But with the second and fourth Wednesday of the month now filled, what is a young person about London town to do on the third Thursday of the month? Particularly the third Thursday of, say, January. The sixteenth of January 2014, for instance. As in the one coming up. Where could you be guaranteed a night of witty wordsmithery, glorious gung-ho garrulousness and celebrative cerebrality?
The Nutshell Magazine Blog
A virtual outlet for extra-magazine ramblings
Monday, 13 January 2014
Spoken Word London
But with the second and fourth Wednesday of the month now filled, what is a young person about London town to do on the third Thursday of the month? Particularly the third Thursday of, say, January. The sixteenth of January 2014, for instance. As in the one coming up. Where could you be guaranteed a night of witty wordsmithery, glorious gung-ho garrulousness and celebrative cerebrality?
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
English PEN
Sunday, 27 October 2013
Eyewear Autumn Party
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Until the Light Goes Out
Brought by way of Irina Juahiainen and Michael Clift, the night has been running since February 2013. Since then it has garnered quite a following, when we arrived there was little more than floorspace to sit on!
The format is to have the night captained by two featured performers afloat upon a raft of open-mikery. Last Monday saw featured poet Chip Grim, showcasing ringside themed poetry (a little like a politicised, literati Jake LaMotta), and Jessie Pie (sans band) finishing off the night with some sing-along Americana style guitar with a swansong that threw more than a nod to the Stoke Newington based great John Hegley.
Free, regular poetry events are rarer than a well-funded library service this far north of the river so it's good to see an evening of wonderful wordsmithery being done just right.
The next Until the Light Goes Out is on the 7th of October.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Where's my Nutshell for 2011??
Well, it doesn't exist. That's right, a few unexpected things have happened, and a few delaying agents have popped round to the Nutshell headquarters, so now that we're ready to roll, we find that the year is coming to an end, and that it really would be much better if we called the whole 2011 thing off and went for 2012 instead.
That's the thing with being all independent and free (yes, we're back to free for the next issue, it turns out we really don't like charging for Nutshell), you don't have to come out when the office decides, you can pretty much come out whenever you like. That is not to say that we only like coming out sporadically, far from it: we'd like to come out weekly! But it does mean that when it's only one person working on a project like this, helped by people that are also doing it in their spare time, the timeframes expand, the delays increase and accidents are absorbed much more slowly. This is why we don't say yes to people asking to subscribe to Nutshell. We love the thought, but we don't want to disappoint.
This is also the proof that Santa doesn't exist. One big red man alone would never manage to keep that Christmas deadline every year, coordinating all those helpers who really have their own projects going (most amazon sellers are, in fact, Santa's helpers. Same goes for good sellers on Ebay.)
Much love,
Nutters
Saturday, 25 June 2011
If only Angela Carter wrote the news
One of my all-time favourite authors, Angela Carter, started her working life as a journalist in south London, reporting local news for The Croydon Advertiser, before she achieved literary success. Reading her rich descriptions of a world that only she had the eyes to see has made me wonder what it would be like to open a newspaper and read an article written in the style of The Bloody Chamber or The Magic Toyshop.
I awaited the day of the 2011 Writers Edition, 15th June, with the kind of excitement that I used to reserve for birthdays when I was a child. This year, 53 writers had come on board to cover current events and give readers “a look at the news through literary eyes,” as the newspaper says on its masthead.
So what does “news through literary eyes” actually look like?
Sunday, 15 May 2011
The Tempest - Little Angel Theatre
Friday, 6 May 2011
Latitude 2011
Today might not be sunny and warm, but surely you can remember the cleverly timed string of sunny days that blessed this country over Easter and the Royal holiday, if you can’t that’s probably because you are still sun stroked or were abroad on an anti kingdom trip. Either way, we're here to tell you that now it’s officially possible to envisage hanging out in a park and sleeping in a tent of your own free will and not just because you’re homeless. For a few months coming up we can confirm that the outdoors won’t kill you… it’s time to start thinking about festivals, and we’re thinking Latitude.
The Nutshell team went to Latitude last year for the first time and it was wonderful so this year not only we want to go again, we want you to be there too. Here’s a list of 5 indisputable reasons:
1. Sheep the colour of rainbow and the most bucolic of settings. I’m not sure why, but blue, green and pink sheep do exist outside the realm of hallucinogenics and they’re at Latitude, sprawled about on the field by a sleepy river, looking happy and chewing grass. Thick forest surrounds the main stages, with some smaller stages deep inside among the trees… We have to say, the location is perfect, and it kind of makes the festival.
2. The literary presence. There are several tents dedicated to poetry and literature. These are large, cool areas sheltered from the scorching sun and equipped with comfy cushions. One can very well wake up early in the morning, have a quick shower and then come here and settle on a cushion to see who’s reading what, not exactly dozing back to sleep but waking up gently to the sound of a poem or a story. If this doesn’t sound blissful I don’t know what does.
Later in the day, things warm up and the tents get packed, and the good thing is: they get packed with lovely people. The line up is super and the atmosphere great. Damn we do love those shady tents!
3. The comedyyyy. How blissful rocking up to the comedy tent at random times and finding ourselves sitting there in stitches for hours. The comedy tent is huge and really crowded, you’ll have to walk over people to get to an empty patch and that’s probably when you’ll be picked at by the comedian on stage. A tip: outside the tent we found some sofas lying about, if you see a free one, drag it all the way to the tent and use it. They’re the most comfortable way of watching comedy, they'll swallow you whole and you'll literally forget yourself.
4. The music. This year we feel like we're in a time warp, it's just a jump to the left and a step to the right and Suede appear, together with Echo and the Bunnymen. Those of you brave enough to admit it can join us right now and get really excited about these comebacks, what a treat! Also, remember when OMD meant Original Manoeuvres in the Dark and OMG absolutely nothing? We do, and we can't wait to be there and see how they hold the stage. The great thing about this year's line up is that Latitude combines good oldies with really fresh new bands, without forgetting the sweet inbetweeners like Paolo Nutini, The Cribs, Paloma Faith, KT Tunstall, The National, Eels, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan and British Sea Power.
5. The rest! Theatre, Cabaret, Film, Ballet, Contemporary Art... who knows what will impress you and capture your imagination, what will Sadler's Wells and the English National Ballet will come up with or what will happen at Pandora's Playground. One of the best things about festivals, and what it should be all about, is discovery and experimentation. Wandering the grounds finding new things to like.
We can't wait!
Sunday, 24 April 2011
By The Rivers, Brixton Hootananny
--
Ian McLachlan
Monday, 11 April 2011
Pepe Belmonte involved in serious bike accident - tour cancelled but support event organised for the 16th of April
On 31st March Pepe Belmonte was just about to start off on a tour to launch his critically acclaimed debut album 'The Hermit's Waltz' but was involved in a serious bike accident after being knocked down by a speeding police van.
On Saturday 16th April, he was supposed celebrate the final night of his UK tour. Instead his friends are hosting a very special fundraising night for the Beatroot Rendez-Vous founder who is currently recovering from the accident.
We friends hope to raise some funds to help him do his tour once he's better.
The proposed line up is set to include:
Jenny Lindfors
Benjamin Folke Thomas
Trevor Moss and Hannah Lou
Frank Doody
Jack Day
Trent Miller
Grace Banks
All the Queens Ravens
+ many more!
When: Saturday 16th April 2011
Where: The Betsey Trotwood, 56 Farringdon Road, City of London, EC1R 3BL
Time: 8pm - 11.30pm
Price £4
**Make sure you get there early if you definitely want to get in because we expect it to be packed out!**
News about the crash
http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/cyclist_in_serious_condition_after_crash_with_police_van_in_haggerston_1_848940
http://www.folkradio.co.uk/2011/04/please-send-some-big-vibes-to-pepe-belmonte/
Some early 'The Hermit's Waltz' Reviews
http://www.folkradio.co.uk/2011/03/album-of-the-week-pepe-belmonte-the-hermits-waltz/
http://www.thecamdenstore.co.uk/pepe-belmonte-the-hermits-waltz
Pepe Belmonte
Pepe Belmonte 'Family State Blues' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS5S3MI8GOU&feature=related
Pepe Belmonte 'Mountain With a Moving Peak' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwScnGZ28EE
Pepe Belmonte 'The Hermit's Waltz' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBiHy4ghmOI&feature=related
Pepe Belmonte 'Pending on my Mind' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnAM-PLGm_c
Pepe Belmonte 'Mistletoe Kisses' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU14wlcFxWc&feature=player_embedded
For more information about Pepe Belmonte and Beatroot at the Betsey please contact Jody VandenBurg
07793-251-688