| Season’s treatings |
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Diaries out! Autumn’s here and it’s bringing with it a huge healthy dollop of entertainment. From Bombay Bicycle Club to Kneehigh Theatre, a big-screen ‘Wuthering Heights’ to In:Motion, it’s all in here. Robin Askew, Adam Burrows, Alice Edwards, Huw Oliver, Mike White and Steve Wright are your trusty guides. MUSIC 1 OCT INDULGE IN GHOSTPOET’S PERVERSE HIP-HOP Ghostpoet isn’t your average rapper — he’s unassuming, experimental and nearly always attired in a cardigan and thick-rimmed glasses. His glorious, Mercury-nominated debut ‘Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam’ is an inimitable blend of dissimilar sounds: a mellow trip-hop chill and a natural jazz musicality finely glazed with barbed post-dubstep production. Rightly avoiding the constrictive abyss of synth-heavy chart-friendly hip-hop, his slightly awkward style is at once imaginative and charming. Some have crowned him the new Mike Skinner, but his resonant wordplay and stirring lyrics have more in common with early Roots Manuva. GHOSTPOET IS AT START THE BUS, BRISTOL. FFI: 0117 930 4370, HTTP://STARTTHEBUS.TV
EVENT FROM 2 OCT THINKING CAPS ON FOR THE FESTIVAL OF IDEAS A kaleidoscope of cleverness from some of our era’s most fascinating thinkers. In the next two months Stockport author Owen Jones waxes lyrical on his specialised subject – ‘Chavs’ – (4 Oct); philosopher Steve Fuller explores what it means to be human both now and in the distant future (13 Oct); cosmologist Lisa Randall radically revises our understanding of the universe (17 Oct); fearless investigative writer Misha Glenny enters the shadowy world of cybercrime (2 Nov); and Jeremy ‘never-take-no-for-an-answer’ Paxman explores the tragedy and comedy of British empire-building and its repercussions today (24 Nov). These are just a toe-dip in the insight on offer – come on, feed your brains. FESTIVAL OF IDEAS WATERSHED, ARNOLFINI AND SELECTED OTHER VENUES IN BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.IDEASFESTIVAL.CO.UK
THEATRE 3-15 OCT GET THE MEASURE (SORRY) OF ARNOS VALE CEMETERY Bristol’s Roughhouse Theatre – whose Albert Camus adaptation ‘Outside’ we’ve just enjoyed – make a quick return with a dual run for two of the Bard’s lesser-known works. They’ll be interchanging Will’s playful, courtship-themed debut ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’ with the altogether darker ‘Measure for Measure’, a portrait of power, corruption and lies and Renaissance Vienna. The venue? Bristol’s ramblingly romantic Victorian necropolis, Arnos Vale Cemetery. TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA AND MEASURE FOR MEASURE WILL BE PERFORMED IN ARNOS VALE CEMETERY, BRISTOL. FFI: http://www.roughhousetheatre.com/
MUSIC 5 OCT BLING YER BAMBOO WITH GOLD PANDA Gold Panda’s live sets bring a legendary light-show to accompany his bubbling organic electro wizardry. Last year’s debut LP ‘Lucky Shiner’ scooped The Guardian’s First Album Award for being "a combination of warm, lo-fi electronica, a patchwork of crackly samples and melodies that stick". Support comes from Glasgow loner Dam Mantle, whose crisp, mellifluous and playful peregrinations offer a fresh take on dubsteppity-type dance. GOLD PANDA PLAYS THEKLA, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.THEKLABRISTOL.CO.UK
MUSIC 6 OCT FEAST ON THE BEATS OF SBTRKT Aka mysterious beatmonger Aaron Jerome, never seen without his colourful tribal mask. He’s remixed MIA, Mark Ronson and Basement Jaxx (alongside cutting a few singles and EPs of his own) but has only just got round to unveiling his eponymous debut LP – a beguiling mix of thickset beats and wide-eyed emotion. Taking in 2Step, dubstep, house and techno soul, it’s not an easy album to recreate live, but he’s been making a fine fist of it with the aid of live drums ’n’ keyboards, the sugary-voiced soulman Sampha – and that spooky mask. SBTRKT TAKES IT AWAY AT THEKLA, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.THEKLABRISTOL.CO.UK
CLUBS 7-8 OCT IN:MOTION 2012 OPENING WEEKEND Last autumn’s In:Motion was the biggest thing to happen to the West’s clubs scene in years, and it looks like being just as unavoidable for serious party heads this time. The self-styled ‘underground music season’ kicks off on Friday 7 October with a four-room show from drum & bass stalwarts Hospitality featuring Camo & Krooked (live), High Contrast and MJ Cole. Meanwhile, Bugged Out! bring eclectic dancefloor dynamite to Saturday 8, with turns from Jamie Jones, Untold and Fake Blood. IN:MOTION 2011 IS AT MOTION, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.BRISTOLINMOTION.COM
CLUBS SAT 7 OCT CELEBRATE SEVEN YEARS OF DUBPLATE DRAMA Subloaded remains the Bristol bass blow-out to beat, and its seventh birthday line-up oozes class from start to finish. Mark Ernestus of Berlin dub-techno pioneers Basic Channel/Rhythm & Sound appears with roots reggae singer Tikiman, and there are back-to-back sets promised from Pinch & Peverelist, Guido & Gemmy and Appleblim & Gatekeeper, among others. Powered by the notorious Dirt Soundsystem, this is sure to pack enough bottom end to knock your fillings into Stapleton Road. SUBLOADED SEVENTH BIRTHDAY IS AT THE BLACK SWAN, EASTON. FFI: http://www.subloaded.co.uk/
ART 7-28 OCT SEE BRISTOL THROUGH SNAPPER LUKE VAGNOLINI’S EYES Bristol photographer Luke Vagnolini adorns the walls of Stokes Croft’s café/gallery/cinema/creative hub The Arts House with 32 photos taken in our city over the past three years. Luke’s images have a pungent atmosphere of frenetic urban activity, and the tightrope that cities walk between work, rest and play, order and chaos. Bristol is the first of a planned world cities series that’ll also include Paris, London and New York. LUKE VAGNOLINI EXHIBITS AT THE ARTS HOUSE, STOKES CROFT, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.THEARTSHOUSE.ORG
8 OCT A two-day event exploring the work and vision of the late, leading ‘green’ ethics thinker E.F. Schumacher, author of ‘Small Is Beautiful’. Lively lectures and debate include Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MP, Radio 4 performance poet Matt Harvey, founder of climate change awareness site 350.org Bill McKibben and co-creator of the Transition Network Rob Hopkins. A concert entitled ‘Small World’ takes centre stage on Saturday evening – performers include Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu and kora player Seckou Keita. On Sunday, wise up with workshops and watch premières of thought-provoking flicks like ‘The Four Horsemen’ and ‘Future of Hope’. THE SCHUMACHER CENTENARY FESTIVAL IS AT COLSTON HALL AND THE WATERSHED, BRISTOL. FFI: 0845 4585925, WWW.SCHUMACHER.ORG.UK
8 OCT-27 NOV The VAG’s autumn exhibition ‘Saved for Ever’ celebrates the gallery’s vast permanent collection, much of which rarely makes it on show. The show tells the story of how the gallery acquired its copious art collection, which includes (and these’ll be on show) works by Turner, Gainsborough, Paul Klee and Samuel Palmer, and also explains how said collection is looked after, restored and added to. SAVED FOR EVER IS AT THE VICTORIA ART GALLERY, BATH. FFI: WWW.VICTORIAGAL.ORG.UK
9 OCT Heartbreak and hope converge as the love-weary Australian chanteuse comes to these yer parts on an intimate, small-venue tour. After finding inspiration whilst writing the score for a production of ‘Hamlet’, she recorded last album ‘As Day Follows Night’ in Sweden with Björn Yttling (Peter, Björn & John), whose recent production roster includes Camera Obscura and Lykke Li. Spooky, melancholic magic. SARAH BLASKO PLAYS LOUISIANA, BRISTOL. FFI: LOUISIANA.NET
12 OCT Radio 1 A-listers and young gen darlings Bombay Bicycle Club return to Venueland following last year’s sold-out St George’s gig. Second album ‘Flaws’ had been a bold move in a fresh, stripped-back direction – gone was the infectious jangle-pop of old and in its place came mellow banjos and John Martyn covers – but on ‘A Different Kind Of Fix’ we hear them rediscover fun, throttling indie rock ’n’ roll. Expect hook-laden melodies and loads and loads of jumping up and down. BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB IS AT O2 ACADEMY BRISTOL. FFI: 0844 477 2000, WWW.O2ACADEMYBRISTOL.CO.UK
14-16 OCT Not for nothing did we give Bedminster’s BV Studios our prestigious Top Banana Award for the most significant contribution to the arts in Bristol last year. So we’re delighted that the city’s largest independent artist’s community will be rolling up its modest shutter-door this month for a showcase of new work from its 100-odd resident artists. Open Studios don’t come bigger nor, hopefully, better than this. BV OPEN STUDIOS BEDMINSTER, BRISTOL. Ffi: WWW.BVSTUDIOS.CO.UK
14 OCT Berlin’s techno wunderkind explores uncharted musical territory, touring for the first time with a full live band to share the dreamy orchestral melancholy of new album ‘The Devil’s Walk’. We’d say something like “a cerebral slice of post-dance inventiveness” but we don’t want to sound any more pretentious than we already do. APPARAT ARNOLFINI, BRISTOL. SEE WWW.ARNOLFINI.ORG.UK FOR DETAILS.
15 OCT As a member of Fingers Inc, Robert Owens was there at the birth of house. Since then he’s lent his exquisite, church-honed vocals to everyone from Frankie Knuckles (1989’s peerless ‘Tears’) to Photek and Coldcut, as well as solo smashes like ‘I’ll Be Your Friend’. Owens is no slouch as a DJ either, and his blend of contemporary deep house and classic Trax should make The Big Chill’s second birthday a very special occasion. ROBERT OWENS IS AT THE BIG CHILL BAR, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.BIGCHILL.NET/BRISTOL
15 OCT A very seasonal banquet laid on by those inspired souls who transformed Hamilton House from a neglected office block into a thriving community hub. Now they’re planning a community kitchen, promoting healthy living and food for fun, via workshops and an affordable, accessible hire-out facility. With this in mind, they’re taking over the Paintworks event space for a celebratory five-course feast with lashings of live entertainment for afters. Chefs from top local eateries will each prepare a course, and circus performers and swing bands will provide the entertainment. Eat, drink and be very merry. COEXIST AUTUMNAL BANQUET PAINTWORKS, BRISTOL. FFI: HTTP://COEXIST.HAMILTONHOUSE.ORG/P/COMMUNITY-KITCHEN.HTML
18-22 OCT A return for the ever-inventive Kneehigh Theatre, whose heroic, exuberant folk-tale retellings have so animated Bristol’s theatre scene over the past decade. They’ll be transforming St George’s’ serene interior into a place of wilderness and war as they weave live music, found sound and storytelling to tell “the story of what happens when your father accidentally sells you to the devil”… KNEEHIGH’S THE WILD BRIDE IS AT ST GEORGE’S BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.STGEORGESBRISTOL.CO.UK
20 OCT As a member of The Blockheads, Gilad got to play with the late great Ian Dury. He’s also jammed with Robbie Williams and Paul McCartney, but don’t let that put you off. The man The Grauniad called the “hardest-gigging man in British jazz" uses his remarkable sax to explore political themes and the music of the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, and his tours with the Orient House Ensemble (a quartet, including Gilad himself) have left jazz fans breathless around the world. In Chapel Arts Centre’s superb natural acoustic, this should be a rare treat. GILAD ATZMON & ORIENT HOUSE ENSEMBLE CHAPEL ARTS CENTRE, BATH. FFI: WWW.CHAPELARTS.ORG
21 OCT Joy Orbison (Hotflush) and Jackmaster (Numbers) are at the forefront of a new eclecticism in UK dance music. Drawing on house, techno, two-step, grime and ghetto bass, they’ve taken their fast moving, back-to-back sets to clubs and festivals all over Europe, and this autumn they’ll be dropping in for the birthday of Crazylegs, whose similarly kids-in-a-sweetshop approach to genre has made for some of Bristol’s best parties of the last three years. Also on the bill is the raw, R&B-inflected house of fast-rising young Canadian Jaques Greene, as well as a truckload of local supporting talent. CRAZYLEGS IS THREE IS AT THE BLUE MOUNTAIN, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CRAZYLEGSCLUB
22 & 27 OCT Turbocharged and hugely likeable Irish-Iranian comic tours his new show ‘Hug Me I Feel Good’. We’ve been seriously impressed with PM: “A joy from beginning to end, most memorably his riffs on growing up in the cultural schizophrenia of an Irish-Iranian family. Like Billy Connolly at his zenith, he has the ability to pull you into his mongrel world completely by talking to you one-to-one, coupled with the surreal observational eye and juiced-up energy of a young Eddie Izzard.” PATRICK MONAHAN PLAYS THE RONDO THEATRE, BATH (22 OCT) AND THE COMEDY BOX, BRISTOL (27 OCT). FFI: WWW.RONDOTHEATRE.CO.UK AND WWW.THECOMEDYBOX.CO.UK
22 OCT-27 NOV Solo show for Bristol artist Savage, whose work “engages with the culture of consumerism, apparently affirming and even celebrating it, yet with such a degree of futility and emptiness that ultimately it is negated”. Savage’s new multimedia show looks inside his own condition as an artist being packaged and promoted by the gallery system as part of a market-driven culture obsessed with novelty and spectacle. Better be amazing, then… SAVAGE EXHIBITS AT SPIKE ISLAND, BRISTOL. FFI: HTTP://SPIKEISLAND.ORG.UK/
22 OCT Jump on the nearest spaceship or, failing that, a bus and head on down to Bristol-Con for this one-day celebration of the diverse and compelling world of sci-fi and fantasy. Study the life-cycle of the author, learn how to unleash your inner novel and discover what writers really think of their fans. ‘Doctor Who’’s Paul Cornell and local authors Gareth L Powell are among the guest speakers. The truth is out there, and it’s never been nearer. PLEASE NOTE: Bristol-Con is dedictaed to the memory of local author Colin Harvey who was due to appear at the event, but sadly passed away in August. Some copies of his books will be available for free at the event. BRISTOL-CON AT RAMADA HOTEL, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.BRISTOLCON.ORG
23 OCT Best known for their smart, wry tongue-twisters, California’s foremost alt. hip-hop trio Why? return to our shores for a brief stint backed by a grand piano. Lauded by critics for his melancholic spin on rap, frontman ‘Yoni’ Wolf’s morbid lyrics aren’t for the light-hearted – sex, death and confusion are his stock in trade – but the way in which his effortless wordplay mingles with easy-going electronics makes for a daydreamy, head-nodding delight. WHY? PLAY COLSTON HALL 2, BRISTOL. FFI: 0117 922 3686, WWW.COLSTONHALL.ORG
25-29 OCT The power of Mr Leigh is such that his new play was already booked for some of the country’s most prestigious theatres (including Theatre Royal Bath) before the king of emotive, kitchen-sink realism had even put pen to paper. All we can tell you thus far is that it has the chucklesome title of ‘Grief’ and that Leigh’s long-term collaborator Lesley Manville leads the cast. Knowing Leigh, it’ll also be honest, affecting, uncannily true to life and perhaps a little uncomfortable in places. But we really can’t say for sure. MIKE LEIGH’S GRIEF WILL BE STAGED AT THEATRE ROYAL BATH. FFI:
26 OCT Steven Spielberg is in the director's chair, Peter Jackson's producing and Andy Serkis is doing his 'performance capture' thing as Captain Haddock. How can it go wrong? Er, let's wait and see, eh? The whole thing is done in motion capture stylee, which explains why Nick Frost and Simon Pegg are cast as the near-identical Thompson and Thomson. And boy reporter Tintin? That's Jamie Bell. We have no info on who's playing Snowy. 'THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: SECRET OF THE UNICORN 3D' AT CINEMAS EVERYWHERE.
28-30 OCT This year's Afrika Eye Film festival delivers another excellent selection of premieres and previews. They've got the world premiere of Bristol-based director Simon Bright's documentary 'Robert Mugabe…What Happened?', plus regional premieres of the Harry Belafonte documentary 'Sing Your Song' and, from Morocco, 'The Satanic Angels': the true story of a heavy metal band who were arrested and jailed by the Islamic authorities for being in league with Satan. AFRIKA EYE TAKES PACE AT THE WATERSHED, BRISTOL. FFI: AFRIKAEYE2010.BLOGSPOT.COM/
28 OCT Nobody does soundsystem dances like Tokyo Dub, but even by their standards this one is a bit special. Glasgow bashment aces Mungo’s Hi Fi top an outstanding bill that also features German digidub heavyweights Jahtari, Bristol rap champ Buggsy and jungle pioneers Remarc and Peter D (More Rockers). Best of all is The Bug – the industrial dancehall alias of inspired cult producer Kevin Martin – whose ‘London Zoo’ was one of the most thrilling albums of 2008. TOKYO DUB IS AT MOTION, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.BRISTOLINMOTION.COM
28 OCT It's a costume drama, Jim, but not as we know it. For a start, it's directed by Roland Emmerich, whose previous films ‘Godzilla’, ‘10,000BC’ and ‘2012’ have featured few bonnets and corsets. It's also got Shakespeare scholars up in arms for promoting a controversial view of who really wrote the Bard's work. Mind you, it's got a hell of a cast: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave (as Queen Elizabeth I), Rafe Spall, Joely Richardson and David Thewlis 'ANONYMOUS' AT CINEMAS EVERYWHERE.
28 OCT Gorgeous George Clooney returns to the director's chair for the first time since, er, 'Leatherheads'. This promises to be much better as it's a political thriller about an idealistic young press agent (Ryan Gosling), who gets a crash course in dirty politics while working for a Democratic presidential hopeful (that'll be George himself). Think of it as a US 'The Thick of It' without the laughs. 'THE IDES OF MARCH' AT CINEMAS EVERYWHERE.
29 OCT-24 NOV Atmospheric, inventive, bold: the brilliant contemporary landscape painting that forms the bulk of the programming at Bristol’s Lime Tree Gallery is among the best art you’ll see in town, or further afield for that matter. So we’ll definitely be casting an interested eye ever the gallery’s first exhibition devoted exclusively to contemporary Swedish painting – much of which majors on the treatment of the unique Scandinavian light and the dour sparseness of its countryside. CONTEMPORARY SWEDISH PAINTING IS AT THE LIME TREE GALLERY, BRISTOL. FFI: HTTP://LIMETREEGALLERY.COM/
29 OCT Ever looked at a Picasso painting and wondered what all the fuss was about? Then join the Arnolfini in celebrating its 50th anniversary with wacky interactive art events from speed drawing to the construction of a Super Museum of Drawing, and see if you can out-paint the greats. Artist Michelle Cioccoloni is on hand for help and advice. THE BIG DRAW IS AT ARNOLFINI, BRISTOL. FFI: 0117 917 2300, WWW.ARNOLFINI.ORG.UK
29 OCT Splatter fake blood across your best undead finery and lurch through the streets moaning and terrifying unsuspecting pensioners. The Bristol Zombie Walk’s become a pretty big deal of late, with hundreds (thousands?) of carefully decomposed walkers shuffling through the city in search of brains to consume. Makes a nice change from the hordes that normally wander the streets glassy-eyed in search of brain-dead consumerism. BRISTOL ZOMBIE WALK EXPECTED TO BE SAT 29 OCT (DETAILS TBC AS WE GO TO PRESS). FOR EXACT ROUTE AND TIMINGS, CHECK TINYURL.COM/BRISTOLZOMBIES
30 OCT Everyone loves a good ghost story – and what better night to get spooked out than Halloween eve? Core Theatre group have invited aspiring writers to send in their best phantom-filled short fiction, which the Core’s corps of actors will perform, live. You get to huddle close in the dark and listen. Bring a cushion to hide behind if you’re easily scared. DEVIL’S NIGHT IS UPSTAIRS AT MALLOYS, BARTON ST, BATH. FFI: WWW.CORETHEATRE.ORG
31 OCT Haunt the town on this spooky tour around Bristol’s old buildings in all their ghostly glamour. Hear the tall story of the ghostly dwarf highwayman of Clifton, visit a haunted coaching inn where Oliver Cromwell stayed and a 16th-century church guarded by a monk. The organisers are putting on three special tours this Halloween, but be sure to book – they’re dead popular. BRISTOL’S HAUNTED AND HIDDEN TOURS START AT BRISTOL CATHEDRAL AT 6PM, 8PM, AND 10PM. FFI: 0776 6258407 WWW.HAUNTEDANDHIDDENBRISTOL.CO.UK
4 NOV A great many bands these days seem to get called ‘seminal’ and ‘influential’, but Washington foursome The Melvins truly altered the topography of modern rock. Their wilfully obtuse take on experimental riffwork prepared the way for Nirvana (Melvins drummer Dale Crover smacked the skins on ‘Bleach’) and everything that came after. Now into their fourth decade, they’re as strange and heavy as ever, still fronted by Sideshow Bob-haired guitarist Buzz Osborne. This tour sees the living legends wrestle through classic albums like ‘Melvins’, ‘Houdini‘ and ‘Bullhead’ alongside a welter of new stuff from last year's monolithic ‘The Bride Screamed Murder’ LP. THE MELVINS CHURN OUT THE RIFFS AT THEKLA, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.THEKLABRISTOL.CO.UK
4-5 NOV That's right: London's legendary horror film festival is heading west for the first time. Details were scanty as we went to press and they've asked us not to mention any of the titles of films likely to be shown. But we can tell you that this all-nighter will run from 9pm on Fri 4 to 7am on Sat 5, when breakfast will be served to the emerging gore-sated zombies. FRIGHTFEST TAKE PLACE AT THE WATERSHED, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.WATERSHED.CO.UK
4 NOV It's been delayed so often that we thought it might never get released. Johnny Depp stars in Bruce (‘Withnail and I’) Robinson’s adaptation of the Hunter S Thompson novel about a hack who finds himself at a critical turning point in his life. 'THE RUM DIARY' AT CINEMAS EVERYWHERE.
8-12 NOV A welcome return for 1927, the inventive company who – like our own Forkbeard Fantasy – mix live music, storytelling, performance, animation and a fascination with film’s silent era. Their latest show (deep breath) ‘The Animals And Children Took To The Streets’ is set in a sprawling, stinking tenement block, where curtain-twitchers and Peeping Toms live side by side – and where the wolf is always at the door. THE ANIMALS AND CHILDREN TOOK TO THE STREETS IS AT BRISTOL OLD VIC. FFI: WWW.BRISTOLOLDVIC.ORG.UK
10-19 NOV Details were still being confirmed for the 21st Bath Film Festival as we went to press, but we can expect previews of classy films that are not due to open until 2012, including Ralph Fiennes's 'Coriolanus' and the new one from Steve ('Hunger') McQueen: 'Shame', starring Carey Mulligan (pictured). They're also planning a big Ken Loach retrospective and a premiere of the Chippenham-made feature film, 'Bash Street'. THE BATH FILM FESTIVAL TAKES PACE AT VARIOUS VENUES IN BATH. FFI: BATHFILMFESTIVAL.ORG.UK/
11-19 NOV Much more than a celebration of the back catalogue of Wolfgang Amadeus (though there’s plenty of that too), this year the high-brow nine-day classical fest includes horripilating harmony ensemble The Sixteen unfurling the magic of Purcell and Handel in Bath Abbey (close your eyes for the full effect), serene string quartet recitals in the Guildhall’s grand surrounds, and the virtuosic Nash Ensemble unpacking a feast of Haydn, Dvorák, Borodin and Brahms in the Georgian splendour of the Assembly Rooms. Go on, treat your ears. BATH MOZARTFEST VARIOUS VENUES IN BATH. FFI: WWW.BATHMOZARTFEST.ORG.UK
11 NOV As an ex-member of The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens’s backing band, and best buddy of Grizzly Bear and The National (whom she joined on stage at Latitude festival this year), Annie Clark has a CV overflowing with American indie rock royalty. The talented multi-instrumentalist and Twitter queen (400,000 followers – how?!) has so far released three critically adored albums under the St. Vincent alias – ‘Marry Me’, ‘Actor’ and this year’s ‘Strange Mercy’ . It’s twisted artful pop, all dark lyrics, complex arrangements, silvery horns and fluttering harmonies – expect goosebumps. ST. VINCENT IS AT THE FLEECE. FFI: 0117 945 0996, WWW.THEFLEECE.CO.UK
11-20 NOV The first Bath Art Affair – a 10-day extravaganza of talks, events, auctions and, of course, selling exhibitions at galleries across town – hove into view last November, and was deemed such a success by all and sundry that BAF2 is inked in to return this autumn. Expect some high-profile exhibitions and illuminating speakers at bo.lee, Edgarmodern, Rostra & Rooksmoor and all of the city’s most adventurous artspaces. BATH ART AFFAIR IS AT GALLERIES ACROSS BATH. FFI: WWW.BATHGALLERIESGROUP.COM
11 NOV Bristol's very own Aardman Animation's first feature since 'Flushed Away' in 2006 – and their first film for Sony – is a 3D CGI adventure which reveals the ingenious, high-tech operation beneath the North Pole that ensures kiddies all get their Christmas presents on the same day. The voice cast includes James McAvoy, Bill Nighy, Hugh Laurie and Jim Broadbent. Director Sarah Smith is a TV veteran who's worked with The League of Gentlemen and Armando Iannucci. 'ARTHUR CHRISTMAS' AT CINEMAS EVERYWHERE.
11 NOV It's safe to assume that this new adaptation of the Emily Bronte novel won't be a conventional one. Director Andrea Arnold is best known for her gritty contemporary Britflicks 'Red Road' and 'Fish Tank'. She's also deliberately chosen an unstarry cast, including Kaya Scodelario from 'Skins' as Cathy and newcomer James Howson as Heathcliff. Depressingly, the music is by coffee table folkies Mumford and Sons. 'WUTHERING HEIGHTS' AT SELECTED CINEMAS.
12 NOV Engaging, thoughtful, concept-led comedian looks in at the Hall for this brand new show in which he forms a double act with… a projector screen. Cast your Powerpoint prejudices aside, this will not in any way be a business meeting. But some bullet points will be used. DAVE GORMAN PLAYS THE COLSTON HALL, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.COLSTONHALL.ORG
12 NOV Two legendary rave crews – Bristol’s DMT and London’s Coin Operated – team up for what looks set to be the loudest, hardest and messiest party of the autumn. Mystery headliner aside, the bill sees drum & bass destroyers Calyx & Teebee go back to back on six decks, while hardcore deities Tango and Ratty promise “a history lesson from ‘93 onwards”, with plenty of vintage jungle. Elsewhere, there’ll be everything from dancehall to techno, but the thing we’re really intrigued about is ‘Hell In A Cell’ – in which DJ teams representing the UK and France battle for supremacy from a locked cage in the middle of the dancefloor. We’re not expecting actual wrestling, but who knows? Either way, this will not be for the faint-hearted. DMT & COIN OPERATED ARE AT LAKOTA. FFI: WWW.LAKOTA.CO.UK/
13-15 NOV Two short, one-man plays performed by SB, one of our greatest and most defiantly individual actors. Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘Tell-Tale Heart’ is a fearsome tale of dementia and murderous compulsion; Berkoff’s own ‘Dog’ is a far more comic affair, a day in the life of a footie hooligan and his pit bull terrier Roy, with the versatile thespian playing both man and man’s best friend. STEVEN BERKOFF’S ONE MAN IS AT THEATRE ROYAL BATH. FFI: WWW.THEATREROYAL.ORG.UK
14-16 NOV Like the aforementioned Kneehigh, Volcano have been one of the names to watch (or drop) in the last coupla decades of British theatre: a bold company delivering their own muscular, clear-eyed versions of everything from Ibsen to Ayckbourn. Now they re-examine Anthony Burgess's inventive, disturbing parable of 60s urban alienation, 50 years after its first appearance – and they promise to “sidestep the cult movie and recaptures the shock of the original novella”. VOLCANO PERFORM A CLOCKWORK ORANGE AT THE TOBACCO FACTORY, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.TOBACCOFACTORYTHEATRE.COM
15-19 NOV Bristol-raised Sound and Fury like to stretch their audiences’ sensory expectations. 2006’s ‘The Watery Part of the World’ (70 minutes of total darkness and aquatic surround sound) was followed by last year’s majestic ‘Kursk’, in which audiences wandered around a simulacrum of a British submarine deep in Arctic Ocean waters. So hopes are high for ‘Going Dark’, a one-man show in which the owner of a planetarium re-awakens our wonder at the cosmos. GOING DARK IS AT BRISTOL OLD VIC. FFI: WWW.BRISTOLOLDVIC.ORG.UK
16-20 NOV Now in its 17th year, Bristol's world-renowned festival of short film presents another showcase of the best animation and live action work from around the globe. This year's guests include Francine Stock, presenter of Radio Four's 'The Film Programme'. There are also 3D and RED film workshops, and a fabulous vintage movie bus. Plus, of course, the ever-popular South West Showcase and infamous Late Lounge. ENCOUNTERS TAKES PLACE AT THE WATERSHED AND ARNOLFINI, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.ENCOUNTERS-FESTIVAL.ORG.UK/
18 NOV Will they ever stop moping around and have sex? You already know whether or not you're going to see this, suffice it to say that the concluding part of this tweenie vampires and werewolves saga has been split in two, Harry Potter stylee, to milk even more pocket money from swoony girlies. 'THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 1' AT CINEMAS EVERYWHERE.
18-19 NOV Earthfall, the stalwart Cardiff-based contemporary dance troupe, head out on tour again with their 2004-6 hit show ‘At Swim Two Boys’. Adapted from Jamie O’Neill’s novel and staged entirely in water, the piece follows the developing love affair between two young men against the backdrop of Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising. “Disturbingly brilliant hi-octane physical dance theatre,” praised Time Out. AT SWIM TWO BOYS IS AT BATH SPA UNIVERSITY THEATRE. FFI: WWW.BATHSPALIVE.COM
18-20 NOV & 26-27 NOV They were two of the first neighbourhood art trails on the scene: now Totterdown’s Front Room and the North Bristol Arts trail are, unsurprisingly, two of the biggest and best – and they fall within a week of each other, turning the otherwise dour days of November into a glittering smorgasbord of visual adventure (and a chance to sniff around people’s bijou town houses). FRONT ROOM (TOTTERDOWN, 18-20 NOV)/NORTH BRISTOL ARTISTS (BS6, BS7 AND BEYOND, 26-27 NOV). FFI: WWW.FRONTROOM.ORG.UK AND WWW.NORTHBRISTOLARTISTS.ORG.UK
19 NOV Recently proclaimed “the most inspirational, intriguing, effortlessly enrapturing band at work [in Britain]” by the BBC, the splendour of Kendal’s flamboyant, operatic Wild Beasts has finally cracked the mainstream. Eerie third album and chef d’oeuvre ‘Smother’ has been praised as a dazzling step forward by critics and fans alike. Commanded by Hayden Thorpe’s erratic falsetto and Tom Fleming’s deep quivering croon, underpinned by tribal rhythms and an incessant bass groove, their literate musings are at different junctures funny, sexy and macabre. WILD BEASTS IS AT ANSON ROOMS. FFI: 0117 954 5800, WWW.UBU.ORG.UK/YOUR-UNION/ANSON-ROOMS
19 NOV-11 MAR An early start this year for the fabulous annual touring exhibition, collecting together the very best wildlife images taken around the globe during the previous year. Beautiful, dramatic, at times profoundly moving in its depictions of nature’s rhythms and man’s mostly negative influence on same, the WPOY is a stunning fusion of the inherent drama of nature and man’s creativity and technical know-how. THE WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR EXHIBITION IS AT BRISTOL MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY. FFI: HTTP://BIT.LY/PULEJK
21-26 NOV We’re tickled pink to welcome back Filter, the brilliantly inventive theatre troupe who treat each play less as a piece of text than as the basis for an evening of careening physical inventiveness and musical virtuosity. Filter’s ‘Twelfth Night’ at the Tobacco Factory was a joyous riot, culminating in a conga around the audience, and we’ve no doubt that their ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ will follow suit. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM IS AT THE TOBACCO FACTORY, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.TOBACCOFACTORYTHEATRE.COM
22 NOV Freewheeling, unhinged hip-hop from enigmatic Seattle man Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler (late of 90s jazz-hop coolniks Digable Planets), who’s now calling himself Palaceer Lazaro. It’s cerebral, train-of-thought stuff, with glitchy, twinkling beatscapes and song titles like ‘32 leaves dipped in blackness making clouds forming altered carbon’, or the equally catchy ‘A treatease dedicated to The Avian Airess from North East Nubis (1000 questions, 1 answer)’. Woozy basslines, playground chants, jazz snippets and synth wobble collude for an unpredictable and compelling sonic adventure. SHABAZZ PALACES WILL BEFUDDLE START THE BUS, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.STARTTHEBUS.TV
25 NOV Since 2007, Bloc Weekend has established itself as the U.K electronica festival to beat – bringing eye-popping international line-ups to English seaside towns. While its three-year association with the Butlins resort in Minehead is now over, this one-off event at Motion should keep us going while we wait to hear where 2012’s festival will be. Headlining is Easton bass prodigy Joker, who has been widely regarded as Bristol’s most-likely-to since arriving on the scene in 2007, and whose long-awaited debut album ‘The Vision’ finally drops on 8 November. Also on the bill are Dutch dubstep masters Martyn and 2562, and jaw dropping cross-genre electronicist Luke Vibert. Don’t miss. BLOC IS AT MOTION, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.BRISTOLINMOTION.COM
25 NOV Alexander Robotnick – real name Maurizio Dami – is one of electronic music’s true comeback kids. Falling somewhere between electro, synth-pop and disco, pioneering 80s productions like ‘Problemes d’Amour’ became cult classics, finding themselves in the record boxes of everyone from Ron Hardy to Jeff Mills and Carl Craig. He spent the next two decades applying his unique imagination to soundtrack, ambient and world music, before the italo revival led to a late blossoming as an Ableton-toting DJ and live performer. Robotnick’s idiosyncratic sets join the dots between classic electro, nu-disco and deep house. ALEXANDER ROBOTNICK IS AT TB2, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.TB2.CO.UK
25 NOV Brit director Terence Davies's first dramatic feature film in 11 years: an adaptation of Terence Rattigan's play about the wife of a high court judge who enjoys a self-destructive affair with an RAF pilot. Cast includes Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston. 'THE DEEP BLUE SEA' AT SELECTED CINEMAS.
25-27 NOV The Compass film festival unites with the arts events collective Central Reservation for a “collaborative event exploring the mysterious, the illusory and the hidden”, promising bands, beats, burlesque beauties, circus freakies, installations and films, including live experimental silent film accompanists Minima. Dress code: fancy and masqued. THE STOKES CROFT MASQUERADE BALL THE OLD MOTORCYCLE SHOWROOM, STOKES CROFT, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.COMPASS-FILM.CO.UK
FROM 25 NOV Celebrate Christmas early with a dusky stroll through Westonbirt’s grand Old Arboretum – the trees dramatically coloured by concealed spotlights – then bend the ear of a certain Mr Claus to get your festive loot orders in. Also a chance to get some seasonal shopping out of the way with Christmas trees and wreaths on sale alongside gifty stuff from the Christmas Market and Forest Shop. Cocoa and hot snacks will be available in the cosy Courtyard Café. Let’s hope Santa doesn’t get there first. The fat bastard. THE SPECTACULAR ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS IS AT THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM, WESTONBIRT. FFI: WWW.FORESTRY.GOV.UK
28 NOV Californian Josh Davis earned his place in history in 1996 when his debut album ‘Endtroducing’ took instrumental hip-hop to a new level of sophistication. While his recorded work has arguably struggled to live up to it ever since, Davis has continued to impress as a live performer, continually re-inventing classic material and offering a truly immersive audio-visual experience. “The man’s a genius,” said the Venue reviewer lucky enough to catch his show at Glasto 2011. DJ SHADOW IS AT THE 02 ACADEMY, BRISTOL FFI: WWW.O2ACADEMYBRISTOL.CO.UK
29 NOV Though now in the spotlight for his recent Mercury Prize shortlisting and collaborations with Bon Iver, James Blake carved a niche for himself as a producer of crisply wrought bass music before he began adding plaintive lovelorn crooning over the top. The result, as heard on this year’s self-titled debut is a beguiling mix of spine-tingly electronica and fractured white boy soul. Very nice indeed. JAMES BLAKE PLAYS THE ANSON ROOMS, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.UBU.ORG.UK/YOUR-UNION/ANSON-ROOMS
2-3 DEC If you wanna catch a glimpse of someone firmly on their way up the comedy ladder, make a beeline for Elis James, a bilingual Anglo-Welsh comic with an engaging bewildered-underdog persona, who plays Bristol’s Comedy Box at the start of the December. “The anecdotes and observations flow freely, with an endearing wit and fine sense of timing and pace,” praised chortle.co.uk. ELIS JAMES PLAYS THE COMEDY BOX, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.THECOMEDYBOX.CO.UK
9 DEC-8 JAN We’ve no hesitation in recommending the latest show to burst out of the theatrical hit factory staffed by Hattie Naylor (text), Paul Dodgson (music and lyrics), Hayley Grindle (design) and Lee Lyford (direction). The quartet have previously brought us gems like 2009’s ‘The Nutcracker’ and last year’s ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’, so all the augurs are good for this brand new musical comedy centred around a bumbling Gallic detective, his sparky niece and a mysterious crime wave in a small French village. THE FRENCH DETECTIVE AND THE BLUE DOG IS AT THE EGG, BATH. FFI: WWW.THEATREROYAL.ORG.UK/THE-EGG
10 DEC This takeover by Sven Vath’s Cocoon empire looks like being a dream come true for lovers of house and techno, with world-class talent in all three of Motion’s main spaces. Stuttgart electro brothers Tiefschwarz headline the big room with support from devastating Turkish deep houser Onur Özer. The tunnel is hosted by Just Jack, with versatile Parisian Dyed Soundorom in the guest slot, while Detroit prodigy Kyle Hall brings his mercurial techno to the cave. Consider us hyped. COCOON IS AT MOTION, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.BRISTOLINMOTION.COM
20-30 DEC Bristol Old Vic has no Main House this winter, as it undergoes an extensive refurb, so it’s taking over the Colston Hall for 10 days with its Christmas show. It’s the stage adaptation of Jamila Gavin’s Whitbread Award-winning tale of two cities (Bristol and London), two orphans and two conjoined destinies. Adapted for the National Theatre by Helen Edmundson, the show has been further developed by BOV’s artistic director Tom Morris, whose NT ‘War Horse’ recently scooped six Tony Awards. CORAM BOY IS AT COLSTON HALL, BRISTOL. FFI: WWW.BRISTOLOLDVIC.ORG.UK 
                                           
What’s coming up at the Comedy Box this autumn then? Where else will you be going out this autumn?
MARK COSGROVE Good summer at The Watershed? Personal highlights? What’s coming up that we should be getting excited about?
KATE CROSS
Good year at the egg? What’s coming up that we should be getting excited about? And where else will you be going out?
CARRIE RHYS-DAVIES
Highlights of the summer at the Tobacco Factory? What’s coming up that we should be getting excited about? And where else will you be going in Bristol, Bath, the South West or beyond?
SARAH ROBERTSON
Highlights of the year so far at the Hall? What’s coming up that we should be getting excited about? And where else will you be heading off to?
MATT AITKEN
Have you had a good year at Start The Bus? Personal highlights? What’s coming up that we should be getting excited about? |
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