Pick of the Week: New Year's Eve Special

Damn You-ou-ou!

Damn You New Year
Yeah, damn you. In the camp that hates being told they should have all the mega-awesome-amazing-life affirming fun just because of the date, they’re sticking a couple of fingers up to the rigmarole of reflecting on the previous year’s bullshit, making room for an affordable and decent night. Nottingham’s own B52s tribute band The NG52s are up for making their last ever gig one that’s a full-on racket, while The Hip Priests and Mannequin merge to form a “pan-generational juggernaut”. Garage rock duo The Bus Stop Madonnas are bringing their fuzzed-out sounds alongside many a DJ – that’s Stuart and Amy Case, Sue “Selectadisc” Starbuck and DJ Simmo. All of this in the meaty comfort of Annie’s, where the bar is stocked with ales galore.
7.30pm, Sold Out, Annie’s Burger Shack

Soul Buggin’
Is sexy disco your thing? Well good on you, a fine choice. Especially as stalwarts of the scene, Soul Buggin’, are whacking on one of their mighty fine parties, birthed through a steamy love of spinning tunes that are a cut above the rest. Not sated by their tenth birthday throwdown, this New Year they’re having a residents special, where the original buggers will keep the floor moving and shaking for six hours, right until early morning comes. Elmo, Wrighty and our very own takeaway connoisseur Beane will be on hand to whip you into a boogie frenzy with record collections that span five decades: Travelling through soul on to disco with a stop off at electronic, they take in everything between. Don’t waste your time tracking down tickets, it’s an on-the-door affair only and without a shocking price. Boogie on down.   
10pm, £5, The Old Angel

Brouhaha Masquerade Ball
Stunt Girl Productions and The Maze are adding even more layers to their extravagant nights for the last party of the year. An endless list of circus-style performers doing crazy shit will be in the crowd so your unsuspecting, drunken self can trip balls 100% acid-free. Adding to the eye-popping spectacle is Metempsychosis’ lighting and projection, a UV show, fire show, burlesque dancers, angle grinders, magicians, and loads more. Headlining are the shanty-singing Seas of Mirth who, next to games of tug o’ war and plank walking, bring proper swashbuckling sounds. There’s also the five-piece Bendigo Band with music that morphs into ragga and drum ‘n’ bass alike. Blessing Magore, Ashmore, Motormouf, Hannibal Selekta, Spykee Wilding, Hypnotoad, Ruthless, Coxie and AJA - all guaranteed to keep the decks and mics lively.
8pm, £12.50, The Maze

DiY and Smokescreen
With DiY already having celebrated their 25^th birthday earlier in 2014, and relative nippers Smokescreen blowing out 23 candles on their own birthday cake, the free party pioneers are back again to bounce us into the New Year with some proper, deep and dirty aahse music. With the secret venue likely to be a place you can look up at sparkly stars instead of fireworks, the only booming will come from a giant hybrid of a sound system and stomping, smiley ravers. With veteran spinners on hand for an evening's (and probably morning's) shenanigans, it’s definitely worth keeping your ear to the jungle telegraph for the festive whereabouts. DK, Digs, Woosh, Inland Knights, Littlemen, Brookes Brothers, Jack, Rob and loads more make up a stonking line-up to chase the cold weather away. Any road, you’ll have no problem warming up after a few hours of solid skanking. So if a bit of midwinter raving's your bag, you're not going to find any better than this.
10pm, free, Somewhere

Kerblamalamasingsong
If you don’t know what Bamalamasingsong is by now, that’s alright. You’ve got chance to be introduced to the best gig concept in the land in the finest of style. In a nutshell, a live band play tunes everyone knows, but they don’t have a singer - that’s the crowd’s job. Don’t worry about owt, they have all the words to the songs projected on a big screen and the masses will drown out any errors or teenage boy voice breaks. Big Rhino kick the night off with a bit of gypsy pop rock to get feet properly warmed up, and then the collective karaoke madness will ensue. That’s downstairs. Upstairs it’s heavy manners. White Finger’s noisy punk ruckus will be followed by the doom blues rock of Mammothwing. The grungy JC Decaux will be the final band of the year to go down in Canalhouse, right before Kagoule hurl you into 2015 with some distorted riffs. Kerblam indeed.
8pm, £15, Canalhouse

Just The Tonic
Having it out in front of speakers loud enough to blow your pants off isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and, as such, the most proper comedy club in Notts is whacking on a shindig for those who’d rather have a giggle than a wiggle. A weighty line-up awaits, with Johnny bleddy Vegas himself as the host for the evening. An early door kick off, you’ll get three hours of funny-boned fellas in the form of Ivan Brackenbury with his Hospital Radio Roadshow, the deliciously dark humour of Carey Marx and opera singer turned sarcasmo Lloyd Griffith. All fantastical comedians that’ll leave you running after your arse once you’ve laughed it off a fair few times over. And if having a little boogie is, in fact, your thing then fear not, you can have your cake and scoff it. Come half ten, the club turns into a nightclub and you’re welcome to stick around for a twist and shake. Well in.
7.30pm, £19, Just The Tonic/The Forum

Sinfonia Viva Classical Gala
If you don’t want to go balls out into 2015, Royal Concert Hall are hosting a more relaxed affair with an evening of water-themed classical music. Conductor Nicholas Kok will take listeners on a journey from The Blue Danube through to Singing in the Rain, so you can ease yourself into 2015 with an orchestra-induced grin round yer chops. Other beautiful tunes on the line-up include Strauss’s Night in Venice Overture, Tchaikovsky’s Waltz fromSwan Lake, Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture, Wood’s Fantastia on British Sea Songs and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific. Reflect on the year, don your fanciest frock or suit, and float into 2015 on a sea of harmonious instruments. 
6pm, £15 - £30, Royal Concert Hall

Malt Cross
We might be accused of bashing on about how ruddy beautiful the Malt Cross is, but it really is impressive and made all the better by having a team that knows how to sort out a right good knees up, in proper music hall tradition. If you’ve not had a chance to swing by since they gave it a couple of licks of paint, you wouldn’t be going far wrong popping down on New Year’s Eve. They’re promising a lively night and they aren’t fibbing, with a line-up that boasts Swing Gitan as headliners. These guys are all about the dancing with their modern gypsy jazz and Latin groove music. Yeah, you heard us, they really don’t like to be pigeonholed. Complementing their tunes will be the funky hip hop stylings of the DJ Mista Shotta, and mystery musician Adam Mills. And with those lovely high ceilings for the sound waves to bounce off, we’re sure it’s all gonna be bloody marvellous.
8pm, £10, The Malt Cross

Fireworks at the Castle
Got a family? Don’t want to be stuck under some sweaty guy’s armpit in a club as the clock strikes? Well, for you, the Nottingham Castle fireworks are back, and it doesn’t cost owt. You can see the fireworks from pretty much anywhere in the city centre if you look up, but the Castle will be a bit spesh as it will also be hosting the Fab Four and the Gorgeous Chans, plus street entertainers, food and drink stalls and more. If you have got little tinkers with you and don’t fancy being out when the clock strikes twelve times, there is a children’s fireworks display a bit earlier in the evening at 9pm. So make like Merry Men, grab yourself a good spot in the gardens and get ready to “Ooh” and “Ahhh” yourselves into 2015.
8pm, free, Nottingham Castle

The Orange Tree
If you don’t fancy splashing out on an expensive ticket but still fancy a grand do, the tree of citrusy goodness has got you covered. It’s bleddy excellent value for nowt - they’ve got a serious DJ that’ll keep the floor moving without even breaking a sweat. The fantastical DJ Max is bringing along his mighty fine selection of everything disco as well as his disc jockey finesse, mixing on point choices of bangers that’ll make the dancefloor pop. They’ve got drinks offers on all night, with discerningly tasty cocktails, you’d be a fool not to treat yersen, especially before you give it all up in a 2015 promise to yersen. Grab a few mates, have a jolly owd time and dance the night away.
9pm, free, The Orange Tree

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

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