SNOOPERS PARADISE
Part of what makes Brighton Festival quite unique is the Artists Open Houses, where over the first four weekends of May over a thousand artists are able to show their work in actual houses throughout the city. As well as being beautifully quirky in its conception, the idea also serves to alleviate the crashing boredom many people experience when visiting art galleries, most only tending to do so at the onset of new relationships in order to appear all cultured and that.
Over 200 venues, mostly actual domestic dwellings, are grouped together in trails so you’re not zigzagging all over the place. Rather than cocking your head to one side and whispering pseudo-intellectual comments about the pieces, here you can chat with the artists over tea and cake and buy affordable artworks directly from source, all the while of course viewing them in situ to see how they might go with your own curtains. It’s not all suburban semis though, one interesting-looking exhibition is the Farm Road Collective, with oils paintings, ink drawings, screen prints, illustrations and installations – all at an opticians on Farm Road.
There are fifteen trails in all, including new routes through the Ouze Valley in Lewes and the Bristol Estate in the centre of town. Most are open from 11-6 on Saturdays and Sundays – you’d best check first though in case anyone’s got their mum round for Sunday lunch – full details can be found at aoh.org.uk.
ARTISAN ART
Back in time for the Festival, The Guerilla Art Market is back at The Space on Madeira Place from Sat 23rd – Mon 25th. Buy hand painted t-shirts, paintings, prints and sculptures directly from the artists themselves, all the while enjoying music, tea and cake in what promises to be the best creative bargain hunt in town. More at theguerrillaartmarket.blogspot.com
DANCING IN THE DARK
If you’re Great Escaping and you don’t want to go home afterwards, Melting Vinyl are putting on a series of late shows in some great venues like Duke Of York’s, St George’s Church and The Basement, including Polly Scattergood, Mike Bones, and Blue Roses all playing intimate sets into the wee small hours. It’s not officially connected to the Great Escape so your ticket won’t get you in, but for insomniac gig goers it beats wandering the streets with a dirty kebab.
BSP ON DVD
We’re all over British Sea Power at SOURCE, so the news that they’ve written and recorded a film score is music to our ears. There’s a twist though, the film is a 1934 piece called Man Of Aran, and it’s just been released on DVD with the new soundtrack all over it, and the music also comes on a free CD with the package.
METRONEWS
SOURCE faves Metronomy are ramping up the activity at the moment, with a single Radio Ladio just out and a deluxe 2CD Nights Out album due next month. They’re touring the UK as you read this, fresh from playing the recent Chanel catwalk show in Paris, an invitation by special request of leathery fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
WORKING THE ROOM
If you’re a creative type and want to meet fellow-minded folk with a view to bending their ear about work and how to generally get more of it done, Dv8’s Creative & Media Industry Night could well be right up your alley. The New Madeira Hotel on Tuesday 19th is the place to rub shoulders with writers, designers and company chiefs. Ring Megan on 01273 550432 for more info.
MORE LOOP FOR YOUR MONEY
The newly expanded Loop Festival of all things electronic and groovy has announced some crowd-pulling names to its roster – múm, Datarock, Joakim & The Disco, Fujiya & Miyagi, Fanfarlo and Hatcham Social all join Squarepusher, Emiliana Torrini and the like for three days of bleepy fun from July 10th-12th.
NEW TABU
No Fit State Circus are back with a new Hove Lawns show for the summer: tabu – my fear and yours. Live music, video and the customary giant silver spaceship big top all accompany their trademark dazzling circus skills in a preconception-busting experience that’s defiantly honking clown car-free.
WORDS BY NICK COQUET
