Doncopolitan issue 15

Issue 15

March 2016

FREE TO A GOOD HOME

Contributors

Contents

Writers:

Design:

Rachel Horne

Warren Draper

Warren Draper

Rachel Horne

Fran Bibby

Sam Cooper

Phil Sheppard Jenny Crowder

Artwork:

Ernie The Robot Drummer

David Firth

Jonathan Jones

Grimes & Jones

Editorial Rachel Horne

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Doncograms -

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Food Forests, Fab Labs & Maker Spaces Warren Draper

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Digital Donny Rachel Horne

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Born To Tweet Fran Bibby

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Pull-Out David Firth Poster David Firth

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Animated Doncaster Phil Sheppard

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Clocks Jenny Crowder

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NWP0000000001.1 Ernie The Robot Drummer

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The Guide -

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Long Division In Donny Jonathan Jones

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Al Heighton Reviewers:

Rachana Jadha

Sven Dali Pat Philips Hague Chris Chapman

Editorial Team:

Craig Hallam

Rachel Horne

Lynne Hall

Warren Draper

Sisters Uncut

Sam Cooper

Guy Russell

Linda Jones

Lesley Merrin

Steve Bates Frances Bibby

Photography: Warren Draper Alan Morgan Rachel Horne John Fuller Louise Harrison

With Special Thanks to: Right Up Our Street Andrew Loretto Arts Council England NOW THEN Magazine

Proud to be Independent

Disclaimer

The Doncopolitan aims to provide a truly

The opinions expressed in each feature and article in the Doncopolitan are the opinions of their

independent voice for Doncaster. To ensure maximum

respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Doncopolitan. The editors

freedom the magazine is produced and distributed by

and production team of the Doncopolitan accept no responsibility for the opinions expressed.

a small team of dedicated individuals and production

fight for Donny independence then why not write for

horne&draper

us or donate much needed time, money or equipment?

Printed by Expert Print, Unit 1a Churchill Business Park, Churchill Road, Doncaster, DN1 2TF.

costs are met through advertising sales. If you want to

Everyday Audacity.

Conceived and created by

Interested? Then call us on +44 (0) 7846 439982 or

horne&draper art - design - publishing www.horneanddraper.com

email: doncopolitan@gmail.com

Cover Art: David Firth ©2015 Centre Page Art: David Firth ©2015 Back Page Art: David Firth ©2015 Inside Cover Photography: “Office Of The Future” Warren Draper

2014

Articles and images marked with a are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

EDITORIAL Rachel Horne The last hundred years has seen greater and

This issue of Doncopolitan looks at

faster technological advances than any other

#DigitalDonny. A place of innovators and

century in history. 100 years ago our great-

creators which is perfectly primed to

grandparents would have been hitching their

move forward from the earthquake of de-

way into town on a horse and cart unaware

industrialisation and recession. We talk to

that in 2016 we would be talking about an

a number of people who are confident that

American company, Terrafugia, who have

technological innovation is set to help change

announced that their first flying car prototype

the face of Doncaster forever. I interview

will ready by 2018 and are predicting that

Chris Lawson, a Doncaster based programmer

their full products, a roadable aircraft called

who knows better than anyone what a well-

the Transition and a flying car called the TF-X,

developed digital community could do for

will go on sale by 2024.

Doncaster. Warren Draper describes how Food Forests and Fab Labs could change

Although we might not see the TF-X flying

the economic landscape of our town for the

through the streets of Doncaster anytime

better. Fran Bibby tells us why she’s “Born

soon, our town was the birthplace of an

to Tweet”.

equally amazing piece of engineering that needs very little introduction. The Mallard was

Phil Sheppard, a pioneer teaching animation

built in 1938 and it still remains the fastest

to school kids, celebrates Doncaster’s

steam locomotive in the world capable of

largely unsung, but internationally renowned

reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles

animators such as David Firth, whose

per hour.

character Salad Fingers is featured on the cover and centrefold of this month’s issue.

Looking further back into Doncaster’s

Leeds based, but Doncaster born and bred,

incredible history of innovation one of our

David created Salad Fingers in the early

favourite #locallegends is Thomas Crapper

noughties. It was one of the first YouTube

- (depicted in this month's #Doncograms by

sensations to go viral, reaching millions of

artists Grimes & Jones).

fans all over the world. The Salad Fingers series itself has had almost 4.5 million views

Born in Thorne and son of a sailor, Crapper’s

- not bad for a Donny Boyo who craft his shizz

name will be forever associated with toilets

in his bedroom.

around the globe. In 1853, after spending his formative years in Doncaster, Crapper

We love the legend that is Salad Fingers so

moved London to become an apprentice to

much we’re hoping to convince the higher

his big bro George, who worked in Chelsea

powers at DMBC towers that Donny needs

as a Master Plumber. Although Crapper did

a 6ft Salad Fingers somewhere in the town

not design the first flushing toilet (the first

centre in honour of David as a genius of the

practical flushing water closet was patented

digital age. We think the plaque should read:

by fellow South Yorkshireman, Joseph Bramah in 1788), he changed the world's perspective

“Here resides the mighty Salad Fingers who,

on sanitary, plumbing and bathroom fittings,

aided by his creator D. Firth, broke the internet

making his “Thomas Crapper Company” brand

from 2002 onward.”

marked toilets not only socially acceptable, but much desired luxury items. To this day

So hop on board the #DigitalDonny express

there are still a few manholes in Chelsea

and let’s break the internet some more.

bearing the “Crapper Sanitary Engineers” crest.

Another Doncaster boyo turned innovator of recent years is Clive Hutton. He started repairing tools at his home in the 1990s and is now MD of CH Power Tools and one of the world’s leading authorities on power tool repairs. He’s also known to some as a BMX pro, punk, dandy and good friend of Vivienne Westwood.

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ABOUT This magazine aims to provide an independent voice for Doncaster.

We will big up anything which has the potential to add to Doncaster’s metropolitan appeal and strengthen the local economy - or as we call it, the Donconomy. We’ll celebrate Doncaster’s culture, arts, style, music, people, fashion, lifestyle, architecture and even its coal-black underbelly.

To remain as independent as possible this magazine is completely self-funded, relying on advertising and generous donations to stay afloat. If you would like to advertise with us, or if you’d like to support our endeavours through subscriptions or donations please call us on: +44 (0) 7846 439982 If you’re a local artist, musician, writer, photographer, fashionista, socialite or social commentator, and have something to contribute to this magazine, please get in touch.

Online: www.doncopolitan.com doncopolitan@gmail.com Write to us: Doncopolitan Magazine Copley Road Project 83 Copley Road Doncaster DN1 2QP Social Media: Twitter: @DoncopolitanMag #DoncopolitanMag Instagram: @Doncopolitan #Doncogram Facebook: facebook.com/doncopolitan YouTube: youtube.com/user/ Doncopolitan

1.

3.

4.

2.

imbeciles

Doncograms 1. “Telly” from the Imbeciles series by Grimes & Jones ©2015 2. “Crapper” by Grimes & Jones 3., 4. & 5. “Scenes from New World Planet V0.1” by Alan Morgan ©2015 Got a Doncogram you think we might like? Then email it to doncopolitan@gmail.com

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Sponsored by lovephotography.online

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Food ForestS, Fab Labs

& Maker Spaces

Warren Draper We all like a good moan now and then.

It can be cathartic and it can help to highlight problems which need solving.

But constant moaning without trying to actively solve those problems is not only unproductive, it’s downright boring. Whining on its own doesn’t help anyone, it just makes us look like a bunch of what Doncopolitan social media guru, Fran Bibby, likes to call ‘Negative Nancies’.

We do have good reason to moan in Doncaster. Life isn’t always easy and the region has more than its fair share of problems, but the high levels of cynicism we encounter seem to stem from a widespread belief that we are powerless to help ourselves and/or that somebody else should be working on our behalf to make things better.

But while we sit waiting to be rescued things just seem to get worse and worse. The sad truth is that nobody is going to wave a magic wand and give our children the braver, brighter future they deserve, but the good news is that we’re not as powerless as we seem to think. We don’t need magic wands, or even millions of pounds of grants, we just need a little willpower, a little self-belief and a whole bunch of elbow grease.

My own optimism stems from a little book I read way back in the 20th Century which was called ‘Fields,

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Factories and Workshops Tomorrow’.

It was edited by the very wonderful Colin Ward and was an update of a work originally published in 1898 called ‘Fields, Factories and Workshops: or Industry Combined with Agriculture and Brain Work with Manual Work’.

Written by Peter Kropotkin, a former Russian prince turned geographer, economist, evolutionary theorist, zoologist and political philosopher, it argued that Britain could easily become a highly self-sufficient nation if the production of goods and the growing of food took place on a smaller, humansized, community-focused scale. Colin Ward’s updated version showed that Kropotkin’s theories were not only still valid, but given what we have since learned about pending ecological collapse and peak oil (the point where we can no longer sustain our fossil fuel based economy), his system of local, community-based production might be the best option if we are to avoid a very, very bleak future.

Advances in technology mean that Kropotkin’s dream is now more possible than ever before. And Doncaster just happens to be the perfect place to try his ideas out. The first step is to take a lesson from permaculture (a design system which uses relationships found in natural ecosystems to help create more sustainable lifestyles, for more info visit

www.permaculture.org.uk) and recognise that the problem is the solution.

We have empty shops, food deserts and a lack of jobs. This means we also have a need for fresh, healthy food; we have space to grow it; and we have people who need new skills and the opportunity for genuinely productive work. In other words we have a great opportunity in Doncaster to put Kropotkin’s theories into practice. And technological advances mean that we can now do this more easily and more productively than ever before. Modern technology such as hydroponics and controlled spectrum LED lighting have seen a rapid growth in urban farming.

Across America abandoned former retail ‘sheds’ have been re-purposed as giant indoor farms. Worldwide 800 million people are now involved with ‘urban farming’ and their produce makes up 15% to 20% of the world’s food supply.

Imagine if empty shops in Doncaster were used to grow fresh, healthy food.

Urban farms of varied design would allow us to grow an incredible variety of food. One thing which Doncaster is not short of is land and we wouldn’t have to stick to disused buildings for local food production. There are plenty of neglected sites suitable for growing food and many newly arrived immigrants and asylum seekers are skilled farmers who are more than

willing to share their knowledge – as are many of the people on Donny’s abundant allotments. With access to suitable sites (both urban and rural), and working in conjunction with established farmers, it wouldn’t take too much effort to replace Doncaster’s ‘food deserts’ with ‘food forests’ and give the people of our town valuable and productive careers at the same time.

It isn’t just food technology which has advanced in recent years. Micromanufacturing is set to change the way we do virtually everything in the future. 3D Printing is the most celebrated of these new technologies and there are currently projects which are building everything from 3D printed artificial limbs to 3D printed food! But 3D printing is just one tool in the micro-manufacturing toolbox. Less sexy, but equally important are things like laser cutters, robotic CNC milling machines and low-cost microprocessors (mini computers to you and me) like the Arduino and Raspberry Pi. In combination these can be used to create Fab Labs (fabrication laboratories) capable of creating a whole range of items and products which would have needed large factories to build them just a few years ago.

This technology is still in its infancy, but it is already possible to create and

Photography: Warren Draper

2015

run successful businesses using such equipment. One of the best-selling cases for the Rasberry Pi, the Pibow, was developed in Access Space’s Fab Lab in Sheffield and its developer, Pimoroni Ltd, is now a highly successful micro-manufacturer (visit shop. pimoroni.com for further details).

Imagine if those empty shops were also used to house mini factories? Each one a business for a Donny resident ready to resurrect Doncaster’s proud industrial and engineering heritage in new and exciting ways.

Closely related to the Fab Lab is the Maker Space or Hackerspace. This is a community-operated workspace where people with common interests can meet, socialise and collaborate.

Traditionally this has involved people with an interest in computers, machining, technology, science and digital/electronic art, but the scope is broadening to include more traditional arts and crafts.

Doncaster’s waste grounds, empty shops and underused community spaces with food forests, fab labs and maker spaces. Why imagine?

All of this is possible. And all of this is happening right now around the world.

We CAN make Doncaster a hub for these new ways of doing agriculture, manufacturing and business if we start working collectively to get such projects off the ground. In fact projects like The Real Junk Food Project Doncaster, Made By U, Tech Baboon, Rooted and the good old Doncopolitan are already trying out new and exciting ways of getting stuff done in Donny... and proving the naysayers wrong while they’re at it. Why not join them?

Interested? Then get in touch via doncopolitan@gmail.com Negative Nancies need not apply.

End

Imagine if Doncaster’s wonderful community libraries offered such a service. Imagine if these were places where people were given access to the tools, resources and knowledge necessary to help them develop their own businesses, which, in turn, helps them to revitalise the local economy.

Imagine if we were to replace

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Digital Donny An Interview With Chris Lawson of The Copley Road Project As someone who works in digital sector what’s your earliest memory of being inspired by technology, what got you into what you do now?

On Christmas morning 1981 I opened my main present to reveal a little black plastic box of magic called a Sinclair ZX81. Like a Pandora’s box it opened a world of possibilities, where I could make anything happen through the medium of code. Well, not quite anything, but I could make a small white block move across the page and bounce off the side of the screen, you’ve got to start somewhere! Over the following years I built loads of uninspiring games, like ‘caterpillars versus aliens’, and pointless applications just for the sheer hell of it using the latest technologies; the Acorn Electron, the BBC microcomputer, the Dragon 32 and the Commodore 64 right up to today’s Windows and Apple operating systems. Sometimes, when I’m taking myself far too seriously, I think Software Development is the modern version of the craftsmanship seen in people’s work through the ages. It’s one of the few jobs in this service industry dominated era where you create or build a tangible thing that you can look back on and be proud of (or embarrassed of).

Even though you clearly love technology, do you think there’s a downside to our digital lives today?

This is the bit where I show myself to be the miserable old luddite that I am... I do think social media has encouraged

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Illustration: Al Heighton ©2016

people to spend too much time trying to show everyone what a wonderful life they’re having, rather than spending time experiencing things, and actually having a wonderful time. Filming gigs rather than enjoying them, and posting photos of your wonderful meal rather than just privately enjoying it, are classic examples of this. It’s as if people need to live their lives out in public and develop some kind of celebrity style persona. On the face of it, it seems like harmless fun, but I think a lot of people, especially young people, feel a pressure to appear to be having this wonderful time. Essena O’Neill is an interesting example of this.

How do you think our lives will change over the next 30 years through tech innovations?

Very tough question. Technology, in particular the internet, has the ability to smooth out the differences between the advantaged and the disadvantaged, by providing everybody with equal access to information and education.

Technology has empowered people around the world living under tyrannical regimes to challenge the myths that they’ve been taught. The Arab Spring looked like it would be a moment of true enlightenment, enabled by the internet and social media. It’s fair to say that it hasn’t quite turned out as we’d hoped! But there’s still time.

On a local level, every person has the information at their fingertips to educate themselves and learn the skills they need to achieve whatever they

want to achieve, regardless of their background, so long as they have the aspirations. Oh, and we’ll all be traveling to work with Jet-Packs soon.

How could a town like Doncaster become more of a digital city? What could town centre planners and local councils do to make Doncaster a more innovative place to live?

I would love to see a digital community develop within Doncaster, to share ideas, develop skills, collaborate and maybe even start businesses.

We’ve got a decent level of internet connectivity in the town, which is a great starting point. I don’t think planners and councils are the people to drive this, especially with the budget cuts that they are having to work under. It’s up to us to do this from the grass roots, and I’m hoping we can achieve this through some of the initiatives we’re planning with you guys at Doncopolitan.

What would you do if the internet went off line forever? Would techno freaks survive?

Thankfully, I’ve printed out the whole internet and I’ve got it stored in a cupboard in my back bedroom, so I’ll be fine. Failing that, I’ll get my ZX81 back out and finish off that ‘caterpillars versus aliens’ game I was working on.

End

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Thursday’s open mic night Chillax Sunday with guest DJs

Saturday 19th FESTIVILE Battle of the Bands Thursday 24th THE COLOUR LINE +FOURTH GATE+FOES Saturday 26th WHILE SHE SLEEPS Sunday 27th WHILE SHE SLEEPS

T U O D L O S T U O D L O S

Find us on facebook for more info and tickets

M a rch G igs

Saturday 5th FESTIVILE Battle of the Bands Friday 11th ASTROID BOYS +YOUTH MAN+GASSED UP Thursday 17th DONCASTER COLLEGE EASTER MUSIC SHOW Friday 18th Tawny Kay presents...

AN EVENING OF BURLESQUE

Vintage Rockbar inc. Twisted Burger Co. 64-66 Silver Street, Doncaster DN1 1HT 01302 528825

BROLLY presents an epic new opera

CLOCKS 1888: the greener Libretto by Dominic Hingorani Composed by Martin Ward Designed by Rachana Jadhav

A brilliant young migrant girl is single handedly running the towering clock that is the beating heart of the East End. When she is discovered by a gentleman explorer they are forced to choose between the worlds they know or each other.

Brolly’s epic new opera tells a powerful story of love and survival that takes the audience on an extraordinary journey into the visually stunning animated world of the clock.

FRI 15 - SAT 16 APRIL 7.30pm, Friday matinee 1.30pm £17 / £15 concessions

01302 303 959 castindoncaster.com

Cast, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BU

TUE 5 - SAT 9 APRIL

7.30pm, Saturday matinee 2.30pm £18 / £15 concessions, all matinee tickets £15

01302 303 959 castindoncaster.com Cast, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BU

“The clock runs the east end... n’ I run the clock”

STARRING

STEPHEN BOXER The Iron Lady

DENNIS LILL

Only Fools and Horses, The Royal

AMANDA RYAN The Forsyte Saga

“A BEAUTIFUL AND TOUCHING PLAY” SUNDAY EXPRESS on previous production

TUE 26 - SAT 30 APRIL 7.30pm, Wed and Sat matinee 2.30pm £19.50 / £17.50 concessions, all matinee tickets £17.50

01302 303 959

castindoncaster.com

Cast, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BU

#Born ToTweet Fran Bibby I love Twitter. I love its intricacies, its hidden tricks and how you can reach pretty much anyone, at anytime, anywhere in the world. Without Twitter there are a lot of things in my life that wouldn’t have happened. Here’s the story of just three.

One: A Blogger Lunch Down Under In 2012 I was preparing to move to Melbourne for a year, and I researched things to do in the city by reading blogs based there. There was one blog in particular called String Of Events that I read more than any others, mainly because I liked the blogger’s ‘voice’. I felt like we’d get along in real life.

One day, I looked her up on Twitter and started following her. She followed me back. We exchanged the occasional tweet. Then she offered to meet me for a coffee when I finally arrived down under.

There might have been a fleeting moment of fear - she was a stranger after all - but my gut said yes, and a few months later I was waiting nervously at Federation Square in the warm sun looking for a girl named Marlee.

Over the course of that brilliant year in Australia, Marlee and I became very close friends. I stayed at her house, walked her dog, we went to all kinds of events together. She’s coming to the UK this summer and we’re planning to meet up. Without Twitter, we’d never have met.

Two: The Doncopolitan In 2013, after my visa was up, I moved back to Doncaster. At first I was really depressed about this. I didn’t feel inspired here and I didn’t think I’d

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be able to meet like-minded creative people. I’d left so many people like that behind in Australia.

But I’m a firm believer that if you can find good people, then you can have a good time anywhere. It’s not where you are - it’s who you’re with.

I decided to try and change my attitude to Donny and started by doing the heritage walk (visit doncastercivictrust. org.uk for further details about this regular walk). Whilst waiting at the tourist information office, something caught my eye - a magazine.

The Doncopolitan.

It had artwork by Phlegm on the cover.

I picked it up and stared at it. Whoever Rachel Horne and Warren Draper were, I needed to meet them. They get it.

I looked Rachel up on Twitter that very night and contacted her immediately.

Within a couple of weeks, after plenty of polite Twitter nudging, I met Rachel in person. We talked about the magazine, living away and coming back to Doncaster, and creativity. I started writing pieces for the magazine. They still fill me with pride whenever I read them.

Today, I work for Rachel and Warren as their Social Media and Comms manager.

I feel very privileged to be a part of Doncopolitan, and I love being able to support it with my strongest skills.

I probably would have met Rachel sooner or later without Twitter, but it might have taken a bit longer!

Three: Meet Edgar Being the Twitter geek that I am, I also can’t resist keeping track of the latest

scheduling platforms. New on the block is Edgar, a platform set up by social media entrepreneur Laura Roeder.

It’s run by a small team of keyboard warriors based across the pond in San Diego.

What sets Edgar apart from others, like Buffer and Hootsuite, is that you create libraries of tweets according to categories, drop the categories into a schedule, and Edgar sends out your tweets on a loop. This saves so much time.

I signed up to Edgar immediately, and fell in love with it so much I wrote a blog post titled 5 Reasons You Should Meet Edgar. I tweeted the blog post, tagging them in the tweet, and thought nothing more of it.

A few weeks later, a big package arrived in the post. Confused and excited, I opened it quickly to discover a handwritten ‘thank you’ card from the Edgar team, including some stickers, a t-shirt and a note to say that my next month’s subscription would be free. The benefit of Twitter right there, ladies and gents!

End @Fra n ce s _M _B f ra n ce s b e e .me

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Š David Firth 2016

Animated Doncaster

Phil Sheppard Think of modern animation and you think of Pixar or Dreamworks. Think of British animation and it’s Aardman all the way. But could Doncaster one day become the UK’s ‘second city’ when it comes to this art form? Given that two of the most recognisable animators of recent years have hailed from our town, this might not seem like such a ridiculous idea.

You’ll know Jonti Picking, for example, as soon as you see his instantly recognisable style. He uses Flash animation to create surreal characters, such as the egg-shaped creatures Weebl and Bob, and advertisements for Anchor butter and Yell.com. Most recently he has worked with Queen guitarist Brian May and Doncaster stalwart Brian Blessed, popularising his viral hit ‘Badger Badger Badger’ in protest of the badger cull.

And then, of course, there’s David Firth, who I first met in the late nineties. Now I am a primary school teacher, albeit one that dabbles in illustration and

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animation, but back then me and David were on the same half-term cartooning course run by Keith Reynolds, a Doncaster-based artist for The Beano.

Fast-forward a decade or so and David is an internationally renowned animator, famous for cult hits such as Salad Fingers. I got in touch with David to find out how it all happened.

When I was a kid I didn’t have a computer or a phone or anything that offered any kind of technology for animation. I copied some flickbook techniques I saw on Rolf’s Cartoon Club, drawing usually quite gory, disgusting stuff on pages of notebooks and stacks of Post-it® notes. It was very basic. I was always looking for a possibility to take it to the next level. Eventually I got a camcorder and recorded them, then a PC and began drawing them with the mouse. Making do with what I had at each stage was important. I learnt so much from each stage. I gathered a lot of skills without realising it. I think it’s overwhelming to just have all the most advanced tools in front of you.

What are your thoughts on Doncaster and the opportunities for artists here?

Have you noticed any changes since you were based here?

Doncaster Art College was important for me because A-Level Art had really knocked me down, set me back and had me doubting if I was still interested in art. Then Art College put all the fun back into it. They encouraged me to make films if I wanted, they didn’t just focus on drawing, and most of all they were supportive rather than intimidating. I don’t know how much has changed since I was there but they have a much bigger building now.

You and another animator from Doncaster, Jonti Picking, both have quite a surreal style. Do you think this is a coincidence or might it have something to do with where you’re both from?

Doncaster is a funny place. Some of the funniest people I know are from Doncaster. I came back for a few months a while back and spent a few hours

every day writing in a coffee shop in the middle of town. I always find watching people inspirational and must have written a whole book’s worth of ideas in that time. There are some odd folk about. There used to be a rumour when I was at school that a mental institution nearby closed down and they just set all the patients free to roam Doncaster town centre. It wasn’t true of course, but it seemed very believable to us at the time.

The children in my class love making animations - and they’re good at it too (check out the Hexthorpe Primary website). Already this year, they have been twice nominated in the Bradford Animation Festival awards and won the UK’s first ‘World Book Day Award’, bagging the school £10,000 worth of books. Ask any of them what they want to be when they grow up, and “famous animator” comes right up there with “footballer” and “pop star”. And this may not be such an unrealistic goal, given the success of Donny’s homegrown talent in this field. I asked David what advice he would give to any upand-coming animators out there...

My advice would be start small. Do lots of little things. Always look at one area you can improve each time. Don’t expect a solo project to ever look like Pixar or something like that - they have teams of hundreds. And probably my biggest bit of advice would be don’t worry about it looking or being wrong, it might just be different and your eyes need to adjust to it. Faults make things more interesting.

What are you working on at the moment?

My first attempt at a feature length animation. Also writing a book. It won’t be about animation. It will be fiction.

So with David Firth working on an animated feature, the success of a new generation of animators, and the animation course at Doncaster College becoming one of its most popular, it seems that perhaps Doncaster does have the makings of a new home for British animation.

Last year the streets of Bristol, home of Aardman Animations, were adorned with an arts trail of giant ‘Gromit’ sculptures, each one individually decorated by famous names from the worlds of art, film and music.

Could Doncaster one day become the new Bristol? Who knows what weird and wonderful characters our future generations of animators will create.

We could even have our own arts trail one day, celebrating our somewhat darker, more surreal take on the animation world. Just imagine it, a giant Weebl bobbing about in front of the Frenchgate or a life-size Salad Fingers lurking around the Tut n Shive.

End

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Clocks

Jenny Crowder For two nights only, Cast will be bringing a Steampunk opera called Clocks 1888: The Greener. The title may seem confusing, but that’s because there has never been anything like this on the British stage. Set inside a huge clock (provided by an animated stage backdrop mixed with real-life scenery) and telling the story through operatic music, Clocks tells the story of The Greener, a young woman who has come to London to find work. As she works to keep the clocks of London running to time, she is surrounded by

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a cast of fellow immigrants and local bigots. Without spoiling any of the plot, suffice to say that this show will be entertaining on a cultural, musical and historical level.

Steampunk is genre of fiction inspired

by Victorian science fiction. It celebrates craftsmanship, hard work, and taking joy in creating with our own hands.

It’s an anti-iPod revolution, if you like.

It also takes the politeness, excellent dress sense and penchant for drinking tea from the Victorian era, and banishes

the bigotry, elitism and Imperialistic attitude. Steampunks strive to take the best from our history and make it contemporary.

Clocks 1888 shares a lot of these images and themes, and so will be accompanied by an exhibit of Steampunk artistry which is shaping up to be spectacular.

I spoke with the directors of the show to find out more...

What were your main inspirations for the show?

We have been making this opera over two years and it started like most of our work with the two of us wandering around London having coffee and chatting and sharing ideas.

Rachana with her designers eye had seen the range of beautiful public clocks in London and had an idea that inside each was a clocketeer - a caretaker who looks after the clock - so we walked all over town looking at public clocks from different times and designs and thinking up the different clocketeers who would run them and their stories.

We wanted to make a ground-breaking new opera work to change the idea that opera is an elitist art form and make it accessible both artistically and financially for new diverse young audiences.

Why have you chosen to set the show in the East End of London?

Our favourite clock we saw was a Victorian clock in Stepney Green, East London called ‘Education and Benevolence’. We decided on this one not only for the clock itself but also the area of East London where we often make work - which has its share of problems but is also the most diverse, dynamic and creative place. In 1888 the issues of immigration, flexible labour markets and new technologies were as important then as they are today.

Immigration is one of the key themes in the show. Can you explain its significance and how it’s portrayed?

Cultural concerns about immigration are not new – London and especially the East End at that time featured immigration from Ireland, central and Eastern Europe especially Jewish émigrés from Russia, Poland and Germany as well as the historical presence of Black and Asian communities as a result of colonialism and imperialism.

We wanted to reflect this in the opera so that is why the central character of the opera is ‘the greener’ - which is cockney slang for immigrant. This opera is a celebration of London’s creative

diversity and so she speaks and sings in a mix of all migrant languages alongside English - a real contemporary London girl!

We think it very important and artistically exciting to draw on, celebrate and reflect the rich and diverse stories of the East End that dynamically link the past to the present.

Why have you chosen opera as the medium through which to tell this story?

As a company we want to make exciting performance work that also asks questions not only of society but also the arts, so we do some things differently in this opera. We make work in which form is led by content and we believe opera is the ideal medium to tell this story as its heightened form is capable of scale, spectacle and great intimacy. The clock is central to the story and the digital animation allows the clock to be epic in scale which then integrates with the live performance.

Can you tell us more about the show’s central character?

There are three other dramatic characters alongside Greener that are drawn from the untold lives of the East End at that the time:

driven by the time he spent in the workhouse - a well documented and brutal punishment for those who were homeless and penniless. One of the jobs in the workhouse was to break flint (stone) a piece of which broke off into his eye leaving him with a glass eye.

He also speaks and sings with a lot of cockney rhyming slang - not all of it clean - influenced by the music halls or ‘penny gaffs’ of the time.

‘Author’ is a well to do young gentleman from the West End of London who is basically ‘slumming’ in the East End. ‘Slumming’ was a new phenomena that emerged in the 1880’s on an unprecedented scale for both curiosity and thrill seekers after disreputable entertainment went to see how the poor slum dwellers of the East End lived.

We are really excited about the show, and hope you like it too, but we also need to work very hard to reach our audience who may be first time to an arts events and certainly to an opera.

End Clocks 1888: The Greener April 15th and 16th Exhibit from 16:00 on April 16th Cast Box Office: 01302 303 959 Or online at www.castindoncaster.com

‘Ma’ is The old Indian woman who looks after the greener. She is based on the true histories of ayahs or ‘nannies’ in India who were employed by British colonials to look after their children and sometimes brought back to England.

However, once the children were old enough the ayahs were often left destitute. In 1855 the issue first came to light when it was discovered that 50 to 60 ayahs were living in a disreputable lodging house in Ratcliffe Highway in the East End of London and charged exorbitant rents until penniless and abandoned in the metropolis. In 1900 a home for ayahs was set up in Mare Street, Hackney where the Hackney Empire Theatre is. She speaks in English and Hindi and her music draws on the classical Indian tradition.

‘Coster’ is short for costermonger or street seller. Coster does anything he can to make a living as there was no welfare at that time and he is

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Illustrations: Rachana Jadha Š2016

NWP0000000001.1 Ernie The Robot Drummer Click. For me, weird is the norm. I’m fascinated by all things awry, off-kilter, whether it be music, film, art, books. My gravity pulls towards everything that is non-mainstream, true originality, the mavericks of the art world.

NEW WEIRD PLANET has that strange gravity. Feel that tingle, the frisson of brand new experience. Here be the weird, the wyrd, the warped, the wonky, the wild, the wonderful, the woozy, the wired. In fact, all manner of ‘w’ words.

It was not born out of the radio show on SineFM, but it was the original idea from which the show was born. There are a few similar art nights around - Golden Cabinet, Weird Garden, Audacious Art Experiment, MADE - but this was always going to be different. Above all, it was set to be mobile and roving. Adventures in a Northern landscape from my warped little databank.

With a small campus, Doncaster has no large concentration of students. It is a simple coaltown without a single coalface. It is a simple place of bars and coffee houses, not renowned for its art.

But look closer. Time to beat the drum.

So just what went down at NEW WEIRD PLANET Microfest v1.1? What did you miss? (My humblest heartfelt sympathy for those who missed this milestone in Donny’s musical history).

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Well, my extraordinary night included: my creator dressed in gowns with a 360-degree rotating mask that Sun Ra or Parliament could have worn, inventor of unexplained sonic machines, percussive androids, wielding a psychedelic waveform-distorting ‘axe’; a Bristolian musical odd-esy (sic), whilst a finely red bearded man mutilated cine8 with sandpaper, sharpies and fire; authentic alt-country guitarscapes created on pedals; a shadowplay story with spoken word, flutes, synthesis and delays; missing out on drinking strange juices from local bees; shamanic drumming and the sage cleansing of a very unusual artspace; strange effigies, voodoo imagery; homegrown krautrock from a SineFM DJ; jagged breakdowns and wrongness of sound; vegan curries; wavery candlelit toilets (freakout time, ha); shop mannequins used as percussion with their own severed limbs; road signs beaten to within an inch of their lives; shredded pornography as confetti; glitchy green Burroughsian text cut-up projections.

Green, indeed, was the colour of these rooms. I need to lie down in a darkened room. Turn off, dismantle. Back in the flight case.

End

Photography: Warren Draper

2015

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MUSIC GUIDE

Pulselover

Euphoria Audio

Album Review.

26th March, Leopard West Street.

Mat Handley is one of the nicest guys you could ever wish to meet. He is a mild-mannered gentleman, presenting one of the greatest alternative radio shows on air around these parts at the moment (You, The Night & The Music). He supports the undiscovered and the lesser-known. He is one half of Vamonos P, a lynchpin in the New Weird Planet collective. He is all of Pulselovers, his main project.

Once upon a time in the wilderness of West Yorkshire, four Wakefield school friends got together to make music. Not any old music. This was music to fill your heart, to raise your hands to and sing until your lungs burst in a room lit by smartphones. This was the beginning of Euphoria Audio.

This is Mat’s eponymously titled debut Pulselovers album. Thesepoppier efforts are deceptively simple, catchy, hummable and toe-tappingly infectious. But there is an krautish undertone, a sense of oneness with nature, an organic sense of playfulness, as opposed to his usual sonic explorations and experimental edginess. There are textures of real instruments, keeping any potential electronic coldness at bay. He includes guitar tones (Tony Nicholson, Graham Sutherland), vox humana (Craig Manga, Blurred Girl) and guest synth colourist Allan Murphy (Midwich Youth Club), who helped shape the final master too, alongside Mat’s son, Raven.

The end result is a rich sonic tapestry of delicate, nuanced songs, motorik grooves and electronic instrumentals which almost provide a biographical picture of the shapeshifting Mat. There are improvised electro jams, percussive shadows from Mat’s life in New Delhi, hazy, translucent washes of sound hovering between Harold Budd and The Cocteau Twins, soundtracks to movies that only play in Mr Handley’s mind. Above all, just incredible propulsive electronic pop musik (sic). It’s heart swooningly lovely. There’s no other word for it.

You must grab a copy of ‘Pulselovers’ by order of death - the soundtrack to the rest of your life.

Available via pulselovers.bandcamp.com Sven Dali

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Made up of vocalist Matt Shirtliff, lead guitarist Ben Lloyd, bassist Ben Hughes and drummer Josh Hughes, Euphoria Audio have played as far afield as the US where they received the following praise: “[Euphoria Audio] ripped the roof off the house at the world-famous Whisky A-Go-Go” (MUSEXPO, Los Angeles). Then they went all the way across to Singapore, where they were invited to open for the legendary Aerosmith (yes, really). Playing at countless venues and festivals up and down the UK, the band thrive on live performances.

Euphoria Audio are starting off their 2016 calendar with a gig at The Leopard in Doncaster. This gig takes place on Saturday 26 March and should be a sell out show. Their die hard fans travel the length and breadth of the country in support of their heroes. You’ll hear songs from their self-titled debut album and possibly some sneak peeks from their brand new EP. Lock Saturday 26 March into your diaries and support a home-grown Yorkshire band at The Leopard.

Tickets are available through Live Lounge UK: http://liveloungeuk.co.uk/ cube/ See you at the front!

Pat Philips Hague

Film &TheatreGUIDE

cosy Cinema

CLOCKS 1888

There’s a lot going on in Mexborough right now — poetry festivals, property development, arts and crafts — but one of the things that has been sadly lacking in the town since the 1970s is a cinema. At least, that was the case until last year, when the Right Up Our Street project teamed with local film fans and Film Hub North to finally set up the Cosy Cinema.

New production at Cast April 15th & 16.

Run by a team of local volunteers, the Cosy Cinema holds monthly film screenings at the Concertina Band Club, that each offer something a little more than your local multiplex. For starters, the variety of films screened is simply massive, with upcoming films ranging from art house epics from the dawn of cinema — 1916’s Intolerance — to modern classics like The Revenant.

There’s something for film buffs and film newbies alike, for those wanting to revisit their old favourites and those wanting something new.

Not only that, but each film is transformed into a unique experience by special events that are included in the price of the ticket. In January, the screening of This Is Spinal Tap was introduced by former Saxon guitarist — and Mexborough resident — Graham Oliver, who told the true story of how Saxon inspired the film, as well as sharing his memories of the time he spent touring with rock ‘n’ roll legends (most of which are unprintable here!). It’s an intimate and, yes, cosy way of enhancing the film that you won’t find anywhere else, all helped along by the award-winning beers and real ales brewed on-site. It’s the ultimate laid-back, cool cinema experience that Mexborough has been crying out for since the 70s.

Cosy Cinema will always be a welcoming and surprising experience. Find the Cosy Cinema on Facebook for the latest updates.

Chris Chapman 10th March: Brassed Off Northern-set drama about a colliery band, accompanied by a live brass band.

28th April: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Classic psychological chiller starring Bette Davis.

26th May: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Cult classic starring Johnny Depp, based on the writing of Hunter S Thompson.

30th June: Gothic A twisted collection of horror stories from Ken Russell.

14th July: The Battle of the Somme The original documentary from 1916 to mark the centenary of the Somme.

25th August: The Revenant Award-winning true story about one man’s fight for survival, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Since opening, the Cast theatre in Doncaster has proved itself to be a versatile venue staffed by the most imaginative directors, actors and writers bringing entertainment relevant to us and our hometown. Just this year, it has given us anything from emotional ballet inspired by the pit strikes of the 80’s, to roaring comedies such as Shafted!

And they’re about to do it again.

For two nights only, Cast will be bringing a Steampunk opera called Clocks 1888: The Greener. The title may seem confusing, but that’s because there has never been anything like this on the British stage. Set inside a huge clock (provided by an animated stage backdrop mixed with real-life scenery) and telling the story through operatic music, Clocks tells the story of The Greener, a young woman who has come to London to find work. As she works to keep the clocks of London running to time, she is surrounded by a cast of fellow immigrants and local bigots. Without spoiling any of the plot, suffice to say that this show will be entertaining on a cultural, musical and historical level.

What was that other word I mentioned?

Steampunk. A genre of fiction inspired by Victorian science fiction; An aesthetic movement which is swiftly becoming a staple in Alternative Britain. Steampunk is all about cogs, gears and steam coupled with top hats, fine waistcoats and bustled dresses. But it goes deeper than that.

Steampunk is about celebrating craftsmanship, hard work, and taking joy in creating with our own hands. It’s an anti-iPod revolution, if you like. It also takes the politeness, excellent dress sense and penchant for drinking tea from the Victorian era, and banishes the bigotry, elitism and Imperialistic attitude. Steampunks strive to take the best from our history and make it contemporary.

Clocks 1888 shares a lot of these images and themes, and so will be accompanied by an exhibit of Steampunk artistry which is shaping up to be spectacular. Assisted by Doncaster’s local author, Craig Hallam, Cast will be holding the exhibit with free entry, including artwork, hand-made contraptions and costumes.

Make sure you don’t miss it, as Clocks 1888 is open for two nights only before heading to London. And I can promise you, you’ll never experience anything like it.

Clocks 1888: The Greener April 15th and 16th Exhibit from 16:00 on April 16th Cast Box Office: 01302 303 959 Or online at www.castindoncaster.com Craig Hallam

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THEATRE & FILM Guide

Hospice Apeal

SISTERS UNCUT

#DONCOGEMS

Can you help? Donations wanted for spring fayre Staff at Doncaster’s hospice are preparing for a spring fayre and need your help!

Domestic violence services in Doncaster are being quietly closed down. There are a number of campaigns, events and actions to expose closures and cuts happening across Doncaster which anyone can join or support. They are working to demand ringfencing of funds to secure the future of Doncaster’s vital domestic violence services.

CAFES

The event will take place on March 23rd at St John’s Hospice, off Weston Road, Balby.

Staff need Doncaster folk to donate gifts which can be used as prizes in the raffle or tombola. There will also be a cake stall, so any budding bakers are invited to donate cakes too. Please deliver these either on the day or the day before the event.

Chris Smith, Hospice Community Fundraiser, said: “Every penny raised from the event will be spent on making our patients’ lives more comfortable. Please support us by donating gifts to us.”

If you have a donation, please drop it off at the hospice reception between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.

The hospice is run by Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Trust (RDaSH) and currently costs £2.7 million a year to run. Its fundraising campaign over the last year has highlighted many of the services provided so that more people understand and know how to access them.

Amongst many other things, donations fund additional services for patients, including complementary therapies, arts and crafts sessions and hairdressing facilities. With our fundraisers’ help we are also able to ensure that St John’s has the highest standard of equipment and support services. For example, the specialist mattresses which contribute to the wellbeing and comfort of our patients are so important, as is the flexibility to create special moments in a building where every moment matters.

St John’s is also the hub for Hospice at Home care and the St John’s Information and Support Centre.

Lynne Hall

“We are Sisters Uncut. We stand united with all self-defining women who live under the threat of domestic violence and those who experience violence in their daily lives. We stand against the life-threatening cuts to domestic violence services. We stand against austerity.”

In the UK, two women a week on average are killed at the hands of a partner or ex-partner.

The cuts make it harder for women to leave dangerous relationships and live safely.

Safety is not a privilege. Access to justice cannot become a luxury. Austerity cuts are ideological, but cuts to domestic violence services are fatal.

Every woman’s experience is specific to her. As intersectional feminists we understand that a woman’s individual experience of violence is affected by race, class, disability, sexuality and immigration status.

Doors are being slammed on women fleeing violence. Refuges are being shut down, legal aid has been cut, social housing is scarce and private rents are extortionate.

What is more, local councils are outsourcing contracts to companies which are then running them on a shoestring, putting the safety of survivors at risk and worseningthe conditions for those who work with abused women.

To those in power, our message is this: your cuts are sexist, your cuts are dangerous, and you think that you can get away with them because you have targeted the people who you perceive as powerless.

We are those people. We are women and we will not be silenced. We stand united and fight together, and together we will win.”

Feministo: http://www.sistersuncut.org/

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Art Guide

INside the box

Life Drawing

New exhibition Putting a creative person into a metaphorical box pigeon-holes and diminishes them by restricting our view of their capabilities. Getting them to climb into a physical box, though, can be quite revealing.

Doncaster artist Terry Chipp has been painting people in boxes for his latest exhibition at Cast Theatre in Doncaster. Dancers, writers, actors and musicians encountered at the theatre have all proved to be willing victims.

The idea grew out ofan exploration of performance and how people take on a different persona when they present themselves to an audience, whether on stage, in a meeting, in a classroom or whatever. For some, being invited to climb into the unfamiliar environment of a large box and strike a pose brought out a surprising playfulness. For others it became a meditative space. The shadows that the figures emerge from create a tension that suggests there may be much more to the person than we initially see. Some of the sitters could not be contained and began to break out of the frame.

The exhibition is in the entrance foyer at Cast in Waterdale and runs from 1st March to 30th April 2016.

Terry can be contacted through Facebook at ‘Terry Chipp Fine Art Painting’, his website www.terrychipp.co.uk, or visited, by appointment on 07941 983798, at his studio in the old art college at Church View in Doncaster, where he hosts a weekly art group.

Guy Russel

Church View is springingto life thanks to an emerging, award-winning artist based in the North of England. Adam Berry has a gallery at the Loft in the old art school in Doncaster Town Centre. He runs life drawing classes several times a month where artists of all abilities have the chance to hone their skills. There is a choice of all-day or half-day sessions at affordable prices and the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming. Beginners can count on Adam to give them help or advice, and more seasoned artists can be left to create their own masterpieces.

Fine art painter Adam, who has exhibited as far afield as the US, is promoting the use of the building to recreate the days of yesteryear, when Church View was the epicentre of the Doncaster arts world. The life models are professional and experienced. They strike a variety of poses during the day, so if you opt for an all-day session you can produce a series of drawings or just work on your original.

It is an exciting and creative place to be. Newcomer Anita France said, “Before I came I felt a bit nervous, wondering what it would be like. Although I have done some life drawing before it was quite a time ago. However, Adam is friendly and relaxed and willing to help if you need it. I will certainly come again. There were some very talented artists there. Everyone was very supportive of one another, offering advice and encouragement.’

The room beams with light, lending itself to creativity, and there are easels provided to suit the artists’ needs. It has become so popular that Adam, who initially imagined monthly sessions, is now offering the classes several times a month.

Interested? You would be mad to miss them. I know I will be returning very soon.

Lesley Merrin

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Long Division

In Donny Jonathan Jones Over the past four years, Sine FM’s alternative new music show, The First 45, has been covering Wakefield’s excellent Long Division Festival.

Living in the shadow of neighbouring Leeds and its rich musical heritage, Wakefield has stuck a fork in the live music pie and taken a hearty portion for itself.

Created by Rhubarb Bomb Fanzine in 2011, Long Division strives to celebrate the vast amounts of local talent coming from Wakefield and its surrounding areas, whilst also bringing national and international performers with a deeply ingrained DIY ethic to the city. In previous years the festival has boasted artists such as Ash, The Cribs, Pulled Apart By Horses, The Wedding Present, Gruff Rhys and The Fall.

This year’s event has been made possible through a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign, which has raised well over £7,500, coupled with the recent renovation of Unity Works, which now forms the hub of the annual music and arts festival.

Having built a relationship with Long Division over the past four years, The First 45 has been invited to put forward two Doncaster acts to join this year’s line-up.

Choosing two acts from a town whose musical pedigree is growing day by day was always going to be a tough decision.

In the end, it was Framing Witches and Little Mono who were chosen to represent Doncaster on 11 June, joining

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the likes of Field Music, Gang Of Four, Los Campesinos!, Brix & The Extricated and many more on a very exciting bill.

Framing Witches’ bio simply states that the band were “found abandoned in a shed in the deepest darkest depths of a defunct mining town… [presenting] their paranoid and skeptical view of the world with their ever increasing menagerie of songs”.

But this doesn’t even begin to tell the story of a band whose lyrics intertwine sociopolitical observation with a wonderfully dry wit and an exceptional talent for music making.

Little Mono have recently released their debut album, Sailing Songs, which has been received positively by everyone who has listened so far, with rave reviews from a host of Sine FM presenters and here at Doncopolitan HQ. The band have won fans across the UK through radio airplay and are bound to attract a good number of listeners eager to experience the exceptional tracks from the album in a live setting.

It’s only a matter of time before word spreads about these guys.

For 2016, festival organiser Dean Freeman has taken the bold step of spreading Long Division’s reach beyond the boundaries of Wakefield by announcing warm-up events in a number of towns and cities, including Leeds, Sheffield, Huddersfield and Doncaster.

So on 8 April at Vintage Rockbar, The First 45 will host a night of music

featuring not just Framing Witches and Little Mono, but also up-and-coming Leeds indie rock outfit Forever Cult, who have been winning plaudits from the likes of the NME, Clash Magazine, Artrocker and Drowned In Sound, as well as receiving radio play from 6 Music and Radio One. With appearances at Live At Leeds and Leeds and Reading Festivals under their belt, they’ve also honed their skills as a live act. Donny is in for a treat.

Much more than just a gig, this collaboration with Long Division Festival will forge links between the arts scenes of Doncaster and Wakefield and hopefully encourage fans from both towns to make the 20-minute train journey to check out what each has to offer.

The warm-up gig featuring Forever Cult, Framing Witches and Little Mono takes place at Vintage Rockbar on 8 April.

Tickets can be purchased at the venue, at The Notorious Aardvark Record Shop or online via See Tickets at just £4 each.

There will also be a chance to win two tickets to Long Division Festival itself on the night.

End Long Division Festival takes place in Wakefield city centre over the weekend of 10-12 June. Tickets can be purchased via their website at: www.longdivisionfestival.co.uk

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