arts


showcases a combination of comic anthems alongside her all too relatable, bittersweet stand-up. It’s no wonder she’s been described as “Tim Minchin in a frock”. http://rachelparris.com


Music Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival East Dunmore, Waterford, Ireland 23-26 August For one weekend only, the beautiful Irish seaside town of East Dunmore turns into a small piece of the US. Now in its 24th year, across four days, there are 40 free shows for fans of bluegrass, honky-tonk, rhythm ’n’ blues and Americana.


Big names include Amanda Anne Platt and the Honeycutters as well as the Demolition String Band, Whiskey Deaf and newcomers Kiss My Grass. www.discoverdunmore.com/events/ 38-dunmore-east-bluegrass-festival


Courtney Barnett On tour throughout November Australian songbird Courtney Barnett returns to these shores in the autumn to promote her second album, Tell Me How You Really Feel. It’s a big departure from how she started, playing guitar in Melbourne garage band Rapid Transit. Sounding like a modern-day Liz Phair, she’s worth checking out. https://courtneybarnett.com.au


Skimmity Hitchers At a festival near you If you haven’t heard of the Skimmity Hitchers, it’s time you did. Formed from the ashes of Who’s Afear’d, this band of brothers, blaggers and


Book review


Horror and hope through a lens “The army act differently


Let me focus on one chapter of this heart-breaking, yet ultimately hope-inspiring, book written by human rights defenders. London-based Irish photo-


journalist Joanne O’Brien contributes a chapter – This Life Goes Out to the World Through Our Lenses – in which she talks to seven photographers and videographers about what it is like to work in the occupied territories and Gaza. They tell not only of the


difficulties and dangers of documenting daily violence, but also of the sense of freedom and power their work gives them.


when they see cameras,” says Israeli photographer Haim Schwarczenberg. Photographer Sozan Fawaz


Zaraqu from Hebron agrees: “Soldiers coming to attack are very enthusiastic, but when they see a camera they stop.” These brave journalists are using


their cameras on the front line, not only as tools of their trade but also as weapons for peace. Defending Hope: Dispatches from the Front Lines in Palestine and Israel by Eóin Murray is published by Veritas http://tinyurl.com/yd33pu45


badgers tour the country playing old-fashioned Scrumpy and Western music with a modern edge. Some call it folk, some call it punk, but everyone agrees it’s (clever) entertaining nonsense, with setlists powered by agricultural wine; once heard, classics such as Viva Lyme Regis, Magnaz, Cider Riot and Bad Town On The Coast can never be unheard. They’ve supported The Wurzels as well. Don’t say you weren’t warned! http://skimmityhitchers.co.uk


Theatre


Rain Man Touring the UK until March 2019 Based on the Oscar-winning film starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, this stage version features Gavin and Stacey’s Mathew Horne as autistic Raymond Babbit, a man with a remarkable memory and a genius


for numbers. Downton Abbey’s Ed Speelers plays Raymond’s long-lost brother who is trying to get his mitts on the family fortune as they embark on a road trip across the US. www.atgtickets.com/ shows/rain-man/


The Damned United In Salford and Scarborough from 25 October


In this play adapted from David Peace’s excellent novel, the Damned United refers to Leeds United, the team footballing genius Brian Clough openly despises … and now manages. The drama takes you inside the


tortured mind of a genius slamming up against his limits, and brings to


Spotlight: hundreds of events at Cheltenam Literature Festival Big names in the world of words


Like Topsy, the Cheltenham Literature Festival has just growed. Established in 1949, it’s one of the


oldest literary events in the world and pulls in massive names. I remember a decade or two ago


listening to former PM John Major telling embarrassingly unfunny


jokes. There was no repeat last year when Hillary Clinton addressed a 2,500-strong audience who left happy, despite her being an hour late. This year, more than 600 of the


world’s finest writers, actors, politicians, poets and journalists will take part in the 10-day event. Names released so far include novelists Kate


Atkinson, William Boyd, Sebastian Faulks and Rose Tremain, actor Sir David Attenborough, former ballerina Dame Darcey Bussell, cricketer Shane Warne, cyclist Chris Hoy, footballer Kevin Keegan, plus Baroness Helena Kennedy, Max Hastings, political activist Akala and BBC North America editor Jon Sopel. www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/ literature/


life the beauty and brutality of football, the working man’s ballet. A play about football,


for sure, but also a play about a man and his humanity, www.redladder.co.uk


The Lions of Lisbon On tour in Scotland October & November Continuing the football theme,


Ian Auld and Willy Malley’s comedy follows a group of Celtic fans who head to Portugal to cheer on their side in the 1967 European Cup final. Very funny. www.list.co.uk/ event/243521- the-lions-of- lisbon/


Storytelling course Bleddfa Week of Storytelling Bleddfa Centre, Bleddfa, Wales 16-22 August If you want to tell stories in your personal as well as your professional life, then come to the rolling Welsh hills and find your voice. This week-long residential course will look at myths, legends and folktales from any period or place. Based around practical experiences and activities, tutors will look at specific aspects of story preparation and delivery. www.bleddfacentre.org


theJournalist | 21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28