LeftLion Magazine - November 2014 - Issue 62 by LeftLion

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contents

LeftLion Magazine Issue 62 November 2014

editorial

Ayup, well this is a novelty, only been a month since we last caught up. We’re still buzzing, and with the back page devoted to you generous lot and the cover adorned with some of your lovely mugs, we can’t say thanks enough. Another thing that we’ve got to give everyone a big hand for is the oodles of cash raised in one weekend last month. Oxjam raised a whopping £12,000 in Beeston, while the Hockley Hustle shook you down for £23,850. That’s a total of £35,850 raised over two days. Bleddy hell! Even the hardest of hearts can’t help but soften a bit at that news.

Street Tales 06 Plus Advertising Sectioned

Fresh Eyes On Nottingham The world through the eyes of them student lot

In Focus: Nina Smith 10 The soulful lady got snappy

Culbard Draws 19 From demons to mercenaries, he

Young Musicians Can Achieve It’s fun to go to the…

Origin One 13 They do it all for the love

draws like a dream... or nightmare

Bean There, Done That 20 And you thought you’d had a

rough life

Hair Today The city’s gone hair mad, we get in on the barnet talk

Malt Cross 24 One of England’s last Victorian

music hall’s has been tarted up

A Stand Up Guy Rape 15 26 Alan Davies is a man of many hats... And help Going Out with a Bang! 16 As the short film festival calls it a

Hockley Hustle 28 A snapshot of the day that proved

day, we get all nostalgic

Nottingham is full of givers

Spoke ‘n’ Words 32 Danger, danger, new tramlines Pedalling Dubs 33 The ultimate portable stereo and

the man behind it

Pick of the Month 34 Remember, remember, it’s November Listings 35 With Promoter Focus and Nusic Box Write Lion 41 Locally written. Locally read Music Reviews 43 Eight Notts musical musings Noshingham 45 We get stuffed on your behalf

Ey Up Book 18 The first reason Notts should be a

Art Works 31 With Kit Anderson and Adrian

The End 47 With Rocky Horrorscopes, Art Hole,

Tasker

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)

Lucky Bogger Alan Gilby (alan@leftlion.co.uk)

Stage Editor Hazel Ward (hazel@leftlion.co.uk)

Illustrators Cameron Bain Christopher Paul Bradshaw Mike Driver Jennie Potton James Taplin Rob White

Marketing and Sales Manager Ash Dilks (ash@leftlion.co.uk)

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

UNESCO City of Literature

credits

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 Rikki Marr A toast to the roast Wired Café (wiredcafe.co.uk) Contributors Wayne Burrows Ashley Carter Joe Earp Rich Fisher Alex Fowler Jack Garofalo Katie Hutchcraft Hannah Parker Nick Parkhouse Sam Smith Tim Sorrell Alex Traska Bea Udeh

Notts Trumps and Leftlion Abroad.

Photographers Esther Ametewee Antonia Appel Dee Appleby Ralph Barklam Craig Barlow Cal Beaney Jesica Beckman Martyn Boston Nick Clague Chloe Clarkson Brodie Craven Justyna Czernecka Joe Dixey Bertie Drew Shaun Gordon Elizabeth Green Jessica Hallford Sylwia JarzynkaEmily Keen Samuel Kirby Helen Larcombe Arianna Marshall Raluca Moraru Stephanie Webb /leftlion

It wasn’t easy because he’s so darned busy, but we managed to get a few moments with Ben Zięć, aka Trekkah, about his involvement with the YMCA Digital project that lets creative young ‘uns get on. Nina Smith, another YMCA Digital worker, is about to release her latest EP so we asked her to get snap happy. The Malt Cross has been shut for a few months now and although we’ve missed it, we can’t believe how exciting it’s going to be now that it’s had a full on restoration in the basement levels. It’s only just opened and we took that as the perfect excuse to trawl through the local history section of the library to find out the gossip on one of the country’s last remaining Victorian music halls. Keep your eyes peeled for future events there – it’s going to be grand. We’ve also spoken with the Nottingham Rape Crisis Centre. It’s not a fun subject, but it’s important that people think and talk about these issues, and without the sensationalism that the tabloids tend to promote. And finally, this time last year we took on four bright young things – Bridie, Conor, Nicola and Sam – as the first cohort of LeftLion apprentices. It’s been a fun year watching them get stuck in, and to see the damn fine work they’ve done. Conor has been poached by Nottingham’s highest profile drug dealer, Boots, and it’s with a tear in our eye that we say goodbye to the spreadsheet-loving, dry as dancefloor ice, Ellie Goulding-appreciating soul. We wish him all the best. The rest of them are sticking around a bit longer to help welcome the new wave of apprentices in. If you’re a youth and would like a shot at being part of the LeftLion team, check out leftlion.co.uk/apprenticeships That’s all for now, folks. We’ll see you around. Keep on keeping on. Ali Emm

Our love of print may leave us with one foot in the past, but we like to play with new technology. Recently we’ve been mucking around with interactive print / augmented reality software, and we decided we liked it. So do the Arts Council England, who have given us some money to fund a year-long trial. So if you want to use your phone or tablet to get more out of LeftLion then download the ‘Layar’ app (it’s free). Then, as you look through this mag, wherever you see the LeftLion mobile icon point your screen at the page. Have a squizz around until you get a swirly circle, then the magica happens.

@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

leftlion.co.uk/issue62

We delve a little deeper into the history of our city’s streets to give you the tales they’d never have taught you at school... Body Snatchers of Barker Gate

The 1700s saw the development of the lace and textile trade and with it, the population of Nottingham began to increase. This industrial and population growth saw the area around St Mary’s Church change from a semirural setting – with open spaces and large houses of the gentry – to the urban landscape we know today as, to point out the obvious, The Lace Market. As with all change, this expansion brought with it a few problems, not least of which was the question of where to bury the dead. The parish church yard rapidly began to run out of space and it was decided new burial grounds were pretty essential. As such, between 1742 and 1813 three new cemeteries were created on land around Barker Gate. The first of these was known officially as Burial Ground No. 1 – Middle Bury – and it was consecrated in 1742. Burial Ground No. 2 – Top Bury – was consecrated in 1786, and Burial Ground No. 3 – Bottom Bury – in 1813. Alongside the Industrial Revolution, Britain also experienced advancement in the medical sciences. To fuel this, more doctors were needed and new medical schools sprang up all over the country, particularly in London and Edinburgh. However, this brought about an unusual and macabre trade – that of body snatching. Graveyards were plundered for the bodies of the recently buried, by individuals known as ‘resurrectionists’ or ‘resurrection men’. The cadavers were then sold to medical schools for the new medics to hone their anatomical and surgical skills. By 1827, Barker Gate had become a bustling community of closely packed terrace houses, two or more chapels, three public houses, a school and a number of shops and small businesses. Events which happened in Barker Gate that year were to cause great distress to the residents of Nottingham.

words: Joe Earp illustration: Mike Driver

In November of 1826, a man called Smith took up lodgings on Maiden Lane, which ran alongside Middle Bury. On 18 January the following year, Smith took a large hamper to Pickfords for delivery to an address in London. The bookkeeper, Mr White, became suspicious and asked to examine the contents. Smith refused, saying that he must first ask his master William Giles, who was waiting with a horse and cart at Bullivants Yard on Leenside. Smith left the office in great haste, hotly pursued by White and one of Pickford’s porters. In the street, White was quickly joined by Alderman Barber and Constable Jeffries. The four men pursued Smith to his meeting with Giles and before either could mount the cart, apprehended them. Both Smith and Giles managed to break free, but Smith lost his jacket in the escape. The pair burst through a nearby house into an alley and were never seen again. White and his posse returned to the office and opened the suspicious hamper. Inside they found the body of an old woman, Dorothy Townsend, and a three-year-old boy, who turned out to be the son of local woman Mrs Rose. Word quickly spread about the incident and St Mary’s graveyards soon became full of people digging to find if their loved ones were still interred. Constables were called in and the random search ended, but not before discovering that thirty bodies had been stolen. The subsequent enquiry showed that Smith may have been the ringleader, with Giles and another man, both of who had been lodging at a pub on Barker Gate, as his accomplices. Together, the three men had regularly taken packages to Derby and Loughborough for dispatch to London. The gravedigger William Davies, aka Old Friday, was also suspected of being in on it, but nothing was ever proven. However, Davies narrowly escaped with his life when he was mobbed by crowds in Nottingham and Arnold. History does not record what became of him, but it is known that the disturbed Mrs Townsend and Master Rose were once again laid to rest.

ADVERTISING SECTIONED words: Wayne Burrows

Local adverts ripped from the pages of history… Henry Farmer Ltd: Feeling Groovy? (1967) It doesn’t matter what age you are, there will always be someone about to let you know that everything was better in their day. Exactly the same kind of people, who now go on endlessly about the fifties as if it were a Golden Age, can be found in every issue of any magazine ever published in the actual fifties, moaning about the country going to the dogs. If there’s one thing we can be sure of, it’s that even when Stonehenge was still being built there were a bunch of cave folk leaning on a fence, looking down their noses at it and complaining that they liked the place much better when it was all swamp. So what does any of this have to do with Henry Farmer’s 1967 advert for transistorised electric (and – yes – slightly unfortunately-named) Thomas Organs, with their exclusive built-in ‘ColorGlo’ self-teaching system as standard, to help you play along with the hits of the day in your own home? Only seeing it reminded me of my grandparents’ habit of telling us kids how in their day they didn’t have the telly and had to make their own entertainment – which was usually something to do with having a sing-song round a piano. Henry Farmer’s presence on Long Row, boasting no less than twelve phone lines to take orders, suggests that, in 1967, someone out there was buying their up-to-the-minute home entertainment systems and going to the trouble of learning to play them. Perhaps the siren call of Saturday night ITV really did wipe out an entire era of home musicianship, the likes of which we’ll never see again. But I’m also fairly certain no Thomas Organ ever crossed the threshold of my grandparents’ small terrace – and if my grandma was once capable of knocking out Tijuana Taxi in the style of The Incredible Jimmy Smith, I can only regret that I never saw her doing it.

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A lad from Radford got himself banged up after taking pictures of himself bagging up crack. The police found his stash in his wheelie bin and some pretty damning evidence, smiles and all, while scrolling through his phone’s photo album. Dim wit.

LEFTLION CROSSWORD

After falling asleep at a house party, a girl got slapped in the face by some stinking bellend. Literally. And, of course, some monkey videoed it. The owner

University of Nottingham students have been slammed for their Fresher’s Week chants of violence and necrophilia. It has been said that their carefully-crafted lyricism goes a little something like this, "Now she's dead, but not forgotten, dig her up and fuck her rotten. You wish, you wish, you wish you were in Cavendish." Okay then... you psychotic little freaks of the future.

5 7

6 8

ACROSS

11 12

13 14

18 19

1 Let’s hope these sledge pulling canines neck some honey and lemon before their first headline show (7) 3 Bedraggled, doodling, tea drinker who needs to get a move on (2,6) 9 Nottingham’s biggest math nerd built this lovely Sneinton landmark (5) 10 Bread and Lard Island (4,9) 13 Great British rapper who’s kicking out his debut album (10) 16 QI’s token dumbass (4,6) 17 A shop of less than ten cold cubes (3,4) 18 Enough jagerbombs in this place will send you on a rollercoaster (4) 19 Looks like an alien spaceship gallery has landed in Hyson Green (3,3,8) 20 The bloke who rides the ‘Boom Box Bike’ around town (7)

DOWN

2 He’s not doing a bad job for a nutter. Cloughie would be proud (6,6) 4 We’re gonna rock down to… an industrial retail park (8,6) 5 A fortified brewery (6,4) 6 Give this man a PHD in owning music venues (6,5) 7 She’s a wheely big deal on Bonfire Night (9) 8 In a quest to save ink on flyers and tickets, Dog is Dead have gone for a snappier name (3) 11 This large swamp will soon be renovated (10) 12 Which colour bus gets you to Carlton? (5) 14 D.H. Lawrence’s favourite Mansfield Road watering hole (7) 15 If you’re really nice to this American, she might name a burger after you (5)

ACROSS

DOWN

1 Let’s hope these sledge pulling canines neck some honey and lemon before their first headline show 3 Bedraggled, doodling, tea drinker who needs to get a move on 9 Nottingham’s biggest math nerd built this lovely Sneinton landmark 10 Bread and Lard Island 13 Great British rapper who’s kicking out his debut album 16 QI’s token dumbass 17 A shop of less than ten cold cubes 18 Enough jagerbombs in this place will send you on a rollercoaster 19 Looks like an alien spaceship gallery has landed in Hyson Green 20 The bloke who rides the ‘Boom Box Bike’ around town

2 He’s not doing a bad job for a nutter, you know. Cloughie be proud NOTTS’ MOSTwould OPINIONATED GROCERS ON… 4 We’re gonna rock down to… an industrial retail park You didn’t appear in the last LeftLion… 5 A fortified brewery That’s because yourinso-called journalist Jimmy is getting a 6 Give this man a PHD owning music bit fat and couldn’t be bothered to interview us. We’re big venues excellent for wrapping up stock and 7 fans She’sof a LeftLion. wheely bigIt’s deal on Bonfire Night mopping wet floors. Some of our customers even pick it up, 8 which In a quest to save ink on flyers always surprises us. and tickets, Dog is Dead have gone for a snappier name th 35 anniversary of the shop 11 This large swamp will soon be renovated We had a band theyou garden and a barrel of beer. But John 12 Which colour bus in gets to Carlton? the beerfavourite rota which meant all of his friends got 14 was D.H. on Lawrence’s Mansfield blasted. The band, Road watering hole whatever they were called, were very 15 good. If you're really to this she Then wenice played 35American, of our favourite pop songs which might name a burger you by Tavars – not The Bee Gees included More than after a Woman

version – Last Christmas by Wham and Riders on the Storm by The Doors. Nobel Peace Prize goes to Malala Yousafzai… She was very brave and all that but has she really done anything other than get shot in the head? (Fat hack steps in and there is some conferring) Well, if she’s been promoting reading and education to Pakistani girls, then I suppose it is a good thing. It’s not being shot in the head that matters, it’s how you deal with it. Festival of Words… My brother and I are very fortunate in that neither of us can read or write so it didn’t affect us. @tommobros

leftlion.co.uk/issue62

YOU

THIS

No dictionaries up for grabs – you’ve got a computer for that kind of thing – but we will be giving away a fine tea towel and a mystery prize from a local phand shop as a prize to one of you clever boggers who can be bothered to send in their completed crib. Mail it to 8 Stoney Street, NG1 1LH, or be well fanceh and scan and email it to editorial@leftlion.co.uk.

BELIE V E

DID

Think you know your Notts trivia? Bit of a wordy so-and-so? Test your grey matter and Hoodtown knowledge here.

SECOND MONTH IN A RO W

Not a cross word was to be said, except this one, which is.

CAN’T

More fire has sprouted from Nottingham’s seemingly unsafe innards, and this month it was May Sum who bore the brunt of it. Hungry Chinese buffet goers were mortified to be dragged away from their brimming plates of sweet and sour chicken because of a dangerous electrical fault, causing a right owd ruckus on Upper Parliament Street.

of the winkie in question, an NTU criminology student, has been sent down for nine months after the humiliated girl pressed charges. Aside speculation of what the identity parade entailed, there’s been debates surrounding the harshness of the sentence.



While on a night out at Rock City, a student fell off the balcony “of his own accord” and landed on his bonce. The poor sod gave himself a fractured skull, but apparently his injuries aren’t life-threatening thanks to the speedy actions of the crowd, staff and medical saviours on the night. Always ahead of the trends at the ‘Lion, we reckon by the end of 2014 all the cool students will be wearing crash helmets on nights out to protect their most valuable asset. Or maybe really heavy-soled boots, that could work too.

On a rainy October’s Saturday, volunteers took to the square in protest of supermarket food waste with Europe’s biggest curry pot, all made from edibles that would have otherwise been chucked away. Stirred with the biggest stick you’ve seen in yer life, the vegan lunch filled 4,400 bellies and it was bleddy delicious. Hats off to FareShare, Super Kitchens and Love Food Hate Waste for dabbing in.

N E FU G PA

Early last month, a woman was ready to throw herself off Trent Bridge - but then, like something out of a BBC drama, a number one bus driver pulled over his double decker to talk her down. Passengers and NCT applauded the driver on chucking his timetable out the window to exercise human decency, and so do we. Big up yourself, Patrick.



THE MIXED BAG OF NOTTINGHAM

Fresher Eyes on Nottingham We asked the fresh-faced first years on NTUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photography degree course to give us their take on Nottingham and uni life, by giving them actual work to do at the start of term. They came through tops, as you can see. Thanks to Linda Marchant and Assunta Del buono for organising the new shooters through the fresherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s week cloud of booze and regret, and to everyone who submitted photos. Left: Esther Ametewee Justyna Czernecka

Right: Elizabeth Green Craig Barlow

Dee Appleby Antonia Appel

Cal Beaney Arianna Marshall

Helen Larcombe Chole Clarkson

Brodie Craven Emily Keen Jesica Beckman Bertie Drew

leftlion.co.uk/issue62

Nina Smith With an equal balance of soul and pop, this lady’s been giving her all to audiences for the last few years. She’s kept us all waiting for new material, but with a fresh EP out this month, the wait is over. Ditching our normal pen and paper method of interviewing, we got her to run around taking pictures to answer our questions...

Nina Smith’s latest EP, This Love, is released this month and will be available on iTunes. ninasmithmusic.com

leftlion.co.uk/issue62

Young Musicians Can Achieve

words: Bridie Squires illustration: Cameron Bain

There’s a tucked-away building on Castle Gate with an explosion of talent lying behind the door. NGY houses a multitude of community-based projects including YMCA Digital, which, ran by local musicians and all-round good guys, lets creative young people express themselves in all the right ways. We spoke to Ben Zięć about what goes down there... After what can only be described as a messy state of affairs at Soundwave Festival 2014, the Nottingham crew was winding down with half a litre of Long Island Iced Tea each in an open air bar overlooking the sea in Croatia. The usual philosophical festival natter began to surface, but there was someone with something to say who made everyone's tabs twitch. Band member of Origin One and The Afterdark Movement, co-founder of Phlexx Records, and pursuer of his own solo career, Ben Zięć, aka Trekkah, is a bit crackers for music. But that's not his only passion. He's also a Community Arts Practitioner for YMCA Digital, an organisation delivering creative arts and digital media to Nottingham teenagers. After listening to him recall deaf people experiencing music primarily through vibration rooms and delivering parenting workshops to mams who couldn't help but fall in love with him, I had to find out more. I was greeted at the NGY building by local musician Nina Smith, who showed me around YMCA Digital's state-ofthe-art equipment in their editing suite, recording studio and performance space. “We rent the facility down here,” says Ben. “NGY is an umbrella organisation. We’ve got Nottingham Forest in here, NHS, Base51, YMCA. It’s the one stop shop for young people to get advice on CV building and jobs as well as a launderette service and showers. We deal with the media stuff.” What exactly does that involve? “We work with kids who’ve been kicked out of school, and then kicked out of the kick-out places. We deliver NCFEs; introductory awards and certificates in Music Technology, podcasting, DJ, radio and photography. That’s all linked up with our partner company, The Zone, who do the English, Maths, Key Skills and I.T sessions. We also host The Young Creatives here. After school, any young person can come and get involved in everything from photography sessions to music sessions, to film to creative writing, to dance, drama, art and radio.” That’s not all. “We’ve just done a project with the barracks kids in Chilwell, integrating them with the kids in the local area. We get home-schooled students, kids who come through from youth offenders, people from the charity Base51 who might be young carers - a complete mixture. With our outreach work, we might target refugees in a local area who aren’t integrating so well and work with them to do just that.” With the myriad of activities, it takes a certain type of person to work at YMCA Digital. Having always been a Christian organisation, the staff go by specific values of care, respect, honesty and responsibility. “I’m not a Christian myself, and you don’t have to be religious in any form to work here. All the people delivering sessions are good people and they want to make a difference to the community,” explains Ben. “They say there are maternal or paternal types of youth workers but I think it’s important to have a good balance of the two – someone who can be warm and welcoming but can also help them get back on track. Everyone needs structure in their lives. In order to do that we gain teaching qualifications, learn how to deal with aggressive behaviour, do classroom management training, creative training for delivering sessions and safeguarding training with the council.” It’s important that as well as structure, the kids gain experience with real people working within the media industry. The organisation uses local artists to host workshops, whether it’s on a casual basis, full-time or for one-off sessions. People who've been involved include Miss 600 guitarist Ian Marshall, Nina Smith, Bru-C and Jonno of The Afterdark Movement, Origin One, Kevin Thompson, Yazmin Lacey, Andre Nichols, aka Jungle Wire (co-director of The Chase - a film following the lives of Nottingham teenagers), Kidda Beats, Another Poet, artist Sara Baker (who redecorated The Maze), Birdie Mack, Random

leftlion.co.uk/issue62

Recording’s Guy Elderfield, Kemet FM’s Jacky P and Juicy Lucy. The list goes on. Ben reckons radio is one of the best tools for social development, and he's not the only one. Local beatboxer Motormouf experienced its powers first hand, using the medium to build his confidence in working with others. “It brings so much out of people,” says Ben. “Confidence, communication, planning, structure – radio hits them all, and it's what YMCA Digital started on.” Running as an online station, the sound waves are filled with everything from debates to music genre-specific shows. One of Ben's ambitions for the station is to increase its size and integrate with the wider community. “It'd be great to get podcasts from arts labels and music crews like RubberDub and Tumble.”

We don’t necessarily try and make the next big singer. Obviously it’s good if that happens, but it’s more about social skills and being part of a community. Unfortunately things aren't quite so simple, as a lot of what happens in the facility relies heavily on funding. “It comes from loads of different sources. Youth Music Funding does our music stuff, First Light does our film, there's also Awards for All - the Big Lottery Fund. With there being loads of streams, we might have ideas for the radio station, but if the Youth Music bid comes in then we’re doing a lot of music, because that’s where the funding lies. That's just the way it works.” They've done a sweet job so far, despite any such limitations. Local rapper Kane Ashmore vouches for the professionalism of the organisation as well as the fun vibe, “It's one of the best places to create in Nottingham. When me and Motormouf went, it turned into one big jam with people singing along and skanking in the studio.” YMCA Digital and its staff have nurtured some amazing young talent in our city, including the now world-famous

Jake Bugg. “We’ve got a good team of creative people,” says Ben. “We don’t necessarily try and make the next big singer. Obviously it’s good if that happens, but it’s more about social skills and being part of a community.” Still, incentives to succeed are pushed. After winning The Young Creatives performance competition last year, Josh Wheatley earned himself a slot at the organisation's Nottingham Contemporary gig as well as studio time at Random Recordings with Guy Elderfield. Having artists and musicians working at the facility means there are challenges regarding responsibility for setting an example. “We’ve all got personal art concepts and material that we put out, so sometimes you have to tip-toe around the line. It’s particularly hard for emcees, but we’re not going to have someone working for us that’s rapping about gang violence... even though they can be inspiring to people. It’s a tricky one.” In the future, alongside Bru-C, Ben hopes to link up Phlexx Records with YMCA Digital, introducing signed artists to community work, where they can make money while using their talents to help people. His dream of developing a successful community arts label would mean Ben can continue on his mission of opening doors. And I don't doubt that he will. “Every young person deserves a chance and the same opportunities. We’ve come from situations where maybe we were that young person once, so we know what it’s like. We want to say thank you to all those people who make everything possible. To keep all these grafting artists fresh, it’s important that these institutions are highlighted. These people are artists in their spare time and that needs to be backed as much as their youth work.” ymcadigital.com

Origin One

interview: Bridie Squires illustration: Cameron Bain

After dominating this year’s summer line-ups, Origin One now possess a body of work with a bassweight to bust your tabs ten times over. With their reggae, dub and digi-dancehall vibes, they’ve become notorious in Nottingham for turning rooms wild. We caught up with Kevin Thompson, the bloke behind the beats… What were your early experiences of music? My mum loved Irish folk, Motown and soul, whereas my dad loved ska and new romantic music. I played guitar from the age of nine and did all my grades in funk, jazz and soul. I got really frustrated playing in bands, I’d rather control everything – that’s how I ended up producing. Growing up, I spent time with my cousins in the Meadows who were big reggae and jungle heads – that rubbed off. How did Origin One form? As a listener of bashment, digi-dancehall and future sounds like Iration Steppas, Mungo’s Hifi, Vibronics, Dub Chasm and The Heatwave, I realised there wasn’t anyone doing that in Nottingham. I was making music while working with Parisa at The Maze and she ended up singing You, Boy for me. When I started working for YMCA, I met Ben who came to a jam and never left. When we were putting an EP together, my family recommended that I get in touch with a friend of theirs – Percydread. He got involved and it all clicked. That was the early version of Origin One – me, Parisa, Percy and Ben. We were doing a lot of shows with The Afterdark Movement, so we’d all be out and we’d ask Bru-C if he wanted to jump up and do his thing with us. He never left. Around that time, we played a show in Sheffield and I met Kweku of K.O.G and The Zongo Brigade who stayed for a long time. One of the most important things was that everyone worked well together.

I’d rather not get paid and know I’m not sounding shit to an audience. What have been the highlights of this year? Soundwave Festival was amazing. Playing dub and reggae on a beach in the blistering, Croatian sun was pretty cool. Boomtown Fair too, the energy was really nice, everyone was a little bit messy – it was one of the biggest crowds we’ve played to. The reaction at our album launch was mad. This summer we had thirteen shows in a row, every weekend. It’s been a good year.

You played many dives? There are a couple of places in London where the sound has been shit – there’s one working CDJ and no monitors. You’re just there like, “What is this?” You’re getting paid alright but it’s not worth it. I’d rather not get paid and know I’m not sounding shit to an audience. What are the differences between your experiences with RubberDub and Origin One? We started RubberDub Sound System when we were fifteen and massively influenced by garage and jungle. A bit later, I made a lot of dubstep with PNG. It was electronic, but still roots-based. Around that time, I moved to Holland with some of the RubberDub guys and worked with a label, Riddim and Culture, for a year. When I got back I wanted to make straight, roots-influenced music. That was not long before the concept of Origin One came about. It’s difficult to cater for what Origin One wants because it’s sound systembased culture and we’re a live act. Origin One has a wider appeal, so sometimes it’s a different audience. They allow me to express myself in different ways so they’re both vital to me.

What were your experiences with YMCA Digital? I did music production, took kids climbing and cycling in Sherwood Pines, stuff like that. I was working with this kid who was getting bullied and he confided in me that he wanted to be an emcee, so we had a couple of studio sessions and I invited Birdie Mack down to help out. The kid was buzzing and he started to improve. Towards the end of the two years, I worked specifically with kids who’d been kicked out of school. It was their last chance, and I was helping them get through lessons. Unfortunately, funding cuts meant I couldn’t continue but I loved engaging with the kids and talking to them on a level. It’s a demanding job and something I’d like to do in the future but it’s nice to be able to focus primarily on music. Why does everyone lose their shit so much at your gigs? When you’ve got a room of 200 people going mental, it’s quite surreal. I focus on a strong beat with a really heavy bassline. Ben’s always goes in, ripping his clothes off and screaming, Parisa and Bru-C have great energy, and Kweku was incredible to work with too. We’re natural on stage because we’re all genuinely good friends.

What’s your production process like? There’s no concrete structure, it’s just going with the flow. Sometimes I’ll approach the right vocalist to write to a track. Other times I’ll write a batch of tracks and send them to the guys to go through – if something catches with them, they’ll send it back and tell me to add some bits to it. Or we’ll all have a couple beers and jam for an evening.

Origin of Species or Orangina? Wow. This is getting deep. I’ve got a lot of love for Orangina but surely it’s all about the history of man?

What is Deeper Than Roots? We needed a platform to put the album out on and I wanted to run a roots label from day one. I’ve had issues with a couple of records and digital releases so I was like, “Let’s release it ourselves, then we can do what we want.” The first release was with Fable who’s recently put a new album out. I’m gonna get Fel from RubberDub to help choose new artists and once we’ve got more signed, we’ll host a Deeper Than Roots presents. We shouldn’t have to go to Leeds for SubDub or Exodus when Nottingham appreciates bassweight meditation and the appreciation of a higher consciousness. When I go to a big dub night, I just wanna find my spot, have a jug of wine and skank.

What do you see in the future of Origin One? Everyone’s really busy at the minute. Parisa’s doing Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, which is amazing, Ben and Bru-C are focused on The Afterdark Movement and Kweku’s got his band. I’ve got a couple of big hip hop names I’m going to be producing for. Over winter we’re writing new material, as well as doing solo stuff that we’ll bring together. I just wanna keep working hard and wait for the sun to come back out next year.

Would you switch to happy hardcore for a million quid? Never. I’d rather be broke. I’d fuck that right off.

One Direction or One Born Every Minute? I don’t know what One Born Every Minute is but I hate One Direction.

Origin One’s latest release is available on Irish Moss Records and features Cheshire Cat. soundcloud.com/originone

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A STAND UP GUY

interview: Hazel Ward illustration: James Taplin

Some might know him from the telly as Stephen Fry’s sidekick on QI, some as the lovable magician-cum-detective Jonathan Creek, but Alan Davies is also a dab hand at stand-up and he’s rolling through town with his new show..... He’s been a detective (Jonathan Creek), a gay man in love with a straight woman (Bob and Rose) and spends much of his time being affably baffled on QI, providing a foil to Stephen Fry’s genius quizmaster role. But when we caught up with him, he was in ‘dad’ mode, walking with his children across Hampstead Heath and offering helpful advice on blackberry picking. While he may be one of Britain’s favourite comedians, his children evidently don‘t see anything special in having a dad who regularly has his mug plastered on theatre billboards as he reveals that “my two think that everybody has their picture on the tube sometimes. They’ve not quite worked it out yet.” They may be seeing a lot more of their dad on the sides of buses, though. After a rather lengthy break, Davies returned to the stand-up scene in 2012 with a hit new show, Life is Pain, which toured the UK, Australia and New Zealand. His new show, Little Victories, is garnering critical acclaim, which made us wonder why it took Davies over a decade to return to his comedy roots.

bit, they had a good time and the show was good fun but I was like, ‘What’s the matter with you lot?’ They said ‘ah, the people that come to your show are not really hard drinking Glaswegians, they’re the more cerebral types.’ I was like okay, whatever. [Laughs].” Alan Davies’ other big project is, of course, QI – the witty panel show that’s currently steaming through the alphabet (the new series concerns all things ‘L’). With seemingly endless repeats on comedy channel Dave, its popularity seems assured. How does Davies view the success? “I’m totally into it now. For a while I wondered if I should keep doing it seeing as it’s repeated about 85 times a week, and everyone essentially thought I was a complete idiot. I wondered whether I’d get a job doing anything else other than being an idiot. I’m over that now, I realise it’s a privileged position to be in – in that chair next to Stephen for all these years. And certainly, I’m committed to get to Z. We’ll see how we go when we’re halfway through.”

It’s obvious that Davies has cheerfully resigned himself to filling the ‘panel idiot’ role on QI, although he jokes that he’s been the If you really want to heckle a unwitting victim of devious QI producer John Lloyd for the past ten “But you know, the rewards are just about enough to keep comedian and put them off, years. me in the seat. Stephen has an army of researchers preparing all point something out about their his material for him, and I get nothing at all. So they show you the when you turn up and they make no sense whatsoever appearance. They’re as vulnerable questions - they spend months trying to work out traps for me to fall into.” on that as anybody else. Asked if he‘s ever tempted to do his homework and turn the tables on Fry, he answers, “Not really, I’m too lazy to do that and I think it would create an awkward experience all round. He doesn’t like having the rug pulled from under his feet, he likes to be in charge, so we’ll leave him where he is.” Wryly honest, he continues, “I wrote a book that no one bought, then I did a sitcom that got cancelled after one series, and I started to think I should do the thing that I’m best at, However self-deprecating Davies may be, he’s clearly got a handle on many talents. The really. I was podcasting a lot about football, that was funny but there’s no money in it. I aforementioned book, released in 2009 and titled My Favourite People and Me, 1978-88, was just combined these different things, and went back out to do shows. I didn’t know how it not a resounding success, as Davies freely admits, but he was pleased it was done without would go and fortunately it’s been a huge success which has been very gratifying. Plus, I the aid of a ghost writer. He says he “can sort of get why it didn’t sell, but at the same time, really enjoy going round the country.” much of it, I’m really quite proud of. I spent a lot of time on it. The trouble is, there are so many celebrities with books out, and they all get put out around Christmas, it’s so easy to Luckily Davies hasn’t had many bad experiences with touring, although he’s had run-ins dismiss them.” He seems pretty sure he has another book in him somewhere, but for now with the bane of performers everywhere, the heckler. “Years ago, in the nineties, I had a he’s sticking with the thrill of live laughter. pair of lime green, moleskin trousers. I can’t imagine wearing them today but they were comfortable and I liked them. I wore them for my DVD recording in 1998. Anyway, I was However, Davies is realistic when it comes to the art of comedy, and how hard it is to keep doing the show one time and someone shouted out, from right up in the gods, ‘Are you momentum. “It’s not like being a songwriter where you might have a purple period where colour blind?!’ I had no idea what they were referring to. The audience laughed, and the you sell five billion albums. You have to keep plugging away. Your life changes, so your penny dropped that he was talking about my trousers. It was a good heckle. If you really material changes. You’ll never be flavour of the month again, but you’ve hopefully got good want to heckle a comedian and put them off, point something out about their appearance. quality stuff.” Judging by reactions from fans on this tour, he’s not got much to worry about. They’re as vulnerable on that as anybody else.” “I slightly fell out of love with touring. I do lots of drama on television too, lots of long shoots,” he explains. “Once you’ve done four or five months of a film shoot, you don’t want to do anything else for the rest of the year, it takes you right away from stand-up. Plus, it’s quite hard to do The Comedy Store on the late show when people are away from the telly and they’re drunk and they wanna shout things. So I fell out of it a little bit, but I didn’t anticipate it being as long as it was.”

It’s not the jibes that cut the closest, however, but the lack of any reaction – the disconcerting sound of silence. Davies recounts a gig in Glasgow where he was forewarned about the Glaswegian crowds, “It turned out to be the mildest, meekest audience I’ve ever had - you had to berate them to get any kind of reaction out of them. Once I’d done that a

Alan Davies’ Little Victories, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, Thursday 13 November, 8pm, £20 - £25 twitter.com/alandavies1

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Short films are perfect. Perfect for the filmmaker wanting to showcase what they can do, perfect for the YouTube generation struggling to concentrate on anything for more than an hour, perfect for creating some of the most diverse film festivals out there. Bang! Short Film Festival started off small but, as the digital age took hold and their audiences got bigger, it grew into a beast of a festival. Unfortunately, after fifteen years of filling Broadway’s screens with bite-sized reels, they’ve called it a day. We get all nostalgic and look at what the festival meant to filmmakers and audiences alike... After providing a platform for emerging and already established filmmakers to showcase their work, it was recently announced that Bang! Short Film Festival would be coming to an end. Donna Bowyer, one of the founders of the event, said that the increasing workload of her own film career, as well as the careers of fellow founders Chris Cooke, Max Crow and Adam Robertson, were factors in making the hard decision to end Bang!’s fifteen year run. “The festival takes a lot of time to organise; we felt it wouldn’t be fair to not give it the full attention, time and energy it deserves.” In late 1999, when Nottingham’s film community was being galvanised by the digital revolution, more and more filmmakers were able to gain access to filmmaking equipment through Intermedia Film and Video, which was based at Broadway at the time. This influx of new talent cried out for a platform in which to showcase itself. Shane Meadows had been running a short film festival called Six of the Best, but became known for mainly showing his own work. When we interviewed him a couple of years ago he said, “Six of the Best was an angry response to the fact that I couldn’t find anywhere to show people my short films. I went down the DIY route and decided to try and get six films together and get them advertised. Unfortunately, I didn’t get many applications from other people. For the first event, I made five of the six films and for the second I made four.” Robin Shackford then established Flipside, which showcased films exclusively from Nottingham-based filmmakers. But when Flipside came to an end, Bowyer, Cooke, Crow and Robertson decided to create a short film festival to showcase work not just from Nottingham, but from around the world. “We began with just one section, The Main Event, which ran three times a year. Then, over the years, more and more sections were added so we could include different genres, themes and age demographics to give screening opportunities for all the films that the digital revolution was bringing forward.” By 2013, Bang! Festival had a total of thirteen categories covering a wide range of different demographics. “One of the sections I am most proud of was the Middle East category, which focused on films made in that region and offered a way, through art and filmmaking, to build relationships and to see rare glimpses into a world which is often hugely misaligned in today’s politically charged media portrayals,” Bowyer said of the festivals diversity. She added, “The Community section was also brilliant, it was a category where we would see amazing work about stuff that was happening in communities all over the world. Obviously

words: Ashley Carter illustration: Ali Emm 16

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this was all before social media, when short films were used as a vehicle to distribute information and stories that you probably wouldn’t get to hear about otherwise.” One of the main objectives of the Community section was to give a voice to the areas of the population who would otherwise have none, including those drastically underrepresented in film. The introduction of a subsequent Kids section proved similarly popular, with high audience numbers being given the opportunity to see the work of filmmakers as young as five. Sitting in one of those screenings was amazing on two levels; the first was seeing the passion the kids had put into their work and how great it looked, and the second was the reaction of the young filmmakers as they watched their finished pieces being shown on the big screen.

Bang! was more than a celebration of local filmmaking talent. It brought key international short films to our city in a time when exhibition outlets for this critical art form are dwindling. Bang! quickly became known for its dedication to showcasing young talent early in their careers, especially from local directors, “We often premiered films that subsequently went on to do incredibly well around the international film circuit: Bang! showed local talent like Simon Ellis, The Turrell Brothers, Nick Whitfield, Sarmad Massud and Mark Devenport, among many others.” This included increased participation from the directors themselves, “One of the things we did before all the screenings were the on-screen introductions from the filmmakers, which made the experience more intimate and exclusive. We also delighted the audiences with showers of sweets and popcorn.” As one of the filmmakers that benefitted from the festival, Simon Ellis was sad to see it - and the free popcorn - come to an end, “Bang!, like Flipside and Six of the Best, was more than a celebration of local filmmaking talent. It brought key international short films to our city in a time when exhibition outlets for this critical art form are dwindling on a national scale. Its importance will be as missed as much as the popcorn-slinging ritual that preceded every show.”

As another founding member of Bang!, Chris Cooke wants all of the good that came from the festival to be utilised in taking the city’s creative community forward. “One of the most important things it did (aside from showcasing the early work of award-winning filmmakers and people about to launch careers in film and TV like Steven Sheil, Avril Russell and many more) was to allow filmmakers a chance to sit in a brilliant cinema space and see their work up on the biggest of screens. People could test-drive their films and become better filmmakers, it meant a space for filmmakers to network, swap notes, criticise and debate. It meant that filmmakers could find new collaborators and friends. So many filmmakers have come through the doors of Broadway now, thanks to Bang!, and their careers have developed and grown. Mayhem Film Festival started as a short film festival, thanks to the sheer number of horror shorts that were coming into Bang! So the positive thought to take forward is that there are still so many people making shorts in the city and across the region. They will create new platforms for people to view, discuss and enjoy those films. The audience demand is still there and something will emerge soon.” The loss will be felt by many, from the emerging group of directors looking to show their shorts, to the more established filmmakers for whom Bang! was the one time a year they were guaranteed to catch up with the friends their busy schedules otherwise didn’t allow. Regardless, no one will look back at Bang! with anything other than great memories. “My key memory of Bang! is our dedication to storytelling through film, whether award-winning or from first time filmmakers - what mattered was the heart and soul of a film rather than technical accomplishment,” said Donna Bowyer, “We really cared and that was reflected at the festival itself - filmmakers came along knowing that they were in a truly supportive environment that was instrumental in creating a brilliant film scene in Nottingham.” F-Stop on Notts TV is a great showcase for local filmmakers and along with Mayhem’s Scary Shorts, there are also smaller scale festival alternatives out there, such as Loonatik and Drinks’ short film screenings, Come into the Basement, and the brand-spanking New Waves Short Film Festival, which has its first event at Broadway on Saturday 20 December. Filling the Bang!-shaped void will certainly be difficult, but at least Nottingham isn’t starting from naught.

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Ey Up, Book

There’s more to life than books… But not much...

If it wasn’t for a book-loving toff who was bobbins with money, we wouldn’t have the British Library. In the first of a series of essays, we explain why Nottingham is truly worthy of being a UNESCO City of Literature, starting with the incredible bibliophile Edward Harley.

The problem was he didn’t have much money. Fortunately this could be resolved by marrying the right woman, which was anyone with a multi-barrelled name. The lucky Lady in question was Henrietta Cavendish-Holles who, after a dingdong in the courts surrounding her inherited fortune, had a purse of £500,000. After tying the knot, Robert wasted no time in squandering £400,000 of this on obsessive collecting.

Robert Harley (1661-1724) was a proper toff and, like proper toffs, he spent most of his life buying up as much culture as possible to impress his mates. His particular penchant was books and manuscripts which were procured by Humphrey Wanley, an uber-bibliophile and Harley’s personal librarian and agent. By 1721 he had a vast personal library that contained 6,000 volumes, 14,000 charters, and 500 rolls. Unfortunately, his eyes were bigger than his bank balance and so he accumulated massive debts, all of which were lovingly passed down to his son Edward Harley (1689-1741).

They would later have a daughter, Lady Margaret Cavendish Harley (1715-1785), who married William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland (1709-1762), the great grandfather of William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (1800-1879) who was not a book lover and instead preferred to spend his time building tunnels under the Welbeck Estate to avoid people (see p41).

When Robert Harley wasn’t reading he dabbled in politics and was, by all accounts, a pretty important fella. He was responsible for guiding the Act of Settlement through parliament in 1701, which is the main constitutional law governing the succession to the throne of the United Kingdom, as well as the other Commonwealth realms. This would be instrumental in paving the way for the Union with Scotland in 1707. But things went pear-shaped in 1715 when he was impeached and accused of treason with the French, and banged up in the Tower of London for two years while awaiting trial. Although the charges were eventually dropped, the experience took its toll and he passed away a few years later in 1724. Unlike his father, Edward wasn’t a particularly good scholar. Records suggest his main contribution to education was the frequency with which he skipped lectures. But he inherited the family gene for collecting books and, naturally, building up debts. Clearly incensed by the state’s ingratitude towards his father, he wasted no time in commissioning Joseph Goupy to copy a painting of Belisarius, which featured a Roman general forced to beg at the gates of Rome. The painting was a blatant two fingers up at the establishment for not knowing when their bread was buttered. Although Edward dabbled with politics – doing a brief stint in the Houses of Lords and Commons – art and culture offered a more viable means to express and reflect his ideas.

Edward was well liked but he was a pretty rubbish landowner, neglecting his duties in pursuit of his pleasures. He was warned numerous times by close advisors to be more frugal but he just couldn’t help himself, often paying well over the odds for his books. If alive today, he would definitely be one of those people caught in a bidding frenzy on eBay, paying silly money for tat because the desire to own something outweighed the material value. Matters would not have been helped by his wife’s family being illustrious collectors, thereby feeling the social pressure to emulate or usurp their collections. But let’s not over-psychologise him. He was a bit of a greedy guts. Edward was known for his Grand Tours of Britain, all caustically recorded in his diaries where we discover Stonehenge was “unpleasant” and Salisbury “an exceedingly nasty town.” He had his own arty-farty circle too, surrounded by painters and writers. These included Alexander Pope, satirist Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe (1719) which is widely recognised as the birth of the novel. But let’s be honest, they were all after a bit of patronage to fund their works. He was a man of principle, though, and led a group of friends who helped publish the collected poems of Matthew Prior in 1718. This was done through a subscription of 1,445 people. But this wasn’t complete altruism. Prior had previously been accused of treason while under his father’s leadership (during the Treaty of Utrecht) and so bringing his work to the public domain was once more a means of sticking it to the Whigs and the establishment.

words: James Walker

The Harleys were responsible for creating an unprecedented collection of books that would see the library of Welbeck Abbey and manuscripts from the family home at Brampton Bryan converge during Edward’s life. There were even workshops set up in the family’s London home where books were lovingly bound and preserved. But unlike a lot of collectors of the period, Edward was keen to share his fetish, opening up his private collection to fellow bibliophiles and scholars. The problem was he simply didn’t have the money to maintain his passion. In 1739 Lady Henrietta was forced to sell the Wimpole estate and Edward turned to the fizzy pop, drinking himself to death by 16 June 1741. After his death, a vast majority of his collection was sold to pay debts, many of it going abroad. But there is a happy ending. A large chunk of his collection was sold to the nation for £10,000, becoming the foundation of what we now know as the British Library. The Harley Gallery, Welbeck, Worksop, S80 3LW harleygallery.co.uk

ading work by le Features omic artists c writers & nt Emerson Hu ; g in d inclu ampbell. & Eddie C Cool, Bwainy web-comics for PC, Mac and mobile

Want to appear in a graphic novel? - Want to learn about Notts histreh?

www.dawnoftheunread.com 18

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CULBARD DRAWS INJ Culbard has drawn Sherlock Holmes, the unknowable and unnameable horrors of HP Lovecraft, clockwork universes, medieval mercenaries battling horrors, animals fighting aliens, Japanese Oni demons on the rampage and a crime fighting Edwardian vampire. Intrigued, we sat down with him for a cuppa and a chat... Did you always want to be an artist? I wanted to be a stuntman but I've always drawn from a very early age. I just found it easier to communicate that way. All my writing assignments had pictures. You have a very spare style. Is that the way you draw, or do you strip away all the unnecessary strokes? Which is harder? The spare approach is harder, I reckon. You'd think it would be easier but it's a good deal simpler to scratch away with detail and build a picture up than it is to strip it down to the essentials. Composition is incredibly important, as it should be. I like the idea of working to strict perimeters, it gives me a direction. Who’s been the strongest influence on the way you draw? Jean-Claude Mézières, Alex Toth, Frank Robbins, Milton Caniff... to name but a few. Do you see much of their style in your own work? I’m not sure. I think we acquire our own style by failing to be the artists who inspired us. Was it daunting to put Lovecraft's monsters on paper, given their indescribable, unknowable nature? Did you worry about pulling back the curtain to reveal something less scary than the things people had imagined? I viewed it completely differently. I feel like Lovecraft was a very generous writer. Not just in sharing his ideas with a close-knit group of friends, but in terms of the way he wrote. "Indescribable" and "unknowable" mean carte blanche to me. It allows me to do whatever the hell I want. Add the fact that he doesn't have much dialogue in his books, and I can flesh out characters he only sketched. My intention was to make the adaptations books in their own right. I did take liberties, but stayed true to the spirit of what he wrote and hopefully worked to the strengths of the medium I was adapting it to. You've drawn a lot of stories set around the Victorian and Edwardian era. Is there a special fondness for drawing those periods? It's almost like typecasting, isn’t it? I seem to be stuck in the last two centuries, but that's mostly due to the adaptations I've worked on. I’d like to do something set in the sixties or seventies. I'd also like to do some hard science fiction set in the far future. Celeste, for example, is present day. Celeste was your first graphic novel - is illustrating and writing your own stories something you want to do more of, or do you prefer working in partnership with a writer? Both. I love working with Ian Edginton

and Dan Abnett - they're great to bounce ideas off. I like to come up with stuff myself too. It can be a lonely job, but also enormously fulfilling. I have systematic ways of working - I've broken processes down to tackle things one at a time, that way I'm able to focus more. I've recently adopted working on characters first against rough backgrounds and designating a day when I come back and just work on backgrounds. That way, I focus a good deal more on just the acting and there are no distractions. I'll take a single issue of a comic and for one day I’ll draw one character right the way through the book. Then I'll come back and draw another the next day, and so on. Breaking it down makes it easier and a lot less daunting. Before I know it, I've drawn a book. Getting Celeste published must have been a tremendously proud moment... It was. It didn't hit me just how difficult a year it had been until I read my first review for the book. At that very moment, it all caught up with me. I was in and out of hospital three times and nearly died, so I was experiencing this shift in perception about a lot of things. Life, the mind, the body and the soul. That's essentially how the three stories in the book break down. They're different stories interwoven to cover similar ground. Comics have, to some, become a quick fix. I wonder how much people really take in. Celeste was never meant to be a book you race through in twenty minutes with any sense of satisfaction. It was always going to be one of many books as part of a review pile, so it was something of a gamble. Fortunately, for the most part, the reviews have been favourable. I've always thought of it as getting 'the difficult

second album' out of the way first. I'm presently working on my debut.

Dark Ages, the new comic with Dan Abnett you have out, is a definite change of pace. It’s a medieval alien invasion story. Kingdom of Heaven meets Starship Troopers. A godless warband looking for work suddenly find themselves being attacked by creatures they perceive as demons but we know are aliens, so they hole up in a monastery. From that point it also becomes a little Assault On Precinct 13. It's very gritty, action orientated, and it's been a lot of fun to work on. The latest chapter of Brass Sun, the epic adventure story set in a celestial orrery, is being serialised in 2000AD and reprinted in America. That’s been going for a few years now, hasn’t it? Me and the writer Ian Edginton have been running Brass Sun in 2000AD on a weekly basis since 2012 and it runs for about twelve weeks each time. The incredible thing about 2000AD is just how much story it gets through. We work on it for six months, and then 2000AD consumes it in just twelve weeks. It's a hell of a beast and an enormous privilege to work for; I grew up reading it. We also have it all collected as one book for Christmas this year. Edginton’s scripts take the series in all manner of directions, visiting unique worlds with each turn, and I get to draw tons of interesting stuff. Is there a projected end point for Brass Sun, or is the plan to keep going? It does have an ending, but it's not about the destination. It's about the journey. As long as people are enjoying the journey, we're in for the long haul. The heroine, Wren, has a heck of a way to go yet. There are so many places it can go. It's a proper adventure. Frankly, I love it, so I hope it keeps going. What's next? I have The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath out this autumn from SelfMadeHero, which is my fourth HP Lovecraft adaptation. And then we've got Wild's End being published right now from Boom! Studios. It's Wind in the Willows meets War of the Worlds. There’s a lot happening now and a lot more coming soon. Celeste, Dark Ages, Brass Sun and Wild’s End are available from all good comic shops. strangeplanetstories.blogspot.co.uk

interview: Robin Lewis

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BEAN THERE,,DONE THAT interview: Mark Patterson

Life turned strange for Jacob Louis Beaney at the age of twelve. He had a normal, happy childhood until his teenage years crept in. His mother ran off with a cousin in the RAF and his father, a punk scaffolder with art aspirations, moved the family into an empty warehouse, and became an eccentric and unpredictable heavy drinker. Beaney’s own ‘issues’ later came in the form of drinking, binge eating, depression, weight fluctuations, heavy online porn consumption, obsessive compulsive disorder and an inability to get a job. Even with a fine art degree, he’s been penniless and on the dole in Nottingham for the best part of a year. All 6’4” and 20st 7lb of him is quite happy to talk about his personal history, which would provide a solid night of entertainment down the pub. If he could afford to buy any drinks, that is. It’s not in his nature to keep his foibles and failures to a close circle of friends. Indeed, Beaney went the opposite direction by confessing everything in a series of illustrated ‘zines and booklets which graphically describe his family, girlfriends, sexual misadventures, battles with weight, poverty and the crappier end of English society in the 21st century. The first booklet, Beards and Genitals and After the Break Up, was dedicated to his nan. “She really liked it,” says Beaney, brightly. “She passed away last year. She was proud that she had the first edition of a book that was verging on pornographic.” Booklets such as A History of My Fatness and Poverty and Sexual Frustration at Art School are self-explanatory, while the more slickly produced Beaney: A Short History deals with three girlfriends including ‘Dee’ who was into bondage, golden showers and cutting skin. As we sit in a West Bridgford cafe where the staff stare, Beaney points to meat cleaver scars on his arms. The latest booklet, Back Home and Broke, ends with Beaney leaving his Great Yarmouth hometown for Nottingham, where he hoped “my spin on fortune’s wheel would be favourable.” Sadly Lady Luck hasn’t granted many favours; he gets by with what’s left of his dole money after paying rent – £10 a week. Nevertheless, he shares a small artist studio at kunstclinic on Meadow Lane and occasionally exhibits his drawings. His experiences of cashlessness, like surviving on just porridge and gravy, have also been directed into a series of colour prints which reveal grim, contemporary Britain and its sharp divide between the despairing poor and self-satisfied middle class folk. Collectively titled Modern Moral Subjects, Beaney’s prints reflect knowledge of classic painting as well as ability in graphic art. The Job Centre is an update on Hogarth’s drink-sodden eighteenth century print Gin Lane while The Binge Drinkers apes Edouard Manet’s Le Dejeuner sur l’Herb, replacing the nineteenth century French picnickers with a tracksuited trio sucking on cans and fags.

My nan passed away last year. She was proud that she had the first edition of a book that was verging on pornographic. Other prints deal with menacing hoodies, Jobcentre claimants, and pawning goods at Cash Generator shops. The series was created after Beaney emerged, in 2012, from the three-year apolitical and hedonistic haze of university to land in debt, realising that recession-hit Britain had gone to wrack and ruin. Given his autobiographical and downbeat subject matter, it’s no surprise to learn that one of Beaney’s favourite writers is Charles Bukowski, who built a reputation on detailing his alcohol-soaked lifestyle of rubbish jobs, gambling and women. A liking for Kerouac, the Beats and books such as George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London also reflects Beaney’s interest in life’s outsiders. His love for art suggests a general family interest, but it was his father in particular who encouraged him to study it at college.

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“My mum is more normal, she encouraged me to get a job and a girlfriend but my dad is like ‘just do art, nothing else, and don’t worry about anything’” says Beaney. “He always said that was the most important thing.” Anthony, nicknamed Beano, features in several of Beaney’s stories as a balding bloke in punk t-shirts. Beaney describes him as “quite aggressively eccentric” and with a creative streak too. When Beaney and his brothers were still at school, they collected Coke cans from the streets so their father could cover a wall with a gigantic Coke can fireplace. Beaney explains his father’s excessive drinking was a reaction to earlier events in life; Beaney’s mum became pregnant at fifteen so he worked relentlessly on the trawlers at sea for his young family. When they split up, he started drinking and “went a bit weird.

I’ve got two pairs of jeans; these are covered in paint and the zip’s gone on my black pair, so I’m always fondling my genitals. “We had a nice detached house. He sold that and bought a massive warehouse in a bad end of town, with no running water or toilet. I was eighteen. Everyone was drinking when we lived there. My dad would do lot of weird things. He wrote ‘fuck off’ across the front of the house in paint and built a brick wall in the middle of a road. That got him arrested for criminal damage, but he always said it should’ve been criminal construction. He put a burning couch in front of a police station too. My mum had run away with her cousin, and he got ran over by a tractor, broke his back and ended up in a wheelchair.” At 25, Beaney went to university in London and met a girl. When she moved down to Cornwall, he transferred his course to Falmouth University to discover that she’d been cheating on him with a housemate. Depressed and trapped, he went on Prozac and drank heavily. “I was a bit messed up. I was drunk a lot of the time and used to eat people’s hair and do really bad things. I got thrown out of a lot of nightclubs.” After graduating, Beaney begged his nan for the fare home and joined the dole queue back in Great Yarmouth. His dad had bought a disused shop, knocked the top two floors out and was sleeping on a plank of wood above a high vertical drop. Beaney moved in with his nan and uncle, an ex-con and bipolar former heroin addict who talked non-stop. At another time, a counting obsession developed after living with a girlfriend and her uncle who converted Beaney’s asthma inhaler into a crack pipe. “I was getting so stressed at being stuck in this weird living condition that I started counting things,” Beaney says. “Once, I started scratching my face and it bled because I couldn’t stop. It got really bad so I started drinking heavily.” Finally, Beaney took up a friend’s offer to move to Nottingham. Still skint, he rarely goes out, and can’t afford to drink. He says, with a self-effacing honesty, “I’ve got two pairs of jeans; these are covered in paint and the zip’s gone on my black pair, so I’m always fondling my genitals.” He’s not sure why he feels compelled to tell the world about his problems in such detail, but thinks it’s partly because it’s funny and partly because his family are also “too honest.” He adds, “It feels natural to write something and not really care.” His plan now? “I don’t know. I haven’t got one. I’d like to make or write something great. It would be good to do something bigger: a book or a graphic novel. If I could sell 5,000 copies of a book, I could probably live on it for a year.” Good luck, Beaney. jacoblouisbeaney.co.uk

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words: Bea Udeh photo: J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere

(Courtesy of Gallery Magnin-A, Paris)

Nottingham’s art galleries are obsessed with hair at the moment, and why on earth not? From straight to frizzy, soft curls to tight spirals, black to blonde, short to long, our hair is shaped and styled as a way to express ourselves. With the upcoming discussion at New Art Exchange, Untangling the Politics of Black Hair, Nottingham Playhouse curator and Mouthy Poet Bea Udeh talks Afro hair... It's time for my irregular hair session at my barbers in Hyson Green. Not that I am going to have an irregular cut, more that I like to plan my hair appointments on an impromptu basis. It is a lovely October day and my Ultimate Barber seats me in the chair and asks whether I've had the opportunity to visit the exhibition round the corner. My eyebrow is raised because my barber always surprises me; apart from his political and community nouse, it’s funny how much cultural activity he seeks across Nottingham. When my Ultimate Barber speaks, I tend to pay heed. So I made some time to visit the New Art Exchange and was blown away by a photographic collection from the recently deceased J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere. Walking around the main gallery brought me up close to the photograph of the 'Pineapple,' a threaded hairstyle that took me back to being a South London youngster bopping to school in the seventies. My mum would use a wooden comb with three widely spaced teeth, all sharpened to a fine point to divide my hair into sections, so that it resembled the outside surface of a pineapple. Each section would be wrapped with black thread from scalp to tip until it resembled a pipe cleaner. Each 'pipe' would then be sculpted into a variety of beautiful architectural designs as depicted in this exhibition.

slave trade and the legacy of disassociation that came with emancipation. Or maybe it is just a financial ploy to encourage the sale of more hair products to an increasingly beauty-conscious society. These will no doubt be some of the strands discussed at the Untangling the Politics of Black Hair panel with author and journalist Hannah Pool. I won't forget to take my hot comb.

Allowing somebody to touch and handle your hair is quite an intimate thing.

I will definitely visit again to experience the other elements of this exhibition, including a host of talks, discussions and pop-up salon experiences. That's right. Next to the main gallery is a mini gallery space which has been converted into an exhibition-cum-hairstylistcentre. Ben Harriot has filled the walls with a beautiful photographic take on his contemporary experience of being shorn at a barbers; from the talk they talk to the hair they barb. There is a level of story I believe he has more to reveal about his journey into the barber shop. This exhibition follows hot on the collaborative exhibition from Syson Gallery and Nottingham Contemporary in September with the Open Barbers pop-up salon.

Today, the trend to wrap hair extends to all hair types from Caucasian hair category one through to Afro hair category four. It’s achieved by wrapping one or a few sections with brightly coloured embroidery-type thread. It was wonderful to see a variety of African and Caribbean hairstylists and dressers alongside their Caucasian counterparts trying out classic and contemporary styles on BBC 3's third series of Hair earlier this year. Allowing somebody to touch and handle your hair is quite an intimate thing, in my opinion. For some of us, our hair is a spiritual connection to ourselves. In some cultures and religions, the grooming, cutting and shaping of our hair is ruled by ritualistic traditions. Perhaps that gives us a clue as to why we feel good during and after a visit to a hairstylist. For women, it offers the opportunity to glorify one's looks, to treat yourself and succumb to pampering. For men, the barbers is a space to discuss with other men, and the occasional female, the politics of the day. The politics of hair is a "long ting". In a nutshell, it is about control of power and gender, where the obsession with natural versus "unnatural" Afro styles provokes Marmite-like judgements which can affect your friendship groups, career and even your choice of life partner. While Ojeikere's exhibition is steeped in a discourse about the traditions of preparing for courtship or big celebrations, we seem to be obsessed with "Has she or hasn't she?" The question about whether a person has got their own head of hair or has borrowed a little or processed a little. We’re talking Dianne Abbott compared to Beyoncé, where people in the public eye have fed the media hunger for the perfect look by giving credence to the belief that to get far in one's career, you need a certain look. This is usually achieved by processing the natural hair shafts with a relaxer or adding

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For many women, hair comes before fashion. Hair is fashion. Fashion complements hair. You will find some women sporting headscarves to hide a messy hairdo - Hattie McDonald is famous for her headscarf in Gone With the Wind. Okeire's exhibition also looks at the fashionable starched silk or cotton headscarves known as gele, worn by Nigerian women to complement special going-out outfits. The art of this particular head gear is exactly that - art. Twisted, tucked and pinned into ornate and often precise shapes, you will find the process less onerous than wearing a lace-up corset, but the end result is just as stunning. For me, wearing a gele requires commitment to be as convincing as Scandal actress, Kerry Washington, who wore a gele to her wedding last year.

More hair art will be revealed in November when Rachel Young takes up the mantle with a live art experiment, Crowns of Confidence in the same pop-up space. The Hairstyles exhibition is like a good wedding with plenty to celebrate, including an interactive area where children and adults can create their own weave pieces to add as a collage to a wall. A selection of books on offer serve as a great resource for furnishing one's knowledge on all things on African and Caribbean hair too. On reflection, I might grow my hair longer than a grade two next year, just so I can sport some China Bumps or a Pineapple style again. But, then again, I might wait until my hairstyle becomes more widely hip among women who first seek approval from the media.

volume or length by way of extensions. You do not get female news correspondents with Pam Grier-esque afros.

J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere: Hairstyles and Headdresses runs until Sunday 11 January 2015.

From the Cleopatra to the 1973 film Cleopatra Jones starring Tamara Dobson; from Naomi Campbell's weave resting on her over-processed natural hair, to Lupita Nyong'o's love of braiding, our choice of hairstyle is politically powerful. In part, this is due to women claiming their rights in recent years to wear natural Afro styles with confidence, as a way to express themselves without the fear of being described using derogatory language. It’s also due to the transatlantic

Untangling the Politics of Black Hair, 12-2pm, free, Saturday 22 November 2014. Crowns of Confidence by Rachel Young and Richard Hougez, Exhibition Launch 3.30pm-5pm, Saturday 22 November 2014. New Art Exchange, Gregory Boulevard, NG7 6BE

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Malt ‘n’ Rocks words: Ali Emm

After scooping a £1.38m grant from Heritage Lottery Funding this year, the Malt Cross closed its doors for four months to undergo a massive restoration. Now re-opened, it’s the largest Victorian music hall outside of London and one of only a fistful left in the country. As one of Nottingham’s most beautiful buildings, it’d be remiss not to have a dig in to its colourful history… The Victorian music hall, the place where normal folk went to sink a few drinks, watch some light entertainment and generally let loose. One of the big appeals being that you could drink and smoke to your heart’s content, something that was prohibited in ‘proper’ theatres. In the lateeighteenth century Nottingham boasted a fair few around the city, but these days the Malt Cross is the only one left standing in its original function. Built in 1877, it was a late-comer to the scene and although not the fanciest one in town, it was considered more high class than a lot of the ‘free and easies’. Originally it was just blokes who frequented these sorts of establishments, but the ladies did begin to get in on the action near the end of the century. The man who originally built the Malt Cross was a bit of a jack of all trades, who went by the name of Charles Weldon and purchased the music hall on borrowed money. His building plans for ‘A Public House and Skating Rink’ were rejected four times for various reasons before he finally got approval. The authorities obviously never did any follow-up checks because what was actually built barely resembled what was okayed. There’s no record of the basement ever being a skating rink – which is a crying shame, because drunk people on skates, what could possibly go wrong? The stage between the ground and first floor, the cast iron columns, the size of the ‘wells’ and the sub-basement weren’t on the plans either. The architect, Edwin Hill, must have been pretty good at thinking on his feet because they built the entire thing in six months and not to plan. But hey, nothing like making it up as you go along. Even the roof, one of the main architecturally fascinating features of the building, was a last minute amendment. The huge arched, glazed roof was meant to be made from cast iron frames but instead they were constructed out of laminated timber. It’s been a bit of a mystery for a long time as it was found to have no nails or bolts holding it together. It’s been up there for over a century though, so we don’t reckon it’s going to fall in any time soon. When it did open on 8 October 1877 – the rush job was so that it could be opened in time for Goose Fair, which at the time was still held in the Old Market Square – it was a two storey music hall with a two storeyed dining and billiard suite below. Mr Weldon only managed to hold on to it for a few years before the mortgage of £5,500 was foreclosed in 1880. It was then subject to a frequent change of management with William Hulse taking the reins from 1883 – 1889, E.F. Buxenstein for a year in 1891, Arthur B. Johnson for a slightly lengthier period of 1893 – 1900, and then into the hands of the most excellently named Lewis Thompson Donkersley between 1902 - 1904.

A popular act of the day who played at the Malt Cross was Sam Torr. Hailing from Beeston, his tune Daddy-O, where he dressed with a dummy prop and sang and danced, sent the crowds wild. Different times, people... Fred Karno of Karno’s Army undoubtedly would have performed his comic acrobatic routine. Credited with inventing the classic ‘custard pie in face’ gag, he was quite the draw, and two notable comedians who worked with him in their earlier days were Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel – although sadly neither played at the Malt Cross. During this year’s renovations, secret passageways in the basement levels were found and it’s thought they would have been an escape route for when police raided the premises during cock fights. It probably isn’t too much of a stretch of the imagination to assume that it was the proprietor William Hulse who might have brought that kind of ‘fun’ to the hall as he was described as “a fine sportsman, fond of fighting, ratting and cock fighting…” The aforementioned Sam Torr took over managing the premises in 1911 following a decline in standards. He tried to raise the reputation but the courts got involved in 1914 just before the First World War, shutting the hall down when magistrates heard it had become “a haunt for felons and whores.” It’s more than likely that the rooms above what is now Non-Stop – a space which was part of the original Malt Cross – were utilised for the kind of kicks you pay for. Left empty during the war years, it was passed to wholesale drapers Chapman and Watson after 1918 who used it as a warehouse until the late seventies. Amazingly they never actually knocked anything down in the quest for extra space and although not exactly ‘looked after’, the building’s structure and interior features were left relatively unscathed during their residency. Not saying that it wasn’t a massive restoration job when it was bought in 1981 by Purdy and Klein, who wanted it to relive its days as a music hall. They re-opened the ground and first floors as a venue in 1983, while the basement was let out to Trattoria Conti, an Italian restaurant – and who’s tastefully tiled floor was unearthed just a couple of months ago.

workshop, a gallery and there will be tours around the caves, and, fingers crossed, some whisky tasting. So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the Malt Cross. Despite it all, it’s still standing after 127 years, but we’d not be lying saying it doesn’t look a day over seventeen. Malt Cross, St James’s Street, NG1 6FG.

In 1989 the lease was purchased by the Potter’s House Trust, a charity who renamed it The Potter’s House and changed it to a coffee shop and as a place to provide support and counselling to people in need. The Trust applied for a whole host of funding and in 1997 they successfully secured £1.8m for a further restoration project and it was re-opened in 1998 as a variety venue with live music, comedy and theatre. In 2003 The Malt Cross was set up by a group of churches based in the city centre, hoping to preserve the building and help the community with outreach work. If you’ve ever seen the Street Pastors helping inebriated people in town on a Friday or Saturday night, they are all based at the Malt Cross. Since the Sapna Indian restaurant closed its doors a few years ago, the basement levels of the building have remained unoccupied, and it’s these that the majority of the restoration grants have enabled the Malt Cross to get properly stuck in to. So, what have they dug up in the last few months? They found that the plaster pillars in the basement were actually hiding the original cast iron columns that extend from the ground floor all the way down. They’ve also unearthed an original Victorian glazed archway, a Victorian safe, traditional barrel holders, and more. The really exciting bit has been the hidden room they found behind a fake fireplace, plus hidden passageways and concealed rooms elsewhere in the basement levels. It’s like something out of an Edwardian mystery story. Going deeper underground, the caves below the sub-basement date back to the Carmelite monks, and the herringbone brick floor is pretty fancy for a cave. The space would have been used to store food and drink, so they’re not quite sure why someone has made such an effort when the cave floor itself would have been adequate. Answers on a postcard... And all that money being spent means that we the public can now see the entire building. The basement levels have a swanky new sound-proof recording studio, a meeting room, a

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RAPE.

This last year has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of reported rape cases in England. Unfortunately, no official figures are a true representation of the amount of sexual assaults taking place because people are still scared to talk about it when it hasn’t happened to them, let alone when it has. We, as a city and as a country, need to chuck the victim labels in the bin and look directly at the problem... Rape. Read that word again and take a couple of seconds to think about what it means to you. What is it to rape? What is it to be raped? It’s a pretty horrible thought, really, isn’t it? I’m guessing that some of you have already stopped reading, and more of you are thinking of some recent news headline. It’s not an easy subject, or a comfortable one, but we need to open up a discourse about it. We need to think about it and we need to approach it in a healthy way: without the victim shaming, the hyperbole around celebrity rape culture, or the worrying norm where many agree that taking someone - especially a woman’s - body is something that is ‘deserved’ or ‘asked for’. The Office of National Statistics recently published figures showing a huge rise - around a third - in reported rapes in the past year and the highest number ever recorded in England. Some, it is believed, can be attributed to more historic rapings being reported - thanks to that perv with a shit haircut and cigar - but that’s only part of the story. Reported occurrences of rape in the past year have risen by 29%, and rapes involving a blade shot up by around 21%. Rape is defined as the penetration of someone’s vagina, anus or mouth without their consent. However, there are many other types of sexual abuse, as recognised in the Sexual Offences Act of 2003, which covers sexual assault, sexual harassment and various other forms of abuse. Nottingham City Council is taking steps towards tackling this and are now working with charity Drinkaware, which “aims to address the low level sexual harassment that many young adults experience as part of a normal night out.” Although it’s a great starting point, why is it restricted to low-level sexual harassment?

The word survivor reminds people that a raped individual is not weak or broken, but strong and courageous Violent sexual abuse isn’t limited to nights out and strangers. “In the year 2013/14, approximately 2.5% of all clients who contacted us reported date or drug rape. However, we know that the largest percentage of cases are where the survivor and perpetrator are known to each other, whether that be a family member, partner or acquaintance,” Nottingham Rape Crisis Centre commented. Started by a group of women worried about the lack of support services for those who had been raped in our city, Nottingham Rape Crisis Centre has now been helping sexual abuse victims for over thirty years, whether through their telephone helpline, counselling, group support or attending court appearances. The centre offers help to everyone; male, female and transgender. Someone who’s been raped can go from being a person to a victim in one night, changing how others perceive them forever. Sadly, it’s often not as a brave person who has spoken out against their rapist, but as a broken bird who is forever tainted or worse, as a liar who is exaggerating the crime committed against them. The stigma of carrying rape’s emotional baggage around is a huge thing. A better word than victim would be ‘survivor’ and that’s exactly what the Nottingham Rape Crisis Centre calls its attendees. The word survivor reminds people that a raped individual is not weak or broken, but strong and courageous to have come out fighting.

There are Twitter scandals like #GamerGate, the Caroline Cirado-Perez incident and leaked celebrity nude photos. How is a survivor of rape going to feel when women in particular are subjected to rape threats and other such sexual abuse? In this way, women are still being debased, which can also be linked to the phenomenon of ‘victim blaming’; one way for people to shame victims into not coming forward to the police. People are threatened and told that they were to blame for the abuse. This isn’t helped by people in the public eye, for example Cee-Lo Green, Whoopi Goldberg and Nottingham’s very own Ken Clarke. Words can’t describe how survivors, especially the woman in question, feel about the recent turdstorm surrounding ex-Sheffield United striker Ched Evans, who has just finished a stint in prison - half of his sentence - for raping a nineteen-year-old woman. Currently Evans is appealing against his sentence, showing little to no remorse for the rape and telling everyone who would listen that it was consensual, despite the victim being deemed too drunk to be able to give consent. His appeal was overruled after he was originally sentenced but, despite all of this, people are looking up to him as a ‘role model’ - it’s laughable. Judy Madeley caused further controversy when she spoke out that his crime ‘wasn’t violent,’ a throwaway comment that she was rightly slammed for. Can you imagine anything more violent than someone being stripped of their basic right to say no to sex? To have their wishes ignored, or were too incapacitated or scared to say no? I asked Nottingham Rape Crisis Centre about their opinion how the comments of celebrities have the potential to affect survivors: “It is deeply offensive and distressing when celebrity behaviour, popular culture or media messages in any way normalise or excuse sexual violence against women. “When anyone in the public eye makes disparaging comments or jokes about rape, it trivialises and minimises the significant and devastating impact of this traumatic experience for the survivor and those close to them. This is no laughing matter and the danger is also that any such glib comments or use of humour can then create ‘social norms’ which perpetuate and shape beliefs and attitudes about rape.” Conversely, the centre remarks, when celebrities speak out in defiance of rape, “Rape still remains a taboo and uncomfortable subject for many people to talk about. The power of fame can reach a wide audience and help to raise public awareness, dispel myths and stereotypes and bring about a capacity for fundraising – all of which is much needed for ending [sexual violence]. This was recently demonstrated at the Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict Summit where Angelina Jolie was instrumental in helping to pull together a global summit to end wartime rape, and a 140 page Protocol was signed by 151 countries”. However helpful it is for celebrities to back campaigns against rape, it is time for us to open up a discourse about sexual violence, so that people are not afraid to speak if they are attacked. Currently around two thirds of rape goes unreported and a third of those reported are dropped, according to recent police figures. These numbers need to lessen, and very quickly. If you are a survivor of sexual abuse and want to talk to someone, please contact Nottingham Rape Crisis Centre on 0115 941 0440, who can provide you with tools to help you deal with what’s happened to you. nottinghamrapecrisis.org.uk

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words: Penny Reeve illustrations: Raph Achache

HELP. We spoke to Nottingham Rape Crisis Centre, who have the following advice of what to do if you are raped...

Straight after the incident

• Ensure safety of yourself and any children

• Try to keep warm as you might be in shock

• See if a friend or someone you trust can be with you

• If you don't feel able to talk to a

friend or family member, you can contact Nottingham’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre on 0845 600 1588 or call Nottinghamshire Rape Crisis Centre on 0115 941 0440

• However you are feeling, try

to remember that this is not your fault, you are not to blame, and you are not alone

Sexual Assault Referral Centre If you are not sure whether you want to report to the Police yet or not, you can go along to Nottingham’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) if you are aged 18 or over. The centre offers a supportive environment and a place for statement taking forensic examination and a sexual health centre, if you don’t wish to contact the police at the current time. If you do decide to have a forensic medical examination at the SARC, time is an important consideration. If you want forensic evidence to be collected, you should try and go to the SARC straight away if you can, ideally within 72 hours or at least within 7 days. Also try, if possible, to take these steps:

• Not to bath or shower/ wash hands • Not to clean teeth • Not to have a drink • Not to brush hair

• Collect sample of urine if needing toilet

• Keep toilet tissue (put in bag) • Bring pants / bra / bedding and

any other clothing worn at time of incident

Historic Incidents You can still contact Nottinghamshire Rape Crisis Centre even if the incident happened years ago. If you are having difficulty coping please call the Helpline (0115 941 0440) where a trained worker will be able to tell you about the services on offer and the ways in which they can help.

• Bring spare clothes to the SARC if

still wearing clothes from incident

• Anyone under 18 years of age will need to have Police involvement

Don't worry if you have already done some of these things, it is possible that there is still forensic evidence to collect.

Nottingham SARC Helpline (24 hours): 0845 600 1588

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Photos: JH - Jessica Hallford JD - Joe Dixey MB - Martyn Boston RB - Ralph Barklam SG - Shaun Gordon SW - Stephanie Webb SJ - Sylwia Jarzynka

Every October between 2006-2010, Nottingham was abuzz with the multi-genre, multi-venue, charity festival the Hockley Hustle. After raising over £65,000 for charity and seeing thousands of acts perform in any space they could fit a PA into, the festival ground to a halt.

No one thought it would return, but after a four year hiatus, the team behind it gave it another prod with a stick and realised it was nowhere near dead. Determined to

make up for lost time, their goal was to make it better than ever and to break all previous years’ fundraising records. They had their work cut out, but for anyone who got themselves a wristband and saw any of the day, it’s no exaggeration to say that they smashed it! So, the big question, how much was raised this year? A whopping £23,850 that’s how much. Give yourselves a bleddy big hand! hockleyhustle.co.uk

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Saturday 29 November – Sunday 22 February 2015 Djanogly Art Gallery (Galleries 1, 1A & 2) Admission free Nottingham Lakeside Arts, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD

In the Shadow of war & Lee MILLer’S war Images: Left: Figure in a Landscape 1945 Francis Bacon (1909-1992) © Tate, London 2014 Right: Lee Miller in Hitler’s Bathtub, Munich, Germany 1945. Lee Miller with David E Scherman © Lee Miller Archives, England 2014. All rights reserved. www.leemiller.co.uk

Box Office: 0115 846 7777 lakesidearts.org.uk

• How do you wear your hair? Why? • Does popular culture propagate an Eurocentric ideal of beauty? • What impact is this having on young people today? Saturday 22 November, 12pm – 2pm PANEL DISCUSSION FREE FOR ALL

UNTANGLING THE POLITICS OF BLACK HAIR CHAIR Hannah Pool – Curator of WoW festival, Chair of UK Feminista, author and social critic.

J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere: Hairstyles and Headdresses Exhibition runs until 11 January 2015 © J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere Courtesy Gallery Magnin-A, Paris

PANEL MEMBERS Emma Dabiri – Writer and activist, Teaching fellow in the Africa Department at SOAS. Lorna Holder – Hair and beauty entrepreneur and cultural producer. Honey Williams – Designer, artist and performer. Rachael Young – Writer, performer and Artistic Director of First Floor Theatre. Shane Solanki – Artist and author. New Art Exchange is a contemporary visual arts space that celebrates the region’s cultural richness and diversity.

www.nae.org.uk 39–41 Gregory Blvd Hyson Green Nottingham NG7 6BE 0115 924 8630 info@nae.org.uk

Glenkiln Cross by Kit Anderson

Glenkiln Cross is a ceramic piece bearing a photograph of a Henry Moore sculpture at Glenkiln, Dumfries and Galloway that I took in 2010. A local farmer collected modern British sculptures and placed them on his land, which now form a trail. I love the way the tree and cross are silhouetted against the sky and the grass is shown against the stone wall, I particularly like how the blues and greens capture the essence of the place. The clay was impressed with twigs and the surface was built up with coloured clay slips. Each piece starts with a photograph. I love photographing things around me and the contemporary ceramics I make are decorated with my own or archival photographs. The images are exposed directly on to the ceramic surface with an old photographic process called gum bichromate. After the clay has been bisque-fired, I coat the surface with a mixture of gum, ceramic colouring oxides and a light-sensitive chemical called potassium dichromate. When the surface dries, I place a negative on top and expose the whole piece to light, making the mixture go hard. I then wash it in water and brush the surface to lift off unhardened areas, revealing the photographic image, which I fire to fix permanently. Ceramics can’t be hurried. Whether it’s a plaque, planter or necklace, the pieces must dry before they are bisque-fired from clay into ceramic. I choose images that work best according to the shape of the piece. The second firing alters the work and I’m never certain how they’ll come out, but it’s part of the fun – each piece is different, even when I’ve used the same negative. I have work in many local galleries including Focus Gallery and Debbie Bryan Studio and Shop. This year my work has also been shown in two publications: Paul Scott’s Ceramics and Print and Jill Enfield’s Alternative Photography Processes. I am a ‘fellow’ member of Design Factory and have been exhibiting both nationally and in Germany at Eunique, a major European art and design fair, as part of Creative Twinning, a project between Nottingham and our twin city of Karlsruhe, Germany. I’m also an instructor and tutor at Central College Nottingham. Kit Anderson’s work will be at Sherwood Christmas Craft Fair, The Place, Mansfield Road, Sunday 9 November; Lustre, Lakeside, University Boulevard, Friday 14 – Sunday 16 November; Gedling Artists Christmas Fair, Woodborough Village Hall, Saturday 22 November; and Craft in the City at Waterstones Saturday 6 – Sunday 7 December. fotoceramica.co.uk

Art works Football Team Prints by Adrian Tasker

A few years ago, after visiting lots of craft events in and around Nottingham, I noticed that the stalls were predominantly housed by the female of the species and any potential purchases followed that feminine path. With this in mind, I started to design and make prints and objects which I would be happy to purchase myself. I wanted to produce football-related prints which could sit happily on any wall and be appreciated by both sexes. The challenge when designing these was to avoid the obvious, steering away from club badges for copyright reasons. This lead to the contemporary designs that hint at the team but can still be appreciated without being a supporter. I made these particular pieces two years ago, and designs like this normally take me around half an hour, from the digital design through to the printing. The cardinal sin for any designer is to not research your subject – something I realised after hearing, “You know you’ve only got one magpie on that print?” As a Peterborough fan, my knowledge of Notts County was limited to the fact that they’d been around for a while and were nicknamed the Magpies. It slipped my mind that one’s for sorrow and you need two for joy. On my first print run of fifty, only one magpie was present. Now, I can’t be to blame for their lessthan-average league finish last season, but I’ve rectified my mistake and, lo and behold, now they’re not doing too badly. Working as a full-time creative artworker for a Hockley design agency and having a daughter of eighteen months, my creations are worked on as and when, but I love what I do. I get such a buzz when I get positive feedback from my customers at the various crafts fairs where I show. I’d love to own a retail shop one day, named Relick, with half of the work on show from my own collection, and the other half from local designers and crafters in and around Nottingham. There’s such a buzz in the crafting circles at the moment, with so many opportunities to show your work at many great venues. My work can be seen at various places around the city: the Notts County Club shop, Dezigne in Hockley, Bee and Bird in Mapperley, Blades Barbers in Mapperley and, my proudest design moment yet, on the front cover of LeftLion’s sixtieth issue. Contact Relick directly at info@relick.co.uk facebook.com/relick.uk

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Nottingham’s tramways have gotten more than a few people’s backs up over the last ten years for various reasons. With Phase 2 nearing completion and more tram lines being laid, we look at the danger the tracks pose to cyclists...

On the afternoon of September 22 this year, Steve Fewkes was cycling along Gregory Street in Dunkirk when the front wheel of his bike slipped into a new tram line, causing him to lose balance and throwing him into the road. The 56-yearold crashed heavily on his right side. Tram workers came over immediately, sat him down, wiped the blood off his legs, applied plasters and bandages to his cuts and checked the movement of his stiff right shoulder. Eventually Steve got back on his bike but later that day made an emergency GP appointment for an arm and shoulder that had become increasingly painful. Steve says the tram workers, including the site manager, were very attentive. “While he was treating me I enquired if they get many people falling off as a result of the tram lines,” says Steve. “He said they get approximately one per week.” Steve, an experienced cyclist, believes Nottingham’s tram lines are the cause of so many cycling accidents that he is looking into the feasibility of getting injured cyclists to take a US-style class action legal case against the tram authorities. Similar legal action has been talked about in Edinburgh where cyclist falls on tram tracks have been well publicised. “It’s only a matter of time before someone in Nottingham is thrown off their bike and ends up under the wheels of a car, lorry or tram and is killed,” Steve told LeftLion. “Vast numbers of cyclists are being brought off their bikes and all we get are platitudes that are of little or no use.” Vast? LeftLion asked for the latest figures for cycling accidents on tram lines and was told by Nottingham City Council that in the ten years since NET became operational “the number of recorded injury accidents involving cyclists has been limited to slightly more than one a year in the city.” NET project manager Chris Deas added, “This compares to almost double that figure on the same route corridor, in the same time period, for cyclist injury accidents that did not involve the tram or tram tracks.” While ‘slightly more than one a year’ doesn’t sound like much to worry about, the key word is ‘recorded’ since anecdotal and other reported evidence suggests the actual number of incidents is much higher. On September 29 local media reported the case of 64-yearold Terence Granger from Ruddington who spent a week in the QMC with eight cracked ribs and a punctured lung after his bike wheel got stuck in a new tram line in Clifton. Steve

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words: Mark Patterson illustration: Christopher Paul Bradshaw

junctions using their wits alone rather than a system that has cycling built into its design from the start. Chris Green is one who believes proper cycle lanes to help cyclists negotiate tram tracks are the solution. “I would like a more comprehensive design that includes cycle paths wherever there are tram tracks,” he says. Steve Fewkes also says, “In the long term, the council will have to provide, in all cases, an alternative cycle path to keep cyclists away from tram rails – even if it means allowing cyclists on the pavement.”

Fewkes himself had a similar accident when his 700c tyres fell in the lines in Hyson Green in 2009; Chris Green, from Ruddington, told LeftLion how his rear wheel slipped into a track on Fletcher Gate and he “ended up in the middle of the road with the bike half on top of me. Fortunately there wasn’t a tram coming and cars stopped in time.” Taking part in a group tram line safety session at Chilwell, organised by TravelRight Broxtowe, we were told that there had already been ten cycling accidents along the newly built lines on Chilwell High Street. If this is the case when the lines aren’t operating, how many accidents will there be when they are? One of the accidents must have been the one involving Rosemary Palethorpe who, like many others, was thrown off her bike when her wheel went into a tram line. Local media reported that she lay injured in the road for 45 minutes before an ambulance arrived. Other cyclists at the Chilwell safety event spoke privately of having their helmets shattered in falls and of one child even being knocked off her bike when her mother, in front, swerved sharply to cross a tram line at a safe wide angle. In 2008, a Nottingham City Council transport advisory committee reported that there had been 22 accidents on tram lines reported to police since NET became operational in 2002. Two resulted in serious injury to the cyclists. Tram lines were considered to be “a possible contributory factor” in seven of these but the report added, “It is acknowledged that, due to many cycle accidents not being reported, there will be an element of under-reporting in these figures.” But if the problem is bigger than the authorities want to admit, what can be done by Tramlink, the consortium which now runs Nottingham’s trams, to make it safer? Some parts of the network’s tram lines have been temporarily filled in. Yet, for some cyclists, the lines are only part of the issue; there are also problems with designs of station platforms and signage. And, more fundamentally, an innate problem with a transport system that requires cyclists to manoeuvre around trams, tram lines and traffic

Responding to questions submitted by LeftLion, Chris Deas said “Tram tracks are in many cities around the world, including places such as Amsterdam where there is a long history of high cycle usage. In all of these locations, it is fully recognised that tram tracks can present a hazard to cyclists. However, it is also understood that, with careful road layout design, including the provision of additional highway features to assist cyclists, coupled with cyclists taking due care and attention when negotiating tracks, tramways and cyclists can successfully co-exist in a modern city environment. The situation is no different here in Nottingham.” Mr Deas said Nottingham tram drivers were trained in cycle awareness and that safety advice was promoted in leaflets, posters, school lessons and an online video. He also pointed out that Tramlink had worked with campaign group Pedals to design new cycle lanes, shared paths and track crossings “to help cyclists to travel safely around the tramway and create new cycling opportunities.” Back at my cycle safety session at Chilwell, the advice boiled down to this: cross tram lines at a safe angle - as close to 90 degree as possible; deal with tram line junctions by swerving across lines at a similar safe angle (so would there be signs warning motorists about swerving cyclists? The instructor didn’t know); on roads passing through tram stations, move from the left hand side of the road to the middle of the road. All common sense. But this is an approach that places the responsibility for safety into the hands of cyclists themselves, rather than one that promotes awkward questions about problems in the ‘sustainable’ transport thinking - something Nottingham is supposed to be good at. 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 leftlion.co.uk/onyerbike

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Anthony Hopwood is a hard man to miss. Partly because he’s a tall, beefy bloke with long hair, a beard and baseball cap, but mostly because he rides around town on a bike with a massive sound system thumping out dub reggae at high decibel levels... If you’ve seen or heard a man on a bike playing loud music, approaching and receding down the streets of Hockley and Sneinton, then it was probably Anthony. But the socalled Bicycle Boom Box is only one string in his bow. At 29, Anthony is a commercial photographer, a trained cycling instructor, a bike mechanic and a social entrepreneur as well as being an inventor of many other strange bicycles. Through his company Bike Lab he builds a range of ‘fun bikes’ which can be hired at events (such as some of Nottingham’s recent Freshers Fairs). There are currently eight in the fleet including the Bicycle Boom Box, a high one not unlike a circus clown’s bike and a tall creation with Chopper-style handlebars called Grandma’s Nightmare. “The bikes are going for a bit of a steampunk look,” says Anthony. “At the moment I’m working with a really eccentric guy in Mansfield who wants to be anonymous but who has the skills in welding. I do the dogsbody work.” Despite the wacky image, the general trend of Anthony’s interests is bent towards a serious promotion of cycling as a daily form of transport. Cycling is his main passion and it is with its furtherance in mind that he and business partner Tom Barber intend to open a cycle social enterprise. Located just off Forest Road West, the new businesses, Bike Works, will sell donated second-hand bikes, run courses and teach cycle mechanics. For a small annual fee, cyclists will be able use Bike Works’ tools and workshop to repair and maintain their own bikes. Income will initially be ploughed back into the business but Anthony and Tom hope they can eventually draw a wage.

PED

ALL I DUB NG S

Alas, while ideally located to supply bikes to the student market, Bike Works will be on a hill. Is that a marketing hitch for cyclists? “My theory,” says Anthony, “is that we live in a hilly city and so at some point you have to go up a hill. The best part is you then have to go downhill. You conserve your energy going downhill for when you go back uphill. Hills just do not bother me and they shouldn’t bother other people.” Anthony’s cycling and recycling started early with a nineties era Raleigh Activator mountain bike. “There was a big group of us,” he recalls. “Eddie Clarke, who now runs The Cycle Garage in West Bridgford, used to go out with us. Eddie is an old friend.” As time went on, Anthony began buying cheap parts to customise his Activator. “I put rise bars on it, better forks, better gearing. I started changing bits around on it. Then we discovered the Cattle Market and bought Raleigh Burners and Shoppers for a fiver, cycling around and trashing them to then rebuild them. Five pounds would give us all that joy, then we’d strip them back to the frame and have all these parts to fix up the next one.” You can see where the Fun Bikes idea started. They are fun, but awkward. When I met Anthony at his photography studio in Sneinton he carried one of the taller bikes out into the street so I could give it a test ride. Getting onto the saddle without falling a long way to the ground was harder than getting onto a horse. Yet Anthony occasionally cycles one of these Pythonish contraptions all the way from his home in Bulwell to Sneinton. And no, he swears, he doesn’t get jeered at. “They make people smile and make other people on bikes look normal. I never get beeped at. I feel so safe on a bike like that. Just having something different means that suddenly a car driver is your best friend.” That’s certainly a nice change from the usual cyclists’ experience of being called a twat. “No way, no way. Everyone loves that Chopper.” The Bicycle Boom Box is a different matter, though, and Anthony is ever so slightly reluctant to talk about it. One suspects this is because he doesn’t want its Nottingham renown to overshadow his various cycling enterprises and because the bike has got him into trouble with the law. But a quick description of this bicycle is first in order. Inspired by Nottingham’s original sound system bike builder, Jon Trotsky, the Bicycle Boom Box is built around a German Hercules frame with 42-spoke wheels. The frame supports two sets of speakers, a bass bin and an amp. The power comes from a big leisure battery while the music is inputted from Anthony’s mobile phone, which is currently looking a bit rough after it fell off the bike and got ran over three times. It’s a heavy bike and getting from A to B isn’t made easier by the damaged gears that are locked permanently into a large cog, requiring Anthony to pedal like mad to make progress. Nevertheless, the bike makes regular appearances at Nottingham’s monthly Critical Mass bike rides and has occasionally provided the music at impromptu street parties - hence the law problems. Broad Street in Hockley has been the usual venue. “The thing is,” says Anthony, “I turn up and people start dancing in the streets. Then the police come and want to know whose bike it is. I come over, turn it off and say ‘yes sir, don’t worry sir, I’m going sir’ and wait until they’re gone before turning it back on. Other drunk people go ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ and get in the face of the policemen. All of a sudden two or three policemen come in and the traffic is stopped. My philosophy is ‘turn it down, keep it down and when the police go, turn it back up.’ But when you’ve had a few beers you just want to party, don’t you?”

There’s going to be a lot of them around soon because people are always asking me how to build them. The more the merrier - then it’s just normal.

words: Mark Patterson photo: Samuel Kirby

After one incident, Anthony decided it was time to go quiet and kept the musical bike in his studio for two months. It wasn’t just attention from the police that was a problem. “People put loads of videos on YouTube and were tagging me in them, which I didn’t like. It’s a great thing but there’s no point being ‘that guy’.” You want to keep control over it? “Yes, exactly. There’s going to be a lot of them around soon because people are always asking me how to build them. The more the merrier - then it’s just normal. Go to somewhere like Brazil and everyone has a sound system.” In Nottingham, England, the Bicycle Boom Box is Anthony’s way of showing that you can do most things on two wheels. Think of it as the soundtrack to his campaign to make the city more bike-friendly and less car-reliant. “It’s about having more people on bikes so we can have a cleaner, healthier city,” he adds. “I want to be able to wobble home on my bike and not worry about it.” Amen to that. leftlion.co.uk/onyerbike leftlion.co.uk/issue62

October

pick of the month Whether you’re into loud bangs or pretty sparklers, we’ve got it covered… Bonfire Night

Sod remembering the fifth of November. From the first day of the month, there’s fawking loads of events firing up. On Saturday 1 November, there’s a silent disco, fireworks and hog roast at The Park Tennis Club as well as Beeston Marina's bonfire spectacle with an outdoor disco, food and drink. On Tuesday 4 November, Riverbank Bar on Trent Bridge is having a do with a barbecue and a huge display. Nowt like fireworks reflecting off the river, eh? On Bonfire Night itself, the council blow up loads of your money on Forest Recreation Ground with a free event that includes a funfair, fireworks and all the usual hullaballoo. If you fancied something more easygoing, The Johnson Arms is having a little party with fireworks, a barbecue and live music from lovely singersongwriter Kezia Gill. Saturday 8 November is looking particularly dazzling. There’s a bonfire and firework display at Standhill Park in Carlton while Nottingham Moderns Rugby Club in Wilford Village is getting on with its usual extravaganza including a hog roast, real ale marquee, firework displays and the ultimate Guy Fawkes crescendo. Clifton All Whites Football Club have got family-friendly fun with fair rides, inflatables, food, drink and fireworks. At Nottingham Castle, there'll be a firework display and firewalking from some rubber-footed nutters at 8.30pm. Before taking part in the firewalk, participants will get the chance to take part in a two-hour seminar from Time 4 Change to get their minds prepped, and all funds raised will go to My Sight, a charity looking out for Nottingham’s blind and partially sighted community. Grab hats, scarves, gloves, sparklers, mushy peas, a jacket tater and get cracking… and booming and fizzing and screaming… And oooohing and ahhhhing. Times and ticket prices vary, check individual websites for further details

And Now It’s Dark: American Night Photography

If you’ve not gotten down to the current exhibition at Djanogly Gallery, stop your messing because it’s a must-see. The main exhibition comprises of three photographers’ works - Jeff Brouws, Todd Hido and Will Steacy - each of whom capture a different experience of what they see in the American night. All the photos, from those with vast spaces to those focused on lonely city sights, the neon lights to the people who are normally behind closed doors, have an eeriness that is strangely balanced with a sense of calm. These modern day images are complemented by an exhibition of earlier night photography dating back to the turn of the twentieth century, including Blackout, New York (1965) which documented New York coming to a standstill for over twelve hours. A jam packed exhibition that shows you sights you’ll probably never see by any other means. Runs until Sunday 9 November, free, Djanogly Art Gallery, University Park.

Dead Prez

A prestigious international act is coming to our city for a gig that’s as rare as rocking horse shite round these parts. New York City duo Dead Prez provide anthems that preach realness, taking a stand against corporate control in the media and, of course, mediocrity. Their token track Hip Hop traditionally has the whole room chanting “it’s bigger than hip hop,” with a bass line that’s dirtier than the deepest point of your armpit on the third day of a festival. In support for the evening are local musical heroes The Elementz as well as DJs from the discerning promoters Can’t Stop Won’t Stop and High Power Society. Also on the line-up is talented beatboxer Motormouf, right alongside his rapping buddies Ashmore and Green Ratt. It’s bound to be a sell-out, so move fast. Sunday 2 November, 8pm, £15, Spanky Van Dykes

Mr Scruff

Thanks to Mimm, one of the most legendary electronic DJs to come out of the UK is hitting up The Irish Centre for one of his token marathon sets. Lover of tea, big tunes and amazingly twisted cartoons, Mr Scruff has produced absolute bangers throughout his career including the popular Get a Move On, Jazz Potato and the beautifully odd Shanty Town. If one musical stalwart weren’t enough, there’s also support from the blokes who booked him twenty years ago in Nottingham – Wrighty and Beane of Soul Buggin’. They’ve just celebrated their tenth birthday of kicking out the disco jams and don’t plan on disappointing any time soon, especially not beside an old pal. Scruff says it will be “a lovely reunion of sorts, with less hair and more beards.” Excellent. Another one that’s gonna sell out, grab a ticket quick. Friday 7 November, 9pm, £20, The Irish Centre

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Trancendance

After showing London the time of its life back in September, Trancendance are back in Notts this month to take you on a journey through the world of psychedelic trance and GOA. Prepare yourself for visual ecstasy, with UV everything. We’re not kidding - UV stalls, UV facepainting, UV decor, and that’s not counting all the crazy lights and decorations. They’ve even got a ‘Celestial Chillout’ space with beanbags and a the chance to get a massage for when it all gets too much. It’s Trancendance’s third birthday, and it’s Suntrip Records’ tenth birthday, so there’ll be sets from some their best DJs including Shakata and Dimension 5. Original ravers unite - grab your glowsticks, your questionable-looking paracetamol and go forth into the night. Saturday 8 November, 10pm, £10, Marcus Garvey Ballroom

Crowns of Confidence by Rachael Young and Richard Houguez

We all love a good trim. You just can’t beat that feeling when you walk out the hairdressers, head held high, trying to catch a glimpse of yersen in every reflective surface you walk past. Well, hairstyling is culturally significant too. Your hair can say a lot about you. Performance artist Rachael Young and self-taught hairdresser Richard Hoguez are going to use the process of hairstyling to explore the cultural significance of hair and the role persona plays in hairdressing. A few weeks later, the results will be shown in the same venue. A free mop cut, and we get to fill that lifelong ambition of being a model? Count us in! Drop an email to roshni@nae.org.uk if you want to get involved. Workshops between Saturday 8 - Sunday 16 November, exhibition Saturday 22 November, free, New Art Exchange

Lustre

Every November, Lakeside whacks on one of the biggest and best craft events in the UK. With everything from ceramics to fine jewellery, clothing to glass and tableware, it’s the perfect place to be hitting up to buy Christmas presents for the most special people in your life – or if you fancy something pretty for yoursen, nobody’s judging. 65 designers and makers have been specially selected to display their work, so expect a unique, interesting and beautiful quality of work, no less. Among the featured artists is Stuart Akroyd, a glass blowing wizard we featured in our Art Works section a couple of issues ago – keep an eye out for his colourful, dreamlike vases. There’s a seemingly endless supply of quirky yet sophisticated items on offer, so dab in before they all get snapped up. Friday 14 – Sunday 16 November, 10am – 5pm, free/£4/£5, Lakeside, University Park.

Natalie Duncan

There are a few really special voices in Nottingham, and Ms Duncan is definitely one of them. She can make hairs you didn’t even know you had stand on end, and if we were any nearer the sea you might worry she was one of them there sirens with her bittersweet songs. 2012 saw Nat release her debut album Devil in Me and do a performance on Jools Holland’s long-running show. Two years later, she’s spent a bit of time out, worked on some cracking new tunes, and is bringing a showcase to Notts with a little help from her friends. They’re not giving much away, but we’ve been told to expect “some of the biggest names from our music scene collaborating.” We’d be sold without that, but we aren’t complaining if she wants to bring a bit extra for the night. Friday 14 November, 7.30pm, £10, Nottingham Contemporary

Nottingham Creative Intellectual Property Project

Ever wondered how to protect all those amazing thoughts you’ve got rolling around in your noggin? Nottingham Trent University are opening their doors to the public to whack on a workshop exploring all those copyright questions that are easily pushed to the sides in the excitement of a new project. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a small business, or just someone with a bleddy good idea, learn how to identify and protect your creative intellectual property so you can license and sell your stuff - safe in the knowledge that nobody can nick it. Although the session has a focus on moving image and broadcasting, the advice is transferrable and useful to any creative industry. It’s free, but don’t forget to book. Wednesday 19 November, 9am - 3pm, free, Belgrave Centre, Nottingham Trent University

Not Just a Pretty Face

Feminist Friends Nottingham are putting on an empowering night full of live music this month, and it’s shaping up to be a corker. Leah Sinead kicks things off with her beautiful folky tones before Rattle bring their experimental stylings to the table. Headlining the evening are the rowdy Bus Stop Madonnas with their raucous punk ruckus Nottingham has come to know and love. Three acts. All female. All awesome. And all to raise money for Nottingham Central Women’s Aid, who support women and children fleeing from domestic violence. Stick two fingers up to the suffering of abuse victims everywhere by dancing like a maniac until your toes hurt. Doesn’t seem like too bad of a deal, does it? Thursday 27 November, 7.30pm, £5, The Maze

RubberDub 7th Birthday Boogie

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran who remembers avin’ it out in the depths of Blueprint, or a newbie to the sound system game, you’ve gotta get down to The Maze for a dose of bass this month. RubberDub has been knocking about for a stonking seven years now, bringing parties to every place in Nottingham besides yer nan’s vegetable patch - and they’ve probably got their eye on that. Whether it’s jungle, garage, bassline, reggae, dubstep, or house you’re after, you can skank in safe hands knowing the rubbery massive have got you covered from the evening 'til the morning light. With a headline history to make your vinyl collection ache, we can be sure of some face-convulsing names rocking up. Right alongside Nottingham heads with the biggest banter going, it’s bound to be ridiculous. Friday 28 November, 10pm, The Maze

event listings...for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings SATURDAY 1 NOV

SATURDAY 1 NOV

MONDAY 3 NOV

WEDNESDAY 5 NOV

THURSDAY 6 NOV

FRIDAY 7 NOV

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

Mark Olver, Paul Thorne, Richard Morton & Philberto The Glee Club (C) £10, 7pm

Chris Powell Bonington Theatre (M) £4/£5.50/£6.50, 7:30pm

Bonfire Night Special: Outdoor Projection The New Art Exchange (A) Free, 7:30pm - 9pm

I Am Giant Rock City (M) 10pm

Unplugged Showcase Bunkers Hill (M) Free, 8pm

St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M)

Everything’s Alright The Rescue Rooms (M)

Stiff Kittens The Bodega (M) Free, 10pm Erich McElroy, Chris Turner, Barry Castagnola & John Scott Jongleurs Comedy Club (M) £15, 6:30pm Brouhaha #6 with King Porter Stomp The Maze (M) £8/£10, 8pm Bob Wilmott The Approach (M) Free, 10pm Motown and Soul Night Grosvenor Casino (M) £10, 10pm Tumble Audio with Chow Down The Bodega (M) £6/£7, 11pm Sticky, Deadbeat, Hadean, Killjoy, Adon, Farley, Finn, Craig Ad Halloween Scarefest Bartons (M) £9, 8pm Wajahat Khan and Allegri String Quartet Djanogly Recital Hall (M) £14/£16, 7:30pm 3 Legged Cat The Lion at Basford (M) Free, 9pm Vega The Rescue Rooms (M) 6:30pm Kunt and The Gang Rock City (M) 6:30pm Soil Rock City (M) American Head Charge, Hed Pe and 8 Foot Sativa Halloween All Nighter Rock City (M) £4/£6/£8, 10pm Paul Potts Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) Jus Now at Stealth VS Rescued Stealth (M) £5, 10pm Acoustic Punx & Poets The Foresters Inn (M) Donation, 6:45pm - 2am Hawklords The Doghouse (M) Free, 7pm Chris McDonald Missoula Montana (M) Free, 11pm Geoffrey Preston : Meet the Artist The Harley Gallery (A) Free, 1pm - 3pm Saturday Night Comedy Just The Tonic (C) £6/£10, 7:30pm

Comedy Club Bartons (C) £9, 7:30pm Mickey D, Matt Rudge, Jonny Pelham and Gwillum Argos with compere Spiky Mike. SUNDAY 2 NOV Jazz and Music Quiz The Lion at Basford (M) Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M) Open Mic Night The Johnson Arms (M) Dead Prez Spanky Van Dykes (M) £15, 11pm Elementz, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, Motormouf, Ashmore, Green Ratt and High Power Society. Arthur Walwin The Maze (M) £6, 6pm Plus Hometown Hero, On The Open Road, Summer City and Layby Klaxons The Rescue Rooms (M) 6:30pm Billy Lockett The Bodega (M) £9, 7pm Plus Karima Francis Saturday Sons Missoula Montana (M) Free, 9pm Redwood58, Black Lodge and The Deep The Golden Fleece (M) Free, 8pm MONDAY 3 NOV Nordic Fiddlers Djanogly Theatre (M) £10/£14/£16, 8pm The Ukulele Orchestra of Hackspace Nottingham Hackspace (M) Free, 7pm Acoustic Rooms The Rescue Rooms (M) Free, 8pm Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M) Free, 8:30pm Nordic Fiddlers Djanogly Theatre (M) £14/£16, 8pm Notts in a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm With The Lost Future, Frankium and Daniel Scott Battle of the Bands The Old Angel (M) Free, 7pm With Itchy ‘Arris, Baybo Squaybo and Flaming Fields

Open Acoustic Jam Night Nottingham Hackspace (M) Free, 7pm Photography Group Nottingham Hackspace (A) Free, 6:30pm

Open Hack Night Nottingham Hackspace (A) THURSDAY 6 NOV

TUESDAY 4 NOV

Andrew McCormack Trio Bonington Theatre (M) £5/£10/£12, 8pm - 10:30pm

Open Mic Night Pepper Rocks (M)

Acoustic Sessions The Golden Fleece (M)

#TNMC Bunkers Hill (M) Free, 8pm

The Hummingbirds, The Sights & Calm Man Club The Maze (M) £5/£7, 7:30pm

Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M) Free guestlist, 9:30pm Pressure The Rescue Rooms (M) £1, 10pm Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls The Maze (M) £13, 7:30pm Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £3, 10pm David Lacey The Malt Cross (M) Free, 7pm Neil Sedaka Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £50, 7pm

On the Verge The Hand and Heart (M) Rogue, World & Freak Folk Ensemble Meridiana Djanogly Recital Hall (M) £14/£16, 7:30pm Night Photography Course Lakeside Arts Centre (A) £60/£90, 6pm Open Mic Night The Lion at Basford (M) Like Well Good Karaoke The Old Angel (M) The Loveable Rogues ‘This and That’ Tour The Rescue Rooms (M)

April Towers and One Bit The Bodega (M) £7, 7pm Gold Teeth The Bodega (M) £5, 11pm Ukulele Workshop Nottingham Hackspace (M) Daniel Ison Missoula Montana (M) 9:30pm “Don’t Panic” Comedy Cub Bunkers Hill (C) Free, 7pm Simon Evans The Glee Club (C) £10/£14, 7pm Rich Hall’s Hoedown The Glee Club (C) £17.50, 7pm Big Value Comedy Lord Roberts (C) Free, 8pm FRIDAY 7 NOV Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M)

The Golden Troubadours Hotel Deux (M) £3, 8:30pm Indiana The Rescue Rooms (M) £8, 6:30pm Mimm presents Mr Scruff The Irish Centre (M) £20, 9pm Rebel Rebel The Lion at Basford (M) Chewing on Tinfoil & Gone and Lost it The Maze (M) £6, 6:30pm Anti-Nowhere League Rock City (M) Example Rock City (M) The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £19, 7pm Recovery Rocks 2 The Bodega (M) £6, 6:30pm The Sights, OneGirlOneBoy and Timothy J Simpson

Josh Pyke & Pylo The Bodega (M) £10, 7pm Cafe Scientifique Nottm Contemporary (A) Free, 6:30pm - 8:30pm Oh What a Lovely War Bonington Theatre (T) Free, 12pm WEDNESDAY 5 NOV Open Mic Night The Bell Inn (M) Open Mic Night JamCafé (M) Jehst X Strange U The Lacehouse (M) £7.50/£15, 7:30pm Open Mic Night The Maze (M) Look! The Moon! The Orange Tree (M) Free, 8pm Paul Carrack Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) 7pm RedRacer The Bodega (M) £6, 7pm Sugar Ape The Bodega (M) 11pm Nathan Bray (Saxophone) The Star Inn (M) £6, 7:30pm leftlion.co.uk/issue62 leftlion.co.uk/issue62

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event listings...for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings

Parisa and Joe Buhdha bring the soul to Notts... Genre: Hip hop, jazz, soul, reggae, dancehall, roots and culture Venues: Market Bar, The Approach, Broadway Cinema, The Bodega, The Lacehouse, Nottingham Contemporary. Name of your events: CSWS Presents, Hip Hop Film Festival, Acoustickle Ten words that sum up the events you put on: Cool, authentic, quality, fly, soulful, love, vibes, friendly, entertaining, inclusive. Who else helps you run the nights? We collaborate with other promoters – Goodtimes and The Approach, Sounddhism, RubberDub and Mimm/Local Motive. Describe the average punter at your nights: Sexy, music-orientated and posessing a great shoe collection, especially Buhdha’s crew. We have every age, race, gender and sexuality – from eighteen to seventy at times. Which local act has gone down best with your crowd and why? Joe Buhdha produced Harleighblu's album so we did the launch and Harleigh was brilliant, as was Ady Suleiman. Also RAF (Juganaut, Cappo, Vandal Savage and Scorzayzee). Which non-local act would you bring back again? Roy Ayers, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, DJ Premier, MC Supernatural, Lonnie Liston Smith, Omar, Hot 8 Brass Band, KRS One, Styles P, Klashnekoff, Rodney P, Mr Thing etc etc. Can’t name just one! Very sweet personalities, fantastic sellout shows and after parties. I could spend my life with Roy's vibes. If you could get a celebrity compere, who would you choose and why? If James Brown was an option, him. Or Dave Chappelle. You can see it now. Tell us a crazy story that has happened at your events... We've got all these black music legends playing in our little Nottingham. We don't really have crazy apart from the experience. If you weren’t a promoter, what would you have ended up doing? CSWS is a record label and production company, I'm a writer, vocalist and campaigner, and Joe's a producer, lecturer and businessman, so there are a few options. What other events in Nottingham do you love? V Rocket, Goodtimes, Sounddhism, Mimm, RubberDub, Truth & Lies, Soul Kitchen, Dress to the 9s. What have you got coming up in November? Monthly basement jams every third Friday at Market Bar – the cream of the DJ world with some excellent feature emcees. Some hot music is pouring out of the studio too, so keep in touch for first listens. You know the calibre of artists that we work with, promote, introduce and produce, so expect quality, always. CSWS: Basement Jams, Friday 21 November; CSWS: Basement Jams Birthday Edition, Friday 19 December. cantstopwontstop.co.uk

FRIDAY 7 NOV

SATURDAY 8 NOV

MONDAY 10 NOV

WEDNESDAY 12 NOV

Whales In Cubicles, Hotbox & Sol Baish JamCafé (M)

Rich Howell Missoula Montana (M) 11pm

Open Acoustic Jam Night Nottingham Hackspace (M)

Open Mic Night The Bell Inn (M)

Pop Confessional The Bodega (M) £5, 11pm

Launch Event: Recaptured 2014 by Said Adrus The New Art Exchange (A) Free, 6pm - 8pm

Kashif Nadim Chaudry with Irene Aristizabal The Lace Market Gallery (A) Free, 6pm - 7pm

Open Mic Night JamCafé (M)

Museum: Deciphering Ancient Art Lakeside Arts Centre (A) Free, 11:30am

Cycling: Dispatches from the 101st Tour De France Nottingham Playhouse (T) £12, 7:45pm

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

TUESDAY 11 NOV

Demented are Go! Dick Venom and The Terrortones & The Vile The Doghouse (M) £7/£14, 7pm New Paper Sculpture by Andre Singleton Lakeside Arts Centre (A) Free, 11am The Fault in our Stars Bonington Theatre (T) £3.50, 7:30pm Bryan Lacey, Freddie Farrell, John Ryan & Robert White Jongleurs Comedy Club (C) £12+, 6:30pm Geoff Norcott, Erich McElroy, Jo Caulfield & Steve Gribbin The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£15, 7pm SATURDAY 8 NOV High Power Society Spanky Van Dykes (M) Transcendance: 10 Years of Suntrip Records Marcus Garvey (M) £10, 10pm Shakta, Dimension 5, Anoebis, Nebula Meltdown, Shakti and Jim Appleton. Bartons Unplugged Bartons (M) £8/£10, 7:30pm - 4pm With Captain Dangerous and Gallery 47 Funkified Riverbank (M) 10pm Kold Chillin’ 100% Vinyl The Old Angel (M) Tesseract and Animals as Leaders The Rescue Rooms (M) 6:30pm Life & Storms The Rescue Rooms (M) 10pm Y&T Rock City (M) 6:30pm Electric Mary Rock City (M) 6:30pm Broken Chords and Skam

leftlion.co.uk/issue62

Bryan Lacey, Freddie Farrell, John Ryan & Robert White Jongleurs Comedy Club (C) £12+, 6:30pm SUNDAY 9 NOV Live Jazz The Bell Inn (M) John Hardy The Johnson Arms (M) Jazz & Music Quiz The Lion at Basford (M) Sky Murphey & The General The Maze (M) Metal Hammer and Classic Rock present... The Rescue Rooms (M) New Faces Tour feat. Amber Run The Bodega (M) £6, 7pm Natalie Alexis Missoula Montana (M) Pop Orchestra, Yasmin Issakka & Chloe Charlamagne The Golden Fleece (M) Kinesonic Djanogly Theatre (T) £7, 1pm MONDAY 10 NOV The Wands & Pusher JamCafé (M) £3/£5, 7:30pm Keith James Hotel Deux (M) £10, 8pm# Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M)

Jools Holland Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £36, 7pm

Decka Sound & Warren XCLnce Filthy’s (M) £5, 9pm

Lick The Southbank Bar (M)

The Blackout & Chiodos The Rescue Rooms (M)

Vanity Box, Merrick’s Tusk & Some Skeletons The Chameleon (M) £3/£4, 7:30pm - 11pm

The Couteeners Rock City (M)

The Big Bang! The Doghouse (M) £4/£6, 4pm

Geoff Norcott, Erich McElroy, Jo Caulfield & Steve Gribbin The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£15, 7pm

Solemn Sun & Youth Man The Bodega (M) £8, 7pm

Open Mic Night Pepper Rocks (M) Free, 9pm Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M) Free guestlist, 9:30pm Pressure The Rescue Rooms (M) £1, 10pm Nusic Academy Workshop Antenna (M) Free, 5pm Kickstarter and how to fund your music as well as music law and finance with Jared Wilson, Greg Lonsdale, John Buckby and Tim Bellamy Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £3, 10pm Ben Martin Quartet The Worksop Library (M) £8/£10, 7:30pm NA Music Presents Hotel Deux (M) Free, 8pm Atlum Schema & Theo Bard The Malt Cross (M) Notts in a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm With Apodyopsis, Babe Punch, PTO & Jake Burns No Honour The Rescue Rooms (M) 6:30pm Plus The Winter Hill Syndicate, Famous for Nothing and Harthill The Levellers Rock City (M) The Manfreds Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £21+, 7pm Circa Waves The Bodega (M) £8, 7pm Elliot Brood The Doghouse (M) Wildlife Photography Talk: Beyond the Auto by Bob Brind Surch West Bridgford Libray (A) £3/£6, 7pm - 9pm TravelRight Bike Ride Bulwell Riverside (A) Free, 6pm Playing Another Djanogly Theatre (T) £11/£14/£16, 8pm

Ben Martin Quartet Southwell Library (M) £8/£10, 7:30pm Jazz and Poetry Hotel Deux (M) Free, 8pm Hush #7 The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm Alta Pueblo, Paige Seabridge, One Million Motors, I am Starz, Jamie Moon, Jack Cross Winter Mountain The Rescue Rooms (M) Paloma Faith Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £35, 7pm Thurston Moore The Bodega (M) £15, 7pm Art Space at Lee Rosy’s Lee Rosy’s Tea Shop (A) Donation, 7pm - 9pm Foucault Subjectivity and Truth Nottm Contemporary (A) Free (book), 6:30pm - 8pm Open Hack Night Nottingham Hackspace (A) George Green’s Mathematical Influences Djanogly Theatre (T) Free, 1pm Kasai Masai Djanogly Theatre (T) £11/£14/£16, 8pm £1 Comedy Night Canalhouse (C) £1, 8pm - 10:30pm THURSDAY 13 NOV Acoustic Sessions The Golden Fleece (M) Free, 7pm Club Tropicana The Rescue Rooms (M) Free, 9pm Hot Club of Cowtown The Glee Club (M) £16.50, 7:45pm - 10pm Folkus Hotel Deux (M) Free, 8pm J.J. Quintet The Hand and Heart (M) Ben Martin Quartet West Bridgford Libray (M) £8/£10, 7:30pm Navarra String Quartet Djanogly Recital Hall (M) £14/£16, 7:30pm Night Photography Course Lakeside Arts Centre (M) £60/£90, 6pm - 9pm Open Mic Night The Lion at Basford (M)

Job vacancies in Nottingham’s creative industries Sponsored by Real Creative Futures

A transformational programme of FREE support for Nottingham's creative businesses and practitioners. Our aim is simple - we want to see Nottingham's local creative community thrive. Add you jobs at leftlion.co.uk/addjob ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE The Creative Movement Agency Salary: £negotiable (full time)

FREELANCE DIGITAL DESIGNER The Creative Movement Agency Salary: £22.50/hr max. (full time)

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIGITAL DESIGNER The Creative Movement Agency Salary: £21-26,000 (full time)

To be considered for the role you will be self-motivated, passionate about customer service, well-organised and unphased by deadlines and juggling workloads. An excellent communicator and team player with 1-2 years’ experience working on FMCG projects, you must also have some experience of packaging print and production.

Working as part of a busy team, you will need to be handson and comfortable taking direction from others. You will also be an excellent communicator as you may be required to liaise with clients when required. Experience with storyboarding or motion graphics would also be of benefit.

An opportunity for an established designer to work with a range of big brands, creating interaction design solutions for digital/mobile based e-learning and bespoke software, as well as providing creative input into animation, video and motion graphics work.

GAMES DEVELOPMENT TUTOR Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies Salary: £19,285 - £27,000 (full time)

SALES / NEW BUSINESS DIRECTOR Film AM Salary: attractive basic with commission (full time) Application: leftlion.co.uk/LL-Job-31

ACCOUNT MANAGER THAT DREAMS IN DIGITAL Tank PR (full time) We’re looking for the new person to start by the end of this year. If you get this job, you’ll be working with a team that looks after one of the most exciting portfolios in PR. From famous TV entrepreneurs and leading retail brands to restaurants, sunglasses, pet food and books about romantic poet’s dogs. You’ll also have the opportunity to work directly alongside Nik Hewitt, one of the UK’s most renowned social media consultants, to further build our excellent social media offer. We’d like your CVs and covering letters explaining why you’re the best thing to happen to PR account management in years to info@ tankpr.co.uk by 24 November 2014. APPRENTICE WEB DESIGNER SEO77 Salary: 109.20 p/w (full time) Application: leftlion.co.uk/LL-Job-32 ARTS PROGRAMME VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY Malt Cross (part time) Malt Cross are currently looking for volunteers to join their Gallery & Arts team to help deliver a brand new programme of events, exhibitions and workshops. It’s a great way to gain experience in the arts sector and become involved in an exciting Heritage Lottery funded project. DANCE TEACHER/CHOREOGRAPHER Starlight Dance Salary: varied (part time) Application: leftlion.co.uk/LL-Job-16 Setting up a dance school and watching it grow is difficult and many fade away due to not having the right tools and guidance. We have an amazing opportunity for anyone aspiring to run their very own dance school. For more information on how to apply for a position, please email or call our Head of New School Development, Craig Fellows at craig@starlightdance.net, 07766707347 FREELANCE CREATIVE/GRAPHIC DESIGNER The Creative Movement Agency Salary: £25-35 p/hr (full time) The role will involve utilising a range of skills, from design and layout of marketing materials through to idea generation for pitch documentation. You should have experience of working to a variety of design briefs and the ability to confidently communicate your ideas both visually and verbally.

If you have the attitude and desire to work in varied, dynamic environment and believe in industry shaping vocational provision then we can guarantee you will play a key role in our success. GRAPHIC DESIGNER (APPRENTICE) Diamond Press (full time) Application: leftlion.co.uk/LL-Job-22 An apprentice print and graphic designer is required to join an ambitious team. Diamond design specialises in creative digital design, both in small and large format. Producing anything from brochures, leaflets, banners, posters and sign boards. GRAPHIC DESIGNER/ILLUSTRATOR The Creative Movement Agency Salary: £18-25k (full time) You should be highly motivated, a team player and an excellent communicator as you will be working in a small, friendly team. You may also be required to liaise with clients and suppliers in the UK and overseas so a positive and polite manner is essential. The ideal candidate is from a publishing house or similar design studio environment. MARKETING MANAGER Nottingham Playhouse Salary: £25k-30k (full time) Nottingham Playhouse, one of the UKs leading producing theatre companies, is looking for an experienced arts marketing person to play a key role in our busy Marketing and Communications Team. MEDIA APPRENTICE LeftLion Salary: £8,000 - £10,140 (full time) Application: leftlion.co.uk/LL-Job-13 You must be: Aged between 18-24, live in and love Nottingham – (you need to be a Nottingham City Resident to be eligible), be looking to build a career in digital media.and display an eagerness to work hard and learn quickly. The successful applicant will work 30 hours per week and study part-time for the Advanced Apprenticeship in Creative and Digital Media at Confetti Institute of Creative Technology. Closing date: Sunday 9 November 2014

Dynamic Video Communications Agency looking for talented Sales / New Business Exec. Excellent opportunity to join this young and rapidly growing company, you will be meeting clients and will be encouraged to make deals. Immediate Start. Please email CV to info@filmam.tv. SALES APPRENTICE LeftLion Salary: £8,000 - £10,140 (full time) Application: leftlion.co.uk/LL-Job-14 You must:be: Aged 18-24, live in and love Nottingham – (you need to be a Nottingham City Resident to be eligible), be looking to build a career in media sales, display confidence and be keen to build relationships with clients The successful applicant will work 30 hours per week for LeftLion and study part-time for sales and marketing qualifications at New College Nottingham. Closing date: Sunday 9 November 2014 SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER The Creative Movement Agency Salary: £26-35k (full time) You will be responsible for the strategy and execution of social media activities across six regions. You’ll work closely with the Marketing Team and Customer Support Team to build and deploy social media plans that help the business to succeed across all regions. Reporting directly to the Marketing Director and coordinating with the Marketing Manager, you will implement regional strategies. This is a hands-on role that will require content creation, planning, strategy, budget management, innovation and leadership. Performance analysis and reporting will form a vital part of this role. WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA APPRENTICE UK TV Travel Channel LTD Salary: £ 102.38 per week (full time) Full training will be provided by an expert in online marketing. You should already know how to use social media but be looking to take this to the next level in order to generate business. You should have a good level of written English and the ability to take guidance.

UPCOMING REAL CREATIVE FUTURES EVENTS

UPCOMING NVB EVENTS

WRITING ABOUT YOURSELF Friday 28th November, 4pm – 8pm at New Art Exchange

BUSINESS START-UP SEMINAR Call to check dates in November and December

Want support for your creative business from Real Creative Futures? Come and see us at Antenna to find out more and sign up to access business Logo lock up coaching, practical workshops, resources and much, much more.

Join a host of poets, writers and performers to learn how to apply the tools of creative writing to professional writing, explore how narrative, characterisation and poetics can improve your funding applications, project proposals and CVs.

Specifically tailored for anyone setting up or running a creative enterprise. We aim to help you do what you love and make a living. Call 0115 964 8494 or email enquiries@nbv.co.uk to find out more.

leftlion.co.uk/issue62

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event listings...for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings THURSDAY 13 NOV

FRIDAY 14 NOV

SATURDAY 15 NOV

SUNDAY 16 NOV

TUESDAY 18 NOV

INFL: Under The Tree The Malt Cross (M) Free, 8pm

Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M)

Bamalamasingsong The Rescue Rooms (M) £5, 7pm

Tigercats, Dignan Porch, Witching Waves & Eureka California The Chameleon (M)

John Wilson Orchestra Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £22.50 - £46.50, 7:30pm

Highness Sound System The Bodega (M) £5/£6, 10pm

I’m Not From London presents... The Golden Fleece (M) Free, 8:15pm Sean Grant and The Wolfgang, Breakfast Club, Marita & Pegefow

Notts in a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm Jasper Cain, Flaming Fields, Atrium on Bay, Intervention and Louis Antoniou

Matt Schofield The Rescue Rooms (M) Truckfighters Rock City (M) White Miles and Witch Rider French Horn and Piano Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) Free, 12pm The Xcerts The Bodega (M) £7, 7pm Gold Teeth The Bodega (M) £5, 11pm Wilberforce Missoula Montana (M) RJ Marks, Keto, Opie Deino & Jaq Gallier JamCafé (M) Lecture: J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere: Geometry, Repetition and Form The New Art Exchange (A) Free, 6:30pm - 7:30pm Comedy Auditions Lord Roberts (C) Free, 8pm Alan Davies Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (C) £25, 8pm

Kicksville Lord Roberts (M) £3, 9pm - 1am Unplugged Showcase Bunkers Hill (M) Everything’s Alright The Rescue Rooms (M) Natalie Duncan Nottm Contemporary (M) £10 advance, 8pm Play Out The New Art Exchange (M) £7/£10, 7:30pm - 9:15pm The Money The Approach (M) Dollop Stealth (M) £14/£15, 10pm With Route 94, Mount Kimbie, Dense & Pika, Artwork and dollop DJs Nick Africano Hotel Deux (M) Loaded Dice The Lion at Basford (M) Cockney Rejects, The Vile & Static Kill The Maze (M) £15, 8pm Amber Jack The Southbank Bar (M) Free, 11pm

Marika Hackman The Bodega (M) £8, 7pm Pop Confessional The Bodega (M) £5, 11pm The Swan Canaries Newstead Abbey (T) £8/£9, 7pm Fascinating Aida Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (T) £21, 7:30pm Andrew O’Neill, Matt Reed, Paul Myrehaug & Chris Kent The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£15, 7pm Garr Murran, Dave Johns, John Simmit & Sean Meo Jongleurs Comedy Club (C) £12+, 6:30pm SATURDAY 15 NOV Orangefest The Orange Tree (M) Free, 12pm - 2am With Deaf Bridges, Desert Mountain Tribe, Big Rhino, House of Thieves, The Damn Heavy, Three Girl Rhumba, The Breakfast Club, City of Kites and Anwyn Williams

Deja Groove Riverbank (M) Shinkickers The Lion at Basford (M) Knock Out Kaine, Gypsy Pistoleros & Cadence Noir The Maze (M) £5/£8, 7:30pm Fat Digester Nottm Contemporary (M) Free, 8pm Death Valley Piledriver The Old Angel (M) £5, 7:30pm Plus Gods To Fall, Substance and Raptorgeist Ferocious Dog The Rescue Rooms (M) Plus Shamus O’Blivion and The Megadeath Morrismen

James Acaster The Glee Club (C) £10/£13, 7pm MONDAY 17 NOV

Coves Live The Rescue Rooms (M) Chas and Dave Rock City (M)

Mike Mentz & Guy Jones Hotel Deux (M)

Clare Hammond The Albert Hall (M)

Open Mic Night The Golden Fleece (M)

Josh Kemp Missoula Montana (M)

American Authors The Rescue Rooms (M)

Spanish Gallery Tour The New Art Exchange (A) Free, 12pm

The Pretty Reckless Rock City (M) Plus Heaven’s Basement and Nothing More

Andrew O’Neill, Matt Reed, Paul Myrehaug & Chris Kent The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£15, 7pm Garr Murran, Dave Johns, John Simmit & Sean Meo Jongleurs Comedy Club (C) £12+, 6:30pm Romesh Ranganathan, Joel Dommett, Mike Newall & Adam Rowe The Forum (C) £10, 8pm SUNDAY 16 NOV Frazey Ford Band The Maze (M) £14, 7:30pm Lit, Army of Freshmen & Hey Vanity The Rescue Rooms (M) [Spunge] 20th Anniversary Rock City (M) 6:30pm Plus Dead Frequency

For even more comprehensive and detailed listings visit leftlion.co.uk/listings Add your event at leftlion.co.uk/add leftlion.co.uk/issue62

Ji Liu Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (T) £10, 11am

Rites Of Passage The Chameleon (M) £4/£5, 10pm - 4am Bell TowersPublic Information, Claire Voyant and Luna Library

Erasure Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (T) £35/£60, 7:30pm

Chris Ramsey: The Most Dangerous Man on Saturday Morning Television Nottingham Playhouse (T) £17.50, 7:30pm

Pop Punk’s Not Dead 2014 Rock City (M) New Found Glory, The Story So Far, Candy Hearts and Only Rivals Blues Bar: John Hunt Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £9, 7:30pm Eton Messy Autumn Tour Stealth (M) £13, 10pm Plus Blonde, Eton Messy DJs, GotSome, Just Kiddin, and Lane 8 Raising Lazarus Nottingham Playhouse (T) £7/£9, 10:30am Funhouse Comedy The Maze (C) £4, 8pm

Test Tone 001 The Bodega (M) £4/£6/£8, 10pm Call Super, Spam Chop, DJ Playboy, DJ Skimask, Prole Tyketto & Bad Touch The Rescue Rooms (M) Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo The Bodega (M) £12, 7pm Curb Your Enthusiasm Nottm Contemporary (A) Free (book), 6:30pm - 8pm Around the World in 80 Days Bonington Theatre (T) £7.50/£10/£12, 7:30pm WEDNESDAY 19 NOV Open Mic Night The Bell Inn (M) Free, 8pm Mad Dog Mcrea The Bodega (M) £10, 7:30pm Open Mic Night JamCafé (M) Bob Cheevers Bonington Gallery (T) £5/£10/£12, 7:30pm Habadekuk Djanogly Theatre (M) £14/£16, 8pm Allo Darlin, Making Marks & Seabirds The Maze (M) £8, 8pm Bourbon & Blues The Orange Tree (M) Ruari Joseph & Lily & Meg The Rescue Rooms (M) Fatos Üstek Nottm Contemporary (A) Free, 12pm - 12:45pm New Technologies Are Killing Hand-Made Craft Newton Building, NTU (A) Free (book), 6pm - 8:30pm Phoenix Dance Theatre Nottingham Playhouse (T) £15 - £19, 8pm THURSDAY 20 NOV

TUESDAY 18 NOV

Acoustic Sessions The Golden Fleece (M)

#TNMC Bunkers Hill (M)

The Modernists The Hand and Heart (M)

Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M)

Night Photography Course Lakeside Arts Centre (M) £60/£90, 6pm - 9pm

Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £3, 10pm The Lounge Crusade & Jake Burn The Malt Cross (M) Free, 8pm

The Church of Sound Lee Rosy’s Tea Shop (M) Alison Rayner Quintet The Maze (M) £5, 7:30pm

event listings...for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings THURSDAY 20 NOV

SATURDAY 22 NOV

MONDAY 24 NOV

WEDNESDAY 26 NOV

Like Well Good Karaoke The Old Angel (M)

Neck The Old Angel (M)

The Shires & Ward Thomas The Rescue Rooms (M)

Beardyman The Rescue Rooms (M)

The Corndodgers Hotel Deux (M)

Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers Djanogly Theatre (M) £11/£14/£16, 8pm

IAMI & Ajena Rock City (M)

Mats Eilertsen Trio Djanogly Recital Hall (M) £14/£16, 7:30pm

Original Flavour Stealth (M) Gold Teeth The Bodega (M) £5, 11pm Alexa Hawksworth Missoula Montana (M) 9:30pm Josh Wheatley JamCafé (M) Jason Byrne: You Name The Show Nottingham Playhouse (T) £18.50, 8pm Comedy Auditions Lord Roberts (C) FRIDAY 21 NOV Parkas Bar Nottingham The Boat Club (M) £10, 8pm - 2am Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M) Free, 9pm Unplugged Showcase Bunkers Hill (M) Everything’s Alright The Rescue Rooms (M) Yeah Yeah & What Stealth (M) £8/£10, 10pm The Underdogs The Lion at Basford (M) First Degree Burns, The Afterdark Movement & Ujahm The Maze (M) £6/£10, 8pm

Doreen Gray Workshops Lakeside Arts Centre (M) Flipside Riverbank (M) Buzzard The Lion at Basford (M) Blackballed, Brothers of the Head, Blind Fever, Brad Dear & The Half Truth The Maze (M) £7, 8pm James Blunt Capital Fm Arena (M) £42 - £88, 7:30pm

Gavin Webster, Jason Patterson, Ian Smith & Jen Brister The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£15, 7pm Kane Brown, Trevor Cook, Stuart Mitchell & Colin Cole Jongleurs Comedy Club (C) £12+, 6:30pm

The Halle Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £10+, 7:30pm

Open Acoustic Jam Night Nottingham Hackspace (M)

INFL... A Secret Gig The Corner (M) £3, 8pm

TUESDAY 25 NOV

Exhibition Launch Event: Crowns of Confidence The New Art Exchange (A) Free, 3:30pm - 5pm NCF Comedy Night Selston FC (C) John Robertson, Ben Schofield, Carl Jones and Paul Rickets Gavin Webster, Jason Patterson, Ian Smith & Jen Brister The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£15, 7pm Romesh Ranganathan + Suzi Ruffell The Glee Club (C) £10/£12, 7pm

Bobby Mair, John Hastings, and Lloyd Griffith The Forum (C) £10, 6:45pm

Pop Confessional The Bodega (M) £5, 11pm

The Defiled and Avatar The Rescue Rooms (M)

Romeo’s Daughter The Rescue Rooms (M)

Guy Maile The Fox & Crown (M)

Son of Dave The Bodega (M) £10, 7pm

The Brace The Willowbrook (M)

Dave Simpson Trio The Fox & Crown (M)

Kane Brown, Trevor Cook, Stuart Mitchell, Colin Cole Jongleurs Comedy Club (C) £12+, 6:30pm

Kerbdog Rock City (M)

Notts in a Nutshell The Maze (M) £3, 7:30pm As Oceans Divide, No Disco, Itchy Arris, Thatcherites and Matthew Rhodes

After Hours: Music by Dobrinka tabakova Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £3, 9:45pm

Dripback The Old Angel (M) £6, 6pm Plus Burden of the Noose, Crossburner, Brianblessed, Go Fast or Go Home

Upon a Burning Body The Rescue Rooms (M)

Doreen Gray Workshops Lakeside Arts Centre (M)

SUNDAY 23 NOV University Wind Orchestra Trent Building, University of Nottingham (M) £5/£6/£9, 7:30pm Chaos Promotion The Maze (M) £5/£7, 6pm Patriot Rebel, Red Rum, Corrupted Fate, Infinis, The Great White, Lucky Fate Wendy Arrowsmitt The Poppy and Pint (M) Bowman and Hull Missoula Montana (M) The Princess and The Pea by Mike Kenny Djanogly Theatre (T) £7.50, 1pm - 3:30pm

Open Mic Night Pepper Rocks (M) Fuck Hip Hop The Market Bar (M) Free guestlist, 9:30pm Pressure The Rescue Rooms (M) £1, 10pm Bondax and Friends Stealth (M) £15.40, 8pm Phlebas Bar Eleven (M) £3, 10pm Chloe Foy The Malt Cross (M) Simone Felice The Maze (M) £13, 7:30pm Brewery Night & Music Bread And Bitter (M) The Ordinary Boys The Bodega (M) £10, 7pm Zoe Fothergill In Conversation Nottm Contemporary (A) Free, 6:30pm - 8pm Sixties Gold Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (T) £30, 7pm WEDNESDAY 26 NOV Music For Life The Maze (M) £3, 8pm With Satnam’s Tash, Mojo, Pegefo & Marita Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £22, 7:30pm

NUSIC BOX

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard The Bodega (M) £5, 7pm British Motorsport: Engineering the Future The Albert Hall (M) £5, 7:30pm

Your new Notts music tip sheet, as compiled by Nusic’s Sam Nahirny.

Art Space The Sumac Centre (A) Donation, 7pm - 9pm

Want more? Check the fortnightly podcasts and live sessions in the Nusic website.

THURSDAY 27 NOV Balkan Express The Hand and Heart (M) Janina Fialkowska Djanogly Recital Hall (M) £14/£16, 7:30pm Open Mic Night The Lion at Basford (M) Free, 7:30pm Feminist Friends The Maze (M) £5, 7:30pm With Bus Stop Madonnas, Rattle and Leah Sinead Rumours of Fleetwood Mac Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £22 - £32, 7:30pm Huskies The Bodega (M) £4, 7pm Gold Teeth The Bodega (M) £5, 11pm Sam Jones Missoula Montana (M)

Jamie Moon With a little help from local producers Acoustic Roots, Jamie has recently released his EP Glasshouse, a beautiful collection of slow but slick folk numbers which draw comparisons to the likes of Damien Rice, and even local Nottinghamite Gallery 47. Jamie displays some intricate guitar work that hooks you in almost as much as the catchy melodies that are found in each and every song. Then there’s his songwriting – Jamie manages to craft relatable stories while still keeping them fresh and interesting. As we creep into the colder and darker side of the year, Jamie’s music is perfect for those lazy winter evenings by the fire. On Cold Hands, we hear; “It’s pretty cold out there, but you are another layer in my life,” and I think that sums up Jamie’s music best. It’s warm, it’s soothing, and also rather uplifting, despite the subject matter.

Access Programme: Body as Canvas The New Art Exchange (A) Free, various times

facebook.com/jamiemoonmusic

NCF Comedy Night City College, Nottm (C) £2/£3, 8pm - 10:30pm Dave Twentyman, Andrew Bird, Freddie Farrell andDelisa Chaponda Comedy Auditions Lord Roberts (C) Free, 6:45pm FRIDAY 28 NOV Cool Beans Spanky Van Dykes (M) Benn Clatworthy Quintet Bonington Theatre (M) £12/£10/£5, 8:30pm 10:30pm Unplugged Showcase Bunkers Hill (M) The Money The Approach (M) Detonate Stealth (M) £10/£11, 10pm TFI Fridays The Golden Fleece (M)

Eyre Llew When a brand new artist comes along, they’re often shrouded by mystery simply because they’re still getting their act together and recording material. Eyre Llew are an enigma, but intentionally so. At the time of writing, all we know about them is that there are three members who’ve quit their day jobs to commit to the project full time, and all we have of their music is one single with a video, Mortné. It’s an epic piece of ambient acoustic music that, upon first listen, is reminiscent of Bon Iver. Full of beautiful harmonies and soothing sonic backdrops, it makes for a very special listening experience. From the tune to the video, and even to the way they use their social media, you can tell they know what they’re doing. If they carry on at this rate, every cool kid on the planet will be bigging these guys up on their blogs. facebook.com/eyrellew

Benn Clatworthy Quintet Bonington Theatre (M) £5/£10/£12, 8pm leftlion.co.uk/issue62

event listings...for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings FRIDAY 28 NOV

SATURDAY 29 NOV

The Score The Lion at Basford (M)

Nightmare! The Maze (M) £6/£7, 8pm

Jason John Whitehead, Dan Thomas, Martin Mór & Andrew Bird The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£15, 7pm

RubberDub 7th Birthday The Maze (M) A!M! Promotions presents... The Old Angel (M) The Heartbreaks The Bodega (M) £8, 7pm Jamie Joseph, Ill Citizen & Hemulen Soundz DJ JamCafé (M) Jason John Whitehead, Dan Thomas, Martin Mór & Andrew Bird The Glee Club (C) £5/£10/£15, 7pm Mandy Knight, Prince Abdi, David Hadingham Jongleurs Comedy Club (C) £12+, 6:30pm SATURDAY 29 NOV

Beans on Toast The Rescue Rooms (M) Will Varley and Brad Dear Dead! Rock City (M) Dismantle Stealth (M) £5, 10pm Claw Marks The Bodega (M) With White Finger, Endless Grinning Skulls and Bus Stop Madonnas Soul Buggin’ The Bodega (M) £5, 11pm The Breakdowns The Doghouse (M)

Mandy Knight, Prince Abdi & David Hadingham Jongleurs Comedy Club (C) £12+, 6:30pm Rob Rouse, Matt Forde, Caimh McDonnell & Tim Fitzhigham Just The Tonic (C) £10, 6:45pm SUNDAY 30 NOV

BACKLIT

SATURDAY 29 NOV

Records Ruin the Landscape Free, 10am Ends Saturday 6 Dec.

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh £7 - £11, 7:30pm - 10:30pm Ends Saturday 8 Nov.

Family Weekends: Job Mash-Up Free, 11am - 3pm Ends Sunday 30 Nov.

BONINGTON THEATRE

TUESDAY 18 NOV

THURSDAY 20 NOV

Happy Jack by John Godber £8 / £7, 7:30pm - 10:30pm Ends Saturday 22 Nov.

Beauty and the Beast Jr £8, 6:30pm Ends Thursday 27 Nov. DJANOGLY ART GALLERY

I’m Not From London The Golden Fleece (M)

Lustre 2014 Free/£4/£5, 10am Ends Sunday 16 Nov.

Detroit Soul Riverbank (M) Dino Baptiste The Approach (M)

Chris McDonald Missoula Montana (M)

Henry Priestman Hotel Deux (M)

Collabor-8 Nottm Contemporary (A) Free, 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Will-E, Kane Brown, Glenda Jaxson & Dane Baptiste The Glee Club (C) £12.50/£15, 7pm

Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art School The Glee Club (A) £8, 12pm

Lee Mack Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (C) £27.50, 8pm

Festival of the Seasons Bonington Theatre (T) £9.50, 1pm

SATURDAY 22 NOV Tristram Aver Free, 11am - 5pm Ends Sunday 15 Feb. Formed Free, 11am - 5pm Ends Sunday 15 Feb. SATURDAY 29 NOV In The Shadow of War Free, 11am - 5pm Ends Sunday 22 Feb. Lee Miller’s War Free, 11am - 5pm Ends Sunday 22 Feb. DJANOGLY THEATRE MONDAY 17 NOV The Restoration of Nell Gwyn £11/£13/£15, 7:30pm Ends Tuesday 18 Nov.

BRIGHT IDEAS

TUESDAY 25 NOV The Picture of Doreen Gray £11/£14/£16, 8pm Ends Wednesday 26 Nov. THE HARLEY GALLERY SATURDAY 1 NOV

sATurDAy Courses For 15 – 17 yeAr olDs 17 January – 14 February 2015 A programme of art and design for those wishing to develop a competitive portfolio, experience university life, demonstrate independent thinking and explore a favourite creative discipline with expert tutors. Choose from:

• Art and Design Portfolio • Concept Art for Game Design • Design Cycle • Fashion Design • Photography • Writing Tomorrow Image: Detail of Mother Earth costume by Yasmin London, BA (Hons) Costume Design and Making

leftlion.co.uk/issue62

Places are limited. Read more and book your place at:

www.ntu.ac.uk/15-17shortcourses

Any quesTions? +44 (0)115 848 2813 creativeshortcourses@ntu.ac.uk

NOTTM CONTEMPORARY

MONDAY 3 NOV

SATURDAY 15 NOV

Nottingham Youth Orchestra: Carmen The Albert Hall (M) £5/£10, 7:30pm

LACE MARKET THEATRE

SATURDAY 22 NOV

Load of Meat Fest #3 The Maze (M)

Nottingham University Philharmonia & Choir The Albert Hall (M) £6/£13, 7:30pm

University Philharmonia and University Choir Lakeside Arts Centre (M) £6/£10/£13, 7:30pm

MULTI DATE EVENTS

A Symphony of Curves: Geoffrey Preston - a tradition in plaster Free, 10am - 1pm Ends Wednesday 24 Dec. HOPKINSON GALLERY FRIDAY 28 NOV Claire Gable Photography Exhibition Free, 10am - 6pm Ends Thursday 4 Dec. LACE MARKET GALLERY THURSDAY 6 NOV Nads by Kashif Nadim Chaudry Free, 10am - 4pm Ends Friday 28 Nov.

THE NEW ART EXCHANGE SATURDAY 27 SEP J.D. Okhai Ojeikere: Hairstyles and Headdresses Free, Various times Ends Sunday 11 Jan. SATURDAY 8 NOV Recaptured by Said Adrus Free, Various times Ends Sunday 11 Jan. SATURDAY 22 NOV Rachael Young & Richard Houguez: Crowns of Confidence Free, Various times Ends Sunday 11 Jan. NOTTINGHAM CASTLE SUNDAY 1 JUN Riot 1831 Exhibition Free, 10am Ends Monday 1 Dec.

PLAYHOUSE FRIDAY 28 NOV Sleeping Beauty £22.50 - £29.50 Ends Saturday 17 Jan. PRIMARY THURSDAY 18 SEP Intersections, Commission #1 Richard Houguez & Rachael Young Ends Wednesday 31 Dec. SURFACE GALLERY FRIDAY 24 OCT Bob Robinson – An Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture Free, 6pm - 8pm Ends Saturday 20 Dec. SYSON GALLERY SATURDAY 1 NOV 50 50 50 Auction and Exhibition Free, 10am Ends Friday 14 Nov. THEATRE ROYAL & ROYAL CONCERT HALL

NOTTM CONTEMPORARY

TUESDAY 4 NOV

SATURDAY 1 NOV

Top Hat Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) 7pm Ends Saturday 15 Nov.

Raphael Hefti Free, 10am - 5pm Ends Sunday 4 Jan. Agnieszka Polska Free, 10am - 5pm Ends Sunday 4 Jan.

Mirror Mouth Free, 11am - 3pm Ends Sunday 2 Nov. SATURDAY 8 NOV

THURSDAY 6 NOV Dinosaur Zoo Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) 10am Ends Sunday 9 Nov. TUESDAY 18 NOV

Masks of Myth and Legend Free, 11am - 3pm Ends Sunday 9 Nov.

Riverdance Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall (M) £20 - £40, 7:30pm Ends Sunday 23 Nov.

SATURDAY 15 NOV

WEDNESDAY 19 NOV

Factory of Art Free, 11am - 3pm Ends Sunday 16 Nov.

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain £10+, 10:30am Ends Sunday 23 Nov.

SATURDAY 22 NOV

Fabulous Moving Works of Art Free, 11am - 3pm Ends Sunday 23 Nov. TUESDAY 25 NOV Fur, Bizmuth and Spiny Oyster Free, Please book for the talk on 25 Nov., 10am - 7pm Ends Thursday 27 Nov.

TUESDAY 25 NOV Opera North £15 - £60, 7pm Ends Saturday 29 Nov. TRADE GALLERY SATURDAY 1 NOV Praise of Laziness Free, 12pm - 6pm Ends Friday 19 Dec.

ityOfLit

@NottC

Write Lion

“A book unwritten is a delightful universe of infinite possibilities. Set down one word, however, and it immediately becomes earthbound. Set down one sentence and it’s halfway to being just like every other bloody book that’s ever been written.” Robert Harris

The Esplanade

Celeste

Duke and Disorderly

If Pulp Fiction is a rollercoaster, a fastpaced whizz through dramatic twists and turns, then Roberta Dewa’s latest novel is a reverent amble through an art gallery. You’ll slowly wander past image after image, each with its own story to tell. A challenging and thought-provoking read, it deals with some pretty heavyweight themes, examining loss of voice, abstracted identity and detachment from the self. The novel begins with the discovery of a dead body on a beach. It then goes on to tell the story of two women entwined with the man and the key found within his pocket. In quiet, tortured contemplation, the two women examine their past and the way their round, womanly voices have been hushed. Throughout the narrative, Dewa has contributed to the feminist discourse with Greer- like intelligence and tenacity. Smart, fresh, feminine and linguistically stunning: The Esplanade is a literary joy. Katie Hutchcraft weathervanepress.co.uk

After a stunning opening zoom in from the outskirts of the galaxy to the blue marble of Earth, Culbard tells a story about loneliness, courage and honesty in his first selfpenned graphic novel. In Japan, a disillusioned comic artist walks into a haunted forest, intent on suicide. On a crowded London tube, two commuters make an instant connection when they lock eyes for a moment. In an LA traffic jam, an anxious man gets a call from the police about his wife. A moment later, everyone else in the world vanishes without explanation. Then things get really weird. Culbard’s simple lines and impeccable storytelling haul in Japanese demons, inexplicably airborne gridlock and a floating rose petal that may be at the centre of it all. He unfolds his surreal story without losing sight of the three flawed people at the heart of all this Lynchian strangeness. Baffling, intriguing and very beautiful. Robin Lewis selfmadehero.com

This comic explores the eccentric fifth Duke of Portland - a mentalist toff. He had loads of tunnels built under Welbeck Abbey, presumably because he couldn’t bear to mix with others. He also painted his rooms pink (deemed masculine during the Victorian period), carried a mole around, and gave umbrellas and donkeys as gifts to staff. His ghost is brought back to life after two kids have a squabble on their phone, with the deadpan humour we’ve come to expect and love from our favourite ‘MulletProof’ poet. Most intriguing is the subplot of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s visit to Welbeck a few months before the outbreak of WWI, where he was nearly shot in a freak accident. Nottingham could, potentially, have avoided WWI. Embedded in the content is a quiz to discover whether ‘you are a toff or the next duke of Poundland’ and a video of the surrounding area by historian John Charlesworth. Sam Smith

Roberta Dewa £7.99 (Weathervane Press)

INJ Culbard £15.99 (SelfMadeHero)

Andrew Graves/Toni Radev Free (Dawn of the Unread)

dawnoftheunread.com

Nottingham: From Old Photographs Joseph Earp £12.99 (Amberley Books)

Nottingham’s had a few makeovers over the centuries. Starting out as a small Anglo Saxon settlement, we were briefly known as the ‘Garden City’ on account of our lush pastures before transforming into an ugly turd when industrialisation came knocking. The Nottingham Hidden History Team (NHHT) have shared these stories through eloquent essays and public talks but here opt for a simpler format of photograph and accompanying text. Most photographs come from their own archives and are brought to life in this 128 page social document exploring the caves, pubs, architecture, castle, industry, public space and street life. It is no coincidence, perhaps, that the NHHT was formed in 1965, the year that Maid Marian Way was flattened and a ring road inserted that effectively cut our main tourist location off from the centre. Duh. But, as the author acknowledges, this is incentive for us to fight to preserve what we still have. James Walker amberley-books.com

Nottingham’s orangest reviewer got well bored reading all the time so we sent her daahn pub instead… No.5 The Peacock, 11 Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG1 3FB

The sign ahtside The Peacock sez it’s the heart o’ Nottingham but Mansfield Road is more like the winnets hanging aht yer arse. It’s the number one place ta goo if yer want a kebab, fight or to bump into someone that just needs 20p ta ger ‘ome. The Peacock is akshleh a really nice pub that dates back ta Victorian period, and used to be one of D.H Lawrence’s favourite watering holes. But its real literareh connection is wi’ John Harvey, some owd bloke who set his Charlie Resnick novels in Notts. Resnick is this Polish detective who loves jazz, cats and fanceh sarnies. Rumour has it that Harvey gorr ’is inspiration for his novels while writin’ in The ‘Cock. As he writes abaht child abuse, drugs, gangs, and ASBOs it meks yer wonder what kinda writer he’d have been if he’d sunk a few in a posh pub like Hand and Heart on Derby Road. Tale: Darkness, Darkness Ale: Tyskie

leftlion.co.uk/issue62

A richly diverse collection of the futuristic and the retrospective: Knitting Nottingham challenges the popular perceptions of knitting, showcasing creative design, art, technology and research across a wide range of knitinspired work from internationally renowned designers, artists and researchers. As part of Nottingham Trent Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 170 Years of Art and Design event series, it celebrates the transformational role played by Nottingham in the growth of the knitting industry and the future of knit technology. Opening Times (free admission) Monday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Friday: 10 am - 5 pm Saturday 15 November: 11 am - 3 pm (closed Sundays) Bonington Gallery, Dryden Street, Nottingham NG1 4GG Exhibition details: www.boningtongallery.co.uk #NTUKnittingNottingham 170 years of Art and Design: www.ntu170years.co.uk Image: work by exhibitor Shelley Fox

Find local releases in The Music Exchange. You can also the mu hear a tune from each review sic exc han on our Sound of the Lion podcast at ge. org .uk leftlion.co.uk/sotl. Separation Anxiety

Amber Run

Pilot EP (RCA Victor) There’s been plenty of great music to come out of Nottingham in recent years and Amber Run are one of the more commercially-friendly bands. The five-piece released their excellent debut single Noah in 2013 and after the brilliant follow-up Spark comes the band’s third EP. It’s easy to see why these guys are set for big things. They have played some superb gigs across the UK – their turn at the recent Hockley Hustle was terrific – and slots at Reading and Leeds have also earned them recognition. In addition, the quintet make a brand of radio-friendly indie-pop that combines soaring guitars and anthemic choruses to great effect. While the new EP features three new songs, perhaps the best way to introduce yourself to tracks Pilot and I Found is to watch the band’s inventive two-part video. A narrative story with a cliffhanging ending told across eight minutes of film is a brilliantly original idea and is certainly worth checking out online. The EP’s title track is a thumping up-tempo indie-pop tune with a Razorlightesque drum beat and one of their instantly recognisable choruses that are rapidly becoming the band’s trademark. Thank You is a similar slice of likeable alternative rock while, in contrast, I Found is slower and more reflective, particularly in the acoustic version that features here. In Pilot, singer Joe Keogh claims that, “I don’t want to be the centre of anything/just a part of something bigger.” If his band keeps releasing singles of this quality, such limited ambitions are unlikely to last long. Nick Parkhouse amber-run.com

The Madeline Rust

Truth or Consequences Album (TOR Records) On their first EP, The Madeline Rust had throat-stripping choruses, classic rock riffs and masses of potential. Fast-forward a couple of years and it’s immediately obvious that the band’s horizons have widened considerably, this album boasting all the widescreen cinematography of a spaghetti western. The songs here are wound tight with coiled menace, all the more muscular for their restraint, so that when the band really do let rip, it’s all the more shocking. There are echoes here of Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi’s Rome, and the consistently dark lyrical content, especially on Serial Killer Song, evokes the murderous, vengeful spectre of Nick Cave himself. For all this darkness, The Madeline Rust are still a rock band at heart, and the closing 1-2-3 of Pick Number Three, I Hate What You Know and When the Sugar Dies sees us galloping downhill into a gleeful wall of noise. Outstanding. Tim Sorrell themadelinerust.bandcamp.com

Merrick’s Tusk

Sonder EP (Self-released) Heavy rock may be becoming more popular by the day, but this makes it even harder to find a band that’s enjoyable to listen to. Fortunately, this group of four lads have created a melodic rock EP with tracks that could rival the professionals, with their strong lead and backing vocals, solid drum beats to hold the tracks together, and impressive guitar riffs to set the songs apart for lesser outfits. Songs Space and Persist have strong enough introductions to grab your attention from the start, and with this momentum carrying on throughout the rest of the EP, you can’t help but head bang - even if you don’t realise you’re doing it. Added to this, the skill on Sonder makes you want to go and see the band live, whether it’s for the music or simply to headbang en masse. Hannah Parker merrickstusk.bandcamp.com

Origin One

All For The Love Album (Deeper Than Roots) This group are fast etching their way into Nottingham folklore while wholesomely proving they don’t rely on the same sound like a one-trick pony. All For The Love is built on the same foundations and creative spark as their self-titled debut mixtape, yet it relies more heavily on electronically-induced beats. They’ve grown as songwriters and are pushing the boundaries of their undeniable talents, albeit with the same outcome as their debut: feel-good mellow rhythms with a soothing soul. The title track, with vocals from the majestic Parisa, proves a centrepiece, and would spark the same ecstasy at a dancehall in Kingston as it would in the bath with a few fragranced candles. A dub masterclass. Origin One played this year’s prestigious Soundwave Festival in Croatia and are making serious movements, meaning you should get the hell on with listening to this jam. Jack Garofalo soundcloud.com/originone

Rattle

Rattle EP EP (I Own You Records) Rattle’s self-titled EP is remarkably cohesive for such an off-kilter band. The duo of Katharine Eira Brown (Kogumaza) and Theresa Wrigley (Fists) forgo the traditional band format solely for drums. The result sounds like Tune-Yards if she was obsessed with Joy Division records. The songs are packed with icy whooping and wailing before the vocals pinch together for tight harmonious vocal lines. The edge on their songs comes mainly from the production of Mark Spivey who adds echo and delay to the minimalist sound. On Elegant in the Mouth Spivey morphs and stretches the ending vocal note into an electric hum that seems a far-stretch from a female vocal. Whether an LP length release can avoid being repetitive without the addition of more instruments is yet to be seen, but their current four songs complement each other well and intertwine seamlessly. Alex Fowler iownyourecords.bandcamp.com/album/rattle-ep

Fists – Vessel for Sound These sly dogs are back from a selfimposed hiatus, marking their return by releasing a brand new LP track by track on Bandcamp. Woof. White Finger – 18 Minutes Under Sneinton Slacker punks caught live, sweaty and sticky, made available as a limited edition cassette at the band’s support slot for Sleaford Mods at Spanky’s. Sleaford Mods – Tied Up In Nottz/The Fear of Anarchy Speaking of which, this was pressed as a white label 7”, limited to 100 copies, and only available at the same show. Last seen going for money on eBay. Crosa Rosa – Widow Breeder The grungy 2014 Future Sound of Nottingham competition finalists have tapped into some prime 1993 guitar noise and sprinkled it with the right amount of weirdness.

Separation Anxiety EP (Self-released) A rock band with a female lead singer that doesn’t resemble Paramore? Well, it’s unheard of. This band of five have managed to do the impossible and stand out from the crowd in such a widespread genre, it’s difficult to even get noticed. Not only does Cassie have the vocal talent and strength to match any singer in the industry right now, but the head-bopping and toe-tapping you can’t suppress when listening to them is courtesy of the musical talent created behind her. However, credit must be given to the additional vocalist who keeps up with his own strong and striking set of pipes, accentuating the intensity of Cassie’s voice. It’s a struggle not to listen to all three tracks, in particular Ashes to Amber, over and over again – you might find yourself singing along sooner rather than later. Hannah Parker soundcloud.com/separation-anxiety-uk

Trekkah

Midnight EP EP (Phlexx Records) Involved with two of Nottingham’s most prominent bands, The Afterdark Movement and Origin One, the producer and musician is still finding time to release his own easy on the ear material. Sunflower’s breezy late-summer beats opens the EP with wafts of piano and saxophone, and some stunning soulful vocals from Yazmin Lacey. Regular Trekkah collaborator Esther joins him on We Can’t Go On that has shades of The xx in its overlapping boy/girl vocals, before an injection of energy via some house-y piano and Esther’s Florence Welchstyle belting transports it to more colourful territory. You are best skipping over Vibes - its aimless saxophone more at home soundtracking some new age healing type nonsense. The deep house of Promises and another appearance from Yazmin Lacey brings the EP back on track before ending on the skittery garage inflected Deception - a collaboration with his Origin One cohort Parisa. Paul Klotschkow soundcloud.com/trekkah

The Wild Man of Europe

Old-Fashioned Flames Album (Self-released) This group of five musicians, led by ex-Formication man Alec Bowman, have created what can only be described as a simply stunning collection of music that’s part Ryan Adams and part Gram Parsons. With smooth vocals and harmonies up front that are backed by a band playing lilting, heartbroken Americana, your body can’t resist swaying along. There’s a ridiculous amount of talent on show here and the heart-on-sleeve honesty that is present in much of the songwriting, evident in choice cuts Set With The Sun and Light Your Way Home, transports you to a bar where regulars are drowning their sorrows with the band playing in the corner. The lyrics are beautifully vulnerable, packing enough emotional punch and resonance that most will find something to relate with here. This is certainly an album to slip on and unwind to after a long hard day. Hannah Parker thewildmanofeurope.bandcamp.com

April Towers – Arcadia Glossy synth-pop that’s been caning its parents A-ha and Ultravox records. With rumours of label interest, this debut single could be the start of something special. Arcane Winter – The Mirror Cracked From Side to Side Spiky goth punk that wears its eyeliner with pride. Perfect as the days get colder and nights draw in. Dreaded Monkey – Glass Dramatic alt-rock that lives in the space between Muse and Rage Against The Machine, but I bet neither of those bands ever made a music video in Eastwood.

OFF ALL PURCHASES WITH THIS VOUCHER

Pendulum Music, Victoria Market, Victoria Centre pendulumrecords.co.uk

/Pendulum2

@Pendulum_Notts 43

leftlion.co.uk/issue62

Creative Short CourSeS Portfolio PreParation for Degree-level art anD Design

Stay Warm at Wired Now Open till 8pm Weekdays 42 Pelham St, Nottingham NG1 2EG

17 January – 5 December 2015 Saturdays 10 am – 2 pm (30 sessions) Considering applying for an art and design course in 2016? Or do you just want to immerse yourself in art and design for a year of projects and personal development? This course is for anyone aged 16 to 60 and over and will focus on:

• how to approach independent research

• creative thinking and the process of making art and design

www.ntu.ac.uk/ portfolioshortcourses

• the aesthetics of colour, texture, drawing and working in 3D

Any quesTiOns?

• the importance of sketchbooks and idea development Image: Detail of Commedia dell’Arte costume by Lauren Martin, BA (Hons) Costume Design and Making

• the creative industries today …and much more Places are limited. Read more and book your place at:

+44 (0)115 848 2813 creativeshortcourses@ntu.ac.uk

Dino’s Far from prehistoric

Missoula Montana Bar and Grill Cheyenne letter

Tucked away on Warser Gate, Dino’s is not only a smooth place to take a date, it’s somewhere to take the ‘rents that isn’t too expensive but looks the part. The waiting area features a huge, butter soft leather sofa that you can melt into, and the décor is sweet, with vintage posters and a mirrored wall in the back room giving the place a larger, airier feel. My partner and I partook in a glass of wine each as we browsed the menu; a glass of Arium TempranilloGarnacha (£4.50) for my friend, and a delicious, light and crispy house white (£5) for me - a superb accompaniment to my goat’s cheese salad starter (£5.50). The cheese was grilled perfectly - a little crispy on the outside, gooey inside and the flavour sat perfectly with the dressing and accompanying sundried tomatoes. My friend’s starter was a seafood aperitif of salmon, smoked mackerel and prawns (£5.95) served with a dill and parsley yogurt, which harked back to the eighties classic, the prawn cocktail - in my opinion, no bad thing. For my main course I went for something a bit different in a seemingly European-style restaurant, the chicken fajitas (£11.95). With a strong chipotle spice, the meat and veg were delicious. Sadly the tortillas looked a bit sorry for themselves, as did the cheese, and the holy trinity of dip guacamole, sour cream and salsa - was in one bowl, which wasn’t great for the visual element of the dish. Regardless, I enjoyed it but next time I’ll stick to something more obvious. My partner went for the gorgeous looking roast lamb roulade (£12.50) served on a bed of beans and mashed potato. The lamb melted in the mouth, and the apricots and almond flavours blended with it perfectly. Given the chance, I’m sure he’d have licked the plate clean. Not overly stuffed, we chose classic desserts of crème brulee (£4.50) and tiramisu cake (£3.50). The crème brulee was smooth, tasty and decadent with the right amount of crisp sugar on top, while the cake was tasty and moist. We finished off the evening with a very tasty espresso (£1.50), which gave us just enough energy to heave ourselves out into the night. Delicious. Penny Reeve 9 Warser Gate, The Lace Market, NG1 1NU 0115 950 4455 dinobar.co.uk

The carnivorous among us are blessed by the current explosion of Yankee bar grills. Bewildering arrays of burgers, explored to death by both restaurateurs and customers, have become de rigueur. One of the latest stylised eateries in Nottingham suggest that the humble hamburger is not the high water mark for Anglicised, good ole American food. Missoula carves its own Montana skishack niche in an impressive and surprisingly tasteful refit of what was formerly The Living Room. Among wood panelled walls adorned with bull horns, cowhide seating booths, and soft furnishings featuring Native American patterns, a Yacht Rock soundtrack plays. Burgers, wings and steaks feature on the menu alongside exciting salads - two words that rarely meet in Notts - and 'proper mains' for both meaty and non-meaty eaters. By way of starters, I was excited at the prospect of fried onions and pickles (£3.95) and they didn't disappoint; crispy batter hid a bitter pickle with just the right amount of grease. It’s a shame perhaps that the presentation slightly betrayed the otherwise outstanding shrimp in tom yum and ale batter (£5.45), which exploded in the mouth with a glut of lemongrass flavouring. A starter of huckleberry (a very American and apparently very rare berry) and walnut salad gave us a tasty glimpse of the vegetarian-friendly side of their menu. A hefty USDA certified (US Department of Agriculture) 12oz rib eye steak was a worthwhile investment at an equally hefty £24.95. Good steak should not be cheap and this tender, flavoursome and perfectly cooked example, served with a side, was worthy of every cent. Their Big Sky Burger (£12.95) featured a juicy meat patty, pulled pork, Swiss cheese and bacon served amid a toasted brioche bun, stood up well and the fries and spicy barbecue sauce didn't drop the baton either. The blow-away moment of the meal was the boozy Oreo and Reese's peanut butter shakes (£7.25), plied respectively with amaretto and frangelico. Swerving the normal desserts for these was either luck or genius. Worth coming back for. Missoula is a clever, logical progression of decent cocktail bars serving high-end bar food, which takes maximum advantage of the current obsession with Stateside themes. If the service and atmosphere remain consistent, Missoula has a deserved shot at firmly establishing itself on the USmeets-Notts food scene. Alex Traska

Jim’s Smokehouse Jim’ll smoke it Smoking food is far from a new thing - cavemen hung chunks of woolly mammoth over embers not only to dry it out and preserve it, but also to make it flavoursome. It’s a shame the internet wasn’t around - they could have been Instagramming their foodie snaps to their jealous cavemen buddies. It’s a method still used across the globe, and is responsible for deli classics including pastrami, jerky, kabanos and Black Forest ham. And let’s not forget our fishy friends - if you’ve never tried an Arbroath smokie for breakfast, do it. But don’t plan on kissing anyone for a while afterwards. Jim’s Smokehouse is the new addition to the Hockley restaurant scene and specialises in that smoked meat taste. They had a rocky start on their opening night after advertising free food on Facebook - imagine a kid who invites thousands of people to a house party while his folks are away. Yeah... As you can guess, carnage ensued. Everything’s settled down now, so I headed down to chat to the owner and manager PJ about marinades, slow cooking and his swanky new smoker, shipped all the way from Texas. Shooting the breeze with someone who’s passionate about food over a cold beer, what could be better? Life further improved when the food arrived: the full rack of St Louis ribs was formidable, low and slow in the smoker and finished under the grill to yield some precious crispy bits. These sat alongside huge chicken wings with a herby marinade and Carolina pulled pork. The ribs were my favourite; sticky, smoky and full of BBQ flavour. The coleslaw looked fresh and homemade and PJ assures me that it is. He also claims that all the sauces are also made in-house. I asked him to prove it, which in retrospect was a little leery of me. We went through to the kitchen and, sure enough, he wasn’t lying. I wound my neck in. While in the kitchen he proudly showed me the smoker - it’s smaller than I expected but very cool and it boasts several racks of those lovely ribs, looking like they’ve not been in long. Another few hours to go, boys. In a world where every restaurateur is trying to do something unique, Jim’s Smokehouse is delivering. My advice, in case it’s not already obvious, is to order the ribs. 38 Goose Gate, Hockley, NG1 1FF 0115 924 1742 twitter.com/jimsmokehouse

7 High Pavement, The Lace Market, NG1 1HF 0115 988 6870 missoulamontanabarandgrill.co.uk

Grubs Up It’s late, you’re a bit tipsy and you’ve forgotten to eat. You daft apeth. You’re not alone, though, we’ve all been there. It’s all good though because the guys at Alley Café have got you covered. Their Supper Club is officially available from November, a cheeky little idea that could save many a soul, and stomach. They are now serving a choice selection off their main menu from 9.30pm until midnight with dishes designed for sharing. Chances are there will be some nice tunes playing there too and you’ll end up staying there until you’re a bit wobbly again. Weekly from Wednesday - Saturday, 9.30pm -12am Alley Cafe, Cannon Court, NG1 6JE alleycafe.co.uk

For more Nottingham foodie goodness check noshingham.co.uk

leftlion.co.uk/issue62 leftlion.co.uk/issue62

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Scorpio (Oct 24 - Nov 22) You’ve always wanted to be someone that people come to for wisdom and comfort, but you’re going to have to settle for being the one the stripper comes to at the end of the night to talk about her broken marriage and kids. Sagittarius (Nov 23 - Dec 22) Your eyes will become too big for your stomach this week when a hideous reaction to a new soap makes your eyeballs swell up to six times their normal size. Capricorn (Dec 23 - Jan 19) You’ve never cried at a wedding before. But this one is different as it’s a former lover. You’re at a strange place in your life and soot gets in your throat when the church burns down. Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 19) This weekend you will realise that people who make you choose between hugs and drugs have set up a false dichotomy. A very happy experience makes you realise that both go together quite well. Pisces (Feb 20 - Mar 20) It’s sad to think, but when they tell the story of your life, your best bit will be as one of two guys who walked into a bar. Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 20) You’ll discover a brilliant legal loophole this week meaning you can finally get rid of that annoying guy at work as well as getting free rent and meals from HM Prison Service.

Taurus (Apr 21 - May 21) Sleep will elude you this evening as you wrestle with questions of meaning and existence as well as Doink The Clown, Ted DiBiase and Irwin R Schyster. Gemini (May 22 - June 22) They say that home is where your heart is, and your legs and brain too. But no matter how hard they try during a month-long police search, they'll never find all of you. Cancer (June 23 - July 23) You've always felt a bit sad that you never get invited to cool parties, but you'll be downright angry when you find out about the ones they hold at your house when you leave every day. Leo (July 24 - Aug 23) You're really starting to become disenchanted with the whole reincarnation thing after your fourteenth time round as an underpaid Nottingham office worker. Virgo (Aug 24 - Sept 23) Air and fire are both dominant in your sign right now, which makes it really good news that you get so much fun from lighting your own farts. Libra (Sept 24 - Oct 23) Your patience finally reaches its limit after you have to order your chips separately for the second time this week and you realise the universe does, in fact, hate you.

Six degrees of Strelley(ation) Electromagnetic radiation is collected by telescopes

Which is also the name

Stargazy Pie is a Corn ish

dish

There’s a Cornish civil parish called Broad Oak

Strelley

of a pub in

There’s a Cor nish civil par ish called Broad Oak

Stargazy Pie is a Cornish dish Telescopes are used to stargaze

Electromagnetic radi ation is collected by telesc opes

Six degrees of Strelley(ation)

Telescopes are used to stargaze

Which is also the name of a pub in

Strelley

One Direction

One Bomb

Members: Shookz and

Si Tew

gham Formed: 2012, Nottin

LEFTLION.CO.UK

leftlion.co.uk/issue62

ass Genre: House/garage/b pe-shifter

Adaptability level: Sha

ts and Known for: Killer bea e rop Eu up stickering

Members: Harry and

four others

Formed: The beginning

of the end

Genre: Dullcore Adaptability level: Co

okie cutter

Known for: Stabby fan

A Nottingham Playhouse Theatre Company production

TIME & MEMORY SEASON

ARCADIA By Tom

SToppard

directed by Giles Croft

‘Tom Stoppard’s richest, most ravishing comedy to date, a play of wit, intellect, language, brio and…emotion.’

BOX OFFICE 0115 941 9419 NOTTINGHAMPLAYHOUSE.CO.UK @skymirror #arcadiaplay

Fri 31 ocT – SaT 15 nov 2014

Design: Eureka! www.eureka.co.uk

The New York Times