If you're living for the weekend then you'll be living the dream come Friday...
Jazz and Gin
That there Yazmin Lacey has had a busy few weeks of it. Her brand spankin’ EP, Black Moon, has received radio play on BBC 6 Music; a shout out from BBC Radio One Xtra; and now, she’s taking to the Nottingham Street Food Club stage for their jazz and gin event. The EP was crowned “Release of the Week” on Radio 6, and we predict the Eastender-turned-Notts-head is only gonna go from strength to strength, so catch her while you can. There’ll obviously be some incredible food for you to chomp on while you’re there, from the likes of Homeboys, Death By Pizza and Clean Cut Kitchen, who provide lean and healthy fast food. A special gin emporium is to be introduced, providing you with a gin-based drink to compliment each dish. We’re buzzing. You should be too.
Friday 21 July, 6pm, free entry, Nottingham Street Food Club, event link
Would You Like to Come Back to Our Hut?
Backlit Gallery are back with their annual group show. And this year, it’s set to be bigger and better than ever. The gallery is to be transformed into a former set for Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, the TV comedy-drama about British migrant construction workers. Video, sculpture and performance art will take you on a right journey through Ally Fraser’s unlawful business hideout. All the works on display will explore transposed narratives, correlations with the current socio-political climate, notions of architectural space and phantasma. Work by artists including Ellen Brady, Matthew Chesney, Jade Annaw, Joey Holder and Mo Scott will be featured, so take a wander on down and see the sights for yoursen.
Friday 21 July, 6pm, free entry, Backlit Gallery, event link
Indigo Girls
Hailing from Decatur, Georgia, the Indigo Girls have made a special journey across the pond to play thei music especially for you lot. It’ll be the duo’s first live shows on British soil since 2009, so it’s about bleddy time they paid us a visit, we reckon. Both members of the band identify as gay, and have been persistently fighting for LGBT rights and blazing a trail for feminism for as long as they can remember. They’ve been nominated for seven Grammy’s, won on, collaborated with Mary Chapin Carpenter, and sold fourteen million records. Plus, they were the only duo to have top forty titles on the Billboard 200 in the eighties, nineties, noughties and the current decade. Big up the women. Make sure you get a ticket.
Friday 21 July, 8pm, £27.50, Nottingham Albert Hall, event link
Splendour
For one day, and one day only, Batman opens the doors to his gaff for the good folk of Hoodtown to revel in the grounds. Every year, the festival gathers the best in the local bizz, and beyond. This time round, festival puppet masters have booked Brit-Award winners, the Kaiser Chiefs, noughties pop icons Busted, and the incredible Grammy-award winner, Billy Ocean. Plus, you can catch the very sweet Josh Wheatley, and rising star Georgie, doing their thing an’ all. Over on the Fringe stage, Mrs Green and her Rizla’s are headlining, and make sure you keep an eye out for them and their very special floating set making their way around the grounds during the day. There’ll be food, a fair few bevs, and no doubt a lot of glitter floating around. Let’s just hope the weather stays put, eh.
Saturday 22 July, 11.30am, standard entry £50, Wollaton Park, event link
Sneinton Music Festival
Nottingham’s a bleddy city of festivals this weekend. If you’re not arsed about Splendour, make your way over to Hermitage Square, Sneinton, for a good owd knees up. Alongside music from the likes of Marita Metalia, kids favourite Johnny and the Raindrops, and headliners and party-bringers, Unknown Era, there’s plenty of stuff for you and the family to sink yer tegs into. Get your face painted when you arrive, have crack at some circus skills, and get stuck into some community games, courtesy of Epic. When you’ve knackered yourself out from all that fun, grab yourself a bite to eat and pay Playworks a visit, where they’ll get you set up with some arts and crafts activities. Drop the kids off at home with the babysitter suitably worn out, and then head back out for the rather grown up after party at The Lord Nelson Pub. It couldn’t get better than that.
Saturday 22 July, 12pm, free entry, Hermitage Square and The Lord Nelson, event link
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