WriteNight the Anthology - The launch

Do you feel the need for an injection of culture in your life?  Then come along to the launch of WriteNight the Anthology - Colchester.

Yesterday, I posted about the WriteNight anthology about Colchester, which is now available to purchase here.

The exciting news is that WriteNight will be launching the anthology, officially, on Friday 28th June 2013 at 15 Queen Street, Colchester from 7.30pm. Come along, to hear extracts from the anthology, read by the authors, who penned them.  You will even be able to get your hands on a copy of the book itself! 

 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Town to Port Festival, Hythe Colchester 25th May 2013

Like many Colcestrians, I have many preconceived ideas about the Hythe area of town.  Despite ongoing attempts, by the council, to regenerate the area, viewing it from my trips past and through the new developments, I always feel that it looks unfinished; an imperfect juxtaposition of rusty, crusty relics of industrial times gone by and generic 'little boxes on the hillside' appartment blocks.  I hadn't been down to the quayside since before the regeneration started. 

On Saturday, I popped along to the Town to Port Festival.  I had been asked by Tess Gardener of SKOPT (Some Kind of Poetry Thing) and Colchester Poetry, to perform a ten minute poetry set as part of her poetry coffee morning, in the spoken word area.  This gave me a reason to make my way back into the place where I grew up as a small child.

As I walked along the Quayside, I felt a mixed bag of emotions.  Amid the strange contrast of decaying old fragments of industrial heritage, torn down to make way for the new but not quite consigned to history yet, I observed the interesting scenery of my childhood in the very process of being replaced by that which is so insipidly generic about all new riverside developments.  Whilst the new builds and modern walkways around the area look pleasant enough, I can't help but mourn the final death knell of Colchester's industrial past.  The old buildings were eyesores, no argument there, but they represented something much more than the crumbling rubble that they were.  An example, which is personal to me would be the Coldock building, with its smashed windows, stained concrete and faded flaking paint was the "naughty boys' home", where, according to my mum and dad, who wanted to encourage us to behave, children who were disobedient were sent to have their toes nibbled by rats, while spiders with legs like your index finger would stare menacing at you.  I never believed the stories but I remember them fondly.  That building is no more.  I can't imagine its replacement will inspire such storytelling. 

While my nostalgia about this little loved part of town might sound negative, I must say that, despite the tinge of sadness I felt, the enthusiasm and sense of fun behind the festival itself was wonderful.  From the live music up by the bridge, along the row of stalls selling truly diverse examples of original work by local artists, to the house boats, with music playing and people just enjoying the sunshine and cultural fare on offer, it was a truly pleasant experience.  

The spoken word area showed off the worsmithing skills of a great number of talented local poets, musicians and storytellers.  

For my own part, I shared five of my poems - 'Grecian Liar', 'My Past Existence', 'Wilfred Owen', 'Kenneth George Bell' and 'A Soldier's Return'.  (Click on the links to see the poems in previous posts) I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  Tess Gardener did a great job of creating a relaxed and friendly environment, in which we were all able to share our ideas and scribblings.  I didn't get to see everyone perform but every performance I saw was interesting, entertaining and thought provoking.  I took my family along and I know they enjoyed it too.  I'm looking forward to the next meeting of SKOPT and Colchester Poetry, to listen to some more great poetry.  

I love how through organisations such as 15 Queen Street, First Site and Slack Space, the creative people of the Colchester area are finally being brought together and encouraged to collaborate, to add to the rich cultural tapestry of our town. 

As for the Hythe, I remain uncertain about the effect the regeneration of the area will have in the longer term.  What the festival provided was an opportunity to experience the potential the area has to offer.  The extent to which that potential will be fulfilled is in the hands of the Council.  Let's hope they manage to create something, which maintains something of the original spirit of the place.

The Darkness - Hot Cakes

We are all familiar with The Darkness.  Their memorable guitar solos, combine with Justin's flawless falsetto to create a unique and gorgeous modern glam rock sound.

Last November, I was fortunate enough to see Justin, Dan, Frankie and Ed live for the second time, when they performed at the Hammersmith Apollo.  It was clear then that they had not lost their touch - not by a mile!  I can't express strongly enough how pleased I was to see them back, and with their original line up.  And I am not the only one.  Brian May, himself, stood on stage with them and said how pleased he was that they were back - and he would not make a random appearance to jam with just anybody.

Just over a week ago, I was really excited about purchasing my copy of the talented Lowestoft band's new album 'Hot Cakes'.  After years of believing I might never again hear new material from this most glamorous, humorous and talented of rock groups, it was a relief and a thrill to know a new album had been released and, more to the point, I was clutching a copy in my hot little hand!

The album is, in my humble opinion, fantastic.  It has a soulful mixture of styles with some profound lyrics which are sprinked with a healthy dose of Darkness silliness.  Not only that, the album cover art work looks great.  It is not as heavy as 'Permission to Land' and it is much less random than 'One Way Ticket' but I still love it.  I think anyone with an ounce of common sense and good taste will love it too.

Above all, I am beyond happy that this album exists at all.  The Darkness were born to make cool rock music and I think they should keep doing it forever!  :-)  

www.theactualdarkness.com

Clutching my copy of 'Hot Cakes' in my hot little hand.

Colchester Free Festival

On Saturday, I attended the Colchester Free Festival with a friend and some family.  

When we arrived, our first port of call was the Spoken Word tent, which had poets and comedians.  The poets all came from Colchester's two poetry groups: SKOPT (Some Kind Of Poetry Thing), who meet at SlackSpace and Colchester Poetry, who meet at 15 Queen Street.

When I arrived, I was blown away by the performances I saw, all of which had been put together in a really entertaining and thought provoking way.  

What was even more pleasing to see, was the number of different people who turned up to an obscure corner of the Castle Park to enjoy poetry in its spoken form.  I was impressed.  Even when the rain plummeted to Earth, the atmosphere in the Spoken Word tent was electric and people were clearly enjoying what was on offer.  In fact, the rain provided a strange sense of pathetic fallacy to the words which were being spoken.

Later, we ventured out and were pleasantly surprised by all sorts of activities and entertainment.  The bandstand in the Upper Castle Park had been turned into a haven for techno dance music, while near the boating lake in the Lower Castle Park, there was an impressive stage set up with heavy metal and rock music, the CAMRA beer tent (I did enjoy a refreshing pint of Mersea Mud from the Mersea Island Brewery!) and loads of mad people dancing like there was no tomorrow.  There was even a tent with free tea.  This is my idea of Heaven!

If you didn't go, you missed out and I strongly suggest you check it out next year!

Karaoke at The Goat and Boot

Karaoke is rather like Marmite.  On most karaoke nights, there is a 50/50 mix of avid of fans and foes. The fans enjoy performing but also appreciate the talent of the other performers.  The foes are the grumpy friends, partners or family members, hauled unwillingly into their own personal hell because their friend, family member or significant other happens to be a fan.

I am a fan.  

Last night, a friend and I attended the karaoke session at The Goat and Boot in Colchester.  In the best possible way, it was not a normal karaoke night.  Why?  Because, somehow, there were no foes.  The atmosphere was electric despite the sweltering heat.  The enthusiastic performers were greeted by an excited audience, who, very clearly, were all karaoke fans.

I hadn't performed for a really long time and I was quite nervous.  It soon came flooding back though and I managed to sing Billy Ocean's 'Get out of my Dreams, Get into my Car', Chesney Hawkes' 'The One and Only' and Black Sabbath's 'Paranoid' amongst others with just a little bit of air guitar and head banging thrown in for good measure.  It was fun.  

What made it so brilliant?  One word.  Andy.  He was running the karaoke. He clearly knows what it takes to create a superb atmosphere.  He has just the right amount of get up and go and he is very fair in his distribution of songs, trying to get through as many requests as he possibly can.  

I have to say, hand on heart, it was the best karaoke night I've been to - ever!