I was very excited to hear that The Electric Cinema will be showing Separado! in a few weeks time. I love Super Furry Animals and Gruff Rhys so it was great to see the film at Flatpack earlier this year. I’m glad that I will have the opportunity to see it again on the big screen. The film is a bizarre documentary, in true SFA style, showing lead singer and solo musician Gruff’s trip to South America in order to find a distant relative. The film is also an intriguing history of the Welsh and how communities sprung up over Patagonia in the 19th Century. Seeing the continuing Welsh influence in parts of Argentina was fascinating.

Separado! will be screening from Friday 20 to Thursday 26 August. Check the website for more details.

Incidentally, if you happen to be at Green Man Festival this year, 7 inch Cinema will be screening Separado! amongst many a lovely thing as part of their special festival programme.

In March, the amazing Dublin collective Synth Eastwood came to Birmingham for a night of live music, animation and interactivity for Flatpack Festival. The night at the Rainbow Warehouse featured acts such as Clark, Health & Efficiency and Gangpol and Mit. During the run up to the event the Synth Eastwood boys were running all over the city to get footage for the night. Above are some of the results. There may be some people you recognise!

In March we gave a 45 minute Live Cinema performance at Flatpack Festival , an  improvised, slowly unfolding abstract sonic visual journey, which was very well received by the audience.

recording of our  performance below :

Prior to our performance we also curated a selection of screenings,  including an exclusive preview of EXP /Frank Bretschneider plus some clips of  a beautiful  video installation ‘Forever’ by Universal Everything

We find out about the mysterious village of Clinkskell, graphic design, the British manner of sampling and, of course, music.

Use the player above to listen to the show or listen at Mixcloud.com.

Playlist for Phantom Circuit #32

Available from 8th April 2010

This post was edited on 30th July 2010 to embed the MixCloud player.

Little Aisling

This weekend as part of Flatpack Festival I had the opportunity to watch this outstanding film, according to the description:

Twelve year-old Brendan lives in an abbey with his grumpy uncle and a motley group of monks. One day they are joined by the legendary illustrator Brother Aidan, who tells tales of Viking invaders and brings in his bag an amazing secret; the Book of Kells. This unique film tells the tale of how the sacred text was completed and survived to become one of Ireland’s national treasures. With animation which is nearly as beautiful as the book itself – especially when Brendan ventures beyond the town walls to meet naughty forest-sprite Aisling – The Secret of Kells’ recent Oscar nomination was richly deserved.

Dir: Tomm Moore
Ireland/France/Belgium 2009
With: Brendan Gleeson, Evan McGuire, Christen Mooney, Mick Lally
Certificate: PG

Website:
http://www.thesecretofkells.com/

What I loved the most besides the story was their graphics. This animation film has a beautiful collection of drawings fully decorated with stunning colour, combination of greens, browns, blues, etc.

Also the music is beautiful, loved the song signing by little Aisling, when is allowing the cat to do what she can’t do, the message of co-working with others is a good sense.

Don’t know where you will be able to watch this movie, probably you can ask Ian from Flatpack to programme another night, but you definitely should watch it.

Couldn’t see much this year of the festival (last year either) but I love this festival; love the people, the programme and all the vibe that you have around. Really missed not being there for the whole time, but want to congratulate Ian & Pip, and the whole team who made this happened.  

My favourite piece - The Forest

Here are a few to look forward to:

• Private View for Gongoozler at Grand Union Saturday from 6pm - opening show from the new studio space set up by a group of Birmingham based artists and curators on Fazeley Street
• The Purple Ceiling at The Lombard Method - The space has been holding a residency over the last few weeks to coincide with Flatpack. The show will feature the results of the residency from artist Ella Lucas.
• Project Pigeon at the Rea Garden - as well as a live Pigeon ‘Feed’ in Vivid, you will be able to visit the pigeon loft at the Rea Garden on Floodgate Street from 12-4pm from Friday to Sunday.
• Artist talk at Eastside Projects - talk by dutch artist Jeanne van Heewijk
• Eaststride – a walk and talk around Eastside exploring its hidden gems, industrial heritage and recent creative developments. Saturday and Sunday at 12 and 3pm. Places are limited. To reserve a place email: admin[at]capsule[dot]org[dot]uk
• Matt Stokes at Vivid - screening the work of the Becks Futures prize-winning artist.

For more information go to We Are Eastside.

The night will include a screening of Penda’s Fen, a Play for Today originally screened in 1974. Set in the Malverns, it tells the tale of a confused teenager whose supernatural visions are fuelled by Elgar and Anglo-Saxon mythology. There will also be a screening of Winter Sun Wavelength, a film by Ghost Box co-founder Julian House with a live score by the Focus Group and Belbury Poly.

The space will also feature an exhibition of Julian House’s work. Although not a familiar name to many, he has designed the covers of albums you may well have at home including Primal Scream’s XTRMNTR, Broadcast’s Pendulum and Oasis’ Dig Out Your Soul.

The evening will be full of psych, folk, radiophonics and cosmic disco with guests Moon Wiring Club and sets from the Focus Group and Belbury Poly. More information about the night and tickets can be found here.

Birmingham’s premier film festival, Flatpack, is less than a week away, and yesterday I got my hands on a programme (what a beautifully designed programme it is too!). It is full to bursting with celluloid delights, each page offering something new and exciting in the way of the moving image. I will certainly be keeping myself out of trouble trying to attend as many events as possible over the six days, but there a number of screenings that have particularly caught my eye. Namely, the short film listings.

After attending an eclectic screening of brilliant short films at last year’s festival (the highlight being Ed Barrett’s award-winning Man Up), I found myself flicking through the programme making notes of all the screenings dedicated to shorts, and I wasn’t disappointed. There are no less than 10 screenings/events dedicated to the short film format, of which I am most excited about the Short Film Triple-Bill at VIVID on Thursday 25 March (6-10.30pm). With a selection of regionally made animated shorts, highlights from Shooting People’s Shooters Film of the Month competition, and an assortment of music videos and other shorts from London’s only weekly short film evening, Short and Sweet, it is sure to be a highly entertaining evening jam-packed with creative audiovisual goodness. And, what’s more, it’s free!

For more information on the shorts being screened at Flatpack, click here.

I love a music documentary and Flatpack Festival has a tradition of searching out some good’uns. At the second festival I was introduced to the wonders of Danielson and Sufjan Stevens in Danielson: a Family Movie and last year I was entranced by Vashti Bunyan: From Here to Before, the tale of Vashti Bunyan revisiting her journey she made to the Hebrides in a horse-drawn caravan in the 60s.

This year we are treated to a choice of music documentaries. I am looking forward to the The Family Jams, a film made by Kevin Barker, a musician himself (Currituck Co. and occasional member of Vetiver). The film follows Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom and Vetiver on a tour of America in 2004; a time when the nu-folk/ freak-folk scene was starting to gain a pace, and a scene that I was heavily into at that time. It is a very intimate film of life on tour, the musicians dealing with the highs and lows of touring and life in general. A treat.

Separado sees Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals beamed to Patagonia to trace a distant relative. The film is bound to be a funny, bizarre but fascinating film shedding light on a little-known bit of Welsh history.

I am also intrigued by No One Knows About Persian Cats, a documentary about the Iranian music scene where ‘a copy of NME would be the equivalent of the Anarchist’s Cookbook’. The film shows the lengths that musicians go to practice and put on gigs.

For more music related films at Flatpack click right here.

On Saturday 13 March there will be a fundraiser for Haiti at the Edge. The night will feature award winning short films, promos, art films and will be followed by a disco to raise money for the DEC Haiti Appeal. There will be a screening of Oscar short-listed multi award winning short Gone Fishing, Shooting People Short of the Year 2009 A Supermarket Love Story, BAFTA winning short Brown Paper Bag, Bouncer starring Ray Winstone and Paddy Consodine, animation from The Brothers McLeod, as well as great shorts from local film makers. There will also be a series of promos by dub-punk multi-media threesome Jackdaw with Crowbar who will be playing/performing on Saturday 27 at A Plasticine Party for Flatpack Festival.

If you would like your short to be included please contact Brendan O’Neill.

The night is from 8 til late and will cost £5 (£4 concessions). There will be a bar at venue but each guest is encouraged to bring cake or nibbles to share :)

If you’ve heard the term ‘Creative Quarter’ and ‘Eastside’ bandied around and wondered what or where that is then We Are Eastside will help explain. 16 cultural and creative organisations based in the Digbeth area of the city are driving a creative renaissance that is set to launch with a major open weekend between Friday 26 March and Sunday 28 March this year.

The project, led by Eastside based collectives who host and produce bold new work across film, digital media, crafts, music, visual arts, architecture, literature and photography, will see a variety of spaces and buildings – some previously unseen – opened up to visitors during the weekend.

A rich mix of collaborative work and shared projects will be on show, offering art enthusiasts, pigeon fanciers, film and music fans, historians, future cabaret stars and the downright curious an opportunity to indulge in their passions with activities, exhibitions, screenings and performances as well as the option to explore the area freely or as part of a tour with local historian Ben Waddington.

The weekend, programmed to coincide with Birmingham’s annual Flatpack Festival, will also see the official launch of a new blog http://www.eastsideprojects.org which will feature regular updates, programmes and contributions from the cluster of artists, promoters and venues.

Check the site for a full list of events taking place.

WE ARE EASTSIDE
Friday 26 March – Sunday 28 March
Eastside, Birmingham

I’m very exicited about this year’s Flatpack Festival.  Flatpack is an amazing annual eclectic film festival which takes place all across Birmingham from 23-28 March. There will be live scores to silent films, parties, workshops, horror films, music documentaries, films for children, live music….Dang! Too much stuff to write one blog post about! You can see this year’s programme here. Apparently the brochure will hitting the streets very soon!

I am particularly looking forward to Fast Forward with Synth Eastwood on Friday 26 March. Synth Eastwood are a Dublin based collective who organise club nights that blur the boundaries between club, gig and art show. Their teaser trailer (above) appeared on t’internet about a week ago. For their show at the Rainbow Warehouse entitled Fast Forward, they will be joined by the amazing Clark (Warp Records) – I bought his most recent album Totums Flare the other day from Tempest Records (RIP).

Also performing will be bizarre French AV Duo Gangpol and Mit , YouTube provocateur Hugh Cooney as well sets from Birmingham and Dublin based DJs.

Here’s a video of one of their previous shows so you can get an idea of what kind of treats are in store on the night … incidentally it features Birmingham’s own Chris Keenan and the work of Birmingham-based photographer Stuart Whipps. Tickets for Fast Forward with Synth Eastwood can be bought here.

Standard disclaimers: I can’t ensure that these events will go ahead, that they’ll be good, or that I will be going to them. This is just a list of things I found that looked like they might be interesting, so please do not contact me to ask for your event to be included. That’s not the way it works.

Monday the 1st – Dizzee Rascal @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Sold out already though. I doubt that’ll surprise anybody.

Monday the 1st – Los Campesinos @ The Rainbow, Digbeth, Birmingham – No, really, it’s definitely “maths” and not “math”.

Tuesday the 2nd – “Lotty’s War” (Giddy Ox Theatre) @ The Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton – Lotty finds herself torn between loyalty and survival during the (nowadays often forgotten) German occupation of the Channel Islands.

Wednesday the 3rd till Thursday the 18th – “Behna” (Black Country Touring/Kali Theatre) @ somewhere on Weoley Park Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham – A site-specific play in a house, the precise address of which will be revealed on the booking of tickets. The secrets of two generations are observed through the kitchen.

Wednesday the 3rd and Thursday the 4th – “Meeting Joe Strummer” (The Future Is Unwritten) @ The Studio, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry – Saw this a couple of years ago and thought it was great. Two blokes grow up, with and without the Clash in the background.

Wednesday the 3rd – “The World’s Wife” with Linda Marlowe @ The Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton – A stage adaptation (somehow) of the Carol Ann Duffy poems.

Thursday the 4th till Saturday the 6th – “The Women Of Troy” (Young REP) @ The Rep Door, Birmingham – Euripedes trousers, you buya dese trousers.

Thursday the 4th – Angie Stone @ The Academy, Birmingham – Several years on I still think that “I’d rather be picking up bottles and cans if you can’t be my man” consists of two completely unrelated clauses, but she’s ace nevertheless.

Thursday the 4th – Woodenbox With The Fistful Of Fivers @ The Victoria, Birmingham – Very well-named Scottish folk sorts, playing a Colour do.

Wednesday the 4th – Jerry Dammers’ Spatial AKA Orchestra @ Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry – Fresh from not participating in The Specials reunion, here’s Jerry Dammers with his jazz big band.

Saturday the 6th – Fairport Convention @ The Town Hall, Birmingham – A holiday, a holiday, the first one of the year.

Sunday the 7th – Obituary @ The Academy 2, Birmingham – The best death metal band, when I (as I often for some reason do) forget about the existence of Entombed. Otherwise second place. That’s still very good though, obviously.

Wednesday the 10th – David Benson’s “Doctor Whom? My Search For Samuel Johnson” @ The Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton – I haven’t been to see David Benson for ages. A-typically (as he acknowledges) this one isn’t about a dead camp comedian, but I bet it’s very funny.

Wednesday the 10th – Atsuhiro Ito @ Vivid, Digbeth, Birmingham – A Japanese artiste who has created his own optical/sound instrument, the Optron.

Thursday the 11th till Sunday the 14th – Crufts @ The NEC, Marston Green, Birmingham – HOUNDS, everyone’s fond of how-wunds, except for… no, wait, I’ve got the wrong song.

Thursday the 11th – “Film Dash” screening @ The Electric Cinema, Birmingham – A selection of the entries and the announcement of the winner.

Friday the 12th till Wednesday the 17th – St Patrick’s Day Festival @ all over Digbeth, Birmingham – The parade is on the Saturday, this year. The “St Patrocks” bands bit is in the college on the same day (hopefully it won’t suffer from being a complete pain in the arse like last year), and Irish literature night at The Old Crown on the 16th sounds interesting too.

Friday the 12th – “Blue Remembered Hills” (New Century Theatre Company) @ The Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham – Dennis Potter’s famous play-for-whichever-day.

Friday the 12th – Autechre @ The Rainbow Warehouse, Digbeth, Birmingham – More groovy than they were glitchy, two years ago. Oh my god that gig was two years ago.

Friday the 12th – Killa Kela @ The Academy 3, Birmingham – This would be where I attempt beatboxing like some embarrassing family member.

Saturday the 13th – The Stranglers @ The Academy, Birmingham – Walking in The Academy looking at the old men (doo-doo-doo, do-do do doo doo).

Saturday the 13th – AMMA @ Banks’ Stadium, Bescott, Walsall – The always great amateur MMA cards, partially courtesy of Yoo-Eff-Cee Ref-Er-Ee Marc Goddard. Latest card here.

Saturday the 13th – “Eat My Shorts” @ The Edge, Digbeth, Birmingham – Short fillums then a disco, to raise money for Haiti.

Sunday the 14th – Boxing (First Team) @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Afternoon card rescheduled from last month, headlined by Dean Harrison vs Ben Lawler. It’s also going to be streamed on BrandHatton.tv for three quid, if that suits you better.

Sunday the 14th – Speech DeBelle @ The Drum, Newtown, Birmingham – Go then go then. Bye.

Monday the 15th – The Four Tops / The Temptations @ The NIA, Birmingham – Any resemblance to any original band members live or dead is purely co-incidental.

Tuesday the 16th – Mono @ The Asylum, Hockley, Birmingham – The “heavy like Beethoven” tagline always seemed a bit cheap, but the few tracks I’ve just listened to on TheirSpace seem pleasing enough in that usual “getting louder then quieter again” sort of way. The first part of The Asylum’s two days o’ post rock, courtesy of Capsule.

Wednesday the 17th – Thee Silver Mt. Zion (or whatever the current version of their name is) @ The Asylum, Hockley, Birmingham – The second part of The Asylum’s two days o’ post rock. I’m given to understand that they don’t like being described as post-rock, but then again I don’t like seeing bands get precious over that sort of thing so I suppose we’re all even.

Wednesday the 17th – The Dubliners @ The Town Hall, Birmingham – I cannot even begin to imagine how great it would be to see The Dubliners on St Patrick’s Day, but it’s already long-since sold out. Blast.

Friday the 19th – Four Tet @ The Custard Factory, Digbeth, Birmingham – Folk-dance-electronica sorts. I can’t find precisely where in the Custard Factory they’re meant to be playing, but I’d be willing to guess at Space 2.

Friday the 19th – “Beating Berlusconi” (Turf love Theatre) @ The Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton – Based on the true story of a demoralised Liverpool fan who ended up meeting Silvio Berlusconi in Turkey.

Friday the 19th – Marlena Shaw @ The Hare And Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham – The actual real one, ladies and gentlemen.

Saturday the 20th – Postman Pat’s “A Very Royal Mission” @ The town hall/library theatre, Stourbridge – Accompanied as ever by his black-and-white cat.

Sunday the 21st – “Identity Of The Soul” @ The Drum, Newtown, Birmingham – A five (count ‘em) screen series of filmed poems, involving Ibsen and concerning matters of “war, retaliation and the consequences of choice”. Possibly an interesting adjunct to all of your Flatpack filmeramarama.

Sunday the 21st – Midlands Amateur Boxing Association finals @ The Tower Ballroom, Edgbaston, Birmingham – I’m not going to pretend I know the slightest tiny thing about amateur boxing, but the finals of the Midlands ABAs are here and apparently there will be 13 title-deciding fights across the various weightclasses.

Tuesday the 23rd till Sunday the 28th – Flatpack Film Festival @ various venues in Birmingham – Tonnes and tonnes and tonnes of filmic goodness. Highlights abound – there’s that black metal documentary, a thing about what is supposedly the worst film ever, a seminar that teaches you how to animate vegetables, and a whole pile more.

Wednesday the 24th till Saturday the 27th – “Ghost Boy” (20 Stories High Theatre) @ The Rep Door, Birmingham – A play with hip-hop, grime, ska, puppetry, and a bloke declaring himself to be the superhero “Fly Man”.

Wednesday the 24th – Jethro Tull @ Symphony Hall, Birmingham – One-legged flute etc etc etc.

Tuesday the 30th and Wednesday the 31st – “Fawlty Towers” (Central Youth Theatre) @ Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton – There’s something really quite surreal about the idea of young’uns doing “Fawlty Towers”.

Tuesday the 30th – Editors @ The Academy, Birmingham – Formerly Echo & The Bunnymen, now Depeche Mode.

The full programme is available here. The festival opens on the 23 March with a rare screening of 1927 romance Sunrise, accompanied by a newly commissioned live score by jazz pianist Alcyona. The screening will be at St. Martin’s Church, which will provide a stunning backdrop to the film.

Ghostbox Records

Not to wish the rest of the line-up away,  but I’m most excited by the festival finale Belbury Youth Club (Sunday, 5pm, Vivid), a night of haunted soundscapes and creepy ’70s film. The evening is curated by Ghost Box Records, who release music by electronica artists inspired on library music, folklore, vintage electronics and haunted TV soundtracks. The evening will feature a live performance by Moon Wiring Club, visuals and a DJ set by The Focus Group. If you’re aware of our events, you’ll know we take a great interest in artists who explore nostalgia and the resonance of the past in their music, so this is right up our street/ dark alley.

Other music events of note at Flatpack are a performance by one of British electronic music’s most inventive artists, Clark  (part of Synth Eastwood’s Fast Forward, Friday, 8pm, Rainbow Warehouse) and an audio-visual extravaganza by Birmingham’s own Modulate (Sunday, 2pm, Vivid).

]]> http://morecanalsthanvenice.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/created-in-birmingham-shop/ Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:22:30 +0000 PixieSixer http://morecanalsthanvenice.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/created-in-birmingham-shop/

I was very excited to hear about the Created in Birmingham pop-up shop that is opening in the Bullring this week. It is located in between Miss Selfridge and Faith (or for you iPeeps, opposite the Apple Store) Spearheaded by Chris Unitt, editor of the Created in Birmingham blog, it will show, sell and promote local talent. Chris was able to spare some time to talk to me all about it. The opening is this Thursday from 5-8pm. Tuneage will be provided by Colour and Sister 45.

How did the idea come about?

I’ve been really into the idea of pop-up shops for a while and have especially loved the concept behind New York’s Grand Opening. I never expected to be opening a shop of my own though.

How on earth did you get such a good location?!

It’s amazing what you get when you ask! I’m doing some work with Bullring as part of my day job (I run a company called Meshed Media) and happened to talk to the right person at the right time. I asked if they’d considered giving a pop-up shop over to independent artists and, without really intending it to happen, I was offered a unit myself. The location, it has to be said, is fantastic. Thanks Bullring!

How long will you have the shop?

We’ve agreed to be in there for a minimum of six weeks, after that we’ll leave when they find a permanent, paying tenant or we lose the energy to keep going. Unless something surprising happens, I can see the shop lasting for 3 months at the most.

What have we got to look forward to in the shop?  Any events?

As much as we can possibly squeeze in, I hope. For starters, we’ll be looking to cover the walls with as much photography, illustration and paintings as possible to give it a semi-gallery feel. We’ll be renting stalls out on an ad hoc basis to anyone who wants to sell their wares or promote their services. I’m hoping we’ll be able to squeeze in a couple of events a week – talks, meet-ups, little acoustic gigs and the like. I’d love to hear from any theatre groups with suggestions of things they’d like to use the shop for. Nothing’s quite finalised at the moment, but we’re speaking to lots of people about selling their stuff or doing events with them. Those people include Chris Keenan, Kate Beatty, Flatpack Festival, Lewes Heriott, Maria Rankin, Jo Ruth, The REP, sampad, Luke Halilley, Sarah Ray, Birmingham Royal Ballet and lots more. It’s a good list!

Can people still get involved in volunteering, suggesting events, have stalls?

Yes! Absolutely. We’ve had a great response to the call we put out but there’s room for plenty more. It’s not going to last forever, so this might be the only chance people get to be involved in something like this. There are links to the various ‘Get Involved’ forms here as well as a place to leave any suggestions.

I wish the shop every success. See you at the opening!

Flatpack Festival is back this year from 23rd- 28th March. As always, we will be treated to a programme of weird and absolutely beautiful films, music and workshops that will take place in venues right across the city. For the fourth Flatpack Festival bus trips, art deco cinemas and optical illusions will be a few of the offerings. I can’t wait!

The festival will launch with a rare screening of FW Murnau’s 1927 Oscar-winning romance Sunrise, accompanied by a newly commissioned live score by jazz pianist Alcyona. Highlights at this year’s festival include a celebration of puppets in classic and contemporary film; an exploration of the 1930s from cinema design to Birmingham’s literati. Dublin collective Synth Eastwood present one of their legendary events in our fine city, and Ghost Box Records will also present a Sunday feast of haunted audio and creepy 70s television.

If you would like to volunteer at this year’s Flatpack Festival click here. I have helped out in various capacities for the last two festivals, and will be assisting them this year too. It really is a wonderful festival and a great experience. Go on, you know you want to!

Birmingham is getting a great reputation for putting on fab festivals throughout the year and March 2010 is the turn of one of the best FLATPACK. This year the event takes place from 23-28 March and it looks like they are planning some pretty spectacular stuff.

Bus trips to art deco cinemas, the weird world of puppets, immersive art happenings, Murnau rescored, optical illusions, idea theft and creepy 70s television.

Rare screenings and new commissions share the limelight with talks and screenings from a suitably eclectic programme to inspire all.

The full programme will be available at the beginning of February.

The fourth Flatpack Festival will take place next year from 23rd – 28th March in venues across the city. A  wonderous celebration of eclectic, genre-bending cinema where the magic of early film rubs shoulders with the best new animation, graphics, and live music.

If you would like your film to be part of the festival there is still time to submit.

DEADLINE: Friday 4th December.

More information on how to submit and what they are looking for is here.

The full programme will be announced February.

I can’t wait! I look forward to sharing news about it soon.

Birmingham based artist Helen Brown is organising a spin off from the monthly art magazine, An Endless Supply. She will be guest-editing an open-submission film and video night which will take place at Eastside Projects on Thursday 10th December. She is seeking submissions. Formats can include film, video, animation, documentary, features and shorts. Submissions must be on DVD and may be subject to editing.

Deadline: Sunday 15th November. For more details and where to send the films click here.

Flatpack Festival is gearing up for their 4th festival and are also looking for submissions. Taking place in venues across the city from 23-28th March 2010, from the little things I’m hearing it sounds like it will be even more ambitious than the last. I can’t wait!

Deadline: Friday 4th December. For an application form and ideas of what they are looking for click here.

Although not in Birmingham, I also wanted to mention that Flip Animation Festival is happening in Wolverhampton at the Light House from 5-7th November. Being an occasional animator, it is a great chance to meet Midlands animators and see what’s new out there! Highlights include scriptwriting workshops, screenings of the films produced during the Great Animation Challenge earlier this year, as well as programmes of shorts during the festival.

In the run up to the festival, musicians were invited to submit their own 9 minute soundtrack for the piece, a selection of which will be played along with the installation. These include pieces by Andrew Moscardo-Parker, Stuart Tonge, Simon Fox, Matt Snowden and Sam Underwood. The piece has been produced by Capsule and Germination in association with Fierce!

The installation will be at Moor Street Station from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th July, 10am – 6pm daily. Free Entry. Like Flatpack Festival’s Installation trail earlier this year, it will be a great gateway for people into the festival.

Despite illness and a broken bulb in our projector putting paid to our plan to project slides, the closedown party for this year’s amazing Flatpack Festival was great fun. Thanks to 7Inch Cinema for putting on something so wonderful in Birmingham – we felt really honoured to be asked to contribute.

July Skies

Because of the projector calamity last minute visuals were provided by Antony from July Skies, who happened to have a breathtaking documentary of British Rail in the 1940s in his car. Victoria and Jacob’s set was backed by a short science film from the 1970s (?) detailing distance through the universe, from atoms to galaxies. Apologies for vagueness – I can’t find the name of the film.

Victoria and Jacob
Victoria and Jacob wowed us with their intelligent, affecting electro-pop last summer, but it was a real pleasure to see how much they’ve come on since then. Their songs still have pop sensibilities at their core; however, they felt more expansive and focused on texture and evocation, a perfect fusion of organic and man-made melodies. Their first full-length release will definitely be one worth waiting for.

July Skies
The ever-evolving lineup of Antony Harding’s July Skies project was bolstered by long-time collaborators Epic45, whose brooding guitars gave the set a dense sound that reverberated perfectly around the warehouse setting of the Wild Building. July Skies transport you somewhere else entirely when experienced live.

Photographs by Paul Manasseh.

Flatpack, I say? Flatpack is 7 Inch’s sort-of annual (there wasn’t one last year) film festival, which always includes a bunch of events that are a touch more interesting than your basic “sit in a picture house and watch a picture”. Affairs began this year with a very interesting gig from The Destroyers, and y’all know I love me some Destroyers.

Curzonara (for ‘twas its name) told the story of one Waller Jeffs, cinematic impresario (1861-1941). He, it seems, more or less brought cinema to Birmingham by organising film-showings in the old Curzon Hall between 1901 and 1912, often to crowds over 3,000 strong. We got the chance to see some of the films he showed back then, with the sonic accompaniment alternating between The Destroyers playing specially composed themes and narrations from Paul Murphy (who has a lovely voice for this sort of thing) about Jeffs’ life and the filmic tastes of the time.

We got several levels, then: the slightly sad tale of a creative man with a big vision, which just didn’t end up tallying with the way things turned out; some important social history (a poignant moment certainly came as we watched a film showing throngs of youths finishing work at the Kynoch armaments factory and Paul Murphy pointed out that within a few years the Great War will have wiped most of them out); some fun films (Georges Melies’ “Trip To The Moon” is apparently the first ever sci-fi film and charmingly features a bunch of wizards taking a trip to the moon) and some wonderful music, just as one might expect from The Destroyers (I’m still singing “We’re on the moon/on the mooooon/we’re on the moon/on the mooooooooooon”).

People really did know how to mill around in the old-timey films, didn’t they? So much energy expended falling over each other and dithering about in a small area.

Wonderful, wonderful stuff, anyway. The evening turned sharply afterwards and we were at Selly Oak A&E till about one in the morning when Louise’s knee decided to explode again, but never mind.

The Flatpack Festival continues until Sunday the 15th with plenty more for you to have a look at. I nearly missed it because of how cack their calendar page is (sorry to go on about that but it really is a pain in the arse to browse) and I’m probably not going to be able to make it, but I’d recommend the lovely Bella Emerson doing some more live soundtrack larks at Floodgate Kino (never heard of the venue before myself, but there’s a map) tonight. You can’t get better than a bit o’ ]]> http://jaskinder.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/flatpack-festival-grand-opening/ Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:42:00 +0000 jaskinder http://jaskinder.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/flatpack-festival-grand-opening/
Printed on recycled paper to give it the authentic feel. It is for the grand opening of Flatpack Festival, a film event that will be held in birmingham from the 5th to the 15 of march. Visit
http://www.flatpackfestival.org.uk/09/
for more information about this event.