Monthly Archives :

August 2017

The Parrots
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Interview: The Parrots
960 690 Ventnor Fringe

All the way from Madrid are the garage purists, The Parrots. From the same recording label as Hooton Tennis Club, H.Hawkline and Stealing Sheep – previous performers at the Fringe – this latest VIF band maintain a unsullied mid-late 60s sound.

Imagine: A party fifty years ago, 13th Floor Elevators and The Troggs have been talking a while and drunkenly stumble upstairs to find a room. A few songs are sung, a bed is broken and a few months later a baby is born. A messy custody battle pursues, the adolescent matures and 20 years later bumps into tall, dark and handsome, Black Lips, at a bar in Madrid. One thing leads to another (wow, garage bands have high libidos) and nine months down the line The Parrots are born.

We asked the guys some questions a few weeks before the Fringe and this was their response…

We’re super excited to have you guys coming over to the Isle of Wight. Have you ever visited before? Do you know anything about the Island?
Yeah, Diego stayed in Newport and Ryde for three weeks a long time ago, he loved it!

You’re based in Madrid but have now played lots of shows here in the UK, how do audiences and gigs compare between the two countries?
In the UK people go to shows with the idea of listening to the songs and watch a good performance, while in Spain people kind of want to get crazy and party as much as they can, but everyday they look more similar and now we can’t really tell the difference.

You’re signed to one of our favourite labels Heavenly Records, how did that relationship come about?
It was a long thing before we signed with them, but I think that made us feel more close and also sure that we wanted to sign with them. They came to a show and, being honest, it was a complete mess. Nothing came out as planned, no sound engineer so we had lots of problems. But it was fun and then they were again on the next show so we started talking and realised we wanted to do something together.

What’s next for you guys? Do you have any plans for a second album?
Yes, we just finished touring and we already have some new songs, so the idea is to use those and write a lot more so the next album comes very soon.

How would you describe your music in three words?
Mayhem, sangria and raw.

Are there any other Spanish bands you think we should be listening to?
Of course! Los Nastys, Joe Crepusculo and Favx.

Photo by Catriona Macaulay
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Love Not War
716 471 Ventnor Fringe

The escalating crisis of North Korea and how it will affect Ventnor Fringe. So you might have heard about the little problerino going on across the pond, so let’s cut the nonsense, put the bird on the table and talk turkey. Is Kim Jong Un going to ruin our festival? I’m glad you asked.

In recent days it has been determined that North Korea are now capable of fitting a nuclear warhead onto an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile)… yeah, that’s bad news. They are now considerably further along with their research than first thought and are to be considered a fully fledged nuclear power.

The good news? A medium long-range ICBM has a range of about 3,400 miles. We’re 5,200 miles away here in Ventnor, meaning we’re in the all clear. So let’s strip off, get down and dirty and party like it’s 1999.

DISCLAIMER: We don’t have to take our clothes off to have a good time; – Jermaine Stewart et al.

That’s quite enough nonsense from Tom. Now over to our editor…

Well this week so far has brought us beautiful bagpipes, puppet psychosis, a topical debate about maintaining and creating creative communities in the Fringe Forum and so much more. Today is only going to get better, yes, it’s finally here; Ventnor International Festival!

Make sure you get your ticket, we’ve got Nakamarra, Dead Pretties, Elder Island, Cosmo Pyke, Moses Boyd, Bad Sounds, Puma Blue, Sleep Well, Champs, Her’s, Girl Ray, Happiness, The Parrots and Childhood.

Is this really happening in Ventnor? The answer is yes, and you’re welcome. It’s one ticket for the whole day – available at the Ventnor Exchange. This will be the most artist to play at Ventnor International Festival. Ever.

We in the media room cannot stress how exciting it is to have all these bands playing at Ventnor Fringe this year. VIF has got ever base covered this year, from garage to Motown psychedelia.

“I really love Happiness who are kinda of like dark-surf rock and don’t miss Childhood with their first ever headline show with full brass section. It’ll be fantastic!” – Mhairi Macaulay

“I met The Parrots last night and they’re really great guys, super excited to see their set. Also, really looking forward to seeing a new band on the set called Puma Blue, people should really go and see them.” – Jack Whitewood

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Puppet Bingo Bang
1199 800 Ventnor Fringe

Can you believe it has taken this long for Bingo to come to the Ventnor Fringe?

It’s an outrage I tell you. An absolute outrage. Thank goodness someone has finally done something about this sorry state of non-bingo related affairs. Well, to be precise, a few people. Well, to be more precise, a few puppets.

Proving the old saying “if you want something done properly, then puppets”. These particular puppets are no strangers to Ventnor, having performed in the hit play Wireless
last year. We are very grateful to them for coming back to V-town and taking control of the appalling lack of Bingo.

 
I was unsure of what to expect. I mean, hey, I’ve bingoed. I’ve experienced the panic inducing, heady rush of adrenaline as the numbers are called. I’ve stained my fingers with the florescent ink of the bingo marker and I’ve felt the dizzying highs and the soul crushing lows of games won and lost, but never have I ever done so with puppets involved. Anywhere. Let alone hosting.

 
At 10pm I arrived at the Parkside Marque, took my artfully served G & T (those bar staff are as beautiful as they are talented in the ways of the booze) and settled down on a comfy cushion to get my puppet bingo on. And gee whiz, did I ever. Ted and Terry hosted the evening, creating an enjoyable tension you could taste, with vitriol laced banter and, ahem, unusual bingo calls. Karen and Carl worked the room, helped by a brilliant blue bearded assistant in the handing out of the bingo cards.

 
Karen, having had too many chardonnays pre show, was unable to work the magical bingo machine. A glamorous assistant was asked for from the audience. I took a breath. I raised my hand. I became that assistant.

There are moments in life that one never forgets, that etch themselves onto the very aluminium of one’s soul. Prizes were won, joy was had and no one left without a smile on their face and their puppet bingo needs unfulfilled. They were totally filled. Hard.

 
This evening at 10pm, Ted, Terry, Karen and Olly are hosting a pub quiz at Parkside and I hope to gosh they need another assistant.

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Views with Matt and Questions with Kate
960 960 Ventnor Fringe

As many of us creative lot have noticed over the last decade, there’s just not as much money being passed around in order for us to do what we like doing – creating.

This is seemingly even more of a problem for those of us that live outside the M25. With the recent announcement of Arts Council Funding for 2018 – 2022 there have been numerous artists who have been made all too aware of the cut-throat, world of funding applications.

Even those who have been successful in retaining the same level of funding as the previous term are facing a real term cut as the costs associated with running venues and staging productions increase.

 
As part of the new set of funding, it was highlighted through repeated criticism that not enough money was being spent in areas outside of London. ACE has increased funding outside London by 4.6% – or £170m from 2018-22. This sounds great in theory, although sadly this good news for us locals has been soured slightly by some recent controversy surrounding certain recipients of the cash.

 
In particular Wise Children, the newly founded theatre company of Emma Rice, ex Artistic Director of the Globe which has been awarded nearly £2million over the next four years, claiming that it is a company with its roots firmly grounded in the South West of England. However, it has recently been revealed that the company is set to spend its first year in residence at the Old Vic, in the centre of London.

 
There is no criticism of the work that this company may produce, indeed it could prove to be the most innovative, brilliant work we’ve seen for a while, but the criticism lays at the door of the Arts Council and the seeming nepotism by the way that funding is awarded. Some are asking the question would this company (only a matter of weeks old with no performances to it’s name) have got the cash if it wasn’t being run by the ex-Artistic Director of the Globe?

 
But art finds a way. Across the country creatives are coming up with new ways to keep the art forms they love alive. One example of this is the Errant Stage, which has joined us in Ventnor this week. The aim of this new venture is to enable small companies and new artists to perform their work in front of an audience, and intends to enable that audience to be anywhere. Arts funding cuts are greatly affecting the amount of new work being made and the cost of venue hire and production is restrictive to unfunded young companies. The Errant Stage is doing it’s own bit to help. I spoke to the driving force behind this exciting new venture.

Hi, who are you?
I am Kate Powell and I am a puppeteer and creative
practitioner

Tell us about your relationship with Ventnor, and the Fringe?
My relationship with Ventnor is entirely Fringe based, I had never been before until I helped out on my first Vfringe in 2013 but obviously now after this many years, it feels like a second home! I was first introduced to Vfringe by my step brother Seb – who’s mum knew Kathy, Jack Whitewood’s mum – and he rang me up after his first year volunteering and told me I have to go – That these are ‘my people’. This will now be my 4th year. Normally I volunteer and venue manage the theatre, but last year we brought our show Goodnight Little Bear here.

So you’ve obviously got history here, anything new going on this year?
This year I’m coming down as an artist rather than a volunteer – Although I will definitely still be helping out – This year I am venue managing, but it’s actually my own venue…in a van! It’s called The Errant Stage and it’s a professional off-grid travelling stage that I am converting from a big red Luton Van! This is the soft launch in our journey to become an affordable, accessible and sustainable theatre venue of the future – there’s a long way to go, but we’re full throttle ahead! We’re hosting installations, and some other little surprises throughout the week and can be found parked up down on the seafront at The Plaza. Come have a chat about why we are retaliating against cuts to Arts Funding, what we plan to do to get theatre out to audiences – wherever they are, and what our crowdfunder is all about and how you can get involved.

Kate is doing good things, creating opportunities in a time of austerity and cutbacks. Obviously not all of us have an old Luton van lying around the place, but the one thing we all can do is support our local artists. Buy tickets. Go to gigs. Even something as small as sharing Facebook posts to help with promotion can help. Keep your local cultural scene alive!
The Errant Stage can be found on the Plaza, and you can also see Kate in action as part of the Puppet Quiz tonight @ the Parkside at 10pm.

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Debate Bait
640 960 Ventnor Fringe

The Fringe Forum is looming closer, just a few hours and our latest panel will be
getting stuck into this year’s topic: The Power of the Arts and Creative Industries in creating positive change within the community.

Hosting this year’s panel will be Tim Goldman known in the VFringe program as Timfoolery, a London-based children’s entertainer, actor and drama therapist. Tim has spent many years running sessions for Music & Movement, Improvisation and Clowning. Panelists joining Tim this year will be Gill Wildman, Ian Boyd, Kate Powell and our very own Jack Whitewood.

A design strategist by day and an accomplished Creative Micro Business mentor by night, Gill started a company called Upstarter; an online incubator for microbusinesses. She’s been running one-to-one Creative Microbusiness Clinics in the Caravan at Parkside everyday this week. If you want to book yourself a private clinic with Gill, please talk to the Box Office.

Ian Boyd runs Arc Consulting on the Isle of Wight. At the forefront of environmental consultancy, Arc combine their ecology expertise with landscaping and community involvement. Working on multiple projects such as, East Medina Greenway, Addison Close and the Robin Hill Artificial Badger Set, Ian has helped to rejuvenate multiple areas of natural beauty across the island.

Kate Powell is a familiar face to the Ventnor Fringe, she has been volunteering and performing at the Festival since 2013. This year Kate returns as co-owner (with Jonna Nummela) of The Errant Stage; a traveling performance venue. She hopes to keep this traveling theatre an affordable, accessible and
sustainable business.

Jack Whitewood is just some guy that got together with some mates and made a festival back in 2010, called Ventnor asymmetric-bob or Fringe or something…

So as you can see we have quite an interesting bunch this year; a theatre performer/ tutor, a creative business coach, an environmental consultant, a theatre owner and a Festival Director. Who knows where this debate will go. Make sure you’re there to throw your questions into the pot, audience participation is extremely welcomed, if not imperative for a noteworthy debate.

Judy Rodrigues - by Tobias Penner
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Interview: Judy Rodrigues
1200 800 Ventnor Fringe

Ben – So I’m here with Judy Rodrigues and we have just come from the Bloomsbury and the Isle of Wight event at the Ventnor Film Club. I’ll let Judy introduce herself to you all.

Judy – Hello. I’m Judy Rodrigues. I’m an artist and I’m based at Spike Island where I have been for a number of years now. I was brought up on the Island from the age of 3 and left at 18, but I’ve been coming back ever since. In 2014 I had a residency at Ventnor Botanic Garden which was supported by the Arts Council. It was a research and development grant and it allowed me time to work with the Island. I was really interested in the connections between writers and painters, particularly poets and poetry.

B – Your art has been heavily influenced by the likes of the Bloomsbury Set (in particular the relationship between sisters Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell). For our listeners who might not know what the Bloomsbury Set is, how would you describe them? Who made up the Bloomsbury Set?

J – The Bloomsbury Set were pretty much a very educated, cultural elite in a way. I think that’s how I thought of them, of their time. Made up of a group of men, from Cambridge. I suppose that it was only after the Dimbola [Dimbola Lodge, the home of Victorian photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron – in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight] Show that I started reading how the sisters, Virginia and Vanessa became involved in the group through their brother, Toby who died very young. It was through the sisters and how they became so pivotal within what was known as the Bloomsbury Group.

B – It’s interesting that a group that included E.M. Forster and Virginia Woolf just came together…

J – Yes! I think I’m more interested in E.M. Forster and even George Eliot – a different generation I know – now. I didn’t do literature at school and it’s strange how it’s come in so much for me, as a painter. It was a synchronicity of events and I was finding that I was reaching out to certain people because I was identifying with them in relation with how my paintings were evolving in the studio.

B – You mention synchronicity – there was a part of your talk earlier that identified the 3rd of May letter between Vanessa and Virginia. How is that date particularly relevant and synchronous with your life?

J – For me, when I read it as the 3rd of May it was the date of birth of my daughter – my first child as well. So I wasn’t likely to forget the date from then on. The 3rd May was when Vanessa wrote – after arriving with her family in France – and she wrote about the moths, the light and being in a lighthouse and how the moths were attracted to the light. It was a very good letter. You usually find quoted a paragraph but it’s the rest of the letter that is important to read.

B – What do you think of Ventnor Fringe?

J – I love it! This year has been quite a year for me and I’ve just got back from the Azores Fringe on the Isle of Pico.

B – There was one point earlier in your talk that you said you have an exhibition going on at the St Mary’s Hospital, is that right?

J – Yes, in the Full Circle Gallery [outside the restaurant on the first floor of St Mary’s Hospital in Newport), Guy Eades is putting up paintings that I’ve been working on and that came out of being on the Island in the last 3 years. There’s a few paintings from the Freshwater Diary still there, I think.

B – Well, thank you so much for spending the time for an interview and I hope – if you’re sticking around for the rest of the Fringe – you enjoy it.

Judy Rodrigues can be found at http://www.judyrodrigues.com/

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It’s rained-off? Nah, it’s Rained-ON!
837 557 Ventnor Fringe

The rain doesn’t stop this party. Here are the Media Team’s top 5 choices for tonight (we’re gonna be getting down to all five).

  • Annabelle Spencer @ The Tea House (at 5:30pm-6:30pm, so get a move on!)

Annabelle Spencer, a young Isle of Wight gal, will be performing her acoustic 60-minute set of covers and original songs at The Tea House. What could be better to start off your evening? Live music, delicious cake, heating and comfortable seating. Bliss.

  • Puppet Bingo @ the Parkside (10:00pm- 11:00pm)

We aint’ gonna let the rain get us down, we’ve thrown the candles, pillows and warm vibes across the Parkside Moroccan tent interior. Wireless puppets, Terry, Ted, Karen and Ollie, will be hosting this evenings bingo. Five rounds, lots of prizes, maybe too many… We hear Terry (Smooth Jazz Wireless puppet presenter) went a bit mad in town.

  • Party @ the Observatory (8:00pm – 00:00am)

The Carnival may be cancelled, the fireworks may have been postponed but we’re still gonna ‘get down’ tonight at the Observatory. Good thing those wind/rain breaks are up, you can hardly tell that you’re outside. If you’ve joined us for this party before you’ll be happy to know it’s still hot as sin under bandstand lights and the DJs are set to bring the party, loud.

  • Tell-Tale Presents; 1914 Local News @ the Pier St. Playhouse (8:30pm – 9:30pm)

Fancy something a little more civilised, a bit more historically enriching? Well this is your pick for tonight. This will be a journey back to 1914 using local newspaper articles and letters performed on stage. Wanna’ know more about this show? Tell-Tale joined us this morning on The Review Show, listen here.

p.s. You’ll have time after this show to catch a drink at the Observatory Bar or seat to Puppet Bingo.

  • Ventnor Exchange (Open until 11:00pm)

It’s always a party in Ventnor Exchange, they’ll be serving there usual seven-billion choices of craft beers, accompanied by board games, plush seating and heating.

Photo by Tobias Penner
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art_house_life
1200 800 Ventnor Fringe

Beautiful bright white spaces are brilliant places to hang art, don’t you think?

art_house_life: Electric Dreams –Adventures in the Unreal is a contemporary arts project based at 35 Medeira Road by two artists, Joanna Kori (Jo) and Albedo Marz (also known as David). Much of the gallery is adorned with huge canvas paintings and digital collages. We got a sneak peak of this stunning collection on the Monday night before Fringe kicked off…

So to get stuck in, by the front door is a bird created with Jo’s unique sculpting style, made with gum tape and linseed oil. This seemingly delicate bird sits by the light, showing the layers of tape with a smooth shiny finish, almost as though a seagull had sat patiently inside a mould for the piece.

Her previous exhibition at the Quay Arts in January featured a curtain adorned with artist tools. Jo tells me that the curtain concept came from the realisation that technology has overtaken so many art forms and how long would it be before these beautiful tools became outdated fossils in the art world. The installation also included floating artistic figures working with their hands, along with several perched and flying birds; brothers and sisters to our door-side companion.

“I’d seen this article last year while I was making the piece where it said within a generation or two our hands might not actually be capable of using these tools. That’s when I did lots of casts of artists hands in positions they might take to use the tools. So it was like a responsive piece.” – Joanna Kori

Jo has been working for over 20 years as an award-winning games and interactive learning designer alongside her long-term sculpture, installation, drawing and print projects. She has three installations in mind for her next project (to eventually be shown in 35, Madeira Road), that have developed on from this exhibition. Hopefully we’ll be seeing this pop-up at next years Fringe…

She is more than happy to talk to you about her work, but the exhibition in art_house_life is quite heavily centred around David’s collection.

David has been producing art over the last 60 years and spoke to me about his inspirations, and the process he went through to produce some of his pieces. Two large canvases (one in the kitchen and one on the staircase) caught my eye in the house, David went on to tell me more about the pieces.

“The paintings were really about the failure of the Islamic revolution really. I was somebody that was extremely impressed by the sheer size of the democratic voting for the Ayatollah Khomeini when he came to power. 97% of Iranian people voted for him and in 3 of 4 years that revolution was betrayed. Some of the dark themes that are in the centre of that painting represent the bodies, the effigies in Tehran and all the rest of it. In the Middle East, right from the time of the Mongols, the horse represents a whole source of power.” – Albedo Marz (David)

For those unfamiliar with Ayatollah Khomeini, he was an Iranian philosopher and revolutionary, who ultimately led the revolution to overthrow the Pahlavi monarchy in Iran. His ideals changed so much over the course of his reign as the country’s supreme leader, that his original principles were lost as was his huge public support eventually resulting in his exile.

Interesting fact: Khomeini was the man that put out a fatwa on Salman Rushdie.

These two paintings are like split screens, one half of each painting is very dark with strange, eerie-looking shapes peering through the darkness and the other half, bright and bold. A horse features in one of these and a few of David’s digital prints, symbolising the Arab influence to the image.

There is a lot of history in David’s work and social political struggle. Some of his newer pieces follow a different socio-political pathway, I noticed another painting, the first of his latest series called Shape Shifting.

“It brings together the traditional themes of painting, landscapes, objects, still life and figure painting but they’re all brought together as signs of a disintegrated environment. Most of my work is fragmented in one form or another and it’s part of how I see it, a disconnected world. I know everybody talks about it as a connected world but I see us as very disconnected.” – Albedo Marz (David).

David goes on to talk about how heavily reliant we are on media and technology in modern day. His latest inspiration draws from his idea of a disconnected world and how being so remarkably connected in this way will ultimately cause worldwide dysfunction.

It all comes back to the idea of being under surveillance, having every personal detail on show for the world to see and how this will ultimately affect society. Shape Shifting is a bright and energetic piece, I’m interested to see where the other seven in the series end up, from the sounds of it, they could get quite dark…

The exhibition is open all week so make sure you get down to 35 Madeira Road to see this distinctive collection before the end of the week.

Steven Paul Sales
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Interview: Steven Paul Sales
640 790 Ventnor Fringe

Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Steven Sales. I’m 33 ½. I was born on the Island, but I currently live and work in Bristol. I hate using the term artist, but its essentially what I do – I make objects and things about the physical and cultural identity of places. I like dancing to disco and cooking; and especially cooking to disco.

Describe your connection to Ventnor and the Fringe.
The first of my Island family moved to Ventnor in 1900. My great-great uncle’s name is inscribed on the War memorial near Ventnor Park, so Ventnor has always felt like my ancestral home. It’s been my cultural home since being a teenager, frequenting the beaches, footpaths and pubs. I’ve had many friends perform in the Fringe and have seen first-hand what a great experience it can be. I didn’t want to miss out.

Tell us about what you are bringing to the Fringe.
I’m presenting a sound installation at the Errant Stage, which explores the uncertain future of the native Island dialect. I was fifteen when I first realised the island had its own unique set of words and over the past 18 years it is clear that less people are using these words in everyday life. Some Island words describe actions which don’t exist in the English language. Kurn for example, refers to the turning of a flower into a fruit. I hope the installation excites people about this wonderful aspect of our Island heritage.

One previous Fringe memory you hold dear.
Watching Stealing Sheep last year. The balmy weather and the venue helped to enhance the atmosphere that evening. I remember a moment of just looking around, being surrounded by mates and realising I didn’t want to be anywhere else.

This year you are most excited about…
It goes without saying that I am really excited about presenting my own project, but I’m also looking forward to seeing Childhood, Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads performance piece at Trinity Church and Puppet Bingo.

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Tea at the VIF
960 675 Ventnor Fringe

Hailing form North London, Girl Ray are a band in their infancy, or to be more accurate, in their adolescence. Still in their teens this trio, made up of Poppy (guitar/vocals), Iris (drums) and Sophie (bass) are on their way to great things. Naming themselves through word play of the surrealist artist Man Ray, there are hints of art school sensibilities, years before the possibility of university.

Their first single, Trouble was recorded on what would have been their last day of school and released late last year, yet the sound is certainly beyond their years.

Their songs document the typical dramas of that difficult age between school and real life. That time when a falling out of love can be devastating, and the breakdown of a friendship can be even more so. I’m certainly interested to see where the song writing goes as this band matures.

They are already writing and making brilliant music; lyrically intense yet light and witty, the songs almost feel like they belong to a different time. Girl Ray are taking us back to a more lo-fi time and feeling. In a musical world that has had a recent influx of indie girl groups, Girl Ray are offering something markedly different. The 90’s influences here are evident. As I listen, my mind is taken back to bands like Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Hefner (who in my opinion are widely underrated, check them out too if you’re in the listening mood), Stereolab and, at times, the Pipettes.

Vocally there is a somewhat more historic influence. The Nico-esque vibes lead singer Poppy is giving out are strong, in a very good way. I’ve always been a fan of a low, breathy, nicely disinterested vocal and find myself smiling as each song unfolds to showcase dreamy tones. There is some nice vocal layering put to good use, but they have avoided the trap of the overuse of reverb which can ruin a good song almost before it’s started.

Girl Ray’s debut album Earl Grey was released last week on Moshi Moshi Records, who in their time have managed notable successes such as Hot Chip, Metronomy, and Florence and the Machine. Here’s hoping that they have similar fortune with this trio.

Where can you catch them I hear you ask? Well you’re in luck. As part of Ventnor International Festival, them good folk the organisers have granted our town a special treat in bringing Girl Ray down and they will be playing at St Catherine’s Church on Friday at 8.30pm.

I would heartily recommend going along o check them out, there could be big things in these girls’ futures and wouldn’t it be lovely to say that you caught them before they hit the big time.

www.soundcloud.com/girlray

 

 

 

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