Culture Diary w/c 09-07-12
Monday – Nomad’s Home and From Palestine with Love 6.30pm @ FACT FREE (booking required)
Tonight, as part of Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival, FACT screens a double bill of film premieres: Nomad’s Home and From Palestine with Love. Our understanding of the region is dominated by on-going skirmishes, punctuated by an uprising here and a military coup there, so now seems a good time to remove the filter of rolling news and take a fresh look at a culture and people we would do well to know better.
Tuesday – DAWES 7.30pm @ The Kazimier £12.50
We’ll hold our hands up, we hadn’t heard of LA’s DAWES this time last year, but on the back of a co-headlining tour with the superb Blitzen Trapper, the five-piece (which includes brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith) elevated themselves and their profile to a level more befitting their sound. Informed by the Laurel Canyon sound, DAWES wear their influences unashamedly on their sleeve, and yet somehow manage to be all the more refreshing for it.
Wednesday – Grimm Fairy Tales 7pm @ Speke Hall £14/£7 children
Specialising in open-air, interactive performances, theatre group The Pantaloons bring their sense of play to Speke Hall this Wednesday for a new interpretation of Grimm Fairy Tales. Expect renditions of the likes of Rapunzel, Snow White and Hansel and Gretel, all in the lush grounds of Speke Hall, where performances “will continue in all weather bar a full-blown tempest” according to the group.
Thursday – Emperor X / Sing For Your Supper 7pm @ Bold Street Coffee £4 OTD
21st Century troubadour, Emperor X (AKA Chad Matheny) rocks up to Bold Street Coffee this Thursday for what, one would expect, will be a raucous, yet intimate gig. His material, catchy and poignant in equal measure, revolves around themes of what it is to live in modern-day America and the reliance on technology that entails. With support provided by Sing For Your Supper, we predict an evening of magic is on the cards.
Friday – DaDaFest 2012 9am – 6pm @ the Bluecoat
The Festival of Disability and Deaf Arts seeks to highlight and address questions around issues as viewed from the position of disability. The flagship exhibition of DaDaFest this year looks set to be Niet Normaal: Difference on Display, at the Bluecoat. Posing the key question: ‘what is normal, who decides,’ Niet Normaal brings together artworks by 20 internationally renowned artists addressing this question.
Hammers / WCOLT / Spirit Animals 8pm @ Wolstenholme Creative Space £4 OTD
On the Facebook page for this gig, there’s an unattributed quote for Hammers: “too metal to be punk, too punk to be metal.” Having had a listen to them, unattributed or not, the description appropriately hits the, ahem, nail firmly on the head. In what will be the hardcore group’s first Liverpool show, they are ably supported by local screamo merchants We Came Out Like Tigers, and Sean Wars’ Spirit Animals.
Saturday – Maker Day 10am – 5pm @ DoES Liverpool FREE
The tech-wizards over at DoES Liverpool have even more to shout about than usual, as this week sees them celebrate their first anniversary. To mark this little piece of history, they’re offering free hot-desking on Friday, and Saturday an extra special Maker Day. Work on your own projects or get involved with creative geekery, where you can glimpse ‘the future of consumer technology’ with 3D printing, or have a play around with arduino! A lap-top is helpful if you can bring one a long, too. Happy birthday guys!
The Kazimier Garden Gathering with Stealing Sheep 6pm @ The Kazimier £5
The folks at everisland have teamed up with the Kazimier to mark the height of what is amusingly in these parts referred to as summertime; but don’t let the rain dampen spirits. If you’ve yet to experience the new Kazimier Garden, we implore you to get down on the strength of that alone. A considerable bonus is that this event also marks the official launch of new Stealing Sheep single, Shut Eye. Like a gift that keeps on giving, the night also sees performances from A.P.A.T.T. and By The Sea, amongst others.
Sunday – Alif Ensemble 7.30pm @ Liverpool Philharmonic Hall £15 – £22.50 (pictured)
Another gem of programming from the Arabic Arts Festival sees the Liverpool premiere performance of the Alif Ensemble. Featuring artists drawn from across the Arab world, blending acoustic and contemporary electronic sounds, it is a fusion promising a compelling experience.
