Pick of the Week: 17 - 23 November

 

Flux 
If you fancy getting some unique Christmas presents this year, look no further. No ordinary craft fair, there’s gonna be live music, a raffle, the opportunity to stuff your face and, of course, some of Lacehouse’s signature tasty beverages to wash it all down. From pretty stuff for your mantelpiece to fish hook earrings for your tabs, you’re bound to find something to suit your crafty needs. It’s a decorative arts auction, so get ready for battle and remember to stuff your purse as it’s cash only. Every penny raised will go towards Nottingham Trent Uni’s Decorative Arts Degree Show in 2015 – show some support for the up and coming artists of the city.
Monday 17 November, 7pm, free, The Lacehouse

Poetry is Dead Good
Bards of the city, unite. Josh Judson is whacking on the fourth edition of Poetry is Dead Good and it’s back at the lovely JamCafé. With some serious talent from the Mouthy Poets and beyond, it’s sure to be a night filled with laughs and cries alike. Hayley Green is set to deliver her rich, out-the-box take on relationships; Matt Miller’s on hand with his tab twitching prose poetry; punk poet Eagle Spits is bringing his seasoned literary rebellion and Jo Kelen’s eccentric, animal-laden allegories are sure to wow. For the fidgety boggers, there’s music from the wonderful duo Ashmore and Motormouf as well as an open mic if you fancy a blast yersen. Get dahn on it.
Tuesday 18 November, 7.30pm, free, JamCafé

Being Human Festival
The first festival in the UK to celebrate exactly what it says on the tin - humanities. With talks and activities cracking off all over the country, Nottingham’s joining in the fun. Highlights include Robin Hood ballads and storytelling; a conversation about sex, censorship and art with artist Dawn Woolley and philosopher Prof. Steven Mumford; a public lecture on D.H. Lawrence’s time in Mexico; and loads more. A lot of the events surrounding the rebellious nature of our city, including recounts of the burning of the castle and the Luddite revolt, so grab your pitchforks and check out the Being Human website for all the details.
Saturday 15 – Sunday 23 November, various times, prices and locations

Nottingham Creative Intellectual Property Project
Ever wondered how to protect all those amazing thoughts you’ve got rolling around in your noggin? Nottingham Trent University are opening their doors to the public to whack on a workshop exploring all those copyright questions that are easily pushed to the sides in the excitement of a new project. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a small business, or just someone with a bleddy good idea, learn how to identify and protect your creative intellectual property so you can license and sell your stuff - safe in the knowledge that nobody can nick it. Although the session has a focus on moving image and broadcasting, the advice is transferrable and useful to any creative industry. It’s free, but don’t forget to book.
Wednesday 19 November, 9am - 3pm, free, Belgrave Centre, Nottingham Trent University

Speak Your Mind 
If you can’t make Tuesday’s poetry session, fear not. There’s a brand spankin’ spoken word poetry evening popping off at Divine Coffee House in Sherwood. A lovely relaxed atmosphere awaits, as performers simply sign up on the door if they fancy a crack on the microphone. Hosted by Dagda Publishing, people are welcome to bring along any books they might want to promote over a delicious slice of cake and a cup of coffee. There’s no need to book, it’s only a couple of quid, and 50p gets knocked off if you’re so brave as to take to the stage. Do it… Do it now.
Thursday 20 November, 7pm, £1.50/£2, Divine Coffee House, Sherwood

Street Photography Exhibition 
Home to Nottingham Society of Artists, St. Luke’s House Gallery is located on Friar Lane near the Castle. Four local artists are showing some of their work there this week, and it’s not for long - best to snap up the opportunity while you can. Their art comes in the form of photography and not any owd naff selfies either. They’ve been recording life on city streets to create a collection of candid social documentation that’ll be eye opening and inspiring to anyone who steps foot through the door. With images from near and far, you might learn something new or just have fun trying to work out where in Nottingham some of them might be.
Wednesday 19 – Sunday 23 November, 10am – 4.30pm, St. Luke’s House Gallery

Christmas Lights
The council may have gone crazy, slinging up the lights before Halloween, and we know in our hearts that never again will Nottingham reach the giddy heights of when A1 turned on our Christmas lights, but it’s still a bit of wholesome fun. The Square, which has looked a bit of a mess for the last few weeks, will be all shimmery and glam again with its skating rink, whopping great tree, stalls, smells and music from Thursday, with the official switch on taking place on Friday evening. The Southwell Minster Choir will be there to get us all in the mood, which can be helped by wrapping your mitts round a nice warm mug of Gluhwein.
Friday 21 November, 5.30pm, free, Old Market Square

Cantaloupe, Fists and Cowtown
Eeee, Hello Thor know how to treat us, and treat us well. This Friday you can expect to start your evening – and weekend – by jigging and jiving to the post-punk, electro-pop loveliness of Leeds trio Cowtown. All warmed up, you can go a little bit mental to the raw indie rock sound of Fists who, if you’re a fan, we bet you’ve been missing while they took a wee break over the last year. But they’re back and fighting fit. Hoorah. Another band who you don’t see much on the live scene are Cantaloupe. They won’t be holding anything back if their last gigs are anything to go by, and they’ve got some new material to test out on your ears. Can’t say fairer than that.
Friday 21 November, 8pm, £5, Spanky Van Dykes

Bird in Borrowed Feathers Market
Don’t look now, but Christmas is sneaking up on us all like some kind of ninja. We know it’s going to happen on the same date every year but it still takes a lot of us by surprise. For those sane people that aren’t going to rest on their laurels a few weeks more and who don’t want all their gifts to come from the chains, get yourself to this thirty stall extravaganza that’s bound to have you whizzing through your Christmas list in no time. There’ll be food, crafts, homewares, trinkets and one-off items galore. Maybe even get a couple of cheeky bits for yoursen, you know, to reward yourself for being almost ahead of the game.
Saturday 22 – Sunday 23 November, 10am – 4pm, Cobden Chambers, Pelham Street

Crowns of Confidence by Rachael Young and Richard Houguez
We all love a good trim. You just can’t beat that feeling when you walk out the hairdressers, head held high, trying to catch a glimpse of yersen in every reflective surface you walk past. Well, hairstyling is culturally significant too. Your hair can say a lot about you. Performance artist Rachael Young and self-taught hairdresser Richard Hoguez are going to use the process of hairstyling to explore the cultural significance of hair and the role persona plays in hairdressing. They’ve had some volunteers who they’ve worked on over the last few weeks and now we can go and check out the results.
Saturday 22 November, free, New Art Exchange

Chaos at The Corner
Grunge is dead. Long live grunge. The nineties Seattle scene is something that will never be repeated but its influence remains and I’m Not From London have put on a night with some of the best grunge-influenced acts in the city. Crosa Rosa, a trio of youngsters who probably weren’t alive when Mr Cobain was, are a feisty bunch who are well worth getting down early to check out. The almighty JC Decaux take a trippy approach to the genre that will have you losing your mind just a little bit. A heavy slice of grunge will complete the evening with the noisy threesome that is Mannequin. It’s going to be a proper loud night in a suitably grungy setting that’s not to be missed.
Saturday 22 November, 8.15pm, £3 - £5, The Corner, Stoney Street

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

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