Pick of the Week: 5 - 11 October

image: Broadway

Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down
Andrew Graves, aka MulletProofPoet, is something of a legend around these parts. Stylish, eloquent, and a lyrical finger-sticker-upper to the proverbial man. Now’s your chance to gain some of his worldly wisdom, in his ten-week course down Broadway Cinema. The course, running every Tuesday, looks at representation of the working classes in British cinema, all inclusive of silent era material, as well as cult classics like Kes and Quadrophenia, Second World War propaganda films, fifties and sixties dramas, and loads more. And with the guidance of Mr Graves, you’ll get to pick it all apart. You may have guessed already by the title, but there’s gonna be some Saturday Night and Sunday Morning knowledge stashed inside the sessions, as well as insights into the work of directors like Shane Meadows and Ken Loach. ‘Tis prole pictures gone barmy. Get yersen signed up.
Tuesday 6 October onwards, 7pm, £50/£70, Broadway Cinema

image: Nottingham Playhouse

The Rubenstein Kiss 
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were a couple who allegedly spied for the Soviet Union during the Cold War in the fifties. They were convicted and later executed in 1953 for espionage conspiracy. Family members confirmed that the two were complicit in leaking sensitive information to the enemy, but doubts about their guilt remained, fuelled by inconsistencies, and some rather convenient last-minute testimony ‘proving’ Ethel’s guilt. They became the symbol of a battle between the government and those who protested that rampant McCarthyism had gone too far. The Playhouse are presenting a fictionalisation of real-life events as part of their Conspiracy Season. Get all anti-government with James Philips dramatized version of the story, woven between the story of Anna and Matthew, who meet at a museum while they’re both ogling a photo of the captured war time couple.
Runs until Saturday 17 October, various times and prices, Nottingham Playhouse

Dreadlocks Story
Beat the humpday blues and get yourself to the cinema for an informative and entertaining night of cultural documentaries commemorating black history month. Broadway Cinema will be showcasing an intriguing film honouring the culture and struggles of the rastafarian, focusing on its spiritual links to Indian Sadhus and how the dreadlock came to be such a vital form of self expression. This feature will be followed by a mini film that gives an insight into the fascinating and uplifting tradition of caribbean funerals. Get your act together a little earlier and head down to the Cafe.Bar for a spot of pre-cinema grub and a bottle of vino to warm the cockles, now that autumn has well and truly arrived.
Wednesday 7 October, 8pm, £8.30, Broadway Cinema

image: Broadway

Sleaford Mods Gig + Film Screening 
Our favourite gobby, beer-quaffing beatmasters are taking over Nottingham for a weekend. Friday sees them smash Rock City, while Saturday sees Broadway fill up with a crowd who aren’t bovvered, and never were, for the first screening of Sleaford Mods: Invisible Britain. At the gig, there’s a right mix of support acts – grunge babies Kagoule, straight-up lyrical guitarist Mark Wynn, and the no-nonsense poetry of Steve Ignorant’s Slice of Life, hands stuffed in pockets n’all. This tour’s Notts stop-off is sure to be the most mental, so get your gum shield ready to protect your mush for your date at the pictures the following day. The flick includes raw footage of the duo visiting boarded-up windows born from UK austerity, and finding out about the fans’ and communities’ movements in the face of it all. There’s gonna be a Q&A afterwards with Mr Williamson, as well as co-directors Paul Sng and Nathan Hannawin, hosted by The Music Exchange’s Joey Bell. You can grab yersen a £10 ticket if you bring in items for the St Ann’s and Sneinton Food Store to the Broadway box office – they’re collecting bog roll, tinned veg, instant noodles, UHT milk and soups.
Friday 9 - Saturday 10 October, 7pm, 8pm, £10 - £17, Rock City & Broadway Cinema

Anne Holloway 
The Peacock: perfect spot for a bevvy after work or a proper dinner with lashings of gravy. This week, they’re trying their hand at hosting a proper book signing. Oo-er. Join Nottingham local writer and co-director of spoken word group Mouthy Poets, Anne Holloway, in celebration of the publication of her book, Kokoras. Held down at the jolly ol’ Peacock, it’s set to be an intimate affair with tea, cake and other beverages of your choice. Pick up a copy of her book, get it signed and show support to your local artists. It’s on a Saturday and it's free for all, so there's no excuse not to pop by.
Saturday 10 October, 4pm, free, The Peacock

Carnival MAD15

Face Value 
Just about every one of us will come into contact with mental health issues at some point in our life, whether it falls on ourselves or a loved one. This exhibition is opening up the often brushed-under-the-carpet conversation in a way that poses questions, expresses positivity and shares experiences – looking at mental health beyond face value, basicalleh. The work is all created by local artists who have all been through mental health issues, with each contribution encompassing its own, unique story; some artists explore darker emotions, while others focus on the positivity that stems from recovery. The other part of the day – Trauma, Transcendence and Transformation – is a conference carnival with workshops on everything from empowerment and confidence to nutritional resilience, with loads of organisations offering advice throughout the day. Book yersen a free ticket ducky.
Saturday 10 October, 9.30am – 5.30pm, The Institute of Mental Health

Telling Tales Festival
Four years ago, a bunch of mams from around these parts set about making October a little bit more productive for their sprogs by creating a mini festival designed to gerrum right into reading and making and stuff. This year, it’s returning to Lady Bay to inspire and involve youngsters in our city. The festival is a not-for-profit affair, and offers kiddos between the ages of three and thirteen the chance to muck in with a bunch of competitions, attend talks from well-loved authors and get a load of arts and crafts stuff under their belts. Drag ‘em away from the Saturday morning telly-box and show ‘em how to engage their brains, plug in their imaginations and have a good crack at sommat.
Saturday 10 October, 10am, free, Lady Bay

Keep hold of that groove, boy...

Don’t Lose The Groove
Dance away those winter blues with Don’t Lose The Groove, at their official launch party this Saturday. Headliner, Detroit DJ and producer ‘Tall Black Guy’ has graced some amazing stages across the globe and will now be stepping foot in our humble Bodega. There will also support from some of the finest of local talent; Nina Smith takes to the decks with Dan Rattomatic and Local Motive’s DJ Jazzy Jack will be spinning the best of Hip-Hop and Funk. Expect a range of music spanning from Hip-Hop and R&B to Disco and House to keep your feet tapping and arms swinging til the early hours. Super early birds have already sold out but you can still grab a ticket for the small price of five pounds.
Saturday 11 October, 10pm, £5, The Bodega

Hockley Hustle 
The biggest, baddest festival in town is returning in all its charitable glory. Yep, Hockley is about to get taken over. This year, the number of venues has been scaled back, but there’s still a mountain of places to get your groove on, and Broad Street is getting locked down for some crazy street parties. If you head over to Bad JuJu, you’ll find Clash Money Rap Battles; Brewdog’s home to BBC Introducing; Broadway gets will be taken over by us here at LeftLion once more; the National Videogame Arcade is going to be sorted out for some world music thanks to Cultural Vibrations; JamCafe has the expert touch of Farmyard and Sounddhism; and Lee Rosy’s is going to be wordy thanks to Poetry is Dead Good. With so much to mention, it’s best you grab yourself a programme from one of the many outlets all over the city centre, then bag a ticket from The Music Exchange, Rough Trade, Broadway, JamCafe or online. All the dosh is going towards great causes – Framework, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum, The CYF Project, Dolly’s Imagination Library, the John Van Geest Cancer Research Centre, and Rethink Mental Illness. Hustle on.
Sunday 11 October, 12pm, £10/£15, Hockley Venues

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

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