Category Archives: Brighton

Brighton, Brighton Festival, Brighton Life, Uncategorized

Martha Bolt’s pick of Brighton Festival ’24

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As the line up for this year’s Festival is unveiled,
our Arts Correspondent picks her hot tickets

“The whole city is like a thought experiment” said Frank Cottrell-Boyce, this year’s Guest Director at the launch event for the Brighton Festival, as he explained why he loves Brighton. He spoke about rebellion, and that “people tend to run away to Brighton’, and gave a glimpse of the Festival to come when he claimed that “we need some hope” and that Brighton is one of the few places that “Looks to the future”.

The Festival launch began with a performance from the Carnival Collective – “30 years and still banging” as they say – who appeared onstage with drums and blue and pink sparkling outfits. As the familiar rhythmic sounds began, I was transported to a high energy vision of the event itself. The Collective director was pointing towards the crowd, with people laughing and cheering as the second song began and it was hard not to move along with him, swaying backwards and forwards in my seat in time with the beat.

After, there are a few speeches however the most notable was Brighton Councils leader, Bella Sankey who talked about visiting Brighton Festival as a child and words were being thrown around such as “Eclectic Celebration” and “Great Showcase”.

Cottrell-Boyce and Nadia Shireen, fellow children’s author and co-presenter of their hit podcast “The Island of Brilliance” took to the stage and introduced three of their favorite acts that will feature in the Festival: “The Perfect Show for Rachel”, “Carnesky’s Showwomxn Sideshow Spectacular” and “The Brighton Table Tennis Club”.

“The Perfect Show for Rachel” is a show controlled fully by Rachel who is a theatre loving, 33-year-old, disabled care home resident and sister to Flo who is the artistic director for Zoo Co & Improbable. The show was developed with Rachel to create a show on her own terms. As explained by Flo on stage, Rachel has her own custom built tech booth which she uses to control what happens on stage at certain times. This show, which received a five-star rating from The Guardian, is definitely a must-see.

“Carnesky’s Showwomxn Sideshow Spectacular” Is an outdoor circus, theatre event that comes from the imagination of award-winning performance maker Marisa Carnesky. The show is made-up of a queer, non-binary and female cast who will perform stunts, tell stories and wow us with their skills. The show’s inspiration comes from the heritage of British working-class female circus performers and is, they say, a perfect representation of colorful and weird and wonderful Brighton.

“The Brighton Table Tennis Club” – that is, the real Brighton Table Tennis Club based at the Fitz in Kemptown – explained how they plan to break the world record for the most consecutive different players in one game of table tennis. This free event seems to be jam packed with several activities including a mega table built up of several normal sized tables and an opportunity to watch paralympic gold medalist Will Bayley.

I am particularly looking forward to:

THE CHILDREN’S PARADE: For all ages, The Children’s Parade is a must see. Packed with colour and wonder, it will be hard to miss parading through the street on the 4th of May to officially kick the festival off in all its glory!
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/Kot-the-childrens-parade/

KAE TEMPEST: A modern day emotional spoken word artist, who beckons listeners with words of personal experience and depth all while being accompanied by “through the body” music that is bound to give you goose bumps.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XKX-kae-tempest/

Fri 10 May, Brighton Dome Concert Hall

FAYE WEBSTER: An indie artist sensation who brings love songs such as “Right Side of My Neck” and the TikTok sensation “Kingston”, will melt your heart live from the Brighton Dome Concert Hall. Part of “The Great Escape”
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XOx-faye-webster/

Fri 17 – Sat 18 May, Brighton Dome Concert Hall

THE MAKING OF BERLIN: This film, theater and live music hybrid comes from Yves Degryse to display a portrait of the city of Berlin. The show made it to de Standard top ten productions of the year and was described as “Overwhelming from start to finish”.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XK3-the-making-of-berlin/

Fri 10 – Sat 11 May, Brighton Dome Corn Exchange

THE WONDER PANEL: The wonder panel is hosted by guest director Frank Cottrell-Boyce and features childhood hero’s Joseph Coelho, Cressida Cowell and my personal favorite, Author of the much love Ottoline series, Chris Riddle.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XXB-the-wonder-panel/

Sat 11 May, 11am, Brighton Dome Concert Hall

TEENAGE MEN: Brought to you by hit comedy duo, “Shelf” inspired by when the two were mistaken for teenage boys, features anecdotes, songs and the all-important, Instagram algorithm.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XKQ-shelf-teenage-men/

Sun 19 May, Brighton Dome Studio Theatre

THE NIGHT ALPHABET: Performed by the award-winning poet Joelle Taylor and directed by acclaimed theatre director Neil Bartlett, The Night Alphabet is an investigation into violence, resilience and women’s stories.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XKL-the-night-alphabet/

Fri 24 – Sat 25 May, Brighton Dome Studio Theatre

OOZE MACHINES: As far as the free events go, this is the one to see. The exhibition has been created by Physicist Dr Libby Heaney and focuses on the seductive and repulsive world of all things goopy.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XOd-ooze-machines/

Sat 4 May – Sun 30 June, Phoenix Art Space

100 MILES OF STRING: Created by artists Lucy Cran and Bill Leslie, 100 Miles of String is an interactive, outdoor exhibition where audiences can wound string around large objects, creating complex shapes and patterns.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/KoC-100-miles-of-string/

Sat 4 – Sun 26 May 2024, Royal Pavilion Gardens (North Lawn)

GROUND: Production company “Trigger” have put together a three-course meal designed to explore the tangled histories of patenting plants. The experience is led by the voices of Indigenous and traditional knowledge holders and is locally sourced. https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/Ko7-ground/

Sat 4 – Sun 26 May, Earthship Brighton From £25

For more about this year’s Brighton Festival, go to https://brightonfestival.org/

Brighton, Brighton Centre, Brighton Life, Elf, Elf The Musical, Musicals, Pantomime, theatre, Theatre

As long as you’ve got your Elf

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Nadia Abbas reports on a new production of Elf at the Brighton Centre

Every Christmas, people around the world rewatch the beloved Hollywood hit Elf. Buddy’s lovable and energetic character, the picturesque New York setting, and the sense of family and nostalgia make this film a festive favourite. This timeless tale will be brought to life on stage for Brighton residents to witness as Elf the Musical will be performed at the Brighton Centre in January. This musical promises to capture the magic of the Elf story whilst also including new and exciting features such as aerial cirque stars, an indoor snowstorm, and much more! It will be the perfect New Year treat.

Jon Conway Productions is bringing Elf the Musical to the Brighton Centre from the 5th-6th of January 2024. It will feature a star-studded cast, including West End actor Steven Serlin, who will play Buddy the Elf. ‘Birds Of A Feather’ actor Charlie Quirke will play Buddy’s New York pal, Charlotte Hall will play Buddy’s love interest Jovie, and Barry Bloxham stars as Buddy’s dad. This musical is suitable for all ages, and it will have hilarious comedy, terrific costumes, and lively original songs by Matt Sklar and Chad Beguelin. Charlie Quirke, actor, said: “Our dance routines have loads of people, they are really big, really in your face, it’s quite eye-catching. There’s a fair bit of everything in this musical.”

This musical will follow the Elf film storyline, but there will also be some thrilling interactive elements to make it a spectacular stage production. This includes arming the audience with two hundred inflatable snowballs during the famous snowball fight scene from the film that they can throw at each other and the actors. Jon Conway, Elf the Musical producer, said: “We never quite know how the snowball fight is going to go; sometimes you get kids who get really carried away, and they jump out of their seats, and they run up and throw the snowballs all over the place!” There will also be a flying sleigh with Santa inside that flies over the cast. Jon Conway, said: “Every few minutes something happens that you don’t quite expect.”  

This musical is working with the charity Laughter is the Best Medicine by raising money for underprivileged children and giving them free tickets to the show. Three hundred of these children are coming to watch the Brighton performance. Jon Conway, said: “If you can’t do good at Christmas, when can you?” Jon Conway Productions is also an ambassador for the charity KidsOut and regularly works with them.

This musical is being performed in other locations throughout December, including Bournemouth, Manchester, and Newcastle. Brighton is the last performance. Charlie Quirke said: “In that first week of January, people are still trying to hold onto that festive season and spirit. Elf is based around Christmas, but it’s also a really nice family show.”

Tickets cost between £26.50 and £55.50 and can be purchased from the Brighton Centre’s website. 

To find out more, visit  https://brightoncentre.co.uk/whats-on/2024/elf-the-musical/

Brighton, Conservation

Jim Gowans Conservation Matters – Oct 2023

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Bath Street (land east of The Sycamores)

The developer of the land previously used for car parking (see picture) is making what seems to be a pig-headed attempt to remove important conditions placed on the planning permission finally granted on appeal in March this year. Despite the planning inspector making it clear that, in order to preserve the character of the conservation area, conditions are needed in respect of external materials such as roof slates, rainwater goods, render finishes and window frames. A further planning application BH2023/01843 has been submitted in the hope that cheap and no doubt nasty materials can be used to maximise the developer’s profit. The Council’s Heritage Team has inevitably recommended refusal.

Red Pillar Box Blues

The MP for Pavilion has been in correspondence with Royal Mail over its decommissioning of the pillar box (see picture) outside the T@the Dials café in Dyke Road. During the Covid pandemic this was designated a “priority post box” but has been decommissioned for more than a year. According to Royal Mail, the café owners claim ownership of the land on which the pillar box is situated and will not allow the box to be removed (and perhaps re-positioned) during the working day. This would seem to be an unreasonable stance; the café has, after all, been allowed to use the pavement, which it clearly does not own, to place its tables, chairs, and planters. The loss of what was probably the most convenient pillar box for many West Hill residents is further depressing news about a postal service which fails to deliver (and now fails to collect).                            

Reasons to be cheerful

Homes in Clifton Street and Compton Avenue have been restored and are now enhancing the character of the West Hill conservation area. 

The pictures below of  2, Clifton Street show the front elevations before and after the works were carried out. The disfiguring of the original façade probably occurred in the latter part of the last century. The balcony in particular is now an attractive feature.

At no 18 Compton Avenue the flint and brick front wall has been repaired, and new cast iron railings set in particularly good stone coping. The balcony has  been reinstated, the steps refurbished and the garden replanted.

Artist Dotty, Brighton, Brighton Life, The Arts

Matt Whistler grills Artist Dotty

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Artist Dotty found himself interviewing me after hearing about my mission to run up and down every street in Brighton and accidentally join the London to Brighton marathon for the British Heart Foundation. But after I stopped prattling on about myself for 10 days and whinging that BBC comedy had relocated to Manchester, normal interviewing procedures resumed play with Artist Dotty. 

Creased coffee stained journo pad on table, with naff pencil and dried up pen, I asked: So Artist Dotty what have you being doing recently? “Listening to you banging on” came the reply. Artist Dotty seemed disgruntled and proceeded, in a confessional way, to spew out his recent new direction at embracing AI digital art. 

AD2023 was on the one hand singing the praises on new AI art and its fantastic capabilities and on the other hand looking facially perplexed, as if his face was saying, “Have I sold out as an art purist to the power of technology?” 

He proceeded to tell me that pitching art concepts is now far easier, but was a touch upset when he discussed a digital piece that was generated on the strength of a prompt description. The description read as follows: 

“An architect-style Dotty art gallery, with a space age Dotty band, jamming music”. Within seconds the piece auto generated, through the multiplex dottyverse algorithm and produced a fantastic piece of digital art. 

Dotty explained how he racked his brain to try to multiprocess the digital art in order to put his own artistic stamp on the composition. Then he came to a resigned conclusion, that the piece held its own as a visually great piece of art and narrative. 

Dotty began breaking up his wooden coffee stirrer and dropped each piece in his drink, as if to demonstrate an act of defiance and disdain at a robot creating a robot band and kicking the artist out of his arty processes. AD2023 was also concerned about the future of media and journalism; any number of fake scenarios could go out with photorealistic AI dark web wizardry. “Is there not a board of ethics by now?” 

The other side of the AD2023 coin is that his responses for his new strand of art, is causing quite a stir. 

The other day AD2023, while musing in Powis Square, it recreated the Royal Pavillion as a piece of digital art, with colourful Dotty designs on the side. This caused a class war debate on the Facebook page, Keep Brighton Weird, proving if nothing else, that there’s still life in the old prankster. 

Brighton, Brighton Life, Eating Out, Food & Drink, Lost In The Lanes

Lost for somewhere to go?

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We love The Lanes with all its nooks and crannies and jewelery shops and maybe the odd tourist, but it’s easy to get Lost In The Lanes. And that’s a terrible line about a very nice place. Food editor Gilly Smith found out more

LOST in the Lanes has been a bit of a tranquil refuge in the middle of tourist Brighton, a place for a coffee and a sit down away from the buzz since it opened in 2017. But who knew that its owners were all about local produce, that it had sustainability at its core? 

Since August, its launch of LOST Nights has been showcasing an evening menu, plucked from Brighton’s natural pantry, with meat from the South Downs, fish from the day boats, dairy from our neighbours at Downsview and wines from Wiston, Stopham and Hallgarten. 

Owner Natalie Demetriou and chef Sophie Taverner are keeping it simple and slow, evolving it gently to keep its values at its heart. One day, all restaurants will be like this. I asked chef, Sophie Taverner why local sourcing is so important to her.

“The reasoning behind keeping a short and changing menu in the evenings at LOST is that it really allows us to work closely with local suppliers and make the most of produce when it is at its peak. 

“Sourcing locally isn’t just an ethical choice but also means getting the best produce at the peak of its flavour. Part of the ethos we have built is grounded in excellent relationships with suppliers who will tell us what the best catch is coming in off the fishing boats, or they’ll send us a message when new crops are being harvested. It means being able to put food on a plate that has been harvested that same day which then allows us to create menus that really showcase those ingredients”.

Tell me about your favourite local product right now and what you love to make with it.

“Right now we are coming to the end of the season for the most wonderful Culver corn from Culver Farm in Sussex. It is exactly what corn should be, so sweet and fresh with a perfect crisp to it. We have been serving it as fritters with a chilli vinaigrette, keeping it simple to allow the flavour of the corn to really shine through. It is also the most amazing time of year for fruit and we have strawberries, raspberries, redgages and damsons dotted around the menu and plans for preserving so we can also enjoy these later in the year. Part of really working with the seasons is thinking ahead to what we can make into jams or ferments so that in those months where less is growing, we have stores of things that can add some interest to our menus”. 

How do you let your customers know how much care you put into sourcing well? 

“We keep telling our story and reflecting our ethos in the menus we are creating as well as constantly highlighting our suppliers and the work they are doing. Shrub, who are our produce supplier for LOST Nights, work with small organic farms to get their produce to restaurants like LOST and that means we know exactly where our produce is coming from and who is growing it. That kind of transparency we hope will translate in what we are doing and is something that customers increasingly value. 

What’s the stand out dessert on the menu right now? 

“Like the rest of our menu, our desserts change regularly to reflect the seasons and what´s coming from the farms. This week’s standout favourite was fresh Sussex poached quince, baked cream and almonds. The quince right now is perfect and sits so well to balance out the tart sweetness of the lemon. It was so good we might keep it on for another week”.

Lost In The Lanes, 

10 Nile St, BN1 1HW

01273 525 444