Stephen Dunstan, Author at Blackpool Social Club

16 Aug

Tea, Oranges and Imposter Syndrome: Author Linda Hampton launches Sailing To The Moon Book Event

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Word

Linda Hampton opened up about writing, publishing and imposter syndrome at a Leonard Cohen-inspired evening for her debut novel at Tea Amantes. Stephen Dunstan went along. I arrived at Tea Amantes Community Arts as Linda Hampton was putting real and chocolate oranges on the table. I'm not one to pass up a Chocolate Orange, but I was intrigued as to the connection with the debut novel we were gathering to discuss. The answer lay in Leonard Cohen's Suzanne, which features in Sailing To The Moon and includes a line about tea and oranges. The tea, in several varieties, was provided…

04 Jan

THURSDAYS FIASCO EP LAUNCH PARTY, NEW YEARS EVE, BOOTLEG SOCIAL

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsMusic & Gigsbootleg social, EP launch, gig, New Year's Eve, Thursdays Fiasco

There were no shortage of New Years Eve options in Blackpool, of course, including a 1920s ball and several discos. Our writer, Stephen Dunstan, decided to do something a bit different and headed to Bootleg Social, where the Thursdays Fiasco EP launch was seeing out the old and bringing in the new. First on was Lucas Williams, a teenage singer songwriter from Fleetwood. Lucas has performed at Bootleg several times now, and audience members who’ve seen him before attest to the rapid improvement in confidence he’s experienced. His act is reminiscent of Jake Bugg, and he did cover some of…

15 Nov

The Beach House Festive Launch

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsFood and DrinkBlackpool, Christmas, Food and Drink, The Beach House

Blackpool Social Club were thrilled to be able to attend The Beach House’s festive launch event on 13 November. There was a relaxed vibe and we were quickly made to feel very welcome by the fabulous Beach House staff. Everyone knows the headline colours of Christmas are red and white, so this Campari themed evening was decked in their seasonal colour scheme, which helped to set the scene. A range of Campari cocktails were available on arrival, each one a vivid expression of that unmistakable crimson charm. There were also some Campari inspired canapes, which were bite-sized samples of the…

24 Oct

Interview: Peter Hook, bassist of Joy Division and New Order

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsMusic & Gigsgigs, Joy Division, Lowther Pavilion, Lytham, Music, New Order, Peter Hook

Blackpool Social Club writer, Stephen Dunstan caught up with Peter Hook ahead of his upcoming gig in Lytham. I wasn’t sure what to expect from interviewing Peter Hook, but I was pleasantly surprised. He was an extremely engaging interviewee, as I asked him about Manchester music, the Manchester club scene and even Manchester United, ahead of his visit next month to the Fylde coast. For anyone coming to the Lowther Pavilion gig on 28th November, what can they expect from a Peter Hook & The Light Gig? An honest, passionate rendition of the sound of Joy Division and New Order.…

03 Oct

Theatre Review: The Bodyguard

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsGuide, Theatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, musical, Theatre, Winter Gardens

For those of a certain age mention The Bodyguard and their mind will wander back to the early 1990s Warner Brothers romantic thriller, and in particular Whitney Houston’s cover of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You, that featured on the soundtrack and spent ten weeks at number one. Since 2012 there has also been a stage musical, and a large audience was in the Winter Gardens Opera House on a damp November Monday evening for the opening night of the current run in Blackpool. They were treated to a polished and engaging feel-good performance with several standout musical highlights.…

27 Aug

Theatre Review: The Addams Family

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsGuide, Theatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, review, Theatre, Winter Gardens

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] It was a night of contrasts in central Blackpool tonight. As a curtain raiser for the Illuminations brightly lit bikes were taking over the Promenade for Ride The Lights, meanwhile the dark line in humour of The Addams Family started a five day run at the Winter Gardens. The Addams Family has a heritage over 60 years strong including several TV series and four films. Most recently the Wednesday spin off has brought the characters to a new young audience. The current run of the musical lives up to this stellar ancestry with an illustrious line-up. Alexandra Burke…

22 Jul

Review: Chicago brings the razzle dazzle to Blackpool

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsGuide, Theatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool Grand Theatre, musical, musical theatre

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] Chicago opened at the Winter Gardens on Monday night. It’s a story grounded in the seedier side of Illinois a century ago, but it remains as big a hit with theatre audiences as ever. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] It’s always great to be in Blackpool when the big productions come to the Winter Gardens. My guest was a bit disconcerted by the level of fancy dress among those gathered in St Johns on a sweltering evening, though it turned out they were headed elsewhere in the building for the World Matchplay Darts. It’s fair to say both audiences were raucous…

01 May

May Almanac: Time flies

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsEnvironment and Nature

Butterflies appear in their numbers and the last of the migratory birds arrive on the Fylde Coast this month. Stephen Dunstan tells us what to expect in May as he marks a full year of his monthly Fylde Coast nature almanac. May sees the last of the migratory birds arriving on the Fylde for the summer. Among the last to appear are the Swifts, and I write this having just seen my first hawking insects over the south lake of Stanley Park. Numbers of Swifts (main image) have sadly declined dramatically in recent years, but hopefully a small flock will…

01 Apr

April Almanac: Spring on the wing

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsEnvironment and Nature

April is perhaps the busiest month of the spring for bird movement through Blackpool. As well as numbers of more regular species there is always a chance of something less expected too. As Winter turns to Spring we give you a rundown of what to spot in the natural world on Fylde Coast this month. The first Ospreys (main image) have already begun to move over the Fylde Coast on their way to breeding grounds further north. They actually nest as near as North Lancs and South Cumbria these days, but for now at least birds passing through are the…

01 Mar

March Almanac: The gloves are off

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsEnvironment and Nature

Nature is waking up and over the coming months and we can bundle up less to go out and enjoy it. Stephen Dunstan places his bets on which of the migrant birds that went south for the winter will win the race back to the Fylde, while hares take up boxing. In Cheltenham Festival month the bookies favourite for first bird back to the Fylde Coast would probably be the Sand Martin. They normally begin to appear in the second week of March, and the best place to see one is Marton Mere nature reserve. If you’re not familiar with…