Often Hover photography.

I have been following the photography of  Josh Knill (Often Hover) for a while now, whether its via his Tumblr or website. This guy has serious talent and is definitely one to watch.

Open mic at Aspex After Hours

This event runs the first Thursday of every month and this year has built up  good momentum and a variety of performers. It really is an amazing space to play in and the crowd are so warm.  The next After Hours is this Thursday the 1st of December and you can drop in between 6-8pm to join in and enjoy a bit of Dutch courage from the bar! I’m looking forward to knocking out a couple of Christmas songs.

The Not So Royal Variety Show

The University of Portsmouth Brightsparks Entrepreneurial Society are hosting the entertainment extravaganza ‘The Not So Royal Variety Show’ at the Kings Theatre, Southsea. This is the first time that they have had the opportunity to showcase the talent from the University of Portsmouth in one of the largest professional theatres in the south.  This event will take place on Tuesday, 5th April, 2011 at Kings Theatre, Southsea from 7pm and is open to all.

The show will consist of music, dance, comedy and more from a variety of different societies, clubs and individuals involved within the Students Union. The aim is to create a show that the Brightsparks Enterprise Society can repeat annually that involves the entire University and the Community of Portsmouth.

This year we have had over 30 potential performers register to be part of the show line-up – this includes other UPSU Societies, Clubs, Groups, Bands and Individuals. Some of the headlining acts are Keli Anne B (portsmouth’s poet laureate), Chris Whitelock (Magician), Heart of Blondie (cover band) and The Heavy Hands Comedy Society. Come along and be part of the show.

The show starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £7 for general public and £5 for concessions. For more information on the event please contact: contact@uopbrightsparks.com.

To book, please call the Kings Theatre Box Office on 023 9282 8282 or visit http://bit.ly/nsrtickets or check out the website: www.notsoroyal.net



Cranes – New Album

Forming in Portsmouth back in the mid 1980s Cranes (a name inspired by the port’s cranes) have helped define both the original Shoegaze and Avant Garde scenes of the late 80s and early 90s but in recent years have developed a more electronic, ethereal dream pop sound, culminating in the awesome 2004 album ’Particles and Waves’. A few weeks ago the band announced a new European tour and a new album that was released on the 13th of this month. The new, self-titled album is also something special.

If you want to catch the band live their last stop of the tour is at Hoxton Square Bar in London on the 29th, sadly there is no homecoming gig!

Check www.cranes-fan.com for more details and Last.fm to have a listen for free to some of their songs.

PRIMARY – A Phoneography Exhibition by Strong Island – Call for entries

This coming new year we will be proud to announce our latest exhibition PRIMARY, a Phoneography exhibition by Strong Island and we are even happier to announce that it’s open to you, the readers.

With the continuing increase in impressive camera technology in mobile phones and the ability to alter, tweak, post process and upload the photos to social media networks and websites like Instagram, the popularity of Phoneography has never been greater.

The ‘of the moment’ ability to take a photo at almost any time and any place by most people has really driven the fact that the camera does not make the photographer. By which I mean, you don’t need an expensive camera to take outstanding photos.

Agreed, the quality of the physical image may not stand up to the big guns, but new learnings in composition, style and aesthetic by a new generation of camera users via online media has really driven this popularity, and encourage people to go beyond a ‘quick shot’.

PRIMARY invites you to get out and about around Portsea with your mobile phone camera and take photos of anything and everything based around the three primary colours red, yellow and blue. What you photograph is entirely up to you, but submissions will only be accepted if they stick to the theme.

The call for entires has now begun and the deadline is the 31st of January 2012 with the exhibition being held in March of 2012. Photos can be taken on any mobile phone model and we ask that a maximum of 3 photos per applicant are sent in to primary@strong-island.co.uk.

Please submit along with your photographs your name, photo title, phone model, location of photo on the island and any post process apps you used, if any, to achieve the final shot.

We look forward to seeing all the entries, and the final installation will be something special using every photo submitted in a slightly different fashion from your average photographic exhibition. CLICK HERE TO PRINT YOUR OWN POSTER

Poster by Tristan Savage & Photo by Paul Gonella

It’s going to be a Strong Movember – Closed at £725

Righto chaps, it’s time to clean shave your boat race and get that mighty moustache on the grow in support of Movember for The Prostate Cancer Charity and the Institute of Cancer Research. For 30 days of November you can help support and raise awareness through selflessly parading your top lip for charity.

You can sign up yourself, as I’m sure many of you already have, or you can join the Strong Island team and seek out sponsorship as a team. Through the Strong Island Movember page you can ask people to join the group, make donations, upload photos and post updates via the MoSpace page, Facebook and Twitter.

Head over to www.mobro.co/StrongIsland if you would like to get involved and grow a Strong Moustache to help raise awareness, or simply head over to www.uk.movember.com and sign up to personally raise money.

The funds raised in the UK support the number one and two male specific cancers – prostate and testicular cancer. The funds raised are directed to programmes run directly by Movember and our men’s health partners, The Prostate Cancer Charity and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together, these channels work together to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programmes in line with our strategic goals in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research.

Poster: Tristan Savage