HOLY RACKET
As we wandered through the Playgroup fields last month (which was wonderful, wasn’t it), we heard a familiar song coming from The Burrow. A classic slice of country rock, we were whistling along, pondering which 70s icon it was. And then it hit us – it was Holy Vessels playing a song we’d heard maybe three times and we were singing along like it was an old favourite. Boy, their songs are catchy we thought as we patted ourselves on the back for booking them into our SOURCE New Music night at the Pavilion Theatre on Friday 9th.

CORE BLIMEY
Do you like apples? Really, really like them? Cox’s Pippins, Granny Smiths – all the different types of apples? If only there was an entire day devoted to them… Well now there is – Sunday 25th sees Stanmer Church come alive with Apple Day, an entire day devoted to apple awareness, advice, expert identification and enthusiastic consumption. There’s even an actual orchard there you can mooch around, and plenty of apple-based activities for children. It’s free to get in, which is good – money doesn’t grow on trees. But delicious and nutritious apples do. Lovely apples!

SING WHEN YOU’RE WOMEN
Brighton Women’s Centre is joining forces with one of its neighbours, the Ranelagh blues bar, for a series of monthly fundraising gigs. BWC has served the women of Brighton a wide range of services for 37 years now, from drop-in counselling to affordable crèche facilities. The new night launches in the pub on Friday 23rd with a mini-festival featuring four local front-women playing everything from country and blues to rock and Motown. Admission is free, with donations to BWC welcome.

HOPE FOR CHEAP BOOZE
If you’re drinking at The Hope, you might want to get a bus – it saves on drink-driving convictions and kerb-stumbling, gutter-sprawling journeys home. Get a Big Lemon Bus however, and you can get £2 off Hope Live events as well as all your drinks at happy hour prices. All you need to do is show a valid ticket. They’re running the deal from Wednesday 15th til mid-October, so give your wallet a rest and your journey some zest.

BINARY BINGE
With an opening night featuring the hotly anticipated performance of local dubstep producer Ital Tek, the avante garde Anxst and Planet Mu founder Mike Paradinas’ new collaboration Hererotic, this month-long celebration of the digital world is not to be missed, especially as it’s free. Not just about groundbreaking music, the festival’s bursting programme in various venues throughout September includes conferences, filmmaking, one-off performances and interactive events. Go visit Brightondigitalfestival.co.uk for details.

MAKE STUFF
Grab a soldering iron, borrow your nan’s thimbles and get yourself down to the first Brighton Mini Maker Faire, at the Dome on Saturday 3rd. Gather with like-minded makers, crafty types and inventors extraordinaire as part of the Brighton Digital Festival to “celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself mindset.” Since starting out in California in 2006, Maker Faire has spread across to the UK like hot solder on toast. And as it’s organised by volunteers it’s free. We’re so going to make us a wisecracking housework robot.

WELLY-FREE FEST
Festivals in fields are so 2010, right? If you’re over muddy fields and flooded tents and appreciate the value of your warm bed at night, the Grand Finale Festival could be the one for you. 16 live bands and four DJ sets jostle for your attention across three packed days at Concorde 2 from Friday 23rd, including ska heroes The Junk and Brighton’s best leather-clad girl-rock band, Vier. And if it all gets a bit much, you can always go for a sit down on the beach.

BUNFIGHT FOR FOODIES
The Brighton Foodie awards voting closes on Monday 12th, so you’ve still got time to give props to your favourite restaurant, café and food-punting pubs and shops. Brightonfoodawards.com is the place to vote, before Juice FM DJ Andrea Fox joins Latest grub-gobbler Andrew Kay to slap the requisite backs in an awards ceremony you probably won’t be able to get into. But if you like eating food it’s a good opportunity to help your favoured outlet get a shiny certificate on their wall, so get involved.

WORDS BY DANI COLYER, NICK COQUET, JAMES KENDALL, ADAM PETERS, JESSICA MARSHALL MCHATTIE