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Diy Poets – November Showcase

In photos: Smokescreen Soundsystem – 35 years of DiY

Nottingham’s iconic and anarchic music collective DiY Soundsystem joined forces with kindred friends Smokescreen Soundsystem for an all-night, sold-out party at Hidden Warehouse on 7 September 2024

From DIY theatre to still-life art: Here's what's on in Nottingham this week 19 -25 August

This week, there's definitely no shortage of opportunities to indulge your artistic, theatrical and musical needs, from art at Richmond House to the return of the Foolhardy Folk Festival. Here are our Picks of the Week from 19 to 25 August. 

Diy Poets Quarterly Showcase

Diy Poets – Quarterly Showcase

Diy Poets – Quarterly Showcase

Director Aaron Trinder on His Documentary ‘Free Party: A Folk History’ - Which Features Nottingham's Own DiY Soundsystem

Free Party: A Folk History is a timely DIY indie film that follows the birth of the UK's free party movement from the late eighties and early nineties and the social, political and cultural impact it's had on our present times, with appearances from the founders of Nottingham’s very own DiY Soundsystem - but those of you who were lucky enough to go down to Broadway Cinema’s screening of the film back in November will already know this, of course. Director Aaron Trinder tells us about the process of obtaining footage for the documentary from a time before mobile phones and his own experiences of the free party movement…

DIY Musician Ricky Jamaraz Tells Us How He Transported His Music From His Bedroom to 166 Countries

In 2023, Ricky Jamaraz’s music was streamed from 166 different countries, 5.4 million times on Spotify. To put this into perspective, this length of time equates to 29 years, which is roughly how long it would take to walk from the Earth to the Moon three times. Ricky’s jaw fell off when he saw these figures and it’s no surprise - he’s only sixteen years old, still attends school, and makes all of his music from his very own childhood bedroom. We spoke to the DIY musician about how he went about transporting his music from his bedroom to the world…

Louis Cypher Tells Us How He Created LeftLion’s DIY-Themed January Cover

Hip-Hop artist and collage-maker Louis Cypher designed the cover of this DIY-themed issue of LeftLion. Here’s the story behind it…

Celebrating Nottingham’s History of DIY Football Fanzines thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Two of Nottingham’s best loved football fanzines Brian and The Pie will be given a new lease of life thanks to a regeneration project by LeftLion, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund…

The Mojatu Foundation Are Doing Vital Work Across the East Midlands - Including With Their Podcast Series Bring It To The Table

The Mojatu Foundation is an East Midlands institution which has supported black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities in Nottingham for over a decade. We dive into their importance to our city, and how they’re using their podcast, Bring It To The Table, to tackle some crucial issues…

No Mow May - How to Help Notts Wildlife Whilst Doing Less Work

East Leake Hedgehog Highways Founder and Adult Social Care Worker Holly Dance found that the best way to keep her garden in good shape was not to do very much at all. At the outset of No Mow May 2022, she tells us about how mowing less and gardening for nature can bring wildlife home.

DiY Collective Veteran Harry Harrison Discusses His New Book, Dreaming in Yellow, and the Importance of Rave Culture

We chat to Harry Harrison, founding member of DiY Collective and author of new book Dreaming in Yellow: The Story Of The DiY Soundsystem, which takes a look back at rave culture... 

Nottingham Film Fans Set Up DIY Screenings at One Thoresby Street

We chat to George and Charlie Alexander, the brothers behind Jackie Treehorn Productions - a DIY project spotlighting exciting films for Screen fanatics across Nottingham...

DiY Goodbye: A Tribute to Pete 'Woosh' Birch

Last month Nottingham (and the worldwide free party scene) said goodbye to Pete ‘Woosh’ Birch after a long battle with cancer. A driving force of the DiY Soundsystem, one half of the DJ duo Digs and Woosh and the founder of Spirit Wrestlers. Pete’s oldest friend Harry Harrison tells us about his remarkable life…

Pete 'Woosh' Birch on the History of DiY Soundsystem

The DiY Soundsystem were one of the biggest raving crews of the nineties. Their ethos was all about rejecting profits and putting on damn good parties. Founding member Pete Woosh talks us through some of the highs and lows of being in the gang during the nineties...

Nottingham Independent Cafes and Restaurants Now Doing Delivery, Take-Out and Special Offers

This page is being constantly updated, so we will provide you with the latest foodie news and offers when we can....

Queer Band Slash Fiction on their Upcoming Show at JT Soar: " If we don't fight for visibility, what are we even doing?"

Since I moved to Nottingham as a young, queer person, I’ve been fortunate to stumble into the world of local indie, punk and DIY punk gigs, which have provided me with a community and more importantly, a place to go on a Friday night. Now, as an older, queer lesbian, I’m aware of the importance of carving out queer spaces, especially within rock clubs and bars that can be dominated by cis-gender, heterosexual boys.

We spoke to Beans from Queer band Slash Fiction ahead of their upcoming Fan Club debut show at JT Soar about personal lyrics, influences and their EP Flowers...

Hackspace Help Nurture the DIY Skills of Nottingham's Creative Crowd

Tucked away off the outskirts of Sneinton stands Roden House, a building most wouldn’t think twice about when walking past. But if you are one of the 700 Nottingham Hackspace members who owns a key, you’ll know that there’s quite an extraordinary space inside, where your skills and creative projects can be nurtured with the help of specialist equipment. Our Eve Smallman spoke to founder Dominic Morrow about the concept, the ups and downs, and why spaces like these should be as common as gyms...

DiY Collective's Pete Woosh on His Battle With Cancer and His New Musical Project The 52 Card Trick

As a founder member of the DiY collective, one of Britain's first house sound-systems, Pete Woosh has been a leading figure in the UK counter-culture for almost thirty years. Whether DJing solo or with his long-time DiY sidekick, Digs, he has performed everywhere from Glastonbury to Dismaland, Banksy’s apocalyptic theme park style art exhibition. But after being diagnosed with highly aggressive head and neck cancer in December of 2015, he decided to take a natural approach to treatment, and is about to launch The 52 Card Trick project to give something back to everyone that helped him...

The Movement: Director Sharon Walia on Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

After a year dominated by Brexit negotiations, President Trump and #MeToo, the images of toddlers washed up on Turkish beaches and life boats brimming with desperate people trying to stay alive seem like ages ago. The refugee crisis that once dominated our minds and news feeds is not fixed, or over, or past. It’s still very much an issue, and a Nottingham documentary maker has made a film that highlights the problem from a different point of view...

Doing the Bookshop Hop at Nottingham Poetry Festival

A dazzling evening of new connections and resonant readings at two of Nottingham’s thriving bookshops, Blackwell’s and Five Leaves…

Poetry Profile: Two Days With the DIY Poets

Every now and then you’ll come across something that does exactly what it says on the tin. Nottingham’s own DIY Poets are a prime example of this, with their tagline “We’re Nice and We Don’t Always Rhyme” neatly printed on the front cover of each issue of their monthly zine. We decided to pop in for a chat with the gang to get a gauge of just how nice they are, and we were not disappointed.

Frank McMahon from DIY Poets Answers our Questions in Photos

DIY Poets have been running things on the Nottingham poetry scene for yonks. They meet on the first Wednesday of every month at 8pm, upstairs in Broadway Cinema, to share work and plan for future events. We got leader of the poetry pack, Frank McMahon, to answer a few questions in photographic form…

Pieminister Have Started Doing Brunch

We went down to sample what goods the masters have to offer...