Our what’s on hitlist of this week’s Arts&Ents
Live music at Facebar
Tonight at Facebar, Reading, Velocity presents Reading Living Legends The Go Go Cult, Reading indie pop supergroup This and Skunk Worm, fast rising new punx on the block. Face Bar Venue is situated on Ambrose Place just off of Chatham Street in Reading only a few minutes away from the town centre. The venue holds two clubs in one with both offering their own dance floors, top sound systems, fully stocked bars and DJs.
Piaf opens
Piaf opens tomorrow (Friday) at The Watermill, Bagnor. Be drawn into the extraordinary world of Édith Piaf, the French chanteuse who captivated the world with her unquestionable talent. Pam Gems’ play, starring Audrey Brisson who returns to the Watermill after her critically acclaimed performance in Amélie, charts The Little Sparrow’s dramatic rise from the squalor of the streets of Paris to the glamour of international stardom. Piaf intertwines the great loves, losses and questionable decisions of this complex and fragile star with her raw, spellbinding songs, performed live by an ensemble cast of actor-musicians. Still revered as an icon, decades after her untimely death, be enchanted by this fascinating talent who lived a life of no regrets. https://www.watermill.org.uk/events/piaf
Comedy Network
The monthly Comedy Network returns to the Corn Exchange for a club night showcasing the best fresh talent tomorrow night (Friday). Line up: multi-award winning comedian, actor and writer Ian Smith as heard on BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz, The Now Show, Just A Minute and his own comedy-documentary Girl Stuck in Basketball Hoop; Dave Chawner, number one best-selling author, award-winning stand up, presenter & mental health campaigner. Most recently, he won Pegasus' Comedy Awards 'Ongoing Comedian Of The Year' at The Edinburgh Fringe; Horatio Gould, British comedian, writer and filmmaker who found huge success over lockdown with his online sketches garnering over 70 million views. Some of his most well received work online includes the medieval parody of modern male podcasts, or his hugely viral series on every TV show in the 2000s; Irish comedian Eleanor Tiernan comperes.
Who Ate All The Crayons gig at The Newbury
Newbury band Who Ate All the Crayons will be headlining a gig at The Newbury pub on Saturday. The music starts at 7.30pm. Their special guests will be Josh Fidler and Juliette The Band. Tickets £9 online or £10 on the door https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whoateallthecrayons
Tina Turner celebration
After a fantastic sell-out tour across the UK, Tina Turner fans will have the time of their lives as What’s Love Got to Do with It?, celebrating the music and 60-year career of this incredible rock and soul starat The Anvil, Basingstoke, tomorrow night (Friday, 7.30pm). Expect a night of high energy and feel-good rock 'n' roll, performed by an all-live band. This joyous show features all the hits including Proud Mary, River Deep, Simply the Best, Private Dancer, and many more. https://www.anvilarts.org.uk/
Joan Miró exhibition
Explore the works of one of the 20th century's most influential and recognisable artists in Joan Miró: Painting & Poetry, at The Base, Greenham from tomorrow (Friday). Joan Miró’s highly individual style placed him at the forefront of Surrealism and Dadaism. Primarily known as a painter and sculptor, he was also a celebrated and dynamic printmaker. This exhibition brings together the series of lithographs Miró created in response to the writings of the celebrated French surrealist poet Robert Desnos. The artwork features abstract elements in dazzling colours and unique symbolic narratives. The Base is the opening venue of this Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition which runs to April 27. Ticket prices and booking at https://thebasegreenham.co.uk/
Bluegrass with a punch
There will be damn fine music from the damn fine trio that is Damn Tall Buildings at ACE Space on Saturday. Described as ‘bluegrass with a punch’ Damn Tall Buildings blends traditional Americana with modern influences, creating a sound that resonates with audiences of all ages. Their unique style, coined as guerrilla roots, draws from bluegrass, swing, ragtime, jazz, and contemporary songwriting, offering a fresh take on early-20th century Americana. The trio of Avery Ballotta (violin, vocals), Max Capistran (guitar, banjo, vocals) and Sasha Dubyk (upright bass, vocals) are Brooklyn based but hail from Montana, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. In their 11+ years of playing professionally they have been determined to remain fully independent, self-funding and crowd-funding their albums. They have observed that “one of the biggest things that fuels us creatively, is the creation of new material. This practice that keeps us sharp, interested, and engaged in the show we are bringing to every venue we play”. Tickets £16 available from www.WeGotTickets.com or by emailing events@acespace.org.uk or calling 078911 76940.
Lights, Camera, Orchestra! Film music with Beenham Wind.
Newbury’s music lovers are in for a cinematic treat as Beenham Wind Orchestra celebrate their 25th year and bring the magic of the silver screen to life with an evening of film music at St Nicolas Church, Newbury, on Saturday, at 7.30pm. Proceeds from the concert Lights, Camera, Orchestra! will go towards the purchase of a bass clarinet. From the stirring melodies of Schindler’s List to the high-energy excitement of Star Wars and James Bond, this concert promises a lively journey through some of the most iconic film scores of all time.nUnder the expert direction of musical director Victoria Benjamin, Beenham Wind Orchestra recently earned a glowing review in these pages: “A standing ovation said it all. Beenham Wind Orchestra are not to be missed!” Highlights include guest soloist Victoria Stapleton performing the emotive theme from Schindler’s List and a world premiere of Anton Lakes Pulse, a new work for solo tuba and wind orchestra, composed by Angel Garcia Martinez and commissioned for Jonathan Hodgetts. The programme includes: Four Dances from West Side Story – Leonard Bernstein, Harry Potter Symphonic Suite – John Williams; Star Trek into Darkness – Michael Brown; Chariots of Fire – Vangelis; Cinema Paradiso – Ennio & Andrea Morricone, Bond… James Bond – Stephen Bulla and Star Wars Medley – John Williams. Tickets www.beenhamwindorchestra. org/events
Pangbourne Jazz Club
Vibraphone player Roger Beaujolais is the special guest at Pangbourne Jazz Club on Sunday. The club has a great atmosphere, great audience and great guests - why not go down and enjoy the company and the jazz. Roger Beaujolais is completely self-taught. He started practicing in earnest when he was 26 and his first gig was when he was 28, three days after buying a car to transport the vibraphone. He was a founder member of jump/jive band The Chevalier Brothers and toured the UK and Europe extensively in the 1980s, playing at jazz festivals including Montreux and North Sea as well as trips to the US and Japan. When The Chevalier Brothers split up in 1988, Roger joined Fairground Attraction until 1989 and played on their number one single Perfect as well as their debut album. A five-year collaboration with Acid Jazz Records followed, with two Latin jazz albums by the Beaujolais Band released as well as two soul jazz albums by Vibraphonic. Over the years Roger has been in sessions with many musicians including Suggs, Arthur Brown, Rico, Nelson Rangell, Paul Whitehouse, Edgar Broughton, Slim Gaillard, Jocelyn Brown, Maysa Leak, Big Jay McNeely, Sean Young & Johnny Clarke. Jazz@pjc tickets £12.50.
Mike + The Mechanics
For one night only, following 2023’s much lauded sell out ‘Refuelled! Tour’, Mike + The Mechanics return for the ‘Looking Back - Living The Years 2025 Tour’,at New Theatre Oxford on Sunday. hits including ‘Over My Shoulder’, ‘The Living Years’ and ‘All I Need Is A Miracle’ as well as drift into some of Genesis’s much loved classic tracks. Originally formed in 1985 by Mike Rutherford “as a side project to Genesis”, Mike + The Mechanics originally featured Paul Young and Paul Carrack as frontmen, and together they achieved huge commercial success throughout the 80s and 90s achieving number ones all over the world and going on to sell over 10 million albums. After Paul Young’s sudden death in 2000 the band released one further album before deciding to call it a day. In 2011, Mike started writing songs again and invited Roachford and Howar to join him and their chemistry was instant and they released ‘The Road’ album and the band began touring again with huge success and have remained together since.
