Pick of the Week: 28 March - 3 April

Too Deep in Mud
Over the past few months, The Orange Tree has been taken over by spoken word artists, musicians and theatre makers in the back room who’ve been gathering to share stories in a safe, open environment with the loose theme of ‘woman’ weaving everything together. Jolly good. At the same time, new publishing house Mud Press has been grafting away to champion print in the face of an ever-growing digital world. Founder Georgina Wilding has been printing books and running competitions to no end, with her latest all on the theme of ‘woman’ too. Naturally, these two organisations have woven themselves together to create a workshop full of ‘chatter, writing, poetry and some good old community spirit’. Get down, and produce some work – you could even perform it or submit it to the Mud Press competition. All genders welcome.
Monday 28 March, 6pm, free, The Orange Tree

Beavertown Tap Takeover
If you’re into yer beer, duck, this will be a proper treat for you. Ever had one of them beautiful Beavertown Gamma Rays? It’s an American pale ale, and as well as tasting juicily hoppy, it’s packaged in the most kick-ass can with pictures of skellybobs shooting laser beams in an alien invasion. Anyway, the newly-refurbished Embankment pub, just off Trent Bridge, are hosting a tap takeover by the London brewers themsens. Yep, they’re chucking out your average night down the pub to see what the Beavertowners can do on all beverage fronts. Not only that, but there’ll be talks and tasting sessions, and it’s hosted by the renowned Discover World Beers, in the history-drenched ‘Dispensary’ section of the pub.
Tuesday 29 March, 5pm, £10, The Embankment

13 
A quick plot synopsis: Londoners are plagued by an identical and terrifying dream and the prime minister is considering a preventative war while a citizen has a vision for the future and a plan to make it happen. The play explores coincidences, omens and visions that don’t fit with the political reality of its world. Set in a dystopian landscape, Mike Bartlett’s play is being brought to life by those lot at The Television Workshop, so expect a decent turn from all involved. We’ve heard them practicing downstairs and it’s got us all riled up - we can’t wait to see it in full. Get your tickets by giving them a call - if there’s no answer, just leave a message with how many tickets and for what night - and then pay on the night.
Wednesday 30 March - Friday 1 April, 7.30pm, £7/£5, Art Deco Warehouse, Huntingdon Street. 0115 9932391.

LoopdeLoop 
A brand new night that’s got us pretty excited, LoopdeLoop is a bi-monthly mini animation festival. Gathering animations from all over the world, it’s you, the audience, who get to judge the entries. The theme of the night is Tumble so expect, well, anything! Plates Records will be playing some serious tunes throughout the evening and there’ll be live drawing and illustration from Oliver Lovley and Anna Nelson. Plus, if you’re feeling inspired, you can have a go at making your own zoetrope - the Victorian equivalent to making and watching short films. Not tempted? Get back to Eastenders then, you philistine! Everyone else, have fun.
Thursday 31 March, 7pm, free, Malt Cross

Doug Fishbone’s Lesiure Land Golf 
Putting the fun back into art, Doug Fishbone’s project was originally commissioned for the 2015 Venice Biennale but is now at New Art Exchange for us lovely folk to have a go. The fully playable miniature golf course has been designed by ten contemporary artists, including Nottingham-based artist Candice Jacobs, Hetain Patel, Turner Prize nominee Yinka Shonibare among others. It’s not all fun and games, though, the holes are designed to make us question the leisure industry and society’s addiction to consumption, as well as addressing things such as migration, global warming and globalisation. The launch night promises to be a right laugh - we know we’ve got Lost City, but this golf course really is crazy.
Launch night, Friday 1 April, 6-9pm. Exhibition runs until Sunday 19 June, New Art Exchange

Harleighblu, Unknown Era and Yazmin Lacey
We love those crossover genres and their funky ways. Yep, it’s time for some of Nottingham’s top mixalot musicians to flex their pipes once more. The local lass Harleighblu has been making a name for herself as an upcoming legend all over the UK after signing to Tru Thoughts, and now she’s back in the ends, blasting her sound in one of the venues she started out at. Alongside the soul queen herself, the absolute powerhouse of musicians that is Unknown Era are set to shake things up with their hip hop, reggae fusion goodness. And, of course, there’s the wonderful Yazmin Lacey and her raspy voice that’ll make every hair on your body stand on end. 
Friday 1 April, 8.30pm, £7, The Maze

Tinned Goods 
Theatre group Tea and Tenacity like to look back at history and give events an often missing female voice. Their latest play delves in to the mid-eighties miners’ strikes, mapping the journey of the Women Against Pit Closures and the life altering effect of direct activism on the lives and families of women across the UK at that time. It may have been thirty years ago, but the stories are still as relevant today and it’s fascinating to see the parallels that are drawn between this period and war time when women got the opportunity to take on roles that weren’t previously an option. We reckon a fresh perspective on something that had such an impact on our recent history is no bad thing.
Friday 1 April, 7.30pm, £7.50 - £12, Nottingham Arts Theatre

Anchorsong  
Celebrating the release of his second LP, Harleighblu’s label mate - Tru Thoughts have got damned good taste - is putting on a free show for us in Nottingham. You’d be soft in the head not to pop down to Contemporary to catch this guy’s electronic musings because not only is his music top draw, as we mentioned, it’s nowt to get in. Layering and creating music as he goes, it’s easy to see why the YouTube videos of his performances are so popular. Having supported the likes of Bonobo and DJ Krush, he blends the modern with the traditional and will leave you feeling blissed out and energised. Don’t take our word for it, get on it.
Saturday 2 April, 8pm, free, Nottingham Contemporary Cafe Bar

Melton Original Portraits 
Thanks to a number of sessions over the last few years, Barney Melton immortalised a good number of Nottingham residents - he even made a ruddy book out of all the lovely mugs he captured. The one of a kind prints are created using a sixty-odd-year-old ex-RAF bellows camera and discontinued positive paper stock as opposed to negatives. There’s something a bit special about analogue photography, and something even more special about these striking black and white portraits that beat a selfie hands down. Especially if you opt for the tin types, which give an eerie and very unique quality to the portraits. He’ll be at the Malt Cross for two days so don’t miss out if you didn’t get one last time. And if you did, well, we live in an age where it’s okay to to revel in your own face - just don’t forget to give it a wash before you go.
Saturday 2 - Sunday 3 March, £10/£15/£30/£50, Malt Cross

Acoustickle presents Akua Naru 
Our Parisa of Acoustickle is constantly bringing the big names to Nottingham, and what a treat she’s got ‘ere. After growing up in Connecticut, the poet, singer, rapper and activist eventually moved to Germany where she recorded her debut album, A Journey Aflame. Now, along with The Digflo Band, she’s bringing her naturalistic jazz-soul, infused with the boom bap hip hop sounds of the nineties, to the humble Bodega. With a hugely positive message ringing through her music, you can guarantee a sea of loved-up faces floating around the room. For support, we’ve got poetry and education from El Dia, the beautiful voice of Natti Rudyj, and a bit of poetry from our own Bridie Squires. See you there.
Sunday 3 April, 7pm, £10/£12, The Bodega

Word Play Workshop
The Dilettante Society and Dizzy Ink are teaming up to deliver a session on all things creative. With wordy activities from TDS to get your juices flowing, and the Risograph specialists on hand to make everything look beautiful, you’ll be sure to leave with something you can be proud of. And you’ll have had a jolly good time while making it. The Risograph machine is basically a photocopier with proper funky ink, so combine that with collages, stencils and wonderful literature, and you’ve got yersen a DIY publisher’s dream. If you’ve not created much recently, don’t worry. This session is for dabblers and pros alike, and with tea and biscuits on hand, it’ll be a damn fine day indeed. Make sure you book on Dizzy Ink’s website, or by emailing [email protected]
Sunday 3 April, 11am, £40, Dizzy Ink Studios, Cobden Place

For the motherload of everything else going on this week check out our comprehensive Nottingham events listings.

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