Headpress - Events

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Thursday April 15th, 2010, 6pm-9pm Step over to the Wrong Side, with the publication of Discombobulated... and celebrate this Thursday! Where: House 9, 9 Century Street, Manchester, M3 4QL Free entry but please RSVP here with names and numbers

Saturday 23rd May, 2009 Occulture Festival 2009: The Magickal Revival Solar Event: 11:30am - 5:30pm The Courtyard Theatre, Bowling Green Walk, 40 Pitfield Street, Hoxton, London, N1 6EU Lunar Event: 6:00pm - 11:00pm The Foundry, 84-86 Great Eastern Street, London, EC2 You know the music festival has deteriorated when you realise that you are stood in a field, clutching your compulsory Carling, watching another tepid indie band - and stood next to Geoff Hoon. Yes, the former minister of defence has had to be publicly prohibited from returning to Suffolk rock festival Latitude. Dare you set foot in this year's Glastonbury, Reading or Womad dogged by the possibility of sharing an epic toilet queue with some New Labour warlord? If not then Headpress recommends Occulture. By persisting with its founding conviction that "esotericism is something to celebrate", this New Age institution still risks attracting the reassuring ire of tabloids and Evangelicals (both of whom have launched attacks in the past). Cabinet ministers will most likely not be in attendance, and even Cherie and Tony (who would probably love to come) daren't jeopardise their lucrative US audience with a flying visit. Not that Occulture, which is nearing the milestone of its first decade, hasn't gathered its own more agreeable endorsements. In recent years the Dalai Lama has blessed the festival (a pagan Papal bull), and the mayor of Brighton has cut the ribbon. As anticipated, the Age of Aquarius is gradually becoming more hospitable to these cultural mavericks. The return of Occulture comes under the banner of 'The Magickal Revival', and boasts 11 hours of international speakers, performers & artists over 3 stages, plus art installations, film festival and a packed occult bazaar. With appearances by respected esoteric intellectuals that include Iain Sinclair, Gary Lachman and Stephen Skinner, and featuring rituals and performances from guests like Ralph Harvey, Orryelle Defenstrate Bascule and the Infernal Salon, this year's festival looks to be at its diabolical best. Headpress has a pair of tickets to give away. All you have to do is answer the following question: Which London borough banned Iain Sinclair from its public libraries? a) Hackney b) Bexley c) Enfield COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED TICKET INFORMATION Tickets in advance £28, including booking fee. Tickets on the door £32. Ticket price covers entry to the SOLAR event from 11am - 5.30pm at the Courtyard Theatre AND the LUNAR event at The Foundry, from 5.30 til 11pm. Tickets are on sale at: Atlantis Bookshop (Museum St, Holborn, London), Treadwells (Tavistock St, Holborn, London), Rainbow Visions (Camden Lock, London) Dragon's Gate (St James's St, Brighton). CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION [top]

Saturday 25th April, 2009 Sweet and Savage: The World Of Mondo Film David Kerekes and Mark Goodall, Headpress authors, explore the controversial 'mondo' shock documentary film, followed by a Q&A NFT3, BFI Southbank 10.15am till 1pm A study session with writers and film historians Mark Goodall (Sweet & Savage) and David Kerekes (Killing for Culture) will explore the 'mondo' shock documentary film, and its use of shock images and death in cinema. The presentations will cover the work and legacy of this controversial genre and will include rare film clips. Discussion will aim to re-assess a genre that has somehow slipped through the net of film history. This event is not suitable for under 18s or for those who may take offence at images of a violent or sexual nature. CLICK HERE FOR TICKET INFORMATION Plus film screening: NFT1, BFI Southbank 2:00pm Africa Addio Leading examples of 'mondo' from the directors of Goodbye Uncle Tom. This shockumentary depicting the turmoil following the fall of colonialism is one of the leading examples of 'mondo' cinema, a genre that boasts JG Ballard as one of its enthusiasts. The film caused such outrage that the directors went on to make Goodbye Uncle Tom to justify their intentions. Decide yourself whether it's the work of devious and dangerous film-makers or a brave experiment in documentary. A panel discussion with Colin Prescod of the Institute of Race Relations and Mark Goodall, 'mondo' historian, will follow this screening. English version. DVD. CLICK HERE FOR TICKET INFORMATION [top]

Saturday, April 4 2009 8:00 - 10:30pm Alabama 3 plus special guests John Sinclair & Charles Shaar Murray Brixton JAMM, 261 Brixton Rd, London, Greater London, SW9 6LH‎ The Guardian has called them ‘the best live band in the country’. Time Out wrote of them that ‘they swing like the devil’s own dick. Alabama 3 beat a righteous drum and party like bastards.’ Their music has graced everything from The Sopranos to The Simpsons, and they can boast a host of celebrity fans. Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting describes Alabama 3 as “the first band I could ever dance to in the daytime hours without chemical assistance…” and the world’s biggest selling author, Stephen King, has twice invited them to play an acoustic set at his book launches. They are undoubtedly ‘the greatest American act the UK ever produced ’ and their heady combination of techno, country and blues, alongside a proclivity for rock ‘n’ roll decadence and an acute social conscience, makes them a unique entity in modern music. brixtonjamm.org [top]

Friday, March 13, 2009 Radio show John Sinclair live from the Foundry, London. The Late, Late Breakfast show on Resonance 104.4 fm http://resonancefm.com. Transmission time and other guests tbc. [top]

Saturday, March 14, 2009 2.00pm to 5.00pm Cafe Oto 18 - 22 Ashwin St, Dalston, London, E8 3DL, UK HEADPRESS PRESENTS Two Living Legends in One Lunchtime An afternoon with John Sinclair and Charles Shaar Murray featuring Buffalo Bill and Gary 'Guitar' Lammin. Join us for a cool afternoon of blues and conservation When: Saturday, March 14th Time: 2.00pm-5.00pm Where: Cafe Oto 18 - 22 Ashwin St, Dalston, London, E8 3DL, UK Price: £4 In 1969, the poet-provocateur, MC5 manager and White Panther John Sinclair found himself the victim of that decade’s draconian American drug laws, and facing a twenty-year jail sentence for the possession of two joints. The counterculture Sinclair helped create came to his rescue, however, when John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, Phil Ochs and others performed at a successful benefit gig to petition for his release. Since that epochal moment, Sinclair (whom Ben Edmonds calls the “hardest working poet in showbiz”) has travelled the globe with his beat verses and inimitable growl, performing with some of the world’s finest musicians. All his life Sinclair has steeped himself in the atmosphere of the Mississippi Delta, and some of his contributions to jazz and blues scholarship are now available in the recent Headpress anthology of his poetry and prose, It’s All Good: A John Sinclair Reader. Charles Shaar Murray's six published books have significantly enriched the rock writing canon, and his 1989 Hendrix biography (Crosstown Traffic: Jimi Hendrix and Post-War Pop) deservedly claimed the prestigious Ralph Gleason Music Book Award. Arguably the UK's foremost rock journalist, Murray's career began with the legendary Oz magazine, and he has since written for Q, Mojo, New Statesman, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and others. His longest period of gainful employment was with the prelapsarian NME, whom he wrote for from 72 to 84, a tenure that coincided with an era many consider as that paper’s golden age. Like Sinclair, Murray's musical obsessions also precede the birth of Elvis (clearly apparent in his classic book Boogie Man: Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the American 20th Century). Murray too is an authority on the blues, his passion for which has led him to practise as well as preach, shouldering guitar, harmonica and vocal duties for his band Blast Furnace and the Heatwaves. Few chroniclers of the American musical heritage have found themselves as much a part of the story they set out to document as John Sinclair and Charles Shaar Murray. This, their first appearance together, allows them to draw on their unique credentials as artists, authorities and eyewitnesses, both performing and discussing the music they love. TRANSPORT / Tube: The nearest station is Dalston Kingsland just one minute walk from Cafe OTO. Dalston Kingsland is now part of the London Overground network so you can use your Oyster card. Take the tube to Highbury & Islington (Victoria line) then change to the London Overground. Alternatively take the Tube to Liverpool Street then bus 149 or 242. Bus: Dalston is well served for buses from all over London. The following buses stop nearby: 30, 38, N38, 67, 76, 149, N149, 56, 277 & 242. [top]

Saturday, Feb 28 7:30 to 9:30 The Makeout Room 3225 22nd Street at Mission, San Francisco, USA LitPunk! LitPunk! LitPunk! LitFuckingPunk! Are you FUCKING SICK of Lit Quake’s namby-pamby milquetoast mealymouthedmainstreamish good-old-boy-and-girl thigh-squeezing reach-arounds?! Johnny Strike from Crime and author of Ports of Hell! John Shirley from SadoNation! Charlie Anders! Charles Gatewood! Rain Graves! Blag Dahlia of the Dwarves! MORE! SEE! HEAR! BLEED FROM THE FOREBRAIN! AT the LitPunk show,where punk-inflected writers, punk rock songwriters, backroom novelists, articulate felons and other misfits will Howl in a forbidden tonality that would’ve made Allen Ginsberg wince with embarrassment! It’s a reading. With some performance art. Destined to play fatally out at THE MAKEOUT ROOM. [top]

Friday, January 16, 2009 8pm–4am Mr Wolf’s, 33 St Stephens St., Bristol, BS1 1JX, UK JOHN SINCLAIR & KICKBACK BAND * A Black Man will become president of the USA on Jan 20th * JOHN SINCLAIR the legendary beatnik warrior * Plus very special musical guests John Sinclair has fought, suffered and survived to see this day. He was the manager of the MC5, he received a sentence of ten years for the possession of two joints, John Lennon and Stevie Wonder helped secure his release after two years. He founded the White Panther party and was instrumental in the downfall of Richard Nixon. This is history. His story doesn’t end there. He is now a wordsmith supreme backed by the truly awesome Kickback Band. They will provide a soundtrack that references the past but is the future - NOW. [top]

Monday, January 19, 2009 8pm to midnight / £12 Tuesday, January 20, 2009 8pm to midnight / £12 Café OTO, 18–22 Ashwin St., London, E8 3DL, UK John Sinclair, also featuring: Elliot Levin, Tony Bianco, Jair-Rohm Parker Wells, and Dylan Harding. [top]

Saturday, November 8 Loose Ends with Clive Anderson BBC Radio 4 6:45pm Clive Anderson is presenting and guests are Len Goodman - Strictly Come Dancing judge and author of Better Late Than Never: An Autobiography John Sinclair - American poet, manager of the MC5, chairman of the White Panther Party and editor of Headpress28: The Gospel According To Unpopular Culture Martin Clunes - actor and author of A Dog's Life Gideon Coe talks to Jeff Merrifield - playright Hit Me - The Life and Rhymes of Ian Dury Courtyard Theatre, London 25 Nov - 14 Dec Duration:45 minutes Click here to listen [top]

Saturday, November 8 to Friday, November 14, 2009 “KICKING OUT THE JAMS” with the legendary JOHN SINCLAIR A week long series of free events SAT, NOV 8 CAFÉ OTO TWO LIVE JAZZ/BLUES SETS, SPECIAL MUSICAL GUESTS, UNSEEN ARCHIVE FOOTAGE OF MC5 18–22 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL 8:00pm-late SUN, NOV 9 BIDDLES BROTHERS LIVE ACOUSTIC JAM WITH JOHN & MARK RITSEMA 84 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0QR 020 8986 9698 8:00pm–late MON, NOV 10 HOUSMANS BOOKSHOP SIGNING AND Q&A 5 Caledonian Road, Kings Cross, N1 9DX 020 7837 4473 1:00pm–2:00pm TUES, NOV 11 SECOND LAYER RECORDS ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE 323 Archway Road, Highgate, N6 5AA 07878 051 726 6:30pm–8:00pm WED, NOV 12 BAMALAMA POSTERS SPOKEN WORD & LIVE SET, EXCLUSIVE RARE FOOTAGE 55 Leather Lane, EC1N 7TJ 020 7404 6512 6:30pm–late THURS, NOV 13 THE BIG GREEN BOOKSHOP TALK, SIGNING AND Q&A Unit 1, Brampton Park Road, Wood Green, N22 6BG 020 8881 6767 6.30pm–8:00pm FRI, NOV 14 WATERSTONE’S GOWER STREET GRAND FINALE! SIGNINGS, READINGS, Q&A AND MORE! 82 Gower Street, WC1E 6EQ 020 7636 1577 6:30pm–8:00pm Refreshments at this event. Tickets are free but arrive early to avoid distressed disappointment. [top]