1:05pm Tuesday 6th January 2009
By Kate Finburg
You got a brand new diary for Christmas. Now’s the time to fill it. We look ahead to the notable cultural happenings of the first four months of 2009.
JANUARY
Having played 200 gigs in 2008, Frank Turner returns to his Kingston roots to play an instore session at Banquet Records on January 28. 2009 could be the year for this young folk singer so this is a great chance to catch him in an intimate setting.
Ahead of the release of their third album ‘Klang’, The Rakes will play at New Slang in Kingston on January 22. The favoured venue of indie bands such as Foals, Metronomy and Hot Chip promises an even better line up in 2009. Keep an eye on their myspace page for more details - www.myspace.com/newslangkingston.
TV medium Sally Morgan reckons she has possessed powers since she was nine months old and now this psychic to the stars comes to the New Wimbledon Theatre for one night only on January 28. Early Booking Advisable!
The crunch of credit has meant staying in with a takeaway on the cold winter nights acceptable and ITV’s first big drama of the year is Demons. Ripped straight from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a teenager learns only he has the power to save the world from doom and destruction, meaning he has to swap swigging cider in the park for a far weightier responsibility. Saturday Nights.
FEBRUARY
The much loved children’s story, The Jolly Postman, will be adapted for stage at the Polka Children’s Theatre in Wimbledon. Featuring your favourite fairytale characters including Goldilocks, Cinderella and the Big Bad Wolf, find a 4-7 year old and relive your childhood. 14 February - 9 May.
Feed your funny bone and go see the one of the longest-running off-Broadway shows of all time - The Little Shop of Horrors. This affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies has become a house-hold name and comes to the New Wimbledon Theatre from February 23 to 28 .
The predecessor for the cooler Camden Crawl, the NME Awards Tour comes to the Brixton Acadamy on February 21. Featuring bright young things that invariably fade into obscurity as the year goes on, 2009’s tour is headlined by Glasvegas, the band everyone has heard of but can’t hum any of their tunes. White Lies, Friendly Fires and Florence and the Machine also feature.
He who believed in miracles Errol Brown brings his farewell tour to Fairfield Hall on February 19. This is your last chance to catch the sexy thing and Hot Chocolate frontman before he retires from the music scene.
MARCH
God of Carnage, starring Richard E Grant, comes to Richmond Theatre from March 9-14, after playing to packed houses at the Gielgud Theatre in 2008. When 11 year old Ferdinand hits Bruno with a stick in a playground punch-up, the combatants’ parents meet to talk things over. But once the drink starts flowing, it is the parents who turn into spoilt brats.
Another higlight at Richmond Theatre is a co-production of The Tempest with Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre Centre. Staged between 19-28 of March, RSC Associate Artist Antony Sher will play Prospero in this new production which draws on African ritual, magic and music, it opens in Cape Town before transferring to the UK.
With over 4000 performances worldwide, one of the more successful tribute bands - The Bootleg Beatles - bound into Croyden’s Fairfield Hall on March 11, the first UK date of 2009.
A treat for fans of opera and ballet, the Royal Opera House stages a Will McGregor double bill from 31 March - 20 April. Featuring Purcell’s Dido and Handel’s Acis and Galatea, McGregor both choreographs and directs.
APRIL
Lenny Henry plays Othello in Northern Broadside’s Production directed by Barrie Rutter. Already attracting attention for the decision to cast Henry as the Moor, the tour comes to The Rose from 21-25 April, our advice - book early.
The Yardbirds - the band which launched the careers of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page - will appear at Twickenham Rugby Stadium’s Live Room on April 24. This will be an exclusive London gig, and the first live concert at this brand new, state-of-the art venue.
The brilliantly creative BAC will host a Young People’s festival between 1-4 April. Including discussions, exhibitions and workshops by young people, for young people, they will also unveil the winners of the theatre critics competition.
Peter Jackson, of Lord of the Rings and King Kong fame, turns his directing skills to bring Alice Sebold’s ‘The Lovely Bones’ to the big screen this April. It will be interesting to see how the big budget and special effects maestro handles the harrowing novel, which causes all but the coldest hearts to sit reading with tears streaming down their faces.
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