LeftLion Magazine Issue 28 as a pdf

#28 · April-May 2009
e:
nc e
ida sid
gu in
al ds
nt o r
re w
pa b a d
Thank you for 43 years of service
Sorry you’re leaving us
It won’t be the same
Without you
joe dempsie / ade edmondson / screen room
dh lawrence: the naughty tram / nottingham events listings guide
contents
editorial
LeftLion Magazine Issue 28
April - May 2009
On the afternoon of April 15, 1989, I was trapped in a lift at
the Co-Op in Broadmarsh Centre. I had the worst Saturday
job ever, which involved sitting in the goods lift and being
made to take an endless stream of fat Mams who couldn’t
be arsed to use the stairs up to the top floor every thirty
seconds. I was even more pissed off than usual that day, as
Forest were playing Liverpool in the FA Cup and I couldn’t
get any kind of reception off my Walkman radio.
The mighty Selectadisc,
one of the best
independent record shops
At about
five past
three, the security guard who looked like
in the country,
is no
more.
Dennis Weaver (the bloke in Duel and McCloud) dropped
Former employee
by. “HaveSteve
y‘eard? Game’s been stopped. Fookin’ Scaahsers
are kicking off again”. We both did that Nana-ish facial
McLay paysexpression
tributethat
to all true Nottinghamians do to register
disapproval
- tilt head back, raise eyebrows, form mouth
Nottingham's
favourite
like cat’s arsehole, tut - and I cracked open my book and
shop...
waited for the next fat Mam to summon me. And waited.
08
04
05
06
10
May Contain Notts
The news diary that licks mushy peas
off your sister whilst dressed as Alvin
Stardust
11
LeftEyeOn
A delightful smattering of
Nottinghamian pictorial whatnot
12
16
19
Live Ade
The Littlest Big Screen
Adrian Edmondson on his new band,
We take you inside the Screen Room
.
his old mate, and a disturbing
of is terminal,(but
onlynothing
twenty
of you
at a time,
When a tale
condition
there’s
more
daunting
than the
inevitable. Usually in such cases,
the sadness is offset slightly by the
pork pie abuse
obviously)
knowledge that any pain and suffering would at least cease. On 27
February 2009, as I sat surfing the Nottingham Evening Post’s website,
there was
no such relief.
Joined-Up
Thinking
And waited. And waited.
After thirty minutes, confused as to why no-one was
mashing my button, I ventured onto the shop floor. The place
was deserted. And then I noticed the telly department,
with half of Broado crowded round it, watching 96 people
die on Grandstand in total silence. Everyone there knew at
least one person at the ground. Nobody knew what was
happening to them.
20
King Skins
And then, when Bob Wilson announced that it was
Joe Dempsie phones home to talk
The return of Dot To Dot
the Liverpool end who was involved, the weirdest
aboutThe
Chris
Miles
and The
title alone
was enough
to sinkDamned
my heart from its jovial Friday
With a reputation that spread across the Atlantic, the customers were
transformation; from unbearable tension to sheer relief to
high to a sullen low; Selectadisc In Nottingham Is Set To Close.
far more colourful than the ones in your local branch of Greggs. Metallers
United
Comments on local forums, industry websites and blogs would chime Nottingham
would hassle Simon
Tilton, mums-with-lists
overwhelming sadness, all in the space of two seconds.
Events
Listings would comically mispronounce
with the phrases ‘credit crunch’ and ‘death to digital’ as people praised
the names of angst-ridden bands, spectrum-coloured, middle-aged men would
that
Hillsborough
Eight
weeks
of stuff
to do when
you’re
a 43-year-old legacy that started with a few books and records on a
cling
to the counter
for conversation
and weekend
warriors wouldLater
buy tickets
to day, the bus home drove past Forest supporters
market stall.Aspden
the latest Tribal
Gathering.
All this set in a scene of poster-clad walls
Basilway back from Hillsborough. You couldn’t bring
onwhere
their
The story of a national tragedy,
Kester
not working
or
sleeping
beavered around with his clipboard, Jim marshalled everyone while clutching
yourself
to look them in the face, or imagine what they’d
recounted from the other side of the
author
the most important
As The
mourners
came to of
lay keyboard-typed
wreaths to this ‘legendary
another pile of obscure train journey DVDs, and Sue’s Barnsley cackle
broke
independent’, they spoke of the rarities they’d uncovered, the bands they’d seen
through even the deepest dub bassline.
seen.
stadium
book
you’ll
read
this
year
talks
hunched playing in front of the counter and the piles of vinyl they’d escorted from Write Lion
‘Yorkshire
Noir’
the premises
into their own.
People were mourning Selectadisc’s passing like the
For those who cared to look - or those that already knew - the walls and pillars behind
latest
literary
fall of an empire that had once threatened to invade the Market Square, before being The the
counter
may havemusings
seemed littered with promo posters and stickers
for albums
and later, we’ve talked to a few people who were
Twenty
years
pinned
back
for
its
last
stand
under
the
shadow
of
the
Theatre
Royal.
gigs, but closer inspection would reveal an endless montage of images doctored with
A Canadian In New Basford
there (regulars
in an and
attempt to piece together the Nottingham side
drawn-on glasses, beards (for Bell), big noses (for James) and catchphrases
Enginelike it did with
Our Rob gets tret to a slap-up meal
As when myDH
GranLawrence
died, it’ll take methe
yearsNaughty
to walk past Selectadisc,
staff alike). The wall of media from musicians advertising for like-minded fellows might
of the story, and that article – along with an interview with
Reviews
her house, without having my heart strings snapped at, like the bass from a
have chronicled the history of the customers, but those till-side highlighted the endless
at top-notch sophisticated dining
A Tramtastic tale for all the family – as
the writer
a book about institutionalised racism and the
Washington hardcore band resonating from the shop’s doors. Here was a place that
characteristics
and traits of people
as crispiest
mischievous as an Oasis-obsessed
Moony or aof
coiled
An all-Notts
selection
of the
long
asenchanting,
they don’t
mindcomical
references
to
experience, er, Hooters
provided some of
the most
passionate,
and heart-warming
moments
punk soul like Dickie.
final word on the closing of Selectadisc – means that this
cobs
for
your
lyrical
snap
tin
that post-war Nottingham has hosted. A two-way theatre where the cast and punters
vomit and public sexual intercourse
would interchange depending on what side of the counter they were stood and who was
Even when you left, you never truly escaped the reaches of the Selectadisc
Ten years
issue family.
is pretty
heavy manners. And we make no apologies
taking the spotlight. Having worked there, it was also the place that helped shape my life;
after I worked there, I'd still receive invites to the Christmas party (my Dad even got invited once
for
that;
there’s
no point relentlessly banging on about how
The Vinyl Salute
my career as a journalist, the sounds on my stereo and some of the greatest friends I have.
when Sue rang my parents' house) and I still to this day refer to it as 'The Shop'. Selectadisc was a
Notts
Trumps
living
and breathing community, where friends would drop in to spontaneously
organise
mint Notts
is if you don’t highlight the shittier elements.
Why the demise of Selectadisc is One Saturday at the Artist
Profiles
age of seventeen, I turned up on Market Street, rather fuzzily-eyed after a Plusafter-work
pints, talk music,
football, swap
Horrorscopes,
Thetalk
Arthole
andshit jokes and buy a few tunes while constantly
such a blow to the city, by a former night of dancing awayJon
Rouston,
Debra
Harriet
at the
Marcus Garvey
Centre,Swann,
for my first day
as a Saturday lad. Rather
influencing (often subliminally) those that stepped within. Were it not for Selectadisc's existence,
LeftLion
Abroad
than, as I had hoped, being quizzed about Guided By Voices singles or Jeff Mills aliases I was
there would
be a completely different list of names in my phone, my
personal
as adear reader; we also take the time to have
But
fearcareer
not,
employee
Startin and Sam Clift
instead given three things; a mop, a shopping list and a pile of CDs to put back in the racks.
journalist might not have been so open-eared and eyed and my list of hangovers would doubtless
natter
with
Adrian
After two weeks of burning the candle at both ends and exhibiting somewhat lethargic
be a lot shorter. More so than school, college or anywhere else I’veaworked,
the shop
was the
biggest Edmondson (and were delighted to
behaviour the next day I had earned the nickname ‘Lightning’.
social influence of my life. Now, it’s gone.
discover that our older readers might have scoffed a pork
made
I wasn’t the only one; Gary X-Ray, Tommy Teapot, Thrash, Matt Tatt, Nail, Bell, Urn, Tubs, Schmo,
All good things don't have to come to an end, and there's hope thatpie
Selectadisc
willby
riseVyvyan
again, underout the Young Ones over a quarter of a
Fish, Goose, Monkey, K-9, Panther, Waino, Detail, Metal Ed. . .even the innocuous-sounding Basil
Jim's guidance, at a smaller location. And while the beat of the heart,
passion and
diverse
qualityawill
century
ago),
have
nose round the Screen Room, and send
(so-called because of having a tendency for returning records for being ‘faulty’) all lent
doubtless remain the same, there'll be elements that are lost forever (Little Ben's stomach-churning
our resident
CanAlien Rob off to Hooters. And please note
themselves to a bizarre list of aliases. Sure, it was a musical Mecca, but it took a triumphantly
emissions that cleared the shop on more than one occasion will however
not be missed).
calamitous mix of people to make it so, whether they be a mild-mannered hip-hop head (Rachel),
that we’ve revamped our reviews section to give even more
pogoing front man (Punish the Atom’s Joey),
Brian Clough said not to bring him flowers when he was dead, but to bring them when he was
bands
shine, and the fact that all the usual knickglobally-loved bass player (Mark Pitchshifter), giggling DJ (Dave Congreve) or aspirational
alive. Those keen enough to feast on the cheap closing down sale Notts
might've done
well toa
heed
promoter (Detonate’s James).
these words earlier (myself in recent years included), but you can'tknacks
blame Selectadisc's
closure LeftLion so much better than the other
that make
solely on spending patterns, MP3s, credit crunches or anything else. The factors just
rammell are present and correct. Thanks for picking us up.
If Selectadisc was a theatre, then Fergus was certainly the pantomime baddie. Owner of
continued to stack.
21
14
26
08
10
credits
Editor In Chief
Jared Wilson ([email protected])
18
30
Theatre Editor
Adrian Bhagat ([email protected])
Art Director
David Blenkey ([email protected])
Deputy Editors
Nathan Miller ([email protected])
Charlotte Kingsbury ([email protected])
Technical Director
Alan Gilby ([email protected])
Designer
Tom Wingrove ([email protected])
28
the most scornful ‘Can I help you?’ in the Midlands and with a reputation for
‘bluntness’, he was renowned as the weekend retail version of Simon Cowell (if
Regardless, we'll be left with a hole much bigger than that of a 12” and the community
to your
Cowell had specialised in drum ‘n’ bass and techno). After a few Saturday mornings
will begin to disperse with no central focal point. Never again willWord
you get such
a
Photography
Editor
“THE TRUTH:
of working the singles
store I realised that not only was he a likeable
jumble of music-heads assembled in a Nottingham store. The beat goes on but
chap,Henry
but that having
seventeen year-old bum-fluff kids demanding you
play afans picked
the heartpockets
has stopped.
all the rarities that people pillaged from there over the
Some
ofOfvictims.
Dominic
([email protected])
Al Needham
pile of happy hardcore records at 9am in the morning does not make a bright
years, I acquired something that will stay with me forever. A nickname.
Some fans urinated
on the brave cops.
outlook for the day.
God bless you Selectadisc.
Editor
Al Needham ([email protected])
Marketing and Sales Manager
Ben Hacking ([email protected])
16
Contributors
Alison Emm
Aly Stoneman
David Thompson
Duncan Heath
Frances Ashton
Glen Parver
Rob Cutforth
Roger Mean
Steve McLay
Illustrators
Ging Inferior
Rikki Marr
10 www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
Rob White
Art Editor
Frances Ashton ([email protected])
Literature Editor
James Walker ([email protected])
Music Editors
Natasha Chowdhury ([email protected])
Paul Klotschkow ([email protected])
Photographers
Beccy Godridge
Christina Barbian
Lizzie Goodman
Toby Price
Podcast Overlord
Will Forrest
Some fans beat up PC giving kiss of life.”
Nana,
[email protected]
The Sun, lying out of its arse, April 19 1989
MEET THE TEAM
If you would like to reach our readers by
advertising your company in these pages please
contact Ben on 07984 275453 or email
[email protected]
LeftLion has an estimated readership of 40,000 in
the city of Nottingham. LeftLion.co.uk received
over 4 million page views in the last 12 months.
Tom Wingrove Designer
Workaholic. Designer. Installation
maker. Illustrator. Concept designer.
Art director. Cat enthusiast.
Filmmaker. Cider lover. Dance
whore. Comic collector. Breadmaker. Friend-maker. Staring
champion. Music collector. Sci-fi
freak. Time-waster. Hello.
LeftLion is distributed to over 300 venues across
Nottingham. If your venue isn’t one of them,
please contact Ben on 07984 275453 or email
[email protected]
Frances Ashton Arts Editor
This magazine is printed on paper sourced from
sustainable forests. Our printers are ISO 14001
certified by the British Accreditation Bureau for
their environmental management system.
A former Gallery Manager of Southwell
Artspace, Frances now works for the
Council’s Creative Room. When not
checking out exhibitions and studios, she
can be found on the dancefloor., Oh, and
she wants to learn snowboarding and
become the Director of the Tate Gallery.
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28 3
Selectadone
I suspect the Selectadisc people would say that too
many of us were already going to t’internet for our
music needs... iTunes does not, to my knowledge,
have people working behind the counter who can
help you discover something you’d not previously
heard of.
khongor
True, but it’s a shame that the vinyl dept can’t
be saved at least. A move to smaller premises
in a cheaper part of town is plausible surely?
Apparently Selectadisc started out as a mere
market stall. Perhaps a tactical retreat is in order?
Haych
The future of retailing recorded music is bleak
whether in shops and online because, bottom line,
the customer doesn’t want to pay anymore. It’s
very easy to get your music for free, and difficult to
force people to pay. That affects Amazon and HMV
as much as it does Selectadisc, and I can’t see that
changing.
Transmetropolitan
Actually I do want to pay for some music. I gave
my mate back a cdr of the last Roots Manuva album
as I want him to get the royalty. It goes like this:
are they alive? Are they minted? Are they Tories? If
dead, were they nice or horrible to their kids?
Floydy
I’ve met and been friends with a couple of the staff
and they are very nice people, but something about
standing behind that counter seemed to give them
a holier-than-thou attitude that I really didn’t like.
Still, sad times though.
Mr BRJ
I was afforded the best, most laconic put-down in
the nineties, when I asked for Johnny Panic’s When
I Drink I Love You More. The shoe-gazer kid didn’t
even look up from beneath his perfect indie fringe,
pointed to one of his colleagues and flat-lined ‘He
does pop.’ Ouch.
Basia Zamorska
Me and the K absolutely battered their staff one
night at the music quiz at the Social. They got
Selectadissed.
Lord of the Nish
Run! Giant Robin Hood statue full
of restaurants is coming!
I personally fully support the idea of having a very
tall building in Nottingham for the sake of tourism.
However, the whole Robin Hood motif is a bit of a
new angle. It’s going to take a good team of artists
and architects to make that not be shit...
Jared
They should have a giant Brian Clough as well with
a massive bar in his head.
daley thompson
Great idea, will be shot down by people who hate
progress. If not the council just won’t have the balls
to say ‘yes’ to this project. Shame.
Nottingham
I don’t hate progress and I’m shooting it down.
From a tiny biplane circling ‘round its head.
New Jersey Manufacturer’s Insurance Co.
Ironically if the Robin Hood statue was to actually
happen, the most interesting part of skyline would
be the thing you are viewing it from.
Pete Spectrum
Nottingham businessman proposes giant statue
of Robin Hood (again). Stupid, numpty, whiny,
opinionated, parochial, professional Midlander, pea
brained, fat arse business idiot. With twats like
him in the county why does he even wonder why
London gets everything? Answer: ‘cos they have
all the clever business people.
myeviltwin
I feel that anything that would overshadow the
iconic incinerator dominating the city’s southerly
aspect would be a tragic blow to our heritage.
Albert Herring
4
MAY CONTAIN
NOTTS
with Nottingham’s
‘Mr. Sex’, Al Needham
February 2009-March 2009
February 9
‘Smokey’, the city’s most prolific tagger, gets
sent down for twenty weeks for, well, making
tourists assume that we’re all mental about the
rammell seventies band who did Living Next
Door To Alice and looked like failed experiments
in trying to clone Rod Stewart. Oh, and if there
are any taggers out there reading this, pack it in,
because you’re shit. There is a world of difference
between Seen and Shy 147 breaking into a train
depot in Style Wars and covering a carriage in
art, and you writing your stupid name that noone can even read on the shutters of a cob shop
in Sherwood.
February 10
David Cameron visits Nottingham for the day,
in order to give off the impression that he gives a
single, solitary monkey’s arse about us.
February 11
Two cars in Gedling collide with such force
that one of their engines flies off and lands
in someone’s front garden, bringing back
horrifying memories of the time when that plane
with a full cargo of knackered old sofas crashed
into that juggernaut full of fucked fridges in
Sneinton.
February 12
Former Atomic Kitten Liz McClarnon comes to Nottingham to
promote pork at Clarendon College. And now, after writing those
lines, I want to sharpen two pencils, shove them up my nose, and
bash my face repeatedly against the table.
February 13
A charity is set up to get Tales Of Robin Hood reopened. So if you
get hassled in the street by a robot in tights that stinks of piss when
you’re on your dinner hour, now you know why.
February 14
A dark day for the Nottingham music scene, as an audition in
Carlton for a member of a Take That tribute band (not Robbie
or the fat lad – one of the other twats) attracts precisely no-one.
“I am astonished. I thought there was supposed to be two million
unemployed” says the band’s manager. “The lucky man will earn
good money and travel the world. Doesn’t anyone want a taste of
the pop star life?”
February 16
Cast, the bar at the Playhouse which had shut down the previous
month, re-opens. I’m now convinced that there actually isn’t a
recession at all - bars in town are only saying they’re shutting down
to get their names in May Contain Notts and make me look an idiot.
Hmph.
February 18
It is announced in Hollywood that Nottingham, that new film about
Robin Hood that’s been hanging about the pages of MCN like a
pissy whiff in a Debenhams doorway on a Sunday morn, is now
going to be called – wait for it – Robin Hood. Whoa. It must have
took ‘em ages to come up with that.
February 23
Talking of which, a local businessman announces plans to build a
bleddy enormous Robin Hood on the outskirts of town, the batchy
bogger. The plans include – disturbingly – a restaurant somewhere
below his belt. Hm, shall we have a romantic meal in Robin Hood’s
ball-bag tonight, darling?
February 25
Metallica play the Ice Arena, resulting in the greatest Evening Post
forum quote ever, from ‘Brian of Grantham’; “the best 2 bands in
the world r guns n roses and metallica and seein gnr at milton keynes
in 93(with long hair)was possibly the best day of my life.....the 2nd
best day was when i saw metallica at download 2006(again with
long hair)....i ve now had my hair cut off as i got it caught in a tractor
last september”
February 27
Selectadisc announces that it’s shutting down after 43 years,
resulting in half the city bashing its hands against its head, even
though most of them hadn’t been in there since Fear Of A Black
Planet came out on import, this writer included. We’re all to blame
on this one, people. We should be ashamed of oursen.
March 2
The Nottingham Eye, midway through its second stint of showing
people what it would be like if they were the world’s tallest Emo,
is forced to change its name after the people who run the London
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
one get a mard-on and are scared that Japanese tourists might
turn down the chance to look across the Thames and have a goz
at Primark instead. So they change it to the Wheel of Nottingham,
which is bob. Not only does it sound like something you’d find on
the menu of a carvery, but it also implies that we’ve only got one.
Making us sound like, I dunno, Mansfield or summat.
March 3
One of our local happy-go-lucky mentalists is given an ASBO
banning him from being in certain parts of town, drinking in
public and touching cars. So what does that mean – if you ran him
over, he’d get done for it?
March 4
The Mecca Bingo club in Beeston puts on a search for a bingo
caller in Viccy Centre, but no-one volunteers. Speaking as a former
bingo caller myself, I can tell you that it’s a fantastic job if you like
wearing extremely tight black Sta-Prest trousers and having your
arse mauled by elderly women sporting home-made coathanger
tattoos that read ‘DAVE’ and ‘BAY CITY ROLLERS’, who pull you
onto their knees and screech “I’ve ‘ad bigger lads than yo’, duckeh”
into your tab.
March 10
Snug gets its lapdancing licence application knocked back by
the Council (for the usual reasons – i.e. the fear that town would
be full of sex-crazed locals masturbating in the streets like bored
monkeys in zoos), despite claiming that they would be offering a
‘highbrow burlesque event’ (i.e. sucky middle-class girls pratting
about in their Nana’s knickers) and looking to book Dita Von Teese
- which is not unlike the Thurland trying to get a music licence by
saying they’re going to have a word with Prince and seeing if he’s
up for doing a turn. Nice try, chaps, but Dita Von Teese? You’ve got
more chance of getting Rita from Bees…
March 11
…ton.
March 12
After leaving the Golden Fleece with a young friend, May Contain
Notts witnesses a chatty youth rip open the nub-end bin,
rummage through it, and shout; “EE’YAR, CARL! AH’VE GORRUS
SOME FAGS!”
March 18
Heartwarming story of the bi-month: Pete Doherty, in town to
play a gig at Rock City, spends the afternoon getting kaylide in
the Old Angel, where he gets approached by two already battered
members of mature punk band Certified (latest CD Piss In Your Face
out now, kids), who ask if they can play support. Pete, obviously in a
good mood that the papers are now wondering when Jade is going
to snuff it instead of him, lets them. Next thing you know, they’re
on stage, bellowing at a venue full of twatty students. Who says
dreams don’t come true?
March 19
A postmaster in Sneinton announces he has banned customers
who can’t speak English properly from his post office. Yes, that’s
right; Sneinton. He then gets nobbed off by the owner and kicked
out by the party he serves as a councillor for, but claims that he
will impose the ban in his new post office in Netherfield. Yes, that’s
right; Netherfield.
LeftEyeOn
Images
Style
Legendary,
the exhibition
of work
in our
this camera
mag from
the last five
What’s from
beenOur
goin’
on Is
raand
Notts recentleh,
through
thefeatured
lenses of
folk...
years, at the Malt Cross…
Top left to bottom right
The exhibition space.
Top
left to bottom right
SHRUG Ladies perform on the opening night.
The
exhibition space.
Alex Godwin with her untitled triptych.
SHRUG
Ladies
on Coleman.
the
David Baird
with hisperform
protrait of Des
opening night.
Ed Bowness sits between two of his illustrations.
Alex
with
untitled
Sasha Godwin
Leech stands
asideher
his works
Street Repeat
and Approaching Crowd.
triptych.
A selection of the work from this exhibition is
David
Baird with his protrait of Des
now showing at the Golden Fleece, with several
Coleman.
artworks for sale.
Ed Bowness sits between two of his
illustrations.
Sasha Leech stands aside his works
Street Repeat and Approaching
Crowd.
A selection of the work from this
exhibition is now showing at The
Golden Fleece, with several artworks
for sale.
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
5
3.30pm: The first tannoy announcement is made,
asking fans to clear the pitch.
Mark Shardlow: …and our reaction was; where are they
going to go? Back into the terrace? Nobody had thought
to inform the fans of the situation, and it was clearly –
clearly - obvious by then that the game wasn’t going to
happen.
Nottingham Forest are about to play
Liverpool in the semi-final of the FA
Cup. Liverpool are on for the Double.
Forest are bidding to win three cups in a
season. It’s expected to be the match of
the season. It turns into British
football’s darkest day.
Stephen Lowe: The main thing I can remember is the
silence. The conversation up the stand was like the
quietest Chinese whisper.
Phil Gilborn: Eventually, Dalglish and Clough came out.
They just stood there, as confused as everyone else.
4.11pm: The first fatalities are announced. Eight
reported dead. The gym beside the stadium is
converted to a makeshift mortuary.
Martin Goddard: As we left, Graham Kelly, secretary of
the Football League, was being interviewed and fans of
both teams were shouting ‘You greedy bastard, this is
your fault.’
Hillsborough was a national tragedy,
but it wasn’t our tragedy. Nevertheless,
there are thousands of people in
Nottingham who had to stand and
watch 96 people die. This is just a
fraction of their story.
Phil Gilborn, Spion Kop end: Forest-Liverpool games
were always special in the eighties. We were the team
that beat them in the League Cup final and knocked them
out of Europe when they were at their peak. There was a
proper rivalry going. They were the best two teams in the
league at the time.
David Revuetla, South stand: The week before we’d won
the League Cup final. Forest were really turning it on,
playing some real exhibition football. I remember
travelling back on an absolute high, thinking that it gets
no better than this.
Ed Collin, South stand: I was at the last year of primary
school, talking with my mates about how we were going
to go, and queuing up at the City Ground on a Sunday
morning. We got seats for the stand next to the Liverpool
end.
Stephen Lowe, South stand: We had massive difficulty
getting tickets. It wasn’t until the morning of the game
that we got them, from someone in Brownes. So three of
us got the train up.
Noon. Liverpool supporters travelling by car are held
up by unannounced roadworks on the M62.
Mark Shardlow, commentator, BBC Radio Nottingham:
I’d spent the night in Leeds the night before, so I was
travelling with the Liverpool fans. It was a typical
pre-match atmosphere; a lot of people out enjoying
themselves, and a high-profile police presence.
But that was nothing out of the ordinary for the time; we
were still in the hooliganism era.
Martin Goddard, South stand: I remember driving up, on
a beautiful sunny day, thinking this was it; the missing
piece in Cloughie’s trophy cabinet was about to be filled.
David Revuetla: We got in quite early, around half one,
and straight away you could see the centre pens were
jam-packed, while the side pens weren’t. You could
actually see the terracing, which was strange.
2.30pm. There is a huge build-up of Liverpool fans
outside the Leppings Lane stand. People inside are
turned away from the two already full central pens
with no access to the side pens, creating a bottleneck.
Stephen Lowe: We got there just before kick-off. It was
chaos. We got separated and I found myself in the
Leppings Lane end, surrounded by police horses. Beyond
them, I could see God knows how many Liverpool
supporters waving tickets. And then one of the stewards,
not looking at my ticket, waved me towards the tunnel.
I could already see lots of people in there. I turned to a
young copper and said ‘I think I’m the wrong place’. He
- immediately, bless him – pushed me underneath one of
the horses.
Martin Goddard: From the stand, it was very obvious
that there was a bunching of fans behind the goal at the
Liverpool end, and people were being pulled up to the
top tier. The general reaction was ‘typical Scousers, at it
again’.
Stephen Lowe: At that moment, all the horses were
pulled back to the side, and the Liverpool support ran
towards me in a massive wave. I managed to scramble
this…
over the barrier, and watched this…wave…go
up the
tunnel.
Martin Goddard: Both teams were really going at it. But
it was hard to drag your attention from the Liverpool end.
You could tell that something wasn’t right.
Phil Gilborn: The first indication we got was when Peter
Beardsley took a corner, stopped, and started looking
around. And then they started coming over the fence.
Radio Nottingham commentary: ‘There’s been just a
little bit of a disturbance at Hillsborough…the Liverpool
fans are just packed too tightly in the Leppings Lane
end... about two or three hundred of them who have just
spilled onto the pitch – some clutching their legs as if
they’ve been bruised… there’s just no room...’
Ed Collin: Someone shouted ‘Fucking hell, they’re invadpitch! They were pouring over the fence and into
ing the pitch!’
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
Phil Gilborn: Even when the game was called off, you
still couldn’t take it in. A lot of people just stayed there,
staring at the pitch. You couldn’t believe what you’d seen
with your own eyes.
the goalmouth. A load of lads in t-shirts running about all
over the place, and us assuming that they’re rioting.
3.04pm: Peter Beardsley hits the crossbar for Liverpool.
Ed Collin: I went up on the early train with my mate and
his dad and brother, feeling nervous about the game and
being so close to the Liverpool supporters.
3pm: The game kicks off without delay. The police,
fearing a crush outside the ground, order the exit gates
to be opened.
6
4.15pm: Finally, the match is officially abandoned.
David Revuetla: And that was it. There was the
inevitable crowd surge, more people started spilling onto
the pitch, and you thought ‘here we go’.
3.06pm: A policeman runs onto the pitch and consults
the referee. Radio Nottingham commentary: ‘Something
quite sensational… the fans don’t agree with the referee
quite astonishingly, the teams have come off the pitch… is
that in the interest of safety?’
David Revuetla: The ref blew the whistle, and we just
thought; ‘Bloody hell’. Absolute resentment towards the
Liverpool end.
Ed Collin: Liverpool fans were pouring over the fence,
like a tsunami. I can still see the faces of kids pushed up
against the bars.
Mark Shardlow: When you see a police officer on the
pitch to stop a game, you’re aware that something has
gone seriously wrong. And then, from about six minutes
past three, we’re describing people being lifted from the
terracing onto the pitch.
3.10pm. Radio Nottingham commentary: ‘There’s one
spectator running across the pitch… while many of his
Liverpool fellows are down being treated in the goal
area… TV cameras and press photographers taking
pictures… and still, Liverpool supporters are trying to get
away from that area… about 300 policemen… people
being stretchered away… ’
Phil Gilborn: The Kop end didn’t realise what was happening at all, so we started chanting and singing;
generally ‘Ah, come on, get on wi’ it’. The Liverpool fans
thought we were taking the mick.
Martin Goddard: Rumours were flying around that
Liverpool fans had arrived late and charged the gates
without tickets. The police seemed to be paralysed. We
were expecting the Liverpool fans to charge us.
Mark Shardlow: People are ripping down the
advertising hoardings to use as makeshift stretchers, and
cutting the netting off the goals. And I find myself talking
about people being given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
on the pitch. Realising that we’re now talking about a
major incident.
Stephen Lowe: And then the stewards moved in very
quietly, and turned to face us and said; ‘Don’t move’. A lot
of us asked ‘Can we do anything to help?’ But we were
just told no, it was OK, everything was in hand.
Ed Collin: Some Liverpool fans came over to the stand
and told us that the police had fucked up, and pushed too
many people through.
Phil Gilborn: There was one lad with a bald head and no
top on being carried from their end of the pitch to ours.
And then more of them came over. We were dumbstruck.
Martin Goddard: We walked back to the car, in silence,
past queues and queues of people for the phoneboxes.
David Revuetla: The first people over the top still standing – the first survivors, if you will – were lined up by the
police against the wall. And they had to be moved for
their own protection. Forest supporters, not
comprehending what had happened, were giving them
some really vile abuse.
Mark Shardlow: By the end of the programme, at six
o’clock, we had announced thirty casualties.
Mark Shardlow: Remember, this is before mobile
phones, so Forest supporters would have been in the
dark if they didn’t have a radio. I suspect a lot of fans of a
certain age would be thinking about 1974, when
Newcastle fans invaded the pitch and stopped an FA
Cup game that Forest were winning.
Stephen Lowe: On the train, everyone with radios was
trying to work out what had happened. It must have
been weird for people passing through Sheffield to
suddenly see all these people in red shirts getting on in
shock, looking as if they’d just walked out of a
nightmare.
Stephen Lowe: Everything suddenly seemed to go into
slow motion, where nothing seemed to happen. And
then people were being laid out in front of us on the
grass. And then a young Liverpudlian lad came over to
us and said; ‘They’re dead. They’re dead. Dead people
here.’
David Revuetla: The journey back was horrendous. A
never-ending funeral procession. No scarves and flags
hanging out the window. We drove home, with the radio
on, in silence. And the death toll was going up, and up,
and up. Sixty. Seventy. It wouldn’t stop.
Martin Goddard: And then a single, solitary ambulance
trundled onto the pitch. And we’re sitting there, almost
as if it were a film. Thinking ‘This can’t be real.’ But we
still thought the game would restart.
3.16pm. The only medical staff at the scene are a St
John’s ambulance crew. Forty four ambulances have
been called to Hillsborough. Only one is allowed in by
the police. It has to turn back due to the overwhelming
amount of people who need help.
Mark Shardlow: We still didn’t realise the severity of the
situation. And of course, Mansfield and Notts County
were playing, and we had to break off from time to time
to update on that. How trivial does that sound now? But
as time went on, football became less and less
important. I could see people who were really stricken
and people who were clearly seriously injured, but I
never thought ‘that’s a dead body’ while I was on air.
And I’m constantly stressing ‘This is not the Forest end,
this is not football hooliganism, something has happened
here and it’s serious, but it’s not football hooliganism’.
Ed Collin: I can see people on stretchers who are
obviously dead. I can see people on the pitch who are a
weird colour. I can see Liverpool fans who are very, very
agitated. But I’m eleven at the time. It doesn’t really sink
in.
David Revuetla: Even when it was absolutely clear that
this was a disaster, there were a handful of Forest supporters who were still smirking and gesturing. And I’ll
never comprehend that for as long as I’ll live. I can still
see their faces. At one point it looked as if Forest fans
were going to turn on each other.
Martin Goddard: We heard on Grandstand that the
death toll was fifty two people. Which was like a
hammer blow.
Ed Collin: I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, we’ve been
part of something horrible, oh my God, it could have
been us. Oh my God, all those people have died. Oh my
God, we’ve got to play them again.’
Stephen Lowe: My wife was acting at Derby Playhouse,
so we got off at Chesterfield and stood outside the
station manager’s office, listening to his radio. And the
count went up. Eighty six…eighty eight…ninety…
David Revuetla: The first day back at work, my boss – a
Forest fanatic - asked me about what I’d seen, and he
said ‘They deserved all they got. They don’t like it when
it happens to them.’ I lost all respect for him.
In 1995, Brian Clough’s autobiography is published. In
it, he states that the drunkenness of certain Liverpool
supporters was to blame. He apologises in full in 2001.
Stephen Lowe: I wish he hadn’t said it. And I think at
the end of the day, he wished he hadn’t said it. What had
happened was much more complex than that. Liverpool
fans find it very difficult to accept what he said. I know
that when we toured Old Big ‘Ead, the Liverpool theatres
we approached were extremely quick to refuse to take it.
The final death toll is ninety six. The Taylor Report
deduces that a failure of command amongst senior police officers was the main cause, and recommends the
removal of fences and a move to all-seater stadia.
Stephen Lowe: There was no-one there checking the
tickets. Obviously, they should not have started the
game with so many people waiting to get in. The police
decision was a tragic one, but I can understand it. I
suspect from where I was standing, they couldn’t have
guessed how deep and entrenched the tunnel was. And
you look back now and think of the fences, it was a
tragedy waiting to happen.
Phil Gilborn: There were many times at Forest games
where you’d find yourself right up against the fences. It
was part of going to football, and you’d laugh about it
afterwards. After Hillsborough, you’d think ‘That could
have happened to us.’
Mark Shardlow: My take on it is that football supporters
as a whole had to take some responsibility for
Hillsborough. It wasn’t pleasant to watch football in the
eighties, and the fences went up because of the behaviour of certain people. The police made tragic decisions,
but they had a mindset about football hooligans which
was promoted by the government. You can blame certain
Liverpool supporters for drunkenness, but at Forest now
you see drunk fans, because that’s part of the culture of
football. And I’m sure the police had their reasons, but
surely Liverpool should have got the bigger end. Rather
than putting blame on one element, we should all take a
bit of responsibility.
Ed Collin: Looking back on it, it feels part of a different
era. It’s really important that people remember
Hillsborough, and the fact that ninety six people died
unnecessarily, just because they wanted to see a game
of football.
Martin Goddard: It obviously doesn’t count for anything,
but you have to wonder what would have happened to
Forest. If they’d beaten Liverpool, they probably would
have won the FA Cup and Clough would probably have
retired earlier. Who knows? But then you can’t help
but think of the gentleman who lost two daughters at
Hillsborough, and what they would be doing now –
growing up, having kids, enjoying life. What a waste.
Martin Goddard: We met up with friends for drinks
afterwards, and it seemed the whole city was absolutely
stunned. It sounds callous now, but there was a craving
to do something normal.
Interviews: Al Needham
Mark Shardlow: As soon as I got home, I had to go out. I
didn’t want to, but it was my wife’s works outing, and all
I can remember is sitting in a pub, not talking to anyone,
looking into the distance. Everyone wanted to know
what it was like, but I couldn’t speak. I just wanted to be
at home, on my own.
By the end of the day, ninety four people have died and
766 are injured. The ninety fifth dies four days later.
The FA reschedules the game for May 7, to be held at
Old Trafford.
Mark Shardlow: I can’t even remember if I was there.
But I must have been. It was my job to be there. I
remember the memorial service at St Mary’s church, and
being at the City Ground when they set up all the
counselling, but I can’t remember the replay at all.
Stephen Lowe: I remember going. I don’t remember
anything about it but the fact that we lost. How weird.
I’ve never been able to face an away game since.
The full version of this article is available at www.leftlion.uk/issue28
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
7
Rob Cutforth visits the only Hooters left in the UK, and discovers that the biggest tits are the people who dine there . . .
I’VE BEEN SURPRISED by many things since
I moved to Nottingham. The fact that most
English people have full sets of teeth and that
it was indeed possible to order a cold beer in
a pub, to name a couple. I was also surprised
(and a bit saddened) there weren’t more
bulldogs, bowler hats or chimney sweeps.
lanterns, order tickets moving to the kitchen
down tiny zip lines and bouncy waitresses are
an absolute GBH on the senses.
Stifling the urge to lapse into an epileptic fit,
I look for someone to seat us. And wouldn’t
you know it, but we’re greeted by the very
girl who took my reservation. Her name, as
advertised by her strategically placed tag, is
Kimberley (or ‘Kimbles’ as she tells us later),
and she remembers our conversation on the
phone. ‘How do you say your surname again?’
she asks. I tell her a third time and she shakes
her head and giggles again. Goddamn, I’m
hilarious.
However, I never in my wildest nightmares
believed that a place like Hooters would stand
a chance over here. I thought the Americans
had cornered the market on trashy when it
came to eating establishments. England is
more cheeky than trashy. This is apparent by
the fact that you call curry an English dish, and
how you endlessly and unapologetically rip off
KFC (I laugh every time I pass a Kansas Fried
Chicken or an SFC, complete with KFC font
- the laughing stops as soon as I tuck into any
food that comes from those places, however).
When she sits us down, right next to the
exposed kitchen, the first thought I have is
‘Why on earth would they want their customers
to see that?’ The sight of sweaty, pimple-faced
teenagers, covered in batter, spooning baked
beans out of a vat into plastic containers
literally makes me gag. Needless to say, when
my bean cup arrives at the table, I give it a
pass.
Even though we’ve got hundreds of Hootii
back home, I’d never actually been inside
one. Obviously, I’d heard about the waitresses
and even seen the get-up they were made to
wear, but it wasn’t until I read the employee
handbook on The Smoking Gun website that
I realised just how crazy the place is. It’s
amazing how specific the handbook gets in
relation to the uniform. Here’s my favourite
excerpt;
We order our food, and Kimbles, wiping down
the table, says, ‘I do this all the time. I’m like
everybody’s mum.’ I’m not quite sure what
she means by that, but now I’ve got a visual of
my mother in hot pants in my head. Thanks for
that, Kimbles. She giggles again. It becomes
apparent that smiling and giggling are part
of the job. Don’t get me wrong; Kimbles is
an attractive girl and I’m all for friendly and
attentive staff, but being forced to smile
is downright disturbing. It feels as if I’ve
kidnapped her, and she’s being overly nice to
gain my confidence just long enough for me to
turn my back so she can club me over the head
with a toilet tank cover.
‘Hair is to be styled at all times. No ponytails
or pigtails are to be worn. The image to be
projected is one of glamour. No bizarre haircuts,
styles, or colors are acceptable. No hats or
headbands are to be worn. No large hair clips
or scrunchies.’
Glamour? The 80s roller-derby chick look
exudes many things (outdated and cheap, for
instance), but one thing it is not is glamorous.
And what exactly constitutes a ‘bizarre
haircut’? It takes a brave man to tell a woman
what she can and can’t do with her hair. It’s
probably second only to wrestling cobras naked
with a dead mouse taped to your ballsack as
the most dangerous thing to do in the world
ever. On the other hand, how funny would a
wrongful dismissal case due to ‘Improper Use of
Scrunchie’ be?
I’m sure that Hooters is not going to be very
busy - this is England we’re talking about,
and surely these people know better (even
Nottinghamians). I would find out later just
how wrong I was. The girl on the other end
of the phone tries to take my reservation, but
has difficulty with my surname. Even after
spelling it a couple times, she still doesn’t get
it and hides the fact by giggling profusely. It’s
not long before I realise that girlish giggling
constitutes an entire conversation with Hooters
staff.
I was ready to go with as open a mind as I
could muster. However, when we get into
the cab, I make Owen (my buddy and fellow
Hooters virgin) tell the cabbie we were going
to Hooters because I am too embarrassed.
Already, I realise that maybe this column won’t
be as balanced and objective as I was hoping.
We arrive at Hooters and I find myself
scampering in so no-one will see me. I’m not
really the scampering type, but I can’t help it.
There are only two reasons I can think of for
an adult male to scamper; scampering after a
train because you’re late, or scampering to your
car after buying porn. This was more the latter.
TOM DOWN
A FAR SUNSET
26th March - 11th April / Artist Talk: 1st April, 7pm
TETHER
30th April - 17th May / Private View: 28th April, 6-8pm
MURDER AT THE KREMLIN
29th May - 17th May / Private View: 29th May, 6-8pm*
*followed by The Art Crawl
The Wasp Room
17a Huntingdon St, Nottingham
Gallery
Opening times: Thu/Fri, 3-7pm; Sat/Sun, 12-5pm
07729124336 | [email protected]
8
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
In fact, it would be fair to say I felt like a right
scampering perv.
The first thing that hits me when I get inside
Hooters is the smell. If you could deep-fry an
orangutan’s armpit, I imagine this is exactly
what it would smell like. The other (more
worrying) fact is that the place is absolutely
rammed. There’s one guy doing pushups on
the table in one corner, one guy being cajoled
into downing a pint by a pack of demented
Hooters girls banging pots with spoons, and
shouty townie blokes and stags everywhere. If
you were to custom-design a hell just for me,
this would be it. The TVs on every wall, patio
Owen and I get our food, and to our surprise,
it’s not bad for a burger joint. It’d taste
even better if the kitchen was hidden away,
but I haven’t had a decent Buffalo wing in
ages, so I really have nothing to complain
about in that respect. However, this is small
consolation considering I have to eat it whilst
surrounded by loud, drunken twats and creepy,
scrunchiless fembots. We eat quickly and get
the hell out of Dodge.
The UK was supposed to get thirty-six more
Hooters, but they’ve met with pretty stiff (no
pun intended) opposition in practically every
place they’ve tried. I realise the main reason it
stays open is because it is close to two football
pitches and is regularly filled with knuckledragging hooligans, but that’s no excuse; even
bloody Sheffield successfully stopped Hooters
from opening in its town centre, which means
we are officially more sexist than Yorkshiremen.
How is that even possible?
Go Bananas
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There’s also the added bonus of sky/itv sports on a big screen and several quality plasma screens, check
the website for fixtures
The mighty Selectadisc,
one of the best
independent record shops
in the country, is no more.
Former employee Steve
McLay pays tribute to
Nottingham's favourite
shop...
.
When a condition is terminal, there’s nothing more daunting than the
inevitable. Usually in such cases, the sadness is offset slightly by the
knowledge that any pain and suffering would at least cease. On 27
February 2009, as I sat surfing the Nottingham Evening Post’s website,
there was no such relief.
The title alone was enough to sink my heart from its jovial Friday
high to a sullen low; Selectadisc In Nottingham Is Set To Close.
Comments on local forums, industry websites and blogs would chime
with the phrases ‘credit crunch’ and ‘death to digital’ as people praised
a 43-year-old legacy that started with a few books and records on a
market stall.
As mourners came to lay keyboard-typed wreaths to this ‘legendary
independent’, they spoke of the rarities they’d uncovered, the bands they’d seen
hunched playing in front of the counter and the piles of vinyl they’d escorted from
the premises into their own. People were mourning Selectadisc’s passing like the
fall of an empire that had once threatened to invade the Market Square, before being
pinned back for its last stand under the shadow of the Theatre Royal.
As when my Gran died, it’ll take me years to walk past Selectadisc, like it did with
her house, without having my heart strings snapped at, like the bass from a
Washington hardcore band resonating from the shop’s doors. Here was a place that
provided some of the most enchanting, passionate, comical and heart-warming moments
that post-war Nottingham has hosted. A two-way theatre where the cast and punters
would interchange depending on what side of the counter they were stood and who was
taking the spotlight. Having worked there, it was also the place that helped shape my life;
my career as a journalist, the sounds on my stereo and some of the greatest friends I have.
One Saturday at the age of seventeen, I turned up on Market Street, rather fuzzily-eyed after a
night of dancing away at the Marcus Garvey Centre, for my first day as a Saturday lad. Rather
than, as I had hoped, being quizzed about Guided By Voices singles or Jeff Mills aliases I was
instead given three things; a mop, a shopping list and a pile of CDs to put back in the racks.
After two weeks of burning the candle at both ends and exhibiting somewhat lethargic
behaviour the next day I had earned the nickname ‘Lightning’.
I wasn’t the only one; Gary X-Ray, Tommy Teapot, Thrash, Matt Tatt, Nail, Bell, Urn, Tubs, Schmo,
Fish, Goose, Monkey, K-9, Panther, Waino, Detail, Metal Ed. . .even the innocuous-sounding Basil
(so-called because of having a tendency for returning records for being ‘faulty’) all lent
themselves to a bizarre list of aliases. Sure, it was a musical Mecca, but it took a triumphantly
calamitous mix of people to make it so, whether they be a mild-mannered hip-hop head (Rachel),
pogoing front man (Punish the Atom’s Joey),
globally-loved bass player (Mark Pitchshifter), giggling DJ (Dave Congreve) or aspirational
promoter (Detonate’s James).
If Selectadisc was a theatre, then Fergus was certainly the pantomime baddie. Owner of
the most scornful ‘Can I help you?’ in the Midlands and with a reputation for
‘bluntness’, he was renowned as the weekend retail version of Simon Cowell (if
Cowell had specialised in drum ‘n’ bass and techno). After a few Saturday mornings
of working the singles store I realised that not only was he a likeable
chap, but that having seventeen year-old bum-fluff kids demanding you play a
pile of happy hardcore records at 9am in the morning does not make a bright
outlook for the day.
10 www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
With a reputation that spread across the Atlantic, the customers were
far more colourful than the ones in your local branch of Greggs. Metallers
would hassle Simon Tilton, mums-with-lists would comically mispronounce
the names of angst-ridden bands, spectrum-coloured, middle-aged men would
cling to the counter for conversation and weekend warriors would buy tickets to
the latest Tribal Gathering. All this set in a scene of poster-clad walls where Basil
beavered around with his clipboard, Jim marshalled everyone while clutching
another pile of obscure train journey DVDs, and Sue’s Barnsley cackle broke
through even the deepest dub bassline.
For those who cared to look - or those that already knew - the walls and pillars behind
the counter may have seemed littered with promo posters and stickers for albums and
gigs, but closer inspection would reveal an endless montage of images doctored with
drawn-on glasses, beards (for Bell), big noses (for James) and catchphrases (regulars and
staff alike). The wall of media from musicians advertising for like-minded fellows might
have chronicled the history of the customers, but those till-side highlighted the endless
characteristics and traits of people as mischievous as an Oasis-obsessed Moony or a coiled
punk soul like Dickie.
Even when you left, you never truly escaped the reaches of the Selectadisc family. Ten years
after I worked there, I'd still receive invites to the Christmas party (my Dad even got invited once
when Sue rang my parents' house) and I still to this day refer to it as 'The Shop'. Selectadisc was a
living and breathing community, where friends would drop in to spontaneously organise
after-work pints, talk music, talk football, swap shit jokes and buy a few tunes while constantly
influencing (often subliminally) those that stepped within. Were it not for Selectadisc's existence,
there would be a completely different list of names in my phone, my personal career as a
journalist might not have been so open-eared and eyed and my list of hangovers would doubtless
be a lot shorter. More so than school, college or anywhere else I’ve worked, the shop was the biggest
social influence of my life. Now, it’s gone.
All good things don't have to come to an end, and there's hope that Selectadisc will rise again, under
Jim's guidance, at a smaller location. And while the beat of the heart, passion and diverse quality will
doubtless remain the same, there'll be elements that are lost forever (Little Ben's stomach-churning
emissions that cleared the shop on more than one occasion will however not be missed).
Brian Clough said not to bring him flowers when he was dead, but to bring them when he was
alive. Those keen enough to feast on the cheap closing down sale might've done well to heed
these words earlier (myself in recent years included), but you can't blame Selectadisc's closure
solely on spending patterns, MP3s, credit crunches or anything else. The factors just
continued to stack.
Regardless, we'll be left with a hole much bigger than that of a 12” and the community
will begin to disperse with no central focal point. Never again will you get such a
jumble of music-heads assembled in a Nottingham store. The beat goes on but
the heart has stopped. Of all the rarities that people pillaged from there over the
years, I acquired something that will stay with me forever. A nickname.
God bless you Selectadisc.
LIVE
ADE
You’ll recognise him from
his appearances on TV
alongside long-term
comic partner Rik Mayall
in programmes like The
Young Ones and Bottom.
But did you also know
that Adrian Edmondson
is a published novelist,
worked at Pork Farms in
Notts and is a bad-ass
punk mandolin player?
Tell us about The Bad Shepherds…
We play punk songs on folk instruments, as we like
the sound they make together. It’s not a gag; for
example, Down In The Tube Station At Midnight by
The Jam is, in my view, a classic folk song. What
we offer is basically a good night out. In line with
our Antichrist name we’ve rewritten some bits of
The Bible - I’m quite keen on making people not
believe in God at all. It’s a bit of a hobby of mine,
especially to people who turn up at my door to
preach.
Did you always want to be in a band?
Yeah, but I suppose in a kind of half-hearted way.
When I was at school it was definitely what I
wanted to do, but other things got in the way. But
I’ve been a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah
Band for about five years now. I also went on tour
with Bad News (heavy metal spoof band who preceded Spinal Tap), and we had quite a large road
crew of musicians with us, including Jimmy Page
and Brian May for one performance. So in many
ways it’s a dream I’d fulfilled, even before The Bad
Shepherds.
Of course, you’ll be forever associated
with The Young Ones. Did you ever realise
what a hit it would be?
Is it true that you
used to live round
here?
I did. When I was a
student in Manchester I
had a girlfriend from
Mapperley, and we used to
go back to her parents’ house
in the holidays. I used to work
at Pork Farms in the summer and
John Players in winter.
Pork Farms was a completely
disgusting place to work, but the jelly
guns were always good fun – you can
shoot that quite a long way in a factory.
We used to tear up bits of pastry, and if
you had a good arm, you could get them
stuck to the ceiling – even in a very tall
building like that. You’d see how long they’d
stick there and when they fell down, you’d
put them back in the tray to go out to the
customers. For obvious reasons, I don’t eat a
lot of pork pies these days...
I’ve had daughters go through University and I
can see that it’s just a lot more comfortable.
Students now live in nice flats, eat nice food and
wear nice clothes. For me, university life was
about living in a situation that was just a bit shit.
But then again with the current recession, you
never know - we might get back to that stage
within a year or so. What’s bizarre to me these
days is that there seem to be no real subcultures. I
don’t see any young people talking about politics.
I don’t mean party politics, either. These days all
bands seem to do is talk about themselves, and all
they ever seem to write about is ‘love’. People don’t
seem to be cross or angry about anything at all.
How’s Jennifer Saunders?
She’s very well, thank you, as are our children.
Have you made a conscious decision not
to be a ‘celebrity couple’? You don’t seem
to have milked it as much as others we
could mention…
'These days all bands
seem to do is talk about
themselves and all they ever seem to write about is
‘love’. People don’t seem to be cross or angry about
anything at all.'
Do you think you’ll ever work
When you make things, you don’t really try and
second guess how successful it will be - you just do
it because you enjoy it. We were just amusing
ourselves, really. We didn’t really give a stuff about
our ‘careers’ as such, we were just having a laugh.
I’m pretty sure the same is true nowadays of
What made you write The Gobbler? And
people like Ricky Gervais and The Mighty Boosh.
why do you think it is that you, Alexei
The student lifestyle depicted by The
Young Ones seems a million miles away
from the current one…
.
together again?
I reckon in about ten years - but probably not
until then. It’s not that we aren’t happy with what
Sayle and Ben Elton all went on to try
we’ve done - we just got a bit bored and tired of
doing it. But we’ve got an idea for something we
your hand as novelists?
might do, set in an old peoples home in ten years
I just started doing it as a hobby - therapy, if you
will - and it eventually reached a certain number of or so. I imagine it’ll still be the Richie and
pages and people were interested in publishing it. I Eddie characters - there’s a lot of fun violence
guess the reason that the likes of Ben, Alexei and I to be had with enemas and Zimmer frames …
have all done books is because we’re all intelligent
people who can write. We’re all used to writing
Why do you think Filthy Rich and Catflap
comedy and it’s not a big step to try your hand at
never really succeeded, when Bottom and
a novel.
The Young Ones did?
How is Rik these days?
I don’t see him that often, to be honest. Obviously
we haven’t worked together for five or six years
now, so I probably see him once every six months
or so. We meet up, have a bite to eat and
chew the fat.
I think it was watched and enjoyed by enough
people, but just got slammed by the critics. Critics
can be very weird people – a lot of them hated The
Young Ones when it first started, but eventually
they jumped on the bandwagon. Then when Filthy
Rich and Catflap came out, all they could say was
‘Well, it’s not as good as The Young Ones…’
No, but just because we’ve both been in the public
eye, it doesn’t mean that we have to be some kind
of celebrity couple. Some people like to live like
that, but to me it’s just bollocks. We’re both quite
private people who enjoy our lives and are proud
of each other’s work.
What do your kids think to Bottom and
Absolutely Fabulous?
They’re all quite grown up now really, but I think
they realise there is a strong body of work
between us. The youngest is 18 and the middle
one, who is 22, is now a comic in her own right.
She works with a group of six girls called Lady
Garden. They had a good Edinburgh and have a
radio show on the cards. Not that I understand
any of this modern comedy at all, haha…
The Bad Shepherds play
live at Seven on
Saturday May 23. For
tickets and information go
to www.sevenlive.co.uk
www.thebadshepherds.com
Read the full version of this
interview at
leftlion.co.uk/magazine
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28 11
j
king skinso
dempsie
While Dev Patel has
recently become a
household name
after his performance in
Slumdog Millionaire,
another one of Channel
Four’s Skins alumni might be about to follow. Nottingham’s Joe Dempsie has also featured in Doctor Who, Merlin
and most recently as Duncan Mackenzie in The Damned United. We caught up with him for a verbal kickabout…
Words: Jared Wilson
You’re in Los Angeles at the moment. What are you doing out there?
It’s my first time out here for work. I’ve got an agent here and I’m really just auditioning and meeting
casting directors – mainly as a way of letting them know that I’m about. Skins got a low-key airing
on BBC America out here and, seeing as the industry is generally moving quite slowly back home
right now, I thought it was a good time to come out. I’m having a great time! In a very freaky twist I
bumped into Toby Kebbell randomly on Sunset Boulevard on my second day here, so we’ve been
hanging out a fair bit. Two Notts boys in LA, eh?
Playing Chris in Skins must have been a dream job for a young actor…
Absolutely! When I got the part, I had only recently been taken on by an agency and to be honest
was pretty anxious to get a job of any kind – so I was really chuffed! That being said, even once we
started filming none of us had any idea how successful the show would be... I think we still don’t
fully grasp the scale of its popularity. On a personal level in terms of the character, it was a gift of a
part. I felt that Chris was the one that had the most depth and variation; he was the most outgoing
and gregarious member of the gang when with his friends, but he also had the most to deal with
personally. There were two very distinct sides to Chris and as an actor it was great for me to get to
show them.
Do you still get people asking you about Chris in the street?
Yeah it happens a fair bit, and I’m pretty shy about it when it happens! But I’m still amazed at how
many people have seen the programme and who seem to have connected with Chris on some level.
It’s great. The way the show dealt with his demise as well was pretty unflinching, which I think
moved and disturbed people in equal measure.
You must have loads of good memories from those days...
The whole thing was such a great experience and it came at a very good time for me. A lot of
my friends had gone off to study and I was beginning to feel a bit left behind, so in a way Skins
became my university. I got to move to a new city, live away from home, meet new people and
take the first steps to achieving my ambitions. Something that sticks out was a running joke
that we used to play on Dev when he was pissed, which involved one of us going out of the
room and phoning him, pretending to be this completely made up guy called John, who was
apparently out to get him. Dev is a pretty gullible drunk and to see him tell ‘John’ in no
uncertain terms not to call again was always good value.
Does the Hollywood success of Dev in Slumdog Millionaire inspire you?
Of course! Dev got that part when we were half way through the filming of series two and he
had no idea how big it was going to be. I was like 'well, you know Dev, this is a Danny Boyle
film - he’s a really well respected director so there will be interest in it', but even I couldn’t have
predicted all of this. It spurs me on, because even with the success of Skins the whole notion of
the Oscars still seems a world away and Dev is a perfect example of how it only takes one great
part to reach the pinnacle of this industry.
If you could get a part coming up, what would you pick?
Easy. I’d take any part going in the impending Shane Meadows and Paddy
Considine epic King of the Gypsies.
Tell us about filming The Damned United…
It was such a great job for me in terms of just watching,
learning and absorbing all I could from the rest of the actors. It
was a really great cast with Michael Sheen playing Cloughie,
Tim Spall as Peter Taylor, Jim Broadbent (Sam Longson), Stephen
Graham (Billy Bremner) and Colm Meany (Don Revie). The lads
that were playing the featured footballers all got along really well
too, so it was the perfect balance between work and play. I had
a great time. And Michael’s Clough is absolutely jaw-dropping,
he’s a man that’s absolutely at the top of his game.
It must have been particularly cool as you’re a
big Forest fan. What are your best memories of
watching the Reds?
To be honest there’s been far more heartache than joy. Weirdly
enough, the season we got relegated to League One was great
fun as me and my mates went to nearly every game home and
away. Obviously getting promoted on the final day last season
was the best individual moment. As a Forest fan you almost
train your brain to expect the worst case scenario, but that day
it all went our way.
You did an episode of Doctor Who last year. What’s it like
working on something as established as that?
It was pretty surreal. Although I’d never seen the show before working on it, I
have uncles that have watched it religiously since the sixties. So I was pretty
popular with them for a while. Honestly, I just saw it as another job, but it’s such
an institution that you can’t help but treat it with a lot of respect.
What’s your ideal night out when you’re back in Nottingham?
It’s weird that whilst Nottingham has this reputation for great nightlife, I think
half of the venues in the city are still stuck in the dark ages when it comes to
music and particularly door policy. My ideal night would be a few drinks round a
friend’s place before heading to The Old Angel, Bar Eleven or Brownes, then onto
the Market Bar or Stealth for the rest of the evening.
The Damned United is out now. A longer version of this interview is online at www.leftlion.co.uk/film
www.thedamnedunited.co.uk
12 www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
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In May 1969 the body of David Oluwale, a rough sleeper with a criminal record
and a history of mental illness, was pulled out of the River Aire in Leeds. A
Nigerian refugee who came to this country with dreams of a new life instead
ended up with a pauper’s grave and ‘wog’ written down as his nationality on
a police charge sheet. His story, The Hounding of David Oluwale, has finally
been made public by author Kester Aspden - who was rightly acknowledged
in 2008 as the winner of the Crime Writers’ Association Non-Fiction Dagger
award – and the theatrical adaptation arrives at the Playhouse this month. We
spoke to Aspden about ‘the most extreme case of institutionalised racism and
police violence this country has seen’…
When did you first become
aware of David Oluwale?
Do you believe justice has been
served?
I first read about Oluwale in an old Leeds University
student newspaper from 1971. Why I was reading
that is a dull story, but some time after I was in the
Public Record Office trying to find archival material
on inter-war Soho, and I discovered the case files,
just released under the thirty year rule. I lucked
out. Straight away I knew this was a great story. I
turned over one of Oluwale’s police charge sheets
and found that some officer had given his nationality
as ‘wog’. What emerged, it seemed to me, was the
most extreme case of institutionalised racism and
police violence this country has seen.
Partly. Police officers were put on trial and convicted
for some of the offences they were charged with.
But on the bigger manslaughter charge the jury had
the decision taken out of its hands by the judge. You
might see this as an injustice, especially if you believe
that the evidence of their guilt was overwhelming.
During the trial Oluwale was likened by the judge to
an animal. To me, that was an injustice and I wanted
to expose that. So the book and play are part of an
on going process to secure justice for David Oluwale.
Were you involved in the
adaptation of the play?
Why do you think it’s important to
remember him?
I was quite involved in the early stages, advising on
local Yorkshire detail and police procedure. But the
playwright Oladipo Agboluaje was naturally in
control of his narrative and he made the crucial
decsions.
He got such a terrible deal in this country, received
such brutal treatment and didn’t receive justice in
life. I wanted to understand the reasons why he
became a disposable person. I don’t know whether
it will help prevent such things happening again,
though one can hope. I think intolerance is on the
rise, with asylum seekers the new hate figures.
Oluwale warns us where prejudice and race hatred
can lead.
How do you find the play?
Gripping, touching and surprisingly – though not if
you know Oladipo’s previous work – humorous. It
looks great as well; the set and the lighting add to
and create the drama, the soundscape is amazing, the
cast are superb. I think the actual criminal
investigation story has been told very clearly. Dawn
Walton, the director, did a great job.
What difficulties are there in writing a
factual account like this?
In historical writing, you’re forever coming up
against the limits of what can be known. You can
have a wonderful imagination, create beautiful
narratives, but you’re not a novelist; you’re
tethered to the evidence. So when you can’t
establish something it can be frustrating but that’s
the nature of historical work. It’s really challenging
and rewarding to tackle such problems, working
within the limits and pushing against them. ‘Fact’ is
something of a dirty word. Some people never want
to pick up a factual book. It reminds them of being
at school. The challenge is then to write engaging
narrative, to absorb your research and nothave it
announce itself over the page.
Words: James Walker
How do you deal with writing about
such a depressing subject?
14
There is something more depressing than writing
about a bleak subject and that’s being a writer
without a subject - my current condition! It might
sound weird, but I really enjoyed writing the book
though the story revealed the worst in human possibilities. I interviewed so many interesting people,
from lawyers to policemen to Oluwale’s Nigerian
friends. I’d finally found the subject I’d been waiting
for, and had a chance to write creatively about a part
of history which had been hidden and yet had
contemporary resonance.
The Playhouse has rated the play
in their brochure as ‘18’, though
in their favour they say
under-eighteens can still come.
Have other theatres done this?
What angles frustrated you in your
research? Tracing the whereabouts of
foreign homeless men must be difficult..
You’re not wrong. So many hours spent trawling
through the electoral roll! But it comes with the
territory. There is real joy when you do manage to
discover the traces left by such an elusive character.
It makes them more real to you.
Why do you think David kept
coming back to Leeds?
Partly because he had no choice, but mainly because
it was his home city and he wasn’t going to be
pushed out of it by a couple of thuggish policemen.
He had this pride. It was the irresistible Leeds police
force meets the immovable object.
I can only talk about Leeds. A number of school
groups turned up to West Yorkshire Playhouse and
they loved the play. It engaged them with social
issues which can sometimes seem ‘worthy’. So any
obstacles in the way of young people seeing this play
are bad. They are precisely the constituency which
should be seeing this play. From the outside, the
Nottingham position seems confusing. Do they want
under-eighteens to come or not?
Any last words for our readers?
Please see the play. It’s one of the most important
you’ll see this year. Also, I would like Nottingham
Playhouse to actively encourage teenagers to see this
play. Find out about the campaigning work of Inquest
and United Friends and Families and keep in touch
with the death in custody issue through the Institute
of Race Relations website – www.irr.org.uk.
After the interview, we asked Derek Graham, Communications Officer for the Playhouse, to comment on the age rating:
‘Kester’s right: this is a play that deserves to be seen by everyone, young or old. We do give productions rough age ratings, but this happens months before the play even
goes into rehearsal on the basis of the subject alone and they are purely advisory: we don’t exclude anyone from buying tickets. Given the shocking true story the play
tells, we anticipated a good deal of violence and so we went with eighteen in our brochure. We’ve since revised it online to fourteen, a much more suitable
recommendation. The final production, while it certainly doesn’t flinch away from what was done to David Oluwale by his police tormentors, doesn’t dwell upon it
graphically and after seeing the play ourselves we would heartily recommend it for anyone aged fourteen and up.’
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue27
The Hounding of David Oluwale is available for £7.99 from Vintage.
You can see the play at the Nottingham Playhouse from 31 March – 4 April
Image credit: Eriko Kosaka, MA Fashion Knitwear 2008, photography Andy Espin.
Postgraduate Study Opportunities:
Shape Your Future
Are you looking to pursue an innovative subject area,
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Architecture, Design and the Built Environment: www.ntu.ac.uk/adbe
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to present
...William Booth ignored him. ‘DH Lawrence did knowingly act as a
public conveyance for the most degrading and disgusting spectacle
this fair city has seen...’
words: David R Thompson
But William Booth had an announcement to make. ‘We have
some unfinished business to attend to first! Don’t you recall? We
had all resolved to put DH Lawrence on trial at first light this
morning!’
(with apologies to the Rev W Awdry)
illustrations: Ging Inferior
‘Oh, not that again,’ DH Lawrence said, wearily. ‘Look, I’ve told
you before – it’s not my fault that those students were shagging
on my back seat all the way to the Arboretum, is it? How can it
be?’
‘You should have stood your ground until they desisted. Such
fornication and sinfulness cannot be tolerated in the eyes of
God!’ William Booth replied solemnly.
‘Leave me out of this,’ said Brian Clough.
William Booth ignored him. ‘-DH Lawrence did knowingly act
as a public conveyance for the most degrading and disgusting
spectacle this fair city has seen-’
‘Hear hear,’ said DH Lawrence. ‘Now can we wrap this up and
get on with our day?’
‘…since last Saturday night.’ Lord Byron put in. ‘Good God, man,
just get over it, can’t you?’
‘Phoenix Park awaits our latest performance,’ Torvill & Dean
complained. ‘There are hundreds of business park drones relying
on us to ferry them to their workstations!’
Mary Potter swooned at the back of the depot with a despairing
cry.
‘The law’s an ass anyway,’ said Robin Hood. ‘You wouldn’t find
me bowing and scraping to that kind of authority.’
William Booth ignored the interruption. ‘And certainly a spectacle
that you would not want your wives or servants to witness!’
‘I’ve tried to make you see the error of your ways, as God is my
witness,’ said William Booth. ‘Resume your day as you wish. But
I tell you this: God shall judge you as he sees fit. And you shall
not know the day nor the hour!’
DH Lawrence drew himself up to his full height, and sparks flew
from the boom above his head. ‘Look, I fail to see how this can be
my responsibility. You might as well prosecute me for allowing
my carriages to become a vomitorium every Friday. Or say it’s
my fault that my poor conductor got spat at by some lowlife from
Bulwell.’
‘Where’s the DNA evidence, young man, eh?’ Brain Clough
wanted to know.
‘What you need to understand, William Booth,’ said Lord Byron,
‘is that none of these affairs are any of your fucking business. As
long as no person suffers, the people of Nottingham should
be permitted to do whatever they bloody well like. I myself
have been known for my couplings with commuter trains from
Mansfield. No-one can deny that I have a legendary attraction
for those dear ladies. It’s almost as if they were drawn towards
me on rails…’ he sighed wistfully.
‘For missing the target from there, you want bloody shooting!’
said Brian Clough.
‘Yes, well, I’d been at the WD40 a little too enthusiastically
earlier that evening’, said Lord Byron apologetically.
‘You know damn well that we have automatic braking systems,’
DH Lawrence responded. ‘It’s not up to me to stop moving just
because of a couple of amorous piss-heads.’
‘I’ll ask you not to curse in my presence, you filth-mongerer,’
William Booth answered angrily.
Torvill & Dean giggled. ‘Maybe it was their Kangaroo tickets,
giving them ideas. Bounce, bounce, bounce.’
‘Enough!’ William Booth roared. ‘Such sinners offend the Lord
and bring damnation to us all! DH Lawrence clearly ran a
tram of ill-repute!’ William Booth’s headlights flashed with
indignation and fortitude and his little bell rang in his rage. ‘He
was at fault! He was encouraging those foul youngsters to stain
themselves with their own transgressions.’
‘Listen, it was my seats that got most of the staining, thank you
very much,’ said DH Lawrence.
‘Can’t we all just get on for once? Live in harmony together?’
Robin Hood cried. ‘Live out in the woods and all just have a
lovely time?’
The Nottingham trams have proven themselves to be Really
Useful Engines since they first started work in 2004, but that
doesn’t mean that they can’t be cheeky and naughty too,
oh no! And I think that it’s time to hear about some of their
adventures, don’t you?
It was on that sunny morning when a man crept into the
depot. All of the trams were asleep so that they could be ready
for another hard day’s work. Robin Hood woke up with a big
yawn, and suddenly saw the man right in front of him! ‘Hello,
Robin Hood!’ said the man. ‘I’m the fireman! I’ve come to put
you in steam for the day! Now just let me on your footplate, this
won’t hurt a bit!’
16
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
Robin Hood suddenly exclaimed, ‘But we’re electric, you
fuckwit! Brian Clough! Help! I’m being interfered with!’
- that’s all we’re fit for to you, is it? We are trams, you dolt, and
we are proud!’
‘Dratted do-gooders’ Lord Byron sighed. ‘I suppose I should take
the mantle as Counsel for the Defence.’
‘As you wish, Lord Byron. And I will bring the prosecution for
this most heinous crime,’ William Booth replied.
‘Now then, young man,’ said Brian Clough, who awoke
pensively. ‘You’ll not be one of those graffiti artists, will
you? You’ll not be putting your tag on my friend Robin Hood if I
have anything to do with it.’
‘The shame of it, the shame of it,’ intoned Robin Hood.
‘What will become of my beautiful Lincoln green and silver
paintwork then?’ wailed Robin Hood.
‘No,’ said the fireman, who wasn’t a fireman. ‘I’m just
kidding. I’m actually from the corporate communications
department. I’ve got a new set of posters to put up. All about
Park & Ride.’
Lord Byron came over to investigate. ‘How dare you!’ he
roared. ‘I know the cut of your jib, young fellow me lad! Mangling
the English language as if you owned it. Providing transport
solutions are we? Ferrying idiots from cars into the seething
cauldron of consumer spending that is Nottingham City Centre
‘You wouldn’t mind if they were coming to score some dope, or
arrange an assignation with some syphilitic whore, Lord Byron,
would you?’ DH Lawrence interrupted.
‘That would be different,’ said Lord Byron. ‘But the citizens
of this glorious city can rarely think past their next retail
therapy session. Standards are slipping with every passing
decade.’ Suddenly, he ran at the corporate communications man,
threatening to crush him under his wheels until the man ran
away in fright. ‘Be off with you, you dullard! Your proclamations
overheat my grey matter and put my dander up!’ And with that,
the corporate communications man was gone.
‘Is it time to go on the turntable now?’ asked Torvill &
Dean. ‘We’re off to Phoenix Park for our first run today! We like
the turntable. It’s fun. Whee!’
‘It is alleged,’ William Booth began, ‘that on the morning of
Sunday, the fifteenth ultimo, on the Lord’s day I might add-’
‘Saturday night, Sunday morning,’ Lord Byron interrupted. ‘How
appropriate.’
Unable to find a retort, William Booth busied himself with his
schedule, and was gone, tutting into the fresh morning. His
swerves ached.
‘Oh, worry ye not about that blaggard!’ Lord Byron
laughed. ‘Now go away and write me some more smut! I’ll no
doubt have some more out-of-town roustabouts to attend to
later!’
Lord Byron glided away into the streets of Hyson Green, looking
forward to seeing what new people had been brought into
the railway station for him to pick up at the other end of the
line. Baiting William Booth always put him in a good mood.
‘Let’s get this over with,’ said Brian Clough. ‘Something tells me
I’d get more entertainment watching County.’
Now you might be surprised to know that there are fifteen
Nottingham trams, and they all have names. Their names are
taken from the great and the good throughout the history of the
great city of Nottingham, as well as some local bloke who was
a bare-knuckle fighter. There aren’t any trams called Paul Smith,
Su Pollard or Alan Sillitoe, but it must surely be only a matter of
time. Maybe if Phase Two ever gets built.
‘You know that preaching is my department,’ said Brian
Clough. ‘And your fitter has already told you that it’s bad for your
swerves.’
‘Thanks for that, Lord Byron,’ said DH Lawrence. ‘That William
Booth is always getting at me,’ he sighed sadly.
‘It has been decreed. And the trial shall commence at once!’ said
William Booth. Some of the other trams in the corner of the depot,
including Mary Potter and Angela Alcock, intoned their support.
T was early morning at Wilkinson Street Depot. The birds sang in the surrounding scrub and the sun climbed high over
the New Basford skyline. It was going to be another wonderful day for the Nottingham trams. (Otherwise known as the
Nottingham Express Transit units. Whatever.)
‘God’s a fucking bogey man,’ said Lord Byron. ‘Now take your
self-righteous preaching and begone!’
Lord Byron was having none of this. He took a deep breath
and his transformers hummed with energy. ‘As Counsel for the
Defence, I put it you, members of the jury,’ Lord Byron announced,
‘that DH Lawrence was not at fault in this affair, could have done
nothing to prevent the flowering of divine youth this night, and
moreover, that the said coupling was not itself a felony!’
‘Phoenix Park awaits our latest performance,’ Torvill & Dean
complained. ‘There are hundreds of business park drones relying on
us to ferry them to their workstations!’
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
17
Sam Clift
www.samclift.com
debra swann
What kind of art do you make?
I am a visual artist working
predominantly in sculpture and
sometimes photography.
The installations I make relate to the
natural world and are informed by my
interest in science. The objects I
create are often specimens, trophies
or adornments and are constructed
from everyday materials. The
transformation of the materials, and
the point at which the objects
collapse back into what they are
made from, is an important aspect of
the work, setting up a tension
between what we believe we are
looking at and the everyday.
What kind of art do you
make?
I make hybrid sculptural
installations from
materials such as carpet and
paint, which explore space
and the local environment.
What is the best thing
about being an artist?
Freedom of expression.
What is the hardest thing?
Balancing creating work with
making profit from the work
you create.
What inspires and drives you?
Development and progress within my practice. A new idea sparks new interest and keeps me
focused; it's amazing how the most mundane happening can influence new direction in my work.
Having artists around me to bounce ideas off is also really important; you can't always be your own
critic.
What are you up to at the moment?
I recently curated my first exhibition at Surface Gallery. It took a lot of hard planning, but was a
valuable learning experience. I’m in the process at the moment of constructing an interactive
installation piece, which evaluates ideas and processes I’ve explored over the last year. Once
finished, it shall be a centrepiece in my first solo exhibition this summer, at the 491 Gallery in
London.
What are your career aspirations?
In a few years I’d like to study an MA in Sculpture, and also build on my knowledge of curating,
perhaps going freelance.
Name an advantage to being an artist in Nottingham...
There is such a strong network of artist-led studios and groups in Nottingham in comparison to other
parts of the country. It’s really helped me draw focus and give meaning and direction to my practice
since graduating from university last year, which I may not have received elsewhere.
www.debraswann.co.uk
What is the best thing about being
an artist?
It allows me to enter into my own
imagination and adopt personas, such
as the explorer or scientist.
What is the hardest thing?
Not having financial security; but I still have a
passion to make my work and ultimately hope
to get recognition for what I do.
What are you up to at the moment?
I have recently completed an artist residency at
The Wasp Room gallery at Tether studios. This
was a great opportunity to develop new work in
response to a specific space and play with scale.
Name an advantage to being an artist in
Nottingham...
Nottingham has a great art community and is
an exciting place to be at the moment. I have
been in Nottingham for two years now and
already know lots of people.
What are your career aspirations?
In a few years I’d like to study an MA in Sculpture,
and also build on my knowledge of curating, perhaps
going freelance.
Harriet Startin
Jon Rouston
What kind of art do you
make?
My work is largely concerned
with reality and our
perception of it. I am
interested in our ability to
ignore what is fact and
create an almost nostalgic
safe haven for ourselves in
which we feel more
comfortable, and the humour
of this.
What is the best thing about being an artist?
Being able to think creatively and the liberation
this gives you.
What is the hardest thing?
Worrying about money, and knowing you may
always have a freezing cold house and a sole
flapping off one of your shoes.
What are you up to at the moment?
This year I am hoping to translate my work into
site-specific pieces, integrating them into the
environments I have portrayed in my past work.
What are your career aspirations?
To retire.
Name an advantage to being an artist in
Nottingham...
For me it is the feeling of community within the
Nottingham art scene. There is a huge level of
involvement, there is no snobbery or resentment
between studio groups, it’s a very integrated
network.
18 www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
What inspires and drives
you?
My driving force is the
boredom I face when I am
not making work and the
nagging feeling that I’m
wasting time. My
inspiration comes from the
natural world, which is
central to my work.
www.jonrouston.co.uk
What kind of art do you
make?
Most of my work comes
from being a wedding and
portrait photographer but
more broadly I like to tell
stories, using pictures. I like
to create a body of work
that gives the viewer a
narrative and allows them
to connect with the people
in the pictures.
What inspires and drives
you?
People, basically. In the
current Facebook/24
hour news/online society
What is the best thing about being an artist?
you could be fooled into
The sense of satisfaction that I get from producing a body of work,
thinking that everyone’s
showing it to the client and them liking it. Also the sense of
personal life is displayed
satisfaction I get when I produce something I really like. I’ve worked for all to see, but dig a little
in a job before this where I toiled away for no apparent reason; this
deeper and most people
is much more fun.
have an interesting story
to tell.
What is the hardest thing?
Never being 100% satisfied with my own work. It’s like a hill that you’re constantly climbing, you
can look back and see how far you’ve come, but I’ve realised that I’ll never make it to the top
because the top keeps bloody moving! The more I know the more I have to learn. Or something.
What are you up to at the moment?
I’d like to do some social documentary on the effect of alcohol on people’s lives. I tried to start this over
Christmas but failed miserably. There are so many aspects to this that I think would be good to
explore. It’s also an area that’s heavily judged - binge drinking, old soaks, cheap supermarket booze
etc - but I’d like to approach it making as few judgements as possible.
What are your career aspirations?
To have more spare time! I’d love to be able to carry out a few personal projects like the one described
above, a few a year and really broaden my horizons.
Name an advantage to being an artist in Nottingham...
People think that Nottingham is just another city, but it’s much more important than that. If you
scratch the surface and make it past the identikit shops, there’s lots of really cool independent stuff
going on, LeftLion being a prime example. That’s what makes it interesting.
THE LITTLEST
BIG SCREEN
Feeling
good about yourself because
you’ve SCREEN
got a big plasma-screen telly?
THE
LITTLEST
BIG
Pah! Steve Jones can easily top that – he’s got the keys to the world’s smallest
cinema, The Screen Room - and not only does it specialise in the cream of
independent cinema, you can even rent it out and book in whatever film you
like. Just try not to ask for Dirty Dancing, though...
First things first: is this really the
world’s smallest cinema?
Yes. We’re quite lucky to have gotten in
The Guinness Book of Records - only a
fraction of world records get put in and
it’s usually the more bizarre ones.
A small building’s not that bizarre, really.
There’s definitely an intimate,
relaxed feel here…
Going to watch a film at the cinema is
an experience; you should be able to
enjoy it. Customers here don’t think
twice about chatting to each other
before and after the films; you don’t
get that so much at other cinemas. You
wouldn’t go watch a film at Cineworld
and then chat to the cashier about it
afterwards! What’s the oddest film request you’ve had that’s made you go 'Oh my
God, why?' Erm, I don’t know. You have to choose the right film. 2001: A Space Odyssey is
a classic for some but on a Saturday night, at over two hours long, not a lot
of people want to sit through it - even if they have got a drink. People come
dressed up a lot; we had someone turn up as David Bowie for Labyrinth. We
had Top Gun on recently and one guy's outfit was that he had two table
tennis bats with him. He stood at the front of the screen at the beginning,
waving his arms about with the bats as if directing planes – probably one of
the funniest outfits I’ve seen.
The second smallest cinema - in
Wales - shut down recently. Are you
worried?
Not really, I got the impression that it
shut down because its audience just
got older and older and could no longer
go! I think Nottingham will always
have people of all ages that want to
come to the cinema.
So you get quite a lot of people
through your doors?
For a cinema with only twenty-one seats,
yes! We have a lot of regular customers
and considering the capacity it works
out quite nicely. I think your standards
are lowered from what you expect; we’ll
never get two thousand people through
the doors in one week. A few people
come in and say 'can I have a look?’, pop
their head ‘round the door and go 'ooh, it
is small!'. We’ve also seen a couple of
people having their picture taken outside
- I don’t think you get that so much at
other cinemas (laughs).
This used to be an X-rated cinema,
didn't it?
I don’t know much about the history of
the building, unfortunately, I only know
from what people have told me. You can
guess peoples' ages when they come
in and say 'Ooh, this used to be a porn
cinema’.
Words: Alison Emm
Pic: Dom Henry
Would you ever refuse to screen a film?
No, I can’t be a censor. We have had a lot of hen dos here and generally they
want to watch Dirty Dancing and, increasingly, Mamma Mia! They have a
singalong version which can get quite…loud.. I wouldn’t watch either of them
out of choice, but I have no problem with what people want to watch. I think
it’s a tricky decision for people to make to keep everyone happy and to suit the
occasion. I think you have to choose a classic - The Goonies, or Stand by Me.
Do you think that people still want the smaller cinema experience, or has
it had its heyday?
It’s true that a lot of small cinemas around the country have shut down. Nottingham’s lucky; we’re spoilt for choice. It’s a testament to the people of
Nottingham that there are enough film lovers to sustain so many cinemas. I
don’t think, on the whole, that people will ever stop going to the cinema, there
will always be a place for it. Just because the microwave was invented, it
didn’t mean that no-one wanted to go to restaurants any more.
Do you think the recession will affect
people coming to the cinema?
Not too much, because it’s a cheaper
alternative to a lot of things, and people
love films. It’s a funny business though;
it’s not always easy to tell how you’re
doing. 90% of the reason that people come
to the cinema is to see a particular film,
not because they like the décor, so every
week’s new film is like a
refurbishment. People do have their
preferred cinemas but the driving force is
the film, it’s extremely important that we
get the programming right.
Where do you think The Screen Room
fits into Nottingham?
By the time word of mouth has gone
around about an arthouse or independent
film being good, people know they can
come see it here even if they missed it at
Broadway or other cinemas. We’ve
accidentally positioned ourselves in a
strong place. What’s amazing is that with
a lot of the smaller films that do really
good business, there may only be three
prints of the film in the whole country
compared to the thousands of prints of
the larger films.
Nottingham has a film industry that
is larger than that of most English
cities. Do you benefit from that?
Yeah, we get directors using The Screen
Room - we had the press screening for
This is England and the screen tests for
Control. Samantha Morton has been
making a film called The Unloved, and
she has hired us several times with
the crew to watch the rushes and for
her boyfriend’s birthday. Filmmaking
is fascinating; it seems to take so long,
you wonder how they have the stamina
for such an arduous process. I have a
lot of respect for filmmakers, they can
dedicate two years to a project and
then it’s up to The Guardian or Empire
as to whether it gets three or five stars
or whatever.
Do you get one film that is requested
over and over again that you’re sick of?
It’s A Wonderful Life gets requested a lot at
Christmas, but Dirty Dancing is still far in
the lead. I’m spared though - I don’t have
to sit in here and watch it as it’s on one
reel. I can just leave it to run... The Screen Room, 25b Broad Street, Hockley NG1 3AP www.screenroom.co.uk
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
19
LEFTLION featured listing
LISTINGS JOINED-UP THINKING
APRIL-MAY 2009.
Springtime is here, and even the non-smokers
are tentatively clustering around beer gardens
and hoping that we don’t have a third rubbish
summer in a row. With the first bank holidays
on the horizon, there is much activity about to
be dropped upon you at a great height.
As always, allow your old chums at the ‘Lion to
squire you through the next couple of months
in our inimitable fashion, as we point out what’s
worth spending your lovely cutter on and completely ignoring the rammell. Whether you’re
up for one of the massive bank holiday sessions,
or are looking for first-date locations (what with
Spring in the air, and all that bollocks), we know
what’s what in Notts.
TICKETS ON-LION
Buying tickets for forthcoming events? Good.,
because it just so happens that you can now
score tix for all the best Notts events through
LeftLion.co.uk. Just click the ‘Buy Tickets’ link
or logo in the event listing section of the site
or through the event comment threads on our
forum, and you’re sorted.
You can see a full list of events we currently
have tickets available for by visiting...
www.leftlion.co.uk/tickets
PG 22-24 ∙ GIGS
Huge, huge, huge couple of months on the
gig-going front; The Prodigy, Rolo Tomassi, DJ
Derek, Basement Jaxx, The Rakes, Levellers,
Spear of Destiny, Amusement Parks On Fire,
The Maccabees - they’re all coming to town.
But the really big events are the returns of
the Detonate Indoor Festival, Dot To Dot, and
Breakin’ Convention. Bluu kicks off its new
acoustic night, too - full details overleaf...
PG 25 ∙ THEATRE,
COMEDY & ART
True story, this; the last time Ross Noble
was here, he ended up reading out the
Canadian In New Basford piece about Tales
of Robin Hood, in its entirety, onstage.
It just so happens that he’s playing the
Royal Centre on April 24, so if you’re reading this, Ross, please read out our contributors list. It’s not as funny, but it’ll make our
Mams dead proud.
(Oh, and if Ed Byrne, Derren Brown, the
Shaolin Warriors or anyone else treading
the boards across the Shire in April and
May want to big us up , they’re more than
welcome to)
For even more listings, check our
regularly updated online section
at leftlion.co.uk/listings.
And if your event is still not in there,
spread the word by aiming your
browser at leftlion.co.uk/add.
20
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue27
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
photo: Dom Henry
The fifth Dot To Dot Festival returns in May, bringing Nottingham
some of the hottest new music around. Paul Klotschkow breaks
down one of the biggest all-dayers of the year…
If you know your Ladytron from your Ladyhawke, see
yourself as a bit of a scenester or wannabe hipster, or
you just want to check out some of the finest new music
of the moment, then you need to reach Dot To Dot on
Sunday 24 May. It takes place all day and night in various
venues around the city centre including Stealth, Rescue
Rooms, The Social, and Nottingham Trent University.
Past Dot To Dots have showcased some of the biggest
bands just before they’ve broken through, with acts
such as Klaxons, Foals, Glasvegas, Kate Nash and The
Cribs all doing their stuff in previous years. This year is
shaping up to be one of the highlights of the gig calendar
with Ladyhawke, Friendly Fires and 65 Days of Static
already announced. Plus, as usual, there are bound to be
a host of local acts on the bill, making it one of the most
unmissable music events of the the last twelve months.
The festival has reverted to being just one day (albeit a
14-hour one) as opposed to last year’s full weekender,
with its sister leg in Bristol kicking off the day before.
Fortunately for you, dear gig-goer, this means that you
can get as wasted as you want and you don’t need to
worry about getting up the next day suffering from the
comedown from hell to do it all over again. Seeing as
next day is Monday, however, you may need to get that
sickie request in early.
We spoke to DTD organiser Dan Ealam, just
before he nipped off to the South by Southwest
festival in Texas...
You seem to specialise in acts that are just about to
break. Is this a deliberate policy?
Definitely. We’ve had bands like Get Cape, Wear Cape,
Fly and Mystery Jets in the past, and the two bands
everyone was talking about at last year’s Dot To Dot
– Glasvegas and Santogold – were just about to blow up.
The ethos we have is to catch bands when they’re on the
verge of becoming really big, because that’s when they’re
still exciting and cutting-edge. We’re already convinced
the line-up this year is going to be our strongest ever.
What bands currently on the line-up are you most
excited about bagging?
The Friendly Fires Nottingham connection is really
exciting; they used to go to Uni in Nottingham, and
for them to come back and headline the whole event
is absolutely wicked. Personally, I’ve been addicted
to Ladyhawke’s album for a while now; she’s the first
artist we’ve ever booked two years running, which is
something we never do. We’re so excited to see her on
the bill again.
Why is Dot To Dot so important to Nottingham?
I think it really shows how cutting-edge Nottingham is
for music. You won’t see anything like this anywhere else
in the country, apart from Bristol. Other cities will put
on a conventional, corporate, council-operated festival
in the park, but there’s no-one else that puts so many
underground acts on inside, in different venues.
And are there still opportunities for local bands to get
on the bill?
We’ll be booking right up to the event, and we’re still
interested in hearing from bands. They can e-mail us
on [email protected] before May 1,
enclosing a link to their MySpace page. And telling us
why they want to play Dot To Dot.
Acts confirmed at time of print:
Friendly Fires, Ladyhawke, Patrick Wolf, Annie Mac,
Cage The Elephant, 65 Days Of Static, Boys Noize,
Little Boots, Abe Vigoda, The Vivian Girls, Brondinski,
A.C. Newman, Crystal Stilts, The Pains Of Being Pure
At Heart, Chik Budo, Duchess Says, Official Secrets
Act, The Big Pink, The Computers, Tommy Reilly,
Shapeshifter, Colourmusic, The Soft Pack and Marina
And The Diamonds. More to follow - check website for
details...
Dot To Dot, multiple venues, Sunday May 24, £25
www.dottodotfestival.co.uk
nottingham event listings...
Wednesday 01/04
Friday 03/04
Indian Flute - Rupak Kulkarni
The New Art Exchange
£10, 7.30pm
Rupak Kulkarni on flute, Gurprit
Matharu on tabla
Bluu Unplugged
Free, 8pm
With The Herb Birds and The
Freskofunkerz.
Go:Audio
The Rescue Rooms
£8.32, 6.30pm
Tango Siempre - Subitango
Lakeside Arts Centre
£12 / £15, 8pm
Thursday 02/04
Hands Of Hate
Seven
£tbc, 8pm
Plus Blindfolds Aside, Backline,
Fenix Fire and The Devil’s Haircut
Clubnight.
Burt Progress
Muse
Free, 9pm
DJs on rotation - Red Rack’em,
Beane Noodler, Spamchop, Keaver
and Brause and Lone.
Dean Owens
The Maze
£10, 7.30pm
Jupiter Monkeys
Deux
Free, 9pm
Plus March of Death
Friday 03/04
Dino Baptiste and Jen James
The Approach
Free, 7pm - 2am
Eklectic
Moog
Free, 9pm - 2am
With Arkeye, Still Motion, Paul
Weaversmith, Beatmasta Bill,
Scampi Pete and VJ Thinkyman.
Working Nights
The Loggerheads
Free, 8pm - 1.30am
Liam O’Kane and Damon Downs.
Jon Allen
The Bodega
£7.50, 7pm
Motion Electronic Pop Night
Seven
£3, 8pm
Northern Kind, All Systems Fail,
Izzue Voodoo, Wonderful Life and
Lost Controllers.
Damn You!
The Maze
£5, 8pm
NLF3, Souvaris and Gareth
Hardwick.
James Morrison
Royal Centre
£21, 7pm
Noise*
Jamcafe
Free, 7pm
David Blazye
Deux
£4, 9pm
Plus Bonsai Projects.
Saturday 04/04
Therapy
The Market Bar
£4 / £5, 10pm - 4am
Rhythm Rebels, Decktrofunk, Mark
Mills, Steve Farr, Dale Bridge and
Bruno.
for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings
Mint Imperial
Imperial Daze: they’re gonna party like its 1989
The Nottingham party scene twenty years ago: if you missed
it, you should have been there. Thanks to a vanguard of cluedup DJs and venues willing to take a chance, Notts very quickly
became one of the strongholds of Rave Culture. Seriously, we
had coach parties from Manchester and London. And Mansfield.
Fast forward two decades, and a collective of veteran DJs gathered
around a warming dust mask full of Vicks at the Blah Blah Bar
(formerly The Imperial). They spawned the idea to recreate the
atmosphere of the infamous Bank Holiday parties that took place
back in the day and teamed up as the Imperial Daze soundsystem. 
This years first event, Deck Collection, takes place on April 12 at
the Nags Head on Mansfield Road. Headlining the action will be
an extended set from D2 (DIY) alongside impressive scratch master Fever and Nebula 2, followed by
the Imperial Daze first birthday party on May 3, featuring Kemet FMs Cas Roc and DJ Moulty. Expect a
serious masterclass for the yout’ dem via a mix of rare and classic tracks. Oh, and they’re also looking for
new venues for future gigs, so if you’re interested, email [email protected].
Deck Collection, Sunday April 12, Imperial Daze First Birthday,
Sunday May 3, The Nags Head, 140 Mansfield Road, 7pm - 2am. £7Adv / £7 on the door before 9pm
Sunday 05/04
Thursday 09/04
Saturday 11/04
Mumford And Sons
The Bodega
£7, 7pm
Club Smith and The Maybes
The Bodega
£6, 8pm
Kris Drever and Heidi Talbot
The Maze
£12, 7.30pm
The Wave Pictures
The Rescue Rooms
£7, 7.30pm
The Prodigy
Nottingham Arena
£28.50, 7pm
Plus special guest Dizzee Rascal
Sound of Guns (Live)
Stealth
£5, 10.15PM
Dr. Comfort and the Lurid
Revelations
Southbank Bar
Free, 8.30pm
Cricketer Graham Swanns Band.
Jaya The Cat
The Maze
£5 / £6, 8pm
Plus Skints, Big Topp, Addictive
Philosophy and A is for Ape.
Cult DnB
Muse
£4 / £6, 10pm - 2am
The Acme Jazz Band
Deux
Free, 7pm - 9pm
Basement Boogaloo
The Maze
£5, 11pm
Monday 06/04
Scallywag Music presents
Seven
£5 / £6, 7:30pm
With Imperial Leasure, Fat Lady
Singh and Twenty Five Past The
Skank.
Golden Silvers
The Bodega
£7, 7pm
Richie Muir
Southbank Bar
Free, 7pm
Log Jam and Curry Night
The Loggerheads
Free, 8pm - 1.30am
With Vava, Paul Walker, Faker
Junior, Damon Downs and more.
Saturday Night Knees Up!
The Malt Cross
£3 on door, 8pm - 1am
With The Shakes.
Oxjam Gig 2
Deux
£3 / £5 , 7.30pm
Sunday 05/04
The Hangover Club Presents...
Seven
Free, 8pm
With Curtis Whitefinger and The
Breakdowns.
Bluu Notes
Wednesday 08/04
Friday 10/04
Dr. Acula
Seven
£5, 7.30pm
Rigbee Deep
Alley Cafe
Free, 8.30pm - 1am
With Minister Hill, Nowhere
Common and Jah Bunndy.
Curtis Eller
The Maze
£9, 7.45pm
The Lace Market takes steps to cut down its leccy bill
We admit it; LeftLion is more Viccy Market than Lace
Market, but when we do have a swank-about in the
nicer area of town, we usually do it at Bluu. The reasons
for this are manifold; one, it’s ace, two, it’s spread over
two floors, and three, it’s put on some blinding club
nights with people like Bugs In The Attic and Neon
Heights.
This Spring, however, Bluu is switching up its
routine and bringing calming acoustic vibes for local
residents whilst utilising their intimate basement
space to full effect. Bluu Unplugged is the name
of the new weekly Friday night residency, and the
opening sessions are set to feature such luminaries of the six-string as Tom Wardle (an established
figure on Nottingham’s acoustic scene) and Richie Muir, whose guitar talents have seen him play
all over the world – but the whole shebang kicks off on April 3 with local faves The Herb Birds.
This is just the start of an ongoing shake-up at Bluu: a significant refurb has just taken place, including
the basement area being given its own entrance. Oh, and don’t forget Eclectic Ballroom, a rare funk DJ
throwdown, on Saturday April 4.
Bluu Unplugged, weekly from Friday April 3rd, Bluu, 5 Broadway, NG1 1PR 9.30pm – late. Free Entry.
www.bluu.co.uk
Superstar Boudoir
Gatecrasher Loves Nottingham
£10 adv, 10pm - 4am
With David Guetta.
El Gecko
The Robin Hood
Free, 9.30pm
Pop, Bubble, Rock!
Seven
£5, 7.30pm
Templeton Pek, The Story So Far
and Kids Can’t Fly.
Bluu Unplugged - Richie Muir
Free, 8pm
Boom Bap!
The Maze
£6, 8.30pm
Furious P and Squigz, Lotus, CMone and Cappo (tbc).
The Rasmus and Backyard
Babies
The Rescue Rooms
£15, 7.30pm
Yipil Easter Party
The Loggerheads
Free, 8pm - 1.30am
Saturday Night Knees Up!
The Malt Cross
£3, 8pm - 1am
With Djangology.
Percussion Easter Party
The Golden Fleece
£tbc, 8pm – 3am
Runs until: 12/04
Stak It Up
Southbank Bar
Free, 7pm
Sunday 12/04
Out to Lunch Jazz dance session
Snug
£3, 5pm - 9pm ish
Killer Jim plus DJ Daddio.
Concert For Life
Rock City
£10, 5pm
with Blaze of Glory, Sam Beeton,
The Modfathers, Baggy Trousers
Imperial Daze
Nagshead
£7 b4 9pm / adv, 7pm - 2am
D2, Dramatic and Db Audio.
Tuesday 14/04
The Bookhouse Boys
The Bodega
£6, 8pm
Girlfixer
The Maze
£tbc, 8.30pm
Plus Dagobah and more.
Lemar
Royal Centre
£25, 7pm
Wednesday 15/04
Garroson
Deux
£4, 9pm
Solode
The Approach
Free, 7pm
Richie Muir and Salsa with Steve.
Saturday 11/04
Sacred Mother Tongue
Seven
£tbc, 8pm
Plus One Last Breath.
You v Me
Seven
£tbc, 7.30pm
Plus Vaarlets, Retrograde, Benno
Blum and Vava.
leftlion.co.uk/issue28
21
event listings...
Wednesday 15/04
Sunday 19/04
And You Will Know Us By The
Trail of Dead
The Rescue Rooms
£10, 7.30pm
Plus Middle Class Rut.
The Bishops
The Bodega
£5, 8pm
Casiotone For The Painfully
Alone
The Bodega
£8, 7pm
Plus Concern.
Mindvox Battle of The Bands
Semi Final 1
The Maze
£tbc, 8.30pm
Cup of Tea
Lee Rosy’s Tea Shop
£4 / £5, 8.30pm
Revere and Alex Highton.
Thursday 16/04
Devil Sold His Soul
Seven
£6.50 Advance, 7pm
Plus Shaped By Fate, Zenith and
Abandon Hope.
Horace Andy and Ashley Beedle
The Rescue Rooms
£13.50, 7.30pm
Tom Hingley
The Maze
£6, 8.30pm
Notts in a Nutshell
The Maze
£3, 8pm
With Nena Kubu, In Isolation and
more.
Establishment
Southbank Bar
Free, 7pm
Tuesday 21/04
Basement Jaxx
Rock City
£20, 7.30pm
Liars Club 6th Birthday
Various Locations
£7, 8pm
With Health, Banjo or Freakout and
DJs Allez Allez and Todd Hart.
Kerbface
The Maze
£2.50, 8pm
Plus No Skipping Fat Women, ASBO
Peepshow and more.
Wednesday 22/04
Daylight Robbery
The Approach
Free, 7pm
BandSoc BOTB Heat C!
Seven
£3 / £2 BandSoc
With Ghost Cassette, Forever We
Stay Gold, Faces For Radio and
Dreamers Lament.
Steve McGill
Southbank Bar
Free, 7pm
N Dubz
Rock City
£15, 7.30pm
Friday 17/04
Thursday 23/04
The Fakers
Seven
£5, 8.30pm
Plus The Jet Boys, The
Establishment and The Turf.
Rolo Tomassi
The Bodega
£7.50, 7pm
Plus Grammatics and Pulled Apart
By Horses.
Depeche Mode Party
The Rescue Rooms
£5, 9pm - 3am
With DJs GW2m and Ricardo.
Bluu Unplugged - Tee Dymond
Bluu
Free, 8pm
LeftLion
Brownes
Free, 8pm - 1am
The Rusty Trombones
Deux
Free, 9pm
Saturday 18/04
The Sex Pistols Experience
Seven
£tbc, 8pm
Saturday Night Knees Up!
The Malt Cross
With Wholesome Fish.
DJ Derek
The Golden Fleece
Free, 8pm-2am
Smokescreen
The Maze
£5, 10pm
Jason Heart Band
Southbank Bar
Free, 7pm
Johnny Dempsey
Deux
Free, 9pm
leftlion.co.uk/issue28
Seven Rooms of Boom
Detonate Bank Holiday: say no more.
One of the biggest events on the Nottingham calendar
is back with a vengeance. After recently celebrating
ten years in the game, Detonate hold their annual
gargantuan all-nighter at Stealth, Rescue Rooms and
Rock City on the May Bank Holiday weekend.
You know the drill: for eight hours, the biggest talents in
drum and bass, dubstep and general beatiness descend
upon Notts to rampage over seven venues, while the
general populace go batchy. Seriously, spend time in Rock
City on a Detonate night, and you’ll believe a building
can jump. No less an authority than Goldie has described
the Detonate bank holiday session as one of the best gigs in the UK.
This year’s highlights include Chase and Status (three-time winners at the recent Drum and Bass Awards), Andy C,
the Brookes Brothers, LTJ Bukem and Ed Rush and Optical on the DnB front, whilst the dubstep element is provided by
Benga, Caspa, Rusko, Skream and the impressive Dutch producer Martyn. Warp Records’ Flying Lotus is guaranteed
to provide a twisted audio massage, and local heroes Lone and Spamchop will be representing.
This event has sold out in advance the last two years running, with queues of people who didn’t sort it early getting
turned away last year. Don’t be that sucky youth left standing outside the gates, next to the bloke trying to get shot
of that box of plastic whistles from last year’s Goose Fair. Book now.
Detonate Indoor Festival, Sunday May 3, 10pm - 6am. Tickets £16 adv / £26 on the door.
Except there probably won’t be any on the door. www.detonate1.co.uk
Saturday 25/04
Friday 01/05
Sunday 03/05
Supersuckers and Nashville
Pussy
The Rescue Rooms
£12.50, 7pm
Spear of Destiny
Rock City
£12.50, 7pm
Detonate Indoor Festival
Rock City
£26, 9pm - 6am
See box out for information.
Flux
The Loggerheads
Free, 8pm
Alex Bett, Elliott Morris, Lee Rosie
and The Tea Cosies, Vava, Nigel
Beck, Portland and Damon Downs.
30something
The Maze
£2, 8pm
Saturday Night Knees Up!
The Malt Cross
£3, 8pm - 1am
With The Shakes.
Radar with Live Guests:
Goldhawks
The Bodega
£3, 10pm
Marcus Bonfanti and Lotte Mullan
Deux
£5, 9pm
The Mighty Underdogs
The Rescue Rooms
£12.50, 7.30pm
Daylight Robbery
Southbank Bar
Free, 7pm
Friday 24/04
The Answer and Swanee River
Rock City
£11, 7pm
Wire and Wool
The Loggerheads
Free, 8pm
Bluu Unplugged - Tom Wardle
Free, 8pm
Sunday 26/04
Levellers
Rock City
£19.50, 7.30pm
Plus Pama International, Hobo
Jones and The Junkyard Dogs.
Notts in a Nutshell
The Maze
£3, 8pm
With Knives, Cafe Racer and more.
Tuesday 28/04
Azriel
Seven
Plus Martyr Defiled, Almost Home,
Oribine and Scarlet Monastery.
Fidget
The Maze
£3, 8.30pm
The Rakes
The Rescue Rooms
£11, 7.30pm
Sky Larkin and Official Secrets Act.
Roy De Wired and Tee Dymond
The Approach
Free, 7pm
Themselves
The Bodega
£9, 8pm
Saturday 25/04
Wednesday 29/04
Ronnie Londons Groove Lounge
Grosvenor
£3 b4 11am, 8pm - 1am
BandSoc BOTB Heat D!
Seven
£3 / £2 BandSoc
With Pantheon, Numinous, Sable
Dawn and The Prevention.
Rigbee Deep
The Hubb
Free, 8:30pm - 2am
With Minister Hill, Nowhere
Common and Jah Bunndy.
Fresh out of Death and DJ Mehdi
The Market Bar
£5, 10pm
Nightmare Of You
Rock City
£7.50, 7pm
22
for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings
Nick Bowley Band
The Maze
£3, 8pm
Mathias Eick Quartet
Lakeside Arts Centre
£12 / £15, 8pm
Eugene Robinson.
Jamcafe
Free, 7pm
Romi Mayes Band
The Maze
£10, 7.45PM
P Brothers and Jonathan
Muse
£3, 10pm - 3am
Dan Reed
Seven
£10 / £12, 8pm
Noise*
Jamcafe
Free, 7pm
Imperial Daze
Nagshead
£7 b4 9pm / adv, 7pm – 2am
Cas Roc, DJ Moulty plus guests.
Wednesday 06/05
The Maccabees
The Rescue Rooms
£10, 7pm
Otis Gibbs and Chris Mills
The Maze
£10, 7.30pm
Rachel Harrington
Deux
£7.50 / £10, 9.30pm
Thursday 07/05
Saturday 02/05
Easy Star All Stars
The Rescue Rooms
£15, 7.30pm
Fresh out of Death
The Market Bar
£5, 10pm
Plus Style of Eye.
Cancer Bats
Rock City
£8, 7pm
Plus The Plight and SSS.
Saturday Night Knees Up!
The Malt Cross
£3, 8pm - 1am
With Djangology.
Cult DnB
Muse
£4 / £6, 10pm - 2am
Jonny and The Raindrops
The Maze
£2.50, 3pm - 6pm
Then Basement Boogaloo, £5.
Evil Empire
The Maze
£tbc, 8pm
Plus RH Conspiracy.
The Other Left
Seven
£4, 8pm
Plus Isolation, The Villain And I and
My Thai Bride.
Friday 08/05
Rigbee Deep
Alley Cafe
Free, 8:30pm - 1am
Plus Minister Hill, Nowhere
Common and Jah Bunndy.
The Curtis Whitefinger Ordeal
The Robin Hood
Free, 9.30pm
Flipron
Deux
£5 / £7.50, 9pm
Plus Electric Catfish.
Amusement Parks On Fire
The Bodega
£6, 7pm
With support from Swimming.
Sunday 03/05
Bluu Unplugged With Mark James
Free, 8pm
House Event
The Loggerheads
Free, 8pm
Kimmie Rhodes
The Maze
£10, 7.45pm
Plus Sarah MacDougall.
Buster
Southbank Bar
Free, 7pm
Digital Corruption
The Maze
£7 / £9, 9pm
With Riding The Low, Satnam’s
Tash, Ruberlaris, Moring Glory and
VJ Yogyog.
Doc Shellard and Friends
Deux
£3, 9pm
nottingham event listings...
for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings
Saturday 09/05
Friday 15/05
Friday 22/05
Sunday 24/05
Friday 29/05
Nemhain and Spit Like This
Rock City
£6.50, 7pm
Demo
The Maze
£tbc, 9pm - late
Bluu Unplugged - Tom Wardle
Free, 8pm
Bluu Unplugged - Mark James
Free, 8pm
Saturday Night Knees Up!
The Malt Cross
£3, 8pm - 1am
With The Shakes.
Rhoda Dakur
Seven
£tbc, 8pm
Boatyard Boogaloo
Canalhouse bar
£7 adv, 3pm - 3.30am
With The Unabombers, Nick Shaw,
Ed Cotton, Beane and Alex Byrom.
The Pitty Patt Club –
‘Neo Burlesque-O-Theque’
The Bodega
£6, 8pm
Ghoul Garden
The Maze
£3 / £3.50, 9pm
Americana Night
Deux
£3, 9pm
With Dixies Midnight Strummers.
Sunday 10/05
Kris Ward
The Robin Hood
Free, 9.30pm
The Butterfly Effect
Rock City
£7.50, 7.30pm
Chris Wood
The Maze
£10, 7.30pm
The Folk Sessions
Deux
Free, 7pm - 9pm
The open mic.
Tuesday 12/05
Gallows
Rock City
£13, 7.30pm
Plus Every Time I Die and Hexes.
Charity Gig
The Maze
£3 donations, 8pm
Bonded By Blood
Seven
£tbc, 8pm
Fueled by Fire and White Hazzard.
Wednesday 13/05
One Eskimo and All Thieves
The Bodega
£5, 7pm
Sew Your Genes
The Lizard Lounge
£4 / £5, 9pm - 11pm
See box out for more information.
The Gliteratti
Seven
£5 / £7, 8pm
Plus New Generation Superstars
and Zen Motel.
LeftLion
Brownes
Free, 8pm - 1am
Blackfuzz
Deux
£3, 9pm
Saturday 16/05
Saturday 23/05
Stratovarius and Plus Firewind
The Rescue Rooms
£16.50, 7pm
Adrian Edmondson and The Bad
Shepherds
Seven
£15, 8pm
Maybeshewill
Rock City
£3, 10pm
Plus And So I Watch You From Afar.
Basement Sessions
Bluu
Free, 8pm
With The Freskofunkerz.
Shlomo’s Human Beatbox Vocal
Orchestra
Playhouse
£8 / £12.50 / £14 , 7.30pm
Mindvox Battle of The Bands
Final
The Maze
£tbc, 7pm
Acey Slade
Seven
£tbc, 8pm
Plus Patchwork Grace and Eureka
Machines.
Saturday Night Knees Up!
The Malt Cross
£3 on door, 8pm - 1am
With Más Y Más.
Monday 18/05
Liars Club and Late Of The Pier
present Sausage Party 02
Chameleon Arts Cafe
£5, 8pm
With Casiokids plus guests.
Wednesday 20/05
BandSoc House Party
Seven
£2 / £3 / £4, 9.30pm
Cobra Starship
The Rescue Rooms
£10, 6.30pm
Richie Muir
The Approach
Free, 7pm
The Hours
Stealth
£7, 7pm
Lúnasa
Lakeside Arts Centre
£12 / £15, 7.30pm
Revolution Sounds Clubnight
The Maze
£8 adv, 8pm
Star Fuckin Hipsters, Minus
Society, Moral Dilemma, Total
Bloody Chaos and Kerbface.
Belleruche
Brownes
Free, 8pm
Plus Papa La Bas.
Cup of Tea
Lee Rosy’s Tea Shop
£4 / £5, 8.30pm
Dana Wylie Band and Old Lost John.
Damn You!
Jamcafe
Free, 7pm
With Machinefabriek.
Thursday 14/05
Ben’s Brother
The Rescue Rooms
£12.50, 7.30pm
Luke Doucet and Melissa
McClelland
The Maze
£10, 7.45PM
Classic of Love
Seven
£7 / £8, 8pm
Shivver
The Maze
£5, 9pm
Trigger The Bloodshed
Seven
£6 / £8, 8pm
Plus Khalo and For Untold Reasons.
Richie Muir
The Approach
Free, 7pm
Thursday 21/05
Scott Matthews
The Rescue Rooms
£12.50, 7.30pm
Plus James Summerfield.
Birobox Workshops
The Malt Cross
£4, 8pm
The Joy of Box and Origamibiro.
Saturday Night Knees Up!
The Malt Cross
£3, 8pm - 1am
With Wholesome Fish.
City Pulse Festival
Various Locations
Free, Various
Runs until: 25/05
With The Manfreds, The Neville
Staples Band, Eddie Floyd, Todd
Miller and The Joe Loss Orchestra,
James Hunter and more.
Smokscreen
The Maze
£5, 10pm
Sunday 24/05
Dot To Dot Festival 2009
Various Locations
£25 +, All day
See featured listing on page 22.
Tuesday 26/05
SIC
The Maze
£3 / £4, 8pm
Plus Goddamn.
Wednesday 27/05
Lipstick and Guitar Tour
The Maze
£6, 7.30pm
With Nell Bryden, Kat Flint,
Lizzyspit and Lana.
Thursday 28/05
Breed 77
Rock City
£10, 6.30pm
with Susperia, Illuminatus, Circle
of One.
Breed 77 end of tour party
Seven
£2 / £3, 10pm
With In The Absence of Light.
Richie Muir
The Approach
Free, 7pm
Dealmaker Records
Moog
£3, 2pm - late
Lone, Keaver, Brause Jahtari
Riddim Force, Disrupt and Tapes.
Noise Ensemble
Playhouse
£12.50 / £14.50, 7.30pm
The Elementz Presents
Muse
Free, 10pm - 2am
Wonkville Launch Party with guest
DJs and Shoka.
Junk Yard Presents Clive Henry
The Market Bar
£5, 10pm - 4am
Bobby Melody
The Maze
£tbc, 9pm
Establishment
Southbank Bar
Free, 7pm
Friday 29/05
Wire and Wool
The Loggerheads
Free, 8pm
Sonic Boom 6
The Maze
£8, 9pm
Plus Girlfixer and  Dirty Revolution.
Pop, Bubble, Rock!
Seven
£4, 9.30pm
With Polar Bear Club, Crime In
Stereo and Defeater.
Detonate
Stealth
£10, 9pm - 4am
Artificial Intellegence, Plastician
and more.
Saturday 30/05
Ronnie Londons Groove Lounge
Grosvenor
£3 b4 11am, 8pm - 1am
Mr Hudson
Stealth
£8.50, 7pm
Plus Mpho and Alan Pownall.
Saturday Night Knees Up!
The Malt Cross
£3 on door, 8pm - 1am
With Reverend Ribble and The
Ginger Nuts.
I’m Not from London
Art Organisation
Free (NUS), 2pm - 10.30pm
Runs until: 31/05
You Slut, Love Ends Disaster,
O’Lovely Lie, Dom Keller, Wander
Phantom and loads more.
Sunday 31/05
We The Kings
Rock City
£8, 7.30pm
Holly Golightly and the
Brokeoffs
The Rescue Rooms
£10, 7.30pm
Plus David Drake and Andi
Almqvist.
Notts in a Nutshell
The Maze
£3, 8pm
Roy De Wired
Southbank Bar
Free, 7pm
I’m Not From London BBQ
The Loggerheads
Free, 8pm
Sew Your Genes
501 reasons to give to charity at the Lizard Lounge
Sew Your Genes is an arts and fashion exhibition put together by
two students at Nottingham Trent University to raise money for
Jeans for Genes - a national charity which raises money for the
care of children living with genetic disorders and their families. Not
only will Sew Your Genes showcase work made from recycled
denim by a variety of designers and artists, but said work could
be wrapped around your arse by the end of the night, as it’ll be
available to buy, as well as there being a raffle.
The designers involved are amongst the best Notts has to offer;
Sir Tom Baker, Bantum Clothing, Jo Cope, Regenerate, Bo and
Jangles, Waste Yourself, John Simmons, Mark Hill, Sarah Alina
Krohn, Simon Mitchell and Vintage Reclaimed. Music on the night
will be an acoustic session from Mark James.
If you’re a denim or fashion fanatic get down there to check out
what some of the most innovative designers around do with the
brief and support a very worthy cause to boot.
Sew Your Genes, Friday May 15, the Lizard Lounge, 41-43 St.
Marys Gate, NG1 1PU 9pm-11pm. Dress code: one piece of denim
ButtonPusher
Seven
£tbc, 8pm
With Blakfish, Brontide, Hot Bone
and Rolo Tomassi DJ Set.
leftlion.co.uk/issue28
23
event listings...
WEEKLIES
Mondays
Open Mic Night
Golden Fleece
Free, 8pm
Neon Rocks
Stealth
£3, 9pm - late
NTU student night.
Motherfunker
The Cookie Club
£1 before 11pm, 10.30pm - 3am
Bosh!
Approach
Free, 7pm
Free comedy from Just The Tonic.
Monday Mayhem
Maze
£1 / £2, 8pm
Propaganda
Gatecrasher Loves Nottingham
£3.50 / £4, 10pm - 3am
Indie and alternative club night
with huge events in five cities
across the UK.
Tuesdays
MNSTR!
Brownes
Free, 9pm - 1.30am
Detonate, Spectrum and ClubFoot
residents.
Acoustic Tuesdays
Malt Cross
Free, 8pm
A selection of local acts.
Live Jazz
Hand and Heart
Free, 8pm - late
24
leftlion.co.uk/issue28
for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings
Wednesdays
Open Mic Night
Jam Cafe
Free, 7pm
LeftLion Pub Quiz
Golden Fleece
£2 per team, 8pm
Like booze? Like quizzes? Sorted.
Pub Quiz
Deux
£various, 8pm
Solode
Approach
Free, 8pm
Plus guests.
Thursdays
Showcase
Loggerheads
Free, 8pm Live Thursdays
Golden Fleece
Free, 8.30pm
Club NME
Stealth
£2 / £4, 10pm - 2am The Jupiter Monkeys Acoustic
Jamboree
Deux
Free, 8pm
Jam Cafe
Free, 8pm
DJs on rotation playing funk, soul
and broken beats.
Modern World
The Cookie Club
£1 / £3, 10.30pm - 2am
Tuned
Rock City
£1 - £5, 10pm - 3am
Thursdays
Fridays
Fridays
Chic
Gatecrasher
£4 / £5, 10.30pm - 3am
Four floors of music.
Superstar Boudoir
Gatecrasher
£10 / £12, 10pm - 4am
A slice of action from the world’s
leading dance music brands.
Fridays
Golden Fleece
Free, 8pm
Reggae, DnB, funk, hip hop and disco.
BedBug
Eleven
Free, 8pm - 3am
Firefly and Product bring a
selection of quality DJs every
Thursday.
Atomic / Sabotage
The Cookie Club
£2 b4 11pm, £4 after (NUS
discount), 10.30pm - 3am
Chic
Gatecrasher Loves Nottingham
£4adv / £5, 10.30pm - 3am
Open Decks and Open Caves
Loggerheads
Free, 5pm - 12am
Bring some records or bring an
instrument.
SPAM
Ropewalk
Free, 8pm
4 Down 1 To Go
Approach
Free, 7pm
Strictly
Igloo
Various, 10pm - 4am
The Pop Confessional
Bodega Social Club
£1 / £3 / £5, 11pm - 3am
Classic POP tunes from all eras,
and lots of fun and games.
Love Shack
Rock City
£4 - £5, 9.30pm - 2am
Joe Strange Band
Southbank Bar
Free, 8pm
Saturdays
Deep Groove
Snug Lounge Club
£5 (NUS), 10pm - 6 am
Play
Gatecrasher
£7 / £9, 10pm - 4am
Freeman
Brownes
Free, 9pm - 1.30am
Distortion
Rock City
various, 10pm - 3am
Trollied
Halo
£5 / £6 / more, 10pm - 4am
Sundays
To Be Announced
Jamcafe
Free, 7pm - late
Roy De Wired
Approach
Free, 7pm - 2am
Plus support and DJs.
Music Quiz
Robin Hood
Free, 9pm
F*** Me It’s Friday
Halo
Free with Flyer, 10pm - 4am
Reggae Roast
Golden Fleece
Free entry, all day.
Santero
Brownes
Free, 9pm - 1.30am
Open Mic
Deux
Free, 9pm
Sunday Jam Sessions
Loggerheads
Free, 8pm nottingham event listings...
COMEDY
Sunday 05/04
Sunday 10/05
Just The Tonic
Approach
£5.50 / £7.50, 7pm
Jo Caulfield, Dan Nightingale and
Charlie Baker.
Tony Cowards
Robin Hood
Free / £2, 7.30pm
Plus Sam Brady, Sajeela Kershi,
Alan Armstrong, Toby Blair and
Compere Matt Turner.
Just The Tonic - Phil Nichol
Approach
£8 / £10, 7pm
Monday 11/05
Mark Thomas
Playhouse
£12 / £15, 8pm
Tuesday 12/05
Pieces
Playhouse
£5 / £8, 7.45pm
Funhouse Comedy
Grove
£4 / £5, 8pm
Zoe Lyones, Pierre Hollins, Richard
King and Compere Spiky Mike.
Tuesday 07/04
Sunday 17/05
Ed Byrne
Playhouse
£14 / £15, 8pm
Just The Tonic
Approach
£5 / £7.50, 7pm
Sunday 12/04
Tuesday 19/05
Just The Tonic
Approach
£6 / £8, 7pm
With Jim Tavare, Tony Law, Ginger
and Black and Charlie Baker.
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Maze
£4 / £5, 8pm
Sunday 19/04
Just The Tonic
Approach
£5.50 / £7.50, 7pm
Wil Hogson, Mat Reed and guest.
Robin Ince
Lakeside Arts Centre
£12 / £15, 8pm
Just The Tonic
Approach
£6 / £8, 7pm
Sunday 31/05
THEATRE
Wednesday 01/04
Friday 24/04
Ross Noble
Royal Centre
£18 / £20 (NUS), 7.30pm
Much Ado About Nothing
Lace Market Theatre
£7 / £8 / £9, 7.30pm
Runs until: 04/04
Sunday 26/04
Tuesday 05/05
Just The Tonic
Approach
£5.50 / £7.50, 7pm
With Rob Rouse, Ava Vidal and
Darrell Martin.
Hatch: One
The Ropewalk
Free, 8pm - 1am
The newest travelling home for
performancy fun promises a night
of adventure.
Sunday 03/05
Friday 10/04
Just The Tonic
Approach
£6 / £8, 7pm
With Ian Cognito, Henning Wehn
and guests.
The Baking of Pelham 1-2-3
Homemade: because Man can’t live by Cob alone
Opening its doors on Pelham Street in May 2005, Homemade
is a cosy, friendly, licensed cafe bar that puts honest home
cooking of locally-sourced producers before, well, the usual
crap sandwiches you get from Tescos that end up falling
between the cracks of your keyboard at work.
The great thing about Homemade is that it spends the last
three days of the working week open right through to 10.30pm,
meaning that you can give that dodgy kebab shop the swerve
if you don’t feel like it. The breakfasts are amongst the best in
town, from the full english to smoked salmon and scrambled
eggs on toast. By dinnertime, the chalkboards are heaving
with savoury delights ranging from lasagne to jacket potatoes
to salads to soup to ciabatta rolls – with a sizeable vegetarian
selection.
Their evening delights offer proper teas a-plenty including
homemade burgers, pan-fried salmon, and wild mushroom and
spinach pasta to name but a few. Licensed and fully stocked
with beers, wines and ciders, it’s the perfect launchpad for a night out and if the sun is shining then take
advantage of their outdoor seating area – it’s even available for private party bookings in the evenings.
Homemade, 20 Pelham Street, Nottingham, NG1 2EG
www.homemadecafe.com
Sunday 24/05
Just The Tonic
Approach
£5 / £7.50, 7pm
Monday 20/04
for more: leftlion.co.uk/listings
Circo de la Sombra
Playhouse
£7.50 / £12.50, 8pm
Runs until: 11/04
Tuesday 14/04
Sunday 26/04
Thursday 09/04
RSC The Tempest
Royal Centre
£9.50 - £25, 7.30pm
Runs until: 18/04
Derren Brown
Royal Centre
£22.50 / £26.50, 7.30pm
Runs until: 27/04
Laxton: Farming in an open
field village
Lakeside Arts Centre
Free, All day
Runs until: 16/08
Monday 20/04
Monday 04/05
Little Shop of Horrors
Royal Centre
£12 - £29.50, 7.30pm
Runs until: 25/04
M. Butterfly
Lace Market Theatre
£6 / £7 / £8 / £9, 7.30pm
Runs until: 09/05
Wednesday 22/04
Tuesday 05/05
Shaolin Warriors
Royal Centre
£18 / £21, 7.30pm
Brief Encounter
Royal Centre
£10 / £24, 7.30pm
Runs until: 09/05
Thursday 23/04
We’ll Meet Again
Royal Centre
£9 / £11, 2.30pm
The Visit
Playhouse
£4 / £6, 8pm
Runs until: 25/04
Uprock City
Breakin’ Convention invites you to spin on it
The UK’s leading festival of international hip-hop dance
theatre is back in town, curated and hosted by the
irrepressible Jonzi D. Breakin’ Convention 09 storms
Nottingham Playhouse on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 May
with some of the world’s hottest poppers, lockers, B-boys
and B-girls in the world backed up by the cream of the
Notts scene. It’s more than just a show; the venue will
be transformed, with DJs providing the sounds and the
opportunity to freestyle in the foyers.
As always, BC is a demonstration of how something that
was dismissed as a fad in the early eighties has enveloped
the globe, with a stellar intercontinental line-up. From the
US comes legendary pioneer Ken Swift – the epitome of BBoying – making his UK debut with his crew VII Gems Rock
Dance Division. French phenomenon Salah – renowned as
‘the Charlie Chaplin of hip-hop’ - throws mime and comedy into the mix. And from South Korea, probably the best BBoying nation in the world, comes the astonishing group MyoSung.
Throw in a hefty dose of Notts representation in the shape of Freedom Movement, Quantum Matrix, SD Crew and
Unique Perspective, and you have two unmissable nights.
Breakin’ Convention, Nottingham Playhouse Friday May 8 and Saturday May 9, 6.30pm.
Tickets: £15 (concessions £13.50)
Friday 08/05
Breakin Convention
Playhouse
£15, 7.30pm
Runs until: 09/05
See box out.
Monday 11/05
Evita
Royal Centre
£14 / £35, 7.30pm
Runs until: 23/05
Thursday 14/05
Le Grand Cirque
Royal Centre
£10 - £32.50, 7.30pm
Runs until: 17/05
Friday 22/05
Wasteland
Lakeside Arts Centre
£9 / £12, 8pm
EXHIBITIONS
Wednesday 01/04
Geoff Diego Litherland
Lakeside Arts Centre
Free, All day
Runs until: 12/04
The American Scene
Lakeside Arts Centre
Free, All day
Runs until: 19/04
Tom Down - A Far Sunset
The Wasp Room
Free, Thu/Fri, 3-7, Sat/Sun, 12-5
Runs until: 11/04
Sunday 12/04
Chris Mattison: A Natural
Selection
Yard Gallery
Free, 11am - 4pm
Runs until: 26/04
Saturday 18/04
Joy and Wolfgang Buttress
Lakeside Arts Centre
Free, All day
Runs until: 24/05
Tuesday 21/04
Kate Waters
Surface Gallery
Free, All day
Runs until: 01/05
Saturday 25/04
Joan Fontcuberta - Datascapes
Lakeside Arts Centre
Free, All day
Runs until: 14/06
Thursday 30/04
Back To Life: Jennifer Bell
Yard Gallery
Free, 11am - 4pm
Runs until: 05/06
Saturday 02/05
Slash / Slash
Rescue Rooms
Free, 12pm - 6pm
Saturday 23/05
Form
Loggerheads
Free, 8pm - 1.30am
Saturday 30/05
Laura Mccafferty
Lakeside Arts Centre
Free, All day
Runs until: 02/07
leftlion.co.uk/issue28
25
Write Lion
‘Credit Crunch’, ‘quantitative easing’ - anyone would think the politicians are the only poets
left in this country. But fear not, the Write Lion crew have a few things to say about the
recession, amongst other things, and unlike the politicians, they tell it straight. If you would like
to join them, please visit www.leftlion.co.uk/forum
What Darwin Didn’t Know Is
by Mahatma
Remains, Bric-a-Brac
By Gareth Durasow
Ode to the Credit Crunch
by Adam
GB2009
by Annie Moose
I’m no Priziest Horse either, but quarter moon like a Cheshire cat
and like girls with Little Hans. Freud, psychoanalyse that.
My working class siblings ask; why I go to uni
- I can’t let rich-kids be privileged to all the lunacy
Plus no one has mis-educational immunity
since the universe is a university its now I’m playing truant, see?
So never judge a human being by the cover of their book
they could be publishing its antithesis and just studying up
My gene pool’s a puddle of mud, an erupting volcanic push, bubbling up
‘cause the true thrust of What Darwin Didn’t Know is
you can hide an entire pride of diplodocus inside a flying mist of locus
Humans are solar powered, life got hot in our time and space
so we’ve gone on and evolved long beyond Optimus Primates
We’re chemical entities, we don’t need these coffees for highs
but son, you’d moon the planet with a heavenly body like mine
I’m off, and goodnight.
Excuse this stuff,
the Womble in my fury.
Great with pets & British
to the last I’ve been lighting a
lizard’s cadaver for days
whilst earthquakes cleave
the coliseum in half
like a skull &
Ezekiel sweats ecclesiastic
at the grindstone pulpit,
treads stained glass &
hum-drum Son et Lumières
with potential to believe
TRESemmé’s apothegms
an apothecary
& unearths a sensible heaven:
Equilibrium under
the cemetery chaos,
charming sullen lovers
with Pixar menageries &
records left out to dry
in ample time to clinch
the horticulture prize
for enduring diorama.
My first impression,
of the recent recession,
is not one of doom,
or gloom,
or even depression.
Wages
£1019
Rent
£420
Council Tax £95
Water
£22
Gas
£50
Electric
£35
Petrol
£80
Loan
£100
Car insu
£39
Home insu
£18
Credit card
£5.81 min payment
Food
£170
Tabs
£40
Ale
£200
Fucked
Total
You
by thesethingsinmyattic
I am going to come and get into bed with you.
But I don’t want you to talk.
I am going to come and get into bed with you.
But I don’t want you to touch me.
I don’t want you to pressure me into doing anything,
I don’t meant like that.
I mean that I just want you to be there.
But I don’t want you to do anything.
It’s of joy and jubilation,
as the folk of this nation
might find cheaper, better hobbies
instead of Wii and Playstation.
All the spines in her book case are
black
by Pete Littlewood
When we first met,
there was an i-want-to-lick-you whole,
where now hangs a charcoal hole.
Maybe it was just me,
wearing her down with my tongue,
but she seemed to erode
as her book case turned black.
Branson
by Lord Biro
The Man
The Movie
The Mayhem
The Lost Luggage
The Late Trains
The Violent Passengers
etc.
Book Reviews
Instead Of A Card
The Not Dead
(Candlestick Press)
£4.95
John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand
Simon Armitage
(Pomona) £6.99
Feel like throttling your partner when they buy you a tacky
special occasion card with a cutesy bear on the cover? Fear
not, your days of insipid romantic gestures are over thanks
to local publisher Candlestick Press. Retailing at £4.95,
Instead of a Card offers quirky, themed poetry pamphlets
that are the perfect size to slip into your lover’s bag when
they aren’t looking. Expertly produced and bound, they come
with matching envelope and a blank bookmark – though this
particular consumer couldn’t bring herself to deface such a
simple and lovely artefact. Now stocked at Waterstones and
Buy the Book in West Bridgford, and perfect for those of you
with a thoughtful imagination and a craving for beauty.
Aly Stoneman
Much has been written about the Great Wars. The volume and
nature of the deaths are so incomprehensible that it serves
as a brutal reminder to us all that this must never happen
again. Modern warfare is less well served by the world of
publishing, perhaps because there isn’t the same certainty of
cause as the Great Wars or because we have simply grown
emotionally apathetic to death due to observing it on TV from
the comfort of our sofa. In this slim and beautiful eighty-page
collection, Simon Armitage departs from the norm by depicting
the aftermath of modern warfare in gut-wrenching prose that
reminds us that the mental wars are the ones that never end
and the ones which do the most harm.
James Walker
Richard Reeves
(Atlantic Books) £12.99
In this behemoth of a biography, Richard Reeves dissects the
complex life of one of Britain’s greatest intellectual thinkers,
who, for example, had consumed Plato, Sophocles and Pope
before reaching double figures. And I thought I was clever
for completing Mario 64. Written in the spirit of the man,
Reeves is not afraid to dispel myths, nor to criticise his subject
matter in this thorough and illuminating analysis. However,
this book should be required reading for the simple reason
that our current notions of liberalism (anti-terror laws, CCTV
monitoring, etc) are making such a mockery of democracy that
a drastic reappraisal is required before it is too late.
James Walker
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
27
Finally, a full page of all-Notts bands in our review section.
We’d like to keep it that way, so if you’re local and you
have new release, go to www.leftlion.co.uk/bands to find
how you can get your stuff reviewed on this very page...
MUSIC
Euler
Songs for the Bailiff EP
Jupiter Monkeys
Drowning in the Gene Pool EP
Keaver & Brause
The Middle Way LP (Dealmaker Records)
Feel-good
sounds
from
Nottingham? It must be nearly
summer, and Euler – who all
live in a house in Forest Fields,
like most local bands do at some
point - have an EP to suit the
mood. Jumping straight in with
the upbeat jangle of French Maid,
the four of them immediately fling
their cards on the table; pure
indie rock with a sixties guitar
tinge that champions the funloving end of that era over the melancholic dirginess of the
noughties. Just check the wide-eyed optimism of Amsterdam
- string section and all. By the time the EP ends with the chirpyas-you-like title track - all harmonicas and infectious chorus
– you start to wonder how the band will develop and mature
when they start off this catchy. Songs for the Bailiff is a wellproduced debut, yet manages to retain a lovably ragged energy
- which probably means they’re a lot of fun to watch live.
Alison Emm
A while ago whilst having a
typical drunk Friday night in the
local, my neighbour and I came
up with the musical genre of ‘Belt
Rock’ - the type of music where
you hook your thumbs in the
loops of your stonewashed jeans,
and either get down to a good ‘ol
boogie by swivelling from your
hips, or by leaning back on the
bar and enthusiastically tapping
your right leg to the music (and
if any of you feckers try and steal this term, you are dead).
Jupiter Monkeys are Belt Rock, and Drowning in the Gene Pool
is unashamed feel-good boogie rock; think the Black Crowes
snorting up Jimmy Page’s leftover lines, whilst Lynyrd Skynyrd
recklessly pour whiskey over the whole sordid drug-ravaged
orgy. This is music to have a good time to, and Jupiter Monkeys
could have quite easily come from the sun-soaked South states
of America, opposed to the piss-stained streets of Nottingham.
Paul Klotschkow
Keaver & Brause may sound like
a law or accountancy firm, but
thankfully their music is way more
exciting than that. Tom Keaver and
Tom Brause are a likeminded duo
in the studio - but as people they
are certainly not without their
differences. Keaver is a veteran
of the Ceder studio system and
known for his work as a sound
effects man. Whereas Brause,
twelve years his partner’s junior, is a folk and session musician
who turned his hand to production and is rather amusingly
described by the record company as looking like a baby. Between
them they have given birth to a very well-produced album of
chilled beats, multi-layered samples and eerie melodies along
the lines of other ambient electronic musicians like Boards of
Canada, Lukid and their labelmate Lone (who we hear they
might collaborate with soon). Standout tracks are Two Schools,
Bounce and Cleff Rechard. Jared Wilson
Hear the EP in full now on Euler’s MySpace page
www.myspace.com/euleronline
Out 1 May: listen in full on Jupiter Monkey’s MySpace page
www.myspace.com/jmonkeys
Lone
Cluster Dreams EP (Dealmaker Records)
Hot on the heels of his startling
and attention-grabbing Lemurian
album, Matt Cutler reasserts his
already assured position in the
vanguard of instrumentalism
with consummate ease. It opens
with Sharpest View of the Sun, a
wall of twinkling, trickling drops
of aural fluid. Cluster Dreams
reminds me of sitting in my
bedroom playing on my Sega
Megadrive back in the early nineties, and Fly Fire Rainbow
could have easily have soundtracked one of the early stages on
Sonic 2, with its swirling, jazzy piano riffs creating a dreamy
soundscape. A Ridge Between Mountains follows a similar
pattern, but it’s as blissed-out as a Trustafarian in the Arbo on
a sunny afternoon, and an outstanding remix of Midnight Feast
aimed squarely at the come-down kids rounds off a small but
perfectly formed package. Anyone who’s a fan of glisteningly
positive electronica or instrumental music in general should
make this an essential purchase. Paul Klotschkow
Lone plays Wigflex@Detonate at Stealth on 3 May
www.myspace.com/lonemusic
Spaceships Are Cool
Spaceships Are Cool EP
Spaceships Are Cool (led by Rob
Maddison) are Nottingham’s
prime exponents of gorgeous
dollops of delightful indietronica
that is so irresistible and moreish,
they must have found a cheeky
way of slipping MSG into the
music. This eponymous EP takes
all the best bits of artists like the
Flaming Lips, Beck, Dntel and
lashings of sixties psych-rock
to create a world where blips
and bleeps collide head-on with occasional I Am The Walrusesque stream-of-consciousness lyrics, especially noticeable on
Gingerbread House. Let Things Go is full of clattering drums
and dark melodies that demonstrate just what a great talent is
on show here. This EP, along with a collaboration with Mr Bird
entitled The Tokyo EP, is throughly recommended.
Paul Klotschkow
Available now on iTunes
www.spaceshipsarecool.com
The Money
A Secret Shared LP
First gig in November, first LP
four months later…this band that
does not hang about. There’s
been a proper buzz around The
Money (formed from Majik and
Left Of The Dealer) and much
is expected. Much is delivered.
Even more is promised. Feel Like
You Save Me and Rollin’ Of A Dice
are the standouts; the former
is possibly the most naggingly
earwormy tune you’ll hear all
year, while the latter is so instantly catchy that you’ll swear it’s
been around for ages. Hear Me Out and Start Again glisten with
shards of guitar and soaring harmonies and lend themselves to
the shoegazer era, but in an uplifting way – as if they’ve just
bought some adidas Italias and can’t stop checking them. If
you know their pedigree, you may be a tad disappointed that
they haven’t let rip with some more uptempo tracks, but no
matter; this is an extremely professional and mature debut that
demands your attention, and I’m gagging to hear their next one.
Which, by the way things are going, should be out next month.
Glen Parver
Buy online at www.carterinternational.co.uk
www.myspace.com/showmethemoneymusic
The Smears
Hell in High Heels EP
An all-girl trio (think Hole
without the male and less drugs),
The Smears have attitude in
abundance and know what makes
for a good song that you can jump
around to, and HIHH is an album
which would have pissed over
a number of punk acts in the
seventies and eighties. Coming in
at a wonderfully compact twenty
minutes of pure punk/grunge/rock
energy that grabs you straight out
with Deliverance, this album refuses to let go until it squeals to
a halt, just after telling you to pick up your knickers and asking
‘who are you?’, with Wrath. The mid-point of the album is Party
Song, a track that manages to capture the exact point when you
realise you may have had a bit too much to drink and then snaps
you right back out of it so you can get on with the fun. With a
healthy injection of Patti Smith influence, Hell in High Heels is a
long-overdue debut from one of Nottingham ’s most engaging
live acts. Alison Emm
Available soon from record shops and online
www.myspace.com/smearsuk
Available from www.dealmakerrecords.co.uk from 20 April.
www.myspace.com/tbwmusic
Pilgrim Fathers
Dr Niall Bombast (black) & His Tight Minded
Scope Trooper (dog) EP (Undergroove Records)
To pigeonhole the sound of
Pilgrim Fathers is nigh on
impossible. An experimental
rock band, based in Notts and
signed to London’s Undergroove
Records, they’ve received a fair
bit of acclaim from the likes of
Kerrang and the Radio One Rock
Show, and recently they’ve been
on tour supporting US legends
Monster Magnet. If there were
such a thing as an ‘average’ Pilgrim Fathers tune, it would have
drummer Kev and guitarist Feg putting down some layered
drum and guitar rhythms with singer Shelf maniacally shouting
philosophical and sometimes frightening lyrics over the top.
Then Dan Gardner (aka hip-hop artist Zero Theory) comes
in with the sampler and sends it all into orbit. There are four
tracks on this EP, and they all display a vast range of style and
a willingness to collaborate. From the 13-minute title track and
Black Sail Pass (which are both produced by Swimming’s John
Sampson) to the binaural recording of The Unusual Woods (with
audio enthusiast Dallas Simpson), it’s definitely rock music, but
not as we know it. Jared Wilson
Buy online at www.undergroove.co.uk
www.myspace.com/thepilgrimfathers
The Swiines
Dark Don’t Smile EP
This is a supremely confident
first shot from a group already
muscling through the local
pecking order in support to ‘name’
bands. The hooky, quirky guitar
of Hello may be horrorshow and
moody, but strike the dreaded ‘E’
word from your mind - this is one
band that isn’t hanging around
the Lions with its mates, flicking
its overly long fringe out of its
hair and hinting that it wants to
hit up Ice Nine for some nail polish. Rock-solid substance reigns
throughout, but as Back of Your Mind proves, The Swiines aren’t
smiling out of determined professionalism rather than lifestyle
choice. Vampires displays a distinctively haunting quality, with
echoes of The Damned. My Plasticine Bowl rolls about with a
chucking-out-time sneer, with the tune to back up the lip. The
tone may be darker than a 4am coffee, but theysupplement it
with a roomy echo that tingles at the back of the neck. With
panache and confidence, these boys are already going places.
Duncan Heath
The Swiines’ club night - Bang’d Up - May 9 at Seven.
www.myspace.com/theswiines
28
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue28
presents
T.B.A
Reggae Funk Dub & Soul
Thursdays from 7pm @ Nottinghams freshest Cafe Bar venue
Live DJ’s, Evening menu, Beers & Spirits
Aries (March 21 - April 20)
When you sit down to eat your dinner tonight, try to think of it as potentially the last meal you may
ever eat! After all you might die horribly in the night from a heart attack or a brain haemorrhage
and so this could be the very last time your body is able to consume and process food and drink.
Now… see how good that tastes?
Taurus (April 21 - May 21)
Your home life is troubled at the moment and you’ve found yourself working longer hours just to
avoid going back, as you usually only end up arguing. But although this is quite a complex situation
and will take a fair bit of working through, there is one simple fact that should give you hope and
guide you through the storm: you live alone!
Gemini (May 22 - June 22)
You’ve been through a lot recently and to stand up and try again at something you failed before
shows great character and further depths to your soul. If you don’t succeed this time then at least
you’ve given it your best effort and there can be no doubt it’s time to start movin’ on up like M
People never actually managed to do.
Cancer (June 23 - July 23)
To get rid of the smell that hangs on your dog, instead of using expensive dog shampoos, use a
tomato or tomato puree. This will rid your dog of its smell for about six months and they will love
you for it! Then when you get bored of it chuck in a few peppers and mushrooms et voila – Dog
Bolognese!
Leo (July 24 - August 23)
For those of you that live near Derby - stop it! Move a bit nearer to Notts and expand your horizons a
little further than just sitting around with a can of cheap cider talking to sheep all day. Nottingham
currently has lucrative opportunities on offer in the fields of law enforcement, judiciary and
hairdressing. Join us and you can either cut crime, sentences or curly locks.
LEFTLION ABROAD
The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, USA.
The Golden Gate Bridge has been one of the most iconic landmarks in America ever
since its completion in 1937. Nearby is the equally famous Alcatraz prison. The total
amount of wire used in its construction could go around the world 5.79 times, and
the bridge has an estimated 1,200,000 total rivets. And exactly one LeftLion sticker.
Virgo (August 24 - September 23)
The subject of pets in clothes has caused something of a heated debate in my household recently.
The missus thinks it’s totally unnecessary and a bit cruel. But my point of view is that a dog is
man’s best friend and you wouldn’t expect your best friend to be by your side totally stark bollock
naked all the time, would you? I also think they look kind of funny!
Libra (September 24 - October 23)
You’re feeling the urge to hide today, but you almost certainly need to be out and about projecting
a more sociable image. It might be hard, but it’s definitely worth it to you in the long run. So throw
yourself into exciting new and ‘dangerous’ situations like salsa dancing classes, a good friend’s
birthday party or a St Anns gang fight.
Scorpio (October 24 - November 22)
Appearances can be deceptive and the pity you have for a friend may be unnecessary. When the
ant first saw the chrysalis he felt great sorrow for her being trapped in a shell. But it was near her
time of change and a day or two later she became a beautiful butterfly – much more beautiful than
the ant would ever be. Ants are ugly twats, basically!
Sagittarius (November 23 - December 22)
There are none so blind as those that will not see… except perhaps those who physically can not
see anything at all. But anyway, try and open your eyes to what is going on around you. Sometimes
it’s like you’re wearing sunglasses that shelter your eyes from the truth. And the...erm… sun.
Capricorn (December 23 - January 19)
A wilful beast must go his own way. A horse was being driven along a high road, when he suddenly
bolted and tried to throw himself over. His owner seized him by the tail, endeavouring to pull him
back. When the ass persisted in his effort, the man let him go and said, ‘Conquer, but conquer to
your cost.’
Aquarius (January 20 - February 19)
To remove the bodies from your cellar boil them in bleach and leave them to disintegrate for several
weeks. Eventually they will be gone and you will be left with a strange yet tasty human soup. To
remove the smell of bleach from your hands (and that slimy feeling) pour a little vinegar or lemon
juice over them, then rinse.
Pisces (February 20 - March 20)
Redevelopment of
Broadmarsh Centre
A massive voluminous
piss up the wall
and Derby
y: Because Leicester
Reason why necessar
TK Maxxes as we do
have nearly as many
knickers,
lic: Access to Crazy Frog
Inconvenience to pub
r rammell curtailed
Tupac mirrors and othe
it’s
it this way; by the time
Time to complete: Put
Euro shops
finished, it’ll be full of
Reason why necessa
In England we go fishing armed with a rod and some bait. In Vietnam they do it with dynamite. Our
way leads to a relaxing day out and can help clear the mind. Their way leads to hundreds of halfbaked fish rising to the surface and clearing the whole river. But which method is better, the most
pleasant or the one with the best results?
Bleddy Hell!
It’s nearly Summer!
Issue 29 of our
lovely magazine will be out
on May 29. Cor!
30
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue27
Total cost: An estimated
seven hundred million
pounds
ry: Because your bustin’,
you
e, and the pubs are shut
Inconvenience to pub
lic: Town funks like an
incontinent
Nana’s gusset, splash-b
ack on best trainers, etc
Time to complete: Two
minutes – longer if som
eone
you fancy or the polic
e are in the vicinity
Total cost: Depends on
how much four pints
costs
in your pub
can’t wait to get hom
Just how much
is your car
costing you?
Travelling by tram, train, bus, walking or cycling
reduces congestion and CO2 emissions, helping
you to do your bit for the environment
www.thebigwheel.org.uk