WOW
Season of top talent By Jane Matzen
your four-page guide to what’s on where in Mid Cheshire
Staying out for the best of the summer vibes
DODGY frontman Nigel Clark says his band’s comeback couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time. The 90s feel-good Britpop band pay a visit to Crewe’s M Club, High Street, next week as part of a mini UK summer tour. The band, who are most famous for summer anthems such as Good Enough and Staying Out For The Summer, had split for 10
Talented bands line-up MANCHESTER bands The Five O’s and Smudge appear in the line-up for Friday’s Banned gig at Winnington Rec. The Five O’s specialise in catchy melodic vocal hooks and driving bass lines and are currently working on a second album. They have previously performed in venues as far apart as London, Liverpool and Cardiff. Smudge formed in 2004. They have toured up and down the UK, most recently appearing on The Taste of Chaos Tour 2007 at Manchester Apollo. They are currently signed up to Animal Farm records and have several dates booked during July to November. The gig also features artists signed up to Lockjaw Records. Samples of the bands can be found on the Banned website www.myspace.com/ bannedinnorthwich Doors open 8pm, admission is £4.50
years, but singer and bassist Clark insists timing is the key. “The name Dodgy was brave, but was a remark on life in general in the 90s and I suppose it’s even more relevant now,” he said. “One particular song that’s been really good to play again is Making The Most Of. The economy and living on what you have is such an issue at the moment, and so that song seems really relevant.
Interview with will harris
“I suppose you could call this a comeback. We did a tour in March at a few cities around the country and we’re doing a few festivals too. “I think we are a festival band in the sense that a festival grabs and draws in
a wider musical audience and I think they identify with us because we don’t consider ourselves as one type of genre. It’s music for everybody. “I think people like us because we speak about people things.” Dodgy play The M Club on Thursday, July 24. Doors open at 7.30pm and tickets are £12.50 in advance only. To book phone 01270 216785 GOOD ENOUGH: Britpop or visit www.them- trio Dodgy play The M Club next week. club.co.uk.
African spirit ANDRE Heller’s spectacular celebration of African culture Afrika! Afrika! arrives in Manchester next week for a six-week run trailing a clutch of amazing reviews in its wake.
The breathtaking show has already played to more than two million people across Europe and nearly 350,00 during its London run. More than 100 artists from 17 African countries are involved in the show which is staged in a sumptuous tented Palace at The Trafford Centre.
HANDS FULL: Afrika! Afrika!
By Jane Matzen Ecstatic reviews included this in The Daily Telegraph: “By the time this fantastic show reached its riotous fullcast finale there was a party atmosphere both on stage and in the audience.” Afrika! Afrika! is at The Trafford Centre from Wednesday, July 23 until Saturday, September 6. Adult tickets range in price from £19 to £45, with concessions for children aged three to 14. Family tickets are also available. Visit afrika-afrika.com or call 0844 847 2473.
Enchanting evening under the stars THE magic of Delamere Forest is the setting for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a one-off performance under the stars next week. The Cheshire forest stages its first outdoor theatrical performance with the tale of love, jealousy, magic and confusion, for all the family, on Thursday, July 24. The Forestry Commission has teamed up with Lon-
Film of the week MAMMA MIA! (PG)
(All major cinemas)
DONNA (Meryl Streep), the owner of a B&B on a Greek island, has a 20-year-old daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) who discovers her mother’s diary which reveals her father could have been one of three romances Donna had two decades earlier.
theatrescene with jasmyn preston
don-based Quantum Theatre company for the show. Forestry Commission spokeswoman Anita Powell said: “Delamere provides a perfect, natural setting for this exciting new production, which audiences will be able to enjoy for the first
time.” Visitors are invited to bring their own rugs and folding chairs and enjoy their own picnic, although no glassware or metal cutlery is permitted. ■ There will be two performances at 12.30pm and 6.30pm on July 24. Tickets are £8 adults, £6.50 children in advance, or £10 adults, £8.50 children on the gate. Call the box office on 01606 889792.
DVD of the week SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
MAGICAL: A Midsummer Night’s Dream is outdoors at Delamere Forest next week.
Gig of the week WHATFEST
(Available to rent)
(Shipbrook Hill Farm, Whatcroft, July 18-19)
FROM the moment the Grace family move into a secluded old house, peculiar things start to happen. Unable to explain the accidents and strange disappearances, the Grace children – Jared, Simon and Mallory– start to investigate and find the unbelievable truth.
NORTHWICH gets a taste of Glastonbury as the village of Whatcroft hosts its very own music festival. Headlining Whatfest on Friday night will be The Shallow Call with up to 20 acts completing the rest of the line-up.
FROM Calendar Girls and Le Grand Cirque to the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet – The Lowry packs a dramatic punch for all tastes during the autumn and winter months. Lorna Luft, Judy Garland’s daughter, stars as the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz while the Australian Ballet, one of the world’s leading ballet companies, make their North West debut with Swan Lake. The knives are out in dangerous vendettas as rival fractions clash to block the path of true love in West Side Story and the Shakespeare play that inspired it, Romeo and Juliet. On a gentler note, the stage version of the hit move Calendar Girls also hits the boards in Salford with an all-star cast including Patricia Hodge, Gaynor Faye, Elaine C Smith, Brigit Forsyth, Lynda Bellingham and Annette Badland. And for big and small kids everywhere the must see show of the season just has to be Slava’s Snowshow starring the gentle Russian clown. Tickets for all shows are now on sale via the box office 0870 787 5793 or online at www.thelowry.com /mylowry
WONDER: Slava’s Snowshow is packed with wonder and comedy.
Tuning up for a rocking time DAN’S famous summer rock school re-opens for business next month at the Boom Studios in Winnington Lane. All those eligible should be 12 or more and have a basic knowledge of guitar, bass, drums or vocals. Participants will spend the first part of the week working with experienced tutors to improve their playing skills and learning the basics of composition and song writing. Once they have mastered the technique they will be formed into bands and expected to compose their own songs for a CD to take home. The school is on from Monday, August 4- Friday August 9 at the studios in Winnington Labs. More details are available from DAN organiser Nick Hughes on 01606 41597.