David Simper, Author at Blackpool Social Club

01 Jan

Art Exhibition: HIVEArts Christmas Collective Call Out

David Simper0 CommentsGuide, Visual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, blackpool art scene, hivearts blackpool

The HIVEArts Collective has launched its annual winter show, an eclectic mix of high quality and local work. Our writer David Simper headed down to check out the exhibition, which includes one of his own paintings. The pieces are spread between the upstairs gallery area and the cafe downstairs. There is work from painting, through sculpture, to photography. The HIVEArts seasonal call out has become a much anticipated annual event and one that hopefully joins the Grundy Open, which follows on from this, in local artists' diaries. Tom Lopato has acted as principal curator for this one, working incredibly hard…

02 Dec

Exhibition Review: Annemarie Farley – ‘Lament’ in Cyanotype

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsblackpool arts scene, cyanotypes, hive arts, photography

Monday 24th November 2025 saw David Simper catch the service 61 bus to the Church Street HIVE gallery, where Annemarie Farley was opening her show 'Lament' featuring her cyanotypes on glass. This event was extremely well attended, numbers being boosted by members of the Royal Photographic Society, there to view this unique show and to give Annemarie her certificate as a chartered member of the society. The pieces are roundels of glass carrying exquisite cyanotype images of flowers, some framed, others mounted on slices of tree trunk, which gives an interesting more 3D effect. The subject's detail is caught with…

08 Nov

Exhibition Review: Back to Front – Lee Cobb at Tea Amantes

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsblackpool art scene, photographic exhibition, photography, tea amantes

The month has turned again and it's time for the new exhibition at Tea Amantes. Following on from Kenny McCrae, the new show features another photo walk stalwart, Lee Cobb. David Simper caught the service 61 bus to the town centre to catch Lee's vision. The clocks have gone back since last month's show launch and so it felt a little strange for Corporation Street to be that much darker as I disembarked from the bus and walked the short distance down Albert Road to the Tea Amantes cafe and gallery. A good crowd was in the house, including many…

15 Oct

Exhibition Review: It’s Not So Grim – Kenny McCrae at Tea Amantes

David Simper1 CommentVisual Arts & Exhibitionsblackpool arts scene, photographic exhibition, photography, street photography, tea amantes

A regular at the Tea Amantes photo walks, David Simper was keen to see his colleague's work. He caught the service 61 bus down to the town centre to view this exhibition. One of the Street Souls street photography group and a ring leader of the Tea Amantes photo walks, Kenny is overdue his own exhibition at the cafe and gallery. His work does not disappoint. The pictures revolve around a street photography ethos, mixed with opportunities for more formal portraits. Colour interchanges with monochrome for a pleasantly varied effect. I'm pretty sure I can remember watching Kenny take some…

25 Sep

Theatre Preview: Kym Marsh stars in Single White Female

David Simper0 CommentsGuide, Theatre, Dance & Performanceblackpool arts scene, Blackpool Grand Theatre, single white female

Get ready to become obsessed with TV favourite KYM MARSH as she looks for a SINGLE WHITE FEMALE in the spine-tingling new stage drama at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Tuesday 17 February to Saturday 21 February 2026. The 90s feels like a long time ago, but I do remember the film with Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, which is the source material for this play. It was gripping, the tension building to a satisfying cinematic climax. This stage production promises to match and exceed that effect; I really do love cinema, but everything's better live on the stage in…

19 Sep

Art Exhibition Review: Paintings by Elizabeth Ward

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, blackpool art scene, paintings, tea amantes

The month had turned to September and that meant a new exibition at the Tea Amantes venue. This time local artist, Elizabeth Ward, had taken over the cafe walls. David Simper caught the service 61 bus once more to view this collection of paintings. On entering the Tea Amantes gallery a tidy crowd was already in residence, admiring the paintings upon the walls. Blackpool-based Elizabeth is a graduate of Blackpool and the Fylde College. Her work includes vibrant renditions of landscapes, seascapes and portraiture. This latest collection employs mainly oils, many developed from plein air work along the Fylde Coast.…

18 Sep

Theatre Review: Kailey by Kerry Wright

David Simper0 CommentsGuide, Theatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool Grand Theatre, play, prisons policy, Theatre

This week, David Simper headed to the Grand Theatre studio's intimate surroundings to watch, Kailey, an original play tackling the impact of imprisoned parents on the family they leave behind. While the theme seemed grim, the play was presented in an engaging way. The set consisted of an illuminated square frame as a backdrop to a square table with three chairs. A small lighting rig was standing to each side. Music was playing as we entered the venue and music was to continue to play a strong role in the production. The subject is personal to writer and producer, Kerry…

03 Sep

Photo Walk: Fleetwood on Film

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsblack and white photography, fleetwood, photowalk

The weather forecast for the morning of Saturday 19th July 2025 was light rain, but this wasn't enough to deter the Blackpool Community Darkroom crew, for a photo walk around Fleetwood. David Simper headed out with them to see what he could capture on film. I negotiated my way to the Ferry Cafe meeting point, where people were waiting for the 11:00 start and loading their various cameras. I'd selected my Yashica Electro 35 for the photo walk, its 45mm lens shooting through a yellow filter onto Kentmere 400 ISO black and white film. The automatic exposure system make it…

28 Aug

Art Exhibition Review: Zoe Siobhan and Mike Lang

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, blackpool arts scene, hivearts, painting

With a double-opening for two fine artists in the offing at the HIVE venue on 19th August 2025, David Simper hurried to catch the service 61 bus to review this event. He was not disappointed. Zoe Siobhan' work employs intense colour and yet can have a dark undercurrent. It includes 3D work and sculpture, together with painting. A number of themes run through the work, including hands, of which there are several examples here. A stylised face makes an appearance in several pieces and is the main focus in others. The work is original, moving and technically accomplished. There's a…

14 Aug

Photo Exhibition Review: HIVEArts PhotoPool 25 – Paul Berriff OBE and Albert Cooper

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsblackpool arts scene, film photography, photographic exhibition, rock photography, sports photography

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] Following the build up to PhotoPool 2025 coordinated by the HIVEArts team, David Simper caught the service 61 bus to see what was on offer on opening night. On entering the gallery, I find the entry walls covered in large framed prints of very young looking rock and pop stars of early 1960s vintage, from the Rolleiflex of Paul Berriff OBE. Further into the gallery and on the gallery's window sills, are prints from Albert Cooper's library of sport photographs, including figures such as Jack Charlton, Alex Ferguson and Mohammed Ali. The gallery is full of exuberant people…