Today's idea - Christopher Guild (piano) "Off the beaten track"

Tonight we like the sound of some little heard and somewhat neglected gems of the piano repertoire alongside masterpieces of the musical canon with a few surprised on the way! There'll be works by Respighi and John White alongside Shostakovich's '10 Aphorisms', Beethoven's Appassionato Sonata and Chopin's 4th Ballad with food and wine. For classical music lovers or anyone who wants a low-cost delve into a live performance of the genre, this sounds good.

Time: 7.30pm
Cost: £4/6
Map: here
Location: St Luke's Church, Queens Park Terrace
More information: here

Today's idea - The Basement presents Quantick, AND Lighthouse's First Monthly Media Talk

Today TWO fantastic sounding events are taking place. We recommend both wholeheartedly.

The Basement opens their doors to the author behind Brass Eye, the Day Today, and Charlie Brooker's Screen Wipe as he delves into his musical side, showing his face as the songwriter behind the legendary Ian Dury & the Blockheads. Tonight he performs in the Basement's artily titled 'The Space' alongside the Blockhead's Chaz Jankel, and will also provide a brilliant short set. If you don't know who he is, we recommend finding out more about the pop culture critic and finding him on Twitter @quaintick.


Cost: £7.50, £5 concessions
Time: Doors 7:30
Event information: here



SECONDLY, The Lighthouse is launching a Monthly Talks Programme to focus on moving image and digital art, with talks from some brilliant bigwigs from the BFI and art directors. Today's sounds well worth a visit as they invite filmmakers Semiconductor along who have just ended a NASA residency. If you're interested in video, sound and digital animation with a bit of a science spin, this is your thing.

More info: here
Time: Doors 6:30pm, 7pm start
Cost: £3
Tickets: here
Facebook event: here
Twitter: @lighthousearts

Today's idea - Canary, at the Theatre Royal

Today, drama!

"In 1960's Liverpool Tom and Billy hide in the closet, then go their separate ways. As pits close and the dole queues grow, Mikey and Russell escape to find Heaven in 1980's London. But today the paparazzi turn judge and jury over a love story that could tear this family apart. And then there's Ellie, who's lost up a mountain with a vicar.

A deeply moving, funny, uplifting and often magical story about love, honesty and being brave enough to sing out at the top of your voice. With style.

Written by the multi award-winning Jonathon Harvey (Beautiful Thing, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Hushabye Mountain and Coronation Street) and directed by Hettie MacDonald who once again collaborates with Jonathon having directed both the original stage and film versions of his glorious Beautiful Thing. A stellar cast includes Paula Wilcox (Man about the House, The Smoking Room, Emmerdale) and Sean Gallagher (Linda Green, Heartbeat, Coronation Street).

A powerhouse of touring theatre, ETT stages thrilling and ambitious theatre that is vigorous, popular and entertaining. Following their triumphant production of Roger McGough's The Hypochondriac at Theatre Royal Brighton in 2009, ETT again joins forces with Liverpool's Everyman and Playhouse theatres."

It's a new play at the Theatre Royal. Bored of Brighton would quite like to go to see this - we think it sounds very good! It's by Jonathon Harvey, directed by Hettie MacDonald. Find out more information here. It's between £15-£28 depending on whether you're a student, your seat, and other things like that. We apologise for a bit of a PR copy today, Bored of Brighton's real-world meetings have overflowed.

Today's idea - Tea Dance Ballroom Workshop

The Dome is often putting on tea party style events, and today's is a tea-party in training. In a dance workshop, you can expect to learn all the moves from the cha-cha-cha to slow waltzes under the professional eye of teacher Carola. For a more professional lesson in Brighton it's incredibly cheap, and you'll be able to continue throughout the number of Brighton dance venues that are dotted about town with weekly classes and freestyles. It's designed for all abilities, so don't be shy. Come with or without a partner and be frequently paired up, for £8 a single, and £15 for a couple.

Find more information here. Now, get your dancing shoes on.

Tea dance photo courtesy of Brigate.com.

Today's idea - Brighton Lions and Pavilion Gardens Cafe Charity Fun Day

A fun and slightly quaint fundraiser in the sun is taking place today in the Pavilion Gardens. With a giant mix of Face painting, a Tombola, pig racing, stalls and games, cartoon caricatures and silent auctions, there'll also be live jazz and the Hangleton Brass Band. We love this and are excited about feeling about ten years old again to the sound of nice jolly music whilst sitting in the gorgeous Pavilion Lawn surrounded by bright flowers with the sun beaming. Perfect summer things.

It's in aid of the Downs View School, and we recommend you get yourself there in between the midst of shopping or sunny frolicking. What else are you up to today?

Time: 12-5pm
Cost: Free
Location: Pavilion Lawn
Map: here

Images via Cassia and Captain Bonobo on Flickr. Gorgeous, aren't they?

Today's idea - The Garden Gadabout

This weekend and the next sees a Garden-style version of the Open Houses event take place with a city-wide trail extending all the way to Lewes. Instead of houses and artwork, today over 60 beautiful private garden and community spaces open their gates for this year's Sussex Beacon Garden Gadabout.

Coming into its 16th year gardens throughout Brighton are open to the public to nose about shady nooks, suntraps, blossoming dustbins, shed roofs spouting vegetables, overflowing allotments and our topical favourite; community gardens. This includes tours through the atmospheric Monks House and the Royal Pavilion Gardens.




Most are littered with cakes and teas and sweet things, and we love the sound of this in the sunshine. We love the sound of a couple of places on Richmond Road, for starters - and the Sussex Beacon, sponsors of the event, is worth a pop into - not only for the garden but for a look around the volunteer-organised centre helping people living with HIV which is putting on a couple of nice tombola-esque events.

Running until 3rd & 4th July.
Time: Most open 11am-6pm
Information: www.gardengadabout.org.uk
Download the guide: here
Cost: £2 a house, or £7 for a daily ticket
Get tickets: Dome box office on 01273 709709 or www.brightonticketshop.com

Today we like the sound of four new plays coming to the Brighton Dome. Today is the third in the series, seeing Artists Development come to the stage with Reeling on show tonight. Tonight, the story of Mabel Menzies, "an Austrian child star who suddenly disappears and Lenny Fyler the TV researchers assigned to find our why." Good old detective business in this modern production, which sees the best of theatre development come to the stage. It sounds good, and as part of the Arts Council England, perhaps a little surprising.

The unabridged plot is thus:

"Mabel Menzies had been an Austrian child star who made a faltering transition into British films as a young adult. She suddenly 'disappeared'. Lenny Fyler, a TV researcher, is assigned to find out why."

It's only £10 with £8 for concessions, and worth a good visit we reckon, with the Dome as perhaps a more surefire bet that you'll see the better of new talent. (Written by Jeff Thomson, directed by Roland Jaquarello, with a good cast of: Elizabeth Counsell, June Watson, Jenny Funnell, Marcus Hutton & Jos Vantyler.)

Continues until Sunday 4th July
Website: here
Cost: £10 (£8 concessions)
Tme: 8pm with doors at 7.15pm.
Location: Brighton Dome
Book:

Wednesday, 23 June 2010

Today's idea - Drop in Spinning Classes for Bike Week

Today sees another event for Brighton Bike Week follow the London to Brighton bike ride for anyone feeling brave. They've got a number of pretty cool music and film-related events going on with melting Vinyl and with the Duke of York's Cinema. Today though, the focus is a bit more sports-related. Spinning Classes (as seen in Gyms, and on the Simpsons) are a form of exercise we've been curious about for a bit but sound slightly like military training. Essentially the premise is lots of fast peddling in a giant circle. So today, if you're interested in extreme work outs, meeting new healthy types, or just feeling brave, there's drop-in taster sessions taking place down by the bandstand. (img via microabi)

Pop down for 10-15 minute drop in sessions outdoors on the bandstand. It's all taking part from 6-7.15pm - and don't forget to wear appropriate clothing!

More info: here
Cost: Free
Time: 6-7.15pm
Location: Brighton Band Stand

Today's idea - Pop culture meets economics with Superfreakonomics Live

Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt are the author behind Freakonomics, the giant pop culture meets economics book from last year. It's sold massively around the world, and dives off into a world of topics not normally looked at by economists.

Can we stop global warming with a hose pipe? They look at topics from 'Information control as applied to the Ku Klux Klan and real-estate agents' to 'The economics of drug dealing, including the surprisingly low earnings and abject working conditions of crack cocaine dealers.'

Unsurprisingly, it's pretty fascinating and 4 million people thought so too, buying the book. Today it comes to stage for the first time ever "in a bold, hilarious and entertaining evening. With super smart thinking and great storytelling SUPERFREAKONOMICS LIVE! challenges the way we think explores how people respond to incentives and show the world for what it really is.. super freaky."

'A humdinger of a book: page-turning, politically incorrect and ever-so-slightly intoxicating, like a large swig of tequila' - Times

There's a pretty good video about it all, if you can deal with the shiny ABC foreheads. It's definitely worth a watch.

Time: 8pm, doors at 7.15pm
Cost: £12.50, £10 concessions
Location: Brighton Dome

Today's idea - Bobby McGees + Special Guests, by TURDS

Tonight for Ukulele fans comes a special show from The Ukulele Research and Development Society (T.U.R.D.S). They are, we suspect, less scientific than the name suggests. This evening they'll be presenting Brighton's own Bobby McGees + Special Guests, with open mic slots available until 9.15pm, "this promises to be a night to remember."

Bored of Brighton is has been having a bash at learning the Ukuele and is quite excited by this prospect. It's all a bit fun and if you're not convinced by the lovely above image, we recommend you check out a brilliant MGMT cover by the Ookes of Hazard.



Time: 7:30pm
Cost: £2/free to performers (slots will be limited to arrive early to avoid disappointment)
Location: Latest Music Bar

Today's idea - The Finishing line: London to Brighton Bike Ride

If you haven't seen or heard the stream of cyclists rushing into Brighton today, head to Madeira drive to catch the culmination of the London to Brighton bike ride. Essentially the Marathon on bikes (and in another direction), 27,000 people will be streaming into the city on two wheeled contraptions in today's yearly 56 mile mission from London to Brighton, all in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

The route sees enthusiasts assemble in the depths of London in the early hours of the morning, disperse into thick crowds of cyclists, finally spreading out as the route takes them nearer the coasts towards the tiring Devil's Dyke. It's lovely to watch everyone streaming down Lewes Road, towards the Pier and diving round to the finish line in front of the sea (and there's always some interesting costumes on bikes; remembering the arrival of

Today's idea - Quarter to Five Exhibition

Today we're excited about Quarter to Five Artists, an exhibition in Brighton which sees five artists create a two-week exhibition this summer at the seafront. They'll be presenting photography, paintings, ceramics and jewellery in a mix of surreal, natural, persian-inspired and antique art under one roof. There's also a side of occasional side of dead sea animal, but before we scare you off, it's only a small part. They've been showing off at the Artist's Open Houses and festivals, and now come to spend their two weeks at the Brighton Fishing Quarter Gallery (a place nicer than it sounds).




A description:

Miss Aniela's (Natalie Dybisz) high-impact, often surreal photographs are all self-portraits. Self-taught in photography, Miss Aniela's work has been exhibited in one-woman shows, and alongside other key emerging artists, in fairs in London, Madrid and Buenos Aires, and the cover of American Photo last year.

Nikki Black is a painter whose work is inspired by Persian rugs, Mayan ruins and Indian American patterns, painted using acrylics on texturised canvas. Nikki has regularly exhibited her work in Open Houses and festivals in Brighton.

Ceramicist Jessica Jordan's work is inspired by natural forms, found objects, and the natural erosion of surfaces. She produces vessels, wall pieces, jewellery and garden sculptures using the traditional form of hand-building, believing her work to blur the boundary between 'art' and 'craft'.

Peter Gosbe's jewellery is most definitely unique. Composed from antiques and sometimes found dead sea animals, his art becomes objects of curiosity, weaving the macabre and the scientific; the mechanical and the talismanic.

Ruth Schmidt uses photography to explore natural structures and textures, often abstracting the subject matter from a recognisable context. Her objective being to promote the 'art of looking closer' to enable us to question exactly what it is we are seeing. Ruth works with slide film, producing photos with no digital manipulation, presenting her scenes 'as nature intended'."

It sounds worth a good look, and Bored of Brighton will be taking along their adventurous and keen faces at the weekend.

Running until 29th June
Cost: Free
Times: Running during the day (assuming 10am-5.30pm)
Map: here
Location: Fishing Quarter Gallery, Fishing Museum, 201 Kings Road

Today's idea - Bad Science

Tonight comes a fantastic talk from University of Southampton lecturer Phil Uttley. Talks at the Latest MusicBar are lovely and more intimate than a regular lecture theatre. It covers a pretty relevant topic of how the media covers new and as titled, 'bad science'. It sounds completely great, and involves no chalkboards.

"One of the most important things science has given us is the scientific method itself, which since its first rigorous application in the 16th and 17th centuries has pushed our understanding of the universe and our place in it to previously unimaginable levels. And yet, the majority of the population are completely unaware of these simple principles which underpin human progress. Much of this ignorance is down to the bad reporting and presentation of science by the media, which tends to portray science as arcane information handed down from on high, not a path to knowledge which most people can tread. At worst, the media actively pushes stories as `science’ when they are really based on pseudoscience or a basic misinterpretation of scientific data.

In this talk, I’ll use examples from science and the media to take a look at some aspects of the scientific method, how we can use them to make sense of the world, and show how without them, we can all be led astray. We’ll see how our unscientific ways of thinking may have been useful in the past when we lived as hunter-gatherers, but are really holding us back today. On the way we’ll look at cloud-creatures and nun-buns, the connection between superstitious pigeons and stock-market analysts, and I’ll also point the finger at some less-than-obvious culprits in the bad-science wars. Most importantly, I want to show how the scientific method is relevant to our daily lives and not just the classroom or laboratory."

It begins at 7:30 with free entry - but have change for a collection to cover costs if you're a kind type. Great talk on a cool topic, by a bar. Wholeheartedly recommended.

Website: here
img via: here

Today - Byrne, Koons, Coppola and others do illy expresso art

Today Strada, in a great sounding event - surprisingly stemming from a PR stunt. A brilliant collection of artists including Jeff Koons, Robert Rauschenberg and Marina Abramovic have been rounded up to design their own expresso coffee cups, in "Strada presents the illy Art Collection”. 286 designs have been created not only by artists but by film makers, creative types, and a couple of famous faces with contributions from Francis Ford Coppola, David Byrne, Federico Fellini and Pedro Almódovar sounding worth a look.

"The Collection though is not just about ‘famous names’. Over the past 20 years illy has also collaborated with lesser known artists and students from all over the world to give them an opportunity to express themselves through its porcelain cups."

Essentially it revolves around illy's redesign of its expresso cup in 1990 and now, 20 years later, they're a bit pleased and are pulling in famous names to bring their interpretation to this event.

"The illy Art Collection began when the company changed the design of its espresso cup in 1990. Ernesto Illy wanted to create a new, exclusively shaped, cup that could also stand on its own as a work of art. He contacted the designer and architect Matteo Thun to design it and the "illy" espresso cup, as a signature piece, was born. Twenty years on and the exclusively shaped cup is now used in more than 50,000 of the best restaurants and coffee bars in the world, including Strada in Brighton."

This bring us to present, and Strada have got involved and will be host of the exhibition. Some rare designs from Thun in 1990 reach up to £2,500 in auction, so it's a pretty cool thing to be lurking about in the local coffee house.

“Strada presents the illy Art Collection” runs from 16th - 29th June 2010

Times: Open 7 days a week from 11.30 am-10.30 pm and is free of charge.
Location: Strada, 3 The Waterfront, Brighton Marina, Brighton, BN2 5WA.
Map: here
Website: strada.co.uk

Today's idea - Oscar Wilde's Salome at the Theatre Royal

Today the Theatre Royale brings Oscar Wilde's Salome to life. In keeping with Wilde's dramatic writing, "Salome is a lyrical yet shocking piece of storytelling from one of the greatest writers of the last two hundred years. It is fragile, savage and shimmeringly beautiful, rendered exquisite poetry and unforgettable theatrical images. Headlong and Curve Theatre, Leicester present a vivid contemporary production of this rarely-seen masterpiece."

The plot is thus:

"The brutal power of ancient myth collides with twentieth century decadence in Oscar Wilde's dazzling verse tragedy. Salome, stepdaughter of King Herod, agrees to perform the mysterious dance of the seven veils but demands in return the head of the King's most influential prisoner - John the Baptist."

It comes from director Jamie Lloyd, one of the most critically acclaimed young directors in British theatres, and is performed by Headlong, a fantastic and innovative theatre companies at the moment. The Theatre Royal's responsible for a brilliant standard of production, and this sounds to be no exception.

It's running until 29th June.
Time: 7:45pm (Thurs and Sat matinee 2:30pm)
Website & tickets: here
Cost: £14-28
Map: here

Today's idea - Unite Brighton Exhibition

Today we recommend a fundraising exhibition from Brighton and Hove artists in aid of a better future for Haiti. Today and until June the 30th artists Mandeep Birdy, Angela Huang, Felix Kunza, Steve Yeats and others will exhibit work in support of a volunteer-supported orphanage called 'The Future of Haiti'.

Taking in as many of the 70,000 children with no home or parents as they can, they provide shelter, clothing, education and comprehensive medical care. The orphanage was built following the disaster to reshape and help young lives.

So, in the tradition of good old British support, 'Unite Brighton' brings together local schools, artists, businesses, and more. With the Umi Hotel opening its doors as a supporting exhibition space, work comes not only from fully fledged artists but also from the local community. A large 50-canvas mosaic painted by local school children will be on display during June from a mass of schools around Brighton and others, to raise money toward The Future of Haiti cause.

Pop down, add a couple of coins to the Giant 'Unite Brighton' piggy bank in reception, and have a good old mosey around the art.

Running until June 30th.
Location: Umi Hotel
Time: Daytime (10am-6pm at a guess - for clarification call: 07929 979 073)
Map: here

Today's idea - Touch Art Touching You: BlindArt for the senses

Touching Art Touching You isn't just an Abba-pun, it's a good exhibition currently going on at Hove Museum & Art Gallery. It sees a break-down of traditional barriers by actively encouraging visitors to experience and explore art through touch and other senses.

"The experience challenges the notion that sight is essential for creating and enjoying exceptional art.  The exhibition includes paintings, sculptures and installations, including sound, drawn from the permanent collection of BlindArt. This comes from not only visually impaired artists but also sighted artists, and challenges the public to tell the difference."

All works in this exhibition are made accessible to a diverse audience through touch, audio description, large print and Braille labels. It sounds lovely: the curiosity of what differs between partially sighted and sighted artists, and what it's actually like: I've never seen anything quite like it and will be going to see it at the weekend.

It's running until 5th September 2010.
Cost: Free
Time: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 2-5pm
Website: here
Location: Hove museum & Art Gallery
Map: here

Today's idea - Brighton Fashion Week's Couture Show

This week sees Brighton Fashion Week take place until Sunday. It launched at an exclusive event (as all good things must) on Wednesday, and this week's seeing a lot of shows and events take place - most of which are quite helpfully open to the public. Tonight's even is a brilliant Couture Show taking place at the Brighton Corn Exchange, "showcasing innovation". (They've also got cheaper events taking place at the weekend if you're looking for something accessibly cheaper, where I very excited about this girly attire.)

"A highly innovative, visually arresting show featuring cutting-edge pieces and luxurious evening wear from up and coming designers including Andrew Bannister and internationally renowned designers. A must-see at Brighton Fashion Week, this show will be the spectacular climax of Brighton Fashion Week."

ALSO! Win a £200 Warehouse shopping spree in their fab competition:

"In order to bag this beaut of a prize, all you need to do is email your full name to competitions@brightonfashionweek.com with WAREHOUSE in the subject. The winner will be announced on our website on Saturday 12th June."

Find out more here

It's exciting: we have a lot of cultured things come to Brighton, but with London generally stealing the limelight with fashion from St Martins to serious designers, it's good to have this extend to Brighton - and the team behind it have worked incredibly hard.

Time: 8pm
Location: Brighton Corn Exhchange
Cost: £16, £14 with NUS
Tickets: here
Website: BrightonFashionWeek.co.uk
Facebook page: here
Twitter: @Bfw2010

Today's idea - Ariel Pink at the Freebutt

Today's idea is Resident's gig of the week, and they're very excited about this low fi artist. Ariel Pink (Ariel Marcus Rosenburg) was signed up by Animal Collective after a rogue CD-R listening with "holy shit!" style reactions, and was speedily added as the first signed artist. Presented by Brassneck, he brings Haunted Graffiti in a return to Brighton before embarking on an incredibly intense world tour with one gig every day as he hops around the UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Berlin, and USA

"Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti @ Freebutt - Thursday 10th June Mr Rosenberg is going home with all the glory this week… AOTW & GOTW! It seems the world has finally caught up with his way of thinking & he can be considered one of the godfathers of the current crop of underground pop acts that are variously described as chillwave etc etc. So his return to Brighton should be a triumphant affair & one we have all been looking forward to."

Find him on MySpace, Last.fm, and Facebook.

Location: here
Cost: £9 adv
Doors: 7.30pm.

Today's idea - Floetics and Facepaint

Floetics excellent night of locally produced music, poetry, spoken word, drama and comedy return to night. They promise brilliant acts and lots of open mic slots, so if you're a budding wordsmith, this one's for you.

This month's is in aid of Brighton charity Hue Help and all funds raised will go straight towards furnishing a new orphanage in Hue Vietnam. The plan's too create a home for forty Vietnamese children - more info at Huehelp.org.uk

"There will be facepainting, coffee which = phwoar, colouring-in, and of course the inordinately anticipated and confundingly life-changing prize draw."

So, for a night of wordiness, expression, and happy locals, it sounds pretty good. They had us sold at colouring-in.

If you're interested in taking part, sign up on arrival (look for Jasmine).

Time: Doors at 8pm, starts at 8.30pm (until 10.30pm)
Cost: £3
Facebook event: here
Location: Redroaster Coffee House, St James Street

Today's idea - Museumaker's Black Butterflies at the Royal Pavilion

Museumaker opens today. Artist Claire Twomey has ben commissioned to install 3,000 black ceramic butterflies in the Royal Pavilion for museumaker, spreading across the Banqueting Room, Great Kitchen and Entrance Hall, escaping throughout out other ground floor rooms.

The butterflies will cluster on the banqueting table, across window panes, in roof lights, on mantelpieces and other surfaces. Their sombre beauty will be a reflection on the excesses and frivolity of the past life of the Royal Pavilion.

Twomey is a ceramicist/artist who works with clay in large-scale installations, sculpture and site-specific works. Over the past 10 years she has exhibited at Tate, Victoria & Albert Museum, Crafts Council, and the Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, Japan.

If you've never been the the Pavilion before this might be a great time to go, and I'm especially tempted towards it because it's been the fancy museums that I normally pop into and love.

Running until January 2011

Cost: £9.50 adults, £5.40 children, £7.50 students
Location: Royal Pavilion
Map: here

Today's idea - Hook, Line and Sinker

Today Brighton University's art faculty displays an annual mass of over 500 graduating students' work, becoming the largest art gallery in the South East for a short time only! This year's show is titled Hook, Line and Sinker and will see over 15,000 visitors walk through the doors.

"Brighton is well known for its forward thinking and eclectic artistic talent; previous arts graduates include Turner prize-winning artists Rachel Whiteread and Keith Tyson. Fashion graduate and founder of the Biba label Barbara Hulanicki returned to Brighton last November to give a rare talk on her life as a legendary fashion designer. More recent fashion graduates have also embarked on successful careers since leaving Brighton. Julien MacDonald was voted British designer of the year in 2001, alongside Gresham Blake who has now become a tailor to the stars." - Rosie Rogers, Editor of the Verse

The Brighton University website does a nice summary of the 'best bits' of the show. Which is useful, but of course arguably unhelpful to other students:

"There are many student names worth remembering:
Steven Woodward, fashion with business student who was runner up at this year's Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD) competition had his work showcased as part of London Fashion Week. His designs were selected from more than 100 entrants in a competition described by Vogue.com as an 'undeniable springboard' for the next generation of talent.

Knitted textiles student Debbie Holman, who received a £2000 bursary from The Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters, will be displaying her clothing range, which is designed to help improve the quality of life for eczema sufferers. Debbie has worked with designers at Accessorize and her work has been sold in New York.
Also the recipient of a bursary from The Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters is knitted textiles student Sophie Penn. She will be exhibiting a range of work created as a result of her extensive research into the ways in which communication can be used in knitted textile design.

Textiles print student Laura Andrews, who has benefited from working in Ecuador, India and also at the design department of Accessorize, will be displaying her own range of fashion and textiles. With a great interest in fair trade, Laura is currently working as a designer for EcoChic, a company based in Hove, and she also contributes to the online magazine

Fine art print making student, Ania Zydron, jumped at the opportunity to take up a placement at the Nagoya University in Japan as part of her course. She had the opportunity to learn traditional Japanese woodcutting techniques and her exchange culminated in an international student exhibition." - Find more on the Brighton Uni Website

Rosie's written a brilliant write-up of the show, which we recommend checking out before you head out. It sounds brilliant - especially with the novelty as being the largest gallery in the south. There's also the History students whose show takes place at the Pavilion Parade, who always get a bit forgotten.

It's made up of a couple of 'exhibition within exhibitions' and you can find specific details of the Fine Art Printmaking and Lucid: the Photography Degree Show on Facebook. Lucid, very excitingly is off to FreeRange London this year which, having caught last year's, is brilliant.

Running until 10 June.
Time: 12 noon-6pm (find times for the entire week here)
Map: here
Cost: Free
Event Page: here

Today's idea - Brighton's Big Spoon & Handmade Brighton

Two things today! Firstly at 1pm today Brighton's Big Spoon will be taking place: an attempt to have the biggest spoon with hundreds of people at the same time. There was a mention of the Guinness World Record chaps attending, but it's likely just for fun. Invite everyone you know, they ask - and you can find the facebook event page here.

Secondly Handmade Brighton's co-op shop on St james' Street is organising a craft fair "featuring the very best independent design makers from Brighton" at Komedia. The fair starts at 4pm with the promise of original artworks from the artists themselves along with "30 stalls of handmade items such as hand made books and self published zines, men's and women's fashion, acrylic and silver jewellery, limited edition screen prints, unique accessories" amongst the endless stream of things to look at, play with, and buy.

Catch it from 11am-4pm. It's free entry and good for an artsy poke around. Oh, and importantly they promise music, a fully stocked bar and refreshments. I'm sold.


Find it downstairs in Komedia and the Facebook event page here. More info here and you can find their blog here.

Have a lovely day.

Today's idea - Hove Champagne Festival

Today is Hove champagne festival. The premise is is the potential of tasting over 50 of the best champagne houses and suppliers. Taking place on the Hove seafront between "the sparkling English Channel and the stunning Regency buildings" - otherwise known as lawns, but the setting should be pretty wonderful.

The day in the sunshine (we hope!) sees top local chefs serve up "glorious local Sussex fare" (om nomnom) including oysters and other local delicacies from Sevendials Restaurant, Riddle & Finns and Sam's of Brighton, live music, "indulgent shopping" and of course, the champagne.

Appearing in tasty sample-size form (that's 30ml) and buy the glass, you can try lots of champagnes and try you favourites (Bring cash they say!). Alcohol under the notion of tasting. Now you can out-posh your friends down the er.. local place of champagne consumption. However, it won't help you be able to counteract that chap who always rambles about his deep understanding of wine palettes.


It's running Friday 4th and Saturday 5th June, with Saturday split into morning and afternoon sessions.


Cost: £12
Location: Regency Hove Lawns
Further info: here
Tickets: here

Today's idea - Mystery Jets Pop Up Gig on the Pier!

We accidentally listed this last week. It's TODAY though, so if you'd like to win two tickets for you and a friend, email boredofbrighton@gmail.com with your name! Winners will be picked by this afternoon and you'll be added to the Guestlist!

Without further ado, a description of tonight's brilliant event:

'First come first served' tonight as The Mystery Jets play a pop up show as part of the Chevrolet Spark Unscheduled Tour. The Mystery Jets pop in and around Brighton and tonight's somewhat exclusive (in grand terms) on the end of the Pier (sea-end) should be lovely. Yes yes, pop up's meant to have been done to death but this is a bit cool.

They'll be playing at Horatio;s Bar, "a traditional English pub with sea views like no other as it's at the end of the of Brighton Pier." Only 200 guests will be able to go to this and the event promises new swanky tracks from their third album. It sounds good even if solely for its pop-up novelty, and the band are rather lovely acoustically too (they did a nice stint in the Sussex Campus bar three years ago which was ace).

If you'd like to go (without entering our competition), you'll need to send off a quick 'get me in' type email here. You can find more info on Facebook and Twitter

All Free! Huzzah. Takes place at 7pm. If you want free guestlist entry on this exclusive gig, email boredofbrighton@gmail.com

Today's idea - Hammer and Tongue

We recommend Hammer & Tongue's traditional poetry and open slam night. As eve hosted by Rosy Carrick and Mike Parker, the night is continually good for the best spoken word artists about the country. Tonight, they come to Brighton, having traveled about through Oxford, Camden, Cambridge, and Bristol - and they'll be heading to festivals this summer too.

The poetry/spoken word night pulls in diverse groups that the Sunday Times raves about with brilliance described as "wry controversy and sweet-natured sarcasm" says Danny Chivers.

If you'd like to take part in the "absolute sensation" (The Guardian) and sign up for the Open Slam, head down to Komedia at 7:30pm sharp. Unfortunately, tickets are on the door early so head down pronto to get them as the queue disappears halfway down the street as it gets later.

Location: Komedia
Time: 7:30pm
Cost: £5
Tickets: here

Today's idea - Two Spot Gobi at Komedia

It's been a year since I last saw Two Spot Gobi play in Brighton and now they've moved up from Casablanca's to Komedia. "Fresh from recording and touring the USA with Jason Mraz, the energetic soul-pop group return to shake Komedia as part of their You Make It Easy single release tour."

Last.fm gushes their praise, praising the feel good factor they bring to shows, with a contagious energy bouncing around the stage and spilling into the audience, making people dance and smile. Yes, a bit cheesy but it sounds nice.



Have a listen on Myspace or last.fm and they bring support in the form of Frankie Young and Chukin.

You can find the even on Facebook, last.fm

Time: 7.30pm
Cost: £6
Location: Komedia
Tickets: here

Today's idea - Natty and Aruba Reda at Komedia

Today, this should be very cool: North London's Natty (plus Aruba Red!) come to Komedia. Natty's spent his teen years producing hip-hop beats for local MCs and then leapt to engineering for the likes of Mos Def, Queen, and Razorlight.

This spawned a bit of free studio time, during which he's developed his own material. He's described as "Soaking up the sounds of artists including Neil Young, Fela Kuti and Bob Marley in his youth, this vast scope of influences can be heard within Natty's own compositions."

Expect an acoustic EP of songs merging reggae, afro-beat, folk, and soul. And expect it to be brilliant. My spotify's borked, so I'll point you at his Myspace for now.



Cost: £10
Time: 8pm
Location: Komedia
Tickets: here

Today's idea - 'Beyond Practice' Degree Show

We're always banging on with praise about the latest Brighton Photography/Art/Digital production, but today we recommend Sussex's Media Practice and Theory Degree show which finishes Wednesday. It encompasses all the practical media courses (long list) and having seen some of the work, they're all really fantastic and I can't recommend them enough.



Made up of photography, screen drama, radio, digital media, and video documentary; I've had a peek at the trailer for one of the films, which acts as an indicator better than I can say.



I've had the pleasure this year of watching a couple of the projects come together and grow, and it's been a challenging sort of 'journey' and everyone's done fantastically. I've been in classes with a couple of the guys behind the excellent work, and it's sounded harrowing, rewarding and they've got no end of excitement for their projects. Especially Bob who shoots some of our gig photos and whose project sounds fantastically odd and wonderful. (Short plug over)

You can find the Facebook event here. I urge you to go. Sussex's main focus of academia is rooted mostly in books but when they do go practical, they do it brilliantly.

It's running until Wednesday June the 2nd, so I'm popping up to Falmer today before the week properly starts. It's open between 10am-5pm, and it's right by Stamner park which a gorgeous place for a walk.

Map: here

If you're hungering for more art after this, then perhaps check out Brighton's latest offering that we'll be featuring tomorrow (probably).

Today's idea - Japanese Street Festival

Today Moshi Moshi creates another Japanese Festival, each of which I've really enjoyed so far. Today they're turning Bartholomew Square into "miniature Tokyo" which not only revolves around the eating and drinking of Japanese food and drink (both of which I, like many, am very good at) but also brings a couple of cultured bits along. Throughout the festival will be Japanese performances, free origami, calligraphy classes, and traditional Japanese games and events, with mentions about a theme focusing on 'the plight of the fish'.

"The whole of the square will be transformed into a miniature Tokyo, with street names and stalls selling Japanese goods and food."

It's lasting until bank holiday Monday tomorrow, and if you head there today you can catch some Taiko drumming at 2:30pm, but the entire event should be pretty lively throughout the day as they usually are. I think yesterday's may have shut down early from rain, but today is looking positively sunny (horray!) so everything should go without a hitch.

Running until May 31st.
Facebook event page:

Today's idea - Vintage Pop Up Shop

Today vintage pop up shop! I'm so easily sold on pop up stuff. Focusing on vinatge items Scarlett Rage and Oh So Retro proudly present their first ever Vintage Pop Up Show! There's not a mass of information on this one but: "We have something for the vintage vixens to the vintage virgins all at incredible prices!! Sick of seeing the same old vintage in the shops? Well come on in and get something one off and affordable!"

It sounds worth investigation and is on today until 6:30pm at 114 Church Street.

Map's here. Sorry we don't have much info on this, but Brighton's suddenly having a spate of popup ventures, and we for one are not discouraging it.

Today's idea - Watch the Royal Escape Boat Race launch from Brighton Pier

Right, what with this being somewhat in the sea a lot of it may be out of sight but the starting point should be excellent so today we recommend the Royal Escape 2010. Essentially this means gorgeous views of lots of lovely little boats taking place in the largest offshore race on the South coast (that's not in the Solent). So it's not just Southampton that gets the fun.

It's all in celebration of the escape across the Channel of Charles II and starting from literally just off Brighton Pier on Madeira Drive, a giant mixed fleet will be starting their race of 67 miles here. Start on the Pier for a great view, wave flags - whatever's hip these days.

Illustrate picture of Charles II for you. Catch it at 8:00-8:20 which is terribly early but should be very pretty and won't be over immediately as they have to sail off into the distance.

Today's idea - A-B Exhibition at Boxbird

Today Boxbird presents A-B Exhibition of contemporary printmaking and illustration "inspired by travel and foreign adventures. Last year's exhibition won the Argus Angel Award for Best Show in Festival.

This year's brings together 30 of "the most most exciting international designers to create a fresh and exciting exhibition jammed full of affordable prints and original art works by the likes of Graham Carter, Jon Burgerman, Lidia De Pedro and The Peepshow Illustration Collective. The exhibition will also showcase 10 new and emerging artists selected from over 120 applications to be part of A to B. This continues Boxbird’s commitment to support new and emerging artists, graduates and students by providing a first step into the commercial art industry with the support of the gallery owners Alice Teague & Illustrator Graham Carter."

It's running until Thursday 27th May as part of the the Brighton Fringe.

Time: 11am-5pmt
Location: Boxbird Gallery, 14 St John;s Road
Map: here

We're heading to this tonight: Quasi at the Freebutt

Today, thanks to a bout of over-enthusiasm at Bored of Brighton Towers, we present a second suggestion for tonight's activity. Should you decide against tonight’s Eno show, we can also suggest an offering at the Freebutt which is that nicest of coincidences; a pair of local bands whose relative obscurity in no way implies that they are underwhelming, united with an international band of significant and deserved acclaim.

The local heroes are Bored of Brighton faves Foxes! (who play charming, high-spirited indie-pop which blends C86 jangle with ramshackle slacker-rock) and the recently relocated Hornblower Bros (whose equally ramshackle, equally exuberant pop recalls a meeting point betwixt The Coral and Half Man Half Biscuit). Both are worth the entry price either combined or individually – small, enthusiastic acts at least as good as more famous peers.

So make sure you get there early; missing either the onstage dynamism of the Hornblowers or the quirky, affectionate interplay of Foxes! would be a mistake. And if, like us, you’re a fan of wonderful and unlikely contrasts, make sure you appreciate the pleasure of watching Foxes!’s singing drummer, Kayla, whose loose, relaxed (and very effective )style is a perfect counterpoint to the experience of watching Quasi, the indie super-group headlining tonight.

Previously a two piece consisting of Portland legends Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss (who have between them played with the likes of Elliot Smith, Stephen Malkmus and, of course, Weiss’s old band Sleater Kinney), they have recently expanded to a three-piece and with the addition of Joanna Bolme, promise a night of forceful, noisy indie rock. The centrepiece is, of course, Weiss’s drumming. She’s a powerhouse – in my opinion the best, most interesting, drummer in alternative rock; combining an unbuttoned, unforced approach with tight, counter-instinctive precision. She makes any band she plays in at least 30% better – so given Quasi are already very good, you need to go.

The show is tonight at the Freebutt; doors open at 7.30 and it's £9.

Today's idea idea - Berlin Horse by Brian Eno and Malcolm Le Grice

Today we recommend Brian Eno's Berlin Horse. His third exhibition piece for the Brighton Festival, Berlin Horse is based on two sequences - one shot originally in 8mm and re-filmed in 16mm - the other a piece of found early newsreel. Taking place at Lighthouse, Brian Eno creating the music and the film pieces by Malcolm Le Grice.

"The common subject is horses - a horse being exercised and horses being led from a burning stable. Le Grice made Berlin Horse in 1970, with both visual sequences being treated at the London Film Makers Cooperative.

The 8mm sequence was shot in the village of Berlin near Hamburg, northern Germany. It was re-filmed from the screen running the film at different speeds and directions and with the camera at different angles. Later it was re-coloured using theatrical lighting gelatins in the film-printer and subject to multiple superimposition. It was finally combined with early newsreel of horses being led from a burning barn. It is a poetic drama where the sequence of image transformations and the 'narratives' are integrated as the content."

Cost: Free
Time: Tue-Sun (closed Mon) 11am-6pm
Location: Lighthouse, 28 Kensington Street
Map: here

Today's idea - Mnich's Mix Festival Showcase

Today's idea if posted late, but runs until May 25th. Mnich's Mix showcases work of twelve professional artists, and this year is its 10th. Made up of 6 Surrey and Sussex Guild artists, Jan Mnich's festival is filled with watercolours of colourful journeys of landscape, plants and architecture through the Mediterranean and Sussex coastlines.

This exhibition is a brilliant mix of disciplines and products with the best of creativity, style and art, so we are told. It all takes place in Rottingdean, just outside of Brighton. It's made up of:

JAN MNICH MA: Watercolours, Prints & Cards
GLENIS BOOTE: Jewellery

PAULINE CROOK: Screen Printed Textiles

PIERRE DIAMANTOPOULO ARBS: Sculpture 

JOHN EVANS: Raku Ceramics

MICHELE FINDLAY: Ceramic Sculpture 

STUART JENKINS: Silversmith

JESSICA JORDAN: Ceramics

SARAH JOYCE: Glassmaker

JOHN PLATER FSDC: Woodturner

ANDREW PODER: Boxmaker

LOUISE TURNER-CREASEY: Textile Accessories

Cost: free
Location: The Grange Museum & Art Gallery
Map: here

Today's idea - Free Circus Show and Django Spears

Two free things today, both brilliant. If you're near the bandstand between 2-4pm we heartily recommend catching Django Spears busking for charity on Brighton Bandstand. They do lovely ska style versions of Mousse T's Horny. It's glorious. Facebook page's - picnic and dancing swimwear compulsory. A bit like Gogol Bordello.



The biggest thing today meanwhile is the circus: "It's circus, but not as you know it..." Yes, it's noisier for a start. No Fit State have been making noise and practicing for three or four days and tonight's their final and free performance to the public. We've heard a loud version of Popcorn and they've currently got FGhost Town on the go. Brilliant little live band with some sort giant double bass. Correct me if I'm wrong.

"NoFit State's mission is to become the circus everyone wants to join. Now with Park Life you can! Taking up a week-long residency on Brighton's Level, NoFit State circus company ditches the big top, rips up the rulebook and invites you to get involved. With a spectacular aerial circus playground and open house programme of taster sessions, rehearsals and workshops, NoFit State will be working with local artists and community groups to develop new acts and routines. From live music jams to bicycle ballets and displays of extreme sports - everything will be on show and up for grabs. Then, as the week draws to a close, all the elements come together in one largescale open-air circus performance in Park Life - The Finale on Sun 23 May at 9pm."

So, tonight - 9pm, at The Level, and it's free.