Marra is a deep interrogation into the dialect and ceremonies of West Cumbria, endangered voices and esoteric rituals from auctioneers to gurners. A set of short films comprise music, art and general all-pervasive weirdness as Sharp documents her experience as a second-generation immigrant in a small northwestern farmers town.
From Eskdale sheep dances to the Seychelles Sega, Sharp’s ancestors bounce in the sand singing in sugar cane plantations as the World’s Greatest Liar spins a tale from the south lakes. Climb the greasy pole and smoke the fastest pipe, catch the apples from Egremont crab fair. And why are all these Cumbrians turning their faces inside out? Reigning champion of the worlds ugliest face, Tommy Mattinson, contorts his face into a wolf. Then it’s time for a wrestle in your long johns over the frozen lake Windermere. Entropy at its finest. Transcend into chaos with the Cumbrians!

Natalie Sharp is a British artist, musician, and radical body activist of dual heritage, at the forefront of what The Quietus described as ‘New Wyrd Britain’. Her work is rooted in radical body activism, aiming to challenge ableist structures and promote a more inclusive society.

@Nat__Sharp. www.nataliesharp.co.uk

In April Cole Moreton shared the stories of a few courageous individuals from his book Everything is Extraordinary and author Tom Cutler revealed the hilarious tales behind his alter-ego Tomas Santos, Sarah Ticho was planning to talk to us about VR, wellbeing and an award-winning VR experience called Soul Paint but after suffering mild concussion when an ostrich egg fell on her head she sent along her collaborator Niki Smitt instead!
We’re back in May with David Young, Dorothy Saul Pooley and Sussex University’s Lynne Murphy.

In April Jackie Blackwell took us on the journey of the life (and death) of a Shoreham houseboat, Asteroid; Sussex author David Arscott shared the life of Hillaire Belloc with poetry readings from Jill Arscott; and Chris Hogg told the fascinating history of The Friday Night Service, which mixed rave culture with Christianity to great success but also exposed the dark side of its ‘cult leader’ Chris Brain.
We’re back a couple of weeks later than usual, on Wed May 22nd, with Joe Speaking, Leo Jaxon Phoenix and Colleen Slater.

Exist beyond so-called norms in this unique evening of startling and transgressive performance art that looks to the future but also pays tribute to the legacies of sound pioneers Throbbing Gristle, Genesis P.Orridge, Fist-F***, the anti-art happenings of Coum Transmissions, the occult and sex magick themes of Coil and the sigil-driven ‘modern primitives’ cult of Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth.

DEER PARK (DIR. ANDREW FINCH)
Tracing a psychogeographic link between East Sussex, London and Somerset, Andrew’s newest work weaves through landscapes inhabited by Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV and Coil, unearthing a treasure map into the dark woods of British industrial music. Live accompaniment from Ghostlore of Britain.

SOFT BODIES (MIKE SEFTON)
Mike Sefton performs with film, electronic music, his own not-voice, and the disembodied voices of the neither dead nor living to interrogate the vulnerability of the body – how it holds the surfaces and depths of our psyche and the place of our mysteries, subjectivities, pleasures, harms and histories.

RAW UNKNOWN (JILL WESTWOOD)
An audio-visual-poetic encounter as Jill Westwood (ex. of female power electronics duo FistF***) delves into the materiality of her ‘life as art’ experiences, feeling into the sacred and RAW UNKNOWN and asking, “What lies hidden in the depths of the unconscious waiting to be felt by the touch of art?” ‘

COUM FLAKES
Led by Foxtrot Echo – one of Coum’s early offshoot members – this live collective hold dear the COUM mission to shake up expectations using light, sound, noise, filmic, spasmodic, fluidic, balletic and the artistic’ .

After inheriting a century-old moustache in a box, David Bramwell embarks on a ten-year odyssey to discover all he can about its former owner – a former freak show host – and why this object had fallen into his possession. His quest draws him into the underbelly of Brighton – its séances, spiritual churches and a seedy basement club – where he unwittingly becomes the host of a modern-day freakshow. Coming to believe that his ‘hairloom’ is possessed, Bramwell joins a cult, dabbles with Amazonian psychedelics and, well, goes a bit loopy. Can he uncover the occult secrets of his singular inheritance before his sanity gives in? Where does Salvador Dali fit into all of this? And who is the mysterious Drako Zarharzar?
This award-winning monologue is a supernatural coming-of-age story, an exploration into magic and an affectionate portrayal of Brighton’s rich counterculture.

‘Such fabulous material crafted into a piece that sometimes runs ahead of even the performer himself. A five star show to watch more than once’ Fringe Review

‘An exceptional storyteller who weaves the truth about a strange inheritance into a hypnotic tale of obsession’ Radio Times

‘Neurologically, this will light you up like a Christmas tree’ Alan Moore

Directed by Nicky Haydn

In May we had a brilliant river special on the pier with songs from The Brighton Folk Choir and the Duck Pond Sailors. For our talks Jackie Blackwell shared her experiences living with the houseboat community in Shoreham, Vera Zakharov explored Brighton’s hidden rivers: The Wellsbourne and the Springbourne, and Rachel Poulton took us on a mesmerising psychogeographical journey down the Cuckmere.

We return with a stella line-up for June! Anna Moulson is the founder of Melting Vinyl, one of Brighton’s most esteemed and longest-running music promoters; Alan Baker is an award-winning artist and Lucy Peters is the host of the Rose Hill’s regular experimental film night.

Please note this event will be at the Nightingale Room above Grand Central.

In May we had a brilliant river special on the pier with songs from The Brighton Folk Choir and the Duck Pond Sailors. For our talks Jackie Blackwell shared her experiences living with the houseboat community in Shoreham, Vera Zakharov explored Brighton’s hidden rivers: The Wellsbourne and the Springbourne, and Rachel Poulton took us on a mesmerising psychogeographical journey down the Cuckmere.

We return with a stella line-up for June! Anna Moulson is the founder of Melting Vinyl, one of Brighton’s most esteemed and longest-running music promoters; Alan Baker is an award-winning artist and Lucy Peters is the host of the Rose Hill’s regular experimental film night.

Please note this event will be at the Nightingale Room above Grand Central.