LeftLion Magazine Issue 16 as a pdf

Transcription

#16 our style is legendary
Parental Guidance: Bad Words Inside!
proud
Nottingham City Council is
to present
The Old Market Square may be at the
heart of the city’s celebrations this March,
April and May but there’s plenty going on
around it. Why not also come along to
some of the other events presented or
supported by Nottingham City Council:
28 Apr - 14 Jun
Abolition of the Slave Trade
Act Commemorative Exhibition
Nottingham Castle
3 May
Museums and Galleries
Month Launch Event
Old Market Square
3, 10, 17,
24, 31 May
The Dungeoneer’s Cave Tour
Nottingham Castle
5 May
The Nottingham Refugee Campaign Brewhouse Yard
Group May Day Celebration
5 May
Activity Session: Paper Kites
Green’s Windmill
Nottingham Castle
5 - 6 May
Nottingham Festival of
Women's and Girls Football
Old Market Square
Heroes & Villains:
Who do you think you are?
Galleries of Justice
6 May
Hardy Plant Society sale
Wollaton Hall & Park
12 Mar - 7 Apr
Exhibition: The Memories Shop
former Beatties shop,
Mount Street
7 May
1940’s Knees-Up
Brewhouse Yard
7 May
May Day Windmills
Green’s Windmill
25 Mar
Windmill Fridge Magnets:
Family activity
Green’s Windmill
7 May
Women’s FA Cup Final
The City Ground
8 - 9 May
Fine Food Fair
Old Market Square
25 Mar
Full Steam Ahead
Wollaton Industrial Museum
29 Mar
Talk: The rise and fall of
the cap,1550-1900
Nottingham Castle
12 May
Tudor Fun & Games
12 - 13 May
National Mills Weekend
Green’s Windmill
30 Mar
Nottingham Classics:
City of Birmingham Symphony
Royal Concert Hall
18 May
Nottingham Classics: Hallé
Royal Concert Hall
19 May - 1 Jul
Easter Family events
Green’s Windmill
31 Mar - 29 Apr
Exhibition: Public Spaces of
Nottingham City Council
Brewhouse Yard
Nottingham Castle Exhibitions:
EXPOSED Climate Change
in Britain's Backyard
Nottingham Castle
31 Mar - 13 Apr
19 May
Dire Deeds & Horrible Hauntings
1 Apr
Talk: Smythson at Wollaton Hall
Wollaton Hall
19 May
A Night at the Museum
Newstead Abbey
1 Apr
The House at Newstead Abbey
opens for summer
Newstead Abbey
25 May - 14 Jul
Exhibition: Heroes
Angel Row Gallery
1 Apr - 30 Sept
Exhibition: Jenny Baxter
A Sense of Place
Newstead Abbey
25 May - 14 Jul
Exhibition: Janette Parris
Angel Row Gallery
26 - 28 May
City Pulse Music Festival
Various City Centre locations
26 May
CSI Green’s Mill
Green’s Windmill
26 May - 17 Jun
Exhibition: Luke Skiffington
Yard Gallery, Wollaton Hall
and Park
26 May
Mothwatch
Green’s Windmill
27 May
Sunday Steaming
Wollaton Industrial Museum
27 May
The Green Festival
The Arboretum
28 May
Audio Massage in the Park
The Arboretum
27 May
Activity Session: Make a Glider
Green’s Windmill
30 May
Activity Session:
Scone Baking for Children
Green’s Windmill
30 May
Activity Session:
Masters of the Universe
Nottingham Castle
31 May
Activity Session: Easy Beads
from Recycled Paper
Nottingham Castle
31 May
Pizza Baking for Little’uns
Green’s Windmill
2 Dec - 1 Apr
Exhibition: facing east:
Contemporary Landscape
Photography from Baltic Areas
Yard Gallery
2 Feb - 28 Mar
Exhibition: Parade
Angel Row Gallery
2 Feb - 28 Mar
Exhibition:
A Picture of Nottinghamshire
Brewhouse Yard
10 Feb - 15 Apr
Exhibition: Glimpse: a selection
from the Lace collections
Nottingham Castle
10 Feb - 29 Apr
Exhibition: Prickings:
Catherine Bertola
Nottingham Castle
10 Feb - 29 Apr
Exhibition: Borrowings:
Phil Eglin
10 Feb - 1 Jul
2 - 13 Apr
Easter Fun for Families
Brewhouse Yard
2 - 13 Apr
The Zone: Easter Activities
Leisure Centres
Nottingham City Council
3 - 14 Apr
Guys and Dolls
Theatre Royal
3 - 4 Apr
Lace Making in the Galleries
Nottingham Castle
6 - 7 Apr
Flower and Bulb Festival
Old Market Square
6 - 9 Apr
Eggstravaganza!
Family Easter event
Nottingham Castle
6 Apr - 6 May
Exhibition:
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Yard Gallery, Wollaton Hall
and Park
7 - 9 Apr
Wollaton Hall Grand Reopening
For more information visit
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/enjoy
Wollaton Hall
6 Apr - 4 May
Exhibition: Parade
Angel Row Gallery
8 Apr
Easter Fun Day
Newstead Abbey
9 - 10 Apr
Nottingham Castle
12 Apr
Nottingham Castle
14 Apr
British Juggling Championship
Old Market Square
14 Apr
Have a Go Archery
Wollaton Hall
17 - 20 Apr
Torvill and Dean's
Dancing on Ice
National Ice Centre
20 Apr
The Hallé
Royal Concert Hall
20 - 21 Apr
Fine Food Fair
Old Market Square
Nottingham City Council also supports the following venues –
visit the websites below for listings:
22 Apr
Anecdotes of Wollaton
Wollaton Hall
Galleries of Justice www.galleriesofjustice.org.uk
22 Apr
St George’s Day Celebration
For more information visit
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/enjoy
Nottingham Castle and
Old Market Square
Nottingham Arena www.nottingham-arena.com
26 Apr
A chance to see…Bags
Brewhouse Yard
26 Apr
OAE & Freiburg Baroque
Orchestra
Royal Concert Hall
27 Apr - 12 May
I Have Been Here Before
Nottingham Playhouse
For further information about these events and many others log onto
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/enjoy or call the Nottingham Tourism Centre on
08444 77 5678
Information correct at time of print. Whilst every effort will be made to keep to this
programme it may be necessary to make changes with or without notice.
Nottingham Playhouse www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk
Royal Centre www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.uk
illustration: David Blenkey
LeftLion Magazine Issue 16
April-May 2007
Editor
Jared Wilson ([email protected])
Deputy Editors
Al Needham ([email protected])
Nathan Miller ([email protected])
Technical Director
Alan Gilby ([email protected])
Marketing and Sales Manager
Ben Hacking ([email protected])
Artistic Director
Dave Reason ([email protected])
Listings Editors
Tim Bates ([email protected])
Florence Gohard ([email protected])
Proofreading
Charlotte Kingsbury ([email protected])
Distribution
Natasha Chowdhury
Sophie Driscoll
Photography Editor
Dom Henry ([email protected])
Photographers
Al Greer ([email protected])
Ben Dennis
Bobby G ([email protected])
Bob Meyrick
David Bowen ([email protected])
Jon Rouston ([email protected])
Pascale Duval
Pete Cranston
Johnathan Blackmore
4.
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7.
8.
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10.
12.
14.
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21.
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26.
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34.
36.
43.
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46.
May Contain Notts
The Square Root of Nottingham
The C Word – Why you should vote!
LeftEyeOn Gallery
A Canadian in New Basford
MyVice
As High As Wutan Gets
Neon Heights – The Power of Invention
Model Morning and Stiff Kittens
Meet The Klaxons
You Slut! And the Dead City Presidents
The Magic Numbers
Black Vinyl Heart and Liam Bailey
Special Brew - Beer baron Chris Holmes
Lucy Porter
England’s Meadows
This is England – Andrew Shim and Vicky McClure
LeftLion Friday 13th Extravaganza
Artists profiles
Out and About
The Maze
Nottingham Events Listings
Nottsword / LeftLion Pub Quiz
Tales of a Miserable Hypocrite and Nottingham Zoo
Creative Writing
Rocky Horrorscopes/ The Arthole/ Notts Trumps
Hello and welcome to another issue of LeftLion Magazine.
You may notice that this issue is printed in glorious full
colour. Here at LeftLion HQ we’re partying like Hollywood
in the 1920’s to celebrate.
But it’s a tough market to work in and a couple of other
local free magazines that started after us have gone
to the wall recently. We’re always up for representing
underground and independent media (Saggy Pants and
NotInNottingham you both rule), but there is a difference
between putting out a magazine to represent your scene
and putting one out to clean up on advertising revenue.
These are issues that are hard to balance when working
in the free press, issues we know very well as LeftLion
is financed entirely by advertising revenue. But hopefully
you agree that we have a good balance between
commerce and content.
In this issue there is coverage of some damn cool stuff.
Music-wise we interviewed nu-ravers The Klaxons, who
have strong links to the city as one of them studied at
Nottingham Trent. Also in are The Magic Numbers, the
chosen ones to officially open the brand new Market
Square.
We’re particularly glad to see the Market Square open
again. The development work might have taken ages, but
now it’s done we think it makes the centre of town look
loads better. So we took the opportunity to look at the
history of the well-known space.
This issue also gave us a chance to go back to our
roots. The release of Shane Meadows Dead Mans Shoes
coincided with our first issue 32 months ago, when Shane
became our first ever cover star. Since then he’s been busy
preparing his latest epic This Is England. So we put some
questions to two of the cast and took a look at his legacy.
So much more to mention and not enough space. Also
featuring are the uber-foxy comedian Lucy Porter, king of
local pubs Chris Holmes, the guys from The Maze, Neon
Heights, Old Basford, The Smears, Stiff Kittens, Model
Morning and much more.
Illustrators
Rob White ([email protected])
Rikki Marr ([email protected])
David Blenkey
Contributors
Alex Kocan
Alasdair Catton
Amanda Young
Jesse Keene
Louise Doherty
Ian Kingsbury
Jessica Troughton
Jon McGregor
Kate Jolly
Kevin Stanley
Michael Abbott
Michael Simon
Rebecca Kielty
Rob Cutforth
Roger Mean
Samuel Rogers
Shanthi Sekaran
Tommy Goodall
LeftLion have been nominated as ‘Ambassadors to
Nottingham’ for an award being run by BBC Nottingham
and The Evening Post (who recently referred to us as “The
High Priests of Nottingham Culture”). If we’re successful,
you can expect a massive lion-style celebration with a
pyramid of Ferrero Rocher in the corner!
See you at LeftLion Extravaganza at the Rescue Rooms on
April 13th…
[email protected]
Magician In Residence
Jack Curtis
Thanks For The Roof
Faber Maunsell www.fabermaunsell.com
“I never thought much of the courage of a lion tamer.
Inside the cage he is at least safe from people.”
George Bernard Shaw
LeftLion, 349a Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG5 2DA.
0115 9123782
If you would like to reach our readers by advertising your
company in these pages please contact Ben on 07843 944910
or email [email protected]
LeftLion magazine has an estimated readership of 40,000
in the city of Nottingham. In February 2006 LeftLion.co.uk
received over 500,000 page views.
Nominated as Best Free Music Magazine
in the UK Record of the Day Awards 2006
www.leftlion.co.uk/issue16
3
Favourite Pubs In Notts
Currently rocking my world: The Ropewalk, Moog
and Fade Bar. I’m hoping the newly reopened Loft
will be as good as it was when the Neon Heights
crew owned it.
Daley Thompson
with Nottingham’s ‘Mr. Sex’ Al Needham
Fade is awesome. Dogma’s always good for a
boogie. Orange Tree, Fleece, Saltwater: all good.
Muse is nice, especially on the third Wednesday of
the month when it plays host to Opus…
MrGeesBigCircus
Fade Cafe is great! It’s recently become one of my
fave Friday and Saturday night places and one of
the barmen often wears a Drop in the Ocean TShirt, so they’re cool too.
Sofy
The Gladstone for the old man vibes. Hotel Deux
for Rob’s knowledge and folk music. The Maze for
live music. Fade for the Kingstone bottled cider and
reading the paper. The Golden Fleece for the quiz.
Lincolnshire Poacher for real ale and more old man
vibes. Muse for Opus.
ash d
The Stratford Haven in West Bridgford, The
Newshouse, The Bell Inn... I’m 17 going on 50.
cheeky monk
Ropewalk, Sir John, Ride, Moog, Malt Cross, Alley
Cafe, Broadway, Bell, Trip, Fleece, Newcastle, Wax,
Nada, Old Angel and Fade. I like pubs.
Supine
Ropewalk (like, every Friday evening without
fail), Golden Fleece,Bar Seven (when Fran’s DJing
there, anyway), Saltwater, Moog, Fade, Alley Cafe
(though always full when I go in these days), Frog
& Onion (but only after being up for two days).
peej
The Orange Tree wins easily for me. They serve the
best Makers Mark and Coke in town, the bar staff
are pretty cool and it’s got a great vibe. Also they
have some quality nights on.
JohnnyBulldog
Golden Fleece: always someone in there you know
and chances to meet people you don’t. Saltwater:
whether it’s an afternoon pint, early evening swifthalf, peak time short or rockin’ out with my cock
out at MHYH all day events, I love the place. Alley
Café: I’m in there at least once a week, often for
lunch. I’m not vegetarian but their food is ace and
very inexpensive.
myhouse-yourhouse
www.leftlion.co.uk/blog
February 1
March 6
Violent and usually drunk Australian bit of rough Russell Crowe
will play the Sheriff of Nottingham in another film about Robin
Hood, it is announced. It’s bound to be cack, so we’ll say no more
about it.
A Broxtowe woman is found guilty of receiving an entire kitchen
nicked from the house across the road, whipped by an exboyfriend with a very large holdall and fitted while she was
– ahem - bathing her kids. It happens to me all the time… I curled
one off this morning only to discover an entire marble bathroom
suite that wasn’t there before.
February 2
Notts Constabulary announce plans to adopt drug addicts and
I dunno what to make of it. On one hand, I can’t think of a more
heart-warming sight than seeing a copper taking half a dozen
crack addicts from Sneinton to Tales of Robin Hood on a Saturday
afternoon, but I can also see the impracticalities of chasing down
a shoplifter whilst pushing a smackhead in a buggy.
February 5
Heroin addicts in Nottingham shit themselves even more than
usual over the appearance of an extra-strong batch of Zammopowder in the city that kills two of them.
February 7
According to Home Office figures, violent attacks in Nottingham
Prison have increased tenfold over the past ten years. They
didn’t say anything about bumming, sorry.
February 8
Plans for a 100-metre high tower bestraddling Victoria
Embankment like a environmentally-friendly colossus are
announced, featuring wind turbines, an energy learning centre
and a skate park. Hopefully, someone will work out how to harness
the power of middle-class kids falling off skateboards and do
something useful with it.
February 9
CORRECTIONS AND
CLARIFICATIONS:
In the article ‘Toad On Toad Action’ (LeftLion
issue 15), we asked actor Ryan Maloney “What do
you think to Toadie compared to other on-screen
lawyers such as Quincy?” We would like to make
it clear that Dr Quincy ME is a maverick New
York state medical examiner working in the most
fascinating sphere of police work (the world of
forensic medicine), doing his best to bring justice
to those families that the legal system are failing,
not a lawyer. We apologise for any offence casused.
For the record, we were thinking of Ironside.
In order to save time when writing this, all I have to do is press
Alt-Shift-Ctrl-F2 at the same time and the phrase ‘There’s been a
shooting in St Anns’ pops up.
February 12
The Police announce that drink-related violent offences have
dropped by 20% in the city centre. Latest figures from the Market
Square beat reveal that – hang on a minute…most of that’s been
a bleddy building site for the last two years! In other news,
office stationary theft at the World Trade Centre has dropped off
considerably since 2001.
February 16
Two scab-bags in Bulwell rob a local shop after threatening
customers and staff with a sword. God knows what’ll happen
there when someone discovers gunpowder. The youths were
described as wearing ‘sports clothing’, which narrows it down
to 50,000 or so. The static coming off those Lonsdale tracky tops
could electrify a supermarket.
February 19
Teenagers from Notts get sent to Belfast to learn how to resolve
violent conflict. So if you start seeing big murals of 50 Cent on
the sides of houses in the Meadows and pipe bands up and down
Bestwood, you’ll know why.
March 5
More mithering over the two new tram lines that should have
been built ages ago to Clifton, Chilwell and Beeston. Sigh.
4
March 7
The council announces that Princess Anne will open the Market
Square on 3 April, but they don’t actually say what she’ll be
doing. Will she have the inaugural slash in the Square? Will she
punch the Lord Mayor in the face in the official first fight by the
Lions? There’s also going to be loads of concerts by people like
The Magic Numbers and Tony Hadley.
March 8
Newark MP Patrick Mercer is forced to quit his role as Shadow
homeland security spokesman (the chocolate teapot of the
political realm) after stating in an interview that he’d met ‘a lot’
of ‘idle and useless’ ethnic minority soldiers who used racism as a
‘cover’.
March 9
A 17 year-old lad is stabbed to death in Nottingham, but the
national media are too busy wringing their hands over the
stabbings in London to notice.
March 12
The big local derby between Notts County and Mansfield
(imagine Barcelona v Real Madrid but made out of Lego) passes
without incident. Or goals.
March 13
The burglary rate in Nottingham has dropped to its lowest
level for seven years. In forty years time, you’ll be telling your
grandchildren about those golden days in 2007 when you could
leave your fifth door lock on the snick.
March 14
Police step up patrols in a crackdown on Bulwell mouth-breathers
who throw stones at the trams and leave branches on the line,
as if it was a big metal snake that was going to decimate their
crops of industrial-strength hydroponic skunk and devour the local
virgin.
March 15
A divvy local solicitor admits attempting to smuggle weed into
the local magistrate’s court for a crim on a drugs offence. Thank
God she wasn’t defending a TWOCer.
March 16
After weeks of voting, it’s announced that the Notts band who
won the chance to play the opening of the Market Square are
Captain Dangerous.
March 17
Nottingham city centre reeks of Tory, as David Cameron and the
other ones no-one can put a name to pretend to be a unified party
on the cusp of power. See you next time there’s a General Election,
chaps – oh, hang on, we won’t, because you never win owt round
here unless you’re Kenneth Clarke.
The Square Root
Of Nottingham
When Billy Conqueror of the Normans shot fat southern
ponce King Harold in the eye and became King of All
England, Nottingham was in for some changes. Up until
then, a group of Saxons had been living around what’s
now the Lace Market for a few centuries, sipping fourgroat-a-pint mead, snorting ground dragon’s teeth and
building up the fortified borough of Snottengaham
(‘Snott’s people by the water’).
In a shrewd example of early diplomacy, William realised he
wouldn’t be all that welcome there, so instead of moving in with
the Saxons, he built a fort around Castle Rock, resulting in two
settlements on opposite sides of a valley, with a large chunk
of No Mans Land in between. The Saxons held their markets
around Weekday Cross (near La Tasca and the Pitcher and
Piano), and the Normans did their thing inside their castle walls,
remaining separate from each other for a few years, but by the
1070’s regular trading was well underway in the demilitarised
zone - which became known as the Great Market Place.
Thus, once a week on a Saturday, the Saxon and Norman
settlements would set up a weekend market that attracted
folk from surrounding villages like Sneinton, Radford, Lenton,
Beeston, Carlton - even Grantham and Ruddington. It became a
big social event too, with fayres and amusements set up for the
traders and customers. Cattle would be baited by pitbulls before
being butchered; cockfights and dogfights were commonplace,
with bets flying all over the place.
and Norman communities remained separate and didn’t have
to cross each other’s paths unless they could help it. Over the
generations, the two settlements grew and joined to form one
large town, and the Square became the centrepiece for the
community, as it still is today.
In 1926 the now permanent stalls of the meat markets (called
The Shambles – deriving from the Normans’ attempts at the
Saxon word for butcher, Flesh Hewers - from where Fletcher
Gate takes its name) were knocked down and construction on
Cecil Howitt’s new Council House began, which was opened by
HRH Edward Windsor Prince of Wales in 1929.
Since then, it has been the de facto centre of every major
celebration in Nottingham from VE Day to Forest coming home
with the European Cup, a place to gather for every memorial,
- the spot where you meet that girl at work who you fancy and
somewhere to put the Goths on a Saturday afternoon. Although
the verdict is still out on the new Square even before it’s
finished, it’s status as the very centre of Nottingham remains
unchallenged - and even if the stone for the new Square might
come from Portugal, Ireland and China, its roots are solid Notts.
TEN REASONS WHY
SLAB SQUARE IS SKILL
1. At 5.5 acres, it’s the largest open market space in England.
2. Little John, the big clangy thing in the Council house, is
the Barry White of British belldom, as it has the deepest tone
of any bell in the UK.
3. It was originally cast as a replacement for Big Ben when it
broke around the turn of the century, but they managed to fix
it, so we nicked it for ourselves.
4. Oh, and its sound also travels further than any bell in the
UK – up to seven miles on a clear day.
5. The stone used for the Council House was left over from
the building work of St Paul’s cathedral in London.
6. The four statues on the top of the Council House represent
Commerce, Civic Law, Prosperity and Knowledge, which are
meant to be the hallmarks of the City of Nottingham. Stop
laughing.
7. The Black Boy Hotel, designed by Watson Fothergill,
was considered to be one of the finest examples of late 19th
Century modern gothic revivalist architecture, and was so
impressive that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert nobbed off
the royal chambers in the Council House and dossed there
instead. Then it was pulled down by 1960’s town planners
and is now, erm, Primark.
Some commonly-used phrases still around today came directly
from these medieval market place frivolities; “not enough
room to swing a cat” comes from the somewhat distasteful
marketplace game where someone would put a cat into a bag,
swing it above his head before tossing it in the air for one lucky
punter to shoot an arrow at it. If he hit it he would win a prize!
“To let the cat out the bag” comes from a common practice on
butchers’ stalls where a customer would select his pig ready for
his Sunday roast only to get home and find the stallholder had
swapped it for a cat.
8. The Lions, named Menelaus and Agamemnon supposedly
to roar with delight whenever a virgin passes by. Enter
punchline of your own devising here.
9. The favourite opening line by music hall comedians at the
Theatre Royal? “I went past this enormous building on the
way here tonight, and I asked the cabbie what it was. ‘The
Council House’, he said. I said ‘Cor! If that’s what the council
houses are like in Nottingham, I’m putting me name down for
one”.
By 1284 the market had become such an event for the local
districts that an annual fair took hold. This would, over the ages,
become known the world over as Goose Fair, held for the 712th
time last October (missing only ten years due to the two world
wars). This stayed in the Square for six and a half centuries until
1928 when it outgrew its surroundings and moved to its current
location on The Forest. Not only is it still the largest travelling
fair in Europe, but is also the oldest fair of any kind in the world.
During the Middle Ages, The Great Market Place had a 20-foot
high wall running through the middle. Some say this was to
keep the meat market separate from the other stalls, but due to
the fact this wall was twice the height of any normal building,
it was more than likely originally built to make sure the Saxon
words: Michael Abbott
photo: Dom Henry
10. There’s a tunnel under the Council House that runs up
to The Park, built by an extremely arrogant Victorian Lord
Mayor who wanted to avoid mixing with the plebs on his
way home. However, it got clogged up with said peasantry’s
faeces and was abandoned a few years later. Haha!
photo: Johnathan Blackmore
5
words: Shan
thi Sekaran
image: David
Blenkey
The C Word
A Warning From America about why you should vote...
What do you remember of the 90s? Nick Hornby? Blur v Oasis?
Throwing shapes and black light posters? For me, the 90s
were California, the Clintons, and an era that unwittingly bred
the most dangerous of national pandemics: complacency (I’m
aware that some of you out there were born as late as 1987
and remember the 90s for saliva-soaked digestive biscuits
and colourful, obese puppets with televisions lodged in their
stomachs. I’m not talking to you).
Us
California in the 90s: Dot-Com explosions. Everywhere. Social
failures of the 80s emerged from their parents’ garages to
become internet wonder boys, the playboy princes of Silicon
Valley. Money was in the air. Rush hour highways were
jammed with new Jaguars and Lexi (singular: Lexus). 24 yearold millionaires crowded into San Francisco’s newly opened
champagne bars and slurped bubbly from the navels of their
taut-bellied girlfriends. Secretaries were hitting the jackpot
with company shares, building rooms to store their gold coins,
diving and swimming like Scrooge McDuck through their hordes
of riches. The rest of the country was downloading internet
porn, finding estranged classmates and sending mass emails of
kittens constructed entirely from lower-case v’s. It seemed the
only thing the US had to worry about was a stain on the dress of
a Capitol Hill intern.
What went wrong? How did America fall from its boom era into
a decade of economic anaemia, wars that put us to shame and
a widely detested administration that seems intent on making
a mockery of its voting public? Firstly, to be fair, half those dotcom companies were a load of rubbish. But aside from that,
the country took the same wrong turning that many wealthy,
socially harmonious societies have taken in the past, from the
British to the Roman empires (I’m not equating America with the
Roman Empire. Settle down.). Cradled by the thought that we’d
6
always have jobs and houses and food, we’d fallen into a deep,
seductive sleep of complacency. When the 2000 presidential
elections came round, we sauntered to the polls, hit the Al Gore
button and hurried off to meet our friends for Thursday brunch.
Finally, when the mess of recounts, bipartisan bickering and
hanging chads came to a close, we found ourselves saddled
with a president who at best had been just barely elected and
possibly hadn’t even been elected at all. When the case was
thrown to a state court to decide, we Americans, given the
chance to do something about our nation’s future, took a step
back, shrugged our shoulders and said to ourselves, It’s taken
care of now. We’ll see what happens. Little did we know what
we’d let ourselves in for.
You
and sent off to be tallied and recorded by elves. The rest is pretty
self-explanatory. Information on this year’s candidates will be
available from 10 April.
So Thursday 3 May is the big day, but the second most
significant is Wednesday 18 April – the deadline for voter
registration. This is not automatic, even if you pay your council
tax, but it is easy. If you binned the voter registration form
sent to you by your council in October, just go to aboutmyvote.
co.uk. Enter your postcode, click on ‘Register to Vote,’ choose
your residency status and download the voter registration form.
You’ll need to print this, sign it and send it off to the Electoral
Registration Office at the Guildhall. It’s an easy to use website,
with additional information on proxy and postal votes, voter
registration and polling stations.
Here’s where you come in. You Brits don’t have it so bad, do you?
You’re alright if you lose your job, you’re alright if you don’t. You
get low-cost health care and organic veg, and there hasn’t been
a race riot for a good year now. It’s easy to pass off national
politics as the domain of white public-school males who have
nothing to do with your daily lives. If you find David Cameron as
boring as I do, you can’t be blamed for looking the other way.
Grumbling is the great British pastime - beats baseball any day.
If you could whinge for England, maybe it’s time to turn your
energy to something more productive. Complaining randomly
about city centre parking will get you nowhere. Getting off
your arse and taking a stand probably will. Last time round in
Nottingham only 29% of those eligible to vote actually bothered
– which is appalling by anyone’s standards. Now’s your chance
to show you care about the city you live in.
But May’s local elections are a chance for you to reassess where
you stand in your city’s future. How do you feel about recycling?
Is the rubbish on your street out of hand? Do you want to see
something done with your local leisure centre? These are issues
you could actually do something about, either by choosing a
candidate or even by running for office yourself.
As for America, the 2008 elections are still a long way off. Would
we be better off if more people had voted in 2000 and 2004? It’s
hard to say. If nothing else, take this lesson from us: when it
comes to elections, the riskiest thing you can do is to do nothing
at all.
Here’s how it works: Nottingham is split into wards, and each
ward presents candidates for council elections. Candidates’
names appear on ballots at your local polling station. Polls are
open from 7am-10pm on 3 May, after which ballots are collected
Get in touch with Nottingham City Council
Electoral Services on 9154938 or email at
[email protected]
LeftEyeOn Gallery
Some choice cuts from our online galleries at www.leftlion.co.uk
clockwise from top left:
Basil Brush - our favourite fox backstage during Aladdin at the Theatre Royal 23/12/2006 - Dom Henry
Spectrum Breakdancers - Freestyle breakdancing going down upstairs in the Red Room at Spectrum 02/03/07 - Al Greer
Nicolas Meier - live at the Bonington Theatre in Arnold 01/03/07 - Bob Meyrick
Just Jack - live at the Rescue Rooms 11/02/07 - Jon Rouston
Star Screen - Scott Price from Starscreen playing acoustic for LeftLion Unplugged at the Malt Cross 16/01/07 - Dom Henry
Sabrina King - live at the Epiphany Fashion & Music Show held at Oceana on 25/10/06 - Al Greer
Pink and Lilly - Pink and Lilly collection from the Epiphany Fashion & Music Show held at Oceana on 25/10/06 - Pascale Duval
Duke Special - playing a sell out gig at the Social 19/02/07 - Dom Henry
7
A Canadian in New Basford
words: Rob Cutforth
illustration: Rob White
I have been living here for a year and a half and I haven’t been
shot, beaten up, mugged or even stabbed. If you listen to the
media, this is quite an amazing feat, considering I live in Gun
City. When I tell other Nottinghamians that I moved from
Canada, they assume I’m the craziest man on earth. “You’re
from Canada? What the hell are you doing here?!”
So are Canadian cities little slices of utopia and Nottingham the
seventh circle of Hell? No, we just have better PR. Not even mad
cow disease, SARS and clubbing baby seals to death stop the
tourists. I could tell you that I wear baby seal eyes for cufflinks,
and you would still say something about our low crime, clean
cities and beautiful scenery.
I’ll let you in on a little secret; gun crime in Canada is no lower
than it is here. My home city of Calgary, a city of almost a million
people (the same number as Notts) had 42 murders in 2006,
mostly gun-related. If you ask any Canadian what they know
about Calgary, they’ll tell you about the Stampede, a giant rodeo
that attracts visitors from all over the world. You never hear a
peep about the crime.
Crime is a fact of life for any city – it’s the ability to handle it
that separates a city of culture from a city of depravity. A lot of
damage has been done to Notts by the press and when it comes
to misery, the British memory is long. You’re going to have to do
something outlandish to shake the crime label. You are going to
have to make friends with Robin Hood again.
I hear you groan. I’ve heard it before. It’s the same groan that we
Calgarians emitted when other Canadians called us ‘cowboys’
because of the Stampede, because we wanted to be hip and
metropolitan just like you. We don’t groan about the Stampede
anymore, now that it makes $90M annually and (even though the
city was smaller than greater Nottingham at the time) brought
us the Olympics in 1988.
Other cities would kill for Robin Hood. Was I the only one that
was pissed off that the newest Robin Hood statue was unveiled
by Sean Bean in Sheffield? You know what the first thing
everyone who flies into the Robin Hood airport says? “Why the
hell isn’t this airport in Nottingham?” I know I am a new resident
of this city, but let me be the first to say Sean Bean can kiss my
big, fat, tights-covered, Nottinghamite ass.
We have to take Robin back immediately. We need to change
the city logo to a bow and arrow, name a couple of streets
interact with the most established online
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8
after the man and host a world event like the World Archery
Championships. Who would dare go against Nottingham in
applying for it? You’d have Korean kids peeing their pants at the
idea of coming to Nottingham.
We could use the press generated by the Archery
Championships to turn it into an annual Robin Hood Arts festival
celebrating all things Nottingham, making sure it doesn’t turn
into some cheesy medieval fayre full of Goths and Dungeons and
Dragons geeks. We can shake down any Gandalf wannabes at
the gate and invoke an embargo on D20s and pewter figurines.
It’s just crazy enough to work.
MyVice
words: Louise Doherty
images submitted by friends of LeftLion from
their own myspace sites.
It seems that these days the only thing you really need
to be famous is an addiction. With Britney checking
in and out of rehab virtually every other day, and our
very own Robbie admitted for ‘addiction to prescription
drugs’ (recreational varieties are so passé, don’t you
know), an addiction is apparently the new must-have
celebrity accessory. So presumably, anyone with a
penchant for falling out of clubs in the wee hours
and a weak mental disposition has a shot at the fame
and fortune that comes with celebrity. Which is good,
because I have an addiction too. That’s right, my name
is Louise Doherty, and I’m addicted to MySpace.
It might not be as rock and roll as Pete Doherty’s well
documented heroin issues, or as wild-child as Amy Winehouse’s
(alleged) coke habit, but I’ll have you know MySpace is worse
than crack. I’m not the only one either - the internet is full of
sites warning that MySpace can take over your life and ruin
friendships, which I already knew, but I don’t think I can give it
up. I’m not even sure I want to. See, unfortunately MySpace is far
too useful. Everyone knows the rags to riches story of the Arctic
Monkeys, but it’s invaluable for normal people too. Need to know
what your mates got up to that night you had to work? Met a
hot guy out when drunk and can’t remember what he looks like?
Burning desire to see who your ex is dating now? MySpace can
help you. It’s the all-seeing, all-knowing social oracle, akin to a
modern day God for today’s atheist masses.
But MySpace asks much more than your average deity. Most
religious figures only ask that you devote a few minutes a day to
them, and perhaps the occasional Sunday morning, but MySpace
demands that you get up early to worship before breakfast. It
then eats at you all day, making you feel so guilty you have to
check your messages at least 518 times at work. But the sign
of a truly devoted MySpaceee is the way they preach to the
uninitiated: “Have you got a MySpace? Oh you really should! It’s
amazing, everyone’s on it…” I’ve even said on nights out “I can’t
wait to check MySpace tomorrow! The pictures are gonna be so
funny.” Whilst it is a good way of catching up on all the goings
on you were too pissed to notice at the time, it does worry me
slightly that my private vice is spilling into real life.
As with any addictive substance, there’s a fine line between use
and abuse. I might be in denial, but a bit of virtual stalking never
hurt anyone. It’s purely for information purposes, and it helps
when I see people I haven’t seen in a while because I can sound
like I remember what they’ve been up to recently. It makes me
a better person. But the MySpace casualties aren’t hard to find.
A friend of mine decided to go cold turkey after receiving two
disciplinaries for his MySpace antics during work hours. Before
that he would choose to sit in front of his computer all night
reorganising his ‘top friends’ and changing his profile picture,
whilst we were at the pub laughing at him. But now alarm
bells are going off in my head it’s not quite so funny anymore.
Especially since my friend was back online less than a week after
deleting his profile. I fear that it’s a one way road from here on in.
I’ll start lying about how often I log on (one of the first signs
of spiralling addictions). I’ll begin to dream about MySpace
conversations, waking up in a fevered sweat because I haven’t
replied to a comment. Then I’ll start spending all day at work
trying to determine if I really do know the person who just added
me as a friend, leaving my boss no choice but to sack me. I’ll
start sitting in front of my computer for 19 hours a day, stopping
only to sleep and pay the takeaway man. I’ll stop washing and
changing my clothes, spending my days mindlessly, deliriously
browsing people in my area until I get RSI or bedsores or
scabies. Oh my god, I need help!
I’m going to delete my profile right now, start living in the real
world and put all this MySpace stuff behind me. Get out whilst I
still can. But then again, if I can’t quit smoking where there’s an
imminent threat to my life, what chance have I got of beating the
subversive, evil forces of MySpace? I might as well just resign
myself to the inevitable downward spiral. On the plus side,
maybe I could end up in rehab as the first casualty of MySpace,
which would mean I could sell my exclusive story to Heat and
build a tabloid career off the back of it. Every cloud…
Become mates with LeftLion on
www.myspace.com/leftlion
9
As High as Wutan Gets
Wutan is a martial art which came into being in 1966, when Grand Master Liu Yun Qiao,
the former head trainer to the bodyguards of Chinese President Chiang Kai Shek, retired
from his post as Chairman of the Civil Defence Force. He chose twelve disciples to pass
down his skills and named his school Wutan. It has now spread world wide with a school
right here in Notts, so we caught up with instructor Anthony Godfrey for a chat on the
finer points of self-discipline. words: Jesse Keene photos: Ben Dennis
How did you first get into Wutan and how good are you at it?
I first learned about Wutan through my friend Rob Doran, who
was attending the school’s Kung Fu classes. He asked if I
wanted to go to a Tai Chi demonstration that was taking place
at the International Community Centre. I went along and was
instantly hooked. It wasn’t long until I was practicing both Tai
Chi and Kung Fu. Having showed my commitment, effort and
loyalty to the school, Sarah Scotthorne, the founder of the Wutan
Nottingham Branch and my old instructor, asked if I would
like to assist her in the Kung Fu classes. Now I’m a qualified
Instructor, I’ve found teaching has been a great way of learning:
it’s benefited my training immensely and given me a deeper
understanding of the material. In January, Kung Fu students
competed in the National Competition and managed to win both
the Team and Individual Gold in the Forms category, and the
Silver (won by my step-son George!) and Bronze in the Sparring
category.
10
How does Wutan differ from other established martial arts?
Wutan prides itself on being able to offer authentic, traditional
Chinese martial arts. There’s a choice of different styles to suit
the individual, no matter the age or ability. The classes are held
in a positive and vibrant atmosphere, where there is a strong
sense of community and belonging. Wutan’s aim is to benefit as
many people as possible, promoting a harmonious and peaceful
society through the practice of authentic martial arts.
How intense is the training schedule?
Training schedules vary between students. Like anything in life
the more we put in, the more we get out. Martial arts used to
be a way of life, and preserving your life! Practitioners would
train eight hours a day, seven days a week. Not many people
nowadays can make that kind of commitment, so we have to
make it relative to our own lives. As long as students can feel the
benefits, see progression and are enjoying their training, then
job done!
What advice would you give people who are thinking about
trying Wutan for themselves?
People should first think about which discipline they would
like to learn, ideally both. Kung Fu’s more suited to younger,
energetic students, who will enjoy a physical challenge. Tai Chi
is great for de-stressing, energizing and improving health. The
junior classes introduce martial arts at a young age, offering
positive goals and achievements. Then talk to us, or come down
and visit a class.
How many schools are there, and are there many in Notts?
Wutan International has branches all over the world from
Taiwan to Norway. In the UK there are schools throughout
the country, the Headquarters are based in Southampton. In
Nottingham we have classes on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
and Saturday. These take place at different venues including
the International Community Centre, Portland Leisure Centre
and The Sycamore Centre.
For more information check out www.nottinghamwutan.com
At present Beginners Kung Fu and Tai Chi are held at The International Community Centre, 61b Mansfield Road.
Junior Kung is held at Portland Leisure Centre, Muskham Street, The Meadows.
11
Funky music inventors and DJs Neon Heights abide in
Nottingham, but spread their talent far and wide across the
international music scene. Highly respected within Dance
music, their recent remixes include Fatboy Slim’s Champion
Sound and Stevie Wonder’s If You Really Love Me. Fresh
and smooth in sound these musicians have also recently
collaborated with soulful singer Carina Andersson and USA’s
J Todd. They are down to earth guys with a strong interest in
music of all kinds, combining both Ying and Yang sensibilities.
Cal Gibson and Tom Bailey current inventors of Neon Heights,
made their way down to the Malt Cross for a Saturday bevy and
chat about the music. Tom wandered in late clutching a crisp,
square black bag with orange type; he just had to check out the
latest offerings from Selectadisc on the way.
Who plays what in the band?
Cal: There is Tom Bailey on keyboard, myself Cal Gibson on
guitar and keys, Emperor Mingus on Bass, Roscoe on Drums and
Misterlong on Trombone and percussion. We work with a list of
singers such as Rachel Harris and J Todd. Basically Tom and I do
all the music in the studio with help from Simon White and then
we draft in the others for live performances.
If I were to walk into a record shop, in which section would I
find Neon Heights?
Tom: It would be in the dance section or downtempo.
You’ve got a third album coming out soon. What can we
expect from this?
Tom: I’m going to be vague because it’s currently in progress and
without a title. We’re still making new tracks, which can really
change the overall feel of the album right at the last minute. Also
we are trying to decide which pieces are finally going on and how
that will shape the LP. It should be sorted and out in the shops by
the summer time. What you can expect though are contributions
from J.Todd, Carina Andersson and Rachel Harris, a fine mix of
jazz, funk and dance. It’s looking nice.
Tell me about a music epiphany you’ve had…
Tom: For me it has to be working with big names in the industry.
Oh, and them rating our music. Collaborating with Carina
Andersson in A Beautiful Thing has been great.
Cal: At the age of four I was at home listening to something my
parents had put on - you know, parents’ sort of music. I wanted
12
words: Amanda Young
photos: Al Greer
r
e
w
o
The P
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o
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Of I
to get right inside the speakers and hear the volume at its most
so I climbed into the cones. I learnt that it’s all about volume at
a young age.
kids, turn them down or use the mute button. (Pondering the
question…) Wouldn’t it be great to be an inventor…?
Tom: You are an inventor… of music and words!
What software do you use and what is your favourite plug in.
Tom: We use Logic and have a very fancy bunch of Waves plugs
set up on a Mac. That’ll please the geeks!
Have you ever made any music using something from
Anchor Supplies?
Tom: Yes when I was at university I got a load of recording
equipment from there, microphones and things, but nothing
recently.
Cal: What is Anchor Supplies?
Tom: It’s an Army surplus shop selling loads of weird stuff. It’s
just near the Notts County Football Ground and Cattle Market.
What are you a collector of?
Tom: I’ve got a load of records stacked up at home - and shoes...
Cal: Books and records. I like to occasionally hunt through Oxfam
for some really obscure record.
When you play live what is your favourite city and
venue to play?
Cal: We’ve got a massive following in Moscow, they are a very
enthusiastic audience so it has to be Club Kult.
Tom: The Big Chill, which we played in 2005, was fantastic.
What makes Neon Heights different to other music
out there?
Cal: It is an eclectic mix of music pretty indefinable. It used to be
house and dance music but now has tones of jazz, funk, soul, pop
and chilled beats… it’s evolving music.
Tom: We are still free to rewrite ourselves unlike some big bands.
They seem to make their success form repeating themselves,
which is only possible if you are fixed to a type of sound.
What do you measure your success by?
Tom: Not by money that is for sure!
Cal: By someone across the other side of the world sending
an email saying that they love the music and it touches them
deeply. That is what really matters.
Have free music downloads had an impact upon you?
Tom: It has meant more people can listen to us online.
Cal: I think it is the same feeling all round, losing out on money
but access to lots of music. I’m sure the big music corporations
will find a way to get their money back somehow though.
Rober Adler, the US inventor of the remote control died today.
What would you remote control?
Cal: Probably George bush and Tony Blair, to switch them off
would be great. Tom would probably want to remote control his
What’s your favourite plant?
Cal: Trees, not any particular type, just trees in general. Oh…
and squirrels too. I don’t have any preference over grey or red.
Tom: It’ll have to be spinach. The big leafy spinach. Everyone
these days wants baby spinach but I remember me and my
mum growing spinach when I was young and having really big
nutritious leaves full of iron.
Picture this: I’m in a post-modern malaise and cannot think or
feel, how are you Neon Heights going to get through to me?
Cal: Aren’t we all in a post-modern malaise! Well, I would slap
you about a bit; you know the domestic violence sort of stuff… or
give you a really dark book to read.
Tom: That probably isn’t going to help really. I would give some
positive energy.
Cal: You are so optimistic! I think the idea of us providing a bit of
Ying and Yang would probably help her.
What’s coming up for you in the next few months?
Cal: Well we’ve got the album coming out, and a remix of Fatboy
Slim’s Champion Sound to be released. We are thinking of
planning a tour after the album is released to promote that. Then
we have DJ gigs around the country. We aren’t really playing
in Nottingham, as there aren’t many venues to play here so we
generally go elsewhere.
Tom: This is true, although for venues there is the Rescue Rooms,
that’s a good one.
www.neonheights.com
Morning Glory
words: Glen Parver
Model Morning are a relatively new
Nottingham band featuring former Echoboy
guitarist Chris Moore, Pete Morley (vocals),
Rich Davidson (bass), Ed Keenan (drums)
and Rob McCleary (guitars). Their sound has
been likened to shoegazing bands of the
past such as My Bloody Valentine, but when
you see them live you notice they’re far too
busy jumping around to pay much attention
to what’s on their feet. We caught up with
them before their LeftLion Presents gig at the
Orange Tree in May to ask a few questions…
and we’re playing with them on 7 April at the
Rescue Rooms.
What are your favourite hangouts in Notts?
Pete: We like The Maze, The Social, Rescue
Rooms and Rock City. I personally like The
Golden Fleece on Mansfield Road. It has a really
cool open mic night and it’s got a great vibe.
Rich: You’ll find us most of the time in The
Maze. It’s near to our studio, and has the best
staff in Notts.
What’s coming up for you over the next year?
Rich: More gigs and more songs.
Rob: Plenty of gigs. Hopefully we can create
a bit of a buzz in Nottingham and have lots of
fun. We just want to do what bands do - play to
different people, get interviewed in magazines
and quit the day job.
How did you get together?
Pete: Chris met Rob through work when his
previous band Echoboy finished and decided
to put a band together. They asked me to sing,
but I was about to go travelling. Chris brought
round a CD of some layered guitars, got me
wasted and I wrote a melody over it. We knew
we’d got something special so I decided to stay.
What was the inspiration for your name?
Chris: There’s an Echoboy song with model in
the name which I love. Model Morning seems to
work with the music.
Pete: It means something different to all of us.
To me it symbolises a new beginning.
What’s your favourite of your own tracks?
Pete: It’s always changing for me. Usually it’s
the latest one.
Ed: Everybody’s Drunken Friend - it all comes
together when the bass drops in.
What are your favourite cities and venues to
play?
Chris: The Troubadour in LA. I played there
with Echoboy, which was an ambition of mine
after reading about my favourite band, Marion,
playing there.
Pete: I love playing in London. You have to up
your game as the bands there are tight and well
rehearsed.
Rob: The weirdest one was Notting Hill Arts
Club. I spent the whole gig with my arse in the
faces of these twats at the front eating their
dinner while I was trying to serenade them.
Who else in Nottingham are you rating at the
moment?
Pete: I really like Spotlight Kid, the new
brainchild of Chris Davies from Six by Seven.
I sat in on drums for them for a couple of gigs
last year which was a ball.
Rob: Crimson Roadmap are ace. Onewordpoem
are unreal - three 17 year-olds from Lincoln who
are too talented for their own good. Amusement
Parks On Fire are one of my favourite bands
Anything else you want to say to LeftLion
readers?
Chris: Take the time and check us out. I hope
you like what you hear and see.
Pete: If you see us around, do say hello. We
don’t bite unless you ask us to.
Ed: Support Nottingham music. This is the
worst place I’ve ever lived for getting to see live
music (especially on Saturday nights)
Rich: Don’t have nightmares.
Model Morning play LeftLion Presents at
The Orange Tree with Lois on 5 May.
www.myspace.com/modelmorning
Nice Pussys
words: Kevin Stanley
Miss Chief (Sonia) and Kitty Kate (Kate) are LeftLion Presents
resident DJs The Stiff Kittens. After a series of storming gigs
for us at The Orange Tree, they are now set to have it massive
at this year’s Glastonbury festival. Their unpredictability, love
of soundtracks, old school hiphop, nu-rave and funky breaks
coupled with a defiance to “keep it fresh” never fails to get any
club bouncing. We caught up with the two felines for a chat…
How do you feel about being LeftLion’s first resident DJs?
Kate: Like all our Christmases have been rolled into one
delightful ball!
Sonia: Over the moon mate, like the cow. It’s a total honour.
I’ve always loved what they do, the eclectic style and to play
alongside bands is just proper refreshing you know!
So what’s the story behind the name Stiff Kittens?
Kate: Apart from it sounding purrfect for two female DJs?
Sonia: It’s out of respect for a band I love, Joy Division, they were
actually called Stiff Kittens first and did a gig in Stockport (where
me and Kate were born) under the name.
So two women DJing, working closely together in hot, sweaty
clubs… do you ever get any funny looks?
Sonia: Yeah! The punters love it…we are close but not quite that
much. Unless I’ve had a little too much JD…
Kate: We just like to have a bit of fun….
Sonia: Yeah! You flirt!
So it’s not all work, work, work then?
Kate: It’s never work, always a pleasure, but sure,
more drinks please…
What’s your poison?
Sonia: Bullet bourbon and full fat coke.
Kate: Tequila - you can chuck ’em down fast!
You mentioned that you were both born in Stockport,
Tell us more…
Sonia: Well we were both born in the same hospital actually,
Stepping Hill, though never met till a few years ago, in
Nottingham. I’ve lived everywhere from squats in Hackney, to
flats in Cheltenham.
14
Kate: I’ve lived in Nottingham most of the time, lived in London
for a while with some freaked-out art students, but I don’t
remember much of it…
How did you get the Glastonbury gig?
Sonia: I used to DJ at The Que Club in Birmingham with
Spacehopper, and freakily enough the geezer who got my CD
used to play there too so knew my history. He loved the CD, as
did his cat, I have photos to prove it.
You must be excited about it?
Sonia: Oh yes! Like you wouldn’t believe, been wanting to
play there for like ages. Can’t wait! The only thing is trying to
stay straight long enough… and I’m not referring to the earlier
question!
Kate: It’s gonna be proper good, just can’t wait, and so many
tunes I want to play! It’s great news.
What was the last album that you bought?
Sonia: Guillemots Through the Windowpane.
Kate: Klaxons Myths Of The Near Future.
So what are your favourite cities and venues to play?
Kate: Nottingham is the place to be! We love The Social, The
Orange Tree, and The Maze.
Sonia: I think playing with LeftLion at The Orange Tree is actually
my favourite as I really love the crowd there and the venue is
cracking. Where’s the flying ducks though? We want flying ducks!!
Playing at The Social is cool too as you can play what you like
there, I love that. It gets very steamy and messy, great.
So what have you got coming up over the next few months?
Kate: Monthly LeftLion gigs, collaborations with Farmyard
Records and Glastonbury. Then maybe world domination and
generally making a nuisance of ourselves!
Sonia: Couldn’t have put it better myself lady!
Anythig else you want to say to Leftlion readers?
Sonia and Kate: Stay Stiff!
www.myspace.com/stiffkittens1
words and photo: Dom Henry
Meet Klaxons, leaders of the
‘new rave’ scene and tipped
to be one of the top bands
of 2007 in a recent BBC poll.
With a large underground
following of young glowsticktoting fans, their blend of
electronica and punk rock
has struck a chord amongst
people increasingly pissed off
with label manufactured indie
schlock. The term ‘new rave’
itself was coined by the band
and despite being described
by them as ‘a joke which got
out of hand’ now describes a
recognised youth subculture.
Pounced on by the NME within a
year of formation, recent tours have
seen them spearheading the paper’s
sellout ‘Indie Rave’ tour. By chance
we caught them outside Stealth
between soundchecks on their
previous tour...
You guys look pretty knackered, is the hotel
lifestyle taking its toll?
James: Yep, don’t have a home. Disgusting.
Jamie: I feel like Alan Partridge.
Simon: I’d say Manchester is better than Leeds.
Fucking great when like 40 kids got up on
stage.
Simon: Whaaazit?
Heavy. Where did you all start out?
James: 2005? November? In Deptford, used to
be the home nest.
Jamie: The nest!
Simon: We miss it dearly.
James: Biggest mistake ever leaving Deptford...
If you could get any band or artist to play in
with you, who would you have?
James: Shit Disco.
Jamie: Datarock.
Simon: Nirvana.
James: Yeah, Nirvana, back from the dead.
(murmured agreement)
Of all the tunes the fans shake a glowstick to
what would be your favourite?
Jamie: I love Magick. Magick’s massive. It chops
and changes though, depends on the tide.
Jamie: Whaaazit?
What would be your favourite tune full stop?
The kind of thing you’d play at your funeral.
James: Don’t Stop Me Now.
Simon: That’s dark. Fucking listening to
Queen in a pub is bad enough, let alone
when you’re dead.
(laughter)
Jamie: Izzzit?
Of all the places you’ve been touring and
staying what’s your favourite so far?
Jamie: That fucking dark place. What’s it
called? In Manchester.
Simon: Ah, the Brittania in Manchester.
Jamie: If you’re really up for prostitutes..
Simon: Prostitutes in the lobby, it’s a dark
dark place.
Jamie: A massive hotel, with chandeliers.
James: They have rooms above a club which
plays until 2am.
So that’s your least favourite hotel.
What’s your favourite venue?
All: The Brittania!
(laughter)
James: Sheffield, the lovely Novotel and the
Leadmill.
Simon: I’d say that venue in Leeds as there is
no barrier between us and the crowd.
Jamie: Ah-ah-aaaah!
What can the flourescent clad hordes expect
from your live show?
Jamie: Enjoyment!
James: 10 songs!
Simon: 9 songs, cos we’re lazy bastards.
(laughter)
What are you listening to at the moment?
Jamie: I miss my home! I miss my stereo..
Simon: A band called WZT Hearts. Crystal Meth
Noise Music.
Jamie: The iPod. Izzzat!
James: All I listen to is Jamie going ‘izzzat,
whaaazit’.
Jamie: Whizzzit! (giggles)
Is that what gets you out of bed in the
mornings?
James: Naa, sadly it’s our Tour Manager.
Simon: Brian Saunders is our wake up call.
Jamie: Whooose up for waking me up in
Sheffield?!
(weary laughter)
Sounds like you miss the normal life. Where
do you like to hang out when you’re not on
the road?
Jamie: Izzzat?
Simon: I miss hanging out. We don’t have time
to hang out
James: Ahhh man, we used to hang out in this
bar in London called the Old Blue Last.
So if you could have a week off?
James: Straight to the Old Blue Last!
(laughter)
Simon: Straight to the pub,The Old Blue.
Jamie: (sings) Straight to The Old Blue last…
Jamie: Its like Albion!
What was the last book you read?
Jamie: Oooh, not much shit in books!
Simon: J G Ballard’s Kingdom Come
Jamie: Izzzzat!
And the last thing which made you laugh?
Jamie: Whhaaazat?
James: Jamie! … Jamie now!
(Jamie gets knowing looks)
Jamie: Who’s up for leaving their mind back in
Stoke?
Was it a heavy night in Stoke?
James: No..
Simon: Whaa? When was Stoke?
Jamie: Don’t know, I was just saying that for
the fun of it..
James: It was a heavy night in... where was it?
Jamie: (sings) Every fucking night for the last
nine nights!
Simon: Leeds
Jamie: Whaaazat?
James: Leeds
Simon: It’s all been pretty.. serious on this tour.
Pretty serious eh? What have you got coming
up this year?
Jamie: Who’s up for the tour?
James: Big tours. Big plans, big ideas.
Jamie: No more stopping touring till the end of
the year after next! Izzzat!
James: We’re touring up till Christmas 2007.
At least.
Simon: All round Europe, America
Jamie: Japan and Australia.
James: Everywhere.
Simon: Can’t complain man.
Do you enjoy the road?
James: Love the road
Jamie: Love the road!
Do you like to camp out in the hotel when
you go places or do you like to get out and
explore?
Jamie: (sings) We love to just see the venue in
every town we go to.
Simon: It’s a little bit like that.
James: I don’t want to see the towns really.
Horrible. Every town in the UK.
Simon: Like a blanket of simulation. Laid over.
Middle Earth.
(laughter)
Jamie: Aiiiizat!
Simon: Like a rat trap with your Burger Kings
and your Subways and your shopping centres
and half price record..
Jamie: (mumbles) Pyjamas!
Do you prefer the foreign tours?
James: I think so.
Jamie: I love my hotels. I love the English
crowds though.
Simon: I prefer the English crowds.
Jamie: I love Eng-e-r-laa-nd, who-ose up for the
biggest crowds in England?!
James: It’s good when you go and its starting
again. I get more excited when I’m going abroad.
Free holiday, different surroundings.
Simon: I love it.
Jamie: Love the fucking Brits pub!
Anything you’d like to say to
LeftLion readers?
Jamie: Whaaazat?
Simon: (looking wearily at Jamie) Lost his mind.
James: Is he? (turns to Jamie) Did you enjoy
your soup?
Jamie: Fucking tasty.
Why have you lost your mind?
Jamie: I’ve just decided.. just to enjoy myself for
the next couple of days.
Having a few day sessions?
Jamie: Yaahp.
Klaxons play at Rock City on Tuesday 8 May.
www.klaxons.net
15
Fleetwood Mac, Rich may pluck for Whatever
and Ever by Ben Folds Five, I’d go for
Relationship of Command by At the Drive-In.
Favourite Nottingham hangouts?
Sam: The Social, Lee Rosy’s Tea Room, Alley
Cafe and Gav’s house.
Refreshingly, You Slut!
describe themselves as
math rock and don’t have
any vocals in their songs
whatsoever. The members
are Sam Lloyd, (bass),
Darren Cook (drums),
Richard Collins (Guitar)
and Gavin Poole (guitar).
We talked to Sam and
Darren (but mostly Sam)
about their new EP Critical
Meat, influences and the
Nottingham music scene.
They are beard-strokingly
good. Observe!
words: Alex Kocan
Favourite Nottingham bands?
Sam: All of my favourite Nottingham bands are
splitting up. First it was Punish the Atom and
then Legion of Doom went down. I’d get a kicking
if I didn’t mention Amusement Parks on Fire. Late
of the Pier are probably my favourite Nottingham
band, they’ve improved shed loads over the last
year.
Where’s the name You Slut! from?
Sam: We used to be called You Slut
Motherfucker! but a couple of motherfuckers
complained and we bowed to the pressure and
shortened it.
What’s your sound?
Sam: Well... there’s no singing. The drums are
kind of the lead singer in that they change
time signatures quite a lot and the guitars play
rock around them. It’s poppy, melodic rock.
It’s music to stroke your beard to while you’re
jumping up and down.
Musical influences?
Sam: Fleetwood Mac, At the Drive-In and
Abba. We get compared a lot to bands like Don
Caballero and Oxes, but we’d never heard of
them until people started writing about us in
the same articles. We were raised as nice indie
boys.
Tell me about your eight-track mini-album
Critical Meat. Is there a theme that runs
through the mini album? What is your
favourite song from it, collectively or
separately?
Sam: Maths is the only theme really. I’m pretty
sure we’re unanimous in thinking our favourite
song is On the spot Tina Turner fine. It chops
and changes more than some of the others and
is a bastard to play, it always feels like we’ve
achieved something when we get to the end!
Best gig you’ve performed so far?
Sam: The best gig was at Rotown in Rotterdam
in September 2006. It was the last day of the
German/Dutch tour we’d done with Amusement
Parks on Fire (APOF). We were all pretty chuffed
because the tour had gone well and we topped
it off by being tighter than we’d ever managed
before. We joined in with APOF’s encore as
well, two drummers, two basses, four guitars.
Everything was turned up to eleven.
Best album ever?
Sam: Just one? Gav might say Lexicon of
Love by ABC. Darren could say Rumours by
What do you think to the Nottingham music
scene at the moment?
Sam: You kind of take the Daybrook House
empire (Rock City, Rescue Rooms, the Social) for
granted. These are the people who are putting
on the bands that aren’t going to get in the
NME or Kerrang and giving them a chance to
play when they’d otherwise never get a gig.
Finally, what does the future hold for You
Slut?
Sam: To play a free-entry LeftLion gig at the
Orange Tree on 7 April of course! Maybe get
Critical Meat released here before we finish the
follow up. If you’re dead eager to get it, it was
released in Japan in February; you can order it
on import from Amazon.
As an afterthought, if you were stranded on a
desert island and you could take only things
with you, what would it be and why?
Sam: That Leanne off Shipwrecked, and
probably something trite like Shakespeare or
summat.
www.myspace.com/youslut1
words: Alex Kocan
The Dead City Presidents formed in 2005 out
of the ashes of former band Mia, taking on the
bass player from The Hellset Orchestra. Since
that time they have played live regularly, built
up a following and released their EP, Have Gun
Will Travel last year to good reviews.
The band members are Tom Walsh (guitar/
vocals), Mark Bagguley (drums), Jamie
Floodgate (guitars) and Dan Frazer (bass
guitar). I spoke to Mark and Tom from the band
about their recent EP, musical influences and
their claims to fame. Read on!
How did The Dead City Presidents
come about?
Mark: Jamie, Tom and I used to be in band
called Mia. It was, creatively, an amazing time
for us. But eventually we kind of went a bit
stale and wanted to start afresh; new name,
new sound, new hair. So we got together with
Dan from The Hellset Orchestra to write some
new material.
Where did the name come from?
Mark: It’s an amalgamation of words we
liked. It’s the hardest thing in the world to
find a good name. It took many hours of joke
16
names flying around before we came up with
something half decent.
Describe your sound?
Tom: It sounds like a commercial version of
post-rock crossed with film soundtracks.
Mark: Someone once categorised us as postvox. You can hear traces of grunge in there, but
also I think we genuinely bring something new
to the table.
Who are your musical influences?
Mark: Nirvana, Radiohead, Minus The Bear,
Bjork.
Tom: Faith No More, film soundtracks and
classical stuff. The Ninth Gate soundtrack is
amazing! Sigur Ros, Tom Waits and especially
The Rocky Horror Picture Show!
Tell us about your EP Have Gun Will Travel.
What’s your favourite track?
Mark: When me and Tom were fifteen or sixteen
I lent him my Murder In Mind subscription
magazines. That whole era of Middle American
Serial Killers has been something that has
inspired us in some of our songs. We’re not
mental, but there is that kind of theme going on.
My favourite track is The Great British
Suburbia, because it’s my favourite to play live.
Tom: Inspired By A Killer is the one I’m most
proud of. It has soprano vocalist Justine Atkins
on it. She did an amazing job bringing the track
to life. We tried to use as many real instruments
as possible. Amy Nicholson (Hellset Orchestra)
played cello and bass recorder for us too so it
has a very organic sound.
Do you have a claim to fame?
Mark: I once appeared on BBC 1 for The Clothes
Show in 1985 as a child model.
Tom: One of my mum’s cousins used to be
married to Lars Ulrich’s brother, true story.
What are the best and worst gigs you’ve
played?
Mark: I really enjoyed Rock City, it’s always a
good sound on stage. I didn’t enjoy The Shed in
Leicester, but then no one was there!
Who are your favourite Nottingham bands?
Mark: Lo-Ego, Love Ends Disaster, Her Name Is
Calla, O Lovely Lie.
Tom: There are lots of really good bands in
Nottingham actually but no one seems to really
get anywhere, except perhaps Amusement
Parks on Fire.
Do you have any pre-gig rituals before you go
on stage?
Tom: Getting a little bit too drunk for my own
good.
Mark: A pre-gig shit!
Best album ever?
Mark: OK Computer Radiohead.
Tom: Angel Dust Faith No More.
Favourite hangouts?
Mark: The Orange Tree and The Moot.
Tom: The Thurland Hall and Oceana.
What annoys you about the local scene?
Mark: That local band mentality, with some
bands thinking the be all and end all is to get
signed!
Tom: Anyone who thinks that having lots of
friends on myspace means anything!
www.thedeadcitypresidents.com
words: Jared Wilson
The Magic Numbers are a four piece from Ealing with
two studio albums under their belts - their critically
acclaimed eponymous debut and last year’s follow-up
Those the Brokes. Interestingly the group consists of
two sets of brothers and sisters - Romeo (guitar and
vocals) and Michele Stodart (bass and vocals) and Sean
(drums) and Angela Gannon (melodica, percussion,
glockenspiel and vocals). They’ve been booked as one
of the main acts to open the brand new Market Square
at the end of March. We caught up with Angela for a
chat on the phone as they toured in Europe…
How was your day today..?
It’s been good. We’ve been walking around Munich, which has
been cool. You might be able to hear Damien Rice soundchecking
his distortion vocal mic in the background. We’re playing with
him tonight at a venue called Herkulessaal, it’s a really nice old
building that often hosts classical concerts.
So what’s it like being in a band of two brothers and sisters?
Anything like Abba..?
I dunno. Obviously I’ve never been in Abba so I can’t really
compare. But it’s quite easy for us in a way because when you
know someone so well that you can automatically be yourself all
the time, which is pretty cool.
So do you ever have Noel and Liam Gallagher style fall-outs
with your brother?
Oh yeah, totally. Sean and I have huge fights day in day out.
It’s pretty funny most of the time and when we become friends
again we can always laugh about it.
I hear that the band got together at a Catholic high school?
Well… Romeo went to school with mine and Sean’s older brother
and he went to see Sean’s band play and thought he was a good
drummer. They started a band and worked at it together for
about ten years. Then they decided to get me and Michele in the
band and since then it’s been the four of us. It’s pretty cool.
I read on the internet that Romeo and Michelle’s mother is an
opera singer with her own TV show in Trinidad?
I think that whole thing has got a bit out of scale. She was an
opera singer who appeared on a TV talent show and was asked
back three weeks in a row. She’s never fully delved into the
whole thing with us, but when anyone asks her about it she
always plays the whole thing down.
So have you guys ever thought of getting her in for a track?
I dunno. I guess that’s down to Romeo and Michelle if they want
to. It could be a fun idea…
You got a lot of press by walking out of a Top of the Pops gig
just before you were due to go on after host Richard Bacon
said insulting things about you (he introduced the band as “a
fat melting pot of talent”)…
It was a decision that we made at the time. He said what he
said, so we decided that we couldn’t be bothered to do it and
wanted to have a day off instead. The whole thing did get blown
out of proportion. There was nothing going on in the news that
week – all the politicians must have been on holiday – and it
seemed like that was the only thing that happened at all.
So what’s your personal favourite of your own tracks?
From the first album it was This Love, I’m just really proud to be
part of that song. On this album it’s between Goodnight and All I
See. When I first heard Goodnight I told Romeo it’s the best song
he’d ever written.
You’ve played across the whole world. What are your favourite
cities and venues to play..?
The Barrowlands in Glasgow is definitely one we love. As soon
as you walk into that building it has the most amazing feeling
about it. Every gig we have done there has been amazing and
the crowd always go mental.
Along the way you’ve supported quite a few big names like
U2, The Flaming Lips, The Chemical Brothers and Brian
Wilson. Any tales of rock and roll excess to share with us?
Not really. We’re usually quite well behaved I guess. The one
thing about U2 was that we didn’t get to see or meet them much.
The whole scale of the production was huge - I couldn’t quite
believe how big the stage was. The Flaming Lips are possibly
the nicest bunch of people you’ll ever meet and totally amazing
to see live. We did that song (Close Your Eyes) with the Chemical
Brothers and I remember walking up to the studio to record it.
Michele and I were quite relaxed, but Romeo was getting really
freaked out and couldn’t believe he was about to sing on one of
their tracks.
Do you feel honoured to be opening Nottingham’s lovely new
Market Square?
Oh yeah, definitely. Every gig we’ve ever played in Nottingham
has been great, so we’re really honoured to be offered this
chance. It’s a real pleasure to be asked back to open it up and
it’s all outside and free isn’t it? We always love playing free
gigs… it means everyone can get to come along and have a
listen.
So what message would you send out to people coming to the
gig?
Well, we want everyone to join in. They must sing along and
clap when we clap. We just want people to go mad when we’re
playing a loud one and to go with it when we’re playing a quiet
one. Just let your hair down and go with it.
If you could get anyone in to play on the day with you who
would you choose?
I’m a big Janis Joplin fan, so I’d try and get her and
Johnny Cash in.
I bought the new Shins album Wincing the Night Away. I haven’t
listened to it yet, but I need to.
What was the last book you read?
I’m currently reading Cash, Johnny Cash’s biography.
What was the last thing that made you laugh?
Usually one of the crew members acting silly. It’s a regular
occurrence...
What was the last thing that made you cry?
I can’t actually remember. Sorry…
Anything else you want to say to LeftLion readers?
Get yourself prepared for a right good night in Nottingham. Get
drunk, let your hair down and enjoy yourself…
The Magic Numbers play a free gig in the
Market Square on Saturday 31 March 2007.
www.themagicnumbers.net
17
words: Tommy Goodall
Black Vinyl Heart describe their songs as music for ‘hearts
and souls that harbour fragile hope’. Classically trained singer
Lisa de’Ville fronts the band alongside Johnny Coolin (bass),
Tommy Guns (guitar), Melanie Lawrence (viola) and Andy
McAlister (drums). When performing an all out set they sound
like a rich man’s Evanescence. However, we’ve asked them
to strip it down for their LeftLion Unplugged gig at The Malt
Cross on Tuesday 7 April. We put some questions to Lisa…
What are your favourite hangouts in Nottingham?
The Malt Cross, The Orange Tree and The Rescue Rooms because
of the twirly fries. Yum!
What have you been up to recently?
The past couple of months have seen us working on our songs
and overall sound to achieve a lean mean fighting Black Vinyl
Heart machine!
What’s going to be big in music-wise in 2007?
Hopefully 2007 will see the emergence of more female musicians
and more music with something exciting and passionate
going on. I am utterly sick to death of this bland NME watered
down middle class white boy crap like Arctic Monkeys, Franz
Ferdinand, The Kooks etc. There’s some incredible, creative music
being made out there and I think we all have to look a bit harder
to find it, otherwise it may be lost forever and we will be stuck
with this James Blunt shit.
How are you planning to take your music and career
forward in 2007?
We’ve been offered two management deals, so we plan on
discussing that further. I’ve been writing a lot recently and we
plan on spending the next few months working on new songs
and ideas before playing live again.
Any tricks up your sleeve to get signed?
Mel our Viola player is going to strip naked at our gigs.
What are the best and worst things about stripping down your
sound for this gig?
There’s always been something quite beautiful about the
simplicity of a voice and an acoustic guitar, with nothing else to
hide behind. I love the intimacy of acoustic gigs. I get to sing my
little heart out and try out new ideas. If there is to be a minus
it would be that I can’t jump around and be as physical as I can
with a full band. It also means I can’t blame the drummer if I
make a mistake…
What’s your favourite song?
I’ve got so many. The Aeroplane Flies High by the Smashing
Pumpkins. Perfect Day Elise by PJ Harvey. Lucky One by Gemma
Hayes, Samson by Regina Spektor and Only Shallow by My
Bloody Valentine would all rank pretty high.
Who are the best upcoming musical talents in Nottingham?
I like what Felix are doing… it’s very beautiful and different.
There’s some fantastic stuff going on in Notts right now, like First
Blood and The Kull.
What was the last thing that made you laugh?
I went to see Nine Inch Nails in March and their guitarist threw
his mike stand in the air. It flew about six foot high and then
landed on one of the roadies. I burst out laughing.
What was the last thing that made you cry?
I had my car broke into a couple of weeks ago and had a
generally bad week. I got home and heard Samson by Regina
Spektor and just started bawling.
Go with your heart. The heart is always right, the mind is just
a creation of society. The heart is unpolluted. On a lighter note.
Keep supporting local musicians, try and get out to as many gigs
a week as you can afford and of course keep reading LeftLion
because its ace!
www.myspace.com/blackvinylheartmusic
Soul Man
words: Tommy Goodall
You’ll be playing with Tim McDonald in May. How is he
getting on down there?
Alcohol, fags and women. He’s settling in well.
How is life down in London treating you? Any noticeable
differences to Notts?
London differs in the amount of people from all over the world
that live here. It’s a very live-hard party-hard type of place.
How have you changed as a musician since you were in Bosco?
I am no longer on the indie band thing really its all a bit boring
now and I think I’ve grown out of it. I’ve matured… now I like
listening to bells and things.
What venues have you been playing down there? Any interest
from labels etc?
Its just loads of scenes really. The Indie scene in London is shit
as it is in all areas of the country. Very dry and uninspiring.
The folk scene is very laid back and quite interesting… a very
reflective kind of vibe and quite thoughtful I reckon. I’ve been
playing a few good venues with great reputations, and getting
positive receptions and applause.
If you could get anyone in to play with you, who would you
choose?
Wyclef from The Fugees.
Is London the best place to get signed? Would you recommend
it to other Nottingham bands?
London is a great place to meet new people and it has a wealth
of musicians from all corners of everything that exists. However
you don’t need to move to London to get a record deal. You need
talent and a vision.
Are you still involved with First Blood?
Yep. The Blood drop agenda is being prepared and finalised
with a chilled and easy vibe. I want the youth of Nottingham to
listen to 1st blood and embrace it for its positive vibe and charm.
It’s melodies and lyrics are pure and true. Pete makes music
18
that inspires you to live the dream. To be who you are and live
and pursue your true purpose in life… it gives me these things
anyway.
Liam Bailey has been on the Notts scene for a while now, so
you may have seen him live singing with 1st Blood, Bosco, The
Soul Parade or acoustically by himself. He recently moved down
to London to further his career and life experience, but we’re
dragging him back up this way for LeftLion Unplugged at the
Malt Cross on Tuesday 20 May. We caught up with him to see
what he’s learned in his time in the smoke…
What do you listen to on the stereo at home?
Concrete Jungle by The Wailers
Describe your average day...
Playing music, serving pints and trying be positive.
What are your favourite hangouts in Notts?
It’s getting too trendy in Notts for me but I do like going to The
Old Moot in Sneinton.
Please let’s try to open our eyes more and more to the future
of this world we live in. Am I alone in thinking we are creating
generations of junkies and robots? Am I alone when I witness
our quality of life rotting. Are we being lied to?
www.myspace.com/bahinyon
Considering I only turned eighteen in January this year it’s
probably quite worrying how well I know my real ales. Chris
Holmes, former chairman of CAMRA (Campaign For Real
Ale) began his Tynemill adventure in 1977 and has since seen
his creation become something of an empire in the Midlands
boasting twenty pubs and also the award-winning Castle Rock
Brewery. Having whiled away many an hour in these fine
establishments it was with great pleasure that I met the man
behind the beers, Chris Holmes…
words: Samuel Rogers photo: Dom Henry
When you first opened the Old Kings Arms in Newark
thirty years ago did you ever imagine you’d achieve
success on the scale you have?
No, because it was never the intention. The intention then
was to prove a point and to break monopolies in Newark
as there was no real ale available. I had the opportunity to
open a pub and having a simple free-house in the middle of
a town with a row of hand pumps serving real ales was a
revolutionary concept then.
Well, we’re sat in the Canalhouse which is Tynemill’s
latest acquisition. Another nice building and location but
what can we expect from it as a venue?
As a venue? I don’t think it’s ever really been exploited
properly to be honest. The room upstairs is perfect for small
gigs really with a capacity of 120. It was only in July last
year that we got control of it - we’d always had a minority
share before then. I’d like to see some music here, it’s
definitely big enough to put live music on. We’ll wait ‘til
Easter but that’s the plan.
Tynemill pubs tend to be quite different to each other
inside. What makes them all individually so successful?
Well…some of this stuff sounds pretentious, but the core
philosophy was always about providing choice. There’s
now a big choice of genuine continental beers, a good wine
list and our own chefs make all the food from fresh. We also
let the managers have a lot of say in what goes on, so their
personality, taste and preferences are reflected in what we
do. In our pubs we don’t have any toys or machines and
we’re very strict on bad behaviour. I don’t care how much
money someone has to spend, if they are going to upset
other customers we don’t want them.
Nottingham isn’t exactly always renowned for its
sophistication but real pubs and real ale attract
large numbers…
Well they do but we’re almost a niche market now. When
I started it was just about running pubs but now pubs are
almost unusual as a lot of places in town now are more
trendy bars or theme bars particularly aimed at the young.
What’s your opinion of more corporate and soulless places
like Wetherspoons?
20
I’ve got a lot of respect for what Wetherspoons did in the
early days when they started and I will never publicly
criticise anyone else in industry. But I do think the local pub
industry becoming corporate is not in the public interest.
One of the problems has been that city centres have become
no go areas for people over 35… it’s either too noisy or they
just feel a bit out of place.
What do you think it is that stops Tynemill becoming
more commercial or corporate?
Well I suppose our own approach because… I don’t want
it to be seen as popular. As someone once said, “not many
people want to drink in a brand.” That’s why I like going to
places like Amsterdam, Brussels or Prague where if you go
out for a drink virtually all the bars and restaurants are all
individually operated and owned.
(A barmaid drops a glass in the background)… That’s
another 50 pence down the drain. (laughs)
If you could pick one beer to represent Nottingham and
the taste of it’s ale drinkers what would it be?
Well, what do you think I’m going to say? Harvest Pale. It’s
our most successful beer by a long way now.
More so than the Gold?
Oh yes. Harvest Pale is hugely successful and not just in
Nottingham. It gets all round the country. If you say ‘beers of
Nottingham’ though, I think it’s a bit of a joke. Since Hardy
and Hanson’s closed we’re now the largest brewery in
Nottingham... which seems just daft really.
Do you swap beers with other local breweries like
Magpie?
We’re using Magpie and we use Mallards. We’re very happy
to support all the microbreweries in our area and we make a
point of selling micro beers. We don’t feature any of them as
permanent installations but they’re regularly coming round
on the guests. Our customers expect there to be a variety of
different beers on.
What’s your opinion of lager? Seems a bit weird to me
when someone comes into the Stratford and goes for the
Carling Extra Cold.
We now sell lots of lager in our pubs. Carling and Grolsch
are the only UK ones, but some of our places will have
Staropramen on or Nastro Azzuro or Bitburger. I think Grolsch
is a good, well made beer that to me tastes very similar to
if you buy it in Holland. I think Carling is the best of the UK
mainstream lagers. There’s a big market for that and it would
be very arrogant of us not to sell that sort of product. But
what we do find is that a lot of our customers drink lager
in their early twenties and then move onto drinking ales
because palates do mature. Drinking real beer is a bit more
demanding than drinking relatively flavourless lager.
What would you say to anyone having a go at brewing
their own?
I think it’s great because if people start to get an interest
in making beer than it makes them more interested and
they’re more likely to go out and try different drinks when
they go to the pub. The essence of professional brewing is
consistency.
Alright, some final few questions; what is your favourite
beer of all time?
My favourite beer of all time is Boddingtons circa 1965. I’m
from Manchester and that was when Boddingtons was an
independent brewer. The old bitter that was produced in the
60’s and 70’s was fantastic. Unfortunately, the beer that is
now branded as Boddingtons bears no resemblance.
Is there anything else you’d like to say to LeftLion
readers?
Only to keep doing what you are doing. Go out and
experience live entertainment in Nottingham and go to
watch movies at the Broadway as opposed to the big
chains. It’s essential for us that people go out. We’re not
really competing with the pub and bar down the road, we’re
competing for the disposable income people have and if
they’re spending it all on DVD’s and takeaway food and
sitting at home then that’s not good for any of us. What we
need is a vibrant industry where people go out to eat and
drink and be entertained…
www.tynemill.co.uk
Lucy Porter doesn’t so
much do stand up as
have a nice chat using
a microphone, and
with sell out tours and
glowing reviews from the
Edinburgh fringe, she
doesn’t do it half badly.
She’s even made it to the
West End, performing
alongside Christian Slater
in One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest. We spoke
to her about heckling,
cock-crazed audiences
and whether to perform
in front of your mum.
words: Michael Simon
How do you sum up your act?
Fluffy nonsense! Fluffy nonsense, but fun.
People say you have a conversational tone, is there a big
difference between your routine and having a chat with
someone?
No, it’s pretty much ‘what you see is what you get’. I wish I was
brainy enough to have come up with a stage persona which is
different to my real life ways. I talk a bit faster.
Do you change your routine for different audiences?
Yeah, it’s different every night, it’s so affected by what the audience
is like. That’s what makes live stand-up such a beautiful thing. The
people in the room really dictate what the show’s going to be like,
and I just like having a bit of variety. It keeps it interesting for me as
much as for anybody else.
How was supporting Puppetry of the Penis?
Fun, but very peculiar. The audiences were ninety nine percent
female and initially they weren’t happy about seeing another
woman on stage. What they were really after, if I can say, was
cock. They’d boo me on stage; every night I’d walk out to this
chorus of ‘Get off!’ That toughened me up, every night I had to
turn that around from hatred to love. It was very handy to do
that.
Do you think people still have stereotypical attitudes to female
comedians?
It’s getting better all the time. I think it’s not a natural job for a
woman, but it’s not a natural job for anyone really. I think women
don’t like to be laughed at as much as men do, and I think people
are a bit nervous laughing at a woman, because we can be a
bit psycho. I think blokes are a bit scared to laugh at women in
case they turn around and say ‘Are you laughing at my arse?
Are you saying I’m fat or something?’ I’ve been doing the circuit
for eleven years, and in that time so many brilliant women have
come through. When I first started I got the idea that sometimes
audiences would sigh in disappointment if a woman walked
onto the stage, whereas now I don’t think they do.
Were those some of your most hostile crowds?
When I first started doing comedy in Manchester I did some of
the working men’s clubs, which when you’re a twenty two year
old girl and you’re not a stripper is no place to be. They couldn’t
work out at all what I was doing, and it was totally the wrong
kind of comedy for the audience. They just hated me so much it
was unbelievable.
Have you ever heckled?
I did once at a gig. I was a bit drunk, to be honest and I was
talking very loudly. It was this American act who hadn’t been
over long, and he was talking about air plane food and I ended
up correcting him, loudly, when he got a few things wrong. That
was quite embarrassing, and I realized how scary it is being on
the other side. I try not to be intimidating because I’ve had it
happen to me, and I didn’t like it.
I read that you have an audience member be your bitch as
part of your act...
I only pick on people who seem willing to join in. I did once ride
someone around the stage like a pony, but he quite enjoyed it I
think.
Would you change your material if you knew your mum was
in the audience?
Well yes, to be honest, which is a terrible admission. My mum’s
never seen me do stand-up and she was going to come to my show
in Edinburgh, but at the last minute we both decided it might be a
bit embarrassing, because there are some things you don’t want to
say in front of your own mother.
Do you get recognised from having been on the telly?
No, I always think I’m getting recognised but it turns out that
I look like a lot of Irish girls. People always say ‘I think I know
you,’ and I think, ‘finally, recognition off the telly’, and they go
‘are you Bernadette Devlin, did you go to school with my sister?’
But I wouldn’t really want to be recognised so it’s quite good. I
don’t do that much telly, so it would be a very nerdy comedy fan
who recognised me.
Comedians seem to polarise themselves by class, so which side
of the fence do you think you sit on?
It’s fascinating what’s happened to class in this country in the
last ten years or so, and comics are now in the minority who still
identify themselves as working class. It’s hilarious when you get
posh comics who affect a working class accent. I’m lower middle
I would say. I went to a nice girl’s convent school, not paid for,
but nice. Though for a time we did get free school dinners, which
was the sign that you were a bit poor. So make it up for yourself.
How did you choose to do One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest?
That wasn’t really much of a choice; someone said ‘do you want
to do it?’ and I tend to say yes to everything. I just don’t see
the point in saying no, really. You should take everything that’s
offered to you and see if you like it. I only had three lines, and it
was fab. It was the most glamorous thing I’ve ever done in my
entire life, it was everything that you imagine being a West End
luvvie is like, out every night drinking champagne cocktails with
Burt Reynolds. Things you think are going to be amazing are
normally quite underwhelming but that absolutely lived up to it.
Could you tell us a joke?
A woman’s looking in the mirror and she says to her husband,
‘I’m looking old, fat and ugly, give me a compliment,’ and he says
to her ‘Well, your eyesight is spot on.’ You can’t get better than
that, can you?
Lucy Porter’s show The Good Life
is at the Lakeside on Thursday 12 April.
www.lakesidearts.org.uk
www.lucyporter.info
21
Safety in numbers
Community Protection
Officer
£16,137-£20,235
Part time/weekend work available
Nottingham is a great city and it needs great
people like you to make it an even safer place
to live.
Have you got what it takes to tackle crime and
anti-social behaviour in Nottingham to
reassure local people and to help make our
streets and communities safer?
Community Protection Officers work for
Nottingham City Council, in partnership with
the police and other agencies.
Every day will be different. It’s a life of variety
and challenge - and your professionalism is
essential. It is a high profile career and is one
of the most exciting jobs in the city. We need
people who can make a real difference.
We need unique people for a unique role.
Interested?
Contact us on 0115 915 6509
or email [email protected]
We encourage applicants from Black
and Minority Ethnic Communities,
in particular we are currently under
represented by female members of
the Asian community.
England’s Meadows
words: Nathan Miller
Shane Meadows’ This Is England is riding towards a screen near you on a
tide of festival success and critical buzz. We look at the Uttoxeter-born
guerrilla’s back catalogue and find out what makes the Midlands’ greatest
living auteur (and LeftLion’s first ever cover star) tick.
For over forty years, Shane Meadows was pretty much the only
film industry Nottingham had. Before he fulfilled the promise of
his hour-long calling card Smalltime with Twenty Four Seven in
1997, no-one had made a proper film which was set and filmed
in Notts since Saturday Night and Sunday Morning gave Albert
Finney his big break in 1960. Indeed, until Chris Cooke’s One for
the Road in 2003, Meadows was the only person to make any
more. During this time he completed his ‘Nottingham Trilogy’
with TwentyFourSeven, A Room for Romeo Brass (regarded
as one of the best British films of the 90s by the tiny handful
of people who actually saw it) and Once Upon a Time in the
Midlands (certainly has its highlights but generally regarded as
a bit of a dog’s dinner).
Since then, Meadows’ locations have moved out of the suburbs
and estates of Hood Town, but only as far as Matlock, for the
back-to-form revenge drama Dead Man’s Shoes and Grimsby, the
backdrop for parts of the small coastal town in This Is England.
There’s a particularly East Midlands suburban sensibility in all
these films, rooted by more than just accent. Although they look
amazing, being shot with real care and vision – Danny Cohen’s
excellent photography on This Is England is no exception – all
Meadows’ films are grounded by the lack of glamour in their
surroundings and shot through with the essential crapness of
growing up in an unimportant area with nothing much to do,
livened only by the silly jokes you have with your mates and the
occasional flash of ridiculous colour that passes through.
One of the first fundamentals of scriptwriting is ‘write what
you know,’ advice Meadows has been keen to take and This
Is England has been described as his most autobiographical
film yet. The director has, in interviews and commentaries,
described his shock and disgust at witnessing a beating during
his skinhead youth which he felt responsible for encouraging
to happen. Whilst the film is not a literal dramatisation of that
incident, it does tell that story, a rite of passage fable which
also forms the basis of Romeo Brass, Twenty Four Seven and
(chopped and remixed to fit the revenge genre template) Dead
Man’s Shoes. All these films focus on a friendship between a
teenage boy (or boys) and an older mentor figure. As the boy is
drawn out of whatever imperfect domestic state he starts the
film in, tensions build toward a distressing, innocence-rupturing
moment of violence, perpetrated by the mentor and observed by
the boy.
What makes these stories more than moralistic TV specials
is partly the ambiguity of the mentors’ natures. At first sight,
some appear good (Bob Hoskins’s Darcy), some appear bad
(Stephen Graham’s Combo) and some seem just weird (Paddy
Considine’s Morrell), but whilst Meadows never totally absolves
them, they’re all presented in a spirit of understanding, with
recognition of the weakness and loneliness that these men carry
with them. But not all the lessons being given are negative
ones; by the time of the violent catharsis each child has learned
enough to reject his teacher and become his own man.
The one film in Meadows’ catalogue which does not seem
influenced by that formative moment is Once Upon a Time in the
Midlands. But even here the story (a mother and daughter having
to choose between a loyal-but-foolish stepfather and a roguishbut-unpleasant ‘real’ dad) is still concerned with the nature and
failure of masculinity, an over-arching theme in all of Meadows’
work. In Shane’s world, men are proud but pathetic; too happygo-lucky, busy settling scores or just too damaged to take any
meaningful responsibility for their lives. Women, on the other
hand, are usually sensible, protective and able to see past any
bullshit and cut right to the heart of a situation. It’s clear that the
boys in Meadows’ films don’t have to grow up to be bad men,
but it’s less certain that any of them ever grow up at all.
Ultimately though, what really marks out Meadows’ talent is
his ability to consistently coax astonishing performances out
of newcomers, non-actors, soap stars and children. Meadows
started out making short films starring friends and neighbours
in Sneinton. The big lesson this taught him was that getting
your friends and neighbours to improvise is easier than getting
them to learn lines. It’s quicker than sitting around for six
months trying to write a script which won’t sound as natural,
warm or funny as the things people come up with when they
don’t what they’re going to say next. Meadows still uses this
approach, starting each film with forty pages of plot details, the
story is then fleshed out and developed by the actors through
improvisation.
Creating a strong communal gang spirit amongst the cast is
an important part of making this approach work; Meadows’
best results have usually come when the cast have been
living with each other during filming. It’s not surprising that a
repertory company of sorts has formed around his productions.
This Is England marks the third appearance in a Meadows
film by both Frank Harper and Andrew Shim (interviewed
overleaf) and a second for Jo Hartley and Vicky McClure (also
interviewed overleaf). Paddy Considine, an old college friend
of Meadows, has given two of the best performances of his
career in Dead Man’s Shoes and Romeo Brass. That sort of
supportive, creative atmosphere is also the perfect environment
to get great performances out of kids. To make a coming of
age story work, you need to be able to build your films around
actors still in their teens and Meadows’ has had a particularly
successful collaboration with Ian Smith’s Carlton Television
Junior Workshop, graduates of which include Shim, McClure,
former LeftLion interviewee Toby Kebbell and pretty much
everybody in TwentyFourSeven who wasn’t called Hoskins.
Smith himself has a cameo in This Is England as one of Shaun
Fields’ teachers, whereas Thomas Turgoose, who plays Shaun
himself, was found in an arcade in Grimsby rather than an
improvisation class in Nottingham and had never acted before.
But his brilliant performance fills nearly every frame of the
film - a testament to the close relationship developed on set.
“I could see myself in him,” Meadows has said of Turgoose.
“There were teachers at school who said I’d end up in prison,
there were only bad things out there for me, yet somehow
some people believed in me and I actually made something of
myself.” This Is England is the quintessential Shane Meadows
picture and also his most mature film yet. After mastering
growing up on film, he’s finally come of age.
This is England is released on Friday 27 April.
www.shanemeadows.co.uk
23
This Is Acting…
“well, you know where it starts and you know where it needs to
end up”. It’s a really good way of working.
Nottingham’s own Andrew Shim and Vicky McClure both play major parts in the new
Shane Meadows film This Is England. The movie has been described by critics as the
directors most autobiographical film, with Meadows admitting that much of the plot (which
revolves around a gang of young skinheads) is taken from his own experiences. Even the
name of the main character, Shaun Fields, offers a major clue to this identity. Andrew and
Vicky are both products of the Central Drama school on Stoney Street and, despite their
tender ages, are quickly becoming regular faces in Meadows films. We caught up with them
for a natter about the film in Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem… words: Ian Kingsbury photos: Jon Rouston
So, you’re back working with Shane Meadows. Can you tell us
about your new film This is England?
Andrew: A lot of it was filmed in Nottingham. It’s based around
a young lad called Shaun and a skinhead gang that me and
Vicky are part of. It’s set it in the six week school holidays. Life’s
not too great for Shaun, he lost his dad in the Falklands war, he’s
getting bullied at school and he falls out with his mum. Then he
stumbles across our skinhead gang and we take a shine to him.
He’s about thirteen and we take him under our wing and Vicky
and her gang of girls kit him out. It basically goes from happy,
pissing-about type adventures, until an older member of the
gang (Combo) comes out of prison after a couple of years inside.
He’s been introduced to the National Front whilst in prison.
So it all goes a bit sinister?
Andrew: Yeah, it’s all about that transitional period. At first
being a skinhead was basically a fashion statement, but then
the National Front moved in, and the BNP, and a lot of skinheads
turned to racism.
Vicky: Shaun’s a vulnerable character and when Combo comes
along, Shaun sees him as a father figure and puts his trust in
him. There’s quite a nice scene in the film where he spits on his
hand and rubs it as if to say, ‘we’re together now’.
24
Like blood brothers, but more spit brothers, obviously.
Andrew: Yeah, Combo basically fills his head with a load of shit.
He splits the gang in two, one side goes down the National Front
path and the other, including mine and Vicky’s characters, go
the other way. Unfortunately Shaun tags onto Combo’s side of
things, until he gets out of his depth and realises that things
aren’t right.
Shaun Fields isn’t that much of a leap from Shane Meadows.
Do you know how far the film is based on Shane’s childhood?
Vicky: I’m not sure if all the scenes were drawn directly from his
experiences, but when Shane created the film and characters he
told me that the girls that were in gangs when he was growing
up were as hard as the blokes. In the film my character Lol is
certainly not effeminate at all. The gang is quite similar to the
one Shane was in when he was young, and each character in the
film has very strong characteristics that I’m sure were drawn
from real people.
Andrew: It’s not a mirror image of his own life, but it is based
around a period in his life when he had to make certain decisions
and was faced with uncomfortable situations. All the characters
have tough decisions to face. I suppose it’s a coming of age film
at heart.
Vicky, you had to shave your hair off for the part…
Vicky: We were in this pub when Shane said to me ‘this
character I’m thinking of for you is a real rough, skinhead type of
girl’, and I just thought ‘yeah, whatever’. I didn’t think anything
of it and then it kind of clicked that I’d have to do it. The night
before I woke up in a cold sweat, panicking.
Andrew: She did! She woke up crying.
Vicky: When it came to the day, all the girls in the room were in
tears and it was quite dramatic. When I look back on it now, it
was actually really liberating and I’m glad I did it. Watching the
film back, if I hadn’t shaved my hair off, it would have drastically
changed my character.
Andrew: We were down in London doing some interviews and
someone actually asked her if she’d shave her hair off for a photo
shoot!
Andrew, most people will know you as Romeo Brass from A
Room for Romeo Brass. That film has a very improvised feel to
it. Is that how Shane likes to work?
Andrew: To be honest, Shane always works like that. He
basically uses the script as a guide. You read through your scene
in rehearsal, but we put the script aside and he’ll basically say
Is it quite scary as an actor?
Andrew: Yeah, man, I don’t know how many other directors
would work like that…
Vicky: For me and Andrew, a lot of our training at Central TV
workshop was based around improvisation. Obviously Shimmy’s
worked on the majority of Shane’s films, so doing it at a young
age (he was 13 when he played Romeo Brass) and then again
in This is England, for us it’d probably be scarier using a script,
knowing you’ve got to hit your marks. I’ve worked like that,
where you’ve got to be technically spot-on. So when you’re given
freedom and choice, it’s probably easier for us.
Andrew: The only thing we found really hard in terms of
improvising for this film was that there’d be seven or eight
people in the same scene and everyone wants to be noticed and
tries to fit their line in. You get a lot of overlapping and it doesn’t
always work.
Vicky: God, it must be a nightmare to edit.
Andrew, you were in an animated version of the Raymond
Briggs classic, Fungus The Bogeyman?
Andrew: Yeah, wow, no-one’s ever asked me about that.
Basically, it was a cartoon I did about four years ago. The BBC
and a Canadian company got together to adapt the book into
an animation and I played a character called Grot. I had to go
out to Canada for the filming. It was great! I was 19 and living
in Canada for a couple of months, in a hotel. I provided the
character’s movements and voice. Actually, I can tell you this, it
was one of the first productions ever to use motion capture. I had
to wear a skin-tight suit with balls all over it, like motion sensors.
You could actually watch yourself on a monitor with the CGI
character put over the top.
I notice that you both starred as ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in
something called The Stairwell. Can you tell us a bit about
that?
Andrew: Man and woman! (laughs).
Vicky: Shane (Meadows) was asked to make a 15 minute short
film on a Nokia mobile phone.
Andrew: Were we in here again?
Vicky: Yeah, we were in this very pub trying to come up with
some ideas. I think we went through so many stupid ones until
we came up with the set-up of a French girl and a man who
bump into each other on some stairs, job done.
So was that actually filmed on a mobile phone?
Vicky: I think so, maybe it wasn’t, but I think it was meant to be.
God, we’re giving away too much information here.
Andrew: It was good that was. It was about £200 for half an
hours work. What else have we done?
Vicky: Well, the majority of my work has been in the theatre,
through Central TV Workshop. I did do a two part drama with
Ray Winstone and Adrian Dunbar, called Tough Love and also a
short film called Birthday with a guy called Johan Myers.
Andrew: He was in Romeo Brass as well.
Vicky: Yeah, he was the gay guy who worked with Ladine in the
laundrette.
Have you dabbled in the theatre Andrew?
Andrew: Yeah. Funnily enough, me and Vicky played a brother
and sister in the last play we did together. It’s really strange, we
always seem to end up playing siblings, we did in Romeo Brass
as well.
Vicky: And now we’re together as a couple.
Sounds like a bit of a Freudian soup…
Andrew: (laughs). No, I like theatre, but I find it much harder
than film. There’s no room for mistakes and if you do go wrong,
you have to think on your feet.
Vicky: I think theatre gives you a good grounding. It gives you
the technical skills, I suppose in the same way that a trained
ballet dancer has the basic technique to dance in any style. If
you can master the theatre, when you go onto film and TV you’ve
got the basics under your belt. I think the transition from TV and
film to theatre is much harder than from theatre to TV and film.
You guys, Shane Meadows and others like Paddy Considine
seem to have hit on a winning formula. You work so well
together. Tell us about how it all came about…
Andrew: I went to the Carlton Junior workshop, when Vicky was
there, but I’d only been there for about six months. I was kind of
pushed into it by my grandma, because my sister (Shauna) went
there and really loved it. I went there but didn’t really take to it.
I was just about to leave, and I’m sure I said to my grandma on
the Monday that I was going to leave, but on the Wednesday I
heard about an audition that was coming up for a film by a guy
called Shane Meadows. So I thought “oh, I may as well stay for
this.” So I went to the audition and got the part of Romeo Brass.
After that I just became really good friends with Shane.
What else have you been up to?
Andrew: I’ve done bits and bobs. A while ago I actually did a
reconstruction for Crimewatch UK (laughs). I was in a barbers
shop not long after it went out, and a guy who I knew, who’d
recently been released from prison, said ‘I saw you on that
Crimewatch, driving that Mitsubishi. You know the geezer you
were playing, I was actually in prison with him.’ It was quite a
famous case, a group of guys were doing a job at a Carphone
warehouse store when someone asked them what they were
doing so they beat him up with a wheel brace, stuck a circular
saw into his stomach and tried to run him over with their car
afterwards. I met the victim actually, he was a big geezer, with
a big old stomach and that was the reason he survived, because
the saw couldn’t get past the fat through to his vital organs. But
I played the geezer who drove the car. It was brilliant, I got to
drive a Mitsubishi Evo 6 to drive. It was the fastest thing I’d ever
driven.
What are you pair doing at the moment? Promoting This Is
England I guess?
Vicky: That’s right. I think it’s being shown at a film festival in
Bradford soon.
Andrew: Yeah, that’s gonna be a tough one, because of the
subject matter of the film, the racist theme. We’re going to the
festival, so it’ll be interesting to see the reactions. Like I say,
there’s a particular scene in an Asian corner shop with Combo
and his gang. It’s a fantastic scene, but it’s a bit tough to watch,
so we’ll see how it goes down.
Vicky: It’s a real shame that the film’s been given an 18
certificate, because it’s a film that’s been made with kids under
15 and it’s about growing up and coming of age and all that sort
of thing. I think it needs to be seen by that young audience.
Andrew: I can’t believe they’ve given it an 18 certificate. Like
Vicky said, it needs to be seen by 15, 16 year olds because they
can learn from it. It’s better to see these themes on the screen
than learn the hard way by making mistakes in your own life.
Vicky: Kids are taught about World War Two, the Middle Ages,
all these important points in history, but they don’t know about
more recent history that their parents lived through and has
shaped what they are. A documentary on MoreFour the other
night took the film to a school and got some fifteen year olds to
watch it and they said that the language and issues are basically
what they experience all the time. You just want to say to them,
‘listen to your audience’.
This is England is released in cinemas on Friday 27 April
25
Here at LeftLion we’ll use any excuse to showcase the musical talent
in Hood Town. So when we chatted to the Rescue Rooms about doing
another gig at their place and they offered us Friday 13th April we got
very excited indeed. It’s going to be a late one and hopefully a little bit
spooky too. Break out your Frankenstein masks and pointy hats for a
party LeftLion-style. words: Rebecca Kielty
Old Basford
Dan: Thingland Studio! Home of Old Basford.
Ceri: We like The Golden Fleece. It’s just over
the road from Thingland, which is probably the
place we spend the most time. We go where
the music is good.
What can people expect from the Rescue
Rooms show?
Chris: Real music played by great artists from
different musical genres of the Notts scene.
Ceri: From us in particular, kick-ass boogie
blues. Old Basford on top form with lots of new
tunes and the addition of slide guitar into the
band.
Music/games/dvds: Rental place or library?
Chris: The library is where me gran goes to find
her Mills and Boons books.
Dan: I still owe £5 on me library card, so it’s the
corner shop for me.
Ceri: Is this a real question?
How will you be getting to the show?
Chris: The Number 13 bus down Castle
Boulevard.
Dan: Riding a heavily armed bipedal red horse.
Ceri: In a borrowed hearse.
Wikipedia says most of New Basford is in fact
Victorian. So what’s old Basford?
Dan: Contemporary! Heavy, blues boogie with
soul. We are in the now.
Chris: When I was a kid I would go fishing a lot
with me dad. People always used to talk about
this carp in the Trent that once was caught by
Issac Walton and weighed 61lb 7oz. Walton
caught the beast and bragged to all about the
struggle he had with her. Me dad always used
to tell me this story and the carp was called Old
Basford. As we are all keen fisherman, Dan and
Ceri mostly fly-fishing, it seemed only right to
carry bring the legendary tale to the public eye.
Anything you’re scared of at a Friday the 13th
show?
Dan: What ya got?
Chris: Will Jason be there?
Ceri: The audience being zombies. Unless they
What is coming up for you over the next year?
Chris: More releases, more gigs and more
songs.
Dan: Develop the studio and record an album of
international significance.
Ceri: We have three creations, two of which are
brand new, available right now. Which we’ll
push on you relentlessly at the gig.
are zombies who can dance.
What was the last thing you heard that made
you squirm?
Chris: Oasis on the Brits.
Dan: The majority of the Brits especially Amy
Winehouse. She’s like a desperate, slutty
Streisand…
Any precautions you’ll be taking on the day to
ward off evil?
Chris: I plan on bringing the evil towards me,
The Smears
If you could get anyone in to play with you,
who would you choose?
C Doll: Lenny Kravitz to play guitar and Take
That to breakdance.
Miss C: What do you mean by play with me?
Either way Mike Patton from Faith No More!
Emma: Randy Newman or PJ Harvey.
Anything you’re scared of at a Friday the
13th show?
C Doll: Running out of beer…
Miss C: Ditto. Although there is always the off
licence to get a couple of tinnies!
26
What are your favourite hangouts in
Nottingham? Basford perhaps?
Chris: I like to hang outside the shops on
Northgate with me mates, get a bottle of
MD20/20 and listen to the new Akon album on
me new w950i. Safe yeah!
Emma: Nothing! He’s in the closet.
Horror movies: old school or new school?
C Doll: I prefer old school ones as if they’re not
scary, at least they’re funny.
Miss C: You can’t beat old school, although
I have to say it’s a little sick. Take Freddy
Krueger for instance… he’s a paedophile who
haunts children’s dreams!
Emma: I am a total wuss. I can barely watch
either!
What can people expect from the show at the
Rescue Rooms?
C Doll: Some new material.
Miss C: Fun as per usual!
Emma: Whatever we can expect from them!
Give it to us and we’ll give it right back. If not,
we’ll be playing our asses off anyway.
Miss C: I’ll get Jeeves my Limo driver to drop
me off around the corner; I don’t want to be
embarrassed.
C Doll: Hopefully I can grab a lift so I don’t
have to drive.
why the hell would I get rid of it?
Dan: Play with passion.
Ceri: I smell like a garlic farm continuously so
no problem with vampires. A little communion
wine should also help.
Emma: Bats biting me and not getting paid
enough…
Any precautions you’ll be taking to ward off
evil?
C Doll: I’ll no doubt have a few drinks…
Miss C: No, I am sure my ex-boyfriends will
stay away on their own accord.
Emma: No, I embrace evil in all its forms.
What would you do if there was a monster in
your closet?
C Doll: I’d lock it in and go back to sleep.
Miss C: Kick its head in nun-chuck style. I have
been getting lessons and I am getting far too
good at it. In fact I am a ninja!
What’s coming up for you over the next
year?
C Doll: Hopefully another release and a tour at
some point.
Miss C: An album launch. We have a brilliant
idea that has been in the pipeline for some
time.
Emma: Lots of work.
readers?
C Doll: Come to the gig and dance off all those
Easter Eggs you’ve been eating.
Miss C: What more could you want than The
Smears and Old Basford?
www.thesmears.com
readers?
Chris: Burn your Oasis albums and check out
the Sleaford Mods!
Dan: Check out our Red Mist EP. Buy it if you
can.
Ceri: This magazine does a great thing for
Nottingham and it’s music scene. Support it.
Come to the gig, and bring your dancing pants.
www.oldbasford.com
Spotlight Kid
Nottingham?
Katty: The Orange Tree, The Golden Fleece,
Moog and Nottinghamshire High School for boys.
Chris: The Rescue Rooms.
What can people expect from your Rescue
Rooms show?
Katty: General noise created by guitarists with
too many pedals with a faint murmuring of
vocals and some trippy lights.
Chris: A wave of beautiful noise to put a smile
on your face.
Katty: On horseback.
Chris: Virgin trains. Hope I make it in time...
Chris: Hungover - It’s a drummers showcase!
Katty: Machines - It requires minimal effort.
Your Myspace says your work alludes “to the
great moments of shoegaze.” Do you have a
current favourite pair of shoes?
Chris: I’ve just bought a great pair of Chelsea
boots from Brighton.
Katty: Shoes, shoes… oh wonderful shoes. I
love my pink suede knee-high boots. I often
I’m getting a lift from the headless horseman.
Any precautions you’ll be taking to ward off evil?
I’m bringing my battle weapons and itchy
trigger fingers.
What was the last thing you tasted that
made you squirm?
Airline food of some description.
gaze at them lovingly. But they’re not actually
proper shoes are they? So I guess I’ll have
to say my Dunlop green flash for reasons of
comfort. Or do flip flops count?
Looking at your listed influences; draw me a
parallel between My Bloody Valentine and T. Rex
Chris: The Grooves of Electric Warrior
swamped in the beautiful noise of Loveless.
Who was the last artist to really impress you?
Chris: Broken Social Scene, Scott Mathews,
Hearts Of Black Science and The Early Years.
Katty: Jamie Lidell.
Which elements are you, respectively?
Liati: My name stands for is Love Is All There
Is, so I’ll let the people interpret.
Zoutr: 99% of the mass of the human body
is made up of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen,
nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. All these
13th show?
Katty: The backing track not working.
readers?
Chris: We have a tour coming up in mid-April
around the UK. Just finished a track for the
new Club AC30 compilation, a cover of the
Telescopes’ You Set My Soul should be out this
side of this year.
Katty: There’s more to me than shoes…
www.myspace.com/spotlightkidsound
all that’s left is tumbleweed rolling across the
ground! It’s like a seaside town but in reverse.
Surely there must be life without students?
Where do you find inspiration in
Nottingham?
Everywhere. You can find inspiration in the
strangest places. Like with music you can hear
the smallest loop, develop it, change it, add
bits and before you know it it’s grown into a
whole track.
What do you want to change about
Nottingham?
I’d stop it from being so seasonal. As soon as
the students go all the club nights stop and
The Elementz
Any precautions you’ll be taking on the 13th
to ward off evil?
Liati: “I’m gonna put on an ironed shirt. Ain’t
gonna do the devils work. Am gone send him
to outta space. To find another race”… Max
Romeo knew about these issues.
Zoutr: Earmuffs.
Liati: The Elementz studio is just up the road
so we’ll probably just footsoldier it.
(Andy Wright)
What was the last thing you read?
Chris: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.
Katty: On Beauty by Zadie Smith.
DJ Squigley
What can people expect from the show at
the Rescue Rooms?
A set which sends tingles down your spine
and makes your hair stand on end. I’m going
for a horror movie set with some turntable
wizardry thrown in. Expect to be scared
shitless with some sick hiphop beats.
We Show Up
On Radar
How and through whom/what did music
enter your life?
I used to be a roadie for a huge soundsystem
and I learned to DJ. My first record was Musical
Youth’s Pass the Dutchie. I can remember asking
my mum what a dutchie was and she told me
that it was a plate that they pass around.
What is coming up for you over the next year?
We’ve got a new release on the way. We’re
playing abroad a lot again which is good.
We’re working on the Garden Festival and the
Brighton Hiphop festival. Launching our artist
management company and we’ve collaborating
with Sureshot to bring Styles P to Stealth on
Sunday 22nd April plus loads more.
www.ohmygosh.co.uk
Liati: We’re doing our first full length record
this year and we intend to do it big. We’re
meditating on a name right now and setting
up the planning stages. We’re recording with
a lot of good people right now like Roll Deep,
Young Kof and Taskforce.
elements are made of particles which are
basically vibrating loops of energy. So I’m a
walking collection of vibrating loops of energy.
What are your plans for the rest of 2007?
Zoutr: We’re just adding the finishing touches
to the studio and working on
the next independent release for later this
year. Lots of other things like chart shows and
external shenanigans.
Karizma
readers?
Zoutr: Thanks for reading this. Keep
supporting us and check our myspace for
news.
Liati: Thank you for your support, stick with
us and we’ll make something very special
happen. The universe can conspire to help us
all achieve something beautiful and positive.
Blessed love.
www.myspace.com/elementsuniverse
The last thing I read was an article about
illegal overdraft charges. Get your overdraft
charges back from the robbing bankers (and
feel free to swop the ‘b’ for a ‘w’).
By foot, in my Pumas down Talbot Street.
My favourite of my own tracks at the moment
is Karma produced by Chemo, story rap with
a message.
What have you got planned for the rest of 2007?
I’m working on my solo release and getting a
mixtape together to see who’s feeling what. Then
hopefully get an EP out by the end of the year. It’s
been a long time coming and I’m hungry.
Who was the last artist to really impress you?
The last artist that really impressed me was
Young Kof. I recorded a track with him, which
he wrote and laid in record time. Made me
want to step up my game!
lads anywhere around Lace Market or Hockley.
Nottingham?
My crib with my boy! When I’m out with the
Illmatic by Nas because my copy scratched. I
was extremely wounded.
What noise will you make the night of
the show?
We’ll sound just like a band that has been
booked by a group of very young children
or animals to provide the after dinner
entertainment. The guests at the dinner
party would mainly comprise of woodland
creatures and it would almost certainly be a
black tie affair....
What noise do you make on radar?
When we appear on radar we make the
sound of a bird tweeting and then being hit
gently on the head with a pan.
Who, on Friday the 13th, will be checking
Nottingham by radar?
The only people who have access locally
to any quality of radar devices are traffic
police for speed traps. I hope they don’t
come to my gig. Everyone else is more than
welcome!
13th show?
I’m normally petrified before I go on stage
anyway so I suppose I’ll be scared of the
usual stuff plus the monsters.
Any precautions you’ll be taking on the
day to ward off evil?
I will be sticking cloves of garlic to my face
with gaffer tape and Peter as always will
have a bag full of smoke grenades, mustard
gas and a rape alarm.
The last thing I read was The Wind In
The Willows by Kenneth Grahame. At the
moment I’m reading Long Way Round by
Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor.
They went on a trip very similar to one we
undertook recently. We drove from London
to Mongolia in a Fiat Panda, so I wanted to
read their account of it and fill in the gaps
of my journey where I was either asleep or
drunk!
What is coming up for you over the
next year?
We’ve got loads of great stuff coming up.
We’re releasing an EP on 2 April through
Imoto Records called Growing A Girl
(Instructions On How To Grow A Girl
Without Your Wife Finding Out) closely
followed by another EP then the album and
a tour in Summer.
www.weshowuponradar.com
readers?
Big up to all of ya! Keep ya heads high, ya
hearts strong and achieve every dream you can.
Hopefully see you on the 13th April… spoo-hooky!
www.myspace.com/i_am_karizma
To buy tickets online for this gig visit www.leftlion.co.uk/tickets
27
Bonsai projects/Ali Hazeldene Musician
Finish this: A man walks into a bar with an
etch-a-sketch and says to the bar man… I just
peeled your Nan’s face off! I hope this will make
up for it!
What’s your creative niche? I’m a dyslexic
musician and artist with a hankering for the
reverently obscene.
What is it that makes you an artist? The fruition
of creative thought, the space between god and
concrete.
Who is your most influential artist? Nick Cave.
What are you up to at the moment? I have just
finished my new album Broken Orchestra, a lo-fi
clutter of semi-distressed memorabilia!
Where can we hear your music? Through
myspace and coming to see me play.
What’s your favorite hangout in Nottingham? The Malt Cross and anything
Supernight do.
Who in Nottingham would you like to collaborate with and what would this
be? The Pilgrim Fathers. A bit of wee comes out every time I see them.
What’s your top tip for upcoming artists? Record everything you do.
What do you see in the future? Dinosaurs weeping by my grave.
What would you demonstrate against? Bad music. I hate songs disguised as
love songs and those soulless talentless twerps with their tainted little bilious
egos spewing turgid gooey wank into the ether so they can have a new hairdo
every other day.
You are standing in as the Mayor of Nottingham. What is top of your
agenda? String em’ up! String em’ all up! And clear up after yourself while
you’re at it!
What city would you twin Nottingham with and why? Edinburgh, because
then we’d have our work cut out!
Sinking Ships Comic Creator
Finish this: A man walks into a bar with an etch-a-sketch and
says to the bar man… Please take this etch-a-sketch away from
me. I can’t draw a straight diagonal line. I feel like this exemplifies
all of my failures and inadequacies as a human being.
What’s your creative niche? Niche comes from the Latin word
nidus, meaning nest. My nest is built mostly out of books, comics
and old records, oh and wood... trees are very important.
Who is your most influential artist or writer? I really love Adrian
Tomine, Kurt Vonnegut and Hugleikur Dagsson.
What are you up to at the moment? Finishing a new comic and
an EP. They go together to tell a story.
How can we access your art? In mini comic form at Page 45 or
direct from me through MySpace.
What’s your favorite art space in Nottingham? I don’t really think we have enough... it would
be great to see more art in public spaces like libraries and on bus stops.
Who would you like to collaborate with? My best friend Chris Killen who’s an amazing fiction
writer based in Manchester.
What is your top tip for upcoming artists? Just enjoy creating stuff.
What’s your philosophy for life? Try not to break anything, unless it works better broken.
What would you demonstrate against? Against anything that hurts people, animals or plants,
although it’s hard to know with plants because they’re so quiet.
You are standing in as the Mayor of Nottingham. What is top of your agenda? He has a
Bentley doesn’t he? I’d probably sell that along with the gold bling and put the money into
public transport.
What city would you twin Nottingham with and why? Tokyo because I’ve always wanted to
go there and maybe there could be an exchange program or something.
www.myspace.com/thingsweshouldhavesaid
www.myspace.com/bonsaiprojects
Simon Withers Artist
Natasha Stott Performance Artist
Finish this: A man walks into a bar with an etcha-sketch and says to the bar man… Nothing lasts
forever, everything’s in transit.
What’s your creative niche? Creative
Communication: multi-tasking multi-disciplinary
projects.
What is it that makes you an artist? I am a social
being, I belong to a community and I create a
community. The way in which I act, think, research,
process and produce, is art.
Most influential performance artist? John
Berkavitch.
What are you up to at the moment? I’m in talks
for a permanent residence to host my community
and company dance. On 6th May at The Maze I am
putting on a fundraiser consisting of bands, spoken
word poets, break dancers, drummers, DJs and
VJs.
How can we access your art? Check my website for up to date details of events,
performances, fundraisers and education and community work.
Who would you like to collaborate with? Dance4.
What is your top tip for upcoming artists? Confidence is essential for success.
What happened to you today? After an interview in Derby I got the train to
Nottingham and saw a girl looking at one of those sign-posted maps. I asked her
what she was looking for. It turned out she had an interview at Trent, it reminded
me of where I was and how far I’ve come… I carried on walking and wondered if I
might catch a glimpse of what may be.
What do you see in the future? Amazing growth and regeneration in
Nottingham, projects that make a difference, to all the community. I see people
taking pride in the city, celebrations, festivals and carnivals.
What would you demonstrate against? War.
You are standing in as The Mayor of Nottingham. What is top of your agenda?
Talking to the community and finding out what people think, want and need, then
making it happen. Generating opportunities and spaces for young people to learn,
create and interact.
www.danako.co.uk
www.myspace.com/tashyboo2u
Finish this: A man walks into a bar with an
etch-a-sketch and says to the bar man…
How many lemons would it take to fill a
helicopter?
What’s your creative niche? About 6ft x 5ft
What is it that makes you an artist? Blood
and Guts
Who is your most influential artist? Dave
Mattacks
What are you up to at the moment? I’m
currently exhibiting in Parade exhibitions at
the Angel Row Gallery called Terra Incognita
and Out of Place. I am also a member of the
Nottingham Studios Consortium, set up to
develop a new artists’ studio complex for the city.
How can we access your art? See axisartists.org, the Saatchi Gallery ’Your Gallery’ website or
oldknows.co.uk.
What is your favorite art space in Nottingham? My studio.
Who in Nottingham would you like to collaborate with and what would this be? Every artist in
Nottingham and to create a mass art work in the new Market Square.
What is your top tip for upcoming artists? Start the day with some freshly squeezed orange juice.
What happened to you today? I observed wonderful things.
What do you see in the future? Only a reflection of the past.
What would you demonstrate against? Every Nottingham artist coming together in the new
Market Square to create a mass artwork.
You are standing in as the Mayor of Nottingham. What is top of your agenda? To make
Nottingham a major international cultural centre for the arts.
What city would you twin Nottingham with and why? Rome. As the Mayor of Nottingham I
could make regular visits as our cultural ambassador.
www.oldknows.co.uk
If you would like to feature on these pages
email details about your work (with examples if possible) to [email protected]
29
OUT&ABOUT
LeftLion whips out the credit card and wallows
in the retail wonderland that is Nottingham.
Our people on the street this time are Camillo,
Nathan Miller, Jon McGregor and Jessica Troughton...
Bluu
The Loft
Taking its name
from the legendary
Blue Note jazz club
in Hoxton Square,
the first Bluu took
over the original
site following the
clubs demise. This
small chain has now
spread its wings to
four cities including
its Nottingham bar
which opened six
years ago.
Reputed for its quality
cocktails and now
a firm fixture on the
local scene, Bluu
is an impressive and stylish space comprising a restaurant, main bar and basement. The
bar has picked up a number of awards along the way, including Best Service at last years
Nottingham restaurant awards.
Regularly competing with the likes of World Service come awards time, the food is
particularly worth checking out, offering modern European cuisine with worldwide
influences.
The highlight of the premises has to be the newly refurbished basement with cheeky
graphics from reputed design house Studio Output throughout. A luxurious space which is
big enough to get your dancing shoes on whilst equally suited to some serious relaxation.
The music leans towards funk, with this issue’s interviewees Neon Heights (see page 12)
regularly spinning in the basement and on the right night you can catch trumpets and
bongos adding to the atmosphere. There is an overall quality music policy which helps set
the bar apart from some of the more cheesy bars that surround it.
Check out their 5-8pm affair in the evenings for cheap drinks and nibbles or join them for
their sixth Birthday blowout on 12 April and get funky in the basement.
It’s nice to see The Loft
back and on form, after
a few months out. The
venue had become an
essential stop for the
Mansfield Road massive
before its sudden closure
last year. Thankfully
the doors of this nicely
turned-out late bar didn’t
stay shut long and after
a refurbishment with the
addition of some nice
new features, it’s back in
business.
Bluu, 5 Broadway, The Lace Market, NG1 1PR 0115 950 5359
www.bluu.co.uk
The Loft, 217 Mansfield Road, NG1 5FS 0115 950 3455
Nottingham Bar Awards
Ripple
As this issue of
LeftLion went to
press the votes
were feverishly
being counted to
decide the winners
of the inaugural
Nottingham Bar and
Club Awards. The
event is a concerted
effort to improve
the reputation of
the city’s nightlife
after years of bad
press and give Hood
Town’s night owls
and lounge lizards a
chance to big up their
favourite watering
holes. The lucky victors will be informed of their triumph at a special ceremony at Dogma on
2 April, featuring music from Secret Stealth and hosted by a compere from Just The Tonic.
With categories ranging from Best Music Venue to Best Cocktail Bar, there’ll be plenty of
ammunition for a good old-fashioned pub debate about how well your favourite watering
holes fared.
Given the amazing
amount of restaurants in
the Sherwood area of the
city it’s surprising that
a bar has never arrived
on the scene and made
a real impact. Having
been open for four months
Ripple looks set to change
this trend and is the first
contemporary styled
venue that the area has
seen.
All the awards have been voted for by the public through ballot boxes in city bars and
via the event’s website. “Nottingham is renowned for having some of the best nightlife in
the country but too often, it’s the negative publicity that creeps out,” claims the Awards
organiser Chris Legh. “The idea of the awards is to celebrate the city’s pubs, bars and
nightclubs and let the people of Nottingham decide which ones are best. We’ve had such an
amazing response already that I’m sure these are set to become a major annual event.” We’ll
drink to that.
www.nottinghambarawards.co.uk
The new owners are
Jamie Spooner and Jade
Lambert who bought it
last September and have
spent the time since with manager Hugh perfecting the place. It officially reopened last New
Year’s Eve with a night of DJs, dancing and general New Year’s revelry.
Nicely positioned between The Maze and Fade, the bar has always had a strong reputation
for down to earth drinking and quality DJ bookings. Friday and Saturdays will be DJs from the
funkier side of the spectrum and Sunday is Melody Market, a night run by old growler himself
Will Jeffery featuring acoustic music from across the city. Live music is a new direction for the
intimate venue and it promises to be an individual space for bands to play.
With a Wireless connection, Xbox competitions, speed dating, fancy dress and themed nights
there is something for everyone in the new Loft. The soon to be unveiled tapas menu can
only add to the attraction of partying penthouse style. Check out Crazy P behind the decks on
Saturday 31 March.
Taking a modern chic
design direction can be
a hit and miss choice,
as often this type of
establishment skates a
fine line between a warm
and cold atmosphere. Ripple, however, achieves this necessary warmth with ease and creates a
stylish and down to earth environment for both wining and dining.
There is an impressive food menu throughout the day and evening, for a late breakfast check
out their Cantaloupe melon with mixed berries or sample swordfish kebabs from their evening
selection. Get yourself a loyalty card and you can have your fifth meal for free! If your stomach
isn’t rumbling, the friendly service and corner sofas make the place a great choice for meeting
over a coffee or beer.
The majority of the food is organically sourced, with the owners ensuring as much support is
given to the local community as possible by sourcing from nearby outlets.
The ambience is aided by the quality music selection - any trained ear will notice the chillbeat
sounds are well selected to match the space. LeftLion is always happy to accompany a glass of
red with the likes of Massive Attack and the Good Looking records stable.
Ripple, 577 Mansfield Road, NG5 2JN 0115 969 3335 www.ripplecafebar.co.uk
30
OUT&ABOUT
Nottingham Writers’ Studio
Community Protection?
When it comes to facilities for
the arts, writers often get left
out. Visual artists get their
studio spaces, film-makers
get their cameras and edit
suites, dancers get their
shiny sprung wooden floors,
but writers are somehow
expected to make do with a
notebook and a kitchen table.
So, we’ve all seen the Community Protection Officers in
the city centre. You might also, (like us) have thought ,
What exactly do they do? And more importantly, should
I care?
Well, in a word..yes. Its our city after all.
The Community and Neighbourhood Protection Service
has been in existence for around three years and in that
time, seen many changes. A reputation (in many cases
undeserved) for City Centre violence and anti-social
behaviour has left Nottingham folk with a bad taste in
their mouths.
But does this kind of policing make a difference.
‘It makes a massive difference’ says student Roya Pearce
‘I like the idea of people being fined for dropping litter,
why should I have to wade through cr*p every time I
walk down Clumber st?!’
As the service launches Neighbourhood Policing next month, the CPO’s will be working alongside the
Police in designated ‘Beat Teams’. ‘There will be 56 Beat Teams in Nottingham’ says Service Director
Andrew Errington’ Each team will be based in the same area and will get to know their own community
well, building familiarity and trust’
As the service becomes more professionalized, the role of CPO is apparently becoming more and more
attractive to graduates. ‘As the role evolves, greater levels of responsibility are required’ says Executive
Officer Pete Mitchell ‘In this influx of new recruits, at least half were educated to degree level, the
competitive salary as well as a fast track career progression also helps of course’
Area Team Leader Tom Rawlins has been with the service for 10 months and has already been promoted
from CPO to ATL ‘The job is different everyday’ he says, ‘Because we are present at weekly tasking
meetings with the Police, we know what is going on in the city and where the ‘hotspots’ are. It gives us
better idea of how to best divide up our resources’.
The service is currently trialling ‘headcams’ and Nottingham is in fact the first community protection
service in the whole of the UK to use this technology. ‘People tend to be a lot less likely to engage in Anti
social Behaviour if they are being filmed’ laughs ATL Rawlins. ASB has in fact dropped by a massive 25%
in areas of Notts where the headcams are being used and there are plans are to roll out the system city
wide by the end of June this year.
Which is where the newly
opened Nottingham Writers’
Studio, down on Heathcoat
Street in Hockley, comes
in. The building offers
affordable workspace for
writers along with a meeting and resource room for members who don’t require a full-time
workspace. It’s a suitably unglamorous building, more Kerouac than Capote, but
it’s crammed with everything the established and emerging writer needs such as wireless
internet access, printing and copying facilities, a small library, comfortable chairs, tea and
coffee and a space which can be used for meetings and events.
The members come from a variety of writing backgrounds. There are novelists, poets,
screenwriters, playwrights, journalists and copywriters - all at different stages in their
careers, from those still pursuing their first publication through to award-winning old
hands. It’s this mix of backgrounds which is one of the strengths of the Writers’ Studio,
providing as it does the opportunity for unexpected collaborations and interactions as well
as an informal support network.
The workspaces are available for as little as £15 a week (with the option of sharing a space
to make it even more affordable). Membership provides access to all the facilities and to a
developing programme of events and activities and costs £50 a year.
Nottingham Writers’ Studio, 1st and 2nd Floor, 37 Heathcoat street, Hockley NG1 3AG
www.nottinghamwriters.wordpress.com
Out and About Directory
To get your business listed in these pages (and on our website)
contact [email protected] or phone 0115 9123782
Dave Mann Music
Nottingham Creative Business Awards
Dave Mann Music is a family run
independent musical instrument retailer,
specialising in acoustic and electro-acoustic
guitars, mandolins, banjos, ukuleles and
orchestral stringed instruments.
The shop was established 1970, starting
out with musical instrument repairs and
soon branching into retail sales. The
business expanded healthily and has
resulted in Dave Mann Music now being
regarded as one of the best acoustic
instrument shops in the UK.
The business incorporates a repair workshop, servicing and repairing stringed
instruments. The workshop is an essential part of the business, setting up and testing all
instruments before they are offered for sale.
If you’re looking at buying an instrument pop in and see them for a chat. In terms of
personal service you won’t find anywhere better in Nottingham.
The Nottingham
Creative Business
Awards promises to
be this year’s hottest
celebration of homegrown talent, creativity
and innovation. Stepping
away from Nottingham’s
old stance of making
lace hankies and the
rusting tradition of Robin
Hood, our reputation
as the art hole of the
East Midlands owes
it’s roots to Nottingham
Trent University. The
institution provides such
a roomy spread of career
opportunities that we
have more professional
artists nesting here than any other city outside London.
Dave Mann Music, 123-125 Mansfield Road, NG1 3FQ. 0115 9417955 www.davemann.co.uk
View From The Top
View From The Top is an events room, gallery
and exhibition space tucked away on the fourth
floor of Waterstones book store in the heart of
Nottingham city centre.
The 1500 square foot events room has an
astonishing view of the city skyline and
provides a uniquely different and inspirational
environment for training, workshops, conferences
and launches.
The large, beautiful gallery is open to the public every day and offers a superb central
space for important community and commercial shows. An adjacent smaller gallery is also
available for solo or small exhibitions.
The venue is run by an independent company working closely with Waterstones, who host
many of their famous author signings in the events room. They offer reduced hire rates to
public sector, charities and not for profit organisations.
View from The Top, Fourth Floor above Waterstones, Bridlesmith Gate, NG1 2GR
07951 997528 www.viewfromthetop.co.uk
32
HBJ Gateley Wareing is a dynamic law firm with offices in Nottingham, Birmingham and Leicester.
This year they have chosen to team up with Nottingham Creative Network to promote the Creative
Business Awards and are also looking to bring thirteen individual award sponsors on board. The thirteen
categories jump through every creative niche; they’re looking for the kookiest photographic project, the
wildest fashion designer and the foxiest music company to display and demonstrate their contribution.
There is something for everyone.
Nomination applications are due to be launched later this month and closing in July ready for an autumnal
ponder between August and July before all will unite in a spectacular shirt and tie do at Broadway
on 8 October. The event is set to be a fairground delight of film showings, art exhibition and catwalk
extravaganza- far from a 2-hour mic drone. If you’re doing creative work in the city then check them out
and you may finally get some of the recognition you deserve.
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Paul Hough on 0115 848 8173
www.nottinghamcreativebusinessawards.org.uk
The Magic Numbers to
open Market Square
Coolies, I really like them! I think it’s the fact that
they look like hippy versions of Brian Blessed that
does it for me.
TheAllSeeingPie
Not really fussed about The Magic Numbers either
way. Non-offensive average indie pop. I think they
should have focused the whole thing on Notts talent.
Imagine Grain playing the market Square, the place
would be jumping!
Mr BRJ
I quite like The Magic Numbers. Rather them than
some Pop Idol/ X Factor crap chart band. Also been
told that the new square will have lots of opportunity
to showcase musical talent, so it should be a good
thing for Nottingham bands in the long term.
Jared
If the council just put on local bands it would just be
the same old scene queens that turn up to the same
old functions in the same old stagnating minority
venues all the time. This is about bringing new people
into town. People who have been scared off by the bad
press and the stench of negativity about the place.
ryanoft
It’s worth pointing out The Magic Numbers are
on Heavenly Recordings: a label that has strong
roots in Nottingham. Our local acts are great but if
Nottingham is to shake its poor national image, it
needs to appeal to people outside the NG postcode.
The Magic Numbers aren’t everybody’s cup of tea
but in my eyes they fit the bill really well!
Pete Spectrum
I almost don’t care what happens in the Market
Square. At least it will be finished and we can have big
outdoor events in the city and a free concert. Brilliant!
pollypocket
Politicians On Myspace
What do you think of politicians putting their pages
on myspace and facebook? Dead trendy? A cheap,
effective method of mass communication? or just a
total invasion of the wrong turf?
pandapad
On one hand it’s an invasion into a realm where they
probably aren’t that welcome. On another hand it’s
good that political groups are making the effort to
go out and interact with their minions, rather than
sitting back and waiting for them. On a completely
different hand, I reckon it’ll be good to see whose
Myspace is hacked first and all their pictures
replaced by big hairy fannies.
MrGeesBigCircus
I can really imagine David Cameron getting the
Tories on this. When he picks his shadow cabinet
members, they’ll send him ‘thanks for the add’
messages.
Chief Kegwin
I don’t mind politicians having a Myspace etc, but
there’s no way it could be taken as a serious format
for MPs to have a proper debate with the general
public. It’s just another one of those pleas to the
younger generation, like getting somebody to leak
that you smoked marijuana at university.
Stodge
Anyone who puts anything on Myspace or Facebook
or any of those sites is not to be trusted. There is
something very very wrong with them. Yes that
includes all of you people.
theonelikethe
34
from l-r: Gza, Ben and Ryan
The Maze is an important venue for live music in Nottingham, a
haven for local musicians and a top place to see touring acts. The
site is steeped in history going back to it’s origins in the 1800’s as a
fight-club-style practice ground for legendary local boxer Bendigo.
This time two years ago it was under threat of closure, but happily
it’s been taken over by a new team and pushed harder than ever
before. As they prepare to celebrate The Maze’s tenth birthday we
caught up for a chat… words: Jared Wilson photo: Bobby G
It seems a long time since the ‘Save The Maze campaign’ of 2005.
What’s happened since you guys took over…
Ben: Well, I bought the place back in October 2005. I didn’t really
know much about it, I just bought it on instinct. Then I found out
what Nottingham and its culture is all about and slowly got into it.
Ryan: The first year of opening was a steep learning curve. We had
to find out what our customers wanted, our role in the community
and what direction we wanted to take the venue.
What have been the highlights in that time?
Ben: A major highlight was Pama International. The crowd was
bouncing up and down like in 8mile and it was just unreal. But
then earlier this year the Funk Collective were ace and last week
Bison were mental again! A lot of our nights are highlights.
What are the plans to celebrate the Maze’s birthday?
Ben: There are quite a few. We’re doing ten days to celebrate
the ten years since it was invented on 9 May 1997. On the actual
birthday we’re having a jam night with loads of local bands coming
down for a big free party.
Gaz: Pama International are coming back on the Saturday and Nick
Harper is here on the Sunday. Last time he played Ben and I had our
mouths to the floor in awe at his playing!
What are your favourite beverages you serve?
Ben: The ethanol, under the bar! Haha. No it’s the real ales for me.
Gaz: I’m always on the Veltins.
Ryan: I like my real ales but mainly I’m a wine man. I like a red wine
after work, to sit and contemplate.
Ben: We’ve got some real ales from Castle Rock. Your classic
Harvester Pale and the wildlife range which changes every month
which supports the Wildlife Trust. We’ve got Summer Lightning on
at the moment which is a nice 5% - have that!
Gaz: We also do a pretty good bottled range as well, Chimay, Duval,
other Belgian beers...
The ‘Three Lions’ Beer that we brought down during the World
Cup went down pretty well here…
Ben: It smashed it! There was none of it left. We went through
twelve firkins and had to order more in every time. It had a nice
high ABV and went down a storm!
Ryan: You buggers. Did you realise how many times people asked
for ‘three LeftLions’ at the bar, if you ever name a beer again don’t
put a number in the name!
If you could get any act in to play The Maze, who would you
choose?
Ben: I’d have loved to have Buddy Holly on my stage… even Elvis
was a fan of his.
Ryan: Being a big Joy Division fan, I’d love to bring Ian Curtis back
from the dead. I’d also like to have Bruce Springsteen and Bob
Dylan playing together, maybe with Shaun Ryder and Bez dancing
in the background.
Ben: Bez is actually going to be playing here for Saggy Pants on 25
May with Domino Bones. There’ll be a load of Black Grape, Happy
Mondays and Stone Roses former players appearing too.
Gaz: For me my favourite gigs are local bands playing with
local people. Just everyday people trying to make something of
themselves.
Ben: Oh great, you make us look like glory supporters going for the
big names. You Nottingham arse-licker!
Ryan: Yeah sorry I meant to say that my ideal gig would be Shrimp
Tractor, from Mansfield. I love those guys, they’re great!
So who are the best up-and-coming Notts bands that we should
check out?
Ben: Model Morning. I’m looking after those boys. They’ve got a
load of talent and done their time in other big bands like Echoboy.
Ryan: They’re a very special band. Most shoegaze bands are laid
back, but they put the real rock n roll balls into it. I like Idiot Joy too.
Ben: You’ve got great stalwarts of the scene like Grain and Old
Basford. Good old blues and rock’n’roll, from big tall men. The
Hellset Orchestra too, they’ve just got that something extra.
Gaz: I like Lyra, who are playing here next month and Black Vinyl
Heart. I love Yes My Ninjas! just because they’re weird and crazy
and you’ll never see anything like them.
What are the plans for the rest of 2007 and beyond?
Ben: We want to make this place bigger. I’ve got a three year
business plan so we’re nearly half way through. It’s going to plan.
Ryan: We want this to be a melting pot. We want musicians to
come here and for collaborations to evolve from that and to be the
epicentre of promoting musical talent in Nottingham.
The Maze celebrates it’s birthday from 9-19 May.
themazerocks.com
With:
The Elementz
Karizma
DJ Squigley
Leftlion Ad 125mm x 80mm
17/3/07
15:34
Page 1
THE MAZE MANSFIELD RD NOTTINGHAM
11pm - 3.30am > £5 before midnight / £6 after
Saturday 7th April FRAN GREEN
KEEP ON MAGAZINE / MIDNIGHT CANDYMEN
Saturday 5th May
RESIDENTS NIGHT
3rd birthday party with NICK SHAW & ED COTTON
SNUG HOUNDSGATE NOTTINGHAM
Bank Holiday Sunday 8th April
BASEMENT BOOGALOO Vs. SOULBUGGIN’
with NICK SHAW, MARK A, WRIGHTY & BEANE
THE NAGS HEAD MANSFIELD RD NOTTINGHAM
Bank Holiday Sunday 27th May
BACKYARD BOOGALOO with Greg Wilson
Info: 0789 658 7013 / www.face-the-music.co.uk
listings...
Sunday 01/04
music / weeklies / comedy /exhibitions / theatre
Thursday 05/04
Deep Sound Channel
Venue:
Golden Fleece
Price:
Free
Times:
8.30pm
Recommended Daily Allowance
Venue:
Golden Fleece
Price:
Free
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
Trash-Stock UK Tour 2007
Venue:
Junktion 7
Price:
£4
Times:
7.30pm - 11.30pm
Patchwork Grace, Disarm,
Zen Motel and Snakeskin.
My Psychoanalyst
Venue:
Junktion 7
Price:
£3 / £4 (NUS)
Times:
8.30pm Doors
Plus Lets Bitter Cinema and
Nephu Huzzband.
Outlandish
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£14.50 adv
Times:
7.30pm
The Beat
Venue:
Price:
Times:
The Green Bus Presents...
Venue:
Social
Price:
£4
Times:
8pm
Monkeys of The High Seas and
Danny and The Deadbeatz.
Newton Faulkner
Venue:
Social
Price:
£9.55 adv
Times:
8pm
Songwriters Sunday
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£4
Times:
8pm
Andy Whittle, Becky Syson,
Sally Murray and Lance Syson.
Monday 02/04
Snoop Dogg and P.Diddy
Venue:
Nottingham Arena
Price:
£32.50 +bf
Monday Madness!
Venue:
Maze
Price:
Free
Times:
8pm
The Walkaways and
Made of Leaves.
Tuesday 03/04
Acoustic Open Mic Night
Venue:
Running Horse
Price:
Free
Times:
8.30pm - 12.m
Hosted by Steve Pinnock.
Farmyard Acoustic Tuesdays
Venue:
Malt Cross
Price:
Free
Times:
8pm - 12am
Kingsize Operator, Arias Ashes
and Andy Whittle.
Jenny Wilson
Venue:
Social
Price:
£6.25 adv
Times:
8pm
Riff Raff
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Muse
£1
9pm
Sweet Soul Music
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£17 - £21
Times:
7.30pm
Saggy Pants Presents
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£3
Times:
8pm
Kazooee and The Bets.
Wednesday 04/04
Lionel Richie
Venue:
Nottingham Arena
Price:
£35 / £50 +bf
Blues Jam Session
Venue:
Running Horse
Price:
Free
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
With Colin Staples.
Venue:
Junktion 7
Price:
£4
Times:
8.30pm - 2am
With Weeble, The Guilty Pleasures
and Pax.
Kate Nash
Venue:
Social
Price:
£6.25 adv
Times:
7pm
Rescue Rooms
£17.25 adv
7.30pm
Deathstars
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£15.60 adv
Times:
7pm
The Moth
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Lantern
Loft
Free
8pm
Friday 06/04
The Phonics
Venue:
Running Horse
Price:
£3
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
Tranz Global
Style:
World Music
Venue:
Golden Fleece
Price:
Free
Times:
8pm – 12am
Mooch and DJ I2I.
Satnam’s Tash
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£3 / £4
Times:
9:30pm – late
Plus The Dirty Cherubs and Firebrand.
Spectrum
Style:
Breaks, Electronica
Venue:
Stealth
Price:
£8 adv (NUS)
Times:
10pm – 4am
DJ Hyper, Screwface, Pete Jordan,
Freeman, B-Boy J and Dave Boultbee.
The Butterflies of Love
Venue:
Social
Price:
£7 adv
Times:
7pm
Monkey Swallows The Universe
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£4 adv
Times:
8pm
Saturday 07/04
Wigfleggs
Style:
Dubstep, Electronica,
Venue:
Muse
Price:
99p
Times:
10pm - 4am
Tray Electric live, Fresh Out of
Death sound system, Spam Chop
vs The Izatron live, Kuiper Belt
and Bashy Flash.
The Al Brown Band
Style:
Blues, Rock, Jazz
Venue:
Running Horse
Price:
£3
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
Basement Boogaloo
Style:
Soul, Disco, Funk
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£5 before 12 / £6 after
Times:
10pm - 3.30am
Hugh Herrera
Detonate Presents
Style:
DnB
Venue:
Social
Price:
£6
Times:
11pm - 3am
Klute, SKC, Transit Mafia, DJ
Connexion, Ruthless and P-Fine.
Saturday 07/04
Farmyard Loves Music
Venue:
Social
Price:
£5
Times:
7.30pm - 10.30pm
Mint Ive, Rotating Leslie
and Team Hughes.
Bring Me The Horizon
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£10 adv
Times:
7pm
Amusement Parks On Fire
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£7 adv
Times:
7pm
Liars Club
Venue:
Stealth
Price:
Free b4 10.15pm / £5
Times:
10.30pm - 5am
Dead Disco. DJ’s Duke Dumont,
Casper C, Ricky Haley and D’Lex.
Neon Heights
Venue:
Loft
Price:
Free
Simon White and Cal Gibson.
Basement
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Boogaloo
Golden Fleece
Free
8.30pm
LeftLion Presents
Venue:
Orange Tree
Price:
Free
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
You Slut! Dead City Presidents
and Stiff Kittens DJ’s.
Sunday 08/04
Improvised World Music Collective
Venue:
Golden Fleece
Price:
Free
Times:
8pm
Audio Montage
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£5
Times:
2pm - 12am
Little Whores on The Prairie, Basso
Loco, Ramonastone, Gods Chosen
Dealers, Copter, Sidearm, Deny
The Accident, Hellset Orchestra,
YouNoGoDie, Spankathon,
The Big Bang, Mexican Wrestling,
Love Ends Disaster, Left of The
Dealer and The Dirty Backbeats.
The Blackout
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£7.35
Times:
7pm
Nottingham All Stars Easter Party
Style:
Hiphop, Funk, Deep House
Venue:
Moog
Price:
Free / £2
Times:
2pm - 2am
Rick Donohue, Sophie Toes,
Dave Boultbee, Ed Challenged,
Alex Traska, Fran Green, Peej,
Rick and Louie, James Small,
Daddio, Beane, Mike Greenwell,
Ally Reilly and Red Rack’em.
Soulbuggin Vs. Basement Boogaloo
Style:
Disco, Soul, Funk
Venue:
Snug
Price:
£4
Times:
11pm - 3am
Mark A, Nick Shaw, Wrighty and Beane.
Back To The Future
Venue:
Stealth
Price:
£6 adv
Times:
10pm
Ben Annand, Subterfuge, Sam
Phillips and Mark Pearson.
Monday 09/04
Drowning Pool / Ill Nino
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£16 adv
Times:
7pm
With support from Panic Cell.
Priestbird
Venue:
Social
Price:
£6 adv
Times:
8pm
Tuesday 10/04
Acoustic Open Mic
Venue:
Running Horse
Price:
Free
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
Acoustic Tuesdays Open Mic
Venue:
Malt Cross
Price:
Free
36 Crazyfists
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£14.50
Times:
7.30pm
Born Ruffians
Venue:
Social
Price:
£5.15
Times:
8pm
Wednesday 11/04
Blues Jam
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Session
Running Horse
Free
8.30pm - 12am
Fly on The Wall Presents
Venue:
Junktion 7
Price:
£3 / £4
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
Blood Divided, Orakai, Ark Eye
and Farewell Fall.
Lagwagon
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£13.95
Times:
7.30pm
The Moths
Venue:
Social
Price:
£6
Times:
7pm
Thursday 12/04
Once in a Lifetime Rewind Tour
Venue:
Nottingham Arena
Price:
£37.50 +bf
David Essex, David Cassidy,
The Osmonds and Showaddywaddy.
Chris Hull
Venue:
Price:
Times:
and The Instant Band
Golden Fleece
Free
8.30pm
DeltaSound
Venue:
Moog
Price:
Free
Times:
Starts 8.30pm
With The Deltarays and more tbc.
Word of Mouth
Venue:
Muse
Price:
£3
Times:
9pm
iLL Citizen, Emcee Killa, Karizma,
Lady Paradox, Jay Thomas and
Saint Anthony.
Stuck In Second
Venue:
Running Horse
Acoustic singer songwriters from
Nottingham.
Radar
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£3.50 / £4.50 (NUS)
Times:
8pm doors
Plus We Show Up On Radar
and Yonioshi.
Tina Dico
Venue:
Social
Price:
£10 adv
Times:
8pm
Clutch
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Rock City
£14.50 adv
7pm
Friday 13/04
Dynamics
Venue:
Golden Fleece
Price:
Free
Times:
9pm
Cantaloop
Venue:
Muse
Price:
£3
Times:
9pm
Friday 13/04
LeftLion Extravaganza
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£6 adv £7 door
Times:
9pm - 3am
Old Basford, The Smears, We
Show Up On Radar, Spotlight Kid
(members of Bent and Six by
Seven), The Elementz, Karizma and
DJ Squigley. Red Room by Audio
Massage. Interviews on P26 / 27.
Sharron Kraus
Venue:
Lee Rosy’s Tea Shop
Price:
£5
Times:
8:30pm doors
Plus Mc Watt and Poppy Seed.
Northern Quarter
Venue:
Running Horse
Price:
£3
Times:
8.30pm – 12am
Lobotomy
Style:
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Friday 13th Special
Electronica
BluePrint
£7
9pm - late
Yourcodenameis:Milo
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£8 adv
Times:
7pm
Saturday 14/04
The Cool Off
Venue:
Golden Fleece
Price:
Free
Times:
9pm
Hidden Sessions
Style:
Tech / Prog House,
Venue:
Flo
Price:
£4 / £5 (NUS)
Times:
10pm til 4am
JJ Soundclash, John Gilbert, Stefan
Flannery and Paul Weaversmith.
GB Promotions Presents
Venue:
Junktion 7
Price:
£10 adv
Times:
9pm - 2am
The Business, Resistance77
and Riot Squad.
CULT
Style:
House, Funk, Disco
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£5
Times:
10pm – 2am
Andre Bonsor, Mike Greenwell,
Lawrence Graham and Ligre.
Puressence
Venue:
Social
Price:
£11.75
Times:
7pm
Amon Amarth
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£15 adv
Times:
7pm
Herman Dune
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£8
Times:
7pm
Liars Club
Venue:
Stealth
Price:
Free b4 10.15pm / £5
Times:
10.30pm - 5am
Sunday 15/04
Shitdisco
Venue:
Social
Price:
£8
Times:
7pm
All Day Punk Party
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£8
Times:
1pm
Certified, Hordes Of Satan, Badaxe,
S_Punk_7, Sneinton Elvis and Sick
Boy Federation.
Horse
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Maze
£12 adv
7.30pm
listings...
Monday 16/04
Farmyard Fresh Meat
Venue:
Social
Price:
£2
Times:
8pm - late
The Crooks, Alice Rock and Noon.
Tuesday 17/04
Trivium
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Rock City
£17 adv
7.30pm
Danny and Dusty
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£17 adv
Times:
7pm
Fields
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Social
£9 adv
8pm
Leftlion Unplugged
Venue:
Malt Cross
Price:
Free
Times:
8pm - 11am
Black Vinyl Heart, John Hull and
The Instant Band and Daisy B.
Wednesday 18/04
Blues Jam
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Session
Running Horse
Free
8.30pm - 12am
Sonic Boom Six
Venue:
Junktion 7
Price:
£5 / £6
Times:
8.30pm - 12pm
Plus Pickled Dick, Fat Lady Singh
and Red: The Resistance.
Seasick Steve
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£11 adv
Times:
7.30pm
Opus
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Muse
Free
8pm - 1am
Nuru Kane and Bayefall Gnawa
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
8pm
Thursday 19/04
Flight Scene
Venue:
Golden Fleece
Price:
Free
Times:
8.30pm
AWD Promotions Presents
Venue:
Junktion 7
Price:
£4 adv
Times:
8pm - 12am
Kharma 45, Stop Eject and Electric Mouth.
Wishbone
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Ash
Rescue Rooms
£17 adv
7.30pm
Bayside and Moneen
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£10 adv
Times:
7.30pm
Pandit Kumar Shashwat
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
7.30pm
Friday 20/04
Cult Propaganda
Venue:
Golden Fleece
Price:
Free
Times:
8.30 - 12am
Ambush Muse
Venue:
Muse
Price:
Free b4 11 / £2 after
16 DJs, 16 genres, four hours.
Charlotte
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Cottam
Running Horse
£3
8.30pm - 12am
Friday 20/04
Sonic Dirt Presents
Venue:
Junktion 7
Price:
£5
Times:
9pm - 2am
The Sneinton Stooges, The Hip
Priests, The Grease Monkeys
and Ferriday Fireballs.
TheCentrifuge @ KF
Venue:
BluePrint
Price:
£5 (NUS)
Times:
10pm – 2am
Missaw, Dazzle, NeuTek and friends.
Audiophile
Style:
Reggae, Deep House,
Venue:
Moog
Times:
8pm - 2am
Max Cooper, King Furious, Matt
Hinton and DJ Weiss.
Product - 2nd Birthday
Venue:
Stealth
Price:
£11 adv
Times:
10pm
James Zabiela, Nic Fanciulli,
Rez, Makai and MR 38.
Cold War Kids
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£9 adv
Times:
7.30pm
Neils Children
Venue:
Social
Price:
£7 adv
Times:
7pm
Farmyard Records
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£5
Times:
9.30pm
The Bacharak Fight Club, Crimson
Roadmap, Lyra and Guerrilla Radio.
Saturday 21/04
Drowned in Sound
Venue:
Junktion 7
Price:
£6 adv
Times:
8pm - 2am
Komakino, Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man,
Fortyfives and Stuart Bruce.
Hayseed Dixie
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£17.25 adv
Times:
7pm
Highness
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Sound System
Social
£5
11pm - 4am
Tuff
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£15 adv
Times:
6pm
With support from Pretty Boy Floyd
and Shameless.
Liars Club
Venue:
Stealth
Price:
Free b4 10.15pm / £5
Times:
10.30pm - 5am
Live: Thunderbirds Are Now and
Best Fwends. DJ’s: Residents and
guests.
Inconcievables Functarries
Venue:
Loft
Price:
Free
Plus Jonah
Hermann Petzlinger’s Music Book
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£10
Times:
7.30pm
Sunday 22/04
Firewind
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Rock City
£7 adv
7.30pm
Theatre of Hate
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£17 adv
Times:
7.30pm
The Pipettes
Venue:
NTU Union
Price:
£13 adv
Times:
8pm
Pop Levi
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Social
£7 adv
8pm
Monday 23/04
Breed 77
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Rock City
£10 adv
7.30pm
Bloodclot Terrorism
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£3 / £5 (NUS)
Times:
8.30pm
The Engines of Armageddon,
Hordes of Satan, Hand of the
Daedra, Hailing from Wales
and Rust Inhaler.
Tuesday 24/04
Deep Purple
Venue:
Nottingham Arena
Price:
£31.50 + bf.
Venue:
Malt Cross
Price:
Free
Times:
8pm
The Maccabees
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£9 adv
Times:
7.30pm
Riff Raff
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Muse
£1
9pm
Wednesday 25/04
Low
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Rescue Rooms
£17 adv
7.30pm
T-Model Ford
Venue:
Social
Price:
£11 adv
Times:
7pm
Steve Tilston
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£8 adv (NUS)
Times:
7.30pm
Thursday 26/04
Einsturzende Neubauten
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£17 adv
Times:
7pm
Mindless Self Indulgence
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£7 adv
Times:
7.30pm
Sunday 22/04
Styles P
Venue:
Stealth
Price:
£10 + bf
Times:
8pm - 12am
Cappo, Mista Jam, DJ Squigley and
Furious P four deck set, Shifty Spirit
and Dougie Houser.
Porcupine
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Tree
Rock City
£18.35 adv
7.30pm
Mumm-Ra
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£8 adv
Times:
7.30pm
Friday 27/04
The Right
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Friends
Running Horse
£3
8.30pm – 12am
Hot Renault Traffic Club
Venue:
Junktion 7
Price:
£4 adv
Times:
8pm - 2am
Fonda500, The Priory,
The Burt Bacharak Fight Club
and The Auxiliaries.
Miles Hunt and Erica Nockalls
Venue:
Social
Price:
£11 adv
Times:
7pm
Rock and
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Roll Fantasy
Rock City
£15 adv
7.30pm
Muse Live
Venue:
Muse
Price:
£2
Times:
9pm
The Deltarays and Lois.
Dollop
Venue:
Social
Man Like Me live, Bigger Than Jesus
and Dollop DJ.
Supernight
Venue:
Bunkers Hill Inn
Price:
£3
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
Derby vs Leicester vs Nottingham
Royal Rumble!
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£4 (NUS)
Times:
9pm
Kingclaw, Fight Fire With Water,
Basso Loco and Alright The Captain.
Saturday 28/04
The Hollies
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£17 / £21
Times:
7.30pm
Rautio Trio
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
7.30pm
Nottingham Punk CLub
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£5 (NUS)
Times:
9pm
Alright The Captain, Goldblade,
3CR, Wonk Unit and The Skagz.
Sunday 29/04
Switches
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Rescue Rooms
£8 adv
7.30pm
Joe Ely
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Rescue Rooms
£17 adv
7.30pm
Tuesday 01/05
Bobby Conn
Venue:
Social
Price:
£9 adv
Times:
8pm
Maria McKee
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£16 adv
Times:
7.30pm
32 Knotts
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£5 / £6
Times:
8.30pm
Plus Metal Gear Solid Madonnas
and Little Explorer.
Wednesday 02/05
Ronnie Londons Groove Lounge
Style:
Sixties, Mod
Venue:
Grosvenor
Price:
£3
Times:
8pm-1am
The Jai-Alai Savant
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£6 adv
Times:
7.30pm
Wholesome Fish
Venue:
Running Horse
Price:
£3
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
8pm
Firefly
Style:
Techno
Venue:
Marcus Garvey Ballroom
Price:
£13 adv
Times:
10pm - 6am
Ivan Smagghe, Paco Osuna,
Jeet and More TBC.
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£3
Times:
8.30pm
John Coates and Ying.
Farmyard loves music
Venue:
Malt Cross
Buen Chico (TBC), Kingsize
Operator and Team Hughes.
Sam Isaac and Luke Leighfield
Venue:
Junktion 7
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
Thea Gilmore
Venue:
Rescue Rooms
Price:
£13 adv
Times:
7pm
Muzyka Presents
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£8 adv
Times:
6.30pm
I-Def-I, Forever Never,
Spirytus and Speed Theory.
Faster Pussycat
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£15 adv
Times:
6pm
Plus Bullet Boys, Enuff Z’Nuff
and Gypsy Pistoleros.
Cradle of Filth
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£17 adv
Times:
7pm
Liars Club
Venue:
Stealth
Price:
Free b4 10.15pm / £5
Times:
10.30pm - 5am
Help She Can’t Swim
Venue:
Social
Price:
£7 adv
Times:
8pm
Allegri String Quartet
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
7.30pm
Saturday 28/04
Charlie with percussion
Venue:
Loft
Price:
Free
Thursday 03/05
Money Mark
Venue:
Social
Price:
£11 adv
Times:
7pm
Orlando Consort and Viva Voce
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
7.30pm
Friday 04/05
Anti Nowhere League
Venue:
Junktion 7
Price:
£10 / £12
Times:
9pm - 2am
Plus Paul Carter.
Spectrum
Style:
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Plump DJ’s
Breaks
Stealth
£8 adv (NUS)
10pm – 4am
and more TBC.
listings...
Friday 04/05
The Sunshine Underground
Venue:
NTU Union
Price:
£11.75 adv
Times:
8pm
With Datarock.
10 O’clock Horses
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£4
Times:
9pm
With The Heels, Dividend Opinions,
Fulibulbus and DJ Dub’ L’ Zero
Saturday 05/05
Basement Boogaloo
Style:
Soul, Disco, Funk
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£5 / £6
Times:
10pm - 3.30am
With Richard Sen.
Liars Club
Venue:
Stealth
Price:
Free b4 10.15pm / £5
Times:
10.30pm - 5am
Live: Yuksek and The Teenagers.
DJ’s: Data, Residents and guests.
Ashley Wass, Piano
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
7.30pm
LeftLion Presents
Venue:
Orange Tree
Price:
Free
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
Model Morning, Lois and
Stiff Kittens DJ’s.
Tightrope
Venue:
Maze
Times:
2pm - 12am
All day charity event including
Martino Muncheo and Simmone,
Nathan McGbhann, Capoera,
Worriedaboutsatan, Oneeye,
Old Basford, Deep Sound Channel
and Pressure Drop.
Sunday 06/05
Super Sundays
Venue:
Malt Cross
Price:
Free!
Times:
7pm
Thomas Denver Jonsson,
Spaceships Are Cool and Yunioshi.
Audiophile
Style:
Reggae, Electro, Techno
Venue:
Moog
Price:
Free
Times:
2pm - 2am
Bank Holiday BBQ Special, Jean
Jacques Smoothie, Midnight
Candymen, Little Jo Beep,
Love To DJ, Mood Gremlin,
Fat Chris, Mr Ed and Supine.
Kosheen
Venue:
Price:
Times:
NTU Union
£13.95 adv
7.30pm
Monday 07/05
Monday Madness!
Venue:
Maze
Price:
Free
Times:
8pm
Botnik, Girlfixer and
Monkeys of The High Seas!
Tuesday 08/05
Venue:
Malt Cross
Price:
Free
Times:
8pm
Ray Davies
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£26.50
Times:
7.30pm
The Maze’s Big Birthday Jam!
Venue:
Maze
Price:
Free
Times:
7pm
Grain, Old Basford, Trickster, Deep
Sound Channel and more.
Thursday 10/05
The Twang
Venue:
NTU Union
Price:
£10 adv
Times:
8pm
Ephel Duath
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£8 adv
Times:
7.30pm
Guarneri Trio Prague
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
7.30pm
An Evening With’ Eliza Gilkyson
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£12 adv
Times:
7.45pm
Friday 11/05
Wigflex
Style:
Dubstep, Tech, Electronica
Venue: Muse
Price:
£1.99 (NUS)
Times: 10pm - 4am
Caspa, Rust and Blitzz.
Riot Promotions Presents
Venue: Junktion 7
Price:
£6 / £8
Times: 9pm - 2am
NFD (Ex Fields of The Nephilim),
Rhombus and Nightmoves.
Rat and Survival
Bike Show
Venue: MFN Club
Price:
£10
Teitur
Venue: Social
Price:
£6.25 adv
Times: 7pm
Detonate - Indoor Festival
Style:
DnB, Hiphop, Breaks
Venue: Rock City, Rescue
Rooms, Stealth
Times:
8pm - 6am
Detonate takes over Rock City
and its attached venues for their
second May bank holiday indoor
festival. This year bringing the
ridiculous Valve Sound System
with them. The line up is huge with over fifty acts confirmed across seven
arenas. Below is a summary of some of the better known names, check
the full lineup on detonate1.co.uk:
Drum and Bass (Detonate): Pendulum, Scratch Perverts, Andy C, LTJ
Bukem and MC Conrad, Goldie, DJ Hype, Dillinja, Teebee B2B Calyx and
Transit Mafia. Breaks (Spectrum): Stanton Warriors, Pendulum and Pete
Jordon. Hiphop (Camouflage): Rahzel and DJ JS-1, Supernatural, C2C,
hosted by Karizma. Roots and Reggae (Highness Sound System):
Iration steppas and Highness selectas. Wigflex presents: Nightmares
on Wax, Spam Chop and The Hizatron. Dubstep (Futureproof and
Heavyweight Rocksteady): Skream, The Bug, Digital Mystikz and
Sergeant Pokes and Geoim. Dollop Presents: Digitalism, Nightmoves,
Miss Odd Kid, The Glamour Soundystem and D’Lex.
Saturday 12/05
Friday 18/05
Friday 25/05
Venue: Junktion 7
Price:
£6 / £8
Times: 9pm - 2am
Dirty Rig, New Generation
Superstars and Disarm.
Lionel Richie
Venue: Nottingham Arena
Price:
£35 / £50 +bf
Hot Renault Traffic Club
Venue: Junktion 7
Price:
£4
Times: 8pm - 2am
The Films.
Willy Mason
Venue: Rescue Rooms
Price:
£10 adv
Times: 7pm
The Hidden Hand
Venue: Rock City
Price:
£7 adv
Times: 7.30pm
Plus Stinking Lizaveta
and End of Level Boss.
Liars Club
Venue: Stealth
Price:
Free b4 10.15pm / £5
Times: 10.30pm - 5am
DJ’s: Does it Offend You, Yeah?,
Le Castle Vania and residents.
Pama International
Venue: Maze
Sunday 13/05
The Zombies
Venue: Rescue Rooms
Price:
£17 adv
Times: 7.30pm
Cosmic American presents
Venue: Maze
Price:
£10 adv
Times: 7pm
Nick Harper
Monday 14/05
Funeral
Venue:
Price:
Times:
For A Friend
Rock City
£8 adv
7.30pm
Cosmic American presents
Venue: Maze
Price:
£10 adv
Times: 7pm
Carrie Rodriguez Trio (USA) Plus
Support Doug Hoekstra
Tuesday 15/05
Ghosts
Venue: Social
Price:
£7 adv
Times: 8pm
Leftlion Unplugged
Venue: Malt Cross
Price:
Free
Times: 8pm - 11am
Liam Bailey and the Soul Parade,
Austin Francis Connection, Will
Jeffery and Tim McDonald.
Wednesday 16/05
Saxon
Venue: Rock City
Price:
£18 adv
Times: 7.30pm
With support from Masterplan
and Rose Tattoo.
Lúnasa
Venue: Lakeside
Price:
£15
Times: 8pm
James Harries and Kris Drever
Venue: Maze
Price:
£8 adv
Times: 7.30pm
Thursday 17/05
Sam Brown
Venue: Rescue Rooms
Price:
£14 adv
Times: 7.30pm
Jeff Healey
Venue: Rock City
Price:
£24 adv
Times: 7pm
Venue: Junktion 7
Price:
£4
Times: 8pm - 2am
The Bishops
Audiophile
Style:
Reggae, Electro, Techno
Venue: Moog
Price:
Free
Times: 8pm - late
Simple Kid
Venue: Social
Price:
£8.35 adv
Times: 7pm
Tom McRae
Venue: Rescue Rooms
Price:
£16 adv
Times: 7.30pm
Farmyard Records Presents
Venue: Maze
Price:
£5 adv
Times: 9pm
Saturday 19/05
Magnum
Venue: Rock City
Price:
£18 adv
Times: 7pm
Tuung
Venue: Rescue Rooms
Price:
£9 adv
Times: 7pm
Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers
Venue: Royal Centre
Price:
£11 - £15
Times: 7.30pm
Nottingham Punk Club
Venue: Maze
Broken Bones, Burn,
Subvert, Destroy, Buzzkill
and The Human Targets.
Monday 21/05
Silversun Pickups
Venue: Social
Price:
£7 adv
Times: 7pm
Dollop
Venue: Social
Friendly Fires live and more TBC.
Saggy Pants Vs The Maze!
Venue: Maze
Domino Bones, Penny Black
and The Right Friends.
Detonate
Venue: Stealth
Price:
£10 adv
Times: 10pm - 4am
DJ Marky (2hrs), Foreign Beggars,
Transit Mafia, Santero, Detail, Rust
and more TBC
Saturday 26/5
Liars Club
Venue: Stealth
Price:
Free b4 10.15pm / £5
Times: 10.30pm - 5am
DJ’s: Nesakyk Mamai
and Your Mum / My Mum.
Sunday 27/05
Super Sundays
Venue: Malt Cross
Price:
Free
Times: 7pm
Dot To Dot Festival
Venue: Rock City
Price:
£22.75 adv
Times: 1pm
See next page for full information.
Mat Andasun Band
Venue: Maze
Times: 9.30pm
Monday 28/05
Joe Jackson
Venue: Rock City
Price:
£17.25 adv
Times: 7.30pm
John Martyn - Solid Air Tour
Venue: Royal Centre
Price:
£24.50
Times: 7.30pm
Tuesday 22/5
Venue: Malt Cross
Price:
Free
Times: 8pm
Isis
Venue: Rock City
Price:
£11.75 adv
Times: 7.30pm
Wednesday 23/50
Devil Sold His Soul
Venue: Junktion 7
Price:
£5 / £7
Times: 7.30pm 11.30pm
With support from Zenith.
Dustin’s Bar Mitvah
Venue: Social
Price:
£7 adv
Times: 7pm
Thursday 24/05
Manic Street Preachers
Venue: Rock City
Price:
£28.25 adv
Times: 7pm
Massage in The Park
Venue: Arboretum Park
Price:
Free
Times: All day
There’s a carnival theme. Think pin
the tail on the donkey, mice races,
helta skelta’s, organised sports day
events, egg and spoon and sack
races...
There will also be a farmers
market, cider bar, clothing and
jewellery stalls, live performance
art, fire and glass walking, stick
fighting, spinning and twirling fire
poi, a massage stand and a skate
ramp with skate companies running
competitions!
UK Takeover 5
Venue: Rock City
Price:
£10 / £15 + bf
Main Stage: Lethal Bizzle,
Klashnekoff (live band), Wiley,
Taskforce, Kyza, Shameless,
L.Man, Chain of Command, Stig
of the Dump and Dr Syntax, Baby
J presents Antourage, Dynamite
MC, Mr Ti2bs, Precha, Alex Blood
and Malik, (MD7), Wariko, Young
Kof, J Gold and Gully, Spit Semis
(Takeover 4 Battle Champion).
Hosted by: Mista Jam and Rodney P.
DJ Room: DJ MK, Excalibah and Mr
Thing.
Dot to Dot Festival
Sunday 27/05 Rock City, Rescue Rooms, Social and Stealth
Words: Alasdair Catton
Sunday 27 May sees the return
of Dot To Dot, Nottingham’s
multi-genre five-venue alldayer. Rock City, The Rescue
Rooms, The Social, Stealth and
Nottingham Trent University are
representing from 1pm to 4am,
making it the biggest DTD ever.
Back for the third go-around,
DTD is shaping up to be one of
the jewels in the crown of the
Notts music calendar, and once
again the line-up is cow-heavy
and laden with quality acts who
stalk the fringes of the big time.
Headline acts include The Cribs
(three brothers who you really
should have heard of by now),
Kano (MTV Base darling and one
of the few grime acts worth the
steam off your piss), Blonde
Redhead (huge cult band in the
Sigur Ros / Mercury Rev mould)
and Erol Alkan (DJ on that
Electroclash / dance-punk one).
the Fopp award for new music),
Datarock (Norwegian mash-up
masterdons), Para One and
Surkin (the vanguard of the
burgeoning French-Electro
movement), Dani Wind
(Canadian New Rave sorts) and,
oh, loads more.
As always, a smattering of local
bands get the opportunity to
step up. Castle Donington’s Late
Of The Pier (“Music to have
asthma to”, apparently), The
Recovery (brutally heavy altrockers), I Was A Cub Scout
(Synth-Pop ahoy!), and La La
Lepus (our very own Electronica
stars in waiting) all get the
opportunity to put their synths
on something a bit sturdier than
a beer crate, and all of them
are worthy of your tab-related
attention.
All of this could be yours for a
mere twenty of your English
pounds, and once again
demonstrates that when it
comes to snotty young things
screaming into a microphone,
Nottingham more than holds its
own.
The line-up is still being fiddled
with as we go to press, but if
you want us to mark your card,
we’d point you in the direction
of Olympus Mons. (winners of
We had a natter with DTD
founder Anton Lockwood
What’s the ethos behind Dot
To Dot?
Loads of great new bands and
DJs for not too much money…
one massive party…music not
sponsorship…check out something
you wouldn’t normally…no sleep
til hometime! Oh, and we won’t
have the same bands two years
listings...
Weeklies
Fridays
Love Shack
Style:
Eighties, Nineties
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£4 / £5
Times:
9.30pm - 2am
Hiphop, House, Breaks
Dogma
Free
7pm - 2am
Pop.Your_Funk
Venue:
Bluu
Price:
Free
Times:
9pm - late
Saturdays
Uberism
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Media
£8 / £10
10pm - 2am
Sundays
Jazz at the Bell
Style:
Jazz
Venue:
Bell Inn
Price:
Free
Times:
12.30pm – 3am
Out To Lunch
Style:
Jazz
Venue:
Dogma
Price:
Free
Times:
Afternoon
Moog is Sunday
Style:
Relaxed, Funk
Venue:
Moog
Price:
Free
Times:
12pm - 12am
We Love
Style:
Acoustic
Venue:
Deux
Price:
Free
Times:
8pm
It’s live and almost acoustic.
Eclectic open mic night.
Mondays
Saturday
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Night live
Deux
Free
7pm
Rise and Shine / Funk U
Style:
Alternative, Nineties
Venue:
The Cookie Club
Price:
£5 (NUS)
Times:
10.30pm - 3am
Stylus
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Snug
£6 (NUS)
10pm - 4am
Distortion
Style:
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Rock, Alternative
Rock City
£5 (NUS)
9pm - 2.30am
Nottingham School of Samba
Style:
Samba
Venue:
Templars
Times:
7pm - 9pm
Rock Jam
Style:
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Session
Rock
Running Horse
Free
8.30pm - 12am
Tuesdays
Crash
Style:
Indie, Alternative
Venue:
Rock City
Price:
£3 (NUS)
Times:
9.30pm - 2am
Crash is Nottingham’s longest
running indie night.
Open Mic
Style:
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Night
Acoustic
Running Horse
Free
8.30pm - 12am
The Horseshoe Lounge
Style:
Country
Venue:
Deux
Cowboy Fun! Americana,
bluegrass and country.
Wednesdays
The Big Wednesday
Style:
Alt, Rock, Pop
Venue:
The Cookie Club
Price:
£2.50 (NUS)
Times:
10.30pm - 2am
Games Night
Venue:
Loft
Price:
Free
With giant Jenga, cards, prizes
and competitions.
Wigflex
Style:
Hiphop, DnB, Dubstep
Venue:
Stone
Price:
Free
Times:
9pm - late
Spam Chop playing beats, breaks
hiphop, techie house and all sorts
else. With live breakdancers, free
N64 and visuals by Synoptics.
Motherfunker
Venue:
The Cookie Club
Price:
£1 before 11pm
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
LeftLion Pub Quiz
Venue:
The Golden Fleece
Our weekly pub quiz continues
at the Fleece. Come down and
you could win a load of beer or
a meal for your team and more
importantly have a laugh.
Sundays
Melody Market
Style:
Acoustic
Price:
Free
Times:
7.30pm
Who are you looking forward
to seeing?
Can’t wait to see La La Lepus,
Gallows, and Blonde Redhead.
Who’ve been the standout
bands from previous Dot To
Dots?
If you can remember it, you
weren’t really there.
Where do you source the
bands for Dot To Dot?
Agents, mostly. We’re getting
a great rep now, so it’s getting
easier to get people to do it.
Any message for LeftLion
readers?
Pray for sunshine. I know the
venues are indoors, but it’s
been sunny the last two years
and that’s made it all shiny and
lovely…
For up to date details, check
www.dottodotfestival.co.uk
music / weeklies / comedy / exhibitions / theatre
The Underground Sessions
Venue:
Snug
Price:
Free
Times:
9pm - 4am
Salt
Style:
Venue:
Price:
Times:
running. How boring are festivals
that do that?
Open Mic Night
Venue:
Golden Fleece
Price:
Free
Times:
8.30 - 12am
Come down at 8pm to secure a
15min slot.
Electric Banana
Venue:
The Social
Price:
£2
Times:
10.30pm - 3am
Thursdays
Homegrown
Venue:
Deux
Price:
Free
Times:
7pm
The best of Nottingham’s talented
singer-songwriters.
Noodle
Venue:
Price:
The Spot
Free
Music Saves The Day
Venue:
Bluu
Times:
9pm - late
Dogma Presents
Style:
Hiphop, Breaks
Venue:
Dogma
Price:
Varies
Times:
9pm - 2am
Various live acts every week.
Jazz Night
Venue:
Variety Club
Price:
Free
Times:
7:30pm doors
Club NME
Style:
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Indie, Rock, Alternative
Stealth
£2 - £4
10pm - 2am
Singer / Songwriters Night
Style:
Acoustic
Venue:
Raffles Art Cafe
Price:
Free
Times:
8.30pm - 12am
Comedy
Tuesday 03/04
The Comedy Cabin
Venue:
Co-op Regency Rooms
Price:
£8 adv / £9
Times:
7.30pm
Geoff Norcott, Mark Allen, Matt
Hollins and Aaron Rice.
Thursday 05/04
Thursday 05/04
Sue Perkins
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£15
Times:
8pm
Disappointment is Sue’s middle
name. Her mum had preferred
Elizabeth, but was overruled by her
dad, who had an altogether darker
view of life...
Friday 06/04
Lenny Henry: Where you from?
Venue:
Playhouse
Price:
£23.50 / £25
Times:
8pm
Back with a new show. Expect
his usual mix of stand-up and
character comedy.
Thursday 12/04
Rob and Skatz
Venue:
Grosvenor
Price:
£4 / £5 (NUS)
Times:
8.30pm
Featuring Rob and Skatz, Matt
Hollins, Joe Rowntree, Sheldon
Pellets and Darshan. With compere
Spiky Mike.
Tuesday 17/04
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£3 / £4 (NUS)
Times:
8.30pm
Twelve acts compete. Each does
two minutes, then the audience
judges with red and cards vote to
keep them on or off. With compere
James Sherwood.
Friday 04/05
Punt and Dennis
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£15
Times:
8pm
Their first live outing since the 2005
sell out tour ‘Grown Men in Public’.
Saturday 05/05
Ricky Gervais - Fame
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£25 + bf
Rich Hall
Venue:
Playhouse
Price:
£14.50 / £16
Times:
8pm
The Comedy Cabin
Venue:
Co-op Regency Rooms
Price:
£8 / £9
Times:
7.30pm
Geoff Norcott, Mark Allen, Matt
Hollins and Aaron Rice.
Tuesday 08/05
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£3 / £4 (NUS)
listings...
Thursday 10/05
Markus Birdman plus more
Venue:
Grosvenor
Price:
£4 / £5 (NUS)
Times:
8.30pm start
Markus Birdman, Russell Kane and
Guests. With compere Spiky Mike.
Tuesday 15/05
Reginald D Hunter
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
8pm
Friday 25/05
Jimmy Carr - Gag Reflex
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£18.50
Times:
8pm
Tuesday 29/05
Venue:
Maze
Price:
£3 / £4 (NUS)
Times:
8.30pm start
Exhibitions
Sunday 01/04
Prizewinners Exhibition
Venue:
Surface Gallery
Price:
Free
With Tomas Chaffe and Ben Rivers.
Runs Until: 14/04
music / weeklies / comedy / exhibitions / theatre
Saturday 07/04
Parade 3: Stuff Happens
Venue:
Angel Row Gallery
Price:
Free
Work by: Ayling and Conroy, Penny
Davis, Craig Fisher, Tom Godfrey,
S Mark Gubb, Tristan Hessing,
Matthew Jamieson, David Kirshner,
Danica Maier, Paul Matosic, Philip
Mayer, Peter Norman, Alexander
Stevenson and Jason Thomson.
Runs Until: 12/05
Saturday 14/04
Designer Makers for Weddings
Venue:
View from The Top
Price:
Free
14 April (10am - 4pm) and
15 April (10:30am - 4pm).
A table top weekend wedding fair.
Runs Until: 15/04
Tuesday 17/04
The Lace Market, Arts and
Business Project
Venue:
View from The Top
Price:
Free
A display of artwork and concepts
by artist and sculptural designer
Fiona Heron. See the concepts
behind the redesign of the Lace
Market Square just around the
corner from the gallery.
Runs Until: 30/04
Saturday 21/04
Prickings: Catherine Bertola
Venue:
Nottingham Castle
Price:
Free
Runs Until: 15/04
Hetain Patel and Jason Singh
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
Free
This interactive multi-screen
installation forms part of a national
tour, with each exhibition changing
in response to its location.
Runs Until: 15/04
The Art of Wedding Photography
Venue:
View from The Top
Price:
Free
Times:
Normal opening hours
An exhibition by top regional
wedding photographers. A chance
to see a wide range of approaches
to capturing the moment.
Runs Until: 15/04
In Sickness and In Health
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
Free
People today have high
expectations of long and healthy
lives. This was not always the
case. The uncertainties which faced
people through disease and poor
medical services are demonstrated
in the University’s collections of
family archives, hospital records
and early medical text books.
Runs Until: 22/07
Saturday 07/04
Natural Artifice
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
Free
Includes sculpture, installation,
drawing and photography.
Runs Until: 17/06
Tuesday 01/05
City Arts Nottingham
Venue:
View from The Top
Price:
Free
Runs Until: 14/05
Perceptions of People with
Learning Disabilities
Venue:
View from The Top
Price:
Free
An exhibition of photography
challenging the way we see people
with learning disabilities. In
conjunction with the NHS.
Runs Until: 21/05
Tuesday 29/05
Raw Photographic Collective (RPC)
Venue:
View from The Top
Price:
Free
A group of digital photographers
who met while attending digital
photography courses at South
Nottinghamshire College.
Runs Until: 04/06
Theatre
Tuesday 03/04
Guys and Dolls
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£11 - £32
Runs Until: 12/04
A Word In Your Eye
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
Free
Photography by Graham Lester
George.
Runs Until: 20/05
Defending The Caveman
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£16.50 / £18.50
Times:
7.30pm
This look at men, women and why
the battle of the sexes is back.
Defending the Caveman opened
on Broadway in 1995 and ran until
1997 - the longest running solo
play in Broadway history
Saturday 14/04
Forever
Venue:
Notts Arts Theatre
Price:
£7 / £9
Times:
7.30pm
A play about three friends who
share each others happiness, joys
and sorrows of life.
Monday 16/04
Hot Flush! A Menopause Musical
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£9 - £26
Times:
Various
Packed with new songs, an all-star
cast and a sprinkling of HRT. Get
ready to share in the friendships,
secrets, laughs, tears and the
(probably hormonal) ups and downs
of some terrific characters.
Wednesday 18/04
The Permanent Way
Venue:
Lace Market Theatre
Price:
£6 / £7
Stockbrokers, railway workers,
policemen, crash survivors,
relatives and counsellors are all
linked by avoidable, fatal events.
Who should take responsibility?
Runs Until: 21/04
Thursday 19/04
Tuesday 15/05
Thursday 05/04
Wednesday 04/04
Henri Oguike Dance Company
Venue:
Playhouse
Price:
£12.50 / £16
Times:
8pm
Henri Oguike, dubbed one of the
most musical choreographers of his
generation, returns to the city with
his eight-strong troupe.
Hang Lenny Pope
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
8pm
Can a family find hope for the
future? Chris O’Connell’s new play
explores the possibility that love
might return and redemption be
found for a couple whose lives have
been battered by the experience
of parenting a violent son. Both
touching and funny, Hang Lenny
Pope is an urban love story with a
macabre twist.
Runs Until: 21/04
Monday 23/04
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£8 - £22.50
Times:
Various
An eerie, bloodcurdling howl is
heard across the moors. A blanket
of images and sounds envelop the
audience bringing the atmospheric
terror of Dartmoor, the eerie gothic
hall and the ghostly hound to life.
Runs Until: 28/04
Thursday 26/04
On Saturdays This Bed is Poland
Venue: Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
8pm
Julie Wilkinson’s new drama tells
the story of three women thrown
together miles from home.
Runs Until: 28/4
Monday 30/04
Acorn Antiques
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
Various
Runs Until: 05/05
Acorn Antiques was first seen on
BBC Television 21 years ago and
has been a firm favourite with the
nation ever since.
Tuesday 01/05
Riverdance
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£17.50 - £37.50
Times:
Various
Runs Until: 06/05
Sea Of Bones
Venue:
Lakeside
Price:
£12
Times:
8pm
Music by Nick Cave and The Bad
Seeds, Tom Waits, Sonic Youth
and Domenico Scarlatti. Sea of
Bones is a dive into the collective
unconscious.
Saturday 05/05
Painkillers
Venue:
Notts Arts Theatre
Price:
£5.50 / £7
Times:
7.30pm
Nadia, a journalist, traces the life
of Angela as she explores what can
lead a woman to mourder. Awardwinning writer Paul Buie lifts this
dark story that shifts between
truth and fabrication, vulnerability
and ferocity taking us through the
psyche of women who kill.
Monday 07/05
The New Statesman
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£10 - £26
Times:
Various
Meet Alan B’stard,
impeccably pinstriped, nose aloft,
stalking the corridors
of power leaving a
trail of devastation in
his wake.
Runs Until: 12/05
Thursday 10/05
Derren Brown
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£21.50
Times:
7.30pm
This is his third tour and is
expected to sell out as quickly
as the last one; which won the
coveted Olivier Award for Best
Entertainment.
Runs Until: 11/05
Monday 14/05
Footloose - The Musical
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£10 - £27
Times:
Various
Based on the smash hit 1980s
movie starring Kevin Bacon. It’s the
story of city boy Ren who has to
move to small town America where
dancing is banned.
Runs Until: 19/05
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Venue:
Lace Market Theatre
Price:
£6 - £8.50
A Martin McDonagh play. Mad
Padraic’s cat has been knocked
over on a lonely road. Was it an
accident? Padraic will want to know
when he gets back from a stint of
torture and chip shop bombing in
Northern Ireland.
Runs Until: 19/05
Sunday 20/05
Tosca
Venue:
Price:
Times:
Royal Centre
£21.50 - £31.50
7.30pm
Monday 21/05
The Unexpected Guest
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£8 - £22.50
Times:
Various
Lost in the fog on a lonely road, a
stranger seeks refuge in a nearby
house, only to find that he has
stumbled onto the scene of a
murder. When the dead man’s
wife confesses to killing her much
despised husband a stranger agrees
to provide her with an alibi. But,
who is he really protecting?
Runs Until: 26/05
Sunday 27/05
Jaleo
Venue:
Playhouse
Price:
£12.50 - £16
Times:
7.30pm
A cocktail of explosive footwork,
singing, guitar playing and
percussive handclapping from some
of flamenco’s finest award-winning
artists.
Tuesday 29/05
Gob Squad’s Kitchen
Venue:
Playhouse
Price:
£12.50 - £16
Times:
Various
In 1963 Andy Warhol bought a
16mm film camera and pointed
it at a friend while he slept. The
resulting eight hour film ‘Sleep’ was
the first of many. A quest for the
original, authentic, here and now.
Runs Until: 30/05
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£8 - £22.50
Times:
Various
This exciting definitive multi-award
winning production comes hot from
two sell-out seasons in the West
End. Starring Shane Richie.
Runs Until: 02/06
Wednesday 30/05
The Lover
Venue:
Lace Market Theatre
Price:
£6 - £7
After ten years of marriage can
Richard and Sarah keep their
relationship alive? A drama by
the Nobel Prize-winning author,
about fantasies, faithfulness,
unfaithfulness and the games
people play.
Runs Until: 02/06
Return to the Forbidden Planet
Venue:
Notts Arts Theatre
Price:
£8.50 / £10
Times:
7.30pm
Runs Until: 19/05
Tuesday 15/05
Thriller
Venue:
Royal Centre
Price:
£19.50 - £29.50
Times:
7.30pm doors
A celebration of the phenomenal
career of Michael Jackson. This
tribute to the king of pop is
performed by a full company of
West End singers, dancers, a
children’s ballet, gospel choir and a
live band.
To get listed on these pages, add your
event to leftlion.co.uk. By doing so
we’ll include you in the magazine, it’s
completely free and simple to do. Use
this form:
leftlion.co.uk/add
Please note. We try to ensure that all
events are correct at time of print,
but please check before you set off to
avoid disappointment.
LeftLion Unplugged at the Malt Cross
The third Tuesday of every month
Tues 17th April
Black Vinyl Heart
John Hull and the Instant Band
Daisy B
Tues 15th May
Liam Bailey and the Soul Parade
Austin Francis Connection & Will Jeffery
Tim MacDonald
LeftLion Presents at The Orange Tree
The first Saturday of every month
(From 8:30pm - Midnight)
Sat 07th April
You Slut!
Dead City Presidents
Stiff Kittens DJs
Sat 05th May
Model Morning
Lois
Stiff Kittens DJs
This issue’s Nottsword was written by former male stripper turned
quizmaster and Kojak impersonator Al Needham. If anyone can actually
manage to fill this out correctly and send it back to us by email or to the
address on page three, you will win a LeftLion T-shirt (limited sizes left)
and a personal handwritten loveletter from Nottingham’s ‘Mr. Sex’.
ACROSS
1.
3.
6.
7.
10.
11.
12.
14.
17.
20.
21.
22.
Chippy frequented by Toulouse Lautrec (6,5).
It’s on Mansfield Road, but we’re buggered if we can locate it (4).
Former LL cover star – giz a pound, we’ll tell you who he is (9).
A Nottingham coward (6).
Former Radio Trent DJ, now stacks shelves (4,6).
Glossy advertorial mag (3).
Used to be The Black Orchid (4).
The Scottish club Jimmy Sirrell played for (7,6).
When model Jodie lets herself go, she shops here (10,6).
Headband-wearing Metal Overlord of Nottingham (6).
Our crisp-making inbred cousins (9).
Twisted local band (4).
DOWN
2.
3.
4.
5.
8.
9.
13.
15.
16.
18.
19.
20.
Where we have our pub quiz on Wednesdays (6,6).
The tiniest bar in Trinity Square (8).
Buses even shit theirsen when on our domain (8).
Summat to keep your cobs in (4,3).
Swing into Viccy Market for some CDs (8,7).
Su Pollard’s other sitcom (2,6,7).
Firest cup hero Roy Dwight’s nephew’s hit record (6,3).
Should be loads of chippies on this street (5,4).
Ex-Forest manager, Glenryck Pilchard lookalike (5,5).
Found around 17 across on Sunday nights. And around, and around… (3,6).
Tits by the Trent (3,6).
Very old channel 3 TV region in the Midlands (3,6).
The LeftLion Pub Quiz takes place at the Golden Fleece on Mansfield Road every
Wednesday evening. Blessed be to all of those who take part in this most fiendish and
devilish of intellectual contests. Those brave souls compete to win a gallon of beer or a
meal for them and their friends in this gladiatorial battle of the minds and beer bellies.
Sample some of the weekly delights below...
AD SLOGANS
6. Mastication for the nation
7. Lose the smoke. Keep the fire
8. Software for the people-ready business
9. Spend a little, live a lot
10. Anytime, any place, anywhere
FOOD AND DRINK
11. Which citrus fruit was once known as ‘the Forbidden Fruit of
Barbados’?
12. Which Asian country grows the most apples in the world?
13. Within one either side, how many Lockets do you get in a
packet?
14. What chocolate bar used to be called Raider in Europe?
15. The Dutch version of Aero shares the same name as which
rubbish 80s band?
16. If ‘porcine’ refers to pigs and ‘bovine’ refers to cows, what
does ‘ursine’ refer to?
17. In the Disney version of Robin Hood, what animal is the
Sheriff of Nottingham?
18. What animal is associated with Reggie Perrin’s mother in
law?
19. In the original Planet Of The Apes, which breed of primate
formed the government?
20. Not counting birds, what animal appears the most times on
the official badges of the 20 Premier League clubs?
BONUS ONE: How many of them are there?
FOOTBALLERS BEHAVING BADLY
21. Billy The Fish-lookalike Charlie Nicholas nearly caused the
death of six US marines when he threw a bottle of vodka at their
windscreen and caused them to veer off the road. Who was he
playing for at the time?
22. When Gary Charles’ car was searched by police after another
drink-driving episode, what very special piece of evidence did he
leave on the back seat?
23. Which current manager was sacked as a player for breaking
into a teammate’s hotel room and breaking his jaw as he slept
because he lost at cards to him?
24. What did Gazza break in Glenn Hoddle’s hotel room when
he was told he’d been dropped from the England squad for the
World Cup?
25. Which former Forest player got his team sent home early from
a pre-season break when he let off a fire extinguisher in the hotel
bar?
BONUS TWO: Who did said former Forest player beat up in a
French bar during the 1998 World Cup?
MAVERICK ROUND - DRUGS
26. Name the highly addictive drug that originated in Prague,
caused people to vomit up their own pelvis, and was exposed in
an episode of Brass Eye?
27. Finish the following piece of graffiti; Zammo chased the
dragon and got…
28. What nationality was Dr Albert Hoffman, the man credited
with the invention of LSD?
29. Sid Vicious, Sonny Liston, Paula Yates and Janis Joplin all
died as a result of overdoses of which drug?
30. Which drug was first used to treat wounded soldiers in the
Vietnam War?
ANSWERS:
1. “I do this, this, this, this, this and goal”
2. “Hey, look friend, let’s just cut the shit. Now we both know
why I was transferred. Everybody thinks I’m suicidal, in which
case, I’m fucked and nobody wants to work with me; or they
think I’m faking to draw a psycho pension, in which case,
I’m fucked and nobody wants to work with me. Basically, I’m
fucked.”
3. “Now I want you to give me the gun. Oh, I get it, you gonna
end like Doughboy... like little Chris in a wheelchair. Give me the
motherfucking gun, Tre.”
4. “Right Banks, you bastard! I’m the daddy now, next time, I’ll
fucking kill ya!”
5. “One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach,
all the damn vampires.”
FILM QUOTES: 1. Escape To Victory; 2. Lethal Weapon; 3. Boyz
N The Hood; 4. Scum; 5. The Lost Boys. AD SLOGANS: 6. Trident
gum; 7. Nicotinell; 8. Microsoft; 9. Aldi; 10. Martini. FOOD AND
DRINK: 11. Grapefruit; 12. China; 13. 10; 14. Twix; 15. Bros;
16. Bears; 17. A wolf; 18. A hippopotamus; 19. Orangutans; 20.
Lion; BONUS ONE: Three - Villa, Chelsea, Middlesborough.
FOOTBALLERS BEHAVING BADLY: 21. Arsenal; 22. A
handprint of his own excrement; 23. Dennis Wise; 24. A table
lamp; 25. Stan Collymore; BONUS TWO: Ulrika Jonsson.
MAVERICK ROUND - DRUGS: 26. Cake; 27. A smack on the
nose; 28. Swiss; 29. Heroin; 30. Ketamine.
FILM QUOTES
43
words: Kate Jolly
Why is it that a person’s word seems to mean nothing anymore?
The concept of keeping your word, amongst those I seem to
meet, is a tool you can use to deceive, get one over or play mind
games for apparently pointless reasons. Maybe it’s the feeling of
power or the notion of control or maybe it’s just that I deserve it.
Though fool that I am, in spite of signs advising action which is
contrary, I still do it, running around making my ass blue and flylike until late, busy trying to keep my word, to no avail it would
seem, though maybe I only try and keep said word for the same
twisted reasons.
I don’t personally like being considered a useless twat but I
can handle being one, as long as people are distracted by my
slagging someone else off. The idea of letting myself turn into
one, as about appealing as spending four days dragging the
heaviest thing it’s possible for me to drag towards a bottomless
well of shit.
Is there a way out, do we really have to be this shit? Is the mould
set? Don’t expect me to answer that, I don’t have the answers.
I don’t know if I even want them, they sound like they would be
a burden, besides I have far too many things to complain about.
So they would be no use to me, being about as productive/useful
as a compliment, if I didn’t somehow manage to warp said
answers with persistent whinging, they would gather dust or
‘accidentally’ dive into the toilet bowl as an upsetting last resort.
There’s always a problem of some sort, nothing is ever just
simple. People always end up assuming the worst. Someone I
know called Frank being a very good example of this. It seemed
he couldn’t just be grateful that I had kept my word and saw it
as a lesson in earnestness that he should heed. No, of course
not, he instead, like almost everyone I meet, jumps off the boat of
logic, head first into the swamp of stupidity.
‘I am shocked!’ He says before going on to explain that it’s
because when people normally say they are going to pay him
back they don’t. Yes he is a dealer. That may not sound illogical
or eye-wateringly stupid in the slightest, perhaps because that
alone is not. It was only when I went on to query why he should
think that, if he considers the fact that having known him for a
good length of time I have yet to let him down, coupled with the
fact that he also knows friends of mine who I have not let down
either. Prompting me, quite rightly to think, ‘Jesus… if that is the
extent of your intellect, no wonder you have rejected the system
and plumped for being a dealer’.
I thought about my response before simply saying ‘okay then,
that makes sense’. In a questioning tone. He responded with:‘It
makes a nice change that is all.’ At this point, my thoughts
44
took a more pedantic route as I really wanted to respond by
pointing out that it shouldn’t make a change as I have never let
him down, but then I can be quite irritating so that may not be
surprising.
Though it is nice to bring a pleasant moment to someone’s life,
it would be a hell of a lot more pleasing if the act of someone
keeping their word was not something which was strange and
was instead accepted as the norm.
What must be taken into account is the fact that being a dealer
will give you a slightly screwed version of the trends in morality
and I think his amazement was more to do with the fact that
without realising, he already is treating others as he expects to
be treated: meaning because he himself cannot be relied upon,
he assumes that no-one else can either.
He is probably right in his actions though, People are shit!
People are best avoided, they are not to be trusted, relied upon,
compensated or - though it pains me to say it - loved. They say
that chocolate stimulates the same bits, which sounds about
right, they both make you fat, lazy, look like shit, come out in
spots and eventually after your fill, you are left bored, scarred,
unsightly and a damn sight more miserable than you were before
your first mouthful. If reality bites, people maul.’
Game theory’s most famous game is called ‘Prisoner’s Dilemma’,
a non-cooperative game that involves the following imaginary
situation: The police arrest two suspects and keep them isolated
from each other. Each prisoner is told that if only one of them
confesses, the one who confesses will go free but the one who
remains silent will receive a severe sentence. They are also told
that if they both confess, each will receive a moderate sentence
and if neither confesses, each will receive an even milder
sentence. Under these conditions, each prisoner is better off
confessing no matter what the other one does. Yet by pursuing
their own advantage and confessing, both get harsher sentences
than they would have received if they had trusted each other
and kept quiet.
Prisoner’s Dilemma highlights and summarises a conflict
between individual and group interests that lies at the heart
of many important real-life situations. Decisions about paying
taxes, protecting the environment, or acquiring nuclear weapons
may also reflect this tension between what’s good for the
decision maker and what’s best for the group.
If you would like your work published on this page, visit the creative writing
forum at www.leftlion.co.uk/forum and start posting. Each issue we select
the best submissions for the magazine.
Fistful Riot Ready Love
Dream Train
Will I?
Shane West-Bridgford
Just one more time,
And then I’ll go,
Just one more time
And then I’ll let you be,
One more apple cork
A last glass filled right
To the top,
Just one more time
And then I’ll leap,
I’ll jump out of the window
It’s faster than the stairs
And then I’ll be out of your hair,
And into the arms of some
Fat business man, who will take me home
Dress me up real nice,
Did I tell you about my dream last night
Riding on a train
Down a never ending track
Fasterthanthespeedoflight
My life in danger
yet
I felt safe
As i flew like a bird on that train.
and I was free.
Whether I will
Or whether I won’t
Won’t make up my mind, if I do or I don’t
Spotty young yobbos
Thieving and fighting.
The Observer film critic
finds them “very exciting”.
Just one more time
Lets let the light out
Crank up the stereo
And fight all night,
Just one more time
Because then in the
Morning pain,
I’ll look like shit
With blood in my hair
And dirt under the nails
And you,
Will have divine anger
And curse me to hell
Scream that pervert
Get out!
And it’ll be just like
It used to
Just one more time,
We can sleep all day,
The cats won’t starve
For hunger,
They’ll just leave
And find new owners
And we’ll never have to wake,
I’m not asking for much
Just bring the glass to the table
With such speed as to crush my hand,
Just one more time,
Shout, scream, cry and weep,
And tell me what I did
Last night?
by Callmadman
The new haiku
skip a group system
introduce the hatless man
strange yourself awhile
love’s a crazy beast
omnipresent and untamed
lets get wild tonight
by chief kegwin
Stand beneath dark clouds
allowing light rainfall
to cleanse your prejudice
the spider spins it’s web
and captures hearts
as well as flie
by Loinheart
by Chantal
And whether I can
Or whether I can’t
Won’t make me decide
If I should or I shan’t.
by dylan6776
Throw in sharp dialogue
like “gi us a wank”
and you’ll be laughing like me
all the way to the bank.
Southern Cutter...
Have you seen my job?
Waxed folicles of matted kelp,
Tumble in rolls,
over this washed rock undercut,
Shaved in conditioning brush strokes
by the blue rinse.
Has anyone seen my job?
I lost it earlier this week,
i just turned my back for a second
and it was gone,what a cheek.
Permanent air foil quiffs of bushes,
highlight dark razor cliffs
flecked in bleached contrast,
by the shampoo spray.
Layers of dreaded time,
sweep clean aside And focus short cuts;
falling to
all the bodies lashed,
upon this barberous shore.
by tokingjohn
Wrath of the chicken god
Bird flu bird flu bird flu, everywhere he looked
All this propaganda for some flocking sneezing
chooks
How can a few folks dying
Turn into a billion yolks crying?
Because the flapping media are lying?
Perhaps the King of chickens will judge their
deceit
Peeling their skin with his glorious taloned feet
Breaking their bones with his gigantic wing
And pecking their eyes for their editorial sins
And lo the feathered deity’s wrath will rain
down upon them
And they’ll regret the day that they crossed
the master hen
He’ll stomp through the cities, seeking them
out
“Where are the scaremongers” he’ll clucking
shout
“Bring them to me brothers, to my throne of
shitty sticks”
“Drag them from their newsrooms, the nylon
suited pricks”
“ill make paparazzi omelette with a sauce of
their dismay’’
“and they will see the fear that they propagate
each day”
by Jack Twatt
Jumbo-sized Sharons
chasing council house clowns
has the middle-class queueing
from Broadway to Brownes.
I’m off to Provence now
to party and rave
as I fly over Skeggie
I’ll give ‘them’ a wave.
by Lord Biro
by Barnze
The Pig And The Boat
I had a boat and I had a pig.
I put the pig in the boat and set out for new
lands.
The pig didn’t mind, he loved long journeys.
The pig could bark like a dog and he would if
you paid him enough.
(Which used to upset the real dogs in the
neighbourhood.)
I made sure I was wearing a hat when we left,
and I packed some ice in case it got hot.
Whatever I or the pig thought of became the
topic of conversation.
‘Snowboarding,’ said the pig.
‘Ever tried it?’
I admitted I hadn’t and the pig snorted his
derision.
For a pig he certainly had strong opinions.
‘Can you fly an aeroplane?’ the pig asked.
I shook my head sadly.
The pig looked disappointed.
This wasn’t going well.
I started to tell the pig about the time I knifed a
man for lying about his age.
The pig seemed impressed.
The pig told me his secret love was a white
rabbit that lived in a hut in the garden.
The pig danced about the boat as he described
the beauty of the rabbit.
The pig and I decided to make a film about
drowning.
We wanted to capture some of the ecstasy of
dying underwater.
The pig thought he could sell the film to some
guy at Sundance.
The pig had taken up smoking, which he did
with a smile.
He was a very independent pig.
Each night as the sun went down the pig took
on a mystical appearance.
He worshipped the sun like a poet, and when
night had come he would rig up a complex
lighting arrangement so the dark couldn’t
touch him.
‘I’m lonely’ the pig often said, gloomily.
I ignored him.
I was trying to make music that no-one could
hear.
I had two cymbals given to me by the devil,
and a violin that acted like a tranquilizer.
The music annoyed the pig, I could tell.
For his birthday I bought the pig a checked
shirt.
He refused to wear it, saying that checked
shirts were a cliche.
The pig told me he longed to be an Eskimo,
which somehow enraged me.
I picked the pig up and swung him overboard
with a glamorous flourish.
The pig was fascinated to find himself in the
water, but slightly nervous.
‘I prefer trains to boats,’ the pig said one
morning as I was dreaming of sandcastles.
I didn’t say anything, but I noticed that the
pig had taken out his medical records and was
leafing through them unconcernedly.
The pig wanted to know what year it was.
‘Its 1989,’ I told him, although it wasn’t.
The pig was thinking of becoming a
communist, which struck me as a great idea.
For weeks he was full of revolutionary fervour:
everything was ideological and explainable.
The pig wanted me to call him Henrik, after his
cousin.
I bought the pig a tyre, told him I found it in the
library.
The pig started to whisper things at night.
‘Marcel Duchamp,’ whispered the pig, ‘was a
terrible speller.’
I nodded my agreement.
‘Walt Whitman didn’t know what he was doing
half the time,’ the pig continued.
I phoned my brother to tell him what the pig
had been up to, but he was out winding up
clocks so I just left a short message.
The pig began to grow a beard, which I had to
admit suited him.
The pig was always discovering new things: he
was always paying close attention.
I liked that about him.
I realised the pig was practicing his
punctuation while I was asleep.
by Cal Gibson
45
Aries (March 21 - April 20)
Libra (September 24 - October 23)
You’ll be violated hundreds of times by out-of-control alcoholics this month, but it’s to be expected.
Sometimes you might even enjoy it. It’s not that bad if you sit back and relax with a bottle of
bourbon. It tickles more than it hurts really…
The horror of everyday life is apparent in every hour that you spend pretending to work at your
desk. Over half your waking life is spent faking it. But ask yourself, is any of this real? Or is it just
a test? Is someone up there playing an incredibly sophisticated joke on us all or is it genuinely this
dull.
Taurus (April 21 - May 21)
The weird and often unfriendly looks you receive on your bus rides throughout the city are the
downside to your new hobby. If you want to play then you’ll have to get used to them. The bus
driver knows more about you than you will ever know.
Gemini (May 22 - June 22)
You were told nothing good would come of dishonesty, but you can be happy with all the mediocre
stuff that did. Bathe in your sinful nature and realise it’s what makes you human. The house cats
will be the next species to rule the planet. Until then they rest…
Cancer (June 23 - July 23)
Save time by keeping your socks together throughout the wash and dry process. Get some safety
pins and keep them by the washing machine especially. Pin the toes of the socks together and
save valuable time matching them up afterwards.
Leo (July 24 - August 23)
If you will continue to take your role models from popular television and films then you’ll continue
to end up in sticky situations. Big Brother is about as true to real life as Peter Pan. in fact less so.
Eastenders and Coronation Street should be banned! Why on earth would you want to make with
that Deirdre Barlow Ken fool?
Virgo (August 24 - September 23)
Of all the gin joints in all the towns she walked into mine. It was a day I will remember for the
rest of my life. She waltzed in with legs up to her armpits, speaking softly saying: “Hey sugar, I’m
from the environmental health department. I’ve come to close you down.” That was the day I lost
everything. It was so beautiful.
Scorpio (October 24 - November 22)
You can control your dreams if you become aware of them whilst still asleep. Next time you’re
nodding and you see a light switch try and hit it. The one thing you can’t change in your dreams
is light levels - as extra light is what wakes you up. If the switch doesn’t work then you can have
whatever you want. Make it lucid baby.
Sagittarius (November 23 - December 22)
A holiday will do you the world of good, but coming back after it is hard. The thought of running
away with someone new appeals, but the most obvious option is not always the best. Your tattoos
rock! Whatever happens, you’ll always have a place to stay in hood town. Two if you count your
sister’s pad.
Capricorn (December 23 - January 19)
I don’t mean to make obscene, but I’ve always been this way. I was born as the seventh son of a
seventh son. My mother and grandmother are both very tired and old as a result both thoroughly
sick of giving birth to boys. So they stopped and I was the last. But anyway, enough about me…
Aquarius (January 20 - February 19)
Is it possible to happily live in a state of monogamy or is that just a misspelling of a type of darkcoloured wood? Some people claim that marriage interferes with romance. To my mind there’s no
doubt about it. Anytime I have a romance, my wife is bound to interfere.
Pisces (February 20 - March 20)
If you need to drug a dog this week then make sure you disguise the flavour of the tablets.
Canines have sensitive gums which react badly to the acidic flavour of common household
medication. Try experimenting with something strong to take the flavour away like Marmite.
They’ll either love it or they’ll hate you…
City Cen
tre
Squares
Special!
MARKET SQUARE
Year of origin: 1493
Year of origin: 1155
Designer: Ivan III
er
Designer: Gustafson Port
Corpses on display: 1
Corpses on display: 0
Semi-naked hen parties
(per week): 14.4
tains (p.a): 135
Washing-up liquid in foun
46
RED SQUARE
gallons
Semi-naked hen parties
(per week): 1.4
Washing-up liquid in foun
tains (p.a): 12 gallons
MEET AT THE LIONS
PARTY
SQUARE
ON
THE
LIVE MUSIC
WEEKEND
30 MARCH - 1 APRIL
FRIDAY 30 MARCH
6PM ONWARDS
CRAZY P
SATURDAY 31 MARCH
1PM ONWARDS
SUNDAY 1 APRIL
12PM ONWARDS
THE
BEVERLEY
KNIGHT
MAGIC
BENT (DJ)
NUMBERS FREDDIE KOFI
KODA COLA
PLUS SUPPORT
MORE ACTS TO
BE CONFIRMED
JUST JACK
MUMM-RA
CHERRY GHOST
I WAS A
CUB SCOUT
OLD BASFORD
CAPTAIN
DANGEROUS
TONY
HADLEY
AND HIS BIG BAND
KING PLEASURE
AND THE
BISCUIT BOYS
OCKBROOK BAND
(THE BEAT AND EG COMPETITION WINNER)
PLUS SUPPORT
MORE ACTS TO
BE CONFIRMED
Visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/oms to find out more.
This is a free event. All events are correct at time of going to print but may be subject to change.

LeftLion Magazine Issue 16 as a pdf

Transcription

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