The Catalyst Club is a unique monthly Brighton event that pays tribute to the old traditions of French Salon, debating societies and Gentleman's Clubs.


On the night three guest speakers take to the lectern to talk for fifteen minutes on a subject close to their heart.


Some of these previous lecture titles will give you a flavour of the evening:

Bees - Emergence Theory - Hitler's Moustache - Victorian Lantern Shows - Cunnillingus - The Exciting World of Slime Mould - Giant Squid - The Dawn of Civilisation.

Archive

2010

January

Jonathan Gilhooley: Comedy in Art
James: How to Escape from a 2ndWW POW camp
Will Cottrell: the Case for Direct Action

2009

December

Lorraine Bowen: Sequined Safari
David Flack: Undersea cabling and secrets of the internet
Sarah Angliss: Edison’s wax cylinder recorder

November

Carrie Reichart: the revolution will be ceramicised
Rachel Blackman: Shark attacks!
Carina Westling: English language and soft furnishings

October

David Bramwell: No News is Good News
Rosie Carrick: Love Poetry
Ivan Kirby: Captain Birdseye in the Nude

September

Harry Witchell: Psychobiology
Adrian Bunting: 18th century theatre
Richard Robinson: 50 years of Murphy

August: summer holiday

July

Christian Brazier: My death row penpal
Tim and Sue: Pecha Kucha
Dan Hume: Heroes of Science

June

Stig and Jon G: The colour conundrum
Dave Mounfield: Swearing
Angie: Rare diseases and hypochondria

April

George Birtwell: Three Men in a Float
Brian Mitchell: Sex and Classical Music
Katy Schutte: Einstein

March

David Bramwell: Oxford
Ross Gurney Randall: The Battle of Britain Myth and me
Suzanne Rolfe: Care of the Dead

February

Ken Campbell tribute:

Showing of Antic Visionary documentary and Q&A with director Sheridan Thayer

January

Cath Teesdale : 9/11 the new Pearl Harbour?
Si:
LeWinter, The Morality of Capitalism
Vince:
The Book of Job

2008


December

Colleen Slater: Images that have inspired me
John Ashton:
Oswald LeWinter, the most remarkable man I know
Chris Hare:
Humour of the Sussex Landscape

November

Gavin Pretor-Pinney: Clouds
Rohan Kriwakzek: the history of the Funerary Violin

October

Angie: the Literature of Love
George Dillon: the man who was William Shakespeare
Jerry Rolf: the joy of Moths

September:

Adrian Bunting: The Joy Of Mortality
David Bramwell: A Tribute To Ken Campbell
Richard Robinson: Hadron Colliders, Cern And The Big Bang

August: Annual Summer Holiday To Skegness

July:

4th Birthday Party Special!
Rachel Blackman: Improv Comedy
Ty Jeffries: The Divine Feud
Pete Fijalkowski: Things I Have Found In Books

June

Ladies Night Special!
Lady Polly G: Dragon Boat Racing
Lady Julie Coultas: Emotional Intelligence
Madame Frankie Chalet: French Performer

May

Imogen Ryall: The Music Of Ray Noble
Jon Gilhooley: Magic And Art

April

Richard Robinson: Emergence Theory
Tim Pilcher: Ecstasy Culture And Creativity
Alistair Goode: Thinking And Behaviour

March

Jerry Rulf: Bees
Dave Mounfield: The Cathar Conspiracy
Guy Picot: Three Four Time In Music

February: Science Festival Special

January

Pete Styles: Anti-Road Movement 1993-96
Lorraine Bowen: My Favourite Organs
Paul Linnet: From Pong To Pac-Man, A History Of Computer Games

2007


December

Richard Robinson: One, Two, A Lot
Tim Bick: Canned Meat Products
Brian Joseph: The Philosophy Of Detachment And Christmas Shopping

November

Cinecity Special

Tom Hickmore: Censorship In Film
Brian Mcclave: 3d Films Of The Sun And Aurora Borealis
Mark Keeble: Life And Films Of Roman Polanski

October

Jon Nicol: Joseph Campbell
Chris Roberts: Strange Tales
Atters: Victorian Lantern Shows

September

Chris: Cunnillingus
Tony Gill: Hitler’s Moustache
Julian Venables: Astrology And How It Continues To Amaze Me
Ross Gurney-Randall: Pierrepoint The Hangman

July

Sally Kettle: Sailing The Atlantic With Your Mum
Stilly: Animation Stories
Alex: Tesla

June

Alistair Goode: Hypnosis
David Bramwell: Tuesday Lobsang Rampa
Blythe: Robots And Ethics
Mark Bennet: Showcasing The Geo Prim

May

Tom Hodgkinson: How To Be Free

May

Kevin Burns: Why We All Have A Novel In Us (And What To Do About It)
Richard Robinson: Why The One You Love Never Loves You
David Bramwell: Utopia

April

Ken Campbell: Hyphenator

April

Jason Hook: Elvis
Yap: Primitive Mind-Sets
Pete Styles: Richard Dawkins

March

Brian Mitchell: Percy Grainger
Hugh Jones: The Naming Of Names
Kathryn Rabson: Sherlock Holmes

Science Festival Special 18-22nd February

Sarah Forbes-Robertson: The Sonic Hedgehog Gene
Paul Levy: The Collusion Of Mediocrity
Rob Lambkin-Williams: Viruses
Jonathan: Hare Hollywood Science
Piers Bizony: Fifty Years Of The Space Race
Dan Parkinson (RSPB): The Great Crested Grebe

January

David Bramwell: Utopia
Ross Gurney-Randall: Rugby
Mark Keeble: Penguin Books

2006


November

Dave Mounfield: The Novels Of Iain M Banks
Dee Piercy: The History Of Sex Toys
Gerry Thompson: Comedy As A Means Of Self-Development And Improvement

October

Toby Amies: An Inspired Monologue On The Art Of Photography
Oz Mansions: David Icke
Ben Naylor: Armadillos

September

Kay Walton: Aboriginal Art
Paul Levy: The Collusion Of Mediocrity
David Cuthbertson: Science And Poetry

July

Catalyst Club Special, In Collaboration With Brighton’s Celebration Of Age Festival: An Evening With Dora Bryan: Letitcia

July

Dr Robert: Psychological Shenanigans
Sue Popper: Marmite
Fake Bush: Kate Bush

June

Rob Brandt: 1958
Paul Zenon: How To Have Fun With Airport Security
Nick Mcmasters: Black’s Encyclopaedia

May

Erin Parks: Pee Wee Herman
George Dillon: Hamlet Schmamlet!
Pete Styles: The World’s Best Journalists
Sarah Lewis: Rocks Magazine

April

Tim Pilcher: Men’s Mags Of The 1950s
Eminemilou: The Suicide Song” (Gloomy Sunday)
Robert Stovold: Ethics

March

Jonathan Swaine:: Japanese Performance Artists In 70s
Si Mitchell: Gardstein And The Flame Gang Of 1910
Bill Smith: History Of Brighton Magazines
Guy Venables: A Study Of The Changing Face Of Bad Taste In Comedy”

One-Off Special At Dr Bramwell’s House: 
Brian Mitchell The Life Of Haydn

February

Science Festival Special, Featuring:

Anna Dumitriu: The Story Of My Grandfather’s Search To Extract Gold From Seawater.
Steve Stark: Science And Art
Rspb Officer Dan Parkinson: Seagulls
Richard Robinson: The Exciting World Of Slime Mould

January

Kathryn Rabson: The Moomins
Adrian Bunting: Big Bang Bunkum, Debukning Quantum Theory
Neil: Scooby Doo

2005


December

Andy Roseman: Rubbish Records Of The 1950s
Steve Stark: Gerald Manley Hopkins
Mike Godden: Stories Of The Universe

November

David Bramwell: Damanhur
Woody: Travelogue From Sri Lanka

October

Ben Nayler: Hp Lovecraft
Nick Pynn: A Violinists Tales
Tim Pilcher: World Comics

September

Catalyst Special With Comedian/ Director Ken Campbell

July

Gabriel Lee: Zombies And The Zombie Movie
Dave Mounfield: My Life As A Lookylikey
Paul Levy: Exorcism In Social Situations

June

Brian Mitchell: Violence And Classical Music
Rob Bressall: A Talk From The Brighton Diving Group
Val Mellors: Anosmia (Having No Sense Of Smell)

May

Richard Robinson: Murphy’s Law
Guy Venables: Tin Tin
Ross Gurney-Randall: Goering

April

Paul Hughes Barlow: Sex, Lies And Tarot
Pete Styles: Contemporary Satire
Dave Mounfield: Why We Should All Go To Church

March

Steve Morley: Tabla Drums
Reverend J Tapsell: The Stanford Prison Experiment
Pete Fijalkowski: Roger Moore, Tony Curtis, My Brother & Me

February

Sally Kettle: Salt Couture – Style On The High Seas
Robin Manuell: The Search For Intelligent Life
Mike Godden: The Universe As A Living Organism

January

Neil: Janice Joplin
Tom Hickmore: Alfred Hitchcock
Andy Roseman: Fifties B Movies

2004


December

Eliza Skeltorn: Naturism
Brian Mitchell: Sex And Music
Tim Bick: Urban Exploration

November

Graham Darg: The Story Of The Delorean
Tim Pilcher: Cannabis Conspiracy
Ben Naylor: Giant Squid

October

Anna Moulson: Modernist Architecture
Steve Stark: Vikings
Graham Fink: The Joy Of Ideas

September

Gerard Moorey: History Of Chewing Gum
Adrian Bunting: A Talk On Behalf Of The Secular Society
Chuck Odom: Barber Shop Quartet Singing

August

Ka: William Blake
Michael Atree: Duelling For Gentlemen
Kathryn Rabson: The Dawn Of Civilisation

July

Brian Mitchell: Author Max Beerbohm
Sam Hewitt: On Tour With Clearlake
Rob Brandt: History Of The Martini