Pick of the Week: 21 - 27 April

 

Get Cubs, Huskies, Alaskan Faction and The Silhouettes
Indie might sometimes get a bit of a bashing, but with upbeat jangly tunes, feel good choruses and sweeping sounds that engulf you – who cares what other people think, if loving it is wrong then who wants to be right? With three Nottingham indie bands who between them cite their influences as Two Door Cinema Club, Foals and The Vaccines, and a headline set from Burton on Trent lads Get Cubs who’ve been getting attention from Huw Stephens on Radio 1, expect a dreamy night of boys with guitars and much staring at your battered trainers.
Tuesday 22 April, 7pm, £4, The Maze

Jonwayne
The last weekday Sounddhism session with Homeboy Sandman was busier than a bee with five kids, two jobs and a dissertation to do. Then again, it’s no surprise that every bleeder shows their mush on a school night when you pull such big names out the bag. Following suit, Mimm have joined forces with Sounddhism to deliver the Stones Throw Records gem that is Jonwayne. While some might turn up expecting the coolest of cowboys to take to the stage, they’ll be surprised to be greeted with a hairy-faced bloke who brings a new shade of hip hop to the tabs. Local Nottingham acts are out in full force, with Cappo, K-Deuce, Earlybird and Juga-Naut supporting what will prove to be an unmissable act.
Wednesday 23 April, 7pm, £7, The Bodega

Look! The Moon!  
This monthly event is a love affair, with music being the big spoon and art the little spoon. For April: Zimbabwaen Blessing Magore is an afro funk/reggae fusion singer songwriter who’s only been going it alone since last year but is making a strong mark on the scene. Fellow relative newcomers April Towers are another hotly tipped act and will bring their take on eighties dance pop sounds. Add to that Big Rhino’s spirit lifting huge gypsy pop tunes, and you’re dancing. N.O.N will also have immersive art for all to get involved in, plus, their new publication will be fresh off the printing press. Mid-week slump – be gone!
Wednesday 23 April, 8.15pm, free, The Orange Tree

Jigsaw Launch Night
Stealth have got a brand new club night on the cards laced with house and techno music. Not just an endless list of electronically inclined names, there’s gonna be live drawing and painting from Oblivion Art, too. The first line-up boasts some seriously outstanding DJs and producers, including Mylo Harvey, Jacob Nelson, Black & Warner, Kate Joycie and Masix. Headlining the night is Jordan Peak, the EDM legend who’s been on the scene since day dot, winning DJ Magazine’s “Best British Breakthrough DJ” award in 2012. Look forward to throwing some shapes with some art to ogle chucked in and get yersens down.
Thursday 24 April, 10pm, £7/£8, Stealth

Street Art Open Launch Party
With submissions being anything from graffiti to illustration to graphics to sticker tagging, even yarn bombing – this is not going to be a stuffy affair. Street art may seem out of place in a gallery, but with such a strong interest and talent in Nottingham, it seems silly not to showcase it in one place. The launch party will have a DJ set by Ossie and Pete Woosh, dance set from QMX and live painting. Plus, prizes will be awarded to the winning entrants by judges Dilk from Montana, Rastarella from Cultural Vibrations and last year’s winner Bzar.
Friday 25 April, 10am, 6 – 9pm, free, Surface Gallery

RubberDub SoundSystem
Polish off your best skanking shoes, the rubbery dubbers are back for the first time this year, bringing the heaviest of raves to make the back of yer eyeballs shake. Expect rattling windows and jolly faces as Danny T, Tradesman, Caski and Wayfarer take over the Irish Centre. With the jungle net hanging from the ceiling and a maze of rooms to navigate, it’ll be just like Blueprint days again, and with support from the Rubberdub crew, Origin One and Tumble Audio, there’s a massive local vibe on the blend. If stepping away to some thundering dub reggae, dancehall and jungle is your cuppa – then mash it up!
Friday 25 April, 10pm, £4/£5/£6, The Irish Centre

The Running Horse Is Back
The legendary blues pub that sits pretty with its lush tiles just on the outskirts of town has sadly been gathering dust on its bar for the last few years. Thankfully, the owners of Bar Deux have whipped out their dusters, mopped the floor, restocked the bar and it’s back in business. Its first live music event will be courtesy of the omnipresent I’m Not From London, and it’s shaping up to be one heck of a return. There’ll be some bluesy rock from The Lunadogs and Haggard Cat Bothday Present, some prog garage rock from JC Decaux, and some crazy punk from Arrows of Love.
Friday 25 April, £2.50, The Running Horse

Emmanuel House Family Concert
The city centre-based day centre for homeless and vulnerable adults do some truly incredible work and this past winter alone they’ve raised over £40,000 through their “Cup of Kindness” campaign. But they’re not standing around patting each other on the back, they’re cracking on. To continue their fundraising, they’re putting on a huge family concert where you can expect to see The Nottinghamshire Police Band play a mix of popular tunes and West End hits. The cuts haven’t extended to their enthusiasm and we’re sure there’ll be a great community feel. Let’s just hope no one requests NWA… 
Friday 25 April, 7.30 – 10.30pm, £7, St. Barnabas Cathedral

Damaged Stock All-Dayer
Calling all headbangers, have a stretch because your neck is about to get some serious exercise. Damaged Stock is back and it promises to be another full day of mental metal action, all in the name of charity. This year’s line-up includes the likes of Riff Bastard, Evil Scarecrow, the interestingly named Emperor Chung and many more. Yup, you get some incredible metal bands, plus a warm feeling inside because you’re helping the Epilepsy Action charity. For any photosensitive epileptics who can’t usually enjoy these things, the lighting rig will be adjusted so no strobe effects will be used. No excuses not to go mental then.
Saturday 26 April, 2 – 10pm, £6, Rock City Basement

SFiCE 5^th Birthday Party
A bash bursting at the seams with stuff to see and do, all in the name of ending poverty for the slum children of India. There’s world music from DJs Ricardo and Joff, the tuneful voices of the QM Barbershop Quartet, live dance performances, traditional Indian instruments from local musician Lance Hume, arts and crafts, face painting and traditional henna tattoos. There’s the chance to get yoursen some lovely Indian snap, get a massage or your nails done, or even delve into the world of energy therapy with a bit of reiki. The afternoon is hosted by Motormouf, Nottingham’s favourite human beatbox, and there’s a ton of stuff to be auctioned off and won in the raffle.
Saturday 26 April, 1pm, £1.50/£3, The Polish Eagle Club, Sherwood Rise

Reactor Halls E10: Myth Science Colloquium Plastique Fantastique 
Making experimentation fun and fascinating, the Reactor Halls series has delved into all kind of science-y art-y things so far. Their latest ‘episode’ will be accelerating and decelerating myths by using audio and visual and physical means. And what exactly does that mean? We don’t have the foggiest but we’re pretty sure going on previous shows that it’ll be a fascinating evening. The reason they’re playing their cards close to their chests is because they reckon that if you know what it’s all about in advance then the premise of the evening would be destroyed by preconceptions. So there’s only one way to find out what it’s all about – go.
Saturday 26 April, 7pm, Primary

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

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