Stephen Dunstan, Author at Blackpool Social Club

22 Sep

Reverb Gets Ready To Ignite

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Word, Music & Gigs

One of the pleasing things about contributing to this blog over a memorable cultural summer has been the number of new offerings locally. Continuing this theme is ReVerb: Ignites, an exciting fusion of music and poetry coming to the Blackpool Catholic Club at the end of the month (Friday 30 September) with four diverse acts. In the spoken word strand the headline act is Rose Condo, performing her new spoken word show 'How To Starve An Artist'. Rose hails from the perhaps unlikely location of the Canadian prairies but is now based out of West Yorkshire. By day she arranges…

21 Sep

Tideswell Male Voice Choir Impresses at the Lowther

Stephen Dunstan1 CommentMusic & Gigs

If I am being honest I hadn’t heard of the Tideswell Male Voice Choir before I previewed their Lowther Gardens concert a few weeks ago, in fact I hadn’t even heard of the Derbyshire village where they hail from. It was clear reaching the venue that a capacity crowd was on the cards, with queues out of the building. How much this was due to the reputation of the choir and how much it was down to die hard Les Mis fans turning out wasn’t clear, but either way the many people who turned up on a rather miserable Sunday…

13 Sep

On The Ball at the Lowther

Stephen Dunstan1 CommentTheatre, Dance & Performance

For the football fan, a live match is not ninety minutes of intense excitement, there are peaks and troughs. As long as their team shows endeavour and produces memorable moments of skill they are generally happy, providing the result goes their way. Ball Of Fire at Lytham’s Lowther Gardens this Thursday was a bit like that, there were ups and downs but overall it was a heart warming tribute to a great footballer and everyone went home happy. In the preview of the show I highlighted Alan Ball’s career at Blackpool FC, culminating in the ultimate honour of a World…

09 Sep

Flock to Rossall Beach

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsLocal News

One of most successful forms of eco-action on the Fylde coast is community beach groups. There is Friends of The Estuary at Lytham, and Love My Beach covering St Annes and Blackpool seafront. Further north Rossall Beach Community Group are probably the longest standing and most active of all, and in conjunction with LeftCoast and art group Invisible Flock they have been diversifying into art over the last 18 months. This weekend the fruits of this collaboration begin to be unveiled to the wider public, with a celebration event on Sunday preceding a week of other activities. In 2015 the…

06 Sep

Music of Les Miserables at the Lowther Pavilion

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsMusic & Gigs

Autumn is approaching, the leaves are dropping from the trees and the season of festivals and partying has passed. It is time perhaps to experience something more reflective and poignant. And Lytham’s Lowther Pavilion is obliging on 18 September with The Music of Les Miserables, sung by the internationally renowned Tideswell Male Voice Choir and guests. Tideswell is in the Peak District in Derbyshire. Its’ choir was formed in the 1950s when membership was drawn largely from the village itself. Whilst the group still rehearses in Tideswell the sixty plus members are now drawn from a broad catchment including Staffordshire, Cheshire…

05 Sep

10 things we loved about Switch On 2016

Stephen Dunstan1 CommentLocal News

The run up to Switch On was punctuated by many of the perennial themes. There was the usual difference of opinion on whether the line up was up to scratch. There was some upset about people trying to sell on free wristbands. So if you weren’t there, either because the acts didn’t appeal or you couldn’t get in, the question you probably want answering is ‘was it any good’. Yes it was, and what follows is a summary of some of the ten reasons why it was. 1. The Tower Festival Headland Can Be A Great Venue Whilst it has…

31 Aug

1966 and All That

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance

Fans of Blackpool Football Club have different views on how to show their support as the Seasiders slide down the leagues. Some think it is best to stand by the team, others protesting against the owners have temporarily transferred allegiance to at least three different local teams. But one thing that all who are old enough to remember agree on is that Alan Ball is one of the greatest players to wear the tangerine shirt and grace the Bloomfield Road turf. And on September 8 Lowther Pavilion is hosting ‘Ball of Fire’, a play celebrating the life of the Blackpool…

24 Aug

Three Comedy Reasons to Visit Twelve

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performance

Fans of quality live stand up in Wyre haven’t had a lot of options of late. Jongleurs have a couple of events each year at the Marine Hall in Fleetwood and that’s about it. But that’s about to change with Twelve introducing comedy nights in their newly refurbished restaurant at Thornton. Mushy Pea Comedy kicks off on Tuesday 13 September. As the title suggests the evening gets underway with a fish and chip supper, not forgetting green vegetable accompaniment. There will then be three acts for the audience to enjoy – Lewis ‘Big Lou’ Jones, Steve Royle and Phil Walker.…

23 Aug

Empress Ballroom Welcomes Slimefest

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsLocal News

Slimefest – does that work for you as a title for a cultural event? If it doesn’t then there’s a strong possibility that you are a bit too long in the tooth to attend. But for those who are fans of Nickelodeon TV or Nickelodeon Land at the Pleasure Beach, the latest news on this month's event will go down a storm. Launched in Australia in 2012, Nickelodeon’s Slimefest is a family music festival especially for kids aged between 4-15 years, featuring headline talent, DJs and a showground festival. The main feature of Slimefest UK is a pair of identical…

23 Aug

Your wish is the Grand’s command

Stephen Dunstan0 CommentsLocal News

Those of you with young children are probably being asked how many sleeps is it until Christmas. For those of you who have no clue, the answer is 129 give or take a couple depending when you are reading this. It is probably only a matter of time before you are also asked who is starring in the renowned Grand Theatre pantomime. And we can tell you that once again true sandgrown‘un Hayley Kay will be featuring in the production of Aladdin. (You can insert your own ‘oh no she isn’t’ here if you are into audience participation with websites).…