Pick of New Year's Eve in Nottingham

The Invisible Orchestra Massive
 

The Invisible Orchestra
A gig from these beauties is as rare as rocking reindeer shite, and that’s what makes it all the more special when one comes around. James Waring has farmed the 32-piece orchestra from Nottingham’s finest musical talent to create a sound that is so joyous, it’s enough to make fireworks shoot out of yer tabs. Not only that, but the atmosphere that billows around the room, exhaled by the city’s finest instrumentalists, singers and rappers, is enough to give you that warm, tight knot in yer belly that unravels all the way down to your toes, causing an uncontrollable dancing frenzy. You can look forward to support from Gallery 47 and his abstract poetry, as well as The Last Pedestrians and their psycho country folk, before the Nottingham Arts Theatre stage is taken over with the big-band, Afro-beat, Arabic-punk, Latin, reggae, soul sounds of The Invisible Orchestravaganza. For this gig, the horde comes fully equipped with the beautiful, blooming belter Harleighblu, and legendary Notts rapper Scorzayzee. The lyricism, beats and warbles are gonna blow your Christmas socks off, so fasten yer gladrags and put your back into busting a move. Not that you’ll be able to help yourself, mind.
Nottingham Arts Theatre, 8pm – 2am, £20

The party don't stop 'til 10am...

Rubberdub X Mimm
This one’s a bloody biggun. Two of the most tumpin’ party powerhouses in Notts are bringing through a monster of an afterparty to sink your teeth into. You’ll have to see the new year in at another venue, but from 1am there is no other place you’ll wanna be than The Irish Centre. With two massive sound systems across two rooms, and DJs from almost every Notts collective known to mankind, it’s a stamina session that’s bound to sort the rampant ravers from the party poopers, as the mashup don’t stop till 10am. Yep, it’s multi-genre madness with every bleeder from Tumble Audio, to Clash Money Rap Battles, to Trent Bass, Local Motive, White Rabbit, Flouche, Plates, and then some. So here’s the deal: they bring the stacks, you bring oodles of good vibrations and toe shuffles to the altars of noise. Pack up your caffeine tablets, whistles, party hats, and wear your comfiest shoes, cos you ain’t about to stop boogyin’ until way into 2016. We’d just like to say thanks in advance. Oh, and if you’re skint after all that Chrimbo wallet annihilation, keep your eye out on social media for upcoming competitions, and land yersen some free tickets.
The Irish Centre, 1am – 10am, £6/£7/£8/£10

When it's cold outsiiiiide...

Kold Chillin’ New Year’s Eve Throwdown 
We got all sad that The Old Angel aren’t hosting Soul Buggin’ this special night as they have in years gone by, but then we got all happy because they’ve filled the slot with another crew who are bound to make you bounce. The Kold Chillin’ resident DJs – Hurst, Archive and Lethargy Will – will be stuffing their bags with enough hip hop beats to keep you going hard into the wee small hours. It’s all vinyl, it’s all good. And in light of austerity, they’ve only gone and made the door tax a big fat zero. Get down with your bad selves.
The Old Angel, 8pm, free

Put a good dollop of dance on your celebrations

Dollop 
House parties are all well and good, as are the more intimate dos that go off, but sometimes NYE is about losing your shit in an epic way, where you want to go so mental that one room cannot contain your moves. Two won’t cut it either. Nor three. Dollop are on it and are taking over the three venues you can flit between with relative ease: Rescue Rooms, Stealth and Rock City. With names like Bondax, Monki, Shadow Child, My New Leng, Kurupt FM, and, well gosh, we haven’t got the space to list them all. Basically, you’d have no chance of fitting all the DJs on the line-up into a people carrier, let alone a classic Mini Cooper. You want epic, you want beats, your search is over.
Rock City, Stealth, Rescue Rooms, 8pm, £45

It ain't over til the fat guitar riffs sing

I’m Not From London NYE 
‘Ello, ‘ello, ‘ello. What have we got ‘ere then? A lovely bunch of rockers, that’s what. INFL have selected some of the louder and prouder guitar-wielding acts out there and brought them together to help you see in 2016. Loudly. Whisky Stain will kick things off with their foot-stomping blues, followed swiftly by Riff Bastards – their name speaks for itself – and then it’s going to get epic with Eyre Llew. And to see you right into the New Year, the rib-rattling, hard, stoner rock sounds of Widows. If your blood ain’t pumping by 10pm, you might want to get yourself checked out.
Rough Trade, 8pm, £10

Johnny Vegas hosts Just the Tonic’s New Year’s Eve 
Life’s a funny old thing, and when we say funny we mean it ain’t always that funny. But there are some folk who make a career from turning their woes into hilarity, helping to lift, boost or complement every mood. Even if you aren’t at your jolliest, you’ll be crying in a good way by the end of the night at JTT. Johnny Vegas, Stephen Bailey, Andy Askins, and Ian Cognito will be there to give it to you every which way to make you laugh. And when they’re done, you can get your arse off your seat and shake it until the early morn when the club night kicks off. Top stuff.
The Forum, 6.30pm

The bar that never sleeps...

New York Block Party
It can be one of the most anticlimactic nights of the year. You spend ages primping and prepping because, of course, it’s not just any old night on the town. Then you head to the same pub, followed by the same bar, drinking the same cheap lager and finishing with the same grotty kebab. This year, The Lacehouse are doing summat different, transporting you to the city that never sleeps. Yep, that’s right. A New York-themed block party. Feast on pizzas and hotdogs, themed cocktails and live DJ sets that’ll take you through to 6am. They’ve even promised some surprises throughout the night. It ain’t gonna be one to forget, but we can’t promise you’ll remember it.
The Lacehouse, 7pm – 6am, £5/£8/£10

Belt yer lungs aaht...

Bamalamasingsong
We chuffin’ love a good sing-song round these parts. There’s only one night in Notts that allows us to do so while maintaining a shred of dignity, and that’s the mass-karaoke madness of Bamalamasingsong. This NYE, the live band will be playing banger after banger for you lot to squeal yer tickers out to, in the comfort that no matter your vocal styling, you’ll join the dulcet tones of the drunkest, motliest choir about. There’s a free drink and canapes on arrival, as well as a load of bad dancing and a club night afterwards. So whether you’ve got the voice of an angel or a raspy croon, lerrit goo.
Nottingham Contemporary, 8.30pm – 1am, £20 

A rather classy affair...

New Year’s Pop-Up Party
It might sound like several multicoloured, self-constructing tents, are sprouting out of the ground and having a good owd knees-up, but The Riverbank are actually hosting a glorious, upmarket shindig. There’ll be two whole rooms bringing you the finest, soulful house music, and a heated outside terrace serenading you with acoustic tracks. Count down with Shimmer DJ, Damien Wells, and, for an extra few bob, see in the new year in style with a VIP table, inclusive of champagne, pizza and planks of snap. But whatever you do, don’t get too merry and take a dip in the Trent. A bout of cholera is not the way you want to see in 2016.
Riverbank Bar and Kitchen, 8pm – 3am, £20 - £75

Y'ain't in Kansas no more, Dotteh...

Brouhaha
You ain’t in Kansas anymore, duck. Or Notts, for that matter, as Brouhaha are taking you on a trippy excursion to the land of Oz. Pack up Toto, and link arms with yer scarecrows, lions and tin mandem, as you follow the yellow(ish) bricks of Mansfield Road all the way to The Maze. There’ll be burlesque, cabaret and circus performers, and even a few creatures from the land itself to grace you with their presence. So far, confirmed acts are Unknown Era and Revenge of Calculon, but new performers are to be announced each week leading up to the event. So keep tabs to the ground, and avoid twisters and flying monkeys at all cost.
The Maze, 8pm, £10

D'you believe in magic?

New Year’s Magic
Ahh, the prohibition era. The good old days of bootlegging alcohol across the states, and whiling away Friday nights tucked away in speakeasies, with flapper girls strutting their stuff to the soft jazz playing in the background. Bringing it back to Notts is Broad Street’s Rum House, and on the last day of the year, they’re hosting summat extra special. You can treat yourself to a glass of prosecco and a three-course meal, complete with some proper cocktails, and access to Bad JuJu upstairs. There’s also gonna be some close-up magic and mind reading on offer from none other than Duncan Williams. Get your act together and book your place, cos tables are bound to disappear.
The Rum House, 6pm – 1am, £50

A traditional boogy...

New Year’s Eve Party
If the thought of a booming club is enough to send you round the twist, but you still fancy getting a boogie on, look no further. Malt Cross are whacking on a Victorian-style bash with music, decorations and classy vibes. There’s gonna be a DJ, a live drummer and a horn section to shake your bum to, and the bubbles won’t just be coming from the champers tonight ducky – they’ve got gramophones kicking out the boggers, right alongside confetti cannons. All sounds glorious, dunnit? With the airy ambiance of the ‘Cross, you can zap yourself right back to the crazy, bygone days of the music hall in style. Be sure to bag a ticket sharpish – they’re gonna sell fast.
The Malt Cross, 8pm, £12/£15

For the motherload of everything else going on this week check out our comprehensive Nottingham events listings.

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