who are closer to what I do.

You’re a snooker fan, we could get Michael Holt and Anthony Hamilton in and you can play snooker with eels or something.

Yeah, I’ll do it, if you can organise that. If somebody says go and get a pair of shoes because Northampton is where shoes are made, you can’t just go, “Okay, I’ll do that then.” But if somebody says, “We make shoes, come and make shoes” then that’s brilliant because it’s an invitation rather than a suggestion.

How about a mushy pea fight in the Market Square?

Yes, but only if someone told me they had a mushy pea factory and offered us a load of mushy peas.

We’ll have to get our creative juices flowing and think of something.

Excellent.

Despite not visiting us for TV, Nottingham seems to be a staple on your stand-up route. Is there a reason you love us so much?

For years I used to come up and play Just the Tonic and I still come up whenever I can. JTT is a really well run club. I do the odd kind of secret, unannounced gig if I’m about to go on tour or whatever. I used to perform and compere there quite a bit, it’s partly to do with the Nottingham audiences and partly the club itself, but I always have a really good time. There’s a real die hard comedy scene in Nottingham and a lot of top comedy fans who just appreciate something a bit different. Plus there’s a Nando’s within walking distance.

Speaking of big tours, you always have really elaborate sets and outfits. Most comedians don’t tend to do that.

You make me sound like Kylie! A few years ago I started using a radio mic instead of a hand-held mic so I could be a bit more physical on stage. It’s sort of become the norm now, but a few years ago the idea of not having a microphone in a stand was unheard of. It’s about making the effort. My live show is just

Or you’re up against the noise of a fruit machine or a pinball machine. I played a place in Australia called Mount Isaac, a mining town that is operational 24 hours a day, and during the show they were blasting mines, so you could hear these enormous explosions that rocked the room and could see dust coming down from the light fittings.

about what’s The next thing you know going on in my head, really. I I was in full costume think it’s quite with a sword, shield and a nice to have a massive set and big scar on my face, be watching beating up a monk in a some sort of grand theatrical fifteenth century abbey. thing, even if what’s in front of it is just someone talking bollocks.

What’s the worst heckle you’ve ever had?

It isn’t really things people say. If people shout stuff out, you can work with that. The worst is like a gig in a pub where half the pub is there to see you but the other half didn’t know the show was on, so you have a load of people just chatting.

Who do you like working with?

Sarah Milligan, I did QI with her recently.

Noel Fielding. Bob Mortimer was on the first series of Freewheeling and that was one of the most joyous bits of telly I’ve ever done, he was just hilarious. I like people who are quick; Lee Mac, Johnny Vegas and Frank Skinner are all very quick-witted and I like when you can just throw something out there and they can pick it up and run with it. Paul Merton, obviously. I really enjoy Sean Lock as well. I don’t really do 8 out of 10 Cats, so I don’t get to work with him quite as much as I’d like. Really, if I’d like to work with him more I could just go on 8 out of 10 Cats more, couldn’t I? But I’m not going to, so I take back that last statement.

You’ve done TV, radio, film and stand-up. You’re a bit of a media mogul, so what does the future bring? Are you going to just stay around the house now you’re a dad?

Well I’m about to go on tour for eight months, so no is the answer. Stand-up is my first love and everything else is just for a laugh really.

How about film?

I’d love to do another film. But I’m not just going to do something for the sake of it, it’s got to be something I’m passionate about. In the meantime I’ll just dick about on stage.

Just The Tonic Host, The Forum, Saturday 16 August, £13.99; Tangentleman, Royal Concert Hall, Wednesday 8 October, £25.

Freewheeling is shown on Dave. rossnoble.co.uk leftlion.co.uk/issue60

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Random Accessibility Memories words: Paul Klotschkow illustrations: Raph Achache

Rob Maddison leads Spaceships Are Cool, drums for electro-funksters Yunioshi, and has a new musical project in the shape of Revenge of Calculon. A longtime performer and gig goer, he’s also been in a wheelchair since 2007.

With Nottingham often being touted as having one of the UK’s best live music scenes, and with over eleven million registered disabled people in the country, we spoke to him about the accessibility of local venues and if there’s anything else that can be done to improve them...

The first gig that Rob played as a wheelchair user was drumming for Yunioshi at The Maze. “I went in around the back, they’ve got a disabled toilet and the stage is about a foot off the ground - it made me realise that I could do this. If my first one had been more difficult it might have put me off a little bit, it was a good confidence booster.” This was just six months after he became ill, but having a show to play proved to be good rehabilitation for him, “I had to relearn how to play the drums.

I had to develop a whole new technique that involved a lot of intensive training.”

After subsequently attending a handful of smaller shows that were mainly held in cafés and bars, the first ‘proper venue’ he attended as a gig-goer was the Rescue Rooms. Rob explains, “They were brilliant, but you can be put off because as a nonwheelchair user, you might think that it’s all just steps to get in. There was no access information online and I didn’t know anyone in a wheelchair at that point, so it did feel off-putting.”

Despite his reservations, the experience proved to be better than anticipated, “They have access around the back, disabled toilets, they even have raised bits at the side that wheelchair users can use as viewing platforms, and the staff were brilliant.”

Even if that turned out to be a relatively straightforward experience, it did take him a while to pluck-up the courage to go to shows regularly again; and you may or may not be surprised to learn that other gig-goers can be a bit of a nuisance too. “It took me a long time to have the confidence to go to gigs just by myself because it’s always nice to have a chaperone to act as your ‘blocker’ and to stop someone spilling beer over your head.

You just gradually build up confidence, though. If there was more information online, that would be good, but 99.9% of the time the staff at venues have really gone out of their way and made sure someone’s on hand in case of any problems.”

Aside from having helpful, understanding staff, what else can music venues do to make themselves more accessible? In Rob’s opinion they don’t actually need to do that much and, crucially for many venue owners, they don’t even need to spend that much money to improve gig going for millions of people. “It is never a case of wilful neglect. A lot of the time venues don’t realise it can be the simplest things that make a difference. For example, if you have two steps leading inside, a little portable ramp costs about £200 and you can get any wheelchair user in safely. Another good step is reserving a little space inside the venue where you aren’t going to get crushed. But until someone goes to talk to them it can be impossible for the venues to even be aware.” He thinks part of the reason why they may seem reluctant to make changes is down to fear surrounding the Disability Discriminations Act (2006), “If the venues can’t do something that is so perfect, and are only part-accessible, they worry that someone is going to come along and read the riot act or take them to court.”

Even though many venues do not publicly state that they are accessible, in Rob’s experience of touring and attending shows he has found that many of them actually are, including our very own Rock City. “I only went recently for the first time as a wheelchair user. There was no information online, and the person I spoke to at the box office was unsure - the request probably doesn’t happen that often. When I got there I spoke to the bouncers who told me to go around the back to the loading bay where there are about six steps that they said they’d carry me up and I’d then be straight in to the main venue. They’d do this fifteen minutes before doors opened and let me choose my spot inside, I could even go stage-side of the crash barrier if I wanted. Eventually they lifted me up on to a raised platform that they had cordoned-off to stash gear on. It meant I was there all night, but I was safe.”

Even though Rock City may have been a positive experience, Nottingham can still be hit and miss when it comes to the accessibility of its music venues, especially as a wheelchair user. “The Maze is good, Rescue Rooms is brilliant, the only drawback is that they have two steps to get to them so you need someone to lift you up. I’m fairly confident so I don’t mind asking strangers to help, but if you are not confident and by yourself you will probably have to stay at the back or get squashed down

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the front. Nottingham Contemporary is as good as you are ever going to get.”

As for the less accessible venues, Rob is aware that buildings come with limitations, “The Bodega is tricky as it’s upstairs, architecturally it would be very difficult for them to do something like put a lift in; it might be doable, but for the very few people who might use it, it wouldn’t make financial sense.

However, the staff are great and will get you in early, there’s a ramp to the downstairs bar, there are wide stairs and a raised bit upstairs where you can go if you don’t want to get crushed.

The Chameleon, however, is impossible. I have played there a few times and even though my bandmates have a pretty good procedure, it is dangerous for me and the people carrying me, the stairs are very steep and rickety. Structurally it would be impossible for them to make any changes, which is a shame even though it’s a little bit ‘spit and sawdust’, there are so many great gigs there. The Navigation is the same, the steps to the room at the top are very steep and narrow. With wide stairs you can have more people carrying you and it’s much safer.”

Rob is keen to stress the need for venues to advertise what their accessibility is and just how important doing this can be. “It would be good to know if venues have a policy, and if they do, it would be good to have an explanation online. For instance, if I’m upstairs in The Bodega, what is their evacuation procedure?

I can’t just throw myself down the stairs. Is the fire exit wide enough? Is there an evacuation chair, or if I stay in a certain bit long enough, will I be collected? Things like that are pretty simple, but it’s knowing about it. As an incentive to the venue and promoters, it is worth money to publicise this - the ‘disabled dollar’ as it were.”

One organisation who are attempting to make sure that this information is publicly available is Attitude is Everything, a charity that Rob helps out from time to time. They work in partnership with audiences, artists and the music industry to improve deaf and disabled people’s access to live music. You know those viewing platforms you see at festivals such as Leeds and Glastonbury? It was them who introduced those. We asked Suzanne Bull MBE, their Chief Executive, what could be done to improve access to live music events. “We understand that larger venues and festivals have access to bigger resources. However, Attitude is Everything works with smaller, independent music venues and festivals, and helps them find a variety of free or very low cost solutions. For example, we have encouraged small festivals to provide barriered viewing areas at the front of the audience in lieu of a platform, welltrained stewards to assist deaf and disabled customers to get through the crowd to the front and interchangeable Personal Assistant lanyards so that disabled customers can sit with different friends throughout a festival.”

She goes on to explain that improving access does not necessarily mean making expensive building modifications. “The majority of barriers can be overcome by better staff training and implementing accessible policies - such as online ticketing, free access for Personal Assistants, and providing adequate information in advance of an event. Of the 11m disabled people in the UK, only 8% are wheelchair users.”

Something venues and festivals can do to publicise how accessible they are is to sign up to Attitude is Everything’s Charter of Best Practice, which ninety-odd venues and festivals have already done. The ethos of the charter is that deaf and disabled people should be as independent as they want to be at live music events. The charter aims to support venues and music events to create a realistic action plan. It’s a bespoke service offered exclusively to the live music industry and there are three tiers - Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Are any venues in Nottingham signed up to the Charter? “Capital FM Nottingham Arena are signed to the Gold Level and Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Nottingham are signed to the Bronze Level.

We are actively seeking Nottingham festivals to sign up to the Charter.

We have even launched a new version for Local Authorities, aimed at their arts event teams so, in effect, Nottingham could sign up as a Local Authority to the Charter.”

Accessibility isn’t only an issue for gig-goers though, what about some of the barriers disabled musicians face? Going back to my conversation with Rob, “I used to rehearse at Magnet and they have a lot of stairs, so you worry what you’d do if there was a fire. I now rehearse at the Octave Rooms as it’s all flat and completely easy to get into. They don’t have an accessible toilet, but that’s part-and-parcel of things and the owner always helps with gear.” Rob thinks that the reason why many disabled musicians do not tour is down to a lack of confidence, “If you are on tour, depending on personal ability, you have got to find an accessible place to stay, reasonable transport, you have got to know that you can get into the venue or there are staff to help.

For example, The Bodega is quite awkward because you have to be man handled on to the stage, whereas the Contemporary are brilliant because it’s a temporary stage that they can tailor to your needs. That’s why festivals don’t have any excuse because they purpose-build the stages.”

It’s not just the responsibility of venues and promoters to improve the gig going experience for disabled people. Other audience members need to be more thoughtful and do their bit too. So take note. “There can be a lot of condescending attitudes from other gig goers. There is always someone who would rather

talk to your PA rather than you. At the same time people can be unsure of the etiquette. Sometimes people crouch down to talk to me, but personally I don’t like that because it draws attention to the whole thing, although they are only being polite.” He believes that this comes down to a wider disability awareness issue.

“Basically, we just want to be treated like anybody else.

Sometimes we need help and it’s nice to have it offered, because you don’t always have the confidence to ask a complete stranger and tell them exactly what you want. I have been dropped by people because I forgot to tell them specific instructions. It’s not their fault, it’s just that I haven’t told them what I need.”

Finally, how does he think Nottingham is doing in terms of its accessibility to live music? “Nottingham as a whole is brilliant.

It’s got a lot of structural problems and some awareness problems, but it is getting better, the staff in the venues are so good, particularly door staff. If you can be put on the Attitude is Everything charter, which disabled people look at, that is an extra punter through your doors.” #MusicWithoutBarriers is a campaign for equal access, to raise awareness of the barriers that deaf and disabled people are currently facing, to change the perceptions of disability and highlight the support for making gigs accessible.

Revenge of Calculon with I Am Lono and 8mm Orchestra, Nottingham Contemporary, Saturday 23 August 2014. attitudeiseverything.org.uk

We spoke to DHP - who run Rock City, Rescue Rooms, Stealth and The Bodega about their views and policies...

What do you do to help customers with physical disabilities?

It’s fair to say that we always want our venues, concerts and festivals to be open to as wide a range of people as possible. We realise that sometimes physical venue constraints, staff training and the state of development in technology can restrict this – and we are reviewing what we can do to improve our provision. We are using initiatives like Attitude is Everything and industry bodies such as STAR and the CPA to help in that aim. We provide free carer tickets for those people who require the assistance of a carer in order to attend the event and get around the venue. We also give physical assistance to people with mobility problems if needed - as far as is possible. There are disabled toilets in all our venues – except for The Bodega, where we have no available space to add one, unfortunately.

Is there a reason why you don’t have accessibility information on your venues’ websites?

It’s just an area we’ve been a bit slow in getting together, we are actually in the process of reviewing both information on our websites about access and the ticketing process to improve it for customers with disabilities.

Have you ever thought about adding ramps or lifts to any of your venues so that wheelchair users don't have to use back entrances?

Some of our venues are too small for the physical changes needed for unassisted wheelchair access without significantly affecting the venue’s economic viability.

This is because lifts or ramps would impact fire routes or floor space and this would reduce capacity significantly. There are some venues, Rock City in particular, where we believe we can make wheelchair access much better and that is something we are going to start working on soon. In the meantime, we do whatever we can to make the venues accessible to wheelchair users.

Do you train your venue staff in how to deal with disabled customers?

We ensure our managers are aware of their responsibility to disabled customers and train their staff both in regard to equality issues and offering the best service possible to customers with physical disabilities. We are supported in this by the security company at our venues, as it is often these staff who have to provide the manual assistance.

interview: Scott Oliver photo: Simon Parfrement

When Beane isn’t shovelling down doner in the name of his LeftLion kebab consumer advice column, he teams up with Wrighty for Soul Buggin’, Nottingham’s premier disco and soul night. As it turns ten, the boys reminisce on how it all started, their favourite guest DJs and the punters who got a bit too into the groove on the dancefloor...

Congratulations on the forthcoming tenth birthday: a long time in disco years. How did Soul Buggin’ get there?

Beane: It kinda grew organically. It started off as a bar session on a Friday night, moved around a fair bit through The Loft, The Old Angel, Snug and Bar Humbug. Then it started to gestate as a party.

Wrighty: Dave Kenny, who ran Moog, asked us if we fancied coming and doing a once-a-month thing there as Soul Buggin’.

That’s the first time we had a proper home and it started to become what it is today. I suppose the other defining moment was getting Domu to play.

Was Soul Buggin’ born of a gap in the Nottingham club scene that needed filling?

Wrighty: I’d been putting on nights for years, DJing for a very long time, and I found myself playing music I was bored of: the same 150 records, over and over again. I needed a night where I could play what I wanted. Luckily, people are happy to hear what we want to play, but even if they weren’t we’d be playing to two men and a dog in some small bar somewhere.

Beane: There was a night called Basement Boogaloo that had a great run of parties and I was genuinely gutted when they stopped. It left a massive vacuum, not just in our lives but in the city. There was no other night that played that sort of disco and house…

Wrighty: And soul and boogie. I know we call ourselves a disco night: it’s a disco, but we don’t like shiny. It’s the Kerri Chandler thing: a red light, a basement, and a soundsystem.

Beane: I see Soul Buggin’ as just another jigsaw piece in a long line of club nights that go back to Paradise Garage in New York and Electric Chair in Manchester. They may have gone but their spirit lives on.

Did getting ‘name’ DJs and charging entry create extra pressure?

Wrighty: The first night we charged, we knew we weren’t going to make money. But what we lost in money we thought we might gain back in terms of people’s loyalty.

Beane: The attitude is that it’s a party. It isn’t our livelihood.

Some nights around town might pretend that they’re a party, but they’re run off a spreadsheet. That’s their livelihoods.

Wrighty: The funny thing is that when we started charging people, our regulars, many of whom are our mates, said they’d happily pay more. That gave us a bit of leeway to get bigger names in – knowing that people will do that if it’s something special.

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The list of leftfield spinners is pretty impressive: Dego, Recloose, Andy Weatherall, Ashley Beedle, Maurice Fulton.

Do you have a wishlist of DJs you’d like to book?

Wrighty: If there were no barriers at all, Larry Levan. But we can’t because he’s dead.

Beane: We’d love KDJ or Theo Parrish, but we can’t because of the size of the party.

Wrighty: I’m not averse to trying to wing it, though, “Will you do it for sod-all money?” They can only say no, can’t they?

You’re currently at The Bodega. Any plans to go to a bigger venue?

Wrighty: We’re happy, it’s a good venue. Intimate. They’re really good to us. The sound system’s excellent and we get posters in places we’d never get without them. But we don’t know. Things change.

Beane: We’re looking at doing four or five parties a year now.

Some of our core audience are getting a bit older and have kids, so they’ll still come down, but not every month. Bodega has something on all the time, so you get people going “Oh, what’s this?” and popping in.

Who’s the edgiest DJ you’ve had?

Beane: Probably Andy Weatherall. It was veering on techno a lot of the time. I went to him at the end of the night and said I enjoyed it. He said, “I like to think it was soft enough for a lady, hard enough for a gentleman.”

Wrighty: Lucy Lockett just played old original disco 12”s. It wasn’t particularly edgy, but where else could you hear that in Nottingham? Dego played loads of nu-broken beat acetates, not even mastered. But none of it’s ‘edgy’ because it all sort of fits in with our weirdness. It’s a disco night, not a revival night. We want to play new stuff.

Beane: When we book DJs they often ask what we want them to play. We just say: do your thing. I don’t like hearing one style of music all night. One of the good things with Soul Buggin’ is that, even if you don’t like the tune that’s on, there’s always a good tune round the corner.

Which was your favourite guest DJ set?

Wrighty: Next you’ll ask me who my favourite child is!

Beane: If you held a gun to my head, Domu and Joey Negro.

Wrighty: If I had to pick two, I’d say Phil Asher’s first set at Moog and Ashley Beedle’s. He played all over the place.

And your favourite Nottingham-based guest DJ? Wrighty: We liked Red Rack’em, but he’s Berlin-based now so doesn’t count. So, probably Crazy P and Osborne.

When you guest DJ as Soul Buggin’ for other nights, do you have any outrageous rider demands?

Beane: I’m happy with a kebab, really.

Wrighty: I have a ‘back, sack and crack’ wax.

Most unusual moves on the Soul Buggin’ dancefloor?

Beane: There was a guy who fell off a stage once and knocked himself out. And a three-way sex act in a corner of Bodega by the sound booth. That could be a compliment or a diss: either they’re not really into it, or they’re really into it.

Do you like to party at your party?

Wrighty: I can’t go too mental because I’ve got kids, but it’s not tea at the vicarage.

Beane: When you put in what we put in – people think it’s just one night a month. It’s not. It’s traipsing round the streets in the rain, postering. It’s worrying about money. So when it comes to it, we’re gonna let our hair down and go for it.

What, ten years ago, would you have hoped that Soul Buggin’ would be like now?

Wrighty: I didn’t. I couldn’t even begin to dream that we’d do a lot of the stuff we’ve done. There was a moment when Andy Weatherall was playing when we looked out onto the dancefloor and just said, “Yes!” Beane: My only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner. I had my sensible head on at the time. When Domu and Benji B came down I could see what it could be like. When we started at Moog we’d have five people in there sometimes, but three years later it’d be 180, 200 people every month.

Wrighty: If you grow something too quickly, it dies. If you build up organically, you create a base of people.

What is it that tells you whether it’s been a successful party or not?

Beane: You’ve got to be a bit masochistic to put on a night: there’s stress, work outside normal hours, financial risk. But when it all comes together, seeing people lose it to weird records, you get this tingle. That’s better than any drug.

Wrighty: It’s a feeling. It’s just this warmth you get. You look back at the night and smile. That’s what keeps us going.

Soul Buggin’ Tenth Birthday party, The Bodega, Saturday 27 September, 11pm - 4am. soulbuggin.blogspot.co.uk

A bunch of mates united by musical taste and political outlook, DiY were the UK's first bona fide house soundsystem and an inspiration for a generation of Notts-based producers. As they prepare to celebrate their 25th birthday, we reflect on the path beaten out in the quest to throw parties out in the freedom of the fields...

Let’s get one thing straight from the outset: pleasure is a political act. The Beastie Boys told us that we gotta fight for our right to party, while that even more eminent American thinker, and anarchist Emma Goldman, warned her starchier comrades, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to join your revolution.” Social transformation was predicated on psychic transformation – on love, not shuffling the same sombre instruments of power.

You need to do away with the instruments themselves, among which is Big Brother telling you how to enjoy yourself and what you can do with your body. The powers-that-be won’t be done with you until they’ve entirely regulated your pleasures, invaded your most intimate thoughts, made your desires coincide with the requirements of the social order through capturing your imagination. Roll up, roll up: get your pleasure here. “Ah, so that’s what I wanted! X Factor, I’m a Celebrity, Strictly Come Dancing…” But others want to dance – and to dissent – to a very different beat.

Now that we’ve ironed that out, much of the rest here is getting bent: rules, minds, whatever.

It may sound far-fetched and faintly absurd today to claim that dancing to house music in a field on ecstasy – really good house, really good E – is a revolutionary act, particularly when revolution is narrowly understood as the overthrow of government and seizure of the state. Yet judged by the reaction of the establishment alone, such escapades suddenly appear a threat – a threat to the spoonfed pleasures of an anodyne, commodified cultural space and the docility and conformity they foster. Indeed, Thatcher’s government knew that socalled ‘mindless’ escapism was anything but, and by the late eighties, while decimating British industry and the Welfare State stripping back civic life to the bare-bones, had set itself to weeding out from the social body these unregulated desires and lifestyles.

Out of these culture wars emerged Nottingham’s DiY collective – soundsystem, record label, free party pioneers and more - who, by 1997, after throwing an impromptu shindig under the railway arches opposite the Haçienda during Anthony H Wilson’s In the City music festival and conference, were described as “culturally, the most dangerous people in the UK.” Why? Because it was anti-accumulation: culture for joy, not profit.

One of DiY’s founders, Harry, outlines the original ethos, “We were very anti-Thatcher and anti-capitalist, but in a nontraditional way. We thought conventional politics had run its course and that only by confronting the status quo in new ways could we make a difference. We believed in the unspoken ideology of liberation through fun. Still do.”

promoters and DJs receive the same fee, while dress codes and door policy were eschewed. “We always saw music as being a way to break down barriers both socially and politically,” says Pete ‘Woosh’, a stalwart DiY spinner.

The core DJs soundtracking those parties – Simon DK, Jack, Digs and Woosh, Emma, Pez, Pip and others: the more the merrier – took their funk-fuelled utopianism across Britain, hosting sweaty, groove-filled nights near and far. They made frequent jaunts to Europe, regularly played the legendary Café del Mar and Space Terrace in Ibiza, threw full-moon parties in Thailand and half-moon parties on Californian beaches, as well as inspiring a generation of now world-renowned house producers in Dallas.

The early years certainly felt like Robin Hood – ignoring the law, fighting the authorities, dancing across the UK and disappearing in the dawn – how could it not.”

Not that there was any masterplan, Harry affirms, “We had no big plan in the early days, but we did know what we didn’t want to be. Our only concrete goal was to put on the best parties in human history and we like to think that, on occasion, we came pretty close.” In the pursuit of that goal, it would be outdoors where the real alchemy took place… Increasingly disillusioned by the ever-more commercial acid house parties and Orbital raves, DiY moseyed down to Glastonbury’s now-defunct adjoining Free Festival in 1990, where they hooked up with a group of enlightened travellers. It was serendipity. Over three days of revelry that ended with Happy Mondays’ Bez dancing next to a pony in little more than yellow wellies, a symbiosis germinated.

By eluding the clutches of those aforementioned instruments of power – the work regime, the rent regime, identity defined by possessions, and so forth – the travellers had become increasingly vilified in the right-wing tabloids, a modern ‘folkdevil’ to stir the curtain-twitching fears of Middle England.

For the DiY crew, however, these communities were not only kindred spirits; they were of practical help in spreading the magic inscribed on those 12” discs. They provided marquees, generators, and knowledge of the countryside. DiY brought the Technics and the tunes. The politics, stimulants, and attitude were mutual. It was a marriage made near Devon.

The chunkeh, funkeh and a little bit punkeh sounds of the DiY crew were soon wobbling dancefloors at many of Nottingham’s seminal nightspots: the nomadic Bounce visited Venus, Dance Factory, Rockadero’s and Deluxe; Doghouse all-nighters rocked the fabled Marcus Garvey Centre; laid back Tuesday nights bubbled away at The Cookie Club under the Serve Chilled moniker; and later the Floppy Disco nights rumbled at The Bomb.

The collectivism and inclusivity saw sound and light engineers,

The risks were everywhere, remembers Harry, “Apart from the risk to our collective sanity, many crew members were busted for this and that; we had to borrow money to buy Black Box, our sound system, which was never completely paid back; and we were robbed several times: amps, decks, mixers.” When Simon DK was in the dock at Salisbury Crown Court for “providing unlicensed entertainment,” the crew carved “DiY are innocent” into the public gallery as the case collapsed, cheering as they left.

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The beauty of dancing at dawn in a field was the humble essence of it all, and so the aim of those heady first forays was simple, explains Harry “To take club music to the fields and the attitude of the fields to the clubs.” And perhaps there was a sprinkling of Notts down there in Druid country, too: “The early years certainly felt like Robin Hood – ignoring the law, fighting the authorities, dancing across the UK and disappearing in the dawn – how could it not?”

Back home, a recording studio was established at the Square Centre on Alfred Street North, where sat the DiY Discs label that bumped or nudged the careers of many globally respected artists – Nail, Atjazz, Charles Webster, Schmoov!, Rhythm Plate – along with its downtempo offshoot, Strictly 4 Groovers. Duly catalysed, Nottingham enjoyed a decade at the top table of the mushrooming electronic music scene, becoming a byword for quality underground deep house in the way that Detroit, New York, and Berlin had or would for techno, garage, and minimal.

DiY came bouncing into the world on 23 November 1989 with a night at Nottingham’s Garage club, where they had been seduced by resident DJ Graham Park, a crucial conduit for the strange new sexuo-kinetic voodoo called house music wafting over the Atlantic. The fledgling collective soon decided they wanted to do it themselves, and threw their own small-scale parties, albeit with a full rig, while hinting at the their rebelliously hedonistic intent by slipping into disused warehouses to throw down the lowdown to a burgeoning clan of followers.

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It would be difficult to overstate the revolutionary intoxication of those days, a convergence of music, politics, drugs and culture akin, perhaps, to San Francisco in 1967. The transcendence of the music combined with the empathic qualities of the drug seemed to prefigure new social relations – and escapism is useless unless something of what you’re escaping becomes unravelled, like a (social) fabric being caught on your zipper as you run off into the sunset. Psychic transformation, social transformation: one and the same struggle. The ego-melting epiphany facilitated by ecstasy was replicated in DiY’s ego-fusing organisation, its ‘micropolitics,’ with requests for individual interviews and press shots refused in the name of the collective.

Of course, the spirit of adventure was equally palpable for the revellers. With no mobile phones, internet or GPS to steer you to the secret locations, your night began as a magical mystery tour. You had to make an effort, hook into the jungle telegraph, maybe phone the pirate station, Rave FM. It was cat and mouse, recalls Jack: “The rumour would go round, ‘Derbyshire police have run out of budget and won’t be able to switch any parties off. So we’re pretty much good until whenever.’ It was hearsay, but there was the sense that they were trying to play catch up with you, and you were trying to stay one step ahead of them.” But it wouldn’t

words: Scott Oliver Photos: DiY

be long before the tentacles of power caught up.

The Castlemoreton Festival of May 1992 was both the highwatermark – “our generation’s Woodstock” according to Digs – and the death-knell of this counter-cultural moment. 30,000 partygoers boogying in a field in Worcestershire so alarmed the establishment that the notorious Criminal Justice Act was fast-tracked into law. At 150bpms. The so-called “anti-rave” legislation specifically targeted the “serious distress” caused by “a gathering on land in the open air of twenty or more persons (whether or not trespassers) at which amplified music is played during the night (with or without intermissions)”. Just to be clear, “music” was defined as “sounds wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats.” Tech-NO! The CJA “definitely made us more overtly political in the conventional sense”, reflects Harry. “I remember reading the draft Bill and seeing the whole section making ‘raving’ a criminal offence, among other

We had no big plan in the early days… Our only concrete goal was to put on the best parties in human history and we like to think that, on occasion, we came pretty close. systems coming together to form ‘All Systems No’ – a pressure group that raised tens of thousands of pounds to fight the Bill, run coaches to demos, print publicity, and bail people out of jail.”

Meanwhile, the record label continued to knock out slab after essential slab of killer tracks – the cream of which appeared on the seminal double mix CD, DiY: X – right up until their distributor went bankrupt, which, says Woosh, was “a proper fuckery from a business point of view. We were looking at pushing for more album projects and artist development, while turning corners on the fiscal side of things. DiY has always been about an attitude: you can kill a record label, but not an ethos or an idea.”

External blows were followed by internal problems, with less and less convivial hedonistic indulgences being pursued.

Momentum was lost and the wide-open vistas of a few years before had contracted. “It was a gradual unravelling, rather than an overnight thing” observes Jack. As some of the DiY-namism dissipated, operations were inevitably scaled back.

Beyond the discography, the high point was, and remains, the free parties: “It was ‘in the fields’ where the free principle was vital,” says Harry. “No start or finish time, no fences, no security.

No rip-off, basically, when many others were cashing in on the rave explosion and turning it to shit. We threw a New Year’s Eve party near Bath in 1992-93 and loads of pissed-off people arrived from a Fantazia do down the road for which they’d been charged £50 and wasn’t a patch on our free one, according to them.”

And the ‘free’ part of free parties was just as much political and psychological as financial, he insists: “Many of the other club owners, promoters and label owners we dealt with couldn’t understand why we didn’t charge and make a fortune. If you didn’t get it, you just didn’t get it. We did get it and so did the hundreds of thousands of people who came to our parties and festivals. The beauty and freedom of our dance floors came from the free aspect. The club nights were more of a social – there was still a great atmosphere and top music, but they could never rival the thrill and excitement of the outdoors and the vibe created by dancing under the stars.”

Thus, a dispersed yet reinvigorated DiY’s upcoming 25th birthday can be nothing other than dancing under those stars from which all life came, where the only bouncers are those being dropped on the decks, pulsating through synapses and out into that vast cosmos, nurturing dreams for better days. tinyurl.com/pmhg4f7

The cultural landscape had mutated too. Even the relatively staid world of clubbing was affected by changes to licensing laws that meant people no longer had to go dancing to stay out beyond 11pm. Later, the smoking ban altered nocturnal habits, as did the rise of social media and smart phones. It’s doubtful whether DiY could have found the same lift-off with a generation who might have found it harder to lose themselves in the moment, a moment transformed into the pretext for a Facebook status or Instagram post. The Situationists’ prediction of a society dominated by spectacle, by images, by staging rather than engaging, had crept up imperceptibly, ushered in not so much by conscious design or moral failing as by technology.

While acknowledging the paradox of greater technological connection meaning less actual, human connection, perhaps even greater conservatism among the young, Woosh nonetheless remains optimistic: “For every negative thinker, I like to think there is a positive thinker about to go out and do something different and for themselves.” And perhaps that outlook best encapsulates DiY’s cultural contribution: do it yourself.

DiY’s cultural impact on Nottingham is unquestionable, not that Woosh would trumpet it: “The legacy is not for us to say. We stuck to our guns, pushed the sound we believed in and didn’t give a fuck if people didn’t like it. This backfired at times, but that’s how we were. We were making it up as we went along.” even more outrageous sections. It would have been laughable if the Tories had not been so serious.”

So, with the busies getting busier, DiY hunkered down in the East Midlands, where they continued to throw free parties out in Derbyshire while mobilising for the right to do so. There was “a new sense of shared purpose and unity, with many different

His partner on the decks, Digs, is less reticent: “Yes we did influence a generation of youngsters. That wasn’t by design, but was implicit in our message. We use to laugh that our philosophy actually drew people away from our own parties: Breeze, Babble, Go Tropo, Departure Lounge, The Smokes – all crews inspired by us who went on to throw their own parties in Notts.”

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words: Mark Patterson photos: 1 Rob Antill / 2 Rubber Goat Films / 3 Joseph Raynor

Once a shining hope for the post-war housing crisis, and the backdrop for films such as This Is England, Control and Weekend, the Lenton Flats were slated for demolition three years ago. By late 2015 they will be but a memory. We look into why they outlasted similar housing projects and why the five tower blocks are the subject of Rubber Goat Films’ latest documentary.

Where do you start to tell the story of the Lenton tower blocks?

Is it with the woman who will miss the views? Is it with the former caretaker who found a tenant decomposing in his flat? The old man who packed his belongings into boxes and then walked out without them? Or the faeces left in the bath?

Nottingham director Sam Derby-Cooper currently has the task of moulding such stories and vignettes into a compelling narrative for a forthcoming documentary about the life and demolition of the five concrete tower blocks which have been part of the Lenton skyline since the late sixties. He and his production team at Rubber Goat Films, based at Broadway, hope to have the hourlong film Flat: the Story of the Lenton Tower Blocks completed before the end of the year.

The film follows tenants In Nottingham, as over two years as they talk about their lives elsewhere in Britain, in the flats and their the new council feelings about relocation as the towers are taken complexes replaced down floor-by-floor. By areas of slum housing November next year Sam’s stunning bird’sand were a response eye view of the top of the to a national towers, filmed using a flying mini-camera, will housing shortage. be impossible to replicate as the last of the towers will be gone, replaced by low-level flats, houses and independent living blocks. The demolition perhaps marks the end of Nottingham’s true tower block construction-era, which seems now to have been a cruel social experiment into human stress mechanisms. There are still sixties tower blocks in Clifton (occupied) and Sneinton (empty, plans to refurbish), but others of that era including Hyson Green, Basford and Balloon Wood are long gone. Although Sam’s film will at least offer an indelible record of the Lenton Flats’ passing and the lives of their tenants.

He’s been here before, having made a documentary about the Hyson Green flats that was commissioned by the Partnership Council. That film was, though, necessarily ‘rose-tinted’ and Sam wasn’t able to include the most controversial material told to him by former tenants when the camera was switched off. “It was difficult to get the ‘warts ‘n’ all’ out of the interviewees as I think the Partnership Council liked the idea it was all reminiscing and rose-tinted,” says Sam. “But, the number of times you turned the camera off, and [the former tenants] said something shocking, especially about the sexual abuse that went on at the flats’ garages, and the homeless kids that stayed down there, and a lot of sexual assaults that took place. But there’s a lot of people still living in the area who don’t really want to talk about it.” Such allegations have not been heard about the Lenton flats.

Yet with the new film being funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Sam says he has more freedom to tell a rounded story. As he says, “It seems pointless making a film about something that is a half-truth.” Even so, while he has already accrued many hours of footage, he has struggled to find a powerful story arc for Lenton.

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Expecting a tale of angry tenants fighting the powers-that-be over their forced relocation? It ain’t happening, and he wonders why. “For all those who have moved, there’s nobody who’s unhappy,” he says. “I think that’s the thing that’s difficult about the film; it’s an exploration and there’s a sense that you want everyone to be up in arms. As a filmmaker you want that drama. But it’s the last thing the tenants want to think about.

They just want to get into their new space and carry on.” He adds, “There was one old guy who’d been there since the sixties and his answers were ‘hmm’ and ‘I’m sure some people will be angry.’ All he wanted to do was read me his poems. You don’t get that working class unity and I struggle to put my finger on what that is. I don’t know if it’s they don’t know who to blame... because they blame the students and they blame the Polish and they blame this and this, but I think government is so blurred now they don’t even know what side to pick. It’s really sad to see.” However, with tenant interviews, stories from the flat demolition team, comments from Nottingham City Homes and an overview of the social policies which lay behind the towerblocks, Sam seems to be building up a compelling and visually elegant portrait of real people’s lives; a community which, like the towers themselves, will soon become history.

Former county chief archivist Chris Weir remembers when the tower blocks were new and dramatically changing the look of Nottingham’s urban landscape. Although the Hyson Green flats were completed in 1965, the first that made an impression on him was Balloon Wood in Wollaton Vale, a complex of 23 grey concrete blocks which was finished by 1970. “That was a large complex where the walks between the different blocks were given beautiful Derbyshire names like Tansley Walk, but the reality was very different,” says Chris. The five tower blocks in Lenton were built in 1967 while seventeen blocks in Basford followed in 1971. In Nottingham, as elsewhere in Britain, the new council complexes replaced areas of slum housing and were a response to a national housing shortage. “People were keen to get a flat because they had hot water and indoor toilets,” says Chris. “If you’re presented with this wonderful new building, with an indoor toilet, and you’ve got friends around you, you would want to apply to be a tenant. When you look at the oral history accounts of these block you find comments like, ‘it was absolute paradise. We didn’t believe how lucky we were.’” But the optimism was short-lived as structural defects in the towers soon showed themselves in the form of flaking plaster, mould and leaks that required constant repair.

More seriously, the Lego-like construction technique, whereby tower blocks were assembled from preformed concrete panels bolted together on site, was revealed to be potentially life-threatening. Proof that the Nottingham flats were barely adequate for the purposes of human shelter is revealed in the fact of their brief existence: Balloon Wood was demolished in 1984 after just thirteen years; Basford flats came down after just fourteen years; most of the Hyson Green flats, located where Asda now stands, came down in 1987. While the Lenton flats lasted nearly fifty years they were known to have structural failings such as poor insulation and the city council says that it would cost more to maintain them in the long-term than to demolish them and build new homes.

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In Adam Curtis’s While the flats lasted 1984 documentary nearly fifty years they Inquiry: The Great British Housing were known to have Disaster, Gordon structural failings such Stobbs, assistant chief architect for as poor insulation and Nottingham City the city council says Council between 1964 and 1974, stated that it would cost more that two tower block to maintain them in schemes worth £6m were passed by the long-term than to the city planning demolish them and committee in “about two minutes flat.” He build new homes. said the speed of the decision was a reflection of the mood of the times, which was ‘get it built as quickly as possible: then think.’ Hand in hand with the structural problems, complexes developed reputations for crime which often made tenants want to get out as soon as possible. Some of Nottingham’s concrete blocks also developed a reputation as dumping grounds for ‘difficult families’, a matter that was bluntly addressed by Nottingham’s former housing director Arthur Oscroft when he said, “It is the people who tend to be more desperate for housing who go into high-rise flats because they are more readily available and perhaps people who are under-privileged have got lower standards.” This comment from a less guarded era was quoted in former MP Alan Simpson’s detailed analysis of Nottingham’s housing policies, Stacking the Decks, published in 1981. The book also made the point that the grey concrete used to build the complexes didn’t exactly enhance their appeal. As one architect said, “Concrete is a fine material for a place like Brasilia where it sparkles in the sun. But it can be pretty miserable in Basford on a wet November day....” And, “There’s no doubt about it, concrete as we used it brings out the savagery in kids.”

The crime and ‘problem flats’ stigma has also attached itself to the Lenton flats, a matter which was explicitly addressed last year by an article published in the University of Nottingham student magazine Impact headlined Suicide, Drug Abuse and OAPs: Life and Death inside the Lenton Towers. The flats have also been associated with a high number of tenants with mental health problems. This claim was recently made by a Dunkirk & Lenton ward councillor at the preview of the Lenton flats film at Nottingham Contemporary. Asked how such a situation came about, she said that it was because the flats were near the QMC and because high-rise flats cause mental illness. But this was condemned as simplistic at the event. Sam Derby-Cooper agrees.

"It’s mainly single men about forty to fifty who seem to struggle in that environment. Living on your own for that amount of time, in a place where you may not see someone for an inordinate amount of time... humans need contact... I don’t think it helps people who have underlying issues. The QMC hasn’t got anything to do with it."

Nevertheless, Sam can see how the £5,000 compensation for rehousing paid to each Lenton flats tenant could cause problems for vulnerable people. “There are certain people who mix in circles where, if you mention you’ve got five grand, then they’ll all be round,” he says. “So it’s a tricky one. You wouldn’t give someone with a heroin addiction this much money; at the same time you can’t not give it to them because they’re an adult.

There’s a load of catch-22 problems.” Although, socially and architecturally, we have moved on from the brutal concrete blocks of the past, Chris Weir believes high-rise living will always be part of the city. “Space will always be at a premium in a flourishing modern city. Even if we don’t get massive tower blocks we’ll still get high-rises. You only have to look at Canal Street and the concrete flats there. If you look at Huntingdon Street it’s become a canyon of high-rise for student accommodation and other buildings.”

Flat: the Story of the Lenton Tower Blocks is due for release in late 2014. rubbergoatfilms.com

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Comic book artist Matt Brooker, aka D’Israeli, is equally at home drawing a Victorian London gothic horror as he is a science fiction action thriller starring a tramp and a businessman with a shark’s head. He sat down with us for a chat about his new book Ordinary...

So, why D'Israeli?

Me and a mate were sitting at the back of the class, coming up with ideas for daft things when we should have been concentrating on history, and Disraeli was someone we heard about during the lesson. I started doing comics that I used to pass round my mates, one of which took the mickey out of the teachers. I thought it was probably not a great idea to have my name on it, so D'Israeli became the name of the artist.

Did you always want to be an artist?

I had a few Star Trek books that had artists’ impressions of the characters, and I copied Mr Spock from that and realised I could do a drawing that kind of looked like an actual thing. I went to WHSmith to buy a big pad and a fistful of 2B pencils, then copied pages from Neal Adams comics all summer, drawing so much that my finger went numb and I had to take a couple of days off.

Were you always a comic book fan?

I’ve always enjoyed storytelling in comics but my own stuff would peter out after a few pages. I got together with a friend of mine and we started making radio plays. We had a BBC sound effects record we used for background noises, and we’d write scripts very much influenced by The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. During the biggest, most complicated one we did, the tape recorder broke. I said “bugger it,” and drew it instead. It was a tipping point, and from there it was always ticking away in the background. I probably drew about 200 pages of comics while I should have been revising.

Did your schoolwork suffer as a result?

Absolutely. I was pretty bright, but I was shy and hated disapproval, so I would be quiet and do what I was told, but the moment I could stop working on something that didn’t interest me, I did. I managed to get through my O-Levels, but when I did my A-Levels I crashed and burned. I actually got a D in art. In retrospect, it was the best thing that could have happened, because I did so badly that the assumption I’d go to university and study was off the table. The only thing left was a design course.

So that was something aimed more at becoming a designer?

Essentially, I was being trained to work in an advertising agency, which wasn’t something I was really interested in. The way a friend of mine put it was that sooner or later you’d end up standing in front of a roomful of executives with a new tampon box design talking about an exciting new creative opportunity, and I just didn’t have it in me.

How did you get into comics?

I happened to meet some people who were involved with comics and got invited into a drinking club for artists that introduced

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me to a whole array of contacts. I’m very lazy, and if things start heading in one direction I won’t start backpedalling. I got work for Fleetway on a single issue of Crisis, and then DC for most of one issue of Hellblazer. I got fired from both jobs within three months.

Not an auspicious start.

No. I assumed editors would tell me what they wanted and explain everything that was expected of me. Not true. I didn’t impose myself on the work, so it ended up being very bland and generic. I thought, “to hell with it, if I’m going to get fired I might as well do what I want.” I got a couple of pages a month for Deadline magazine and a job on a Canadian comic called Mr X, and both of those gave me a huge amount of freedom to do my own thing. That was the start of my proper career.

You work entirely on computers now?

Yes, for about fifteen years now. I was a pretty early adopter. The last six months I was at college they bought a suite of Macs. I realised there was no way I could afford something like that back then, but it was clear that this was the future. Now every time I go back to using a pen, I miss the undo key.

What have been your influences as an artist?

The first artist I ever remember identifying with was John Burns.

I paid him for a sketch at a convention, but I think he was a bit pissed off that I was standing there with grey in my beard telling him I loved his stuff when I was a kid. Two guys who particularly stuck as influences are Mick McMahon and Kev O’Neill. I’ve got about three feet of bookshelves devoted to Moebius, and I love Hayao Miyazaki. Alberto Breccia, the guy who’d use absolutely anything to make a comic. Amazing.

Your stuff is often incredibly detailed. How long does a single page take?

It takes me a fortnight to do five or six pages, getting up at eight every day and working into the night. Stickleback, the thing I’m working on now, is something where every page is like solving a puzzle. For Ordinary, I wanted to make it less complicated to get out of the way of the story.

Tell us about Ordinary...

It’s a creator-owned thing I’m doing with Rob Williams. I’ve worked with Rob before for 2000AD on Lowlife, and he came to me with this idea that one day, for some reason, everybody in the world wakes up with a superpower. Except one poor sod that just can’t do anything, the last ordinary guy left in the world, and by dint of that he becomes extraordinary.

What do you most enjoy drawing?

I love architecture. I always joke that it’s a pity to have

characters cluttering up these lovely backgrounds. As far as characters go I’m definitely better at rendering flawed types. Michael, the main character in Ordinary is a shabby, divorced father living in a flat in Queens. Dirty Frank, Lowlife’s protagonist, was an undercover policeman posing as a tramp and is probably now a tramp who thinks he’s a policeman. My favourite characters in Stickleback are Black Bob and Tonga. Very few people caught on that they’re a gay couple. I want to do a Christmas special with them in bed like Morecambe and Wise reading the newspaper.

What are you working on right now?

Another series of Stickleback for 2000AD. The next big thing is for Marvel. They’re re-releasing Marvelman, by Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham. I coloured the original stories and they’ve asked me to redo them and continue working on new issues they’re writing now. The story was famously left unfinished, buried beneath legal problems, but that’s sorted now and they’re going to complete it. I’ve been friends with Mark for a very long time. He’s very successful, likes my work and doesn’t know Photoshop. It’s a hugely obliging combination that’s proved very lucrative for me, so thanks for that, Bucky.

Any final words?

I was forever told by teachers to settle down, stop messing around with comics and do some proper work. All that mucking about formed the foundation of my adult life. I did an exhibition in 2005, and the first thing in it was two pages of comics I drew instead of revising for exams when I was seventeen. Seeing those on the gallery wall was a fantastic “up yours!” Perfect.

Ordinary is out now, and available from all good comic shops. disraeli-demon.blogspot.co.uk

interview: Robin Lewis illustrations: D’Israeli

interview: Daniel Storey illustration: Ian Carrington Brought to the City Ground by Cloughie, Stuart Pearce played for Forest for twelve years, becoming their most capped international player and a stone cold cult favourite as he earned his ‘Psycho’ moniker. Ending his time here as a caretaker player-manager in 1997, he is now back as manager after proving his mettle with Manchester City, England under-21s and the 2012 Olympic Great Britain team.

As the club prepares for an assault on promotion to the Premier League, we had a chat with the man himself…

After last season, when relations between the club and media became strained, it’s refreshing to now have access to Forest…

What has gone on before at this football club is not for me to comment on. But I know that I have a vision for this football club and I think I’ve got a lot of good people around me who want to pull the club in the right direction. I’m not suggesting that you go away and write nice things about me; in fact I’d be very distrusting if you did write nice things about me.

You’ve been very loyal to your staff…

Steve Wigley is a far better coach than I, and I’ve got Brian Eastick who is not only a good coach but also a great manager‑type. I’m not one of those people that thinks he can be all things to all people. I want to have people round me who I know are better than me at the things that aren’t my forte. But I don’t think there is anyone on my staff who is better than me at motivation.

Looking at the squad you’ve inherited, there was a long sick list when you arrived…

The club suffered a huge amount with injuries at the back end of last season and we still have a few recovering. So they might either just make the start of the season or just miss the it, as long as they don’t suffer any setbacks.

What about the place those young players are cultivated: the academy?

We are behind Leicester in this part of the world in terms of recruitment. We have to be better at getting the young players in our catchment area, but something like that is more the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff that people don’t see. It’s crucial that we have players coming through our academy and getting in to the first team. It’s big for me ever since my time at Manchester City. There we had the likes of Micah Richards, Nedum Onuoha, Stephen Ireland, Kasper Schmeichel and others that came through the academy and were the lifeblood of the club before the money came in. Nottingham Forest has to be that as well. We need to make sure that they are cared for and loved by a senior manager like myself.

And of course you’ll be bringing in new faces…

There is no secret to the fact that I would like to bring in players. Every time I speak with the chairman he says “I’m ready, I’m ready”, which is great. I’ve had to keep him patient, in fairness.

What else is high on the agenda, short-term?

Galvanising the supporters and making sure there is that real feel-good factor around the place that I was fortunate to enjoy here as a player.

The club has been a bit success-starved of late. Can that successful past be a burden?

We’re a Championship club aiming to move up a league, and whatever this club has achieved, all those former glories and the two stars on the shirt, it’s all irrelevant. That’s one of the things I stressed to the players and staff when I arrived: this game owes us nothing. The past can inspire you, but that’s all it can do, inspire you. This club must look to make history, not harp on about it.

Does your iconic status at the club bring with it a certain pressure on you to succeed?

I’ve never been the sort of person that has worried about pressure. Someone asked me the question the other day “Are you worried about coming back to Nottingham?” But no, that’s not me. The only worry I would have is if I hadn’t taken the opportunity. I stepped up to take penalties but I wasn’t worried about them. The only worry would be if I didn’t have the arsehole to stand up and do it.

I don’t think I could have finished my life without managing Nottingham Forest. I’ve played, I’ve been a player-manager, I’ve been a manager and I’ve been around the world to educate myself. But when I finished with England, I knew I needed to go somewhere where I would really be inspired and it all meant a lot to me. Forest does that.

With the Financial Fair Play regulations, you can’t simply bankroll your way to promotion…

I don’t want to just come in and spend the chairman’s money willy-nilly. I’d rather promote good quality youngsters coming through and then look for good value for money in the transfer market. We’ve bought two strikers [Lars Veldwijk and Matty Fryatt], one cost £500,000 and the other was on a free transfer.

I guess the loan system will also be important for that…

They have to be good enough, though. I would personally not like to bring in players that are just going to sit around. If they come in, they’ve got to play, they’ve got to help us make an assault on the Premier League.

Presumably that means opportunities for the young players, as well as hanging on to the likes of Lascelles?

I’ve come to this club to help build it, not dismantle it. The only way we will accept offers for our best young players is if they are sensational ones that allow me to spend that money in a way that makes me confident that by the end of the negotiations we are stronger than when we started. The bottom line is that we don’t want to sell our young players, and the owner has enough financial clout to trust my judgment on that. The best young players are a commodity in football nowadays, and I actually think we can help to improve them as footballers by staying at this club. The education for every footballer is helped by playing ninety minutes on a Saturday, every Saturday that they can.

Your first competitive fixture is against Blackpool. What are you most looking forward to?

When the final whistle goes and we’ve won. That’s when you get a bit of relief as a manager.

I don’t think I could have finished my life without managing Nottm Forest.

But there’ll be excitement too, right?

I’d be lying to you if I said that my first day and my first competitive game won’t be special for me. I just want it to be special for the players, though. I want anyone that represents Forest to create their own history at this club. I’m not the type of man that enjoys the pats on the back. I’d rather step back and let the players get the plaudits.

What's the best case scenario for the season?

Too much gets said about getting clubs “where they belong.” The only place you belong is where you end up. That’s decided by hard work, dedication and professionalism. Getting those three right would be a start.

And the worst-case scenario?

The owners make the mistake of thinking they have the answers, or even the brains. If they sack another manager they should go as well.

Which player is being wrapped in cotton wool?

That Paterson lad on the wing is a gem. Fast, hard-working, skilful and likes to keep it on the floor, exactly where it should be kept. He’s an attractive lad too—that’ll be his undoing.

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Born and bred in Nottingham, Shaun Derry cut his teeth at Notts County before setting off on a career that took in Sheffield United, QPR, Crystal Palace – a few times – and Leeds United. An aggressive, defensive midfielder in his day, he’s come home to sort out the Magpies as player-manager. We spent some time with him to see what his game plan is…

In the tunnel at Liverpool, you pass the famous ‘This Is Anfield’ sign as you go out on to the pitch. Have you done anything similar to try and inspire the players and instil pride in the club?

In terms of plaques, no. But what we have done is get a training ground [Eagle Valley, home of Arnold Town] which enables us to turn Meadow Lane into a special place to play football. It’s a place we’ve gone in every day, used the home and away changing rooms, walked past the pitch, used the small gym every single day… it becomes familiar. Now we’ve got this great facility, we’ve escaped from Meadow Lane until we go back every other week.

If you were to bring in a foreign player to the club, how would you go about selling Nottingham to them?

I’d ask them to enter from the A52. I love coming into Nottingham from that angle. I’m a Basford boy and I always come in at Junction 26. But having lived away for the best part of fourteen years, to come back down the A52, to get to West Bridgford, to see the lights of Trent Bridge, then a fantastic football club in Nottingham Forest, and thirty seconds later reaching Meadow Lane—I don’t think there are many sights like that in the country. The brand of sport in this city is fantastic, it always has been, and that sight alone sells what this city is all about.

I always believed. Even the strongest minded of people questioned us, but I never questioned myself—failure was never an option.

All players that break into management say they’ve picked up bits and pieces from the managers they’ve played under. What tricks of the trade have you put into action?

When you get to a certain age, around 28, you make your own judgements. You’re quite led as a younger player but as an older player you have your own opinions. I’ve been fortunate enough to play for some fantastic managers and I’ve learned from every one of them. You have to respect the manager and his wishes but ultimately, if you have aspirations to be a manager or a coach, you have to ask what you’d do if you were in that position.

Stuart Pearce has taken over across the river, meaning there’s a legend in the dugout on both sides of the Trent. What would happen if you two went in for a 50/50 ball on the field?

I can remember a County Cup game at the City Ground where I was right back and he was left back—he won’t remember me but I certainly remember him because he’s still such a legend; one I have nothing but the utmost respect for. In our heyday I’d be nursing a dead leg at the very least.

A few years back, Notts were asked to play Juventus to inaugurate their new stadium. If you could have any side in the world come to Meadow Lane, who gets your invite?

On a European stage, Real Madrid or Barcelona are the two standout clubs. For me though, I still feel Manchester United holds that special kind of brand in English football. It’s still right at the very top, despite its knockers. On a worldwide stage, United are massive – it’d be great to have a top team of theirs come here.

How long prior to coming back to Meadow Lane had you planned to get into management?

I knew I wanted to get into management when I hit thirty. I knew what direction I wanted to go in as a player, and I certainly knew what direction I’d go in as a manager. Now I’m here, I’m thankful and trying to work every

day to stay in this position. You can only have a certain amount of managers or assistants in the game—there are lot of good people out of the game, and I’d like to think of myself as a good person who is very grateful to be where I am.

What was the biggest task facing you and Greg Abbott [Assistant Manager] when you arrived at Meadow Lane last year, given we only had seven points on the board nearly three months into the season?

Changing the mentality of the players. You feel that you’ve turned corners but you take two steps back when you get walloped 6–0 away at Rotherham or 5–1 at home against Walsall. We had to go back to basics, asked what was holding us back—and then we decided to go down a different route.

We’ll let people make their own assumptions of what avenues we went down, but people will look at the last seven or eight games in particular, see the players that didn’t play any part in that, and make their own judgements.

Did a time ever come where you thought you might have bitten off more than you could chew?

No, I always believed. I know people questioned me, but Greg and I always believed we would achieve what I wanted us to last year. At times, of course, it looked difficult. Even the strongest minded of people questioned us, but I never questioned myself—failure was never an option. We’ll have ups and downs this coming season, but we’re not going to fail.

What’s the dynamic between yourself and Greg? Is there a good cop/bad cop relationship there?

Not at all. We fully respect the players and I’d like to think that the players respected us last year. I just want us to be a pair who try and get the best out of the players’ abilities. On day one we talked about driving each other on, that it comes from within. Too many hours were wasted last year with us grabbing lads and trying to get as much out of them as we could. It becomes draining. Fighting fires is negative and I don’t want us to have those hours in training.

Do you believe there’s a glass ceiling for a club with Notts County’s finances?

Absolutely, and I’d argue with any fan who says anything different. We have to thank our lucky stars that we have a family who have put millions of pounds into this club just to keep it going. How far can we look through that ceiling?

I’d argue that in time we can get this club back in to the Championship with the right backing. You need a lot of luck to get above there, though.

What are your hopes for the season?

I don’t want us in a situation like last year, where we needed snookers at times. I want us to be a team that’s value for money and with this hard work ethic that brings enjoyment to the fans. I’m not going to sit here and say we’ll get promoted – I’d be a fool to say that – but I want to see a vast improvement on where we were last year. nottscountyfc.co.uk

nottinghamforest.co.uk

We went to the great dugout in the sky to get Brian Clough’s take on the new season.

What sort of state are Forest in heading into the new campaign?

After years of pissing about, the club have finally got a proper Forest man in charge. A man they should be proud and respectful of. Stuart is a fine young man, now stop meddling and let him run the show.

interview: Stuart Brothers illustration: Ian Carrington

We went to the great dugout in the sky to get Jimmy Sirrel’s lowdown on the new season.

Whose breakout season will this be?

This Dutch lad looks a prospect—he’s six’5”! They won’t know whether to start him up front or sell tickets on the touchline to climb his neck.

What sort of state are Notts in heading into the new campaign?

Pretty good. The wee shirkers and weak of heart are gone, the fans are pulling in the same direction, and there’s no a hint of bank holidays stopping us paying our staff.

Where are you looking thin?

Around the waist—Barbara’s got me on one of her bloody diets. Anything to keep her sweet.

What's the best case scenario for the season?

Winning League One by February.

Where are Notts looking thin?

Right now they look about as narrow as Posh Spice after a trip to the Red Hot Buffet. We need wingers!

Which great from your era would you like to back-to-the-future in to the current squad?

Kids are only as good as their teachers and an army as strong as their sergeant major. I’d honour Stuart by lending him Peter Taylor. He was the only man I met who could make me better—so he could make everyone else better too.

And the worst-case scenario?

Winning League One by March.

Which great from your era would you like to back-to-the-future in to the current squad?

John Chiedozie. Get some chalk on your boots, son.

Whose breakout season will this be?

I like the cut of Kyle Dixon’s jib. He’ll follow young Curtis Thompson and Haydn Hollis through the ranks and into the first team. No question about that. Fabian Spiess is in the same boat too.

Advice for the gaffer?

Och, stop running rings around the youngsters in training. We get it, Shaun! And let’s aim to have more points than live TV games by three months in this time.

Advice for the gaffer?

Be your own man and stay true to your principles. Once you lose respect for yourself, you can’t look anyone in the eye and ask them to respect you.

Which player holds the key?

Jimmy Spencer is a good’un, right enough. His new deal will get a buzz about the place.

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SOME RHODES AREN’T MEANT TO BE TRAVELLED ALONE

interview: James Walker illustration: Raph Achache photo: David Parry

Football in the eighties: Dilapidated stadia. Cages. Hooliganism. Belonging. Kenilworth Road. Heysel.

Bradford. And then Hillsborough. Danny Rhodes’ third novel takes us back to 15 April 1989 and a match that would change the lives of fans forever...

You were at Hillsborough. Tell us about it...

Where do I begin? I went as part of a group of fans who had been supporting Nottingham Forest religiously. Our teenage years were shaped by Forest. Everything had been slowly building to the crescendo of that game (including the identical fixture the season before). There was a palpable feeling among us that we could reach the FA Cup Final; the ultimate prize in those days, not the cheapened competition it is today. Most of us were on the brink of turning eighteen or had just become men.

We travelled by train full of expectation and excitement and witnessed instead Britain’s worst sporting disaster unfold before us. It’s difficult to describe the sudden transformation from joy and anticipation to horror and bewilderment. But we were only witnesses: We weren’t in Leppings Lane. We weren’t in pens three and four…

I’m guessing fictionalising this story has been cathartic and part of the healing process…

Absolutely. I think I compartmentalised Hillsborough. It was something I rarely talked about and something the group I attended football with barely mentioned in the past 25 years.

Until recently, and the creation of the novel, when I tried to bring it up in conversation with people the discussion wilted very quickly so I just stopped bothering. Writing the novel has given me the opportunity to meet Hillsborough head on. I feel I understand it much better now. I’ve received some lovely feedback from Nottingham Forest supporters thanking me for addressing the tragedy from a non-Liverpool perspective, for telling their story through the character of John Finch.

Why now? And how has writing such an intensely personal book affected you?

I visited my publisher in the summer of 2011 and pitched a number of ideas for future projects. With the 25th anniversary on the horizon, the general feeling was that this would be a good time to address the subject. I knew nothing of a forthcoming inquiry. What I also didn’t foresee was the detailed research, the poring over documents, the old friends I would find myself getting in touch with and the emotional journey I was about to undertake.

The relationship between Forest and Liverpool wasn’t great even before Hillsborough...

Historically, my understanding is that there’s some bad blood reaching back to the late seventies. Forest had the reputation of being a defensive, destructive outfit who played on the counter attack. Of course this tactic at its best meant they could be formidable, as they were when they destroyed Manchester United 4-0 at Old Trafford in 77/78. Essentially, Liverpool didn’t like their dominance being challenged by a provincial club. Look at the reaction of the Liverpool players after their controversial League Cup final replay defeat of ‘78. I always enjoyed Liverpool coming to the City Ground because their away support was always massive and Forest always gave them a good game.

Those fixtures were often around Christmas or New Year, adding to the spice. What irks me the most is the Liverpool fans singing their infamous ‘We hate Nottingham Forest…’ song at Old Trafford in the ‘89 FA Cup replay after Hillsborough. That upset a lot of Forest fans.

There are many reports in your book of crowding issues from across the country that clearly illustrate Hillsborough was a tragedy waiting to happen…

It didn’t take long for me to discover the various near misses that occurred at Hillsborough during the eighties and the list of official reports at the start of the book is taken directly from the Taylor Report. He begins by asking the question why all those reports did not prevent Hillsborough from occurring. Forest fans will recall the Highfield Road away cage which was ugly and always rammed. I met someone the other day who was reminding me of a game at the Baseball Ground in the late eighties which was similarly dangerous. We accepted it then, but my group of mates and I had already moved to seats for both home and away games by the 88/89 season as we were sick of the terrace experience. Tragically, it takes a disaster like Hillsborough for change to occur.

I compartmentalised Hillsborough…

Writing the novel has given me the opportunity to meet it head on.

The book is very difficult to put down as it's written in short sharp sentences, a bit like The Damned United by David Peace.

Why did you choose this particular narrative style?

I’ve always written in short, direct prose. I think I picked it up while reading a lot of American literature in my younger years. As I’ve become more confident, my writing has become more clipped. I started writing the book in the summer of 2011 and was reading a David Peace novel at the time - by sheer coincidence - called 1974. I read The Damned United much later and probably borrowed the second person match day narration from it.

One question writers are often asked is, “What story are you trying to tell?” Do you think there's a particular theme running through your books?

All of my novels tell stories of working class people and all involve some sort of social commentary. I’m a firm believer in the idea of writing something that says something, of creating something of significance and relevance. Or at least that’s the intention. Asboville questions the effects of labelling young people and creating social outcasts before they are old enough to have learned what life is about, and Soldier Boy debates the advantages and disadvantages of young men entering the services. Fan explores the effects of tragedy while asking the reader to consider the role of football in society and to examine the various ironies and contradictions created by the implementation of the Taylor Report and the subsequent birth of the Premier League.

You can invite four Forest players over for dinner. Who would it be and what would you cook them?

I’ve tried to do this and it’s impossible. I’d just hold a huge barbeque at the publisher’s expense and invite every Nottingham Forest player who turned out in the shirt between ‘77 and ‘90. Cloughie and Taylor and the backroom staff would be invited too. I’d harass them all with match day memories they’ve probably long forgotten. I’d invite the current crop of Forest players along too to make them aware of what it should mean to play for the club. If you know your history and all that…

Fan is available from Arcadia Books for £11.99 dannyrhodes.net

It’s hard to categorise the book as it crosses genres; operating as a work of fiction, sociological inquiry, as well as reportage.

Why did you go for this multi-layered approach rather than a straightforward work of fiction?

The simple answer is that it just happened that way. So much of the novel is based upon real experience from both my life and the lives of others that much of it wrote itself. The match reports just seemed to give the piece further grounding in reality.

I opted in the end to focus mainly on the two FA Cup runs of ‘88 and ‘89 as they are central to the narrative, the gradual build-up of anticipation that culminated in Hillsborough. There were so many other games that could have been included. The factual stuff relating to Bradford, Heysel and Hillsborough is intended to give readers an overview of those events, a starting point if you like. If readers are interested, I’d encourage any of them to download and read the official reports. I ought to add that younger readers - and by ‘younger’ I mean readers in their twenties - are coming to these events with little or no knowledge in many cases so for them these sections have been educational. I know that because readers have told me.

The verdict for the current Hillsborough inquiry is expected around April 2015. What would you like to see happen?

I don’t want to say too much on this, as the wheels of justice are currently in motion, other than I’d just like to see closure for the families and all those affected by the disaster.

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Got a new business idea?

Working on exciting technology?

Or just interested in entrepreneurship?

UPCOMING EVENTS

ts n e v E E to E R F nd! e t t a

Next Business Generation is a programme designed to create more, better quality startups in Nottingham across three key sectors:

DIGITAL CLEAN TECH LIFE SCIENCES

Spark Breakfast Club 29 August, 8-10am

Attend our Breakfast club and meet with other local startups, creatives and budding entrepreneurs to share tips and problem solving techniques, get advice on your ideas, or just have a general chat over a yummy breakfast. Each month we’ll focus on a different theme to share ideas, best practices and network with peers.

Product Development - from Initial Idea to Market Launch

Smart Materials & 3D Printing Transforming Healthcare

Enviro-entrepreneurs will discuss the process of researching, developing and commercialising their product ideas including: where their ideas stemmed from; what are the key lessons they have learnt; and what advice would they give to other entrepreneurs who are embarking on a similar product development journey.

How can materials that display ‘smart behaviour’ can be applied to positively impact healthcare, and also consider how can we maximise the use of ‘smart materials’ that can react to their environment in a useful and active manner? How will 3D printing revolutionise prosthetics and medical devices?

4 Sept, 2-4.30pm

1 October, 2-4.30pm

REGISTER

www.nextbusinessgeneration.org m.dixon@biocity.co.uk @NBGNottingham

words: Mark Patterson illustration: Christopher Paul Bradshaw

We go for a ride along the cycle paths and lanes of Nottingham - and it ain’t all pretty...

I’m freewheeling down Maid Marian Way towards the city centre with a big grin and the wind in my face. If you cycle in Nottingham you probably understand why this is a nice little run: one lane of the road here is reserved for buses and bikes, which means you can coast from the bottom of Derby Road to the Broadmarsh Centre in relative safety, since the other traffic is corralled into their own two lanes. But what’s this at the bottom of the hill? A little curved arrow painted on the road which directs you and your bike onto the pavement.

Is the arrow telling you that the bike lane continues on the pavement? Is it telling you to dismount and walk? This may seem like a minor issue, but the bike lane system enclosed

by Nottingham’s road network is full of inscrutable signs and strange directions just like this. Yes, improvements have been made to the city’s cycle network in recent years but hapless cyclists are still riding in cycle lanes that suddenly peter out and deliver them into the unloving arms of city traffic that’s blocked by trucks and taxis, or that direct them onto pavements where no cycle lane exists. Worse, there are still long stretches of main pothole-pitted commuting roads where no cycle lane exists at all, or highways where lanes have faded, leaving only a ghost of their existence.

It all adds up to a city where the daily problems and dangers of getting from A to B safely on two wheels can fall behind Nottingham’s official hype of being a major ‘green’ cyclefriendly city. Yet, on paper at least, Nottingham has an extensive and growing network of safe cycling routes. And, in the city which gave birth to Raleigh, the demand for this has never been greater. Figures provided by the city council suggest that there has been a 23% increase in cycle journeys since 2010/11; in the year up to April, more than one million journeys were made by bicycle in Nottingham. How does anyone know this? The authority has electronic counters at thirteen locations which count the bikes as they go past. These

devices counted 1,071,601 bikes in the last financial year. And these figures do not take into account bike journeys in other parts of the greater conurbation such as Beeston; where 10% of work trips are done on bikes, and West Bridgford; which is swarming with office commuters, shoppers-with-panniers and trendy fixie riders.

Focused schemes such as Ucycle, supported by national cycling campaigners Sustrans, also reported a 110% increase in cycling uptake at the University of Nottingham since 2009.

These stats support an argument that cycling for work and leisure in Nottingham is enjoying a renaissance, with a visible rise in the number of people on bikes whose motivations can include concerns about pollution and climate change, personal health, cutting transport costs and in some cases an ideological disapproval of the car. Trying to keep up with this is a street infrastructure – cycle lanes, crossings, signs, barriers – designed for safer cycling but which can sometimes feel like it’s been shoehorned in to tick a box on a government ‘sustainable transport’ checklist or designed by people who don’t ride bikes in cities. The result is that there are still many nervous people who are put off urban cycling, or are scared to let their children cycle, because they fear the traffic. As many UK cycle campaigners believe, the strategic solution is separation of bikes and car traffic into completely segregated lanes. Such are being built in Bristol and London, and can already be found in cities such as Copenhagen, Toronto and Portland.

Yet even when it comes to painted lanes on roads, Nottingham’s cycle routes are patchy. Nottingham City Council likes to boast that there are now 400km of cycle lanes in the conurbation, but a quick look at the network map shows that relatively few of these are dedicated lanes on roads. Most are simply ‘quiet roads’ or ‘shared paths’ which usually means painting a line down the middle of the pavement. A glimpse into other system shortfalls was seen at the recent Cycle Live event in The Meadows when visitors were invited to make recommendations about the city’s cycle network. These included “Thorneywood Mount: road is awful – potholes, uneven surfaces, forced to cycle almost in middle of the road” and “Could we please have a crossing near the Nottingham Knight roundabout so my children can cycle/walk to school without risking their lives?” The figures do indeed show that relatively few children cycle to school. According to a government survey, less than 0.5% of Nottingham primary

THE GOOD

The Beeston-city centre route via the University of Nottingham is one of the busiest cycle ‘corridors’ in Nottingham and uses a mixture of quiet roads, shared paths and cycle lanes. The latter are found on Castle Boulevard, which used to be a joke since the cycle lanes wound around trees and other obstacles in ways that must have tested the skills of the council’s white-line painters. These lanes have gone, replaced by bright (if narrow) markings in the road. That said, there are some reservations about the Castle Boulevard section: delivery vans often block the lanes, forcing a swerve into the road, and opening car doors can knock you off. The inbound cycle lane also suddenly vanishes completely near Castle Wharf, leaving you at the mercy of the traffic which roars past the Broadmarsh Centre.

THE BAD

THE INDIFFERENT

Bread-and-Lard Island aka West Bridgford, merits a mention here because it has become a local centre of bikeyness despite, not because of, the cycle lane network – which is notable because of its near absence. Indeed, some of the cycle lanes appear to have been deliberately left to fade away. Strangely, West Bridgford now has three bike shops and lots of places to lock your bike up while you drink a cappuccino, but still no lanes for the kids to cycle safely to school.

These days, there are narrow cycle lanes along Gregory Boulevard in Hyson Green, and a car-free bus lane along one side of Mansfield Road past the cemetery, so it’s a shame that the bike-friendly measures run out at the Sherwood Rise roundabout which connect the two. This is especially so as the roundabout is almost a traffic free-for-all which requires nerves of steel.

school children were using their bikes to get to school in 2009.

And this is while there’s an outcry about childhood obesity.

But you’ve got to have some sympathy for the highway planners, who are basically being asked to retrofit a city that prioritised the car in the decades after the Second World War. And credit should be given where it’s due. You can ride a bike from Beeston to the city centre using on and off-road cycle paths and there are well-marked cycle lanes on routes such as Hucknall Road, Woodborough Road and Trowell Road. A new ‘River Leen Greenway’ route is also being opened between Bulwell and Basford, and paths are being built beside new tram lines. Against these, there are also many gaps in the network – to cycle along London Road in either direction requires a sobering calculation of risk – as well as faded lanes, blocked lanes, awkward junctions and unfathomable directions such as the one at the bottom of Maid Marian Way. Until these issues are sorted out, Nottingham won’t have a network fit for the hype, or the pollution-free mass transport system it needs.

What are your best and worst cycling experiences in Nottingham? Got any other local cycling news you’d like to see here? Email markp@leftlion.co.uk

This issue of LeftLion is dedicated to friend of our Community Editor, and uber-babe, Louise Wright, who was tragically killed in a road accident when cycling to work in July.

Louise was a genuine star.

She achieved so much in her personal, professional and skating life as a jammer for Nottingham Roller Girls.

She had the gift of lighting up a room and was always warm, witty and inspiring. She committed herself to everything she turned her hand to, and often swept others along for the ride with her infectious enthusiasm and zest for new experiences.

Everyone who met Lou was bowled over by her amazing spirit, beauty and ability to make everyone around her smile. Louise was one of those inspirational people who you met once and she felt like a friend already, she took genuine interest in everyone she met.

She will be missed terribly by family, partner James, friends, colleagues and her team.

We can only hope that our tragic loss will be the driving force behind getting Nottingham City Council to confront the often dangerous cycling conditions around the city, in order to prevent future heartache.

You will never be forgotten, Lou. Shine on, you crazy diamond.

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Character-A-Day-May

by Jonathan Upton (aka Hedboy) I set myself a goal to create 31 characters throughout May and to post each one to Instagram. I wanted the pressure of coming up with a new piece each day, I feel it helps to produce my best work. It was great in the morning thinking that by the end of the day I’d have a new character, but I’d have no idea at that point what they would look like. I teach art in a secondary school and a friend asked if any were based on my pupils... I suppose they could have been because they do inspire me on a daily basis.

I always start my character doodles in my notebook, then, when I’m happy with them, I import them to Adobe Illustrator, vectorize them and add colour.

I’ve drawn ever since I can remember, along with football it’s been the thing I always turned to. As a kid I loved drawing Nintendo game boxes and Beano characters - I’ve always been into the crisp, strong outlining and smooth, vibrant colours. I’m inspired by various street and pop artists from Mr Penfold of Cambridge to Greg Mike of the US. I also take inspiration from a friend from Belgium, Musketon, who I met through Instagram; he is a strong example of how to build a brand around your art.

I love digging into my imagination and any time I have a lighter workload I create my own personal projects, which usually generate interest and lead to commissions.

Doodling is an obsession; I have to do it, so it may as well be something constructive!

I draw quickly. The concept for a character could take minutes for a rough look, but then I refine them to look neater. My favourite bit is drawing them digitally as they often develop or change without me knowing it, and that’s an exciting part of the process.

One of the reactions I love is when someone random comments and tags their friend who looks like one of the characters. The idea that my artwork is seen by new people each day is my favourite aspect of the internet. One person even got a Hedboy character logo tattoo. Crazy but awesome.

I teach full time, which is difficult because I sometimes have to turn projects down.

The positive side is that I hand pick which projects I take on, and I love my day job.

I’m currently working on designs for SKON (Some Kind of Nature), a Notts-based clothing label. I’ve also recently done a huge Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles inspired image for Suede Bar in Hockley, and I’ve just finished some packaging designs which will hit a nationwide store this Christmas. hedboy.bigcartel.com somekindofnature.com

Art works Elipse Vase

by Stuart Akroyd The inspiration for this vase design came from nature; a signature of my work is my use of colour and rhythmic patterns that echo the flora and fauna of the ocean. I worked the different colours on the blowing iron (the hollow tube used in hot making) and saw the way the glass moved and how it formed patterns. It was that which led me to design in this style. Each colour has a different melting point, making it hard to work them together in a single piece and have a beautifully shaped form as the result.

These designs were formed over several months, with sketching and development pieces. The process to make the vase is spread over three days. The first day is preparation, getting the colour pieces ready and filling the furnace with clear glass. The second day is the actual blowing; each large vase takes around two hours of hot working, after which it is placed in a controlled cooling kiln overnight to anneal. This stops the glass from shattering, which happens if it cools too quickly. The third day is cold finishing, grinding and polishing, and the pieces are ready to go.

I’ve been a glassmaker for thirty years and as well as being creative you have to learn about the science, I’m governed by the physical possibilities of the medium. The glass is created by the mixing of raw minerals and silica sand. In a process of reactions and interactions these chemicals, when heated, create a super-cooled liquid and that allows me to manipulate the molten glass.

I’m still driven by the same emotions that I first experienced when doing my BA in 3D Design at Sunderland University in 1985. The course covered ceramics and stained glass, but I majored in hot glass because it gripped me. There’s an immediacy about it, the sticky treacle-like substance just outshines everything else I’ve tried. I love the juxtaposition of the finished piece as a solid form, but one that creates the sensation of movement and grace.

I would love to produce a massive 1,000 piece wall art design. I’ve been developing glass sculptural pieces where multiple discs are placed in a pattern on the wall. I’ve had commissions for between four and fifty discs, but imagine on the wall of the Royal Centre a vast shoal of glass discs, like fish, moving together to create a graceful and beautiful sight in sunlit water.

I’m a fifteen minute walk from the Market Square and visitors are welcome at the studio to watch me blowing. It’s usually best to contact me first though, just in case I’m away at a trade fair.

You can see Stuart working at his studio, Unit 3, Thoroton Place, Thoroton Street, NG7 4EW. He will also be at Lustre, Friday 14 to Sunday 16 November, Lakeside Arts Centre. stuartakroydglass.com

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AND NOW IT’S DARK American night photography Saturday 6 September – Sunday 9 November Djanogly Art Gallery Admission Free Nottingham Lakeside Arts, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD Box Office: 0115 846 7777 lakesidearts.org.uk

PJ’s ‘Lucky Strike’ Brothel, Elko, Nevada 1995 © Jeff Brouws

Trentto Trenches Exhibition THE PEOPLE OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE AND THE GREAT WAR, 1914-1918

26 July - 16 November 2014, Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/t2t For opening hours, admission charges and further information please check the website or call 0115 876 1400.

LEFTLION LISTINGS

For even more comprehensive and detailed listings visit leftlion.co.uk/listings Add your event at leftlion.co.uk/add

AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 Pick of The Month - August 36

Eight events that are bound to light up

Listings - September Nusic Box 42 43

The kids are back at school - we’re not.

Our brothers in arms have some fresh

Arts and Theatre Listings 47

Ponder, explore and enjoy the

Ha!

Pick of the Month - September 43

Cats have nine lives, Septemeber has

Joy Mumford 45

The FSN finalist on her epic win

your life

Listings - August 37

Being bored is so 2004, get stuck in

stereo choices

realisation of imaginations

nine dead good things to do

NHS WALKIN’

interview: Mike Scott

On Thursday August 28, the 2014 Jarrow March will stomp its way through Nottingham. The trek comes 78 years after the original Jarrow March against unemployment and destitution did the same thing, on its way to present a petition to the Coalition Government. Ellen Wilkinson, a left-wing Labour MP, walked the whole 300 miles in the original march to show her support for constituents.

This year’s march is in aid of saving what the original march helped to bring about - the NHS. A core group of walkers will be following the same path taken by those women in 1936, through a host of cities across the country, including our own. The local segment of the march will begin in Mansfield, then onto Sutton, Kirkby, Newstead, Hucknall and Bulwell, arriving in Nottingham to begin a rally on Forest Recreation Ground at 5.30pm. People are encouraged to walk as much or as little as they like to show their support, and everyone is invited.

We caught up with Rehana Azam, one of the “Darlo (Darlington) Mums” - as the core marchers call themselves - when she was in Nottingham for a pre-march planning meeting...

How did the idea for a new Jarrow March come about?

We started out as a group of local women who felt that the NHS was being dismantled before our eyes and wanted to do something about it. We organised two rallies in Durham, getting messages of support from all round the country, but everyone was so disconnected. A march from one end of the country to the other seemed a good way of doing that.

What are you hoping to achieve?

We want to make people feel empowered and hopeful of a better future for the NHS. When people lose hope they stop fighting and if that happens, we’ll lose the NHS. There is no doubt in my mind that that the NHS, as we know and love it, is gasping its last breaths. We need to draw attention to how valuable it is and how badly we’ll suffer if we allow it to be chopped up and sold off.

Do you see real parallels with the original Jarrow March?

Emotionally, we Darlo Mums feel really connected to it. It was such an inspirational act – they, like us, were ordinary people who wanted to be heard. They wanted a better future for everyone.

They wanted social equality and justice. They had no political power or voice in the media, but a strong desire and a lot of endurance. In the end, they were part of the weight behind the argument that tipped the scales in favour of ordinary people. That balance is, once again, being lost. Ordinary people are struggling and the last thing they need is to lose access to healthcare.

How many are marching all the way? Do you know where you’ll be staying at each stop?

I would expect a core of about fifty people. In total, we have over 2,000 people registered. We’re contacting churches and groups to let us use halls and a lot of people have offered beds along the way. Other people will travel home after the bits they walk - not everyone can get three weeks off work, or find childcare, but we want those people to take part too. Do what you can, walk a mile, walk twenty, or do the whole thing. Just be part of the fight.

What have been the main problems in organising the march?

Honestly, dealing with the amount of emails we get. The core group were utterly amazed by the volume – but working parents get pretty good at juggling things. We slept less, got up earlier, worked smarter, got the right people doing the right jobs, drank more coffee and never put down our phones. We left our egos at home and worked as a team.

What support have you had from politicians and Trade Unions?

First of all, we’re not affiliated to any political party - we have different ideas about lots of things, so it would never have worked if we’d been partisan, and we want to be as inclusive as possible. We ask political parties and groups opposed to the Government plans to forget their differences and work together. What’s needed here is unity in cause. Unions play an important part in that as well. When people get angry at politicians abusing their rights, they tend to look for like-minded folks and that will often be in their Union. We’ve got national or local support from GMB, Unite and Unison, and the NUT have asked how they can support the march.

How have towns and cities on the route responded to the march coming through?

There’s been overwhelming support, though there is the odd town where there’s a Tory Council or MP that hasn’t offered a “red carpet” welcome. Northampton Council refused to hire out a meeting room in the Town Hall because we opposed Government policy. You’d have thought they could use the cash. Apparently not.

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Once you’ve got to London, is that it? Or is this part of a wider campaign?

This isn’t the end, it’s the launch. The campaign won’t be over until we have a government prepared to renationalise the NHS and get rid of competition. Profit has no place in healthcare.

What message would you like to send to local people and MPs? A simple one: the NHS is ours. We built it, we own it, we use it. It’s under attack and if you don’t fight for it, you’ll lose it. There’s no knight in shining armour who’s going to save us all – it’s you and I, or nothing. Be the folks prepared to fight for it. To MPs, I would simply say, history will remember those who betrayed the NHS and those who fought to save it. Be on the right side of history.

999 Call for the NHS Rally, Forest Recreation Ground, Thursday 28 August, 5.30pm 999callfornhs.org.uk

pick of the month

AUG

Kimberley Winter invites us to sit in the cool shade with her to unwind and relax…

Genre: Acoustic / singer-songwriters / blues / country Venues: The Malt Cross, Nottingham Contemporary, The Golden Fleece, JamCafé, The Bodega and special one-off venues.

Who else helps you run the nights?

Sam helps with general running of events, as well as hosting Malt Cross nights, and Anwyn does all of our design work. We occasionally have volunteers join us for the bigger events.

Ten words that sum up the events you put on: We like good music, strong whisky and love Nottingham!

Describe the average punter at your nights: Loads of students, other musicians and the kinds of folk that drink their coffee from Wired or shop at Braderie.

Which local act has gone down best with your crowd and why?

The Most Ugly Child get everyone dancing every time, The Afterdark Movement last year at Waterfront Festival for going absolutely insane, and Frazer Lowrie for his on-stage banter.

Which non-local act would you bring back again?

EdwardAlice (I think they're from Cambridge) because they write lovely songs and made everyone feel happier inside.

If you could get a celebrity compere, who would you choose and why?

Willie Nelson, because he's Willie Nelson.

Which booze sells best at your events?

Whisky, rum or cocktails.

Tell us a crazy story that has happened at your events: We save that for the after-parties. All the stories you hear are true...

If you weren’t a promoter, what would you have ended up doing?

Working with old books; I wanted to work in archives. Then I met Will Robinson...

What other events in Nottingham do you love?

Pretty much any night at JamCafé or anything put together by I'm Not From London or Farmyard. Does the Rescue Rooms quiz count? Because we love that.

What have you got coming up in August and September?

Loads of stuff that we're not allowed to talk about yet so the best thing to do is check the website, but expect some new venues, new music and massive events. underthetreenottingham.wordpress.com

We’ve got things to do and people to see. Luckily we’re going to share them with you...

Riverside Festival

Everybody loves a bit of Embankment action, especially when it’s decked out with all things fine and dandy. The legendary street fair is back with all its glorious rides, traditional steam engines and organs, global craft and trade stalls, outdoor theatre, happy little-people activities in the kids’ zone and opportunities to get moving in the sports zone.

Best of all, there are rows upon rows of food and drink vendors, live music stages and that most sought-after photo opportunity, the epic firework display on Saturday night. So get down for a chilled out day of pottering about, or tear up the evening with booze, food and rides. Not all at once though. That could get messy.

Friday 1 August – Sunday 3 August, 12pm, free, Victoria Embankment

De La Soul

That’s right. The hip hop legends and poetic geniuses are coming to Nottingham to douse us in their jazzy, funky, soulful vibrations. And after they kindly released their discography for a day’s free download, you’ve got no excuse not to be screaming their lyrics back at them. In celebration of their 25 years of hip hop, the veteran trio are bringing their massive beat range and double-take wordplay to Notts, for a one night stand that you won’t regret in the morning.

Chances are it won’t just be me, myself and I, so make sure you get your tickets, pronto.

Thursday 7 August, 6.30pm, £25, Rock City

Georgie

Over the past few years, Georgie Rose has built quite a reputation around the Notts music scene. Recently, she’s played Splendour, Dot To Dot, Theatre Royal, and even managed to bag the likes of Billy Bragg and KT Tunstall as her fans. Now she’s gone and got a band together who go by the name of Georgie (we bet that took a while to think up) and she’s doing a bit of a showcase of her new Americana West Coast style material at Tempreh. With support on the night from The Hargreaves and Molly & Jack, it’s gonna be an amazing night, full of great local talent that everyone can swell with pride to.

Saturday 9 August, 8pm, free, Nottingham Contemporary

Holi One Colour Festival

It’s not very often that we get to act like childish prats. Okay, Friday nights might be an exception. But when do you get to chuck paint powder at your mates with no repercussions?

The ancient Hindu festival is being brought right into our back garden, with Donington’s very own Holi Fest for people to get rowdy, smiley and colourful.

There will be loads of live music acts, dancing and performance art, with a generous smothering of rainbow.

The crowd is instructed to throw the powder up - not towards - at regular intervals, so you can be part of a collective artwork in the air. Make sure you wear a white T-shirt, that’s your blank canvas for the day.

Saturday 9 August, 12pm, various prices, Donington Park

Skatejam

Clifton’s got a pretty awesome skate park, and if you’re a BMXer or a skater, chances are you’ve shown off some of your skills down there. As part of the annual Picnic in the Park event - a day of bouncy castles, climbing walls and loads more - yet-to-be-revealed pro BMXers and skaters will be coming down to host a load of competitions that you can get involved with. Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate, although, if you’ve never been on a skateboard, this might not be the time to give it a first try. However, veterans, get ready to show off your best Tony Hawk moves.

Tuesday 12 August, 11am, free, Clifton Playing Fields

Jungle Xplosion 2

Rogue FM DJ T Flex is having no ordinary birthday party, it’s another mad raving session at The Irish Centre. Producers and DJs, from across the globe and locally, are joining forces to dish out reggae, dancehall, drum ’n’ bass, r ‘n’ b and jungle sounds. Be prepared for a night of finding different sounds in every corner. The line-up boasts Liondub, Marga MC, Aries, Joe Nebula, XTC, Dan Terrorform, Flex Roadshow, Easy Rider, Bomma, Murder, Kryptik, Eljay, Rebecca Timson, Swing King, DJ Razor, Kemet FM DJs and the birthday boy himself, T Flex, to name but a few.

There’ll be food from Mr T’s Restaurant available too.

Tasty.

Saturday 16 August, 10pm, £5 - £7, The Irish Centre

Reel Equality

Sick of the status quo of female characters in film being somewhat empty and shallow?

You’re not the only one.

Equation are kicking off a brand new series of movie nights for all those people out there who love a good movie and hate sexism. As you may have gathered from the title - the screenings tell woman-centred stories, and challenge gender stereotypes. Kicking things off at the launch party are grooves from Notts’ own Stiff Kittens DJs, free cake from the Screaming Carrot bakery and a screening of offbeat classic Ghost World. They also suggest a bit of dressing up too, as the best dressed gets one year’s Broadway membership. Snazzy.

Friday 22 August, 8.30pm, free, Broadway

Summer Nights Film Festival

While we’ve got this lovely weather cracking off, the last thing you want to do is sit inside a dark stuffy cinema - which sucks for us lot that love films. Thankfully some people think outside the box office and the product of these thoughts is a film festival showing three critically acclaimed films (Gravity, Grease and, aptly, The Dark Knight Rises) on a massive screen in the middle of Wollaton Park. So pack a folding chair, bring your own and enjoy some great cinematic entertainment with the added enjoyment of oxygen. Just don’t go dressed as Bruce Wayne, it’s a bit passé...

Friday 22 August - Sunday 24 August, 7pm, £12, Wollaton Park

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event listings...

for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings

FRIDAY 1 AUG

SATURDAY 2 AUG

SUNDAY 3 AUG

TUESDAY 5 AUG

FRIDAY 8 AUG

SATURDAY 9 AUG

Unplugged Showcase Bunkers Hill (M) Free, 8pm

Big Sound Saturday Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M)

Riverside Festival Victoria Embankment (M) Free, 2pm

IKE Showcase The Rescue Rooms (M) £6, 6:30pm

Unplugged Showcase Bunkers Hill (M)

Saturdays The Forum (M)

Faith Filthy’s (M)

Pressure The Rescue Rooms (M)

Ditto The Forum (M)

Live Music Edins (M)

Sentenced, Solemn Promise & Revelations The Maze (M) £3, 7pm

Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M)

Live Music Edins (M)

Hey Hey Hey Rock City (M)

Jonah Matranga’s Onelinedrawing The Maze (M) £9/£12, 8pm Plus Mountain Schmountain and Sammy H Stephens.

DJ Marriott The Southbank Bar (M)

Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M)

Booba Dust The Running Horse (M) £3, 8pm

Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M) Free, 9pm The Pop Confessional The Bodega (M) Free/£3, 11pm Kevin Devine The Bodega (M) £9, 7pm

Back To Mine The Market Bar (M) The Smears and On Trial UK The Maze (M) £6, 6pm Kold Chillin’ The Old Angel (M) Saturday Sons The Fox & Crown (M)

Buzz Cason The Guitar Bar (M)

Stealth vs Rescued The Rescue Rooms (M)

Van Armada, C.A.S.S, Shattered Generation & Dreaded Monkey The Maze (M)

Intro Festival Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M)

Don’t Forget The Midlands The Old Angel (M) Everything’s Alright The Rescue Rooms (M) Reggae Take Over Spanky Van Dykes (M) PARC The Malt Shovel (M) Dirt Box Disco The Doghouse (M) £7.50/£10, 7pm - 2am Real Creative Futures / Work out of The Office The New Art Exchange (A) The Pirates of Penzance Newstead Abbey (T) £9 - £16, 7pm

Hoochie Coochie Club: The Delta Bombers, Pip Pip & The Swags Spanky Van Dykes (M) £10/£12.50, 9pm - 2am Acoustic Union The Hop Pole (M) Pete Donaldson The Lion at Basford (M) Frank and Joseph Earp Waterstones (A) Free, 1pm Chinese Qi Xi Festival Concert Djanogly Theatre (T) £7, 7pm Patrick Rolink, Jarlath Regan, Paul Piric & Phil Walker Jongleurs (C) £15, 6:30pm

Patrick Rolink, Jarlath Regan, Paul Piric, Phil Walker Jongleurs (C) £12, 6:30pm

Dominic Woodward, John Ryan & Adam Staunton Bartons (C) £11, 7:30pm - 10pm

Tanyalee Davis, Rudi Lickwood, Andy Robinson and Tiernan Douieb The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

Tanyalee Davis, Rudi Lickwood, Andy Robinson & Tiernan Douieb The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

SATURDAY 2 AUG

SUNDAY 3 AUG

Red Shoes The Guitar Bar (M)

Vinyl Sunday JamCafé (M)

Hey Hey Hey Rock City (M)

Open Mic Night The Guitar Bar (M)

High Power Society Spanky Van Dykes (M)

Open Mic Night The Johnson Arms (M)

The Madeline Rust The Chameleon Arts Café (M)

Not Another Quiz The Orange Tree (Q) £1, 8pm

Ed Marchewicz Quartet The Lion at Basford (M)

Neon Sarcastic The Rescue Rooms (M) £6, 6pm

Satnams Tash & One Million Motors The Golden Fleece (M)

Peter Pan Nottingham Castle (T) £10/£14, 6:30pm

kHELO! Forest Recreation Ground (A) Free, 1pm - 4pm

THURSDAY 7 AUG

Ready Steady 60s The Lion at Basford (M)

Open Mic Night The Lion at Basford (M)

Domino Duo The Malt Shovel (M)

Ryan Thomas Bartons (M) £10, 7:30pm - 11:30pm

Karaoke The Old Angel (M)

Chris Cairns, Allyson Smith, Paul Piric & Wayne Deakin Jongleurs (C) £12, 6:30pm

Georgie Nottingham Contemporary (M) Free, 8pm

Trevor Crook, Anthony J Brown, Kockov & Clint Edwards The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

Live Music The Lion at Basford (M)

SATURDAY 9 AUG

Plugged In Saturday Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M) Free, 10pm - 2am

MONDAY 4 AUG Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M)

Ambiance JamCafé (M) Free, 8pm

Eric Martin Rock City (M) £14.30, 7:30pm The Ukelele Orchestra of Hackspace Nottingham Hackspace (M) Free, 7pm - 9pm Choking Susan & Hung Like Hanratty The Doghouse (M) £7, 7pm - 1am Nottingham Hackspace Photograpghers Nottingham Hackspace (A) 6:30pm - 9:30pm TUESDAY 5 AUG Davey Rocks Bunkers Hill (M) Notts in a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm Open Mic Night Pepper Rocks (M) Stripped Back Open Mic Filthy’s (M) The Racing Room The Dragon (M) Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £2, 10pm

Lacklustre not being in their vocabulary, there will be a light show provided by Metempsychosis to bring a touch of psychedelia to the show. To cap it off, there’ll be a whole host of smiley faces to make this birthday one to remember. Get your party poppers at the ready and expect good tunes, happy vibes, free booze and tasty treats. All of this for the grand sum of... Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

AlleyCafé fourteenth birthday party, Sunday 24 August, free. alleycafe.co.uk

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WEDNESDAY 6 AUG

High Power Society Spanky Van Dykes (M) Free, 9pm

Down by Law, Southport and One Car Pileup The Doghouse (M) £8, 7pm - 1am

How time flies, eh? The little café with the big menu and chilled out nights is celebrating turning fourteen. And what teenager doesn’t want a party? Especially if I’m Not From London are organising it. Along with the residents spinning up a storm in the bar, there’ll be a menagerie of musical musings providing the soundtrack for the evening: a selection of Nottingham’s finest bands and DJs will be on form, as well as a few surprise performances from elsewhere in the UK.

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Fowl Humour The Golden Fleece (C) Free, 8pm - 10:30pm

De La Soul Rock City (M) £27.50, 6:30pm Agnes of God Lace Market Theatre (T) £9/£11, 7:30pm “Don’t Panic” Comedy Cub Bunkers Hill (C) Free, 7pm

The Pop Confessional The Bodega (M) Free / £3, 11pm

JD’S - Ska, Soul & Rock The Hop Pole (M) Free, 9:15pm - 12am Saturday Night Comedy Just The Tonic (M) £6/£10, 8pm

The Spunk / Scrotom Spunk Bag / Damaged The Old Angel (M) £3, 8pm - 11:45pm

Back To Mine The Market Bar (M)

Bad Breeding & Kagoule The Chameleon Arts Café (M) £4, 7pm - 1am

event listings...

for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings

SATURDAY 9 AUG

MONDAY 11 AUG

THURSDAY 14 AUG

SATURDAY 16 AUG

SATURDAY 16 AUG

MONDAY 18 AUG

Deja Groove Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M)

Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M)

Ambiance JamCafé (M)

Live Music Edins (M)

To Sleep Lace Market Theatre (T) £10, 7:30pm

Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M)

Useless ID, Implants and Dead Intentions The Doghouse (M) £6/£8, 4pm - 2am

Notts In a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm

Live Music The Hand and Heart (M)

DJ Marriott The Southbank Bar (M)

Polica The Rescue Rooms (M) £14, 6:30pm

High Power Society Spanky Van Dykes (M)

Steve Gribbin, Paul James & Robin Morgan The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

Open Mic Night The Lion at Basford (M)

The Aynsley Lister Band The Running Horse (M) £10 / £12.50, 8pm - 12pm

Saturday Night Comedy Just The Tonic (C) £6/£10, 7:30pm

Lauren April JamCafé (M)

Live Music The Lion at Basford (M)

Rum & Bratwurst Day Kean’s Head (C)

FRIDAY 15 AUG

Back To Mine The Market Bar (M)

SUNDAY 17 AUG

Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art School The Glee Club (A) £8, 12pm Chris Cairns, Allyson Smith, Paul Piric & Wayne Deakin Jongleurs (C) £15, 6:30pm

The Ukelele Orchestra of Hackspace Nottingham Hackspace (M) Free, 7pm - 9pm TUESDAY 12 AUG Davey Rocks Bunkers Hill (M)

Trevor Crook, Anthony J Brown, Kockov & Clint Edwards The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

Open Mic Night Pepper Rocks (M)

SUNDAY 10 AUG

The Racing Room The Dragon (M)

Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M) Open Mic Night The Guitar Bar (M) Not Another Quiz The Orange Tree (M) £1, 8pm Binns Organ Recital - Henry Websdale The Albert Hall (M) £5, 2:45pm Faith Filthy’s (M) Qween The Maze (M) £10, 7:30pm The Lion Music Quiz The Lion at Basford (M) Tony Harper Quintet Ft. Pete Wilde The Lion at Basford (M) Flip The Lid Bunkers Hill (M) Jonny Slim and The Slim Tones & No Disco The Golden Fleece (M) kHELO! The New Art Exchange (A) Free, 1:30pm - 4pm Wonderland Picnic The New Art Exchange (A) Free, 12pm - 4pm MONDAY 11 AUG Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M)

Stripped Back Open Mic Filthy’s (M)

Unplugged Showcase Bunkers Hill (M) Ditto The Forum (M) Live Music Edins (M)

Caribbean Carnival Afterparty Spanky Van Dykes (M)

Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £2, 10pm

Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M)

Last Pedestrians The Lion at Basford (M)

Brewery Night and Live Music Bread And Bitter (M)

The Pop Confessional The Bodega (M) Free/£3, 11pm

Old Nick Trading Co The Hop Pole (M)

Pressure The Rescue Rooms (M)

Good Times DJ The Approach (M)

Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M)

Thea Hopkins The Guitar Bar (M)

Far From Vietnam - Grilled Rice Nottingham Contemporary (A) Free (book), 6:30pm - 7:30pm Great British Beer Festival The Fox & Crown (C) Ends Saturday 16 Aug. WEDNESDAY 13 AUG Open Mic Night The Bell Inn (M) Local Resident Failure, Hvman Teeth, Crosa Rosa, Dead Intentions & One Million Motors The Maze (M) £4, 6:30pm THURSDAY 14 AUG Open Mic Night The Lion at Basford (M) Karaoke The Old Angel (M) Big Cheap Quiz & Richie Muir Band The Southbank Bar (M)

Live Music The Lion at Basford (M) The Return of Pilgrim, Fly On Byrd, Fly On & Paper Cape The Maze (M)

SATURDAY 16 AUG

Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £2, 10pm

Faith Filthy’s (M) The Breakfast Club, Tim Simpson & Josh Kemp The Maze (M) £3/£4, 5pm

Our History – Our Story: Polish Heritage in the East Midlands The New Art Exchange (A) Free, 3pm - 5pm

Ben Martin The Lion at Basford (M) Tom Ash & Matt Robinson The Golden Fleece (M)

Daniel Dobbs, Josh Wheatley & Cut The Heroics The Maze (M) £5, 6:30pm Pulled Apart By Horses The Bodega (M) £7, 7pm Far From Vietnam Surname Viet Given Name Nam Nottingham Contemporary (A) Free (book), 6:30pm - 8pm

RELAUNCHED

Kellys Heroes The Lion at Basford (M)

Steve Gribbin, Paul James & Robin Morgan The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

The Racing Room The Dragon (M)

Nottingham Concert Band Arboretum Park (M) Free, 2pm

Everything’s Alright The Rescue Rooms (M)

Wuthering Heights Wollaton Park (T) £10/£14, 7pm

Stripped Back Open Mic Filthy’s (M)

DJ Marriott The Southbank Bar (M)

The Money The Willowbrook (M)

Vass The Malt Shovel (M)

Open Mic Night Pepper Rocks (M)

Not Another Quiz The Orange Tree (M) £1, 8pm

Sound Recovery Festival Sobar (M) £4-£7, 4pm - 7pm Ends Sunday 17 Aug.

The Ukelele Orchestra of Hackspace Nottingham Hackspace (M) Free, 7pm - 9pm

Davey Rocks Bunkers Hill (M)

Music Quiz The Lion at Basford (M) Free, 1:30pm

Legend In Japan Rock City (M) £3.75, 10pm

The Hiding Place The Maze (M) £5, 7:30pm

TUESDAY 19 AUG

Open Mic Night The Guitar Bar (M)

Plugged In Saturday Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M) 10pm - 2am

Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M)

After a quarter million pound refurbishment. Customers old and new have been loving the new decor and furnishings with its shabby-chic meets contemporary stylings. The outside roof terrace remains and is a fabulous sun-trap.

The new menu has been a great success, whilst retaining old favourites such as the burgers and roasts. All our food is homemade where possible and sourced from local, organic, sustainable suppliers such as JT Beedhams butchers. There’s a doodle wall, a book shelf and space for artists to display their work.

Nottingham Carnival Forest Recreation Ground (M) £1, 12pm

KITCHEN

Mon - Sat 12:00 - 21:00

MUSIC & EVENTS Whoever reckons you need alcohol to have a good night obviously hasn’t been to Sobar, on Friar Lane, Nottingham’s only booze-free bar. As further proof that going teetotal is possible, a whole weekend of fun without the abv is on the cards, and with some of the tastiest non-alcoholic treats in town on their menu, we’re not going to argue. The Sound Recovery Music festival is a twodayer that runs on 16 - 17 August with a roster offering a varied mix of folk, opera, acoustic, jazz and blues.

Hosted by I’m Not From London, all proceeds will go to Double Impact, a charity that provides services promoting recovery and community integration for people who have experienced problematic drug and alcohol use. They achieve this by lending opportunities for personal development, healthy choices, education, vocational training, employment and access to housing.

Listen to some tunes, have a bite to eat and sip a smoothie while helping others - sweet as.

Saturday 16 - Sunday 17 August, £4/£7, Sobar

Monday: Tuesdays:

Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturdays: Sundays:

Sun 12:00 - 17:00 serving

delicious homemade roasts only

Open mic night hosted by Marc Reeves and Adam Peter Smith

1st of the month - Fowl Comedy 2nd of the month - Dilettante society meeting, welcome all for creative thoughts 3rd of the month - jam night 4th of the month - grrls and guitars

Quiz night with Al Needham Acoustic night Varying djs & bands, with Maxi Dread playing the last Friday of every month 1st of the month - King Kahlua's Kuja Huu 4th of the month - Vinyl Jacks playing alternative mods and rockers music

Band nights

ϐleecepub.com

@FleeceNotts

TheGoldenFleece

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NOW OP EN www.pirateislandgolf.co.uk/nottingham

Ramsdale Park Golf Centre, Oxton Road, Calverton, Nottingham NG14 6NU

T. 0115 9655600 E. info@ramsdaleparkgc.co.uk W. www.ramsdaleparkgc.co.uk

Part of BGL Golf. Offering Great Destinations for every Golf and Leisure Occasion!

event listings...

for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings

TUESDAY 19 AUG

THURSDAY 21 AUG

FRIDAY 22 AUG

SATURDAY 23 AUG

MONDAY 25 AUG

THURSDAY 28 AUG

Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M)

The Score The Lion at Basford (M)

WEDNESDAY 20 AUG

Bank Holiday Beer & Cider Festival The Poppy and Pint (M) Ends Monday 25 Aug.

The Ukelele Orchestra of Hackspace Nottingham Hackspace (M) Free, 7pm - 9pm

Grant Ley The Maze (M) £5/£7, 8pm

Open Mic Night The Bell Inn (M)

Open Mic Night The Lion at Basford (M)

The Lion Quiz The Lion at Basford (Q)

Steve McCabe Duo JamCafé (M)

Lace Market Music Festival Galleries of Justice (M) £6, 11:45am - 11pm Ends Monday 25 Aug. Matt Henshaw, Liam O’Kane, Leah Sinead, Ryan Thomas, Frazer Lowrie, Georgie Rose, Hearts, Careen, The Most Ugly Child and Sam Kirk.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart The Bodega (M) £12, 7pm Dickies The Rescue Rooms (M) £15, 7pm Much Ado About Nothing Nottingham Castle (T) £10/£14, 7pm THURSDAY 21 AUG

FRIDAY 22 AUG Unplugged Showcase Bunkers Hill (M) Ditto The Forum (M) Live Music Edins (M) Love Shack Rock City (M) £5, 10pm

Open Mic Night The Lion at Basford (M)

Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M)

Karaoke The Old Angel (M)

The Pop Confessional The Bodega (M) Free/£3, 11pm

Big Cheap Quiz, Richie Muir Band The Southbank Bar (M) Ambiance JamCafé (M) Notts In a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm Bank Holiday Beer Festival The Lincolnshire Poacher (M) Ends Sunday 24 Aug.

Good Times DJ The Approach (M) Guy Maile The Fox & Crown (M) Bank Holiday BBQ Weekend Bread And Bitter (M) Ends Monday 25 Aug. Everything’s Alright The Rescue Rooms (M) 4Mation Spanky Van Dykes (M) £3-£6, 9pm

Hawthorne Levi The Malt Shovel (M) George’s Marvellous Medicine Newstead Abbey (T) £9 - £16, 7pm Jarlath Regan, Andy White, Gary Delaney & Ryan Cull The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm SATURDAY 23 AUG Hey Hey Hey Rock City (M) High Power Society Spanky Van Dykes (M) Back To Mine The Market Bar (M) Revenge Of Calculon Nottingham Contemporary (M) Free, 8pm - 11pm Plugged In Saturday Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M) Stealth vs Rescued The Rescue Rooms (M) Deja Groove Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M) Calm Down The Lion at Basford (M) Crazy Heart The Hop Pole (M)

kHELO! Forest Recreation Ground (A) Free, 1pm - 4pm Stop Pretending Art is Hard Hopkinson Gallery (A) Free, 7:30pm - 10:30pm Jarlath Regan, Andy White, Gary Delaney & Ryan Cull The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm SUNDAY 24 AUG Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M) Open Mic Night The Guitar Bar (M) Not Another Quiz The Orange Tree (M) £1, 8pm Pop Up Party IBIZA Sunset Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M) 6pm - 3am Faith Filthy’s (M) Nottingham Acoustic Gathering 2014 The Maze (M) £2, 1:30pm The Lion Music Quiz The Lion at Basford (M)

Make it! Eat it! Watch it!

Nottingham Contemporary (A) £3 per person, under 2 years Free, 11am - 3pm TUESDAY 26 AUG Davey Rocks Bunkers Hill (M) Free, 7pm Open Mic Night Pepper Rocks (M) Stripped Back Open Mic Filthy’s (M) Free, 9pm The Racing Room The Dragon (M) Free, 8pm Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £2, 10pm Mask of Judas & Taken By The Tide The Maze (M) £5, 7pm Brewery Night Bread And Bitter (M) Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M) Far From Vietnam - Three Films by Thi Trinh Nguyen Nottingham Contemporary (A) Free (book), 6:30pm - 8:30pm WEDNESDAY 27 AUG

Joanna Hudson & Bob Hudson The Lion at Basford (M)

Open Mic Night The Bell Inn (M)

Flip The Lid Bunkers Hill (M)

The Lion Quiz The Lion at Basford (Q)

kHELO! Forest Recreation Ground (A) Free, 1pm - 4pm

Notts In a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm

MONDAY 25 AUG

Shut Up, Actually Talk Nottingham Contemporary (A) Free, 7pm - 8pm

Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M) Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M) Ghostface Killah The Rescue Rooms (M) £12.50, 7pm

THURSDAY 28 AUG Karaoke The Old Angel (M) Ambiance JamCafé (M)

Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks The Rescue Rooms (M) £17.50, 6:30pm Open Mic Night The Lion at Basford (M) Outdoor Theatre - The Tempest Nottingham Castle (T) £10/£14, 7pm FRIDAY 29 AUG Unplugged Showcase Bunkers Hill (M) Ditto The Forum (M) Live Music Edins (M) DJ Marriott The Southbank Bar (M) Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M) The Pop Confessional The Bodega (M) Free/£3, 11pm Good Times DJ The Approach (M) Chaos Promotions presents...

The Maze (M) Red Cars The Fox & Crown (M) Josh Wheatley, Field Studies, Frankie Rudolf & Tom Ash The Bodega (M) £5, 7pm St. Paul And The Broken Bones The Rescue Rooms (M) £10, 6:30pm Everything’s Alright The Rescue Rooms (M) Live Music The Lion at Basford (M) One Bomb JamCafé (M) Opdot JamCafé (M) The Noise Next Door, Jim Smallman, Tony Burgess & Lee Ridley The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

Eks’Vee - for those a bit slower on the uptake, that’s XV spelled phonetically - are a group of artists who are in the process of mastering their mediums. Quite literally, as these guys and gals have taken their education further than your bog standard bachelor degree.

The group of fifteen Nottingham Trent University Masters students have been practicing within the fine art and photographic field and their exhibition portrays the journey they’ve taken individually and as a collaborative group. Encompassing performance art to pictorialism, and contemporary dialogues to traditional conversations, in the two-week exhibition you get to not only engage with the work, but the artists are putting on a bunch of talks so you can get even more out of their passions. Wish them luck if you see them as they wave farewell to their academic lives and move in to the professional world - not that they’ll need it, by the looks of things.

Private View Friday 19 September, 6 - 8pm, free; Exhibition runs from Saturday 20 September – Friday 3 October, Surface Gallery. surfacegallery.org leftlion.co.uk/issue60

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event listings...

for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings

SATURDAY 30 AUG

SATURDAY 30 AUG

MONDAY 1 SEP

WEDNESDAY 3 SEP

FRIDAY 5 SEP

SUNDAY 7 SEP

Live Music Edins (M) Free, 8pm

The Noise Next Door, Jim Smallman, Tony Burgess & Lee Ridley The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M)

Open Mic Night The Maze (M)

Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M) Free, 9pm

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly The Rescue Rooms (M) £11, 6:30pm

John Fothergill, Chris Stokes, James Acaster & Joe Rowntree The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

Bands in the Parks 2014 Melbourne Town Band Arboretum Park (M) Free, 2pm

Fundraising Gig with Hotbox and Insultana The Maze (M) £7/£8, 7pm

The Dan Collective The Star Inn (M) £6, 7:30pm

Hey Hey Hey Rock City (M) DJ Marriott The Southbank Bar (M) High Power Society Spanky Van Dykes (M) Free, 9pm Amanda Rheaume The Guitar Bar (M) Back To Mine The Market Bar (M) Free, 9pm Nightmare The Maze (M) Chaos UK The Old Angel (M) £8, 8:30pm Acetones The Fox & Crown (M) Simon Faulkner Band Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M) Little Giants, The Lion at Basford (M) Crazy Heart The Hop Pole (M) The Front Bottoms Rock City (M) £8.80, 6:30pm Robin Hood Nottingham Castle (T) £10/£14, 6:30pm

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Saturday Night Comedy Just The Tonic (C) £6/£10, 7:30pm SUNDAY 31 AUG Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M) Open Mic Night The Guitar Bar (M) Not Another Quiz The Orange Tree (M) £1, 8pm Faith Filthy’s (M) 10pm Notts In a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm The Lion Music Quiz The Lion at Basford (M) 9pm

Nottingham Hackspace Photographers Nottingham Hackspace (A) 6:30pm - 9:30pm TUESDAY 2 SEP Moon Duo at The Harley The Harley (M) £9/£10, 7:30pm Open Mic Night Pepper Rocks (M) Stripped Back Open Mic Filthy’s (M) The Racing Room The Dragon (M) Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £2, 10pm

Brian Archer Trombone Duo, The Lion at Basford The Lion at Basford (M) 8pm

Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M)

Full Circle, The Hop Pole The Hop Pole (M) 9pm

Fowl Humour The Golden Fleece (C) Free, 8pm - 10:30pm

Line, Form and Space Lakeside Arts Centre (A) £30/£40, 10am - 4pm

WEDNESDAY 3 SEP Open Mic Night The Bell Inn (M)

THURSDAY 4 SEP Danny Bryant The Rescue Rooms (M) £12, 7pm Lee Evans Capital Fm Arena (C) £33.60 - £108 Ends Monday 8 Sep. FRIDAY 5 SEP DJ Marriott The Southbank Bar (M) The Pop Confessional The Bodega (M) Free/£3, 11pm Oxjam Ceildh Bartons (M) £10, 7pm Navacross The Lion at Basford (M) Reggae Take Over Spanky Van Dykes (M) Keith Buck The Malt Shovel (M)

SATURDAY 6 SEP

Open Mic Night The Johnson Arms (M)

Back To Mine The Market Bar (M) Free, 9pm

Franc Cinelli The Maze (M) £6/£8, 7:30pm

Macmillan Fest 2014 The Rescue Rooms (M) £7/£10, 2pm

Me & Mr Jones The Lion at Basford (M)

High Power Society Spanky Van Dykes (M)

Flip The Lid Bunkers Hill (M)

Fargo The Hop Pole (M)

Tony Wright (Terrorvision) Rock City (M) £11, 7pm

Nottingham Rocks Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (T) £8 - £10, 7:30pm

Binns Organ Recital Donald MacKenzie The Albert Hall (M) £5, 2:45pm

Alitair Barrie, Paddy Lennox and Kate Lucas Bartons (C) £11, 7:30pm

Euler & Sol Baish The Golden Fleece (M)

John Fothergill, Chris Stokes, James Acaster & Joe Rowntree The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm Saturday Night Comedy Just The Tonic (C) £6/£10, 7:30pm SUNDAY 7 SEP Not Another Quiz The Orange Tree (M) £1, 8pm

“Don’t Panic” Comedy Cub Bunkers Hill (C) Free, 7pm MONDAY 8 SEP Dirty Mondays The Forum (M) £4, 11pm Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M) Andrew Combs & Matt McCloskey The Maze (M) £11, 7:30pm

pick of the month SEPT Thirty days have September, so put some of them to good use with all these lovely happenings...

Macmillan Fest

As we creep out of the summer months, you may be fooled into thinking that the festivals have dried up. Well, you’d be wrong. Macmillan have teamed up with IKE Productions to bring a load of the finest alternative acts in Notts to venues around the city, all to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. There will be four stages of heavy anthems to get your mosh on to, and if you need a rest from all that amplification, there’s an acoustic stage too. Top that with festival malarky, a barbeque and raffle, and the entry price is more than worth it.

Saturday 6 September, 2pm, £10, various venues

Barefoot Walk

It’s a sad fact that over sixty million people around the world don’t own a single pair of shoes, and as such have to walk barefoot over all manner of terrain. To raise awareness, and also a fair few quid for four different charities, Notts is going to try to smash Guinness World Record for the largest number of barefoot walkers over 3km and 5km at once. While you’re contributing towards this record breaking feat, there’ll also be plenty of great live music cracking off, as well as stalls, raffles, and all your usual riff raff.

Sunday 7 September, 10am, £10, Wollaton Park

Barbershop Singing Course

Roots of the Forest

It’s all very well and good getting out and about while the weather’s nice, but how’s about doing a little summat-summat for the community in the process? There’s a garden on Forest Rec and it needs help from all ducks and duckettes of the city to muck in and get involved. In return, you get skills and knowledge in farming your own fruit and veg, the chance to meet new friends, and a bit of good owd-fashioned fresh air in yer lungs. The meetings happen on the first Saturday of every month, so get your gloves on and your hoes ready for some seedy fun.

Saturday 6 September, 10am, free, Community Garden, Forest Recreation Ground

We all like to think that we can sing - but unfortunately a lot of us have had to come to terms with the fact that a Saturday night down the local is about the furthest our pipes are gonna take us. Well, sod the Bon Jovi, cos the Major Oak Chorus Barbershop group are putting on a six week course where you can learn to sing in harmony with them - and therefore not sound like a X-Factor reject the second you open your gob. Get your name down quick.

Tuesday 7 September - Tuesday 7 October, 7.30pm, £10, Lindsay Morgan Hall, Mapperley

The Gilded Merkin

Nottingham Rocks

The Notts music scene has been buzzing for a few years now and it doesn’t seem to be quieting down. As cliché as it is, we really do have something for everyone. The point of Nottingham Rocks is to give a much bigger platform than your humble venues such as JamCafé or The Chameleon, as they bring four local acts to the huge stage of Theatre Royal. And, get this - they’ll be backed by a fourteen-piece orchestra. Yep, Joel Baker, Shelter Point, Noah and The Afterdark Movement will all be gracing the stage with added oomph and a posh chandelier.

Saturday 6 September, 7.30pm, £10, Theatre Royal

From gentleman jugglers, to sensual delights, Chinese pole acrobatics to a bit of bump and grind; The Gilded Merkin bring a right mixed bag of some of the finest burlesque and cabaret talent in the UK to Notts, and it’s shaping up to be a proper good ‘un. Not just relying on the tease, you’ll be guffawing at the comedy acts and holding your breath at the physical feats that are part of the show. Dress to impress and forget all the rest, as the likes of Reuben Kaye, Millie Dollar and many more seduce your soul. It’s certainly a night you won’t forget…

Sunday 14 September, 6.30pm, £15, The Glee Club

Sleaford Mods

This mouthy pair have been getting a fair bit of attention lately, ain’t they? A four-page spread in the NME, the likes of Q and Record Collector singing their praises, and The Guardian are now big fans. It’s no wonder that their latest homecoming show sold out pronto - but luckily for those who weren’t quick enough off the blocks, they’ve added another date so you can get your fix of shouty knowledge. The line-up also includes the awesome Grey Hairs and White Finger to guarantee a warmed up crowd. Plus, all you vinylists will be happy to know that the Mods will be flogging a limited edition 7” that’s only available at this gig not so bad being tied up in Notts, is it?

Sunday 14 September, 7pm, £6, Spanky Van Dykes

20,000 Days on Earth

As one of the more charismatic figures to emerge from the music industry over the past century or so, Nick Cave has quite a legacy. Now aged 56, directors Ian Forsyth and Jane Pollard have come together to paint a drama documentary focussed on his life so far, with insights into his creative processes. We’ll also get a look into those people who have affected his life, from regular collaborator Warren Ellis, to Kylie Minogue and all those in between. Following the screening will be a sixty-minute live performance and a Q&A with the creative team behind the film.

Wednesday 17 September, 7pm, £14, Broadway

Kino Klubb Presents The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Back in the day, they didn’t have all these fancy CGI special effects and multi-million quid budgets for movies. In the twenties, when films were just finding their metaphorical feet, they didn’t even have sound. As part as of Scalarama, Kino Klubb are being proper kind to you lot and bringing a screening of one of the earliest horror films ever made to Broadway, and they’ve roped space-doom band Nadir into scoring it live before your very eyes. So, technically, you’re getting both a gig and a film oh, and it’s free too. No excuses.

Friday 19 September, 10pm, free, Broadway

THE NUSIC BOX Your new Notts music tip sheet, compiled by Nusic’s Sam Nahirny Check leftlion.co.uk/nusic and nusic.org.uk for the podcasts

Daudi Matsiko

Music has the power to trigger many different emotions. Some music has you ecstatic with happiness, dancing around the room like no one’s watching. And some music has the ability to make even the butchest of men cry. Daudi Matsiko falls into the latter. This fella makes indie-folk that is so beautiful, you just have to sit back and appreciate it. He may also win the award for most misleading EP title ever too, as A Brief Introduction To Failure this EP is certainly not. If anything, it’s a brief introduction to brilliance. facebook.com/hellodaudi

Alcedo

Distorted noise pop. Three words that are probably the best ones out there to describe Alcedo. Take the opening track off their EP, Surfacing, for example; it kicks us off with a barrage of picky guitars, a huge wall of sound, and haunting, almost ghost-like vocals. Despite having only been together a few months, they already have an incredibly refined sound and a debut EP that puts similar major label releases to shame. We’re pretty sure they’ll be soundtracking an advert on the telly at some point over the next few months. facebook.com/alcedomusic

Robyn Hughes-Jones

One of the judges’ favourites in FSN 2014, Robyn blew everyone away with her entry track J’adore, an absolutely stunning piece of music that showcased her beautiful husky voice and knack for writing a damn catchy song. Robyn’s vocals are truly unlike anything we’ve ever heard before – she has a tender, whispery tone that warms and seduces hearts at the same time. With tracks like What’s A Girl To Do? she shows off her foxier side, and never have we heard a story about friends with benefits that sounded so innocent. facebook.com/robynhughesjones leftlion.co.uk/issue60

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event listings...

for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings

MONDAY 8 SEP

THURSDAY 11 SEP

FRIDAY 12 SEP

SATURDAY 13 SEP

MONDAY 15 SEP

FRIDAY 19 SEP

Ourzone Found Tour 2014 Rock City (M) £2.95, 6pm

Moirai, Jenny Bell & Marc Block Trio The Guitar Bar (M) £5, 8pm

The Queen Extravaganza Rock City (M) £24.75, 7pm

3 Eyed Fox The Lion at Basford (M)

Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M)

Joe Strange Band Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M) Free, 9pm

Fab Two The Hop Pole (M)

The Ukelele Orchestra of Hackspace Nottingham Hackspace (M)

TUESDAY 9 SEP Stripped Back Open Mic Filthy’s (M) The Racing Room The Dragon (M) Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £2, 10pm Notts In a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M) WEDNESDAY 10 SEP Hush #6 The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm Katie Miller-Heidke The Bodega (M) £8, 7pm Jesus Jones The Rescue Rooms (M) £15, 6:30pm £1 comedy night Canalhouse (C) £1, 8pm - 10:30pm Milton Jones & James Acaster The Glee Club (C) £15, 6:45pm

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4PLAY The Forum (M) £4, 10:30pm

The Saturdays Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £39.49, 7:30pm

Benjamin Booker The Bodega (M) £8, 7pm

Cecile Grey & Cecil Chamberlain JamCafé (M)

Cytota The Rescue Rooms (M) £6, 6:30pm Winterhouse, Ed James & Adam Peter Smith JamCafé (M)

Sol Bernstein, Ian Moore, Benny Boot & Pete Otway The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm SATURDAY 13 SEP

Nottingham’s Top Talent Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £5, 6pm Signor Baffo Nottingham Playhouse (T) £7/£8, 11am Monique Henry Nottingham Playhouse (T) £7/£9, 8pm Sol Bernstein, Ian Moore, Benny Boot & Pete Otway The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

FRIDAY 12 SEP

Hey Hey Hey Rock City (M)

The Toasters & Jackpot DJs The Maze (M) £10, 8pm

Rob Green & Joy Mumford Bartons (M) £10, 7:30pm - 11:30pm

Shades of Blue The Lion at Basford (M)

Back To Mine The Market Bar (M)

SUNDAY 14 SEP

The Smyths The Rescue Rooms (M) £10, 7pm

Pete Molinari The Maze (M) £11, 7pm

Not Another Quiz The Orange Tree (M) £1, 8pm

Everything’s Alright The Rescue Rooms (M)

Smokescreen Soundsystem The Maze (M) £5, 9pm

Ben Martin The Lion at Basford (M)

Cash - A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash Spanky Van Dykes (M) £8, 8pm

Wolf The Rescue Rooms (M) £12, 6:30pm

Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M)

Funkified Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M)

The Corporation The Malt Shovel (M)

High Power Society Spanky Van Dykes (M) Free, 9pm

Saturday Night Comedy Just The Tonic (C) £6/£10, 7:30pm

MONDAY 15 SEP Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M) Free, 8pm OWLS (Polyvinyl) & Switzerland The Maze (M) £10, 7:30pm

TUESDAY 16 SEP The Racing Room The Dragon (M) Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £2, 10pm Allusondrugs The Rescue Rooms (M) £5, 6:30pm Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M) WEDNESDAY 17 SEP Open Mic Night The Bell Inn (M) Open Mic Night The Maze (M) Jaws & Fickle Friends The Bodega (M) £8, 7pm Appassionat* - Unmastered/ Remastered Nottingham Contemporary (A) Free, 7:15pm - 8:30pm THURSDAY 18 SEP Limbo Kids JamCafé (M)

Parkas Bar Nottingham The Britannia Boat Club (M) 8pm - 1am Wildwood Duo The Fox & Crown (M) Luke Sital-Singh The Bodega (M) Coasts The Rescue Rooms (M) £8, 6:30pm Everything’s Alright The Rescue Rooms (M) Electro 80s - Big Breakfast All Day Session Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M) £35, 10am - 5pm Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M) Buzzard, The Lion at Basford The Lion at Basford (M) Andy Walker The Malt Shovel (M) The Peacocks The Doghouse (M) 7pm - 1am Nottingham Comedy Festival Canalhouse (C) Ends Saturday 27 Sep.

Back in June, Joy Mumford won Nottingham’s musical equivalent of ‘Best Newcomer’ when she wowed the audience and judges, and was voted the winner at Nusic’s Future Sound of Nottingham at Rock City. And what a prize; she got to open the main stage at Splendour. We spoke to her minutes after she’d lived the dream...

You just played to thousands of people, how was it?

Amazing. It was nice to see so many people, especially with the weather.

Who were you most looking forward to seeing at Splendour?

Tom Odell. I’m a big fan. Foxes as well, she’s incredible and absolutely beautiful. I love Scouting For Girls too. I’ve been told it’s not the coolest thing to like them, but I don’t care.

Did you prefer playing the main stage at Rock City or Splendour?

It’s weird because Rock City is so enclosed, and Splendour is so open.

They were both equally awesome as places that I grew up going to.

It was special to play both of them.

What do you prefer—smaller intimate gigs, or larger ones with a bigger audience?

When there are more people, it’s less scary. If you’re in a smaller room it’s a bit more pressured because you can actually see people’s reactions. Whereas when we played Rock City, it was nice just to let go and do whatever I felt like on stage.

How did it feel when you won the Future Sound of Nottingham contest?

Mad. Ridiculous. Cool. At first it was a bit of shock, and then after that had worn off it was like, “Let’s start working and see what we can do.”

Was there a lot of support from the other FSN finalists?

They were all lovely. It proves how nice the music community is in Nottingham— especially doing a competition, you never know how people are going to be. The supportive feel backstage was really nice and chilled, everyone was talking to everybody, you could tell we were all in the same boat.

That is definitely something I’ll remember.

interview: Sam Nahirny photos: Mark Hills

How did it feel to play your own songs on Rock City’s main stage?

It was so much fun. I particularly enjoyed playing with other people instead of doing an acoustic set on my own, which I probably would have done a couple of years ago.

You impressed both the judges and the audience…

With music, it’s quite personal and a lot of the time I’m just getting my feelings out. So for someone to enjoy what you’re singing about, or to even relate to it, is a big thing for me.

Whether it’s one person or loads, it’s really cool.

You also run a blog and YouTube channel. Are you still going to pursue these as you get more successful?

Definitely. Although with blogging, I like to take the time to sit and do it. So I don’t always update it as regularly as I want.

But with YouTube I try and do a video once or twice a week. I really enjoy the editing side.

I’ve got a really silly question to ask you…

Oh no, it’s not about Mumford & Sons is it? Everyone thinks I’m related to Marcus Mumford.

Ha, no. Your last EP was called Cake & Tea. If you could pick a cake to describe your music, what would it be?

Red velvet. That’s chocolate, isn’t it?

Is that a reference to your sweet-like-chocolate voice?

And something else, but I’m not gonna say it cos I don’t think you’ll be able to print it… But yeah, I really like chocolate. And red velvet is red but it tastes of chocolate, you don’t expect that. Kind of like me and my music – when people initially see me they expect a different kind of music – I’ve had quite a few people say “I was surprised when you opened your mouth and sang.” youtube.com/therealmissmumford

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event listings...

for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings

FRIDAY 19 SEP

SUNDAY 21 SEP

TUESDAY 23 SEP

THURSDAY 25 SEP

SATURDAY 27 SEP

MONDAY 29 SEP

Dave Longley, Henry Paker, Jason John Whitehead & Ellie Taylor The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

Open Mic Night The Guitar Bar (M)

The Racing Room The Dragon (M)

New Act Comedy Comp Canal House (C) £3 / £5, 8pm - 10:30pm

The Solution The Hop Pole (M)

Dirty Mondays The Forum (M) £4, 11pm

Not Another Quiz The Orange Tree (M) £1, 8pm

Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £2, 10pm

DJ Marriott The Southbank Bar (M)

Open Mic Night Pepper Rocks (M)

SATURDAY 20 SEP The Ultimate Eagles Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £22, 7:30pm

Concert for Peace Quakers Friends Meeting House (M) Free, 7:30pm

Martin Simpson, Andy Cutting and Nancy Kerr Djanogly Theatre (M) £11/£14/£16, 8pm

Ben Montague The Maze (M) £10, 7:30pm

Back To Mine The Market Bar (M)

Shipstone Street Jazz Orchestra The Lion at Basford (M)

Shield Patterns Nottingham Contemporary (M) Free, 8pm - 11pm

Flip The Lid Bunkers Hill (M)

Exit Calm The Bodega (M) £8.50, 7pm Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M) Patrick Monahan Canal House (C) £12 door ( £10 advance), 8pm - 10:15pm Improvised Comedy Workshop Hopkinson Gallery (C) Free, 8pm - 10pm

Joe Strange The Fox & Crown (M)

Crazy Snake Rebellion The Doghouse (M)

WEDNESDAY 24 SEP

Oktoberfest The Stratford Haven (M) Ends Sunday 5 Oct.

Steve Mccabe & George Holroyd The Golden Fleece (M)

Notts In a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm

North Sea International The Lion at Basford (M)

Norman Lovett:Old and New Canalhouse (C) £10 / £12, 8pm - 10pm

Paddy Maguire The Fox & Crown (M)

Light The Fuse Festival The Rescue Rooms (M) £12.50, 3pm Rattus Rattus (Urban Nerds) The Rescue Rooms (M) £5, 10pm - 5am Detroit Soul Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M)

Stand up for Disability Capital Fm Arena (C) £10.50 advance, 8pm - 10pm Lost Voice Guy, Steve Day & Shaun Turner.

NOT The Edinburgh Fringe Bartons (C) £11, 2:30pm MONDAY 22 SEP

High Power Society Spanky Van Dykes (M)

Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M)

Satnam’s Tash The Hop Pole (M)

Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M)

Dirty/DC Rock City (M) £11, 6:30pm

Allah-Las The Bodega (M) £9, 7pm

Toseland Rock City (M) £8, 6:30pm Rachel Parris - Live in Vegas Nottingham Playhouse (T) £11 - £13, 8pm Comedy Writing Workshop Waterstones (C) £10.50, 1pm - 5pm Dave Longley, Henry Paker, Jason John Whitehead & Ellie Taylor The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

Me vs Hero The Rescue Rooms (M) £7, 7pm Simon & Garfunkel - The Anthology Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £8, 7:30pm Funhouse Comedy Gong Competition The Maze (C) £4, 8pm

Rae Morris The Bodega (M) £9, 7pm New City Kings The Rescue Rooms (M) 6:30pm Appassionat - Open Barbers Nottingham Contemporary (A) Free, 11am - 6pm The Noise Next Door: The Noise Are Back In Town Alea Casino (C) £10 / £12, 8pm - 10pm Gary Delaney: Purist Tour Canalhouse (C) £12 / £14, 8pm - 10:15pm Paul Chowdry The Glee Club (C) £14 THURSDAY 25 SEP Darlia The Rescue Rooms (M) £8, 6:30pm The Osmonds Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £28.50, 7:30pm

FRIDAY 26 SEP Everything’s Alright The Rescue Rooms (M) Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M) Tristam Shandy The Lion at Basford (M) Open Mic with Crazy Heart The Hop Pole (M) Phil Joseph The Malt Shovel (M) INALA - A Zulu Ballet Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £20/£25, 7:30pm Farmyard Presents - TBC JamCafé (M) Tony Jameson: “Football Manager Ruined My Life” Canalhouse (C) £8 / £10, 8pm - 10pm Michael Legge, Pierre Hollins, Iain Stirling & Sully O’Sullivan The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm

Beanbag Music Club Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £6/£7, 11:30am A Concert for Courage Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £15, 7:30pm Ey Up Comedy Canalhouse (C) £6/£8, 8pm - 10pm Comic Art Masterclass Waterstones (C) £8, 1pm - 3:30pm Michael Legge, Pierre Hollins, Iain Stirling & Sully O’Sullivan The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£14, 7pm Saturday Night Comedy Just The Tonic (C) £6/£10, 7:30pm SUNDAY 28 SEP Open Mic Night The Guitar Bar (M) Free, 9pm

Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M) Free, 9pm Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M) Free, 8pm Notts In a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm Keston Cobblers Club The Bodega (M) £8, 7pm Manchester Orchestra Rock City (M) £15.40, 7:30pm The Ukelele Orchestra of Hackspace Nottingham Hackspace (M) Free, 7pm - 9pm TUESDAY 30 SEP The Racing Room The Dragon (M) Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £2, 10pm

SATURDAY 27 SEP

Lunchtime Jazz & Music Quiz The Lion at Basford (M) Free, 1:30pm

Sturgill Simpson Band The Maze (M) £12, 7:30pm

Rod Clements The Guitar Bar (M) Free, 7pm

Not Another Quiz The Orange Tree (M) £1, 8pm

Open Mic Night Pepper Rocks (M) Free, 9pm

Soul Buggin’ 10th Birthday The Bodega (M) £8/10, 11pm - 4am Ends Sunday 28 Sep. Soul Buggin’ residents Wrighty & Beane are joined by a very special guest.

DJ Marriott The Southbank Bar (M) Free, 9pm

Brewery Night and Live Music Bread And Bitter (M)

Sunday - The Fun Day Dogma (M) Free, 12pm

Eliza and the Bear The Bodega (M) £8, 7pm

The Solid Soul Band Riverbank Bar & Kitchen (M)

Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M) Free, 8pm

Madball The Rescue Rooms (M) £12, 6:30pm

Music Quiz The Lion at Basford (M) Free, 9pm

Pressure The Rescue Rooms (M)

Silent Jay The Fox & Crown (M) Max Jury The Rescue Rooms (M) £8, 6:30pm Stealth vs Rescued The Rescue Rooms (M) High Power Society Spanky Van Dykes (M) Firewire The Lion at Basford (M)

DELI The Lion at Basford (M) Free, 8pm Bestwood Male Voice Choir The Albert Hall (M) £10/£5, 3pm Shut Up, Actually Talk Nottingham Contemporary (A) Free, 6pm - 7pm

Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M) The Good Old Days of Music Hall and Variety Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £14.50, 2:30pm The Great Gatsby Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £17 - £37.50, 2pm Ends Saturday 4 Oct.

TIME AND THE CONWAYS It might be hard to believe, but this year marks the hundredth anniversary of World War I, and the 75th anniversary of World War II. Life today is pretty far removed those times, and it’s only by taking a look over our shoulder than we can see how we ended up here. The Playhouse’s latest show, a play by the awesome J.B. Priestley, explores the political and social history of Britain between the two wars, through the story of one family.

Expect to be pretty blown away by the production because the director is Fiona Buffini, the woman behind the Mass Bolero. And, not only that, they’ve got Maddy Girling, the winner of the 2013 Linbury Prize - the most prestigious stage design award in the UK - designing the show. A feast of art, history and entertainment in one neat package.

Those funny-boned folk over at JTT are about to hit the grand old age of twenty and they’re throwing a massive blowout to say goodbye to their teen years. While they probably won’t end their party in the gutter at four in the morning, it will have comedy megastars Johnny Vegas, Paul Foot, and more secret guests cracking gags all over the place. Don’t head down to The Forum they’re not daft and know not to throw proper big parties in your own gaff. Avoid the clean up, you know. Instead they’re doing it across the road at The Royal Concert Hall.

In their lifetime, JTT have made over 90,000 people snort with laughter, 132,654 people cry with laughter and have left over 300,000 people with their mouths hanging open at a punchline. In true form, this birthday bash will having you splitting sides left, right and - erm, centre isn’t a side, but you catch our drift...

Friday 12 - Saturday 27 September, £9.50 - £26.50, Nottingham Playhouse Saturday 4 October, 7.30pm, £17, The Royal Concert Hall nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk justthetonic.com

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event listings...

for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings

THE BONINGTON GALLERY

THE NEW ART EXCHANGE

NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE

THEATRE ROYAL & ROYAL CONCERT HALL

MONDAY 15 SEP

SATURDAY 16 AUG

FRIDAY 29 AUG

MONDAY 18 AUG

Making The Future ‘14 Free, 10am - 5pm Ends Friday 3 Oct.

Our History – Our Story: Polish Heritage in the East Midlnds Free Ends Sunday 19 Oct.

The Kite Runner £9.50 - £28.50, 7:45pm Ends Saturday 6 Sep.

Murder Weapon £11 - £21 Ends Saturday 23 Aug.

FRIDAY 12 SEP

FRIDAY 29 AUG

Mela Weekender Ends Sunday 31 Aug.

Time and The Conways £9.50 - £28.50, 7:45pm Ends Saturday 27 Sep.

Scooby-Doo! The Mystery of the Pyramid £19.50, 6:30pm Ends Sunday 31 Aug.

NOTTINGHAM CASTLE

SURFACE GALLERY

MONDAY 1 SEP

SUNDAY 1 JUN

FRIDAY 15 AUG

HOPKINSON GALLERY

Riot 1831 Exhibition Free, 10am Ends Monday 1 Dec.

Notts Property Free, 12pm - 8pm Ends Saturday 13 Sep

Faulty Towers - The Dining Experience £42.50 - £47.50, 7pm Ends Saturday 6 Sep.

FRIDAY 12 SEP

SATURDAY 23 AUG

SATURDAY 16 AUG

Forms of Shelter Free, 10am - 6pm Ends Friday 19 Sep.

Outdoor Theatre - Macbeth £10/£14, 7pm Ends Sunday 24 Aug.

Caribbean Open: Call for submissions £5 / £20, 12pm - 12pm Ends Saturday 30 Aug.

LACE MARKET THEATRE

NOTTINGHAM CONTEMPORARY

FRIDAY 19 SEP

SATURDAY 9 AUG

TUESDAY 16 SEP

TUESDAY 5 AUG

East Midlands Graduate Project 2014 Free Ends Saturday 8 Nov.

Mimei Thompson Free, 7pm - 6pm Ends Saturday 11 Oct.

Ex’vee Free, 7pm Ends Saturday 4 Oct.

WALLNER GALLERY

Stella Harding Free, 11am - 5pm Ends Sunday 21 Sep.

THE HARLEY GALLERY WEDNESDAY 20 AUG To This I Put My Name by Claire Curneen 10am - 5pm Ends Sunday 19 Oct. A Bestiary of Jewels by Kevin Coates 10am - 5pm Ends Sunday 19 Oct.

“Damages” by Steve Thompson £7 / £8, 7:30pm Ends Saturday 20 Sep.

SATURDAY 30 AUG

Summer Holidays: Who Are We? Free, 11am - 3pm Ends Sunday 10 Aug.

WEDNESDAY 10 SEP Shrek The Musical £19 - £40 Ends Sunday 28 Sep. TRADE GALLERY

LAKESIDE ARTS CENTRE

SATURDAY 27 SEP

SATURDAY 26 JUL

Create and Play for Peace Free, 11am - 3pm Ends Sunday 28 Sep.

THEATRE ROYAL & ROYAL CONCERT HALL

NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE

Shadow of the Ghost £11 - £21 Ends Saturday 9 Aug.

WOLLATON PARK

MONDAY 11 AUG

Outdoor Movie Screenings £10.50/£12, 7pm Ends Sunday 24 Aug.

Sheila Ravnkilde Free, 11am - 5pm Ends Sunday 2 Nov. THE LENTON RECREATION GROUND

MONDAY 11 AUG

FRIDAY 19 SEP

Equus £6/£8, 7:30pm End Saturday 16 Aug.

Sea Change Free, 9am - 7pm Ends Friday 3 Oct.

SATURDAY 2 AUG

MONDAY 4 AUG

FRIDAY 22 AUG

Fatal Encounter £11 - £21 Ends Saturday 16 Aug.

FROM: HH HQ TO: YOU SUBJECT: HOCKLEY HUSTLE MUSIC FESTIVAL - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED DATE: 19th October 2014 Message: Hi, If you’re heading to the 2014 Hockley Hustle Music Festival then you’ve made a wise decision. It’s set to be the biggest one yet with over 40 venues involved and over 400 live acts flexing their musical muscles.

The Nottingham music scene will be giving back in a big way on 19th October with all proceeds from the festival going to charities.

Why not help out at the festival and gain an even warmer, fuzzy feeling than simply attending. For just a couple of hours of your time on the day, you receive a free wristband for the festival.

HH2014 Be a part of it.

REPLY TO: volunteer@hockleyhustle.co.uk MORE INFO: www.hockleyhustle.co.uk

LIFE

LINE

S

If you had family members involved in World War I, chances are you’ve treasured some of their belongings, such as letters, diaries or photos. Lakeside’s project Life Lines, which fired up in June, opens up the University of Nottingham’s Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections to a wider audience, and they still need your help in compiling as many memories as possible.

Fourteen participants have been busy conserving precious documents, scanning and electronically cataloguing, studying handwriting (palaeography if you’re feeling posh) and spreading the word through the power of social media. Now, there’s an Interaction Station outside the Weston Gallery where people can respond to the poems, photos and letters that have been preserved, inviting everyone to continue keeping history alive.

Contact the Education Officer Ruth Lewis-Jones on ruth.lewis-jones@nottingham.ac.uk or 0115 8232218 if you have any ideas on how the project could be developed. lifelineslakeside.org.uk leftlion.co.uk/issue60

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Write Lion

“The poor do not have a common psychology. They are all individuals for whom the rich are responsible. And because the rich can never effectively help the poor then the only solution is a political system which makes such responsibility not an act of charity but a fundamental principle”. Alan Sillitoe. Lob book review requests over to books@leftlion.co.uk

Conditional Love

Darkness, Darkness

The Soul Snatcher

Cathy Bramley £7.99 (S-P)

John Harvey £18.99 (William Heinemann)

Phil Tomlinson £7.99 (Troubador)

This is a masterclass in how to selfpublish: a gorgeous cover perfect for the rom-com market, quality paper and typesetting, well marketed and a genuinely laugh-out-loud narrative. This is largely due to the author having a background in corporate marketing and a degree in business as well as genuine talent. The story revolves around Sophie Stone, a thirty-something, serial-procrastinator whose destiny is changed by two events: she is dumped on Valentine’s Day while also being named in an inheritance by a mysterious benefactor.

Our likeable yet inept heroine goes on an intriguing journey of self-discovery that requires her to look at some difficult truths from her past while contending with a boss from hell, bickering flat mates and various love interests. A worthy contender for the attention of readers of Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes and Milly Johnson. The real happy ending is the author being snapped up

by Transworld for her next novel. Ahh. James Walker cathybramleyauthor.com

After twelve novels and umpteen murders, Nottingham’s most famous fictional detective is finally hanging up his truncheon. Charlie Resnick has one last killing to solve, and it takes him back thirty years to the Miner’s Strike and a county riven by politics and the industrial dispute that signalled the death knell of an entire industry. A woman’s body is discovered, buried beneath a patio for thirty years, and Resnick has to re-open long-festering grievances in the community to find out how she got there. Assisting a young inspector with problems of her own, Resnick pieces together the life of the victim amid clashes between picket lines and police, strikers and scabs. Along the way there’s Harvey’s nuanced look at the social history of the strike, his utter mastery of Nottingham and its people, an unflinching look at violence against women, and, of course, many cups of coffee and much fine jazz. Robin Lewis randomhouse.co.uk

Described as ‘Dr Who meets Waterloo Road’, The Soul Snatcher is a young adult novel that sits well in this grid reference.

The author carries off the blending of science fiction and angsty teen novel nicely and the plot is engaging and well thought out. Tomlinson has a skill for knowing precisely when to cut in and out of a scene, no mean feat, and it keeps a nice pace throughout the story. However, I found I was in search of a protagonist, with switching points of view making it hard to emotionally invest in anyone. While the main contender for the leading role – a police inspector – was nicely drawn, I did wonder whether a novel aimed at ten to sixteen year olds might have done better being rooted entirely in the lives of the younger characters, giving it more of the tension and suspense it needed.

Clare Cole troubador.co.uk

Hand Job Zine #5

The Deed Room

Robin Hood

Jim Gibson, Sophie Pitchford £2 (S-P)

Michael R D Smith £7.99 (Weathervane Press)

Jim Bradbury £14.99 (Amberley Publishing)

Hand Job Zine reaches its fifth issue with this, a ramshackle package of poems, stories, illustrations, rants, tips and a crossword from fourteen different contributors. Embracing its hand-made traditions like an old friend, Hand Job Zine scrawls the titles of its features with marker pen and laughs in the face of spellcheck. Highlights include Jim Gibson’s Dusk, a disturbing tale of graffiti and dread, and Maggot Racing, a poem by Ben Williams about exactly what it says, maggots racing “between the fingers driven inside by black pip hearts”. But best of all is the story The Manners Test,

by Eddie Wilson. A few pages about a pizza delivery girl with unfulfilled ambitions manage to touch on regret, revenge, hope and remorse with a subtlety and deftness that hits you where it counts. The quality of the zine is wildly uneven, but it’s sincere and varied enough to tickle everyone’s fancy. Robin Lewis handjobzine.wordpress.com

The Deed Room is a legal thriller but without the usual courtroom grandstanding. This is a world of corporate law, where lawyers thrive on threats, ambition corrupts and nooky is never far away. After a strong opening chapter we meet the competitive and suitably ruthless Toby Malkin, the company’s rising star who’ll stop at nothing to reach the top. Maria, his gal-about-town secretary, is suspicious of Toby’s devious ways, but will she, and her attractive colleague Tom, be able to stop him? Romance and murder play their part in this debut novel from a lawyer who takes the ‘write what you know’ advice and runs with it. Locals might enjoy the Nottingham setting and there are several European escapades that add colour. Where the book excels is with its pacing. The suspense and tension build throughout and Smith puts his foot on the gas as the story climbs to its exciting conclusion. nottslit.blogspot.com weathervanepress.co.uk

Who is this book aimed at? The personal interjections and the paperback style suggest the casual reader but there’s such a dense mass of information that those looking for a lighter read might find it exhausting. The device the author uses to get to the heart of the matter, peeling back the layers of time like an onion, works in theory. In practice, it’s another story. Starting with perceptions of Robin Hood today and going back through the centuries means repetition to make the device work and remind the reader where they’re at. This gets a little tiresome. In mitigation, given the convoluted nature of the legend, with sparse factual details and too much conjecture, what we actually have is a thorough historical study. Bradbury delves into many aspects of the legend and their wider contexts to shine a light into the darkness of one of history’s greatest mysteries. Definitely worth putting the time in. Ezekial Bone amberleybooks.com

That Difficult Second Volume

Booked: Byron Clough

Scratch

People who’ve seen Frank McMahon perform live are often stunned when realisation hits that he’s read six poems in two minutes. Kicking off with football memories – the pain of supporting Wolverhampton Wanderers, terrace culture,   Hillsborough, tribal rivalries. What appears   to be a flat back four of everyday prose is illuminated by bursts of free verse magic, placed all over the pages with pinpoint precision by a playmaker of poetry. Frank celebrates his heroes: Hurricane Higgins, Cash the Man in Black, Brian Clough, and Robin Hood. The villains, however, do not escape – Thatcher, racist humour, and narcissism are all tackled and exposed for what they are. Bite size, even twitter length, on occasion these pieces end up with rhyme added on. Frank is one of the founding members of DIY Poets and has been performing poetry for fifteen odd years. The real mystery is why he’s only on his second collection. Andy Szpuk diypoets.com

On the eighth of each month, Dawn of the Unread release a digital comic exploring a literary figure from Nottingham’s past. One such issue sees the birth of a monstrous hybrid, Byron Clough: We wouldn’t say he was the most arrogant, charismatic rebel in the business, but he was in the top one. It begins by quoting The Prisoner of Chillon, a 392-line narrative poem by Byron, and ends with the poet being fused to Brian Clough at the Five Leaves bookshop: “They’re both made of the same stuff: A two-for-one deal – Byron Clough.”. The comic has some great embedded content, including an essay by Duncan Hamilton, a video on creating art by Kate Ashwin and some useful tips on how to read the iambic tetrameter, the narrative device used by Andy Croft. There’s also the chance to appear as a character in the graphic novel by subscribing and answering questions. Boooks. Sally Smith dawnoftheunread.com

Sadly, these days, many poetry collections often come with a free side order of smartarse, either that or they’re brimming with their own (usually misplaced) confidence, which gathers like dust upon their largely unread pages. Nottingham born Paul Sands though, hands us something altogether more solid, more real. This is poetry with its gloves off, an angled worldview, knocked off kilter by its own sense of disappointment and redeeming ability to spot obscured signs of beauty through rusted iron railings and filthy, broken windows.

Lines like ‘pull your shoulders off guard/a silent sob sewn with angry years/asphyxiated by tea as the lizards feebly grope the Summer’s eyes’ quickly assure us that there is a talent here which is so honed, yet so down to earth, so grubby, that it’s less like reading a book and more like walking through an abandoned underpass whose walls are lined with piss and William Blake graffiti. Great stuff. Andrew 'MulletProofPoet' Graves amazon.com

Frank McMahon £3, (S-P)

Andy Croft/Kate Ashwin Free, (Dawnoftheunread)

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leftlion.co.uk/issue60

Paul Sands £5.85, (S-P)

Charles Dickens visited Nottingham four times. But his first visit here in August 1952 was not as a reader, but as an actor-manager of a group of amateur theatricals. Writer Derrick Buttress imagines what life must have been like during his stay in the George Hotel (now The Mercure).

Charles Dickens in Nottingham (August, 1852)

After much applause at the new Mechanics Hall, an edifice of tawdry luxury smelling of paint, I return in triumph to the George Hotel in sanguine mood, dizzy with praise. I am served a pot of limpid greens, accompanied by a steaming pile of mutton that defies mastication. As I wrestle with my dinner I am harassed by a giggling flock of literary ladies fluttering in and out of the dining room, all desiring my signature on their souvenir programmes.

I escape through the hotel kitchen to find myself in a backstreet of a festering neighbourhood, populated by drunkards of the shouting kind.

Wandering the rowdy thoroughfare, I note the shabby rags of the poor. Alehouse odours add their pungency to the low grade air breathed in these parts.

The din of drinkers in each establishment sounds like the choristers of hell in rehearsal, one which promises the advent of a splitting headache. Unheeded, unloved and untamed, ragged urchins search the filthy gutters. What is it, I wonder, they hope to find that makes them hunt with such diligence?

On a street of the meanest houses, none of which can boast an unbroken window, I note slovenly women perched on rickety chairs and greasy boxes outside their doors. A few men in shirtsleeves stare and spit on the pavement as I pass. Wary, and somewhat nervous, I bid them a good evening. They laugh, mocking my southern accent. A bare-footed youth follows me up the street yelling an indecipherable word, almost certainly an insult.

The local patois is ugly on the ear, the citizens of this foul borough having dispensed with the Queen’s five vowels.

I take note of the wonderful variety of stinks emanating from the various doors as I return to the George, and meet a warmer welcome, the stinks accompanying me right to the entrance. Thus to a blazing fire, and an over-warm room in which I spend a miserable night tossing upon a bed of stones to dream of the blacking factory, a place I never can forget.

words: Derrick Buttress illustration: Tom Rourke

No.3 The White Horse Café, 313 Ilkeston Rd, Nottingham NG7 3FY If you live in Notts it’s compulsoreh ta harp on abaht Alan Sillitoe at least five times a day. That’s cuz he wrote a book abaht a randy factoreh worker called Arthur Seaton who nobbed off wi’ anyone he could ger his dirty mits on. He wor also quite handy in the fist department - as in fighting, yer dotteh boggers! When he want bein’ chased by coppers and sowjers he liked a skinful dahn his local, the White ‘Hoss, and puking up over biddies. So it’s easy ta see why we love ‘em so much.

But now the pub has been turned into a chuffin curry aahse that feeds the thousands of students that live in

the flats where Raleigh once woz. Now if yer wanna ger off yer tits you have to suck on one on them hubbly jubbly things. Personalleh, I always end up sucking somink when I go dahn boozer so the change won’t affect meh too much. Lol! So if Saturday Night and Sunday Morning wor set in 2014 it would basicalleh be abaht a bored student who ate loads of chicken tikka, played boxing on ‘Tendo and then went on web for a wank.

Tale: Alan Sillitoe, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Ale: Bring yer own. They only sell Fanta.

In The Navy!

Lord Biro

You can sail the Persian Gulf m'lad & shoot an Airbus down.

In The Navy!

Then dock next to the White House & wave 2 Machotown.

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Find local releases in The Music Exchange. You can also hear a tune from each review on our Sound of the Lion podcast at leftlion.co.uk/sotl.

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Live Like Legends

Joel Baker

Nadir

Nottingham natives have something of a reputation for being legends: Robin Hood, Torvill and Dean, the Fish Man; and with their latest album, First Blood have confirmed their own legendary status as one of the city’s finest hip hop crews. Live Like Legends is an ambitious undertaking, with all twenty tracks, including percussion, synths, flutes, Rattomatic’s cuts and Bahinyon’s (aka Liam Bailey) vocals, created entirely in-house by musicians rather than being purely sample-based.

This makes for classic-sounding hip hop breaks on which Pete 1st Blood and his band of regular collaborators Opticus Ryme, Jah Digga, Ty Healy, Louis Cypher et al can flex their rhyming muscles. From the opening monologue of Welcome to Britain through the legend-checking of Reminisce This, party tunes like Same Old Business and straight-up posse tracks like Call the Best, this is rollocking good rap from true local legends. Someone get a statue commissioned right away. Shariff Ibrahim 1stblood.co.uk

Often bigged-up as "Fearne Cotton's favourite Nottingham musician", Joel Baker has quite a reputation to uphold.

Poised as a soulful singer-songwriter, Joel has gone and took a strong orchestral direction for this new EP. Out Of The Two kicks us off with a haunting violin intro that sets the tone for a tear-gushing story of heartbreak. The title track and current single adds to his repertoire of huge uplifting crowd singalongs; Thorns is a honest modern day letter to a lost lover ("I got work in the morning, but still I stare at your Twitter feed") and Love You More is Joel's goodbye to his younger days ("We used to spin, and travel the world, now it's mortgage payments and three baby girls"). Joel may be sending out a few mixed messages with this EP, but one thing that is consistent is the high quality. Sam Nahirny joelbakermusic.com

Describing themselves as ‘heavy psychedelic murk’, it’s hard to disagree.

The band’s debut release is a five track, forty-minute monster with the shortest song clocking in at just over five minutes long. Like a fine wine, this album needs time to breathe, so sit back and just allow this swamp of noise to wash over you. Cathedrals of Greed features vocals that carry a hint of Mark E Smith… if, that is, you can imagine Mark E Smith barking distantly, death metal stylee over a sludge of fuzzed-out guitars for eight minutes. Needless to say, it’s a magnificent track, and the rest of the album is grimily splendid too. The production is muddy but, to be honest, that suits the band’s sound down to the ground, with words sinking angrily into the overall intense, muscular cacophony. It may be murky as hell, but Nadir’s intentions are magnificently clear.

Tim Sorrell nadirmurk.bandcamp.com

1st Blood Album (1st Blood Empire Ltd)

Flaming Fields Flaming Fields EP (Self-released)

Like a fine wine or fancy cheese, Flaming Fields have matured nicely since they started out back in 2011, a development which is all too evident on their self-titled EP. Clearly a band of music lovers, a wealth of influences permeate every track, each one making it impossible to slot this group into just one genre. Big Squeeze kicks things off with intricate, distorted guitar lines and ground-shaking bass, building your alt-rock expectations only to be expertly dashed by the more melancholy History, a track which musically sits somewhere between The Shins and Band of Horses. Dorian Gray perks you up with unexpected, but totally welcome, funk-driven bass lines and brings the EP to an all too early close. Despite being made up of three remarkably different tracks, the guitarwelding trio have actually managed to create an EP that works as a cohesive whole. Bravo, Flaming Fields. Bravo. Madeline Hammond soundcloud.com/flamingfieldsnottingham

Frazer Lowrie

Things Have Changed (Part Two) EP (Self-released) Anyone that has seen Frazer Lowrie live will know that he’s a brave and honest performer. This EP is no different – in fact, much of it feels like having a sly read of your mate’s diary. Conquer The World is a defiant opener, while You Were My Only Friend sees Frazer bitterly calling someone out (“Because no-one likes a dickhead, and you are the biggest one I’ve ever met”). Moser has shades of early Ed Sheeran, edgy acoustic pop with an urban twist. There’s more emotional turmoil during Words of a Coward (Part Two) featuring Notts emcee Bru-C guesting with a thoughtful rhyme against Frazer’s sparse but charged backing, before Saviour sees Frazer returning to the sensitive troubadour mode of the opening songs. A couple of bonus tracks are thrown in, including an overwrought reading of Pure Imagination from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it’s the main event that showcases Frazer’s true talents.

Paul Klotschkow frazerlowrie.com

Gallery 47

All Will Be Well Album (I’m Not From London) Three years since the release of his terrific debut album Fate Is The Law, Gallery 47 is back with this much anticipated follow-up. After a couple of stunning EP releases over the last year, expectations for this record were sky high and, in places, it certainly meets them. Eschewing the pop sensibilities of his debut, he’s in a more reflective mood with at least half of the songs written about the anger, loss, hope and acceptance associated with relationship troubles. There’s plenty to enjoy: Some Things is a catchy Simon and Garfunkel tinged affair, while Feel So Young provides a welcome change of pace from the more melancholic and personal Come To New York and When The World Gets You Down. There’s no better singer songwriter working in the city right now. And, with another Gallery 47 album already in progress, All Will Be Well has certainly whetted the appetite for more. Nick Parkhouse gallery47official.com

Every Vessel EP (Self-released)

Lone

Reality Testing Album (R&S Records) Lone’s music works best in the hazy heat of high summer, his sun-baked wooziness making an apt soundtrack for indolent, blissed-out afternoons. On his sixth album, there’s a shift away from the more rave-based textures of Galaxy Garden, and a reintroduction of some of the more chilled out, hip hop-derived elements of earlier releases. Downtempo tracks such as the floaty, mellifluous Jaded wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Lemurian, his 2008 release for Dealmaker, while even the housier tracks, of which there are plenty – Aurora Northern Quarter, 2 Is 8 – tend to ebb away into softer codas. On the perkily insistent, pan-pipey Begin To Begin, a voice cuts in: “Am I dreaming, am I awake,” encapsulating the liminal mood. By the album’s end, you do sense a depletion of fresh ideas – but taken as an ambient piece, there’s still plenty to tickle the synapses and soothe the soul. Mike Atkinson lonemusic.co.uk

Mannequin

Mannequin Album (Self-released) Despite being gnarly as hell and dangerously loud, this isn’t just another rip-your-face-off-heavy band.

Mannequin create art at its darkest and finest – a fiery cauldron frothing with the angst of adolescence. The Nottingham trio weld together devastating riffage with vocals that are drenched in pain and suffering, producing a darker-than-night patchwork of hardcore punk math rock. Doom-laden track Catagen is possibly the peak of the album, the initial frantic drumbeat and complex fretwork builds to a blistering scream that reverberates around the mind like a thousand tortured souls. Faceless is a tsunami of despair and distortion that will leave you looking over your shoulder for the black dog while Victims is gripped by grief and regret: “Too late to repent/Baptised by the Trent/The dens we made as children/Burned in the fire that’s time.” These songs aren’t about the sunshine. Tom Hadfield mannequinuk.bandcamp.com

The Most Ugly Child A Wicked Wind Blows EP (Wire & Wool Records)

Over six tracks, The Most Ugly Child transform Nottingham in to the deep American South. British bands doing this type of Americana can easily fall in to parody – in their heads they might think they are carrying the torch for The Band, but generally they’re less Band of Horses and more The Dave Mathews Band, and no one wants to listen to them.

Even though this EP ticks all of the boxes that a build-your-own Americana EP requires – plucked banjos, twanging acoustic guitars, lyrics about going down to the river – A Wicked Wind Blows doesn’t feel contrived. This is good, honest, southern fried music, and is done in the most respectful of ways. Weirdly, Lover O’ Mine has the same vocal melody as REM’s Final Straw, but you sense they’re both paying homage to the same older source material. We’re in Dixieland, not Dixy Chicken land.

Paul Klotschkow themostuglychild.com

Nadir Tape (Viral Age Records)

The Idolins

Live at Paperstone EP (Self-released) This six-piece acoustic folk band has been busy getting some tracks down for us to enjoy their mix of gentle strings, vocals, and toe-tapping music with a pop edge. The creative mixing of six different musicians brings a variety of layers and sounds, helping to weave the stories that are present within each song. Among the wide range of instruments used are percussion, cello, guitars, mandolin, banjo and vocals, all working together to give the music a soft and relaxing feel, with each song flowing easily into the next. Added to this, it’s clear when listening to What Would You Change how tight the group are, with their chemistry shining through on these beautiful sounding musical sessions. The talent on show throughout this EP emphasises the band’s potential, and with a knack for a catchy melody, you’ll find yourself singing along before you realised you knew the words. Hannah Parker theidolins.bandcamp.com

Three Girl Rhumba Three Girl Rhumba EP EP (Self-released)

It’s difficult to get the mix of music you can chill out to and music you can jump around to right, but these boys have nailed it. With catchy drum beats and playful guitar riffs, it’s easy to get jigging and dancing around when tracks such as Lemon Crush start playing. However, with their music not having too much of a heavy feel, it’s relaxed enough to listen to through headphones on a busy bus after a stressful day. The lead singer, Tom, has a strong tone to his voice with a big range that instantly makes you feel like singing along with him. The happy and fun energy surrounding the EP is perfect for the hot summer weather; pop it on during your BBQs, beach parties, or when sunbathing in your back garden. With the sun getting his hat on recently, there’s no better time to have a listen. Hannah Parker soundcloud.com/threegirlrhumba

Youthoracle

Flash Floods Volume 2 EP (Outlaw Label) As Youthoracle’s star continues to rise in the world of battle rap – he co-organised Don’t Flop’s Nottingham showcase in April, battling the league’s reigning champion – this four-track EP serves as a timely reminder of his skills as a recording artist. It’s an outspoken, socially conscious affair, pitting the emcee’s fierce and furious flow against tough grime, dubstep and hip hop beats. Hellectricity is an uncompromising opener, building from a wide-eyed ode to the wonders of nature (“the birds, the bees, the butterflies”) to an ever-accelerating blast of cold fury, so densely packed that only multiple plays will unlock its message. Just Be offers a statement of personal liberation, as Youthoracle asserts his right to be his own man, before laying into the superficialities of celebrity culture on Fake Sells. Finally, and most memorably of all, there’s the jawdropping, heart-stopping StoryTeller, a life story laid bare in unsparing, brutal detail. Mike Atkinson youthoracle.bandcamp.com

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For more Nottingham foodie goodness check noshingham.co.uk

The Golden Fleece

The Rum House

The Stuffed Puffin

After a change of hands and a refurb, The Golden Fleece has opened its doors once again. Now rocking a metal bar and distressed blue wooden walls, plus enviable lighting and lovely wooden floors, it’s definitely back with a bang. Even the toilets have been done up, and they’re well fanceh.

Greeted by slick décor with rustic hints - stag horns, antique sewing machines, the cheeky speakeasy-style Rum House Rules - and fifties jazz, we plonked ourselves on leather sofas and had a flick through the newly renovated Rum House’s menu. We didn’t hang about in ordering a delicious-sounding cocktail (all designed in-house, our smiley waitress Ruby explained).

If you’re going to launch a pop-up restaurant you need to be passionate about food and have the ability to laugh in the face of adversity. It will cost you money, make you a bit mardy and you’ll probably cut yourself at some point too. Of the brave few who go for it, The Stuffed Puffin are certainly doing it in style with well designed menus (in the culinary and visual sense), bold flavours and a bit of cheeky swagger.

Rammed full of goodness

We started the evening off with plentiful and salty halloumi bites and sweet dipping sauce (£3.95) and freshly fried chicken goujons (£4.25) with a delicious Cajun mayo on the side. Both were served with a locally sourced delicious and complex salad that featured some very tasty fresh fennel.

As we waited for our mains we took in the sounds of Thursday’s acoustic night, which provided some deeply soulful tunes and a plethora of talent from various acts. Our next course was served slowly enough for us to relax and digest but quick enough so we didn’t get impatient. I had pie of the day, pork with apple and cider stuffing (£7.50), and although very tasty, I didn’t get any veg, which would have accompanied the creamy mash well. My partner had the best meal of the night, a minted lamb burger with feta cheese and oregano mayo (£8.50) and that delicious salad again. It was only social graces that stopped us from ordering a couple more on the spot. The burger, like all of their meat, is supplied by JT Beedham and you can taste the quality; we were pretty sure that lamb lived on rainbows before it ended up on our plate.

Due to a freezer upset, homemade apple crumble (£3.95) was the only desert available. That really didn’t bother us as two mounds of deliciously gooey, appley, cinnamon-tinged filling and perfectly crumbly crumble came to our table, covered in a layer of thick cream. To cap off the night we decided on some ‘plantation roast’ coffee from local merchants Lee & Fletcher, who were one of the first in the country to apply for the Fairtrade mark. My latte (£1.50) slipped down ridiculously easily, while my partner’s punchy espresso (£1.50) was served in the most adorable teal, white and gold cup and saucer.

Rum deal

Winging it

It was a flaming berry bomb (£8) for me – a tall pineapple, lime and cranberry juice refresher laced with Diplomatico Anejo rum, Chambord, icing sugar and a flaming strawberry. Tasty gear. My friend had a Norman’s crumble (£8) – lemon, blackcurrant jam and apple juice deliciousness, with butterscotch liqueur, Sailor Jerry rum and biscuit bits coating the rim of its martini glass, all innovatively accompanied by a mini crumble in a tiny jam jar. I’d go back just for that.

Our evening was hosted at the 150-year-old Falcon Inn at Canning Circus. There was a fold out menu that explained the concept, the dishes on offer, the soundtrack and a brief history of South America, the continent providing the evening’s gastronomic theme.

Ceviche or empanadas were offered as starters. Ceviche is one of those highly disputed culinary entities, its origins and preparation are hotly debated by food lovers, over strong coffee or cold beer. It’s almost certainly a method of cooking with a couple of thousand years’ history behind it, and most Latin American countries have given ceviche their own touch of individuality by adding particular twists. Fittingly we were treated to a ceviche with an English twang: strips of renewably sourced haddock bathed in lime, orange juice and a little chilli.

The acids in the juices break down the proteins resulting in perfectly textured fish, cured rather than cooked, and delicately garnished with micro herbs.

The food menu consists of Caribbean tapas, and offers three starred items for £12 between 12pm and 7pm. We went for a few of those: jerk wing lollipops (£6.20), with the meat pulled to the top of the bone, full of flavour yet not overly spicy; corn croquettes with roasted chilli and lime alioli (£4.90); popcorn shrimp with chipotle sauce (£5.40) suitably cooked and very tasty; Rum House goat curry (£6.50), a classic Caribbean dish with the chef’s own twist drawing us back to its sauce for several dunks. We also had callaloo and mixed bean stew (£4.90) – something you could happily chow down on without feeling guilty afterwards – and fried dumplings with mango and pepper relish (£3) which seemed closer to biscuits than British dumplings, but the sauce was delicious.

For pudding, we got a banoffee jar (£4.50) – the stuff of angels.

If you’re a banoffee fanatic, it will add new depths to your love: freshly cut bananas drenched in Sailor Jerry’s-infused caramel and whipped cream, with a thin biscuit for dipping. It was the banana fritters with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream (£4.50) that really got us dribbling, though. Lightly battered and juicy without being too greasy, and I could have eaten a full tub of that ice cream. It was ridiculous.

Although it was a loss when those Sunday roasts took flight from the Fleece, new girl Laura looks like she’s going to carve a name for herself with community initiatives planned including artist exhibitions and an Ecoworks drop-off area, plus various entertainments planned for each night of the week. The roasts are even back on the menu. I, for one, am very excited.

Penny Reeve

The overall theme of The Rum House is slightly disjointed, which would normally bother me. But in this case, all the aspects of what it’s trying to be sit beside each other quite politely. It’s somewhere I can see myself returning to for a munching session and a cheeky, crumble-donned cocktail when I’m feeling a little fanceh and want to treat mesen. Bridie Squires

105 Mansfield Road, NG1 3FN. 0115 9472843 facebook.com/goldenfleecenottingham

9 Broad Street, Hockley, NG1 3AJ. 0115 924 1555 facebook.com/rumhousenottingham

Next up was a Mexican-style slow cooked beef mole (important to note it’s pronounced ‘mo-lay’ so when you tell your mates what you had for dinner they don’t think you’ve got a penchant for eating poor sighted mammals). The blend of ancho, pasilla, guajillo and chipotle chillies created layers of smoky, fruity, earthy heat. Flavoured with ground nuts, fruits and a generous amount of dark chocolate, the mole had a deep, dark colour, only a few shades away from black. It was served with lightly fried sweetcorn fritters and kaffir lime rice. A vegetarian version was available with three beans replacing the beef.

The chilli chocolate mousse to finish had a silky smooth texture, its only flaw being that the rich flavours mirrored the main course a little too closely with chilli, dark chocolate and lime.

The mousse, of course, had no control over its predecessor so we sympathised and happily devoured it.

The Puffin people are very good at what they do. It’s a holistic experience of food, wine, music and culture, and all for £21 per person. Keep an eye out on the website for their next event.

Ash Dilks thestuffedpuffin.com

We love writing about food, we'll happily eat yours and review your restaurant. Drop us a line for more information: ash@leftlion.co.uk / 01159 240476

Beane continues his takeaway quest…

Medi Mex “Get him to the greek!" a comedy film once bellowed at us. I haven't seen it, namely because it stars that annoying American actor whose name escapes me. However, if they ever do a Notts remake, then it has to be based on one man’s mission to eat at Medi Mex - one of the city's few, and maybe only, Greek takeaways. I'd read a few reviews and was intrigued; people were practically taking their trousers off with praise for this establishment. After sampling I realised why. With a menu busting at the seams with all manner of Greek wonders, as well as a few other countries’ cuisines, you’re spoilt for choice. As two hungry punters, we opted for chicken enchiladas with green peppers and red onions, bravas potatoes, a juicy moussaka, pitta bread, olives, sundried tomatoes, and some staple dips in the form of hummus and tzatziki. On the whole, a damn fine alternative to the usual takeaway haunts we lazily opt for. Although the potatoes were possibly the saltiest things I’ve ever eaten (and this is coming from Captain Anchovy, who eats those little fishies straight from the tin), I'd thoroughly recommend getting your munch on here.

Lenton Business Centre, NG7 2BY medimexonline.co.uk

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Northgate Fish Bar Ahoy there, salty sea dogs! The quest for the Nottingham’s Holy Grail of perfect battered fish continues with gusto. It's no lie that many joints who claim to be fine fryers of the deep sea dwellers should take themselves to one side and have a stern word. But let it be known that there are a few gems. Step forth Northgate Fish Bar. Deviating from your usual chippy for a weeknight supper treat is a crime many regard punishable by being dunked in hot oil, so it was with a nervous step I ordered my snap. When I got home, I was confronted with a crispy, battered sea creature so large that would have given Jaws a run for its money in a cage match.

This immediately raised concerns about the quality, but not here, my friends, this was some of the nicest fish I've tasted in a long time. The chips, while good, were merely an after thought - the fish alone did its job of getting that top button undone. As for the poor mushy peas, there was simply no room on the plate so they had to hang around til the party was over. Hungry pirates, set sail for Northgate at first light, ye will not be disappointed.

58 North Gate, Basford, NG7 7FY. 0115 9420352

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Pisces (Feb 20 - Mar 20) You should never be ashamed to admit to your friends that you don’t know everything.

However, you will feel mildly awkward when they invite you to dinner and realise that you don’t know how to eat soup.

Had it off with his half-sister Luke Skywalker nearly copped off wth his sister Leia

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Cancer (June 23 - July 23) Although you often feel as if you are all alone in a cold, brutal, and uncaring world, there are actually seven billion other people out there too. It’s just that none of them like you.

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Capricorn (Dec 23 - Jan 19) You’ll finally find your calling in life this week when you turn out to be the only person in McDonalds’ on Clumber Street who can fit into their vintage Hamburgler suit.

Six degrees of Strelley(ation)

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Gemini (May 22 - June 22) Earth and water are very strong in your sign this month. This indicates that it might be a good time for you to pursue that alternative career as a mud wrestler.

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Sagittarius (Nov 23 - Dec 22) This week you will receive a strange message from a Nigerian Prince describing, in painstaking detail, the management of his country’s petroleum distribution infrastructure.

It’s 9

Scorpio (Oct 24 - Nov 22) You’ll soon have plenty of time to reflect on those crucial moments of your youth, when a bang on your head erases all your memories from eight-years-old onwards.

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 20) A wise man once said that it doesn't matter how well the gorilla dances, because it's impressive that the gorilla can dance at all.

This is your cue to shave, lose some weight, and take dancing lessons.

Taurus (Apr 21 - May 21) If you want to help your friends and family with a sensitive issue this week, label all your worldly possessions with the name of the intended recipient before the weekend.

Libra (Sept 24 - Oct 23) Of course I’ll hurt you. Of course you’ll hurt me.

Of course we’ll hurt each other. But this is the very condition of existence. To become spring means accepting the risk of winter.

list

Virgo (Aug 24 - Sept 23) An angel will appear to you this month with the message that you will have happiness, peace, and all the riches of the world. This experience would be made better if he didn’t keep getting your name wrong.

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 19) While it might seem that you’ve finally received confirmation of your messiah-like nature, the truth is that all women actually bleed like that.

nove

Leo (July 24 - Aug 23) You’ve always thought of your inner spirit as being a lonely seeker of truth. This is contradictory to the real truth that it’s mostly found in a crowded queue waiting for a Greggs’ steak bake.

The Crystal Maze

The Maze

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No. of shows: 83

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