Pick of the Week: 1 - 7 September

Scalarama
A celebration of cinema is hitting Nottingham for a month of indoor and outdoor screenings. A free launch night in Broadway kicks things off on Monday, and on Tuesday the diddy Screen 22 will be showing Battle Royale, where Japanese school kids are dumped on an island to fight to the death. If that wasn’t hardcore enough, Kneel Before Zod are letting the X-rated Mercian Mystery X out the bag at Vintage Warehouse on Thursday. Amélie will be screening in Cobden Chambers on Friday night alongside some délicieux French food offerings, and Saturday sees MXTV music videos in The Music Exchange; Nigel Smith’s film workshop at Nottingham Writers’ Studio; and Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense at Vintage Warehouse. Check the Scalarama listings for times, prices and all the other events going on after this week.
Monday 1 September – Tuesday 30 September, various times, prices and locations

Barbershop Singing Course
We all like to think that we can sing - but unfortunately a lot of us have had to come to terms with the fact that a Saturday night down the local is about the furthest our pipes are gonna take us. Well, sod the Bon Jovi, cos the Major Oak Chorus Barbershop group are putting on a six week course where you can learn to sing in harmony with them - and not sound like a X-Factor reject the second you open your gob. Get your name down quick.
Tuesday 7 September - Tuesday 7 October, 7.30pm, £10, Lindsay Morgan Hall, Mapperley

Rare Chromosome Disorder Charity Gig
Cultural Vibrations are hosting a live music night to raise awareness and funds for Unique. They’re a support group and charity that specialises in helping those affected by rare chromosome disorders, and they need all the help they can get in spreading the word. Good job we’re a city of gobby bleeders then. The Golden Troubadours, Blessing Magore, The Hargreaves, Ashmore, Motormouf, I Am Starz, Ska Pete the Uplifter and Hemulen Soundz make a local line-up of belters. Of course, the evening will be hosted by founder of Cultural Vibrations Rastarella, who holds the charity particularly close to her heart. Good sounds, good vibes, good cause.
Thursday 4 September, 7pm, £5, The Maze

Macmillan Fest
As we creep out of the summer months, you may be fooled into thinking that the festivals have dried up. Well, you’d be wrong. Macmillan have teamed up with IKE Productions to bring a load of the finest alternative acts in Notts to venues around the city, all to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. There will be four stages of heavy anthems to get your mosh on to, and if you need a rest from all that amplification, there’s an acoustic stage too. Top that with festival malarky, a barbeque and raffle, and the entry price is more than worth it.
Saturday 6 September, 2pm, £10, various venues

Nottingham Rocks
The Notts music scene has been buzzing for a few years now and it doesn’t seem to be quieting down. As cliché as it is, we really do have something for everyone. The point of Nottingham Rocks is to give a much bigger platform than your humble venues such as JamCafé or The Chameleon, as they bring four local acts to the huge stage of Theatre Royal. And, get this - they’ll be backed by a fourteen-piece orchestra. Yep, Joel Baker, Shelter Point, Noah and The Afterdark Movement will all be gracing the stage with added oomph and a posh chandelier.
Saturday 6 September, 7.30pm, £10, Theatre Royal

Roots of the Forest
It’s all very well and good getting out and about while the weather’s nice, but hows about doing a little summat-summat for the community in the process? There’s a garden on Forest Rec and it needs as many people as possible to muck in and get involved. In return, you get skills and knowledge in farming your own fruit and veg, the chance to meet new friends, and a bit of good owd-fashioned fresh air in yer lungs. The meetings happen on the first Saturday of every month, so get your gloves on and your hoes ready.
Saturday 6 September, 10am, free, Community Garden, Forest Recreation Ground

Brouhaha #5
They’re back from their summer break, and now the mental mix of live music, circus performers and trippy projections is back for its fifth incarnation. On the acoustic stage there are musical treats from Liam ‘O Kane, Jasmin Isaaka and Lee Tabix, while on the main stage there’s everything from Eastern European folk to ska rave. Top that with the crazy circus antics of The Stuntgirl Walkabouts, the Spanglegrinders and loads of other bits and bobs, and you’ve got a sensory experience like no other. Welcome back, Brouhaha, welcome back.
Saturday 6 September, 8pm, £10, The Maze

Speakers' Corner Public Debate
If you've not had your head buried in the sand you will have heard that our brothers and sisters over that there Hadrian's Wall are talking about having an amicable break-up with England and Wales. It's got us talking, thinking and debating but it's only Scottish residents who get a vote. But, you can hear what other people, possibly with links to Scotland but who can't vote, have to say about the matter, as well as the further reaching implications and the future of the UK in the EU. So whether you've got two pence worth to pitch in or just want to listen to what others think, get yourself down to our Cloughie.
Saturday 6 September, 11am -12pm, free, King Street 

Nottingham Creative Fringe
After the Sneinton veg market on Saturday, there’s an afternoon of arts, crafts, live music, and street food. Two local businesses, Bees Make Honey and Merkato, have joined forces to whack on a showcase of all things beautiful in Nottingham – and it ain’t no ordinary craft fair. They’ve done newbies a favour in limiting stall applications to businesses that have been trading under five years, so we get to see some up and coming, interesting and original talent. I Own You Records are bringing the sounds, and Damn Fine Coffee will be out in full force to battle any flagging. Worth poking yer snout around, int it?
Saturday 6 September, 2.30pm – 6.30pm, free, Sneinton Market

Barefoot Walk
It’s a sad fact that over sixty million people around the world don’t own a single pair of shoes, and as such have to walk barefoot over all manner of terrain. To raise awareness, and also a fair few quid for four different charities, Notts is going to try to smash Guinness World Record for the largest number of barefoot walkers over 3km and 5km at once. While you’re contributing towards this record breaking feat, there’ll also be plenty of great live music cracking off, as well as stalls, raffles, and all your usual riff raff.
Sunday 7 September, 10am, £10, Wollaton Park

Wollaton and Batman Bike Ride
Whether you’re proper confident on your bike or you’re just a beginner, there’s plenty of exciting routes you can take through good owd Hoodtown. This weekend you can test your skills on the Batman route, which runs from Ken Martin Leisure Centre to Wollaton Hall. Once you get yersen to Wayne Manor, there’ll be time to recharge your batteries with some refreshments before you lap past the lake and the boathouse on your way back to Bulwell. This one’ll only take two hours - there’s loads of stuff to be seen and mates to be made, so grab your helmet, and get on yer bike.
Sunday 7 September, 2pm, free, Ken Martin Leisure Centre

Franc Cinelli
Folk is quite an overcrowded genre nowadays, especially since the chart success of artists like Mumford & Sons and Damien Rice; to the point that making it sound your own can be rather difficult. Cue this lovely lad. Franc Cinelli, an Italian born storyteller with a very distinctive sound. From Spaghetti Western style choruses to traditional rhythm and blues sounds, you’ve never heard anything quite like Franc. With local support from the West Coast sounds of Georgie and the fierce folk rock sounds of Sam Jones, it’s well worth the entry price.
Sunday 7 September, 7.30pm, £8, The Maze