We Love Events
17 July 2008
Latitude Festival
Latitude, Henham Park, Southwold, 17th -20th July
Latitude has been gaining more and more prestige over the last few years, stepping on the wellies of other more established summer fiestas. This year, word on the underground hinted that it was going to be the festival of 2008, and quietly, secretly, some of the best bands began to sign their name to the line-up. And speedily, niftily, the clever folks began to buy up the tickets and so they have all but disappeared, before we even noticed.
Oh for the melifluous sounds of Sigur Ros, Franz Ferdinand, Blondie, Joanna Newsom, Amadou & Mariam... I could go on... while lying by a lake, or frolicking through woods.
Latitude's line-up is catering for all kinds of hedonistic pursuits, from field raves with some of the best DJs, to the more intellectual pleasures found in fringe theatre, stand-up and contemporary poetry, with Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage and Daljit Nagra, set to make appearances.
Glastonbury, who cares? Tickets are still available. There is nothing more enticing than a brilliant sounding festival that has almost sold out. Sources tell us that more tickets are to be released at a later date, but nothing is confirmed as yet.
We have a couple of suggestions: get day tickets and rummage through contacts for some convenient landed acquaintances in the nearby environs. Or do festivals like a VIP, staying in giant teepee Yurtels and Podpads... which have in-built double beds.
17 February 2008
The Age of Enchantment
The Age of Enchantment: Beardsley, Dulac, and their Contemporaries 1890 –1930
Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London, SE21 7AD
We had to make a quick, last minute note about this exhibition of fairy tale illustrations, at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, before it finally closes on the 17th February. Set in south east London, it’s one of those out of the way places in this city that is well worth the journey.
Inside the gilded exhibition rooms of the gallery, is a large selection of iconic images by artists such as Aubrey Beardsley, Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielson and Arthur Rackham, among others. Together, these artists build up an impression of a strange, revolutionary era for art moving towards surrealism.
Aubrey Beardsley it seems was a strong influence on all of the artists featured in the show, despite the fact that he was just twenty-six when he died. The man certainly lived fast though; aside from producing all these painstakingly detailed and original drawings and designs, he was also a notoriously flamboyant part of the furniture at Oscar Wilde’s decadent soirees.
The exhibition is a fascinating glimpse into this nostalgic world of enchantresses, ice maidens and geniis that will have you longing for an escape to a castle and some Arabian Nights...
23 January 2008
The Masque of the Red Death
The Masque of the Red Death,
Battersea Arts Centre (BAC), Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TN
Until 12th April (selling out fast)
This play is a bit like a glimpse into the hedonist's nightmare, when indulgence goes too far and tips you over the edge.
Up-and-coming theatre company Punchdrunk have taken Edgar Allen Poe's short story The Masque of the Red Death, and transformed it into an opium and absinthe-warped piece of theatre, which fills every gothic nook and cranny of the Battersea Arts Centre.
The show begins with drinks and a burlesque show, presented by slurring wenches and consumptive maitre d's, after which members of the audience, who are asked to wear white masks, can wander freely around the building, exploring all the different rooms, where various stories are being acted out, regardless of whether anyone is watching or not.
There are some genuinely frightening moments in this production, in which it is quite possible to get lost and end up in a sinister attic room alone, wondering what's behind that door, or under the table... anything is possible in this play and usually it's something horrible - incest, addiction, murder or rape, no doubt.
If it's all too much, you can head for the bar and order another absinthe.
27 June 2006
Port Eliot Lit Fest
It's back, bigger and better than 2005, this year's Port Eliot Lit Fest (21st-23rd July) includes an unprecedented array of artists, poets, musicians, writers and film makers, all combining to create one of the quirkiest and most fascinating festivals of the summer. Set in beautiful rolling parkland of the stunning Port Eliot house this year's performers include Alain de Botton, Gavin Turk (and his house of fairy tales), comedian Arthur Smith, Mick Brown, Simon Munnery, Hari Kunzru, Hanif Kureshi, Rowan Pelling and a whole host of the literati and glitterati. This isn't a literary festival about publishers and deals, this is all about the weekend, the moment and, of course, the party.
25 April 2006
Fort Dance Festival
On 29th July, true hedonists should head for Fort Alexander I, a 19th century military fort located off the coast of Saint Petersburg accessible only by boat or helicopter, which will play host to the biggest annual celebration on the Russian clubbing calender. According to the promoters, the Fort Dance Festival attracts the "crème de la crème of Russia’s most up for it party people" to party in and around the fort, kick back on the ‘mojito sunrise bar’ on the roof, privately hire rooms set within the venue’s dungeons that come stocked with their very own topless dancers (optional) or try and breach the velvet ropes of the VIP and "secret" VVIP lounges. Arrive like the superstar DJ’s, by helicopter, charter a yacht or go via the regular boat service supplied by the event. OTT yes, but it certainly sounds like fun. Entrance is €85 including boat transport from St Petersburg.