Paved with Gold exhibition
Oxjam
They say that the best way to act global, is to think local. One organisation doing just that is Oxjam, the musically gifted younger sister of the charity Oxfam. Having started back in 2006, Oxjam aims to unite the music lovers up and down the country to raise money to help others around the world who are living in poverty. This week, they’re taking over Rough Trade with a load of live, local bands, in a bid to do sommat about sommat. With music acts including Sam Beeton, Billie, and poetry from Miggy Angel and Alice Short of the DIY Poets, there’s a little sommat for everyone. The event is open to all ages, so round up the sprogs and make a proper Monday night of it.
Monday 19 October, 7pm, free, Rough Trade
Goo on, Brewdog
Console Yourself
Did your six month girlfriend get off with your best mate last Saturday? Has your phone bill bounced for the third time in a row? Did you lose that birthday cheque you got from grandma? Never mind. Put it all behind you this Tuesday with some proper old school gaming and more craft ale than you can possibly drink. With N64s, MegaDrives and a whole bunch of PS2s, Brewdog are on hand to console you - geddit - with traditional gaming all evening. So forget the worries and woes of your weekend, order a Punk IPA and battle it out on Street Fighter II.
Tuesday 20 October, 4pm, free, Brewdog
All The Little Lights
Written by Nottingham playwright Jane Upton, and commissioned by Fifth Word Theatre, All The Little Lights is a hard hitting and darkly funny theatre production that follows three girls involved in a sex ring. Upton's first play, Bones, was premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and received five star reviews; she has gone on to write several more plays, all of which were received well. Her latest production, which explores themes of friendship and family in the underbelly of society, was written with support of charity Safe and Sound. The performance is being shown over three days only at the Nottingham Playhouse, so grab a ticket soon to make sure you don't miss out on what is set to be an evening of eye opening entertainment from some of Nottingham's most promising talent.
20 - 22 October, £10 (£8 Concessions), Nottingham Playhouse
Help solve the problem.
Benefit for Refugees
It is vital that we, as a city, come together to help with the current refugee an asylum seeker crisis that is happening within and surrounding Europe. One way you can do that is by attending the fundraiser at the Polish Eagle Club on Sherwood Rise this weekend. Bands on the lineup include Marc Block, Crescent City and MOJA, and you can partaay until the early hours with DirtyDiscoSoundsystem. They’re even putting a spread on for yer. How lovely. All money raised will go straight to the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum, as well as Medecins Sans Frontieres who are working on the frontline of the crisis. Dig deep and do your bit for those who need it most.
Friday 23 October, 7.30pm, £3/£5, Polish Eagle Club
PubhD #21: Chemistry, History, Mathematics
If increasing your brain mass while necking a pint of Pale Ale is right up your road, then you may have just hit the jackpot with this one. This week, three proper smart folk are gearing up to pass on their pearls to pub folk like you and I. Sunil Pajput is a Chemistry and Pharmacy PhD student from UoN, preparing to dazzle with his talk on drug and light molecules. Yves van Gennip (Mathematics) is a lecturer in Applicable Analysis at the University of Nottingham, and our Eddie Cheetham is a PhD History student at NTU, looking at hospital and healthcare communities from Derbyshire, pre-NHS. Fill your boots with knowledge, and a couple of bevvys.
Wednesday 21 October, 7.30pm, free, The Vat and Fiddle
The man himself...
David Belbin Book Launch
The chair of Nottingham’s bid to become a UNESCO City of Literature has knocked out over forty novels and he doesn’t intend on stopping there. In fact, he’s scribbled a new ‘un called The Great Deception and he’s having a party at Rough Trade to celebrate. With delicious Crate Brewery beverages to guzzle, it’s sure to be a joyous occasion. Don’t sink too many though, petal – you’ll need your concentration at full capacity for Mr Belbin’s reading, a Q&A session, and a meeting with the author himself. As the third part in the Bone & Cane series, The Great Deception looks at New Labour’s selling out, and the influx of organised crooks that followed. The story is all set in our city, following the relationships and mysteries of a local MP, a weed dealer, a chief constable and an undercover copper. A thriller packed with dark politics and criminality, well worth having a peep at.
Wednesday 21 October, 7pm, free, Rough Trade
Seckou Keita and DJ Yoda
Alright, you can forget whatever’s scribbled in your diary for tonight – we’ve got you covered with your very own mini music festival. Start the night in Nottingham Arts Theatre at 7pm, pretending you’re dead posh, listening to the sounds of the kora (the West African harp), played by the prodigious Seckou Keita – an artist not to be missed. After you’ve had your harmonious fill, inclusive of the angelic Welsh voice of Gwyneth Glyn, head to Spanky’s for 9pm(ish) to get your dancing shoes on for some mental hip hop from DJ Yoda. Yep, you heard right. The man, the legend, is coming to tear up Spanky Van Dykes with his absolutely crackers production and musical mashups, supported by Nottingham’s very own beatboxing boss Motormouf and tune encyclopedia Dan Rattomatic. You’re welcome.
Friday 23 October, 7pm and 9pm, £14, Nottingham Arts Theatre and Spanky Van Dykes
A free festival, you say...
Malt Cross Festival
The Malt Cross, which was built in 1877, is now one of the only standing Victorian Music Halls, and to celebrate the anniversary of the reopening of Nottingham's most unique and historic venue, they are hosting a three day, boutique, arts and music festival. There will be plenty of stuff to get involved in, from arts and crafts workshops in the day, film screenings and poetry readings, to live music and partying in the night. Expect some of the best live jazz performances and top notch DJ’s, including sets from Stiff Kittens and Swing Gitan. And if that doesn’t already sound good enough, guest chefs from Smoked will be dishing out some delicious treats to get your mouth watering, which you can wash down with some hand picked, fine, local craft ales. Tell your friends and your family, it's free open to all.
Friday 23 - Sunday 25 October, free, Malt Cross
Paved with Gold exhibition
We bloody love it when galleries show us sommat different. Not your usual French fine artists or an array of scruffy sofas and unmade beds. We’ve got some proper Midlands work on show this week, with a selection of images, both past and present, of the East Midlands skate scene. All the best ollies and kick flips from Notts, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire will be on display, proud as punch, for all you budding Tony Hawks out there. If you get down to opening night on the Saturday, there’ll even be some free beers and prints available to purchase. Cracking stuff.
Saturday 24 - Sunday 25 October, 5pm-9pm/11am-6pm, free, Bohunk Institute
For the motherload of everything else going on this week check out our comprehensive Nottingham events listings.
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