FREE
THE BEST OF WHAT'S ON WHERE
NOV 2014
Bitesize RIC
Year 7 Taster Day Wednesday 12 November 9.30am-3pm
also 14 January, 11 February and 11 March 2015
Join us at Kent’s fresh alternative to a traditional independent school for one of our fun and educational days
30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
For families with children currently in Years 5 & 6 who want to find out more about our school * Small classes * Non-selective * High performing at GCSE & A level * No uniform
30
We have 30 years’ experience helping students to maximise their potential and secure places on highly competitive degree courses
19 84-2 014
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01634 828115
Day & Boarding School | Year 7 to 6th Form Star Hill, Rochester | rochester-college.org
SSHhhh1hBirthday hhh! BeanTown is celebrating its st
Come and discover Rochester’s best kept secret beantowncoffee
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126a Maidstone Road, Rochester, ME1 3DT
CONTENTS 4 WELCOME 5 5 REALLY GOOD THINGS 6 NEWS 8 RECREATE & POP 11 BEANTOWN 13 CHRISTMAS FAIRS & MARKETS 14 GET CREATIVE MEDWAY 16 DISQUIET BEAUTY 18 FILM
19 NICK WALKER 21 BEN CAMERON 22 MUSIC 1 24 MUSIC 2 26 THEATRE 28 VISUAL ART 30 THE ARTIST'S SPACE 31 LILYPIE WOW READER OFFER
EDITORIAL: editor@wowkent.co.uk 0845 388 2243 (local rate from BT landlines) ADVERTISING: advertising@wowkent.co.uk New advertiser & excellent series booking discounts available to all. All ads also appear in the online edition at wowkent.co.uk
WELCOME TO WOW!
FREE LISTINGS: listings@wowkent.co.uk DESIGN: A Stones Throw astonesthrowdesign.co.uk PRINTING: Complete Print Group (CPG) 9-10 Orchard Business Centre Sanderson Way Tonbridge Kent TN9 1QG 01732 366666 cpg-net.co.uk PUBLISHER: Emma Dewhurst WEBSITE: wowkent.co.uk Current print circulation: 7000 copies Distribution: Medway Towns, Maidstone & Gravesend Copy/listings deadline for Dec/Jan issue: Tuesday 18 November 2014 ©WOW Kent magazine All rights reserved. While every effort has been made to ensure that details in this publication are correct, we cannot accept responsibility for such. Readers are advised to check information listed, to avoid disappointment. Views expressed by contributors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect those of the editor and publisher.
Your guide to the best of What’s On Where Medway, Maidstone and the accessible beyond Visual art predominates this month, with Anna Morell’s look at Rochester Art Gallery’s very special exhibition, ‘Disquiet Beauty’ as our main feature. It’s a smart little gallery punching well above its weight with the breadth and quality its shows, and deserves our support. I’m delighted to see that a vital and useful resource, the Get Creative Medway map, is launching this month (see p14) and it’s good to see that Maidstone Museum is powering ahead with its monthly Thursday night programme of late openings. See 5 Really Good Things for their November treat. And of course our dear resident doodler Ben Cameron aka Strange Paul has another charmer for us on page 20. Lastly, one lucky reader and a friend have the opportunity to win a fantastic Annie Sloan furniture painting workshop over at lovely Lilypie at Chart Sutton. Turn to the inside back cover and enter now! Emma Dewhurst editor@wowkent.co.uk
FREE
THE BEST OF WHAT'S ON WHERE
NOV 2014
CONTRIBUTORS Cover photograph: detail of Zara Carpenter’s ‘Persephone’ by Rikard Ősterlund. See main feature.
PHOTOGRAPH OF THE EDITOR BY RIKARD ÖSTERLUND
BE A WOW AMBASSADOR! If you use any of our advertisers’ services, or attend an event because you saw it in WOW, please mention it – it really helps. Thank you.
Find us on Facebook facebook.com/WOWMedway @EmmaDewhurst7
Emma Dewhurst is an actress, mother and the founder/editor of WOW magazine. She has had a long and varied acting career, including stints at the National Theatre and in London’s West End. More recently she has worked in TV and film in order to concentrate on the important jobs of running WOW and mothering. Xtina Lamb is an artist and director of Rochester based arts venue INTRA where she runs Medway Fine Printmakers, a print studio equipped with a marvellous array of antique and modern presses. medwayfineprintmakers.co.uk Anna Morell is a mother, writer and tentative film-maker with a secret passion for entomology, especially coleoptera. Her WW1 short, Every One Of Them, won the For The Fallen Film Challenge’s Best Screenplay Award. See forthefallen.eu/app Nick Walker is the director of Rochester Kino, screening contemporary world cinema and classic films at various venues around Medway. Nick previously wrote for The Guardian, was director of National Schools Film Week and is a freelance writer, teacher and film cinema/ festival programmer. For more information on Rochester Kino visit: rochesterkino.co.uk
really good things to do this month
Make your own damn art Bob and Roberta Smith is the name of the British artist whose best known works include ‘Make Art Not War’ (in the Tate collection) and ‘Letter to Michael Gove’, an impassioned response to the Government’s diminishing role of the arts and design in schools. Director John Rogers filmed the artist over three years for this feature documentary being shown as part of Making Art Work’s ‘Response’ exhibition at Maidstone Museum at 6pm on 27 November, followed by a Q & A with Rogers. Entry is free but places are limited. Book via Eventbrite or email events@makingart-work.co.uk. Free Oscar For one performance only, European Arts Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of ‘The Trials of Oscar Wilde’, direct from its West End run at London’s Trafalgar Studios, is coming to Rochester Independent College’s Underhill Hall. Wilde’s grandson, Merlin Holland, co-wrote the piece with John O’Connor based on the actual court transcripts. The special
Below 65 I’m looking forward to the exhibition at Maidstone’s lovely Below 65 Gallery this month. So named because you’ll find it below stairs at Gilbert & Clark Frame and Print in the High Street, the gallery plays host to popular Chatham fine artists Peter Reeds and Anne Taylor. There will be a mix of works old and new, colourful and atmospheric and limited edition prints will also be for sale. See peterreedsartist.com; facebook.com/annetaylorartist.
A little of what you fancy The Medway Towns were once heaving with local music halls, theatres and cinemas, most of them now sadly gone. This exhibition at Medway Archives and Local Studies Centre opens on 20 November and spans 100 years between 1850 and 1950, detailing some of the incredibly famous names to have performed in the towns, including Harry Champion, Dan Leno, Marie Lloyd, Little Tich, and later on, Max Miller, Hilda Baker, Morecambe and Wise... We also had visits
from a very young Charlie Chaplin and a very famous Harry Houdini (pictured sitting on a bench in Rochester Castle Gardens!). The exhibition sounds fascinating and is free.
Britten & Brown When I was at university, my best friend Paul Brown and I shared our visions for the future. Mine didn’t include publishing a magazine but his did include designing for opera. A few years later, he was at the Royal Opera House. His designs are often controversial and always pack a punch. Glyndebourne’s acclaimed production of ‘The Turn of the Screw’, comes to the Marlowe Theatre on 7 November. Henry James’ classic novella; Britten’s score and Paul Brown’s design: prepare to be scared. Glyndebourne photo credit: Alastair Miles
performance is at 2pm on Saturday 13 November. Tickets are free and it is essential to book ahead by calling the College on 01634 828115.
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NEWS BOOKING NOW: CROQUIS Croquis is a traditional French art form. It’s a little like life drawing, but the models move occasionally. Rebecca Ashton of The Right Step Dance Company and Richard Squarecube of Squarecube Artisans are collaborating to take this a step further by adding dancers and music (sometimes live). The artists have to sketch very quickly, capturing the shapes or movements they see. You can sketch in pencil or charcoal, or even bring your ipad to capture what you see, and Rebecca is hoping that someone might be inspired to give Croquis a go modelling in 3D materials. Three Croquis taster sessions are being held in November with a view to launching monthly Croquis Events in January 2015. Sunday 16 November, 2-3.30pm: 'An Introduction to Croquis Events'
HISTORY TALKS A GREAT WAR MORNING Guildhall Museum, High Street, Rochester ME1 1PY 22 November 10am-12.30pm (programme begins 10.15am) Two excellent speakers talk about Kent and WW1.
Sunday 23 November, 2-3.30pm: 'Explore Croquis Your Own way'
‘Our local Territorials’
Sunday 30 November, 2-3.30pm: 'What Can We Do With This?'
‘Early aviation in North Kent’
Sessions cost just £15 per session or £10 if you bring your own materials. Book now! (Places are limited). Email info@therightstepdc.co.uk.
No need to book. FREE: donations to cover refreshments greatly appreciated.
LIFE DRAWING classes return to Sun Pier
by Chris Jupp by Jim Preston
VALOUR, LOSS & SACRIFICE by Pam Wood
House on Thursdays 7pm – 9pm, £10 per person (10% discount if you enrol for 4 or more weeks). Course tutor: Richard Curtis. Prebooking recommended due to limited spaces.
No1 Smithery (Holl Room), Historic Dockyard, Chatham ME4 4TE
POW WOW is a free creative social evening with
Brompton History Research Group’s talk by Pam Wood is a personal view, relating to the sinking of HMS’s Hogue, Cressy and Aboukir by the German submarine U9 on 22 September 1914 and its effect on the people of Medway. There will be an opportunity to view the temporary exhibition ‘Valour, Loss & Sacrifice’. Tickets £3. Booking essential, please call 01634 351834 or email witch21@blueyonder.co.uk. Free parking.
tea and biscuits. 1st & 3rd Wednesday of the month, 6:30pm – 9:30pm. Next meets: 6 and 20 November. No need to book All the above are held at Sun Pier House Gallery and Tea Room, Medway Street, Chatham ME4 4HF. Please note: currently no disabled access. sunpierhouse.co.uk
Thursday 27 November 7pm
spinach Support CHILD Z These are vital last days for Borstal based, award-winning playwright Sarah Hehir in her efforts to raise £4000 to stage her new play ‘Child Z’. Inspired by the Rochdale grooming scandal of 2013, the play is a full-length exploration of the grooming and sexual exploitation of children. At the time of going to print she is just short of £1000 of her required target. To support this brilliant creative cause go to kickstarter. com/projects/336010532/child-z
All are welcome to this new fortnightly social gathering across two venues. Inspired by the ‘Tuttle’ events brought to us by the good people of coFWD, Rochester’s much-missed creative coworking space, Spinach is an opportunity for creative conversation over a good cup of coffee. The first meet at Chatham’s lovely café at Sun Pier House saw a terrific variety of participants from the creative industries, the voluntary sector, tech and design. No need to book – just turn up. (Why ‘Spinach’? Because it’s good for you and makes you strong!). CHATHAM - Sun Pier House café, 11 November and 9 December (2nd Tuesday of the month). Currently there is no disabled access to SPH. FAVERSHAM - Creek Creative café, 19 November and 17 December (3rd Wednesday of the month)
Ceramics and Chess in Asia
SANTA FOR A DAY
The Santa FunRun takes place in Rochester on Sat 22 Nov. The event starts at 12 noon and the FunRun parade begins at 2pm. 1000+ Santas in one place! The FunRun is less than one mile so open to all, and raises essential funds to give children attending local hospices a holiday with their family and carers. To become a Santa yourself, register at santafunrun.net. (Fee includes free Santa suit and beard!).
Museum of
POCKETFLUFF
Tue 18 Nov 11am. Free talk by Rose Kerr, former Keeper of the Far Eastern Department at the V&A. Guildhall Museum, Rochester. Tues 18 Nov 2014 11.00am. FREE admission
Loving
kindness
FLASHMOB MEDITATION Sat 8 November
Maidstone Museum * Saturday 8 November 1-4pm
Meet by the war memorial at the side of the Cathedral on Rochester High Street.
Part of Making Art Work’s RESPONSE exhibition (see The Artist’s Space), this afternoon event invites visitors to contribute to donate to this mini museum anything they have in their pockets, rucksacks or handbags. This is likely to be ephemera of little traditional ‘value’, but will have a short tale attached. Each donor will receive a ticket of receipt with the website address printed on it, where they can see their donation displayed in a museum setting. The exhibits will be displayed throughout the duration of the Response exhibition in a glass display case.
At 11am there will be an introduction to Metta Meditation, followed by a Meditation Flashmob between 11.15am and 11.45am! The intention is to support compassion, kindness and peace within ourselves & our community.
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WWW.RECREATEPROJECT.EU LIKE US ON FACEBOOK.COM/POP-CREATIVE-SPACE FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RECREATEEU
recreate News and Events
MAIN EVENT 6.30PM-9PM (free of charge, no booking required). For 1-2-1 advice, 5.30-6.30pm, contact our speaker barry@typicality.co.uk
A-N GRANTED PROGRAMME FOR MID-CAREER ARTISTS 21 Nov: Dodge the shredder – Principles for financing your practice 28 Nov: Approaching galleries and curators 5 Dec: Harnessing social media for promoting and funding your practice (1/2 day) 9 Jan: How to develop audiences through crowd funding 16 Jan: Negotiating public art and commissioning projects 26 Jan: Collaborate creatively (1/2 day) (from £15 - £25 for a half/ full day workshop) Venue: TBC. Bookings will be taken on our website.
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BESPOKE DESIGNER & MAKER FAIR
SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER, 10AM – 8PM Indoor designer fair in the Gallery at Sun Pier House, open to the public, free entry. Pitches start from £20.00. For details contact heather@sunpierhouse.co.uk until 13 November.
Meet the Buyer event FRIDAY 14 NOVEMBER, FROM 6PM Gallery owners, retailers and private investors will be invited to a private view with the stall holders, following by an evening of jazz. Open entry after 8pm. Visit our website for more information on our selfemployment programme, networking events and much more…
Rosie Squires
This month we’re talking about ecommerce and selling online, looking at some of the tools and resources available to creative enterprises to help generate sales on the web. From Etsy to DIY shopping carts, the aim is to provide pragmatic support to help those selling, sell more effectively.
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Recreate is selected under the European Cross-border Cooperation Programme INTERREG IV A France (Channel) – England, co-funded by the ERDF
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popcreativespace@gmail.com POP, 64-66 High Street, Chatham ME4 4DS
POP Creative Space From November 2014 – March 2015, individuals and organizations are able to take over POP to test new ideas and projects.
RICHARD CURTIS EXHIBITION
13 – 28 November PV: 21 NOVEMBER 5PM - 7.30PM Richard Curtis is taking over the space in November, when POP becomes his studio and event space. His exhibition will include work spanning 10 years of his career. Richard’s solo show at POP will coincide with his group exhibition at Sun Pier House. 9
Watercolour PET PORTRAITS https://emmabakerart.weebly.com
Stephen Harries Stained Glass design and restoration E: stephenharries.glass@gmail.com T: 0770 608 0338 Facebook: Stephen Harries Stained Glass Rochester and at Whitstable Harbour Village
Ridley Road Rochester T: 07702 269972 E:Heatherhtt@mac.com hazelnutpress.com
CHRISTMAS ART & CRAFT FAIR
Eddy Goldin Image Consultancy
FASHION COACH design PERSONAL STYLING repro www.eddygoldin.com litho 07725 796002 digital storageto Sessions every Wed Introduction from 12 Nov, 1-4pm Film Culture fulfilment £6 or £5 conc by Rochester Kino distribution
Workshops and short courses available
NUCLEUS HUBBLE (Gabriels Hill, Maidstone) Sat 6 Dec- 10am - 4pm FREE ENTRY MAIDSTONE VISUAL ARTISTS NETWORK
Browse and buy unique affordable paintings and hand made gifts by local artists
Flower studio
Same Day Delivery. Order online and by phone 01634 843024 sweetpeaandoliveflowers.co.uk
Examining the careers of filmmakers, movements and genres, with supporting clips to demonstrate key moments. For more information or to book a place please email: nickwalker62@yahoo.co.uk
timeless Vintage Fair
9-10 Orchard Business Centre Sanderson Way Tonbridge Kent TN9 1QG e: enquiries@cpg-net.co.uk t: 01732 366666 www.cpg-net.co.uk
DESIGN l POS l LITHO l DIGITAL STORAGE l FULFILMENT l DISTRIBUTION
TONBRIDGE KENT e: enquiries@cpg-net.co.uk t: 01732 366666 www.cpg-net.co.uk
Christmas
6TH DECEMBER 2014 - 10.30AM TIL 3PM
• Array of Vintage clothing and accessories • Retro homeware • Live entertainment • Pop up make-up and hair • Exquisite Vintage Teas RAINHAM SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, DERWENT WAY, RAINHAM ME8 0BX Entrance 50p Free parking
All enquiries contact Amanda: 07771 356732
Timeless Retro Medway
@beantowncoffee1 facebook.com/beantowncoffee
Quite often of an afternoon, when I’m knee deep in listings and feel myself flagging, I make the short walk from my house to BeanTown Coffee. I’m a sucker for good coffee and cake; the staff are friendly and we always have a bit of a chat. It’s a nice antidote to the madness of the home-based business life. So when BeanTown’s manager, Tim Humphrays, calls to talk about working together, I’m delighted. On November 28 BeanTown turns one. You’ll find it in the little parade of shops with the Post Office on the Rochester Maidstone Road. The room upstairs looks out over the trees of the churchyard opposite: it’s peaceful, airy and light. The clientele is mixed and loyal: local business people drop in for lunch and the place is happily child-friendly, positively welcoming mothers and toddlers, with a great kids’ corner. The menu is well thought out, from a bacon buttie for breakfast to paninis, wraps, salads and jackets for lunch, and of course an all-day offering of cakes. Drinks-wise, the white hot chocolate will satisfy even the sweetest tooth. The Ashmore family, who own BeanTown, are local people who are keen to work with the local 126a Maidstone Road, community ; they have already supported a Rochester ME1 3DT number of schools and projects as a way of ‘giving Tel: 01634 811521 a little back’. I have a feeling we’ll be celebrating BeanTown’s birthday for a long time to come. Open Mon-Fri 8.30-4.30pm, Sat 9am-4pm NEW! Opens Sundays from Emma Dewhurst 23 November 9am-4pm You can rent the space for parties, or order take out platters
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SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER 10AM – 8PM
DESIGNER & MAKER FAIR MEDWAY FREE ENTRY WWW.BESPOKEMEDWAY.CO.UK SUN PIER, MEDWAY STREET, CHATHAM
ROCHESTER ROCHESTER CHRISTMAS MARKET Rochester Castle Gardens ME1 1SW Set over three weekends (11am-7pm): Sat & Sun 29 - 30 November Fri, Sat & Sun 5 - 7 December Fri, Sat & Sun 12 - 14 December With Rochester Castle for its backdrop, a walk round this Christmas Market is a pleasing affair. It has taken the event a couple of years to find its feet, but with more luxury and unique stalls promised in 2014 in addition to the wide range of produce and crafts available in previous years, this should be well worth a visit. (Personally I’m hoping the Snowdonia Cheese Company will be over from Wales again with their whisky laced cheddar…). Free entry. WOW’s lovely roundup of Christmas fairs and markets
LOWER HALSTOW CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR St Margaret’s Church, Lower Halstow Saturday 8 November (1pm to 3pm) A wide range of crafts, gifts and home baking available, including jewellery, needlework, fountain pens, cards, calendars, local honey and woodwork. Refreshments available. Close by, the Winter Tea Room aboard the Edith May Thames Sailing barge will be open 10am to 4pm. CHATHAM BESPOKE DESIGNER AND MAKER FAIR Saturday 15 November (10am-8pm) Sun Pier House, Medway Street, Chatham ME4 4HF Classy indoor market with stylish offerings from Kentish makers, artists and designers. Set in the galleries of Sun Pier House, with a number of activities running concurrently. Free entry. Please note: currently no disabled access.
LENHAM CLOTH & CLAY’S HANDMADE MID-WINTER MARKET The Tithe Barn, Lenham ME17 TQD Sat 22 & Sun 23 November, 10 – 4pm. Free entry, free parking. Lenham’s beautiful 14th Century tithe barn is a fitting backdrop for this highly popular Mid-winter market selling local handmade treasures and produce. Light lunch is available. Free parking and entry. MAIDSTONE MVAN CHRISTMAS ART & CRAFT FAIR Saturday 6 December (10am-4pm) Nucleus Hubble, Old Hubble & Freeman, bottom of Gabriel’s Hill, Maidstone ME15 6JR Unique and affordable paintings, and handmade gifts made by local artists. Free entry.
DICKENSIAN CHRISTMAS Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December (10am – 5pm) Rochester Town Centre ME1 Stalls line Rochester High Street for this popular annual event. There is a busy programme of events, including the Seven Poor Travellers Procession, roaming street performers, and an open air carol concert complete with guaranteed snow fall. CANTERBURY CHRISTMAS CRAFT & MAKERS FAIR Saturday 29 (9am – 5pm) & Sunday 30 November (10am – 5pm) THE BEANEY HOUSE OF ART AND KNOWLEDGE 18 High Street, Canterbury CT1 2RA Free admission Stalls will be uniquely situated throughout The Beaney galleries, with a wide range of quality arts and heritage crafts produced exclusively by makers in Kent. Wander through the marketplace, sample a mince pie and other festive treats in the Kitchen and drop in the Learning Lab for some family friendly Christmas craft activities. Free entry. 13
GetCreative Medway A new online and paper map tells you everything you need to know about finding the people, places and resources you need to get creative in Medway
Xtina Lamb explains WOW readers already know there's a lot of art and creativity going on in Medway, but until now it has sometimes been tricky to keep an eye on all the chances to get involved. An online map entitled 'Get Creative Medway' has just been launched to help people find local courses, workshops, art groups, specialist equipment and facilities, spaces to hire for activities, and studio space. The aim is to list every place in Medway that helps people to create things themselves. So whether you fancy learning new craft skills, meeting other creative people, doing something different or organising something arty yourself – the map can point you in the right direction. The colder, darker months are a great time to set yourself a creative challenge, and enrolling on a course or joining a group can help beat the urge to hibernate through until spring. With over fifty venues listed already, have a look and before long you might find yourself sketching in a life drawing class, recording in a sound studio, set designing at a theatre, or printing your own original etchings on a Victorian press. The map has been supported by a Small Experiment grant from Ideas Test and an illustrated paper version will be published at the end of November, to be distributed free in
Medway. If you know of other good places not yet listed on the online map, get in touch with details using the contact details below. As well as venues, you'll find local artists and tutors who you can contact to organise workshops for groups, events or parties. Featured events listings and links to other 'what's on' websites will help when looking for children's activities in the holidays, or when you just fancy having some fun and relaxation, either with friends or escaping for some art time on your own. Get Creative Medway: find the online map at getcreativemedway.co.uk Email medwayfineprintmakers@gmail.com for more information or to suggest entries for the map. Telephone: 01634 753299
Christmas gift workshops With the festive season on the way, we've picked upcoming workshop highlights from venues across the Get Creative Medway map, all of them offering a chance to create something that would make a lovely Christmas gift.
CCB Sewing Machines 304-306 High Street, Rochester, ME1 1HS Tel: 01634 841597 ccbsewing.co.uk Make a quilted shoulder bag or clutch purse with Ruth Jarman on Thursday 11 December at this friendly sewing machine shop (£50).
Chulo Naturals 12 High Street, Brompton, Gillingham, ME7 5AE Tel: 01634 814529 chulo-naturals.co.uk 'Christmas Makes' include candles, bath bombs, and body balms on Thursday 6 or 20 November, and 4 December (£60 including lunch and drinks). Or make natural skin care and cosmetics products such as coconut & shea butter balm on Friday 28 November (£45).
Sun Pier House Medway Street, Chatham, ME4 4HF Tel: 01634 812 805 sunpierhouse.co.uk Create brooches, necklaces and pictures from recycled textiles in a family workshop with awardwinning artist Jenni Burrows on Sat 15 November (£4 advance/£5 on day). Browse the Bespoke Market while you're there!
INTRA
MACLS
337-341 High Street, Rochester, ME1 1DA Tel: 01634 753299 intraarts.org
Rochester Community Hub, Eastgate ME1 1EW Tel: 01634 338400 medway.gov.uk/macls
Learn the techniques needed to make beautiful 99.9% silver pendants and charms using silver clay on Sunday 16 November or 7 December (£49). Create an adorable keepsake bear from old clothing with special memories on 25 Nov & 2 Dec (£20). Hand print a dozen Christmas cards on Sunday 14 December (£10). Print your own artworks with etching, photopolymer plates or linocut (£60 per day) or make felt decorations (£8) throughout November.
Rochester Art Gallery & The Guildhall Museum 95 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX Email: arts@medway.gov.uk Tel: 01634 338319 ‘Exquisite Adornment' Family Workshops with Rosie Melville. 10.30am-12.30pm or 1.30-3.30pm. Make sculptural jewellery with feathers and found objects on November 8. Starts with a gallery tour and continues in the museum for the workshop. For adults and accompanied children aged 7+. Free but booking is essential.
Learn festive sugarcraft skills for two weeks starting 15 November (£40). Make a traditional Christmas door wreath on 10 December (£33).
Nucleus Arts Creative Riverside Hub 13 Military Road, Chatham ME4 4JG eventjoy.com/o/nucleusarts Make and decorate a snow globe in this workshop for all ages at 3pm on Saturday 29 November. (£3).
Hometown 62 High Street, Rochester, ME1 1JY Tel: 01634 838880 mandymunroe.wordpress.com Mandy Munroe brings her patchwork class to this beautiful treasure trove of a sewing shop on November 27 and 29, and 4 December (£40).
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ANNA MORELL EXPLORES THE FASCINATING THEMES OF THIS MAJOR EXHIBITION ACROSS TWO VENUES
Disquiet CURATED BY ZARA CARPENTER AND ALLISON YOUNG
I first met Zara Carpenter coming out of a Rochester art shop. She carried herself like Holly Golightly channelling Louise Brookes and I tumbled out a compliment about her hair. The next time I saw her it was from behind, reading a novel, poised, the back of her shirt cut out to reveal a small, circular tattoo. A wildness, an elegance, an intelligence and an absurdness, just beautifully being. With an exquisite eye for putting herself together.
Disquiet Beauty is funded by Medway Council’s Arts Development programme.
She is known primarily for her millinery. But she has put on a different hat for ‘Disquiet Beauty’: that of co-curator of a heck of a coup for the Rochester Art Gallery, showing her own work and that of Kerry Howley in ensemble with two of her heroines, Kate MccGwire and Tessa Farmer.
missable worlds at the corner of your eye. Fairies fighting insects. Here, specifically, dessicated wasps. Pulling hair, using it as weapon, a tourniquet, a twist, an adaptation, mischievous innocence long lost, fighting for dear life, or death. A waver, a blur of intent, despite the sharp, clever, execution of these tiny, terrible worlds.
and reworking floral Vanitas in photography. The two things merged conceptually, and, with her flair for couture-influenced millinery at play on the practical level, ‘Persephone’ was begun. The gestation was a long one, as she waited and gathered the tiny cadavers necessary for the piece.
Kate MccGwire’s work is featherweight. Literally. Sculptural cascades of keratin, whirling, gloaming and brooding out and over the spaces they inhabit. There is an elegiac quality to her work. A breathtaking precision and delicacy. A profound, disquieting, contemplative beauty. As is fitting of birds, her work cannot be contained to the one space, and Zara has co-curated the exhibition across two. A short walk up the High Street, the Victorian Room of the Guildhall Museum becomes a companion space, comprising work by MccGwire alongside some rarely-seen ornithological taxidermy
Echoing the arcs and circles of MccGwire’s work, Kerry Howley works human hair into jewellery reminiscent of lace collars. They are, in effect, modern interpretations and successors of Victorian mourning jewellery (selections of which can also be seen, from the Guildhall’s collections). Mussed haloes, supernatural shrieks of hair, chopped from their existence as signifiers of feminine beauty and sexuality. These pieces are feasibly, still, feminine adornment; braided lines to be explored, as both attractors and repellents, hewn from a material we see as both living and dead.
Zara describes herself as the amateur in this show. Kate MccGwire and Tessa Farmer are internationally acclaimed. Both have places in Saatchi’s collections.
Over it all watches a silent, hairless head, filled and covered with legion mouths: Zara Carpenter’s ‘Persephone’. Countless bees, spiders, flies, dragonflies and snails cover an abundance of silk flowers. Snakeskin and bird wings crackle and smooth over any last space. It is, literally, a heady, measured, cacophony of colour, life, and death without decay. An endless cusp of summer, defiant, in spite of the deadness of its component parts. It is a riot, and a raging, playful, but absolutely meant, and it will not allow the eye to rest on its deceptive stillness. It has the poise, the precision, the wildness and the elegance ever present in Zara herself. from the Guildhall’s archives. The specimens have been picked for their compositional beauty, and their locality (nearly all were found locally; few are found here now.)
‘Persephone’ was conceived three years ago, when Zara was told she had a bleed on her brain – a discovery that shocked her into confronting her own mortality.
Tessa Farmer’s work is the diametric opposite in scale. Miniscule, blink-
At the same time, her partner was exploring the Dutch Masters
But there is a continuity and depth that link these pieces perfectly. Zara’s childhood as a pigeon fancier leads to MccGwire’s skyfalls of pigeon feathers; leads to Kerry Howley’s swoops of hair; leads to Zara’s insect-swarmed head; leads to Tessa Farmer’s wasps, which lead finally to Cormac McManigan’s beetles, the living jewels of the natural world, reworked as jewellery in fine metals. These are deeply personal, principally and wonderfully feminine explorations of life, death, myth and humanity. They hold an inherent violence beneath their carefully crafted forms, and a tension, ready, as per their physical essence, primarily avian and entomological, to take flight to places both wild and tamed, within this realm, and without. Regard these creatures. These memento mori. And memento vivere. ‘DISQUIET BEAUTY’ runs until 3 January 2015 at Rochester Art Gallery, Visitor Information Centre, 95 High St, Rochester ME1 1LX and at Guildhall Museum, 17 High St, Rochester ME1 1PY. Opens Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm (closed Sundays). Free entry. Artist talk by Kate MccGwire, Guildhall Museum, 27 November 7-8.30pm
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FILM AFTERNOON FILM TREAT Central Theatre, 170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338338 £4.50 inc drink & teacake £5 on door THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (15) 2014 Tue 11 November 2.30pm Dir: Wes Anderson. Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum. Sumptious comedy with stellar cast. 85 mins medwayticketslive.co.uk MEDWAY FILM SOCIETY Brook Theatre, Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE Traditionally projected 16mm prints sourced from the BFI. See website for members’ prices. Non-members can pay on the door. Enquiries: 020 7638 0012 GOOD MORNING BABYLON (15) 1987 Friday 28 November 7.45pm Dir: Paolo & Vittorio Taviani Cast: Vincent Spano, Joaquim de Almeida, Greta Scacchi . Fable of great resonance. 117mins + THOSE AWFUL HATS 1909 Two minute short by D W Griffith. medwayfilm.org.uk MAIDSTONE FILM SOCIETY Hazlitt Theatre, Earl St Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 753922 Cheap parking in Fremlin Walk after 7pm. For membership enquiries/ prices email membership@ maidstone-film-society.org.uk WADJDA (PG) 2012 Mon 3 November 8pm Dir: Haifaa Al Mansour. Cast: Waad Mohammed, Reem Abdullah. Uplifting. 98 mins. CALVARY (15) 2014 Mon 17 November 8pm Dir: John Michael McDonagh Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Kelly Reilly Powerful Irish drama. 100 mins maidstone-film-society.org.uk
MAKING ART WORK @ MAIDSTONE MUSEUM St Faith’s Street Maidstone ME14 1LH St Faith’s Street MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN ART Thu 27 November 6pm – 8pm See 5 Really Good Things p5. ROCHESTER KINO @ CHATHAM ODEON Chatham Maritime ME4 4LL 0871 2244 007 Every Thursday at 7.45pm £9.80, £7.20 conc, Student £3.60 (2 for 1 offer) GRAND CENTRAL (15) 2013 Thu 6 November 7.45pm Dir: Rebecca Zlotowski Cast: Tahar Rahim, Léa Seydoux, Oliver Gourmet. Stylish, powerful story of unskilled power plant workers set against an illicit love story. 94 mins PRIDE (15) 2014 Thu 13 November 7.45pm Dir: Matthew Warchus (Rochester Born!) Cast: Bill Nighy, Dominic West, Andrew Scott Summer ’84: gay activists raise money for striking miners. 120 mins THE IMITATION GAME (PG) 2014 Thu 20 November 7.45pm Dir: Morten Tyldum. Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Charles Dance ‘Nailbiting’ thriller about mathematician codebreaker Alan Turing. 113 mins MOOD INDIGO (12) 2013 Thu 27 November 7.45pm Dir: Michel Gondry Cast: Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou See opposite. 131 mins rochesterkino.co.uk. ROCHESTER FILM SOCIETY @ ROCHESTER PICTURE PALACE Every Tuesday at 7.30pm, includes a short film. Princes Hall, Corn Exchange High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX £5.00, £3.00 students Bar/refreshments available
JIMMY’S HALL (12A) 2014 Tues 4 November 7.30pm Director: Ken Loach. Cast: Barry Ward, Simone Kirby. True story about free thinker and political activist, James Gralton. 109 mins YVES SAINT LAURENT (15) 2014 Tues 11 November 7.30pm Dir: Jalil Lespert. Cast: Pierre Niney, Charlotte Le Bon. Biopic of his early life. 106 mins GOD HELP THE GIRL (15) 2014 Tues 18 November 7.30pm Dir: Stuart Murdoch. Cast: Emily Browning, Olly Alexander Poignant coming of age story and indie pop musical. 111 mins WE ARE THE BEST (15) 2013 Tues 25 November 7.30pm Dir: Lukas Moodysson Cast: Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin, Liv LeMoyne. Three girls in 1980s Stockholm form a punk band despite being told that punk is dead. 102 mins RFS @ THE CINE LOUNGE Sun Pier House, Medway Street Chatham ME4 4HF (No disabled access) 01634 812805 Cult Film night, first Sunday of the month. Doors and themed music 6.30pm, film 7.30pm. £3.00. Bar/refreshments available EVIL DEAD II (15) 1987 Sunday 2 November 7.30pm Dir: Sam Raimi. Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss Landmark comedy horror. 84 mins rochesterfilmsociety.co.uk ALSO @ SUN PIER HSE THE TRANSATLANTIC FEEDBACK Sat 1 November doors 7.30pm Documentary + gig by Ye Nuns. See October WOW. Tramp Films present PUBMONKEY Screening + concert by The Len Price 3 Fri 7 November. 7.30pm £10 inc movie, gig and DJ set til midnight. sunpierhouse.co.uk
Independent film screenings are flourishing across Medway and Maidstone NICK WALKER PREVIEWS THREE OF THEM
ROCHESTER FILM SOCIETY
WE ARE THE BEST
Tues 25 November 7.30pm
ROCHESTER KINO @ Chatham Odeon
MOOD INDIGO
Thursday 27 November 7.45pm This film (part surrealistic romance/ comedy/tragedy!) is based on the 1947 French cult classic sci-fi/ romance novel ‘L’Écume des Jours’ by Boris Vian and directed by Michel Gondry, which tells you something about its style and content. Gondry (‘The Science of Sleep’, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’) has created a wonderful visual world with imaginative effects, some reminiscent of Georges Méliès’ ‘A Trip to the Moon’ (1902). The principal cast of Romain Duris (‘Populaire’), Audrey Tautou (Amélie) and Omar Sy (‘The Intouchables’) work well within the strangeness and surrealism of Gondry’s eccentric aesthetics – a sort of a retro-future version of our reality? A film about love, loss and mortality, with deeper and darker allusions to Jean-Paul Sartre, this charming film of two halves is sure to please. It is a breathtakingly imaginative and beautifully designed film – engaging, funny and ultimately a moving love story.
Lukas Moodyson’s story of three rebellious teenage girls who form a punk band in 1980s Stockholm is really a tale of non-conformist spirit against outmoded mainstream conformity. Moodyson has often proved to be a great humanist, displaying great levels of emotion, and this time achieves a joyous celebration of youth, the human spirit and of course the music. Ever since his debut ‘Show Me Love’ Moodyson has shown himself adept at allowing characters to live outside the mainstream, which allows for true friendship to flourish. Heartwarming relationships make this film special, with all the attributes you’d expect from teenagers: curiosity, anxiety, joy, self-righteousness and inevitably anger. Bobo (Mira Barkhammar) Klara (Mira Grosin) and Hedvig (Liv LeMoyne) become inseparable pals who set out to crush the capitalist government and voice their discontentment at their P.E. teacher’s fascist coaching techniques! Yes, the wonderful energy and fleeting nature of youth, the golden days of vinyl, self-styled hair and make do and mend fashions are a treat to watch. Punk is not Dead!
MEDWAY FILM SOCIETY
GOOD MORNING BABYLON
Friday 28 November 7.45pm Taviani brothers Paolo and Vittorio have created an immigrant fantasy steeped in sentimentality and beauty. Set in the early 1900s, an Italian family of architectural restorers gets into financial trouble so two sons Nicola (Vincent Spano) and Andrea (Joaquim De Almeida) travel to America, meeting two actresses Edna (Greta Scacchi) and Mabel (Desiree Becker) and all get work for filmmaker DW Griffith (played by Charles Dance) on his film ‘Intolerance’, the brothers creating the famous giant plaster elephants. Post-Hollywood and the heady attractions of Chaplin, Fairbanks and the like the film becomes a family drama telling the story over the years, including WWII. An unusual film for the Taviani Brothers to make in some ways, as the provincial filmmakers have heretofore looked at the society of Italy, specifically their native Tuscany, with such films as ‘Padre Padrone’ and the stunning ‘Night of the Shooting Stars.’ Perhaps the Taviani Brothers have made a movie about themselves, about Italian immigrants who come to America and make movies… either way this is a sumptuous, lyrical and beautifully observed fable.
For full listings, see opposite. Nick Walker is a founder member of Rochester Kino (rochesterkino.co.uk) 19
NNING I W D AWAR
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MUSIC 1 THE ALEXANDRA 43 Railway St, Chatham ME4 6RJ 01634 830545 Free entry. Doors 9pm unless indicated Sat 1 Nov: NO PUB IS AN ISLAND HALLOWEEN SPECIAL Thu 6 Nov: JAM NIGHT WITH SOUL CAPITAL Fri 7 Nov: TOM JOHNSON & MARTIN MORRIS present ACOUSTIC FRIDAY Sat 8 Nov, doors 10pm: THUMPSCREW Thu 13 Nov: OPEN MIC WITH MIKE ORVIS Fri 14 Nov: LEO KELLY GEE MARTIN MORRIS presents ACOUSTIC FRIDAY Thu 20 Nov: JAM NIGHT Fri 21 Nov: AUTUMN KIDS: MARTIN MORRIS presents ACOUSTIC FRIDAY Fri 28 Nov: ZEUS Sat 29 Nov: MISS LED ZEPPELIN facebook.com/thealexchatham ALL SAINTS CHURCH Mill Street, Maidstone ME15 6YE 01732 366500 Sat 8 Nov 7.30pm: IN MEMORIAM – A CONCERT OF REMEMBRANCE by Maidstone Wind Symphony. Featuring music by Ron Goodwin, Nigel Hess, Tchaikovsky (1812 Overture) and Johan de Meij. £10, £8 from website or email info@ maidstonewindsymphony.org Sat 15 Nov 7.30pm: MAIDSTONE CHORAL UNION presents a WW1 COMMEMORATIVE CONCERT. An evening of poetry and music by Elgar, Gounod, Finzi and Mendelssohn. £12 on the door or tel: 01622 726193, email freda@ me169lb.fsnet.co.uk or in person from Maidstone Museum Visitors’ Centre (01622 602169) ANCHORIANS RUGBY CLUB Darland Avenue, Gillingham ME7 3AN Fri 21 Nov 8.30pm: Jazz with the QUENTIN COLLINS QUINTET. One
of Europe’s up and coming jazz trumpeters in an all-star group. £10. Enquiries: 01634 365352 or 07544 312743 THE BARGE 63 Layfield Road, Gillingham ME7 2QY 01634 850485 Music starts 9pm, free entry Sat 1 Nov: IRONMONGERY Wed 5 Nov: BARDS @ THE BARGE OPEN MIC NIGHT Fri 7 Nov: DAN PHELPS (USA) + MATTHEW FOX (USA) Sat 8 Nov: THE LIGHTWORKER + KELLY STANLEY Sat 15 Nov: FUNKE & THE TWO TONE BABY Fri 21 Nov: KING SIZE SLIM Sat 22 Nov: LIVE FROM THE LIVING ROOM PRESENTS + TBC Fri 28 Nov: JD AND THE LONGFELLOWS Sat 29 Nov: HOWLIN’ MAT thebargepub.co.uk BEACON COURT TAVERN 128 Canterbury Street, Gillingham ME7 4RY 01634 853186 Doors 7pm Sat 1 Nov: SKADEKAT £5 Fri 7 Nov: VOODOO ROOM £8 door/£6 adv Sat 8 Nov: TOTAL JAM £8 door/£6 adv Sat 15 Nov: ONE STEP BEHIND £8 door/£7 adv Sat 22 Nov: JOHNNY 2 BAD £10 door/£8 adv Sat 29 Nov: THE BON JOVI EXPERIENCE £8 door/£7 adv beaconcourttavern.co.uk THE BOWERHOUSE 20 Warwick Place, Maidstone ME16 8SG 01622 763448 Doors 7pm, 7.30pm show Fri 7 Nov: PETE COE £10 Thu 27 Nov: ARLET £5 thebowerhouse.info BROOK THEATRE Old Town Hall, The Brook, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338 Sat 8 Nov 7.30pm: SONGS OF THE
VOICELESS Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1. Featuring Bella Hardy (BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year 2014). £20. Thu 13 Nov 8pm: LADY MAISERY £12 medwayticketslive.co.uk CENTRAL THEATRE 170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338338 Sat 1 Nov 7.30pm: KENTISH PLAYERS CENTENARY CELEBRATORY CONCERT £15 Thu 6 Nov 7.30pm: 10CC £29.50, £27.50 Sat 8 Nov 7.30pm: CHAS AND DAVE £26.50, £24.50 Sun 9 Nov 7.30pm: STYLISTICS £23, £21 Sun 16 Nov 7.30pm: MARTY WILDE’S ROCK ‘N’ ROLL PARTY £25, £23 Tue 18 Nov 7.30pm: THAT’LL BE THE DAY – CHRISTMAS SHOW £24, £22.50 Fri 21 Nov 7.30pm: MAGIC OF MOTOWN £24.50, £23.50 Sat 22 Nov 7.30pm: CITY OF ROCHESTER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Opening its 45th concert season with music by Smetana, Dvorak, Brahms, Rodrigo Tascón and Jacob Bride. Adult tickets £16, £12 and £10 (concs available) and under 18s just £1. medwayticketslive.co.uk COOPERS ARMS 10 St Margaret’s Street, Rochester ME1 1TL 01634 404298 Music starts at 7pm Sun 2 Nov: GAFFERS Sun 9 Nov: TALKING BOOK Sun 16 Nov: ANDY WHITE Sun 23 Nov: WHITE PEPPER Sun 30 Nov: LEGACY thecoopersarms.co.uk EAGLE TAVERN 124 High Street Rochester ME1 1JT 01634 409040 Doors 7pm. Free entry. Thu 6 Nov: MAKER Thu 13 Nov: BEER PRESSURE
"...the antidote to pub games..." NOVEMBER 2014
Timeless Retro Big Band Dance 19th December 2014 7.00pm - 10.45pm Tickets £10.00 each or Two for £16.00
inc Sausage and Chip Supper
Tues 4th Wed 5th Thurs 6th Wed 12th Thurs 13th Tues 18th Wed 19th
Ukulele Jam Night Camine Danny Kyle Desert Turkey Gaz Brookfield Quiz Night Justin & The Argonauts + Support from Nadine Thurs 20th The Longtails Wed 26th Bruise Thurs 27th Tener Duende EVERY SUNDAY IS JAM NIGHT
Free Parking Rainham School for Girls Derwent Way, Rainham, Kent, ME8 0BX
ANDROID
APPLE
Scan the code to download FREE Kent Live Music app
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MUSIC 2 Thu 20 Nov: THE MODWAYS Thu 27 Nov: RED ROOSTER theeagletavern.org.uk EARLS 30 Earl Street Maidstone ME14 1PS 01622 751286 Doors 9pm unless stated. Free entry. Sat 1 Nov: ALL DAY FALLING Sun 2 Nov: THE FIX Thu 6 Nov: JODYS FLAT + FLAWLESS CARBON Fri 7 Nov: ROCKSTOX Sat 8 Nov: SPOILAGE Sun 9 Nov: AS IS NOW Thu 13 Nov: iBAND Fri 14 Nov: REYES Sat 15 Nov: ZEUS Sun 16 Nov: VELVET GLOVE Thu 20 Nov: UPCDOWNC + LITHODRONE + OSKAR VILCROW Fri 21 Nov: KIT CURTIS & THE B3’S Sat 22 Nov: RELICS Sun 23 Nov: TOPAZ Thu 27 Nov: TBC Fri 28 Nov: BITTEN BY MONKEYS Sat 29 Nov: THE MOFO’S Sun 30 Nov: MASTERCLASS earlsmaidstone.co.uk THE FLOWERPOT 96 Sandling Road, Maidstone ME14 2RJ 01622 757705 Free entry.Tue 4 Nov 8.30pm: OPEN MIC/ACOUSTIC JAM Tue 11 Nov 8.30pm: OPEN MIC/ACOUSTIC JAM Sat 15 Nov 9pm: NATIVE PEOPLE + MIKEY & ANDY Tue 18 Nov 8.30pm: OPEN MIC/ACOUSTIC JAM Tue 25 Nov 8.30pm: OPEN MIC/ACOUSTIC JAM Sat 29 Nov 6pm: MINI-FESTIVAL: KNIGHTS OF HOODOO + CONNOR NOBLE + JILL LUCAS + TOBY STARKS + COURTNEY ROSEMEYER flowerpotpub.moonfruit.com HASTINGS ARMS FUNCTION ROOM Lower Rainham Road (leading to Danes Hill), Gillingham ME7 2YD Free parking.
Thu 27 Nov 8.30pm: ROCHESTER SWING PRESERVATION SOCIETY featuring CLAIRE HARPER. Admission £7. Raffle plus free nibbles. For further details or to reserve a table tel: 01634 712217. Details of special guests on Facebook ‘Rochester Swing Preservation Society’. MAN OF KENT ALE HOUSE 6-8 John Street, Rochester ME1 07772 214315 For full gig listings see page 23. THE MICK JAGGER CENTRE Shepherds Lane, Dartford DA1 2JZ 01322 291100 Sat 1 Nov 7pm: A Night of Queen with THE BOHEMIANS support from REPTILIA, STONE BLIND: £18 Sat 8 Nov 7.30pm: DARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: WW1 Commemoration Concert featuring works from Butterworth, Luckett, Elgar & Parry. £13 (concs available). Tickets available from the DSO website. themickjaggercentre.com or from wegottickets.com PIZZA EXPRESS MUSIC ROOM 32-34 Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PF 01622 683548 Doors 7pm, show 8pm unless stated. Sat 1 Nov: RAY GELATO & CLAIRE MARTIN £24 Fri 7 Nov: PAUL COX THE PROOF £15 Sat 8 Nov: YOLANDA BROWN £18 Fri 14 Nov: PETER WHITE £25 Sat 15 Nov: PETER WHITE £25 Thu 20 Nov: THE FB POCKET ORCHESTRA £10 Fri 21 Nov: KIKI DEE & CARMELO LUGGERI £20 Sat 22 Nov: JESSE BANNISTER’S ‘PLAY OUT’ £20 Fri 28 Nov: CROWD COMPANY £15 Sat 29 Nov: 5 IN THE BAR £14 pizzaexpresslive.co.uk
POCO LOCO 58-60 High Street, Chatham ME4 4DS 01634 844 198 Fri 14 Nov: UPCDOWNC + SUPPORT 8pm. Free entry. For full gig listings see opposite. pocolive.com ST GEORGE’S CENTRE Chatham Maritime ME4 Sat 8 Nov 7pm: ROCHESTER CHORAL SOCIETY & ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL CHOIR in concert. Brahms Requiem and choral works by Rheinberger conducted by Scott Farrell. Tickets £15, students £5. Tel: 01634 401049 or go to rochesterchoral.co.uk/tickets STEPPING STONE STUDIOS 2 Museum Avenue, Maidstone ME14 1QX 01622 675923 Fri 28 Nov: END OF THE TRAIL RECORDS SHOWCASE – 8pm steppingstonestudios.co.uk SUN PIER HOUSE Medway Street, Chatham ME4 4HF 01634 812805 Sat 1 Nov 7.30pm: THE NUNS + THE MONKS DOCUMENTARY FILM SCREENING £8 adv/£10 door wegottickets.com Fri 7 Nov 7.30pm: THE LEN PRICE 3 + PUBMONKEY FILM SCREENING £10 adv trampfilms.ticketsource.co.uk Fri 14 Nov: THE PAPER MOON JAZZ & SOUL LOUNGE with The Notable Exceptions + Special Guests + Local Support - doors 7.30pm. Tickets £10 or £5 after 10.30pm Fri 28 Nov: THE PAPER MOON JAZZ & SOUL LOUNGE presents The Notable Exceptions + Special Guests + Local Support - doors 7.30pm. Tickets £10 or £5 after 10.30pm sunpierhouse.co.uk
IAN HARRISON GUITAR LESSONS
LIVE! DAVE PICKET (folk -The Flowing) SOPHIE AND GEMMA WILLIAMS (acoustic) STEVE PLUMB (acoustic) Saturday 8 November: REGGAE SKA DJ Friday 14 November: UPCDOWNC (Instrumental Rock) Friday 15 November: LIQUID SOUL WITH DJ BUDDHAFINGA (liquid soul/ubiquity) & STEVE B (purple radio) playing funk, soul, reggae, ska, dub, rare groove, broken beat, nu-jazz & disco Friday 21 November: DAVE PICKET, ANDY WHITE AND THEO (live music) Sat 22 November: NOKTURNAL PRESENT TECH FUNKY, JACK AND BANGING HARD HOUSE Friday 28 November: UNKNOWN REPORT + GUESTS (indie soft pop prog rock) Saturday 29 November: THE OBJECTORS (Dub Reggae band)
One of Kent’s best underground music venues
Friday 7 November: THE BOXING OCTOPUS (tropical punk folk form Canterbury)
• 15 years teaching / playing experience throughout the UK, Europe and US • Emphasis on enjoyment, lessons individually tailored to help you become the guitarist you want to be! • All ages and abilities welcome • First lesson at introductory rate, discounts available for block bookings • Fully CRB/DBS checked • Member of Registry of Guitar Tutors
0784 7023 330 ianharrisonguitar@gmail.com www.ianharrisonguitar.com
ROOMS TO HIRE Rochester Quaker Meeting House
Friday 5 December: FEROCIOUS LOPEZ (Ska Funk)
We have daytime and evening vacancies in our pleasant rooms for long or short-term hire WHEELCHAIR ACCESS, HEARING LOOP, KITCHEN Our hirers are sympathetic to Quaker testimonies of Truth, Peace and Simplicity
Contact: Thelma West 01634 408796
Saturday 6 December: Psy Trance DJs
VENUE AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE HIRE BAND REHEARSAL SPACE All parties catered for CONTACT JODY 07796 403781 for all bookings and info 58-60 HIGH ST, CHATHAM, KENT ME4 4DS
01634 844198 www.pocolive.com
Bookkeeping & Accounts Payroll Services VAT · CIS · Training
Just Bookkeeping 01634 574400 Free consultations
For sole traders, partnerships, limited companies and start-ups
info@just-bookkeeping.co.uk 19 Watling Street, Chatham, Kent ME5 7EP
www.just-bookkeeping.co.uk 25
THEATRE THEATRE EXHIBITION: MEDWAY ARCHIVES AND LOCAL STUDIES CENTRE Clock Tower, Civic Centre Rochester ME2 4AU 01634 332714 Thu 20 Nov to 13 Jan 2015: A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU FANCY 100 Years of Entertainment in Medway. See 5 Really Good Things to do this month p5. Free entry AVENUE THEATRE Central Avenue, Sittingbourne ME10 4DN Box office: 01795 471140 Wed 12-Sat 15 Nov 7.30pm: LOVE AND COURAGE A new play by Maria Clarke. £7.00 adults £6.50 Senior Citizens. Most debit/credit cards accepted. www.avenuetheatre.co.uk BROOK THEATRE Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338 Fri 28 Nov 8pm: Dizzy O’Dare presents CABARET OF CURIOSITIES A unique performance every time with some of the best burlesque and cabaret acts around. Adult content: 16+. £11 medwayticketslive.co.uk DETLING VILLAGE HALL Pilgrims Way, Maidstone ME14 3EY Thu 13 & Fri 14 Nov 7.30pm + Sat 15 Nov at 2.30pm and 7.30pm: A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Festive family entertainment presented by the Detling Players. Tickets £12, £10 and £6 for children can be obtained from ticketsource.co.uk or by telephoning 07842 169 725 HAZLITT THEATRE Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 758611 MAIN HOUSE: Sun 16 Nov 7.30pm: PRIDE & PREJUDICE Jane Austen brought to life by just two actors! £15, £13
Sun 23 Nov 2pm: Vienna Festival Ballet presents THE NUTCRACKER £20, £16.50, family of four £66 parkwoodtheatres.co.uk MARLOWE THEATRE The Friars, Canterbury CT1 2AS 01227 787787 HENRY IV Part I: Tue 11 – Sat 15 Nov (Tue & Fri eve at 7.30pm; Thu & Sat mat 1.30pm). The RSC brings stellar cast to Canterbury with Antony Sher as Falstaff; Jasper Britton as Henry. HENRY IV Part II: Wed 12-Sat 15 Nov (Wed, Thu & Sat eve 7.30pm). £14-£35.50, concs £3 off some performances. 10% discount if you book both shows at the same time. marlowetheatre.com (booking fees apply) ORCHARD THEATRE Home Gardens, Dartford DA1 1ED 01322 220000 Tue 4-Sat 8 Nov 7.30pm, Wed & Sat mat 2.30pm: LOTTY’S WAR Thriller set in WWII occupied Channel Islands, prior to West End run. £10-£28 concs £2 off (Tue-Thu, 2 top prices only) Mon 24 – Sat 29 Nov 7.30pm, Wed & Sat mat 2pm: MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET Musical of one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time. £15-£24, concs £2 off (top two prices only, not Fri & Sat) orchardtheatre.co.uk (booking fee applies) THE WOODVILLE Woodville Place Gravesend DA12 1DD Box Office: 08422 439480 boxoffice@gravesham.gov.uk Wed 19 Nov 7.30pm: Vienna Festival Ballet presents THE NUTCRACKER £14.50-£21 For full programme see website woodville.co.uk
COMEDY BILLABONG CLUB Victoria Street, Rochester ME1 1XJ Top UK comedians, last Thursday of the month. Doors 7.30pm, show 8pm. Next gig: Thu 27 Nov with JOHN NEWTON + JOHNNY KATS + JENNY COLLIER. £12 on door, £9 in advance from wegottickets.com/ billabong; in person at Cafe@172 or call 01634 242731 or 07717 713667. Students £5 with ID. billabongcomedyclub.co.uk BROOK THEATRE Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE Thu 6 Nov 7.45pm: Laughing Boy Comedy Club: KEVIN MCCARTHY MC + SUZI RUFFELL + PAUL THORNE + GEOFF NORCOTT. Thu 27 Nov 7.45pm: KEVIN MCCARTHY MC + BRETT GOLDSTEIN + ANDREW RYAN + RAYMOND AND MR TIMPKINS. Over 18s only. £11, plus light meal for £3.50. medwayticketslive.co.uk CENTRAL THEATRE 170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338338 Sat 15 Nov 8pm: OMID DJALILI: IRANALAMADINGDONG Adult content, 16+. £23 medwayticketslive.co.uk HAZLITT THEATRE Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL Wed 26 Nov 8pm: JENNY ECLAIR: Eclairious £18.50 EXCHANGE STUDIO: Wed 5 Nov 8pm: ANDY ZALTZMAN: A Satirist for Hire. The issues you care about satirised by one of Britain’s best political comedians. £13 parkwoodtheatres.co.uk JOKING WITH INTENT The Good Intent, 3 John Street, Rochester ME1 1YL OPEN MIC COMEDY CLUB First and third Thursday of the month. 8-10pm. Line-up tbc. £2 admission. Find Joking with Intent on Facebook
VISUAL ART Gravesham Arts
Active Artists Sat 22 Nov: 11am - 6.00pm Sun 23 Nov: 11am -5.00pm St Andrews Arts Centre, Royal Pier Rd Gravesend DA12 2BD
THE BEANEY HOUSE OF ART AND KNOWLEDGE 18 High Street, Canterbury CT1 2RA 01227 862162 Mon to Wed 9am to 5pm, Thu 9am to 7pm, Fri and Sat 9am to 5pm, Sun 10am to 5pm To 2 Nov: TAYLOR WESSING PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT PRIZE 2013 Sat 22 Nov-18 Jan 2015: WINTER EXHIBITION Showcasing local Kent based artists. thebeaney.co.uk BELOW 65 GALLERY Gilbert & Clark Frame and Print 65 High Street, Maidstone ME14 1SR 01622 685146 Free entry Open 9.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat 1 – 29 Nov: PETER REEDS & ANNE TAYLOR. See page 5. Free entry gilbertandclark.com FRANCIS ILES GALLERIES 103 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 843081 Opens Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm + open every day until Christmas from 16 Nov. Free entry AUTUMN EXHIBITION 2014 featuring Brian Denington and Graham Pook. CHRISTMAS ROOM now open! 16 Nov: Mince Pie
& Art on a Postcard day in aid of Hounds for Heroes + ‘Buy a painting for Christmas’ with smaller more affordable works. See website for full details and opening times. francis-iles.com GUILDHALL MUSEUM High Street, Rochester ME1 1PY 01634 332680 Open Tue-Sun 10am-5pm STORIES FROM THE GREAT WAR To 11 Jan 2015. guildhallmuseumrochester.co.uk MAIDSTONE MUSEUM & BENTLIF ART GALLERY St Faith’s St, Maidstone ME14 1LH 01622 602838 Opens Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun & Bank Holidays 12-4pm Sat 8-29 Nov: RESPONSE from Making Art Work. See this month’s The Artist’s Space p30 and page 5. Free entry museum.maidstone.gov.uk NUCLEUS ARTS 272 High Street, Chatham ME4 4BP 01634 812108 Gallery: Mon- 10am-5pm (café to 5.30pm) Closed Sun. Free entry Sat 8 – Thu 20 Nov (1pm): KENT AUTISTIC TRUST ‘People and Places: The Sensory Collection’- Various Artists. Preview: Sat 8 Nov 2.304.30pm, all welcome. Sat 22 Nov – Thu 4 Dec (1pm): MAKING THE VISIBLE INVISIBLE Resolute Art includes works by Sophie Jongman, David Wilkes, Vanessa Morgan, Artist Em. Preview: Fri 21 Nov 6-8pm, all welcome. NUCLEUS ARTS ROCHESTER 75 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX Open 10am-5pm Mon-Sat; Sun 115pm - 01634 812108 Local artworks for sale, internet café and lovely garden. NUCLEUS ARTS MAIDSTONE Gabriel’s Hill, Maidstone ME15 6JR Open 10am-5pm Mon-Fri; closed
Sundays 01622 690337 Popular café, arts hub and gallery. nucleusarts.com POP Creative Space 64-66 High Street, Chatham ME4 4DS To 7 Nov Thu-Sat 12-6pm: STORYTELLING: WOW covers exhibition continues. Thu 13 Nov – 28 Nov: RICHARD CURTIS, solo show and artist’s studio. See p8. Private View: 21 Nov 5-7.30pm Email: popcreativespace@gmail.com ROCHESTER ART GALLERY Visitor Information Centre, 95 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 338319 Mon-Sat 10am-5pm Free entry To 3 Jan 2015: DISQUIET BEAUTY Kate MccGwire, Zara Carpenter, Tessa Farmer and Kerry Howley. See Main Feature p16. Accompanying workshops with Rosie Melville, see p15. ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL The Precinct, Rochester ME1 1SX 01634 810074 LEST WE FORGET: Medway’s First World War installation. rochestercathedral.org SUN PIER HOUSE Medway Street, Chatham ME4 4HF 01634 401549 Open Tue-Sun 10am - 4pm (closed Mon, no disabled access) Tue 18 Nov – Sun 14 Dec: FLAT BROKE AND BERSERK: Resident artists Wendy Smith, Louise Nevett exhibit with Richard Curtis (West End Studios).sunpierhouse.co.uk STEPHEN OLIVER STUDIO & GALLERY Orchards Shopping Centre, High Street Dartford DA1 1DN 01322 278674 Affordable artwork in changing exhibitions. stephen-oliver-art.co.uk
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FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY EXHIBITION...
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‘Valour, and Sacrifice’ one of three2special exhibitions included in thePage price of1an annual ticket to The Historic Dockyard Chatham WOW 2 -Loss 2014 Nov is:Layout 16/10/14 12:09
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Admission Free
17:30 – 20:00. Film screening at 18:00
with Making Art Work e.................... Join the museum for our newest feature - Museum Lates. Here we will showcase art, music, poetry, history and more.
For our November Late: Make your own Damn Art is a feature documentary about Artist Bob and Roberta Smith, by John Rogers. ‘The film follows Bob over the course of three years from Leytonstone to Brooklyn, Walsall to Ramsgate. It was first screened in the Summer of 2012 when London was enveloped in the madness of the London Olympics – which is apt as Bob designed a poster for the Paralympic Games.’ John Rogers A Q&A with the director John Rogers will follow the screening. Photography - © Hufton+Crow
More Late Dates:
Reserve a seat through eventbrite http://latescreening.eventbrite.co.uk or email events@makingart-work.co.uk (over 12s accompanied by parent/guardian)
29 January 2015 - Special Steadman Evening 26 February 2015 - Robin Ambrose Talk 26 March 2015 - Film Screening
Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery, St Faith’s St, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1LH. OPEN: Monday - Saturday 10:00 - 17:00, Sundays Closed
facebook.com/MaidstoneMuseum @MaidstoneMuseum
www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk p 01622 602838 29
THE ARTIST’S SPACE
VANITAS N.02
Mixed media collage by Claire Manning
Vanitas n.02 is part of RESPONSE, a major group exhibition from Maidstone based art collective Making Art Work showing at Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery. The artists draw inspiration from the museum to offer a new perspective on its collection, function and environment. RESPONSE runs from Saturday 8 to 29 November at Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery, St Faith’s Street, Maidstone ME14 1LH. Tel: 01622 602838. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun & Bank Holidays 12-4pm. Free entry
Response Private View (RSVP essential as numbers limited) Saturday 8 November, 6 – 8pm. Includes two short Romany-inspired dance performances by Maidstone-based dance troupe, Anaconda at 6.30pm and 7.30pm. Museum of Pocketfluff: Saturday 8 November 1-4pm, see News pages. Museum Late Opening: Thursday 27 November, with associated film event, ‘Make Your Own Damn Art’. See Film for details. makingart-work.co.uk (new members welcome from anywhere in Kent) museum-maidstone.gov.uk
Lilypie CafĂŠ!
Wow readers offer! Win an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint workshop for yourself and a friend! To win one of the above workshops for you and a friend, simply email your name, address and telephone number to competitions@ wowkent.co.uk. T & C: Courses run on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Workshop offer must be taken by March 2015. By entering you agree to allow Lilypie CafĂŠ to contact you with future offers.
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INTRODUCING
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11am - 7pm • Craft fair • Hog roast • Bavarian village • Unique gift ideas • Magical festive atmosphere • Victorian costumed characters (6 - 7 Dec only)
All set in picturesque, historic Rochester with its eclectic mix of retailers, eateries and period architecture. asmarket terchristm s e h c ro y.org/ www.visitmedwa
Experience the charms of Rochester