Pick of the Week: 21 - 27 July

Ping! Nottingham
Pretending like it’s some kind of youth club from the eighties, Nottingham is going to have over twenty ping pong tables dotted across it until Sunday 31 August. Six weeks of ping pong pandemonium. The launch event is on Monday 21 July on Smithy Row – just off the Market Square – and there’ll be matches from England international players and a table tennis robot to pit yourself against. They’re free to play on and there’ll be comps, master classes, tournaments and treasure hunts going off across the six weeks too. From Clifton to the train station to Sneinton Market, grab a paddle and get pinging and ponging.
Monday 21 July – Sunday 31 August, free, various venues

Dig! Film Screening
The Beestonian Film Club decided to have a music themed night, and what better film to show than the rock documentary that is Dig! Filmed over seven years, it’s an in-depth look in to the rather peculiar, angst ridden, drug addled world of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. Two American bands who came together because of their love of sixties psychedelia, but whose love/hate relationship sent them on quite a few highs and lows. Even if you’re not a fan of their music, this film is an incredible voyage to take. BFC will also have some music video producers down as guests to talk about what they’ve been creating. And, because they’re civilised, there’ll be some supper in the interval. How bohemian.
Monday 21 July, 7.15, £7.50, Café Roya

Danh Vo & Carol Roma
It’s hard to believe, but three months have flown by, and it’s  time for another exhibition at Tempreh. This time they’re bringing two of the beauties to peruse. The first - the work of Danh Vo, a fella who looks at the intersection between personal experience and historical events. The second - the work of Carol Rama, a lady who produces “explicitly female” pieces as a direct result of personal tragedies in her life. There’s gonna be loads to feast your eyes upon, and if you pop down on the 23rd, you’ll be given a guided tour by the director of Nottingham Contemporary himself, Mr Alex Farquharson. A rare treat.
Evening Tour, Wednesday 23 July, 6pm, free. Exhibitions open from 19 July - 28 September, free, Nottingham Contemporary

Kino Klubb presents Creepshow
Everyone loves a bit of a scare every now and then, and George A Romero and Stephen King’s Creepshow is one of those films that manages to make you feel proper scared, but still have you laffin’ your head off. We reckon the line on their promo material sums it up best - “a night of birthday cake, alien vegetation, seaweed, forgotten crates, cockroaches and voodoo.” If all that hasn’t hooked you in, there’s an after party with the rather snappy title of the “Dance of The Dead Disco.” Make sure you come on down decked out in your best fancy dress clobber, it’s all part of the experience you know…
Friday 25 July, 9pm, free, Broadway Cinema

Not the Glastonbury Festival
We can't all afford the ticket prices they charge for festivals in this country, but that doesn't mean that just because we're paupers we can't afford to see quality music. Bartons in Beeston make it their business to put on a whole host of events, and this weekend it's the Not the Glastonbury Festival. On Friday you can get transported to another dimension with Spaceships Are Cool, Big Rhino and The Breakfast Club. But that's not the end of it, oh no, on Saturday they're filling the stage again with the chilled out vibes of Cecille Grey and We Show Up On Radar, the stomping blues of 94 Gunships, and Josh Wheatley. Plus, you can leave your wellies at home.
Friday 25 - Saturday 26 July, £8/£10, 7.30pm, Bartons

Meet Your Fool
We’ve all played the fool at some point, whether it was back when we were young uns, or just when we’re trying to give our mates a laugh. But what does it really mean to be a fool? Well, Nomadic Academy are here to fill you in - and help you meet your inner fool. Through a mix of improvisation and your own imagination, their workshops will teach you how to feel at ease in any situation, and act like a daft sod in front of anybody. Perfect for those of you who are already outgoing, and for any of you who are prone to being a bit shy. You’d be a fool to miss this.
Saturday 26 July, £20/£30, The Corner

Electric Drawing Family Workshop
Here’s something that we’d have bloody loved to have done as kids - as part of the Superpowers Creative Technology Workshops, Codasign are putting on a workshop where you and your little ones can learn how to make your very own light up drawing. Yup, thanks to the wonder of Bare Conductive’s electric paint, you’ll be able to make your very own piece of art that lights up. Sod getting a lamp from Wilkos, just come down to this free workshop, and your bedside cabinet will be just as dazzling as Blackpool illuminations.
Saturday 26 July, 11am, free, Mansfield Central Library

Mimm Rooftop Party
After the roaring success of their Gilles Peterson show back in May, the Mimm Collective are back, and this time they’re taking over the best rooftop in the city for one hell of a party. Headed up by Alexander Nut of Eglo Records and Rinse FM, there’ll plenty of bass heavy sounds to get your skank on to. There will of course be live art from some of the Mimm’s collective incredible talent, and a few of their mates too. Plus, bring a blank t-shirt down and you’ll be walking home with the best decked chest in town, as you can get an ace design printed on it for a fiver.
Saturday 26 July, 4pm, free, Saltwater

Fat Digester
We all like to get a bit funky sometimes, and thankfully there are some bands out there that cater to that desire and then some. The collective – a proper one, as in, even they don’t know all their members’ names some days - of Fat Digester bring the genres of funk, soul and hip hop into one room and get them all bouncing off each other in new ways to make you shake. They’ve been together since 2008 and have taken their sounds across the country to cities and alternative festivals, but aren’t averse to giving it back to their home town. Get on down.
Saturday 26 July, 8pm, free, Nottingham Contemporary

The Making of Dawn of the Unread: Meet the Writers
Bridgford Library got quite an overhaul a year or so ago, and although it was never too shabby, it’s certainly not now. If you’ve never been, what better excuse than to meet some of the authors behind the ground breaking Dawn of the Unread. Celebrating Nottinghamshire’s disgustingly rich literary history, as well as the magic of reading itself and the beauty of the library system, the eight-part interactive graphic novel is pretty special and if you’ve not checked it out, get on your device now. Meet John ‘Brick’ Clark – who featured in our latest issue of LeftLion – alongside Niki Valentine, Adrian Reynolds and the braaaains behind the project, James Walker.
Saturday 26 July, free, West Bridgford Library

Hip Hop All Dayer
Calling all hip hop heads - Broadway are putting on a day full of visual and sonic showcases of your favourite art form. Five films (including The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest and Wild Style), masterclasses, and guest speakers - all there to help the new generation learn about the five elements of hip-hop - emceeing, DJing, B-Boy, graffiti and knowledge. An outright baragain of a day, there’ll also be a BBQ and open mic session on the terrace for you to chill out to in the few breaks of the jam-packed day. Come for one, come for all, just walk this way…
Sunday 27 July, 11am, £15, Broadway

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

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