Gooseh Gooseh
Floacist of Floetry
“When you’re black and gay, the barriers are higher. You have to deal with two already marginalized aspects, having to stand out when you need to prove something…” Says Alexander Aplerku of AFROPUNK magazine. The Can’t Stop Won’t Stop crew and Baby People have got sommat to say about that, and are hosting an evening at Rough Trade to shout from the rooftops of Broad Street about LGBT Black music. The lineup includes sets from everyone’s favourite soul man, Rob Green, and spoken word neo-soul artist, The Floacist. Although it’s a completely free event, and you’re more than welcome to rock up on the night, you might wanna email info@cantstopwontstop.co.uk to reserve a couple of tickets, just to be on the safe side.
Tuesday 29 September, 6.30pm, free, Rough Trade
The Harpeth is Rising...
Harpeth Rising
Them from across the pond are popping over for a cuppa and a poor attempt at the English accent, once again, in the form of all-female folk group, Harpeth Rising. Having met while studying classical music at the prestigious Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (oo-er), the band from Louisville, Kentucky are nipping over to introduce us to their new album, Shifted. With a sound comprising of the banjo, violin, cello and foot percussion complete with three part vocals, they promise to make your trek to Lowdham worthwhile. Collate your best loved Notts phrases and head on over to Lowdham to confuse them with your offers of a strong cuppa char and brazen “Ay up me duck” greeting. You know you wanna.
Tuesday 29 September, 8pm, £8, The Old Ship Inn, Lowdham
Goose Fair
There are three things synonymous with Nottingham: Robin Hood and his lycra tights; the Murdoch produced nickname of Shottingham; and mushy peas with mint sauce at the legendary Goose Fair. Yep, Forest Rec has been taken hostage by the usual patrol of flashing lights and deafening techno music for the annual onslaught to both wallet and stomach. And we wouldn’t swap it for the world. Give yersen a go on the Big Dipper, or take the kiddies for their first ride on the helter skelter. Whether you go to relive those school day snogs behind the hotdog van, or to create spankin’ new memories with sprogs of your own, it’s a Nottingham tradition like no other. Wrap up warm, fill your purse with pennies and let yourself loose pon the dodgems.
Wednesday 30 - Sunday 4 October, Forest Recreation Ground
The ultimate soul pairing...
Natalie Duncan and Rob Green
To kick off Black History month, Rob Green and Natalie Duncan are collaborating for a once-in-a-blue-moon gig, combining their soul stylings to celebrate black culture and history. Yep, Rob’s cheeky chappy stage presence and Natalie’s belting piano prowess are fusing for all your favourite tunes of theirs, and probably a fair few never-before heard covers and collaborations. What a treat, eh? Check out their cover of No Scrubs on YouTube for some pre-show loveliness. The gig’ll kick off the University of Nottingham’s month-long programme, which features film screenings, lectures and debates that highlight, analyse and delve into black history.
Friday 2 October, 7.30pm, free, Djangoly Theatre
Mud Press Launch
One thing we ain’t short of in this city is people with a sloshings of ambition and lashings of vision. One of these folk is a Ms Georgina Wilding, who has only gone and set up her very own independent publishing house *insert strong, independent woman vibes here*. Mud Press specialises in creating books that blur the lines between magazine, anthology and portfolio, proudly championing poetry like no other. In celebration of the company’s birth, Rough Trade are holding very special launch night, complete with Poetry is Dead Good open mic, live music from Emily Franklin and Cheshire the Cat, and a foot-stompin’ DJ set from What The Funk. And it won’t dent your wallet one bit to get in, so you’ll be able to splash the cash on the first Mud Press release, Hunger, when you get there.
Friday 2 October, 7pm, free, Rough Trade
NG83: The Rock City Crew
Pecha Kucha
For those of you who didn’t know, Nottingham is an official member city within the global Pecha Kucha network. For those of you who still have no idea what that means, Pecha Kucha is a platform for new and existing artists to display their work in a non-gallery format. This week marks the thirteenth Pecha Kucha event in the city, and will see a whole bunch of eclectic creatives join forces to bring you a night of pure entertainment. Claude Knight, director of NG83, the documentary about Nottingham’s break dancing scene and professional clown, Amanda Schofield will be gracing us with their presence, as well as Bettina Kristiansen who set up Igloo Hybrid. Jason Loftus will also be in attendance, having a natter about his work with Double Impact, the alcohol and drug rehabilitation charity.
Friday 2 October, 5pm, free, Igloo, Wheeler Gate
All Schools Should be Art Schools
We love theatre that challenges, questions and opens our minds up to debate. That’s exactly what director Martin Berry and writer Michael Eaton have managed to do with All Schools Should Be Art Schools. Set in Nottingham’s original art school, The Waverley Building, the cast and crew take us back in time to 1843 when the lace industry boomed and a place at the Nottingham School of Design became a most coveted educational establishment. Local actress and Television Workshop graduate Holly Lucas stars, and will guide us through the history of our city’s education system. Find out for yourself whether art schools really are a thing of the past or if, in such a turbulent economic climate, the need for creativity is still just as prevalent. All wonderfully examined in the form of theatre. Right up your road, no?
Saturday 3 October, 7pm, £7.50, The Waverley Building, NTU
Tonya Bolton in Holy and Horny...
Holy and Horny
There’s a one woman force about to storm our city with her show that tackles spirituality and sensuality. Tonya Joy Bolton is taking centre stage in her self-written play, presenting us with the troublesome and timeless dilemma of trying to remain holy but feeling horny as hell. God, it sucks. She’s set herself up for a challenge with a twenty character story that encompasses love, longing and betrayal. Described as a no-holds-barred approach to concepts of gender and sexuality, Bolton explores themes of spirituality and sensuality through mime, song, poetry and drama. It’s one of your last chances to catch the show in the UK, and follow characters like Sheila a frustrated Christian and her sexually uninhibited poet alter-ego, Eve.
Saturday 3 October, 7.30pm, £12.50/£14.50, Nottingham Arts Theatre
For the motherload of everything else going on this week check out our comprehensive Nottingham events listings.
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