A surprise night out - Moonlight and Magnolias at Nottingham Playhouse

I had an unexpected night out last week. I knew Moonlight and Magnolias would be on at Nottingham Playhouse but I hadn't bought tickets because the end of February/beginning of March was a busy time with trips to Manchester and Norfolk. When I saw Notts TV running a competition for tickets I still entered though because, after all who ever wins competition?

Well, this time I did. Checking my email on Monday evening after my long weekend in Norfolk I was delighted to find I'd won two tickets -  and then a bit worried as I'd ignored my inbox since Friday. All was well though, so off we went to Nottingham last Thursday evening, and had a thoroughly enjoyable time.


Moonlight and Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson (directed here by Kirsty Patrick Ward) is set in 1939, in the fraught days as the filming of Gone With The Wind gets underway, then halts as producer David O Selznick fires screen writer and director, and coerces Ben Hecht and Victor Fleming into taking their places. The plan is they'll spend five days shut in Selznik's office, and come up with a new workable script ... or else!

With Selznick (Joe Alessi) mincing about the stage as Scarlett O'Hara, and new director Fleming (Oscar Pearce) giving his best as Melanie in the agonies of childbirth, while Hecht tries to turn their dramatics into a screenplay, and harassed assistant Miss Poppenghul (Hayley Doherty) keeps them supplied with peanuts and bananas, it's hilarious!
There's a serious side too. The pressure is on because no one other than Selznick actually believes Gone With The Wind will be a box-office success, but Selznick has a multitude of screenplays that haven't captured his idea of the book. Hecht believes Selznick should pay more attention to the world outside his movie studios; that Selznik doesn't acknowledge that Jews, even those as rich as movie producers, are still treated as second-class citizens in the US, and doesn't take the plight of European Jews seriously. 

You'll notice I didn't mention the actor playing Ben Hecht; for this special praise has to go to Felix Dunning. Normally he's deputy stage manager, but last Thursday he was asked to take over the role from Dan Fredenburgh who was ill. Thrown in at the deep end with no time to learn lines, he was brilliant. The script had to be hidden in a ring binder which looked like an appropriate prop for a screen writer, but otherwise, apart from a very few moments, Felix completely looked and acted the part; amazing after one day's rehearsal.

Not Going Far

 I follow a lot of social media accounts belonging to people who spend every weekend nipping up mountains, or enjoying a rather long walk along a long-distance footpath. They're all younger and more energetic than I am. My adventures are always on the small side by comparison, but really it isn't necessary to travel miles or slog through mud to enjoy the outdoors.

Last week I was babysitting my grandson, and we went out for a stroll to see the ducks at the local pond. It's hardly a ten minute walk but he fell asleep in his buggy almost immediately. I still got to discover this delightful little spot though.











It's 'hidden' just off the main access road into the Compton Acres estate in West Bridgford, and is almost surrounded by housing, but sitting on one of the convenient seats it feels like being out in the countryside.




 No swans here but there are ducks, coots, and canada geese swimming happily around, pigeons perching in the trees looking somehow more exotic than they ought to, and daffodils waiting to burst into flower on the banks.
It proves my theory that it isn't hard to incorporate a little 'outdoors' into everyday life. I feel that this kind of mini-escape is as important for us as a full day out in the countryside, and if I lived nearer I'd visit all the time.

And, to prove the accessibility of beauty where-ever you happen to be - here's the sunset on our way home that evening, seen from (the passenger seat of) the car, heading west on the A453 with Ratcliffe on Soar power station in the distance.

First gig of the year; Ira Wolf, Alex Hale and Ayres at Chameleon

January has been a rather lacklustre, lethargic month for me but it got rounded off in style with my first gig night of the year. Okay it wasn't quite the last night of the month but the night before is near enough.

It was special in a number of ways - first gig night of the year, my daughter back in town to play, and Ira Wolf all the way over from Nashville to head the line-up.















 It was a great night. The upstairs room at Chameleon busy from the start, with my daughter seeming quite surprised that she'd actually have an audience for her opening set. I haven't heard her play in such a long while, so I was obviously going to be biased and think she was great (she was!).














She was followed by local Alex Hale (performing without the other members of the Alexander Christopher Hale Band) with his mix of funny, witty songs



















And rounding off the evening, Ira Wolf. I was introduced to her music, as so many other artists, by my daughter streaming Spotify on long car journeys (appropriate as many of her songs reference life on the road in her VW van), but haven't heard Ira live, I've now moved from 'casual listener' to 'fan'.

I'm not quite sure how I'd describe her music - folk? americana? country? Anyway, check out her website here and have a listen

One of those Sundays ...

 One of those bizarre Sundays - first a trip to local National Trust property, Kedleston Hall in the afternoon to see Christmas decorations.












I've found in the past that their festive decorations aren't as showy as other places', but this year they were very limited; the wickerwork dog at reception was definitely getting into the Christmas spirit though.

 Then in the evening a different sort of culture - a visit to Chameleon Arts Cafe in Nottingham to see Sean McGowan (and the ubiquitous George Gadd). This was the first place I saw Sean play, years ago when my daughter was doing gig promotion, but I haven't been back for a long while.


Sean was performing solo this tour, and sang at first without even a guitar accompaniment -there's not many who can quieten a chattering crowd with their voice, but he did!





Following Thursday's depressing election results, his songs seemed to have more of a protest element to them, but I think that's just me hearing old lyrics afresh in the light of current events; the protest has always been there.
Sean is, incidentally (and probably without realising it) the guy who persuaded me that I'm not too old to get out to gigs, so it's always good to go along when he's in town, and this is the second time I've seen him this year.

Nottingham Night Out

 Heading out for a George Gadd gig in Nottingham last weekend seemed like the ideal chance to drop round by the Christmas market.


Unfortunately most of the gift stalls had closed by the time we arrived - food stalls, bars, roundabouts and the skating rink were still open though, and the twinkly lights always look pretty.







Outside was cold; inside at Bodega very, very warm! It probably doesn't work for everyone but I find an hour or so letting loud music drift over me to be relaxing.

Then back out to the cold streets and sparkling lights.

From The Jam - at Rock City, Nottingham

Another week, another gig night!

I'm starting, gradually, to get back into the normal swing of things, so the other Sunday we were off to Nottingham's Rock City  to see a band, or perhaps more accurately part of a band, from my youth. The Jam split in the early 80s, but Bruce Foxton (from the original Jam line up) and Russell Hastings keep their sound going.

looking through the sound booth

If you follow thus blog very closely (does anyone?) you'll know that, despite all the gigs I go out to, I've only been to Rock City once before and that was years ago (to see Frank Turner). On that occasion though I'd found myself a great place to stand - just behind the sound booth - and that's where I headed this time. It's not as close to the stage as some folks no doubt like to get but it's a little elevated so you can see over everyone in front.

The Vapors

Opening the night were another band from back in the good old days - The Vapors (Turning Japanese) - and the audience seemed mainly folks of my age who'd remember both groups from way back when. It made for a quieter evening than usual - less bouncing around in the mosh pit, more nodding along to the tunes :)

It was good night though. I never got to see The Jam live but this felt very close, and their sound hasn't grown old.

Skerryvore at the Bodega, Nottingham

I haven't been getting out to a gigs these past few moths; in fact, since July when I saw Deaf Havana at Derby's The Venue

I've been wanting to see Skerryvore properly for a while though, and missed them last time they were in Nottingham, so a couple of weeks ago I was off out to the Bodega.






I first saw them back in 2013 at a Free Fringe Music event at the National Museum of Scotland, and loved their mix of traditional Scottish bagpipe and fiddle music with modern rock and electric guitars. I'm just sorry it's taken me so long to go along to one of their proper gigs.










The music this time seemed louder and 'rockier' than I remember, with a lot more hand-clapping and foot-stomping from the audience, but I still loved it.
If you think you know what bagpipes sound like, think again :)

Looking forward to summer - local festivals

The recent good weather has me looking ahead to summer; hopefully to a few days by the sea, but also to the round of festivals. Now, once you start to look around, there are more festivals than it's possible to attend, so my emphasis is on the quirky and slightly off-beat. The huge local festivals like Y Not and Download don't feature here - for one thing, you've probably already heard of them, and also so I'm looking for 'family-friendly', because that generally means suitable for less-energetic older folks like myself.

First up are two I went along to last year; Timber, and Woodside

Timber, winner of Best New Festival at the UK Festival Awards, takes place 5/6/7th July at Feanedock in the National Forest. It's a mixture of informative debates, art, music and fun.

Stuart Maconie

You can listen to familiar names such as Stuart Maconie, Phil Jupitus, and Peter Owen-Jones, or discover new speakers talking about environmental, green issues, and the benefits of nature to our wellbeing.


You can take part in wellness workshops ranging from yoga  to forest meditation, try your hand at woodcraft, find out how to live 'slowly', or join in a dance class.

The Eyrie Stage

Of course, being a festival there has to be music! From colliery band to rock, folk to disco, there has to be something for everyone.  It's definitely family friendly with lots of activities aimed at children, but equally there's a vast amount to appeal to oldies like myself. Last year I couldn't attend for the whole weekend and therefore missed out on a lot of the hands-on activities - there are so many to chose from, though, that maybe three days isn't long enough!




Run by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (with profits going to them), Woodside was a similar 'green' festival.

Held this year on June 15th, Woodside has been renamed Wildside, but is at the same place - Woodside Farm, Shipley, Ilkeston.  This is only a day-long festival but there's a mix of live music from folk to rock, theatre and story-telling, plenty of 'wild' activities to take part in - pond-dipping, willow-weaving, bug-hunting, or wild yoga and outdoor gym, if they're more your style.









Last year's event was really fun, and it was lovely to be able to take Dylan the dog along, proving that dogs and festivals can mix!

EDIT - Wildside had to be cancelled due to a dreadful week of rain so will be re-scheduled for another date









In a similar vein are two festivals being held at Whistlewood Common, a community-owned 10 acre site just outside Melbourne. Events and courses, mainly based around their beliefs of living sustainably, are held throughout the year, but on 22nd June and 20th July they'll be holding two festivals - the first a Midsummerish Music Festival, the second BemTeVi, a celebration of Brazilian culture.






The Midsummerish Festival is now in its sixth year, and growing in popularity.
There's lots of entertainment and activities for children (and their adults) - last year had wheelbarrow racing, and hobby horses - live music from local performers (last year saw a range from Roots Choir to indie group Boats on the Ocean), and food from local suppliers.

At BemTeVi, there will be workshops in drumming and capoeira (a Brazilian martial art), crafts and activities for families, and the day will end with dancing, music, and Brazil's national cocktail, caipirinhas.

Although both are one day festivals it's possible to camp overnight (perhaps best after sampling caipirinhas!)

Now, remember I said I was looking for quirky? Well, how about this? Indietracks, a pop festival held on a steam railway! Over the weekend 26th - 28th July, this pop-up festival takes over the Midland Railway Centre near Ripley in Derbyshire. You park your car, and take the train to the festival site







There are four stages and around 50 new and established acts, mainly from the indie/DIY sector; you can check out a compilation of the appearing artists in advance. If you get bored with the music, you can ride on the trains, visit the museum, and make friends with owls and parrots from the Woodie's Wings charity.

There are two areas specially aimed at children - a messy, crafty one, and a quiet downtime space for the under 5s. While for adults there are workshops on a wide-ranging topics - they've previously subjects as diverse as ukulele-playing and cup cake decorating. Although a full weekend festival, you can't stay on site, though there is a campsite within a 10-15 minute walk.






Have I saved the biggest till last? Probably. It's certainly the one nearest to a mainstream rock festival, and with the biggest, best-known headliners. You might recognise Wollaton Hall as Wayne Manor in The Dark Knight Rises, but I don't think Batman's going to be around on 20th July when Splendour Festival takes over his garden.








This year the event is headlined by Manic Street Preachers and The Specials. Joining them on the Main Stage are Rag'N'Bone Man, X Factor winner Louisa, Slow Readers Club and more, while the Confetti Stage with be headlined by All Saints.

Manic Street Preachers
photo credit; Alex Lake

The Specials

The smaller Courtyard stage is packed with acts that you may not have heard of yet, but are ones to watch out for, and if you fancy something different, there's a stage of comedy talent.

photo credit Ami Ford

Elsewhere there's a silent disco, a funfair, and special kids' area - so, something to entertain all the family.







The only difficulty is, which of these festivals to go along to ...






To find out more about any of these festivals, click on the appropriate link
Timber
Wildside Festival
Whistlewood Common 
Indietracks 
Splendour Festival

Cheering myself up with some Skinny Lister!

This had been going to be one of my normal 'went to a gig and took bad photos' sort of posts, but since I saw shanty-punks Skinny Lister a week or so ago in Nottingham I've been chatting here and there on social media about things which always raise my spirits, help me relax, and generally make me feel good.

 And I realised that in every conversation sooner or later I ended up mentioning Skinny Lister. 

So, there's a slightly different twist to this gig post.

  We'd bought these tickets ages ago, back in November or some such distant time, as I didn't want to miss out. The last couple of months, though, have been emotionally rough, and I wasn't really feeling in the mood for going out.













The day before I'd even been talking about not going; trying instead to sell my ticket. If others hadn't been going with me, I'd have stayed at home. I'm glad I didn't follow through with that plan, as a night out, singing loudly (not necessarily tunefully), jigging about, and clapping, was just the thing to help me forget my troubles.







I started the night off a little down-hearted. Normally I'd be cheering the minute the band came on stage - this time I wasn't. I'd sing along from the first song - this time I barely clapped. A Skinny Lister crowd, though, is noisy, energetic, and enthusiastic, roaring out the words and almost drowning the band. Gradually something loosened inside me.

Since I discovered Skinny Lister a few years ago, I've always found their gigs to be something special. You don't sit quietly and listen to them perform; you need to forget your inhibitions and join in. Singing along is part of the whole thing, as it was with the original sea shanties (be prepared though, Skinny Lister versions are a lot more 'rock' than the originals). Sure, it needs the band to be there leading, but the atmosphere is more like a (large) gang of friends getting together, and having a sing-song. At Rescue Rooms there's a big enough crowd that you don't feel everyone's listening to your singing, but it's small enough to keep the party atmosphere.You'll find their music on Spotify and all the usual places but a live show is amazing. I've tried my best to capture that feeling in my photos but it hasn't really worked; it is, though, why there are as many pics of the crowd as of the band (plus I didn't have a brilliant view of the stage)




I've heard often enough that music and singing are incredible mood-enhancers, but never quite believed it - I suspect because the folk claiming it didn't like the same kind of music that I do. I'm now convinced of it. I've read recently that clapping is also an incredible mood-enhancer - and again there's a lot of clapping along to the beat of a Skinny Lister gig.To be honest, none of these seem like the right things to do when you're feeling sad, but they most definitely worked for me. Not only did my mood change for that night, it's still more positive a week later.