Dr David Bramwell’s lengthy CV includes creating the Cheeky Guides book series, hosting The Catalyst Club at Latest MusicBar and fronting the haunted folk orchestra Oddfellow’s Casino. He’s organising the annual Brighton Zocalo street events on Thurs 9th September 2012.
What is a Zocalo?
Zocalo is a Mexican word, like piazza or plaza, referring to the spaces in a city where people naturally congregate. On one day of the year we all take a chair and sit outside our houses as a way of saying, I’m a friendly neighbour, come and have a chat. We get to know the people we live next door to and rekindle a sense of community.
How can people get involved?
Visit our website brightonzocalo.com, download the poster, stick it in your window and promise to take part on the day. The beauty of the Zocalo is that it requires no fund-raising, red tape or council approval, and is mercifully free of Union Jack bunting.
How are the Cheeky Guides doing?
This year’s Cheeky Walks book managed to creep into the top ten local paperbacks in Waterstones, which we were very happy about. Each walk is themed, ranging from art and sex to Lord Lucan and Katie Price. The Katie Price one is a bit tongue in cheek, but it’s still a lovely ramble. No-one’s going to be buying a yacht from the profits. Or even a model of a yacht for that matter.
What are Oddfellow’s Casino up to?
The next album is about halfway recorded. We’ve just released a single, ‘We Will Be Here’ with a video filmed in Margate’s Shell Grotto and the house of an artist in Ramsgate who only paints “bird nightmares”. The song is an anthem for the dead. Cheery stuff, as always. I’ve recently been recording some covers of Brighton bands I love, including Grasscut, Clearlake and Chimp. It’s an excuse to dabble with more upbeat electro-pop, a guilty pleasure that doesn’t quite gel musically with Oddfellow’s more melancholic, orchestrated pop.
Any other projects in the pipeline?
I’m a man who can’t sit still. I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse. I’m currently working on a brand new project called a quiet night in with a Horlicks and a good book.
More Unsung Heroes: Click Hereunsungx
