Sarah Singleton looks at what's happening in Swindon this weekend

Celebrating family

Comedian David Baddiel is bringing his popular show My Family: Not The Sitcom to Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre this weekend.

The Olivier-nominated show can be seen on Saturday and Sunday. The show was inspired by the funeral of David’s mother. He said hearing people continually saying how wonderful she was felt like punching a hole in his memory of her, because it took away her character and individuality.

“We should stay as truthful to that person whether they are gone or seriously ill. We should tell the truth but with love. This show covers my mum’s affair with a golf memorabilia salesman and my dad’s swearing; it is the opposite of not washing dirty linen in public. It is a celebration of my mother’s life, an anti-funeral speech,’’ he said.

Expect to hear about memory, ageing, infidelity, dysfunctional relatives, moral policing on social media, golf and gay cats.

David came to fame writing and appearing in The Mary Whitehouse Experience with Rob Newman, Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis, first on BBC Radio 1 and then on BBC 2 television. He is a huge football fan and became a household name alongside his close pal Frank Skinner when they created the Fantasy Football League. They became known for live specials during the 1998 World Cup, the 2004 European Championships and the 2010 World Cup.

The show, suitable for ages 14 plus, starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are £29. To book, call 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk.

Kind of hush for Open Secrets

THE Open Secrets will bring a blend of the best of modern country and old-time mountain music to the Beehive pub in Swindon tonight.

Their brand of Americana brings to mind the Old Crow Medicine Show and Gillian Welch, though they write and play with an emotional intensity all of their own.

Formed in 2012, the band brings the dustbowl tradition into the 21st Century. Their songs are populated by drunks, losers and drifters - though every once in a while, love wins out and the guy gets the gal.

​The band takes its name from the collection of short stories of the same name by Canadian writer Alice Munro, and is made up of Steve Page on vocals, guitar, harmonica and banjo, Chris Gamble on violin and keyboards, Jake Peggs on drum and vocals, and Phil Amor on bass and vocals.​ Their album Rain Upon The Sea is available as a CD and to download.

The Open Secrets will be playing at the pub in Prospect Hill from 8.30pm, and at Bristol’s Chums micropub on Saturday, April 28.

For more information about the band, visit opensecrets.co.uk.

In a spin for Record Store Day

VINYL fans will be heading into Swindon for the tenth UK Record Store Day on Saturday, on the look-out for a great selection of rarities and reissues.

RPM Records in Old Town and Red House Records in the town centre are both taking part in the annual event, where independent record stores across the country receive specially-made releases of vinyl records. Greg Miszkowski has run RPM Records in Old Town with wife Karrie since 2016 and they will be holding their second store day, with live music from The Mike Barham Band, a rock group from Devizes. Shops can only request some of the 300 different records created for the day, but make no guarantees of specific items for customers.

Red House Records, located inside Holmes Music on Faringdon Road, will be taking part in their fifth Record Store Day. The store is teaming up with nearby Darkroom Expresso cafe, taking coffee orders from 7am. Participating stores are restricted from opening their doors until 8am.

Both stores will be giving out a limited number of Fred Perry tote bags to the first people in line.