It’ll be a grand finale

IT’S been another rip-roaring year for the Swindon Festival of Literature and this weekend it all comes to an end with the grand finale.

Poems, people, pleasure and music are the watchwords for Swindon Town Hall tomorrow night as it plays host to a cabaret style event featuring poets, singers, storytellers, and live musicians.

Words, music, and mischief will come chiefly from instrumental and vocally-inspired Tongue Fu, a spoken word and music squad, that promise a rigorously riotous show of live literature, music, and improvisation.

Fronted by verbally dexterous poet-musician Chris Redmond, the Tongue Fu band are Riaan Vosloo on bass, Arthur Lea on keys, and Pat Davey on drums. Together, with quick wit and musical dexterity, Tongue Fu, from London, will tap into the Swindon vibe and take us on a musically and vocally frolicsome ride.

Songs will be sung by sparkling singing trio Barberelle, aka Linda Lee, Vicky Sweeney and Kate Rowe.

Adding further poetic input to the mix will be poet Vanessa Kisuule, hailed ‘brilliant empress of blag’. Multi-Slam winner, Vanessa has done turns on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Blue Peter, and performed at Glastonbury, in Vienna, and New York.

Her debut collection of poems is Joyriding the Storm.

And bringing tales of today, yesterday, and forever to the finale will be international storyteller Rachel Rose Reid. Reckoned to have been ‘raised with one foot in the folk circuit and the other in the urban sprawl’, Rachel’s stories are timeless, universal, and terrific.

The fun begins at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12 (£10 concessions) and are available by calling 01793 601700.

Wheatus engage with whole new generation of teen dirtbags

TEENAGE Dirtbag by Wheatus, recently covered by One Direction, was released in the year 2000, and has become a teen anthem for each new generation.

Brendan B Brown, pictured, founder and front man of Wheatus, said: “One Direction did us a real favour with all the Twitter kids.’’ Wheatus are currently taking a new direction themselves with their music, working on their seventh album, which Brendan hopes will be released around Christmas this year.

The band will be playing a couple of songs from the new album when they come to The Vic, Victoria Road, in Swindon’s Old Town on Tuesday, May 16 from 8pm.

Last year Brendan and the band went on tour with his old friend James Bourne and his band Busted.

“We finally had our chance and it was the most fun on tour ever,’’ said Brendan, who frequently co-writes with James.

Brendan set up Wheatus in 1995 with his brother Pete Brown on drums. His sister Liz has sung backing vocals on and off with the band since its formation and is often the tour manager.

Wheatus currently have a single, Tipsy, taken from the new album on release as a taster for the album. It will be one of a two hour set of more than 40 tunes Wheatus will play in Swindon.

Tickets are £18 in advance and £20 on the door. For more details 01793 535713 thevicswindon@gmail.com.

Walk on the wild side

TO coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, Bowood is hosting Mindful Walks within the Woodland Gardens with Linda Thomas from mindfulminds.

Improve your wellbeing, by paying attention to the present moment, to your own thoughts, feelings and the world around you, an awareness known as “mindfulness”.

Connect with nature on this guided mindful walk through the Woodland Gardens at Bowood.

Wander slowly through the landscape, pausing, noticing and exploring the plants, flowers, trees along the way. Looking up and noticing the breathtaking height of a tree you never noticed before, sensing and savouring, using all your senses – sight, sound, smell and touch.

A pause by the pond, or a rest amongst the beautiful rhododendrons, listening to the sound of the birds, whatever you feel drawn to, noticing as many pleasurable things as possible, slowly, one after another.

The Sense and Savour Walk with Linda Thomas takes place at the Woodland Gardens, Bowood House, Derry Hill Calne SN11 0LZ at 10.30am on Sunday, May 14. Tickets are £15. To book your place please email houseandgardens@bowood.org or call 01249 810961.