words and photos by Peter Nicholson. It’s always refreshing when artists take some chances on support acts, perhaps not going for exactly the same genre as themselves. That was certainly the case with The Lottery Winners’ gig at The Engine Rooms, Southampton (April 28). Jerry Williams was the first...
Suburban Safari: Centenary Quay
by Katie Isham. Time to look up as well as around. This safari discovers some of the tallest buildings in the city including a giant that is now officially the closest you can get to heaven in Southampton. Centenary Quay is a development perched on the east bank of...
Local businesses and events – May
Friends of Freemantle Lake Park community picnic The Friends of Freemantle Lake Park would love you to join them for their community picnic. Bring a chair or a blanket along and join the celebrations. There will be entertainment, light refreshment, crafts, and a raffle raising funds for the park....
Southampton listings 25 April – 1 May
This week’s listings take us into the May 1 bank holiday, aka International Workers’ Day. You can celebrate the day off at St James’ Park in Shirley, where Friends of St James’ Park are hosting a family event from 11am to 3pm, featuring stalls, a bouncy castle, sports activities,...
Skindred to come to Southampton’s O2 Guildhall this autumn
Skindred have announced a headline show in Southampton for Autumn 2023, as part of a larger UK and Ireland tour supporting their upcoming album ‘Smile’, coming to city’s O2 Guildhall on 11 November. Widely recognised as one of the UK’s most exciting live bands, Skindred also recently been...
Southampton Mental Health Network wants your views on mental wellbeing
Southampton residents and workers are being urged to get involved with a charity’s research to find out what is required to make Southampton a more mental wellbeing friendly city. Southampton Mental Health Network’s (SMHN) anonymous, online survey is focused on what is needed to improve the city’s mental wellbeing friendliness...
Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre awards £9k in bursaries to aspiring performers
Three aspiring performers from Hampshire were chosen to receive £9,000 in bursary money to venture into education to fulfil their career aspirations. Olivia Davies, Petra Joan-Athene and Thomas Kingman were each given £3,000 by Mayflower Theatre, Southampton as part of its Higher Education Bursary Scheme – an initiative to...
Review: Caity Baser, The Engine Rooms – 19th April 2023
words and photos by Peter Nicholson. After my interview with Caity Baser last month, ahead of her home-town show at Southampton’s Engine Rooms, I was keen to see if her energy and enthusiasm would extend to the performance in her stage show… It did, ten fold! Caity was obviously...
Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson in conversation with Bryan Cheyette at Parkes Lecture this month
The Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations and the University of Southampton are to host a conversation between Booker-Prize winning novelist, broadcaster and public intellectual, Howard Jacobson and Professor Bryan Cheyette who has been writing on Jacobson since 1984 for this year’s Parkes Lecture. Howard Jacobson’s memoir...
Review: Morganway + Alyssa Bonagura, The Joiners, Southampton, 16th April 2023
photography and words by Peter Nicholson. Morganway describe themselves as a formidable live act, and I certainly have no argument with that. Appearing at the Joiners, Southampton, on Sunday, the band gave an excited audience a great show. For some of the band, it was somewhat of a homecoming...