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local art.photography.writing.events

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hello

welcome to LZ#5

september/october is a time of great

change, as the seasons turn and the

academic cycle begins anew. this

issue is loosely based on that idea,

of a fresh start and a new

beginning, and our thanks go to all

who have contributed this month.

october also sees a resurgence in

events, with leamington bursting at

the seams with gigs, festivals and

conventions in the next few weeks.

check out the listings and get

involved with local events and

venues - they need you to help keep

them going.

as always, we hope you enjoy, and

please get in touch with any ideas,

questions or contributions, contact

details at the back.

Yours,

LZ

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No one walks No light born west/of the landfill Not quite/ The cold/ boy my grandma knew chalking lengths and scape Flats/figuring Buddleia To mean Remembering

grind your knuckles on constellate tar

you make air

now. Cube Against Line/against/ the upper band ‘air’ Means limit and comm/and Empties flesh The Stance of Goings repeated up/on your back arched a swallow’s wing/ under iron mathed land/ abstracted/ /I/

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BUDDLEIA / MOOR

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An ill wind hit the canal, and all the lighters broke

within the half-hour.

No warning. And a scandal (one

that had been lately on the tiles)

rode out one last time to glory

before they divided it amongst themselves

for their stewpots, consulted the cards

to see what drugs were coming, dust to dust.

And it was spirited, spirited,

There were mangoes in wooden boxes that week.

Three quid and they could stay up late sucking them

in the green lights of the bar.

All the same words rattled up and down

with the cats that

walked the towpath like sacred cows

that summer.

The static water rose in a battery

to feed something living above it.

Dragonfly, resonant moss.

(cont.)

AN ILL WIND

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Tucked into the pub’s sweaty envelope

because the tarmac couldn’t take any more skin, they

crawled up June to gaze down her avalanche back,

for the delight of it

and the loss of time.

Barbecued food and the fear of eviction

always speeding them to a brighter Sunday.

On chocolate cookie baking night

the factory blessed them all

who didn’t deserve it, wondering if they were still

allowed

to see the world romantic, after everything,

after all the nights they’d had.

They were waiting for the fever to break

as fevers do,

tying themselves up into harps beneath

the famous terraces.

There are kisses, there, that sigh

from accordion walls.

Lips that were scented with violets and hard now.

We will remember you who came before,

your silver tea-sets will become our coke spoons.

We will dance to the new tunes

and break inside anew with you,

because there is a lesson you have kept for us

and we will carry it;

because we are the living

and nobody can say we are not worthy.

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THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

From the 7-11th October 2014, Royal

Leamington Spa will be under the

jurisdiction of the LUC, as they launch a

takeover of the LAMP, Zephyr Lounge, Spa

Centre and Pump Rooms to present 5 days of

underground cinema.

Residents are advised to make note of the

times and dates of transmission, and keep

all those of a nervous or giddy disposition

indoors at all times.

The LUC cannot be held responsible for any

illicit, radical, or subversive thoughts

that may arise from exposure to said films.

Those of age and constitution are encouraged

to attend, for many of these films will not

be seen again in this area for quite some

time.

A list is provided opposite for your

reference. Where venue borders are

controlled, papers will be required, and can

be acquired from official sources for a mod-

est consideration.

The LUC have done this before.

Please do not panic.

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SQUARE ONE/OFF THE RECORD

In October, local promoters Grow Young will launch

Square One, a new monthly night dedicated to new in-

die and alternative bands, both local and further

afield.

An attempt to reignite enthusiasm for the new and

the unexpected, and to get people engaged with their

local music venues, the night will feature a mix of

national rising stars, regional up and coming acts

and local artists. Each month’s event will be fol-

lowed by Off The Record, Leamington’s best indie/alt

clubnight, starting after the bands have finished

and going on until the wee hours.

Currently announced dates at Zephyr Lounge:

18th October / 15th November / 4th December

For more information, check out:

growyoungmusic.wordpress.com

If you’re in, or know of, a local band/artist who’d

like to play, then get in touch with:

growyoung1@gmail.com

Long Live Live Music.

Long Live Indie Discos.

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BAD VIBES - "COVENTRATED" Released: September 2014 / Bandcamp. Coventrated: to be devastated or completely destroyed. It's a great name for a punk al-bum, but the music on offer here is slightly more subtle than the title might imply. A punk diaspora spread across Warwickshire, Bad Vibes bring together a host of divergent sounds in a surprisingly coherent way, with dashes of impressive vocals amongst a sea of weird chords and fu-riously distorted guitar, held together by a remarkably solid rhythm section. Most of their songs - recorded in a day at Leamington's Complete Sound Studio - are short, sharp and to-the-point; 13 speed by in barely 24 minutes. The majority are so catchy that you hardly no-tice the lack of a typical verse-chorus-verse structure, with the songs focussing instead on the ebb and flow of emotion. "I went to this town once / where no-one really smiled / I had a nice time there". What does it mean? Fuck knows - they’re certainly not elaborating. The penultimate song, ‘Awaiting Inspiration’ sees the band at their strongest and weakest. At just over 3 minutes and featuring a genuinely huge chorus, it borders on epic but is let down by some slightly messy playing. It's still amazing, but hints at the room for improvement upon their already awesome sound. WE ARE A COMMUNIST - "BLAST OFF!" Released: Jan 2014 / Bandcamp, Seismic Records "If we are attacked by nuclear weapons, these are the warning signs you must recognise." An aggressive guitar riff kicks, followed by an almighty rumble of drums, a barely human shriek, and ‘Time Bomb’ proceeds to blow your face off. That’s the sound of We Are A Com-munist, Leam’s only instrumental retro-futurist surf rock band. Think: nuclear war-fare. Think: Cold War ideologies. Think: SPACE. The shuffling drums; the energetic bass lines, the almighty guitar riffs bolstered by glorious reverb, the space noises, the fre-quently hilarious samples - all of these make WAAC great. But best of all is the heavy stylophone presence, providing a high-pitched paranoid hum that sets them apart from other surf revivalists.

MIDLANDS MUSIC

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A band best appreciated live, they've still managed to record one hell of an EP. Mostly instrumental - the beautifully overbaked "Interim Megaton Nuclear Weapon" aside - tracks such as "Atomic Play-boy" and Low Earth Orbital Complex" burst at the seams with great riffs and interplay between the musicians. In line with surf tradi-tion, there are numerous new takes on classics alongside the origi-nals, the best of which is "Zombie Compromise". Originally by Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, this obscenely catchy cover benefits from a bigger sound and huge groove. A charmingly DIY job, the CD release is beautifully done and well worth getting your hands on, with cosmonauts, rockets, and a nuclear train complementing the music perfectly. It’s everything you might want for entertainment as you huddle in a shelter, waiting for the bomb to drop. THE ROSENBERG APPEAL - "NOW IS THE WINTER OF OUR DISCOTHEQUE" Released: Sept 2014 / Online, Seismic Records For a short while, The Rosenberg Appeal were officially better than Bach. Upon first re-lease, this E.P rocketed to number 5 on the iTunes "new releases" classical chart - one place ahead of that JS Bach fellow. A quirk of genre-classification perhaps, but it goes to show that The Rosenberg Appeal don’t do things the usual way. ‘Classical’ certainly isn’t the right label for Leamington's most original new band, but then again, neither is ‘punk’, ‘indie’, ‘rock’ or ‘pop’. Perhaps the closest you could get is ‘post-punk’, mostly because that term has become so wonderfully meaningless. Clearly the EP with the best pun you'll hear this year, Now Is The Winter Of Our Discotheque is full of crunchy guitar, skittery drums, and a piano that switches swiftly from rhythmic backing to determinedly dominating the soundscape. The production, courtesy of 14 Records, is spot-on, really capturing the depth of the band's sound, soaring with determined passion around cryptic lyrics of misery and regret. You feel that they could benefit from a bit more of an emotional punch with some of the vocals though, particularly for lines that - when performed live - feel drenched with anguish or biting cynicism. The best song here is the title track, memorable for both the under-stated main riff and the moments when the band follow agitated verses with enormous instrumental statements. There's plenty to enjoy throughout the 6 track E.P, from the bluesy stomp of "A.W.M." to the disillusioned lullaby-come-march that is "iSpy", and as a whole it’s a great statement of intent from an exciting new band.

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LISTINGS 3rd October Andy Zaltzman – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre (WAC) – 7.45pm Alan Davies – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre – 8pm Tommy Tiernan – stand-up - Spa Centre – 8pm 4th October Deaf Havana + guests – alt-rock – Warwick SU – 7.30pm Joey Negro – funk/disco DJ – The Clarendon – 9pm Assembly Classics 5th Anniversary – Assembly/Zephyr – 10.30pm 5th October Pete Firman – comedy/magic - Warwick Arts Centre – 7.30pm 6th October Marcus Brigstocke – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre – 7.30pm Muriel Anderson – blues/rock - Zephyr Lounge – 7pm Reckless Comedy – stand-up - LAMP – 8pm 7th October 10cc – art-rock - Spa Centre – 7.30pm LUCFEST: The Call of Cthulhu - film/live music - LAMP – 7.30pm 8th October Doc Brown – comedy/music - Warwick Arts Centre – 7.30pm Serena Jost + Amanda Thorpe – folk - LAMP – 7pm LUCFEST: Hardware + Darkman – film - Spa Centre – 7pm 9th October LUCFEST: How To Become An Arts Journalist Workshop - LAMP – 6pm LUCFEST: Birdemic + The Rosenberg Appeal - film - Zephyr – 8pm 10th October Seann Walsh – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre – 7.30pm LUCFEST: Mistaken For Strangers + The Swaps - LAMP – 7.30pm 11th October Not Right + We Are A Communist – altrock/punk - LAMP – 7.30pm The Lindisfarne Story – rock/pop - Leamington Assembly – 7pm CLANNAD – folk/rock - Warwick Arts Centre – 8pm Tom Stade – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre – 7.30pm

Small selection, full list availa-

ble online. Check websites and

venues for further details.

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11th October Bridget Christie – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre – 7.45pm Paul Chowdhry – stand-up - Spa Centre – 7.30pm Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre – Spa Centre – 7pm LUCFEST: Video Game Prize + The King of Kong – Zephyr – 12pm LUCFEST: The Double – film - Royal Pump Rooms – 5pm LUCFEST: Short Film Prize + Quiz – Royal Pump Rooms – 8pm 12th October Tony Lee - comedy Hypnotist – Warwick SU – 7pm 13th October Reckless Comedy – stand-up - LAMP – 8pm 14th October Leam Comedy Fest: Here Comes The Girls - LAMP – 7.30pm Leam Comedy Fest: The Pun Run – comedy - Spa Centre – 8pm 15th October Bernie Torme + Broken Chords – blues/rock - Zephyr – 7pm Jasper Carrot – comedy/music - Assembly – 7pm Leam Comedy Fest: Hobgoblin Comedy Award - LAMP – 7.30pm Leam Comedy Fest: Jarred Christmas - Spa Centre – 7.45pm 16th October The Noise Next Door – improv comedy - WAC – 7.45pm Leam Comedy Fest: Andrew Lawrence – stand-up - LAMP – 7.30pm Sam Brookes + Natalie Holmes + Stylus Boy – folk - LAMP – 7pm Leam Comedy Fest: Rory McGrath - Spa Centre – 7.45pm Leam Comedy Fest: Henning When - Spa Centre – 7.30pm 17th October Luna Kiss + Klasside – prog/rock - Zephyr Lounge – 7.30pm Leam Comedy Fest: Andrew O’Neil - LAMP – 7.30pm 18th October The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - rock - Assembly – 7pm Square One Band Night – indie/alt - Zephyr Lounge – 8pm Off The Record – indie/alt clubnight - Zephyr Lounge – 11pm Dave Gorman – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre – 8pm Leamington Comic Con - festival - Royal Pump Rooms – 10.30am Leam Comedy Fest: The Festival Finale - Spa Centre - 7.30pm

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19th October Richard Herring – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre – 7.30pm Diamond Head – rock/metal - Zephyr Lounge – 7pm 20th October Reckless Comedy – stand-up - LAMP – 8pm 24th October Jimeoin – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre – 8pm Faustus + Wes Finch – acoustic/folk - LAMP – 7.30pm Haken + Leprous – prog/rock - Leamington Assembly – 7pm 25h October Hal Cruttenden – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre – 7.30pm An Evening With Noel Fielding – comedy - WAC – 8pm 27

th October

Nils Frahm – instrumental/electronic - WAC – 8pm Reckless Comedy – stand-up - LAMP – 8pm 28

th October

Fellswoop: Ablutions – theatre - WAC – 7.15pm Fat Git: (i feel fine) – theatre - WAC – 8.45pm The Boomtown Rats – rock/pop - Leamington Assembly – 7pm 29

th October

Hawklords + Sendelica – prog/rock - Zephyr Lounge – 7pm Cocos Lovers + Hot Feet – folk/acoustic - LAMP – 7pm 30

th October

Big Country – rock/pop - Leamington Assembly – 7pm Mitch Benn – comedy/music - Spa Centre – 7.45pm 31

st October

The Full English – folk/acoustic - Warwick Arts Centre – 8pm Dumbshow: The Pearl – theatre - Warwick Arts Centre – 7.15pm Kill The Beast: The Boy Who Kicked Pigs – WAC – 8.45pm 1st November

Tony Law – stand-up - Spa Centre – 7.45pm 2nd November

Mark Watson – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre – 7.30pm Chris Martin – stand-up - Warwick Arts Centre – 7.45pm Joan Armatrading – singer/songwriter - Assembly – 7pm

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contributors:

aman sahota (1)

‘pencil-pens-and-lens.tumblr.com’

ife akinroyeje (3)

‘photo-ife.tumblr.com’

sammy borras (4/5)

‘sammyborras.blogspot.co.uk’

thomas crompton (6)

‘tjcrompton.wordpress.com’

samantha tongue (7/8)

‘soundcloud.com/legendpeter’

jyoti rajput (9)

‘jyotirajputphotography.tumblr.com’

amelia ryan (12)

‘wildmimiappears.tumblr.com’

alex wells (13)

‘growyoungmusic.wordpress.com’

ruth pearce (14/15)

digital copies at

facebook.com/leamingtonzine

issuu.com/leamingtonzine

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open call for all:

artists

poets

photographers

writers etc.

issue #6

‘fall back/spring forward’ 18.10.14

submissions by 13.10.14

contact-question-contribute

facebook/leamingtonzine

@LeamingtonZine

leamingtonzine@gmail.com