Reading Roars!

Sunday 14 February is not only a day for lovers, but the first day of the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese Lunar Calendar.

London offers the best Chinese New Year celebrations in the South-East, but if you’re inclined to stay in Reading, here are several ways of getting the Year of the Tiger off to a roaring start locally:

• Feast on Chinese food with friends or family. Popular restaurants in the Reading area include China Palace (Oxford Rd), Furama (Friar St), Peking Palace (Caversham) and Peking Garden (Pangbourne).  In addition, pan-Asian restaurant Glo offers Chinese food in the form of Dim Sum.  Alternatively, shop for ingredients at See Woo and cook for guests at home.

• Sink a Tiger (or several) with friends.  The marketing whizzes behind Singaporean brand Tiger want consumers to associate the Year of the Tiger with their beer.  Fair enough, I say.  You can drink Tiger in a number of venues across town.  If Tiger isn’t your thing, how about a swig of Lucky , brewed and bottled in China?  Lucky is available from JD Wetherspoon pubs (there are several in Reading, including The Back of Beyond, The Monk’s Retreat and The Hope Tap).

• Learn how to write your name in Chinese characters at Reading Central Library (for children aged 4-12 only), between 10.30am and 12pm on Friday 19 February.  No booking is required.  This might be a good first step to learning Mandarin.

• Attend a martial arts class and kick off the New Year in style.  In Reading, it’s possible to learn various styles of Kung Fu (Wing Chun , Fujian White Crane and Jade Dragon are just three examples).

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

What will you be doing to mark CNY in Reading?

Anyone wandering around Reading may have noticed this curious spectacle of PEEPSHOW in the window of the now-derelict Long Tall Sally shop, opposite the Town Hall.

Step closer and you will find tiny worlds and surprises tucked behind each of the peeping holes. Some of the things appear connected, some seem more random, some make you laugh, some surprise you, but whatever you think about what you see as you peek in, you have to admit that this is not what you expected to see on your way to work or to the train station.

PEEPSHOW is an exhibition by arjeea21; a group of mostly Reading-based artists who meet every month at the Jelly Legg’d Chicken workshop in the Town Hall to plan shows in and around Reading. I remember a striking exhibition organised by this same organisation in December 2008, in the now empty Gallery 10 on Gun Street. My favourite work at the arjeea21 show was called Curation Play, and involved a miniature gallery with moveable elements that could be reorganised freely into whatever you liked.

The Jelly Legg’d Chicken negotiated the use of Gallery 10 for many groups of artists during 2008 - 2009. I went to a few shows there and showed work myself around this time last year, and it was really exciting to have a gallery in town that unknown or emerging artists could afford to show work in.

But Gallery 10 and the Long Tall Sally shop are just a couple of examples in a long series of empty buildings in Reading that Jelly has negotiated for use by artists. The history of Jelly is long and rich, and wherever Jelly have been, exciting stuff has happened in Reading. Stuff which - like PEEPSHOW or Gallery 10 - was fresh and new and rootsy, coming straight out of the vibrant creative community that lives in this town.

The Jelly Legg’d Chicken was founded by Suzanne Stallard in 1993 and first lived on Gun Street in the building that now houses Lakeland plastics. Exhibitions were shown there every 2 weeks and artists were charged a small amount to show their work there, but the space made no commission on sales which meant that young or emerging artists could afford to show their work there.

In 1997, Jelly moved to Broad Street, to what is now the building with Coffee Republic in it. The Jelly Legg’d Chicken was also formally incorporated as a not-for-profit organisation. At Broad Street there were 12 studios in the building. Artists paid either in kind or with money for the use of these spaces, while money was also raised for the rent by art classes and the proceeds from the cafe in the building.

In 1999 when The Oracle was being built, Jelly managed to negotiate a deal with the builders and planners, for a lease that let them rent the enormous space that is now STRADA for £30,000 per year. By running the space in a more commercial way and putting on yet more classes and exhibitions, and by working 10am - 8pm most days, the rent just about got paid. But when the lease terms were renegotiated with much higher, commercial rates, Jelly was forced to relocate.

In 2004, The Jelly Legg’d Chicken moved to the Town Hall, where it has remained up until today, continuing to support local artists and negotiate the use of spaces for exhibition and studio purposes. Artist groups who use the Jelly workshop include the outcast knitting group, the hang on artists and arjeea21. As well as this, Jelly still offers a range of creative classes and acts as a bookable space that artists who want to put on workshops or study days can afford to rent.

But perhaps as important as these tangible services, is the hub-like quality of the Jelly Legg’d Chicken. At the moment, artists who need to talk to each other pass through the same space and get chatting to each other, or are put in contact with one another by arch-networker, Suzanne Stallard. Without a central space used by all these artists’ groups, such groups will recede back into people’s living rooms and random bars around town, invisible to one another, and isolated. Having a central place that is used by all these artists groups puts them in touch with one another, and this sense of community and network is absolutely vital if we are to have a vibrant, colourful, thriving creative scene in Reading.

However, the work of all the groups mentioned above will be compromised after 1st March, which is the date that the Jelly Legg’d Chicken has been ordered to vacate the Town Hall by. Reading Council apparently want to use the space instead as a gallery, because they believe that in this way they can reach more people. But I want to know more about this plan. I would like to know, for instance, what provisions will be made for emerging artists, what kind of prices artists will be expected to pay in order to use the space, and who will curate the shows and decide what kind of Art to show in Reading.

So with Jelly looking like a basically homeless organisation, and the Council hatching plans for some kind of future gallery space, I wonder if curious, strange, exciting shows like PEEPSHOW will continue to be a part of our urban scenery, or whether they will be replaced by something blander, more ubiquitous, less distinctive, less difficult and less exciting. Something perhaps, like STRADA, or Lakeland Plastics, or Coffee Republic?

If you want to support Art in Reading, there are a number of things you can do;

• Click the links from the Jelly blog, browse through the hang on artists blog, check out the arjeea21 website and find out what people are making - all the time - in this town!
• Leave comments on posts about Art - interact with it and say what you think
• Go to the Sunday Art Market at the Oakford Social Club and buy work directly from artists there
• Buy a cup of coffee in Moondogs cafe before it closes down
• Watch this video that was made by Reading artist, Peter Montford, in Moondogs Cafe
• Go to the Arts Forum meeting this coming Tuesday (9th February 2010) at 7pm at The Kennet Room, Civic Offices, all welcome

And remember to look in those peepholes next time you walk by Long Tall Sally.

Do you “heart” Valentine’s Day, now only one week away at the time of writing?  Here are 7 things to do in Reading and the Reading area to make it a romantic day to remember:

1. Go for a romantic walk in the gorgeous countryside surrounding Reading and combine this with an intimate Sunday pub lunch.  Country pubs offering top food, beer and rural views (for popping that important question) in the Reading area include The Pot Kiln near Yattendon and The Five Horseshoes near Henley.

2. Feed the swans by Caversham Bridge (Holiday Inn side).  Giving is better than receiving, after all.  Once the bread has run out, hop across the river to the charming Griffin pub for yummy food, wine and beer.

3. Similar to the above, consider a candlelit dinner at cellar restaurant Chronicles (Valpy St.), where you can try oysters on ice, or Art of Siam (King’s Walk), for a taste of the East.

4. Watch London Irish take on Bath at the Madejski Stadium.  Sport brings people together (especially on a cold day).  Hug him or her close as Irish’s brawny lads tear up the pitch, then enjoy a Guinness or two in a cosy pub afterwards.

5. Spend the weekend away.  The elegant-looking 5* Forbury Hotel in the heart of Reading is offering a bottle of Laurent Perrier Champagne, a single red rose and a showing of “The Proposal” in their private cinema to customers purchasing their Valentine’s Package.  Alternatively, stylish Malmaison, located opposite Reading Station, is offering a complimentary glass of Prosecco.  A little further afield is Tylney Country House Hotel, offering a bottle of champagne, a rose and canapés to couples.

6. Cook for your nearest and dearest.  Go to County Deli for local cheeses and beer (they also do pasta, olives and a range of meat products - perfect for that Italian meal).  Cook that something special, then watch a romantic movie starring Reading’s Kate Winslet (there is more than one!) together.  And after?

7. If you are single and available, join a Red Hat Salsa salsa class at Bar Risa (Friar St.) from 7.30pm until 9.30pm.   Forget where to place your left foot; look deep into your partner’s eyes and bring him or her close… and closer still.

What are your tips for a top day of romance in Reading?

If you’re looking for something not at all lovey-dovey to do on Valentine’s Day, you could do worse than head down to The Hexagon to see Dave Gorman perform as part of his Sit down, pedal, pedal, stop and stand up tour. The slightly weird name stems from the fact that he toured the same act last year, travelling between venues by bike. There’s no cycling involved this time though.

We managed to catch a preview show in Windsor this week and, being the first time Gorman had performed the routine in months, it was a little rough around the edges. We’d expect a more polished, slicker, snappier act in Reading - though going by our experience, you’ll certainly get your money’s worth. With no support, the geekish comic’s slot lasted well over two hours. Don’t worry, there is an interval.

We don’t want to spoil the evening for you, so suffice it to say that it’s not quite traditional stand-up. Gorman’s a storyteller at heart, so the emphasis is more on interesting, humorous anecdotes than set-’em-up-and-knock-’em-down laugh out loud moments.

The best bit? The Reading leg of the tour sold out weeks back (that’s why we booked Windsor instead), but extra tickets have since been released. There are only a few left, so head on over to Reading Arts or Ticketmaster to grab them while you can.

Reading Festival, last year

We’re a little late with this one, so you might already have realised that Reading Borough Council has decided to chuck the town’s hat into the ring and bid to be granted city status in 2010.

Reading has tried this twice before; on previous occasions we were beaten by economic powerhouses like Wolverhampton and Newport. Third time lucky, perhaps?

Backers of the idea talk of vague economic benefits and the notion of “putting the town on the map”. Seems a bit hopeful - none of the cities created in the last ten years have grown much in the national consciousness since they received their charters from the Queen. So why would Reading be any different?

Reading as a rock town

If you want something that already raises Reading’s profile more than becoming a city ever will, something people get excited about, and something that’s actually, well, cool, look no further than our world-famous rock festival.

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I like to consider myself as pretty knowledgeable about music, pretty clued up, but the truth is – although I am generally more so than most of my friends – current music is always something that I take a while to catch up with. Now, I appreciate that makes me sound a tad old before my time (something I’m constantly trying to avoid doing, usually in vain), but I’m afraid it’s just the way it is.

And you know what? I don’t care. I’ll give you an example: last year I heard all sorts of good things about a band called The Low Anthem and how they’d released a great album called ‘Oh My God Charlie Darwin’. This instantly intrigued me as obviously it’s a fantastic name for an album but also because it was described as dark, dirty Americana with Neil Young undertones, which is the kind of music that I listen to most of the time these days. But I didn’t buy it. I couldn’t be bothered. I waited.

There seems to be some sort of snobbery surrounding new music which says that you can only enjoy a band or an album for the first two or three weeks following its release (often before it’s released), that somehow once this time limit has passed it is no longer valid, irrelevant and pointless. That if you were to be seen listening to it after this date that you would be out of touch and cast aside by the trendy set and sent to live in a dungeon marked “Radio Two Night Time Schedule”. 

I don’t see why a record cannot be enjoyed regardless of whether it has been out two minutes or twenty two years. Obviously there are exceptions – there is no doubt that Anarchy in the UK has less impact today than when it was released into a mainstream of sap in 1976 – but surely a valid mark of ‘great’ music is that it is relevant and exciting no matter what the context. 

So what, then, does this have to do with Reading? Well, I bought The Low Anthem’s album last week from Sound Machine in Harris Arcade. I often shop in there, as well as CDs on the cheap, you can pick up albums on vinyl for £3 in there that would normally be £12 in HMV on CD. Another great place to find some bargains is Music Man on Oxford Road. They have a fantastic collection of Beatles vinyl in there, I even picked up a White Album for £20 before Christmas.

These places are absolute churches for me – I can spend hours rummaging around looking at old Bruce Springsteen albums or Elvis Costello seven-inches. My girlfriend has a similar fetish. Sometimes we won’t emerge for an entire afternoon. 

These places need to be supported and cherished if they are not to disappear from Reading’s streets and arcades. The stuff in there may not all completely be up to date and current and painfully edgy, but surely the fact that it’s not is, well, EDGY in itself?

I am hungover today. I have a head as heavy as an anvil and a stomach like a bin that hasn’t been collected for three weeks, but frustratingly, I also have the urge to be productive and creative. These two states of mind tend to clash somewhat and it puts me in a bad mood for the rest of the day, until I get home and crack open the beers again and…well, you can see where I’m going with this. 

The ease in which I find myself falling into this vicious, viscous circle is compounded by the fact that once I’ve had the odd can at home I tend to get the urge to leave the house and share my drunken creative frustration with others. There is always something going on that is worth seeing at The Oakford Social Club, and so this tends to be where the like-minded head to in search of inspiration and hydration. 

It can be a funny mix of people at times, most notably between 5 and 7, when you have the be-suited middle aged types with their laptop bags and overcoats discussing the monthly sales figures, or comparing Jean from accounts with Margaret from marketing rubbing shoulders with the woolly jumpered, tattooed body piercing models that roam behind the bar and in the darkest crannies of the place.

But it’s friendly, and compared to a lot of places in town it’s very open minded. It serves a decent array of ales and beers, and there’s plenty of entertainment on offer, pretty much every day of the week.

They arguably have the best selection of live music nights in town, most notably the weekly BBC Introducing nights which happen on a Wednesday. Run by local promoters Mr Blind Pig and backed by BBC Radio Berkshire, they usually showcase an up and coming national act (recently they have hosted the likes of Chew Lips, Oddyssey and Baddies), and throw in some of the top local acts as support. Usually exceptionally well supported, you’d be lucky to find a more lively and interesting night midweek in the town centre.

Coming up over the next couple of weeks are I Blame Coco, Vienna Ditto and She Keeps Bees. Keep an eye on their website for more details and upcoming acts.

In fact it was there that I found myself last night and so it is to blame for today’s foul mood. So maybe don’t bother.

As a somewhat shy and retiring bloke who tends to want to shrink from confrontation and intimidation whenever it presents itself, a Friday and Saturday night out on the town in Reading can sometimes be as appealing as driving to work in this weather in a beamer fitted with slick tyres. All the chest beating testosterone and squealing oestrogen that oozes out of Friar Street boozers after 9pm can often make a timid man think twice about stepping outdoors. 

But let’s not let these people win us over! If you’re sick of the sight of your house and you fancy a night out without quite resorting to a pipe and slippers job, there’s plenty of options out there, and lots of exciting music to discover.  

For example, starting next Friday 15^th at The Red Lion pub on Southampton Street, Club: Us Not Them is a weekly live music night which  proved massively popular last year with a great varied crowd of people, young and old. Showcasing the best of the local music scene, there are three bands on each week who play for about half an hour each in a warm and unintimidating atmosphere. Entry is free and there are often good drinks offers behind the bar as well. 

So if you’re fed up of being looked at funny cos you’ve got a beard, or pushed around at the bar while trying to get served a warm pint of watered-down lager, check back next week when I’ll be back with more ideas to make all that nastiness a forgotten memory.

Like Reading’s blogosphere, the town’s Twitterverse is flourishing. 

I believe we now have what can be described as a legitimate Reading identity (or strands of identity) on Twitter, shaped by 4 key developments:

1. #rdg was created
2. #rdgtweetup event and corresponding hashtag were created
3. Journalists from getreading/Reading Post and Reading Chronicle joined Twitter
4. Reading Chronicle and getreading/Reading Post began using #rdgnews to publish news, following advice from the Twitter community

The #rdg hashtag has really taken off; Twitterers are increasingly adopting it in their messages (though one or two Twitter users have been lambasted for using it inappropriately). 

Similarly, #rdgtweetup (described by influential Twitterer Amy Kate as an event “about fun, socializing and networking”) continues to grow. 

I attended #rdgtweetup for the first time last Wednesday evening at the Pitcher & Piano (the event takes place at the same location every two weeks).  There were about 16 people in attendance, divided into what appeared to be two camps.  Conversation wasn’t restricted to all things geeky and there were few gadgets in sight. 

If leading influencers such as local press people and councillors join #rdgtweetup in future, exciting things might happen.  I don’t think we’re far off.

The recent emergence of Reading Chronicle and getreading/Reading Post journalists on Twitter trumped in significance (in my mind, anyway) changes introduced lately such as 60 Second News.  They are now engaging with their readers on the realtime web. 

Last week, a discussion unfolded about the use of the #rdg hashtag (conventionally used for Reading-themed conversations) for disseminating local news, resulting in the birth of #rdgnews.  Read the following exchanges (in reverse chronological order, with the newest tweet top):

JimAnning: @getreading Ta - pleased that theres now a great one-stop-shop for local #rdg news at #rdgnews - looking forward to seeing how it develops 

getreading: Happy to use #rdgnews from now on for general getreading feeds. We will only use #rdg for breaking news and big events listings. Happy? 

JimAnning: @getreading had gd conv with @rdgchronicle - they’ve moved their feed to #rdgnews - keeping #rdg for other stuff + urgent breaking news

getreading: @JimAnning We feed stories which we think will interest people in #rdg We don’t put everything up - v. interested in feedback 

getreading: #Rdg West MP Martin Salter ‘texting’ during debate http://bit.ly/IGmEZ (expand) 

amykate: people of #rdg do you all use tweettabs to track #rdg #rdgnews and #rdgtweetup? http://tweettabs.com/ - try it, works great 

JimAnning: Top marks to @rdgchronicle for engaging with the #rdg twitter community and moving their newsfeed to #rdgnews

craigyd: Am actually a lil annoyed with @rdgchronicle suddenly hijacking the #rdg tag…. If I want the news i’ll follow you. Thats what you do…

JimAnning: Glad to see @rdgchronicle engaging in debate on how to best use #rdg hashtag: @getreading - whats your view?

rdgchronicle: Hmmm. #rdg hashtag debate slightly academic at the mo actually as, erm, Twitterfeed appears to have fallen over. It wasn’t us. Probably.

akamike: @rdgchronicle As @TheSourceress suggested perhaps an #rdgnews tag would be better, #rdg for breaking news only (like @JimAnning’s example)

akamike: @davidjohnpowell I think in that case it is fine to use #rdg, as long as it isn’t a constant barrage of self-promotion.

getreading: #Rdg West MP Martin Salter deep in thought during the debate to choose the new Speaker of the Commons… http://tinyurl.com/mf2zv2 (expand)

rdgchronicle: #rdg hashtag debate then. Would ppl prefer us to keep it off our Twitterfeed stuff and keep it for pure breaking news risking duplication?

akamike: @TheSourceress @JimAnning I suppose. While #rdg doesn’t get a huge amount of use now, it could expand. #rdgnews sounds good to me!

TheSourceress: @JimAnning Careful Jim - don’t start a panic! #rdg

davidjohnpowell: @JimAnning @TheSourceress @akamike What if you want to publicise somthing in #rdg?

JimAnning: @TheSourceress @akamike agree - perhaps keep #rdg for more personal stuff - or for urgent breaking news - like ‘entire town on fire’

akamike: @TheSourceress Fair enough they are sharing a lot of links to their site but they are related to #rdg. No where near as bad as @HabitatUK

akamike: @TheSourceress I may be missing something here but isn’t the #rdg tag for that use? Information/news for Reading? I don’t see how it is spam

TheSourceress: Loving the way that @rdgchronical ignores us all and continues to spam the #rdg hashtag via twitterfeed - very classy!

The prolific political blogger Oranjepan has published an interesting (and unique, I believe) analysis of the Berkshire blogosphere.

Oranjepan compiled a list of most influential Berkshire blogs in June 2009 (based on Wikio rankings), with John Redwood’s Diary in top position. The other titles in the top 5 were listed as Boulton & Co., Mark Reckons, Richard Willis’s Blog and Redlands Libdems. Oranjepan’s own blog (Reading List) occupied 6th place. 

Other influential blogs such as Scary Duck, MuckspReading (now discontinued) and Jane’s the one (now moved) were mentioned in the analysis, and Oranjepan concluded by summing up the local political blog landscape as follows:

In total Reading List records 9 Conservative bloggers, 8 Liberal Democrat, 5 Green Party, 2 Libertarian, 1 Liberty & Solidarity Party, 1 Common Sense Party and 1 Independent blogger in addition to the 4 ‘celebrity’, 4 ‘comedy’ and other unaffiliated, non-partisan sites. Reading List also claims two national journalist sites which fit the description of a blog.