Pick of the Week: 23 - 28 February

Neon joggers

PCB Workshop
In this day and age we’re surrounded by circuit boards, controlled by memory sticks, and entertained by moving screens. Even the sprogs are spending their pre-school days flicking through touch-screen devices and learning their alphabet through highly intelligent computer programmes. It’s a bleedin’ mad world and none of us really understand how it all works. If you want to understand exactly how our friends in the robot community function, pop down to Hackspace and learn how to create your very own PCB board. All materials will kindly be included in the price, and whether you’re down with the data-lingo or if the mere mention of a computer gives you mild heart palpitations, the workshop is open for all.
Monday 23 February, 7pm, £12, Hackspace

Gold Mine
Place two large dollops of hip hop, a splash of soul, funk and motown, a generous helping of jazz and a sprinkling of samba into a Hockley bar and whadd'ya get? Only the ice-cream sundae of musical fusion to end all others. Wax Bar is bringing you the only school night funk-stop in town to deliver the greatest of tuneage for your gracious tabs to embrace. They’ll be digging out the vinyl and dishing out two cocktails for £6 for all you two-steppers to get yer jollies on of a Tuesday eve.
Tuesday 24 February, 7pm, Wax Bar

MuHa-ha-ha-ha

MuHa
Our fair city is home to many a traveller from all over the world. We’re proud to say that you fair Nottinghamites hail from at least ninety three different countries across the world, and we love finding new ways to celebrate our multi-cultural city. One band doing just that is MuHa, who are inspired by the sounds of Eastern European music. They will be performing songs from their new album Reka, meaning river in Slovene - bet you never thought you’d learn sommat in here did ya - which combines Eastern European melodies with North Indian Kathak rhythms and Cuban beats. Oo-er. They’re wicked live and the night is set to be a truly mesmerizing celebration of culture.
Tuesday 24 February, 8pm, free, Malt Cross

Aerial Hoop
Hanging about is good for you. Fact. Well, it is when you’re doing it with an aerial hoop – an exercise phenomenon perfect for those who reckon there are more fun ways to shape up than the treadmill. A circus art, you get to pull some amazing shapes, hangs and drops inside a hula hoop suspended from the ceiling, which means an entire body workout without you even realising it. The instructor Skylar.K trained with NoFit State circus for five years and is a master of the aerial arts. If you reckon you’re more clown than circus acrobat, stop being soft, he teaches all ranges of abilities and will have you whipped into shape in mere weeks. The course runs weekly – just drop in and give it a whirl, girl.
Every Tuesday, 7.30pm, £8 per week or £20 for four classes, The Corner

Tempus Fugit
We’re lucky in this city to have not one, but two universities to provide us with growing artistic talent. Now, Syson Gallery are introducing us to a new pool of students, and are inviting us to sink our teeth into their MA art work. In partnership with students at the University of Lincoln, the gallery is hosting the work of students on the MA Contemporary Curatorial Practice programme, in which artists are encouraged to collaborate and ‘participate in time-limited exchanges and interventions’. The name of the event itself originates from the Latin phrase that translates to ‘time flies’, and refers to the historic notion that time is irretrievable, rather than the contemporary notion of ‘time flies when you’re having fun’. Goo on, don’t waste your time this weekend vegging out on the sofa. Broaden yer minds and engage in some interesting conversations while taking in a fine piece of art. Get cultured.
Wednesday 25 February, 6pm, Saturday 28 February, 6.30pm, free, Syson Gallery

Who knows where your dinner'll end up

The Uncanny Canteen
Kimberley Bell, resident cook and artisan baker of the Primary Art Gallery, is pulling out all the stops for this fundraiser. And by all the stops we mean an eight course culinary experience. Described as a ‘mystery gourmet tour’ that combines food, art, music and the ‘unexpected’, who knows how yer grub’ll make its way onto the plate. The event is in aid of maintaining the Grade II-listed building that the gallery is situated in, as well as enabling them to continue their creative work within the community. Russian artist Yelena Popova is even shaking up a cocktail of her own creation, and with most of her work featuring larger-than-life geometric canvases, who knows what kind of receptacle it’ll be served in. Tickets are expected to sell out fast, so get booking.  
Thursday 26 February, 6.30pm, £40, Primary Art Gallery

Lawrence of Belgravia
Paying homage to the lead singer of an eighties rock band, Rough Trade are holding a rare screening of this cult rock classic film. Lawrence began his journey as the front man for Felt, creating songs with ever so poetic names, such as My Face Is On Fire. He then went on to form the much admired bands, Denim and Go-Kart Mozart. The film was very much a labour of love for director, Paul Kelly, and took eight years to create, providing an insight to the life of one of pop-rock’s unsung heroes, and his dreams of fame and glory. Pop down and treat yourself to a good owd fashioned movie night, grabbing a craft beer and a salt beef beigel as you go.  
Thursday 26 February, 7pm, free, Rough Trade

Mouthin' off at a theatre near you

Mouthy Poets: Say Sum Thin 8
What are your first thoughts when someone says the word ‘poetry’? Boring English classes? A bloke with a posh accent and ruffled sleeves reading from a gold-plated book atop a mountain? To those thoughts, we breathe a resounding “Nay!” and ask that you open your eyes and ears for one night. Or two, if you’re feeling it. The Mouthy Poets throw the stuffy rulebook out the window and aim to create art using drama, music and, most importantly, words. With a horde of poets packing the heat of their voices, expect to laugh, cry, and click your way through a story-laden evening, headlined by award-winning US spoken word artist Jon Sands. There’s an open mic, a scratch show, a headline show, and lots of fun and games. Don’t miss out – get booking from the Nottingham Playhouse box office.
Friday 27 – Saturday 28 February, 7.30pm, £4 – £13, Djanogly City Academy

Ulysses Storm
The Maze. That bar on Mansfield Road that disguises itself cleverly as a working man’s pub out front, but leads to one of the city’s most vibrant, energetic and sweaty event venues. This month, the well-loved sweat-box will be home to the boisterous sounds of blues-dance rockers, Ulysses Storm. Supported by bands including Alta Pueblo, Fall of the Bastille and Thee Deadtime Philarmonic - who describe themselves as ‘the dispossessed, the disillusioned, the bastard sons, the single mums’ - you can expect an evening of good old-fashioned alternative rock and roll. Grab yersen a pint of ale and nod yer head to the beat.
Friday 27 February, 4pm, £4/£5, The Maze

Someone give em a hose down

Blacklight Run
By the end of the month, your resolution to shift your turkey-induced muffin top ain’t looking so appealing. You’ve slogged it out on the cross trainer and pelted your way down a non-existent track on the treadmill. Boring, right? Well, rescue is on its way. And it glows in the dark. Get yersen over to Donny Park and get blasted with neon glow powder as you jog a glorious three-mile stretch. Don’t tire yourself out too much as the real exercise comes after the run, with the Blacklight After Party, where you and all yer UV mates can party into the night looking like you’ve just rolled around in highlighter pens. It’s a family friendly event, so the kids can join in too, and you can feel good knowing that the local charity partner is Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People.
Saturday 28 February, 3pm, £25, Donington Park

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

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