The late, great, Jimi Hendrix...
Yoga Course
Wake up. Coffee. Tram. Work. Coffee. Meeting. Coffee. Angry boss. Coffee. Tram. Wine. Wine. Bed. If that’s an exact replica of your daily routine, then it’s probably about time you stepped away from the Nescafe and took some positive steps to remove all the stress from your life. Find your chakra and embrace a new life of zen and calm with a four-week yoga course at the ICC. You’ll learn all about the benefits of the practise, including the various breathing techniques, bandhas (energy locks, to you and me) and the correct alignment for the key asanas, or postures. Head over to the website to register online.
Monday 27 July, 8pm, £34, YMCA ICC
Dead Gods: The 27 Club
Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. All incredibly talented musicians, and all passed away at the tender age of twenty seven, making them all members of the infamous ‘27 Club’. Chris Salewicz is the author of Dead God’s: The 27 Club, an insight to the life and death of all who populate the group. Having worked at the NME in the late-seventies, Salewicz knows all there is to know about the music business, and this is your chance to find out exactly why such blazing stars burnt out so young with a Q and A session hosted by our very own, Jared Wilson. Buy a copy of the book, and get it signed by the author himself.
Monday 27 July, 7pm, free, Rough Trade
East is East
East is East
Puffer jacket and chip cob at the ready, the cast of the West End smash hit are ready to take over our humble Nottingham theatre for your viewing pleasure. Set in seventies Salford, East is East tackles the issue of growing up in a multicultural household with all the political correctness of an inebriated politician. It’s bloody funny. The semi-autobiographical piece written by Ayub Khan Din is a timeless kitchen sink comedy that’s just as relevant today as it was when it was first created. If you’ve had a bit of a rough day, grab yourself a last minute ticket and cheer yourself right back up.
Runs until Saturday 1 August, £13.50 - £29.50, Theatre Royal
One Day, Something Happens: Paintings of People
The study of people in art is, arguably, as valuable to our knowledge and understanding of the human form as a biology textbook. For your perusal, Jennifer Higgie has selected a range of works that detail the human form and humanity itself. With works such as Lucian Freud’s Girl in a Green Dress, and the 1906 study of a woman by Walter Sickert, from whom the exhibition title is a direct quotation. There’s gonna be some modern works on display as well, from artists such as Alasdair Gray, David Hockney and Paula Rego. If you can’t make it this week, you’ve got until September to check it out.
Runs until 6 September, castle entry fees apply, Nottingham Castle
Don't Attack Iraq...
We Are Many
We’re supposed to have a free press here in the UK, and certainly, in comparison to other countries around the world, we do. But recently, it’s started to feel like the mainstream media are buddying up with the government and deciding what it is they want us to see, and what they want to keep under wraps. Despite over 100,000 people turning up in London to march in protest against austerity measures imposed by the government, the major news channels politely ignored it. A similar thing happened back in 2003, when millions of people in over 800 cities all over the world gathered to march against the invasion of Iraq. Despite it being the largest mobilisation of people to ever occur, it’s a barely known and largely untold story. Why? Amir Amirani asks all the right questions in his film, detailing the event and the consequences of the protests.
Wednesday 29 July, 8.30pm, £8, Broadway
JC Decaux
Space grunge progressive garage rock. Apparently, this is JC Decaux in five words. I’m Not From London are putting ‘em on at The Lofthouse - the space they share with creative power couple, Trish and Ian Gardiner. The city’s favourite producers have previously described the band as “an artistic exploration of the hypothesis ‘What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.’” If that sounds like your cuppa char, then clear your Friday night and go get your groove on. You can also support The Lofthouse’s bid to raise £5,000 in order for them to stay open and provide free creative education and advice for disadvantaged young people in our city. Good vibes, good feels and good music. What Friday nights were made for.
Friday 31 July, 8.15pm, £3/£5, The Lofthouse
His bark is worse than his bite...
YNOT Festival
Get your wellies on and head down to the stunning hills of the peak district countryside, and enjoy a long weekend of energetic, expressive and exhilarating live music from a huge range of artists and bands from across the world. Catch the one and only Snoop Doggy Dog, Basement Jaxx and Primal Scream, relishing in the Derbyshire countryside. No beastiality jokes allowed. We’ll be flying our Notts flag in the form of Indiana and Saint Raymond, so it’s probably best that you turn up to support in the face of our regional enemies. If mucking about it the mud isn't your scene, do not fret, get yourself a last minute glamping ticket and live the festival highlife with electricity, a real bed and hot running water. Derby’s never looked so appealing...
Friday 31 July - Sunday 2 August, £84.50 - £94.50, Pikehall, Derbyshire
Riverside Festival
The city’s biggest, best and free festival is gracing us with it’s presence once again. There is an absolute feast of stuff going on, with live music from Eyre Llew, Bitter Strings and The Gorgeous Chans, and a whole bunch of wonderfully weird street theatre for you to peruse at your leisure. Pop the waterproofs on the kiddywinks and drag them along too. There’s a whole load of stuff to keep ‘em entertained, including a paper airplane obstacle course, circus skills workshops and a dragon boat race to watch. It’s a proper community spirit kinda weekend, particularly the firework display on the Saturday evening. Oh, did we forget to mention the duck race...
Friday 31 - Sunday 2 August, free, Victoria Embankment
Mimm Rooftop Party
The Mimm collective are back with yet another free party and an excitingly bold line up. Utilising the versatile space that is Saltwater’s rooftop terrace, the dancing will carry on as the sun fades over Nottingham’s glorious skyline. On the decks will be London-based producer Henry Wu and Yorkshire don Bambooman, with plenty of live art and screen printing to boot. Let’s just hope the weather holds up. Get yourself down nice and early as the party ends at midnight, but don’t fear, if you are not quite ready to go home there will be an after party taking place over at the Bodega until the early hours.
Saturday 1st August, 4pm, free, Saltwater
Mike and Eef's fundraiser
Fundraiser for Mike and Eef
After finding out that his brother’s girlfriend had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Will Bailey decided to do what he does best, and throw a fundraising festival to support the couple through whatever the future holds. That, is a proper good deed. Dig deep, buy a ticket, and enjoy the day in their honour. Bands on the lineup include Gecko, Imperial Leisure, and our designer, Raph Achache and The Killer Bees. There’s also going to be a raffle with some bloody incredible prizes, including signed copies of Frank Turner and Saint Raymond’s albums, a photo shoot courtesy of Petrie Genetics Photography and a £50 gig ticket voucher. You can really splash the cash on a proper night out cos you don’t have to be at work on the Monday.
Sunday 2 August, 12.30pm, £7/£10, The Maze
For the motherload of everything else going on this week check out our comprehensive Nottingham events listings.
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