Pick of the Week: 7 - 13 July

Arletty Theatre

The Bots, White Finger and Deaf Bridges
LA band The Bots put most of us to shame, having three self-released albums under their belts by the time they were 21. When most of us were working out how to tie our shoelaces and which GCSE options to take, they were creating garage punk tunes for the world to thrash along to. Perfectly picked to accompany them are the immense White Finger, Nottingham’s own passionate sound destroyers, and the danger pop of Deaf Bridges. Start your week as you mean to go on, have some good, honest guitar-led fun.
Monday 7 July, 7pm, £7, Bodega

The Racing Room
Find that setting up your old Scalextric at home isn’t as fun as when you were a kid because you keep tripping over the ruddy thing and it’s not in quite the same nick as it was fifteen years ago. Don’t despair, get yoursen down to The Dragon and see a set-up that you could only dream of when you were a nipper. The diddy cars get to zip around some pretty impressive courses - grab a controller, get your motor running and race against the poor suckers that reckon they’re good enough to take you on. There’s practice, qualifiers and then the races proper. On your marks, get set, GO!  
Tuesday 8 July, 8pm, £5, The Dragon

I Love Sneinton
There’s loads kicking off in Sneinton this Thursday as part of the Sneinton Festival. If you feel like toning up a bit, and don’t mind looking like a silly sausage, there’s gonna be classes in yoga and zumba; or, if you’re more like us, and enjoy stuffing your face with proper good food, then you’ll want to get over to the 3cz Caribbean food stall for some delicious jerk chicken. You can also try your hand at a bit of percussion if you want to get involved in the Beatfeet drumming circle; and if none of that takes your fancy, you and your younguns can get involved with some soft play and craft activities. Not bad for nowt is it?
Thursday 10 July, 4pm, free, King Edwards Park

Prisma Live @ Spanky’s
Everyone loves getting a bit of new clobber, and everyone loves a bit of great live music too, so those clever fellas at Prisma clothing thought, “why not bring ‘em together?” If you’re unfamiliar with Prisma, they’re a local brand who make some pretty ace skater style tees; and they’re gonna have a load of their garb on offer for you lucky lot. Soundtracking your night you’ll have the interestingly named Baybo Squaybo, the riff heavy indie rock of Vanity Box, the sensitive folk sounds of Charlotte Carpenter, and the uplifting plucky indie of Suspect Alibi. Go on, treat yersen.
Thursday 10 July, 7pm, £5, Spanky Van Dykes

Swan Canaries
During WWI, Chilwell was home to a national shell filling factory where almost 50% of the war’s explosives were produced. The girls were dubbed Canary Girls as exposure to the TNT coloured their skin yellow – not as pretty as the nickname suggest, eh? As part of the WWI centenary and to celebrate local history, Arletty Theatre are touring their play that tells a story which was covered up when it happened: in July 1918, eight tonnes of TNT exploded, killing 139 workers. The survivors returned to work just three days later. The evening commences with a tea dance and the play includes songs from the era, physical theatre and, of course, comedy. They’re touring so keep your eye out if you can’t catch this one…
Friday 11 July, 7pm, Chilwell Road Methodist Church 

Broadway Summer Festival
There’s so many great festivals going off in Notts, it can be hard to keep track of them all. Now, don’t fret, but we’ve got another one to add to our busy calendars. The Broadway Summer Festival brings everything we love about festivals to The Lace Market, and it’s all in the name of charity. They’ve gone and got loads of great Notts musicians such as Molly & Jack and Bitter Strings, a load of DJs to soundtrack the weekend, as well as plenty else to keep you entertained, such as a ping pong tournament, a custom made adventure golf course from The Lost City and loads more. And there’ll of course be loads of delicious treats outside to scoff. We love festival season.
Friday 11 - Saturday 12 July, free, The Lacehouse

Waterfront Festival
Here’s one festival that has become a staple on the summer calendar and is one you don’t want to miss. Thanks to I’m Not From London and Audacious Face, you can expect to find over thirty acts, spread over three stages next to the canal, and all in the name of charity. Considering it’s their fifth birthday, they’re going all out, with the intent of making five grand for The Cystic Fibrosis Trust and The Indee Rose Trust. Everyone’s coming together, bringing the best musical talents in Notts, stretching from the electro sounds of One Bomb to the soft, sweet sounds of Anwyn Williams. Anyone who’s been before will tell you what an awesome day it is, so grab a beer and get merry.
Saturday 12 July, 12pm, £7, The Canalhouse

Tumble X Bastards
After the massive success of their last night, those dirty beggars in Tumble are back again to get all of you lot having a proper skank off. Considering the World Cup’s on at the minute (in case you hadn’t noticed), they’ve gone and brought some international talent along with ‘em - the We Are All Bastards crew are from Sweden, and they’ll be facing off against our local resident Tumble team. We didn’t do too good last time we played footeh against the Swedes, so let’s hope this is a different story. Either way, it’s gonna be a right good night, and no matter who wins - you still get to dance to some of the best bass in town.
Saturday 12 July, 10pm, £4, The Bodega

Flash Mob Reading Session
Remember those flash mob dances that were well popular a few years ago? When a load of choreographed dancers would all be discretely hanging around an area, then all of a sudden music would start blasting, and they’d all burst into a huge dance routine? Well, Dawn of the Unread are doing a literature version of that. How? Well, they just want you to show up in the Market Square at midday, with any book, it doesn’t matter if it’s Fifty Shades or Nietzsche, and just sit down read for five minutes. They’re trying to raise awareness for the closure of libraries around the UK, and Hoodtown’s rich literature history. What better excuse to stick your nose in a good book. 
Saturday 12 July, 12pm, free, Market Square

The Chase
Faolan Jones and Andre Nichols’ feature length film is a fictional depiction of the lives of a group of teenagers living in St Ann’s. It was first screened in November 2012, but you’re lucky enough to get another chance to see it on the big screen. Based on real life experiences of young people in Nottingham, don’t expect a bleak look at life, this film captures the reality of living in an inner-city area and it’s shot through with humour, hope and creativity. It also boasts a homegrown score from the likes of Nina Smith, Kirk Spencer and Scorzayzee. There’s a Q&A session after with cast and crew so you get to ask any burning questions the film raises.
Sunday 13 July, 4.45pm, £7.70, Broadway Cinema

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Nothing like a bit of optimism to ensure the weather is going to rebel. But who minds potentially getting a bit soggy when you get to see Sherlock Holmes brought to life in the grounds of Wollaton Hall. Chapterhouse theatre company delve in to a terrifying mystery in the Northumbrian countryside, which only one man can solve. It’s got all the key elements: the good Dr Watson’s wife goes missing, a legendary nemesis, lonely moors… If you’ve never been to an outdoor theatre production, this one’s as good a place as any to start. A totally different experience to that of indoor theatre, just don’t forget to take a cushion, camping chair and umbrella.
Sunday 13 July, 6pm. £14/£10, Wollaton Hall

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

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