We’re off on our annual holidays to Skegness with the folks but will return in September!

Come celebrate our 5th birthday with a unique audio-visual feast from the Catalyst’s own Tim and Sue (they met doing a talk together), the return of Dr Dan, lots of prizes, feisty debates guaranteed, more Davuis and the usual gubbins brought to you by your genial host, Dr Bramwell.

With the festival over there may be no more secret bookcases, illicit smoking or insect obsessives but we can promise an honest-to-goodness regular Catalyst night with three cracking speakers, debate, booze-a-plenty and a spot of moshing at the end…

There will be two Catalyst Club nights running this festival for your entertainment and delight:

Thursday May 7th: Pestival! An evening of insect themed talks curated by Pestival organisers Bridget Nichols and Mark Pilkington (former Fortean Times editor and Guardian’s Weird Science columnist) and also starring Jerry ‘moths and the Nazis’ Rolfe. Latest Music Bar 8pm kick off

Sunday May 24th: the Best of the Catalyst A one-hour special in the Speakeasy-style Blind Tiger Club, 50 Providence Place, with talks and performances from Catalyst favourites, Queen of Casio Lorraine Bowen, ‘The Aren’t Birds Brilliant RSPB officer Dan Parkinson, Dr David Bramwell and Pete ‘things found in books’ Fijalkowski 8pm kick off, £5 on the door.

note: Be ready to squeeze through a bookcase to get in. These guys have created a genuine Speakeasy venue!!

After much debate and encouragement from Catalyst regulars, I have decided to introduce a bell system to help keep the talks short and sweet. After 13 minutes a bell will ring to remind the speaker their time is nearly up. The bell will ring again two minutes later. If they continue after the second bell I will then be forced to release the tiger.

Your thoughts on this would be appreciated; in the meantime I’ll be giving it a trial run for the next Catalyst Club on April 9th, featuring Toby Amies, Brian Mitchell and Katie Schutte!

A talk from man-about-town Toby Amies!

Return of the legendary Ross ‘Pierrepoint’ Gurney Randall.

The lovely Suzanne with the strangest quiz you’ll ever experience!

Body parts for prizes.

No really!

The latest 78s spun by the Wind-up Brothers

And the usual debate, flirting, crafty fags and Dr Bramwell mumbling at the lectern…

THE CATALYST CLUB AND BRIGHTON SCIENCE FESTIVAL
Wednesday 25th Feb, Thursday 26th Feb 2009, 7.30pm start, £5
TALKS! DEBATES! DEMONSTRATIONS!! CORDURY GALORE!!! FREE EQUATIONS!!!
Wednesday Feb 25th Murphy – The First Sixty Years
Richard Robinson, Rob Eastaway and psychologist Julie Coultas!
Thursday Feb 26th Evolution!!
Chris Stringer of the Natural History museum, Dan Jones and James ‘The Old Thunderer’ Williams..