Claire Griffiths, Author at Blackpool Social Club

23 May

Breakin’ Convention is back once again

Claire Griffiths0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance

Running nationally for seventeen years, and appearing for the third time in the town Breakin' Convention returns to Blackpool this weekend. If you're not sure but you are a bit "hippidy hoppidy" and even better have children, you'll need to windmill your way down to the Grand Theatre where some of the worlds best street and or hip-hop inspired dancers will be performing including Soweto Skeleton Movers, Tentacle Tribe and Just Dance. Not just that but the creme de la creme of local street and dance crews will be taking to the stage, with Freefly Crew, Generation Movement, Urban Dance Project (UDP) and FY…

09 Apr

Blackpool Libraries Wordpool Festival Gallery

Claire Griffiths0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Word, Local News

Blackpool Libraries very own literacy festival, Wordpool "happened" last week. A word based extravaganza hosting a series of talks, workshops and inviting a variety of exciting authors into the town to discuss their writing practice, sharing tips and even enjoying a bite to eat and perhaps a cocktail. You could enjoy Wordpool 2017 at a variety of local libraries and included the The Art Deco Cafe for the opening evening, making the experience super memorable, a vintage bus called the "Wordpool Rover" was included in the cost of your ticket enabling guests to travel to the sessions in style including four different…

24 Mar

On The Photography Road with Jill Reidy.

Claire Griffiths0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitions

My inspirational friend and sometime collaborator has been hitting the road through the beginnings of 2017 to capture seaside towns out of season. I too love a road trip and as a huge advocate of travel and remembering a statement I was read: not to spend all your money on photography equipment, save some for travel, I was excited to catch up with Jill to see how her adventure panned out and what is in store following her expedition. Claire Griffiths: How did you decide you wanted to do this project and what inspired you? Jill Reidy: I'd wanted to…

07 Mar

Scratching The Surface Of Blackpool Performance

Claire Griffiths0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance

Two weeks ago I attended and photographed Scratch night at the Castle Pub. Scratch nights, if you are unsure, are a platform where fledgling performers can test pieces on an audience. Work shown in Scratch Nights is usually work-in-progress, often in its very initial stages, and offers artists an opportunity to get immediate feedback and thus make appropriate changes or development to their work for the future. For the audience, it is an opportunity to see new, up and coming work, have an enjoyable (and cheap) night out and help to create a buzz about new artists and emerging work. Melanie…

20 Jan

Save The Blue Room

Claire Griffiths3 CommentsColumns & Opinion

It was simply awful to see the doors of The Blue Room close. I feel bad. I had stopped going long before then, but I still wanted it for Christmas festivities and birthdays. But there is hope! A group of Blackpool residents set about finding out how to open those dusty doors once more and with added benefits. I caught up with them to find out what it is all about. - What is your history with the Blue Room? There are five of us in the steering group at present. Gareth Wright, Rob Hill and Dave Moore are just…

11 Jan

2016 In Pictures

Claire Griffiths1 CommentLocal News

I have trawled the archives to pick a few favorites from 2016. From The Other Worlds Festival at the start of the year to the amazing LightPool in the Autumn. I hope folks were able to capture at least some of the goings on in Blackpool last year and if not, hopefully the images will allow you to have a little taste. In no particular order, Blackpool in colour (well not all of them) 2016. - Claire Griffiths

20 Dec

Jurassic 5’s Akil at Bootleg Social

Claire Griffiths0 CommentsMusic & Gigs

Blackpool gets described as many things in the popular media but the North including Blackpool will always maintain a healthy connection to music. No one can argue with clubs such as the Hacienda and labels such as Creation Records. A number of underground music movements grew from the North and last Thursday saw Bootleg Social along with Blackpool based promoters, Dope Promo bring Akil from the legendary hip-hop act Jurassic 5 to a subversive audience. Those in attendance were able to get up close and personal with an authentic MC whose roots are within early hip hop. Akil uses his verbal skill…

19 Nov

LightPool 2016 in Pictures

Claire Griffiths0 CommentsLocal NewsLightPool Blackpool

With so much to see over The LightPool Festival, you would have been hard pushed to be bored. Blackpool was a mass of light, colour and excitement with over thirty Art Installations and several live performances from spaceships landing in St Johns Square to elaborate brass bands playing dance music classics across the comedy carpet. AltBlackpool hopes you managed to see at least some of the festival and join us in congratulating all of The LightPool Team in making Blackpool bigger, brighter and even more fantastic then its usual glorious self. Here are some of our highlights. Images…

01 Nov

Showing Love For Ruth And Her Letters

Claire Griffiths0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Word

I met Ruth at a local gathering where she told some quips and made me laugh easily. As a comedic women it is often a "mans world" so I got to know her a bit more and her upcoming project involving "lost love letters". Q. Who are you and what is your background? I am a musician, comedian, cabaret performer, writer and theatre practitioner. I have been working withing the arts for fifteen years. Starting out in a theatre company called DNA in Blackpool in 2001 and since then have toured with other companies, written for corporate clients, performed at Shakespeare's…

25 Oct

Ramp City Loses Artist Designed Ramps

Claire Griffiths0 CommentsLocal News, Sports & WellbeingSkateboard

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Full Pipe in Ramp City in Blackpool, Lancashire UK is currently being dismantled along with it’s very cool kidney pool. The end of an era. The full pipe when initially installed was the only full wooden full pipe of its kind in the UK. It arrived with much excitement and was initially procured from artists produced as art installations and touring internationally, including Berlin, LA and ended up in Blackpool for 9 years. To see more about the international artists who created the pool and pipe visit simparch.org After studying Fine Art in Northampton which then had the biggest Skate…