WAKESTOCK 2008
Abersoch, Cardigan Bay, North Wales
Fri 4 - Sun 6 June 2008
This summer sees the return of Wales’ hottest festival: Relentless Wakestock 2008. Coming into its eighth year, Wakestock is back and bigger than ever, ready to rock the socks off the normally tranquil Llyn Peninsular in North Wales. A whole host of bands and DJs will be playing out to the crowds at night, and you can forget the hangover because during the day there'll be more Wakeboarding to feast your eyes on than you can shake a wetsuit at.
Based around three locations; Abersoch beach, Pwllheli marina and the main festival site at Penrhos (with convenient shuttle buses between them), this festival really does have it all: beach, town and festival field. The line-up this year definitely looks set to impress, with Mark Ronson, Groove Armada, The Streets, Duffy, The Happy Mondays, Funeral For a Friend, The Hoosiers, Calvin Harris, The Futureheads, Pendulum, Elliot Minor, Hadouken, The Mystery Jets and Sam Sparro to name (well, more than) just a few. What with Jo Whiley and Zane Lowe taking to the decks, too, your ears won’t know what’s hit them.
Of course, the unique thing about Wakestock is the combination of music festival and sports event. Wakeboarding, the summer alternative to snowboarding, is the latest, greatest thing to hit watersport. Riders are towed behind a speed-boat at around 25mph and use the boat’s ‘wake’ to perform spectacular tricks and spins. The festival has embraced the increased use of rails in the sport, and boasts some of the first and finest outside of the USA for this Vans Rococo Tour. Pwllheli marina plays host to both the pro and amateur Wakeboarding competitions and the Wakestock rail course, where riders compete in front of 8,000 spectators not only to finish their run, but to perform outstanding moves.
And if the line-up and Wakeboarding aren’t quite enough, the spectacular views across Cardigan Bay and the peaks of Snowdonia in the distance are well-worth craning your neck for.
Admission: Weekend tickets £85-£110. Info: 01758 710000 / www.wakestock.co.uk
Sarah Pavey
Sunday 15 June 2008
Chickenshed ... 'As the Mother of a Brown Boy'
AS THE MOTHER OF A BROWN BOY ...
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
Fri 20 June
Chickenshed are a somewhat unique theatre company; their raison d’etre is to create a space where 'everyone is welcome, and everyone is valued.' Through a 'unique creative process' they ensure that individuals who have found themselves unwelcome elsewhere, due to difference or disability, are embraced and encouraged.
As the mother of a brown boy ..., a true story, tells of 19-year-old former Chickenshed member Mischa Niering, through the voice of his mother. Using a combination of dance, physical theatre, multimedia and music it portrays Mischa’s life as a mixed-race boy, his identity struggle within a multi-racial society, and ultimately, tragically, his death.
Directed by Mischa’s aunt, Christine Niering, and featuring a cast consisting many of Mischa’s friends, Chickenshed tell his poignant story and hope that it 'will encourage others to question the undercurrent of discrimination and subtlety of racism in society and give a voice to those involved in the pursuit of justice'.
The performance received two Edinburgh Festival Fringe Award nominations last year and was dubbed 'a powerfully emotive piece' - The Times. It looks set to continue impressing, and impressing upon, audiences with its compelling and relevant portrayals of racism, and the choices, both good and bad, made by a troubled young man in today’s society.
Chickenshed are featured as part of a week of events at the WMC celebrating Learing Disability Week (16-20 June).
Admission: £8-£10. Info: 08700 40 2000 / www.wmc.org.uk
Sarah Pavey
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
Fri 20 June
Chickenshed are a somewhat unique theatre company; their raison d’etre is to create a space where 'everyone is welcome, and everyone is valued.' Through a 'unique creative process' they ensure that individuals who have found themselves unwelcome elsewhere, due to difference or disability, are embraced and encouraged.
As the mother of a brown boy ..., a true story, tells of 19-year-old former Chickenshed member Mischa Niering, through the voice of his mother. Using a combination of dance, physical theatre, multimedia and music it portrays Mischa’s life as a mixed-race boy, his identity struggle within a multi-racial society, and ultimately, tragically, his death.
Directed by Mischa’s aunt, Christine Niering, and featuring a cast consisting many of Mischa’s friends, Chickenshed tell his poignant story and hope that it 'will encourage others to question the undercurrent of discrimination and subtlety of racism in society and give a voice to those involved in the pursuit of justice'.
The performance received two Edinburgh Festival Fringe Award nominations last year and was dubbed 'a powerfully emotive piece' - The Times. It looks set to continue impressing, and impressing upon, audiences with its compelling and relevant portrayals of racism, and the choices, both good and bad, made by a troubled young man in today’s society.
Chickenshed are featured as part of a week of events at the WMC celebrating Learing Disability Week (16-20 June).
Admission: £8-£10. Info: 08700 40 2000 / www.wmc.org.uk
Sarah Pavey
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