Funny about money

Looking forward to the second weekend of Swindon’s fantastic Fringe Festival? Why not see award-winning poet Tina Sederholm’s humorous exploration of debt at the Town Hall on Sunday?

Till Debt Us Do Part finds Tina waking up amongst rumpled credit card receipts and a pile of rejection letters, in the embrace of an offer she could not resist. She starts to wonder how she got into this situation, and more importantly, how she is going to get out of it. And with the UK £1.65 trillion in debt, is it ever possible to be truly debt-free?

This is a spoken word show about distilling love and solvency from fiscal meltdown. Part confessional, part challenge to your economic assumptions, Tina attempts to unravel the route to true financial freedom. She uses poetry, personal stories and research to get real about money.

Tina, who has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe for the last five years, has been writing and performing for more than a decade, appearing at venues as diverse as fields, art galleries, gardens, toilets and allotments.

She describes herself as a poet, performer, raconteur and author who hates to be compartmentalised, but likes posing difficult questions and answering them with humour and grace.

The double bill starts at 2.30pm and also features Solo 2, an eclectic hour of contemporary monologues and solo performances both traditional and experimental. Tickets are £10.50-£12.

To book, visit the website swindonfringefestival.com

Shadows of the sixties are real foot-tapper

Revisit the sounds of the sixties with The Bootleg Shadows at Swindon Arts Centre on Saturday night.

It is more than 50 years since Hank B Marvin, Bruce Welch, Jet Harris and Tony Meehan recorded Apache, the monster hit that launched The Shadows’ instrumental career and founded a nation of bespectacled guitarists dreaming of acquiring their very own Fender Stratocaster. With their immaculate appearance, synchronised dance movements and clean, pure melodic sound, The Shadows chalked up 35 hits of their own, as well as another 33 hits with Cliff Richard. They had more hits than any other British group, securing them a unique place in the annals of popular music.

Today The Shadows make few live appearances but The Bootleg Shadows keep their live sound alive, with plenty of humour to make it a night out to remember. Look out for classic hits such as Apache, Foot Tapper, Man of Mystery, Atlantis, Wonderful Land, Kon Tiki, Don’t Cry for Me Argentina and many more. The concert starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £21.50. To book, call 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk.

Citizen Of Nowhere heads for Swindon

Comedian Daliso Chaponda, Britain’s Got Talent and Amanda Holden’s golden buzzer act, is bringing his debut stand-up tour to Swindon tonight.

The Malawian born stand-up captured the heart of the nation and has amassed over eight million Facebook and nine million Youtube views. Daliso has also been booked for his own Radio 4 series, called Daliso Chaponda: Citizen Of Nowhere.

Daliso, described as a comedy superstar by David Walliams, has lived in countries where the press are not allowed to criticise the government, and in others with no libel laws where they can say anything. He has been both a journalist and a jaded newsreader, making him the perfect comedian to talk about the media.

It is a testament to his popularity that the show at Swindon Arts Centre from 8pm tonight has already sold out. What The African Said… is about recent news, old news, fake news, and stories that were almost news. It is also a show about the things we say to each other - gossip, tall stories and of course, declarations of love. The show is suitable for ages 14 plus.