Viva Lewes - The what's on guide

Summer's here, and with it, what the newspapers call 'the silly season' when, because most newsmakers are sunning themselves on the beach, nothing much happens, and editors have to fill their pages with offbeat and hit-or-miss articles. There's a similar thing going on among the movers and shakers of the entertainment business in Lewes, too, because after the kids break up from school, the concerts, films and talks start drying up, too. Matters have been made worse by the closure of the All Saints Centre all August, for maintenance. We've taken advantage of the lull to take a little break ourselves, and are offering an extended guide this week. In other words, no spanking-new Viva Lewes webmags will be arriving in your inbox (or if you don't subscribe, flashing onto your screen at the right command) until Wednesday August 13th. Our offices (488882) will remain open for any advertising queries for this organ or the Viva Lewes Handbook; please continue to send in your pictures and messages. Thanks as ever to Marco Crivello for the use of his artwork above; this week's cover is a still from the movie Mongol, at the All Saints courtesy of Lewes Cinema on Sun 27th.

"By George...!" is an exhibition about one of Lewes' most influential sons, the printer George Baxter, who pioneered a fill-colour printing press which revolutionised the process. The Town Council has, over the years, amassed over 550 items of artwork from this remarkable entrepreneur, whose name is still printed proudly on the wall in School Hill on what used to be his printworks. Baxter, as well as printing, was a gifted artist who was invited by prince Albert to draw the coronation of Victoria and the christening of The Prince of Wales: he also brought The Great Exhibition of 1815 to life to those who didn't manage to visit.

Weekdays 10.30-5pm, except Tuesdays, 1pm-5pm. Sat and Sun 11-4.30pm. Free entry

Author and classical music journalist Jessica Duchen teams up with the highly active Lewes-based Sussex Hungarian Society for the paperback launch of her latest novel, Hungarian Dances, much of which is set in town. The novel concerns the personal journey of an English-born half-Hungarian violinist when she starts exploring the continental side of her family background. The entry price includes a glass of wine and canapes: hot Hungarian food and other drinks will be on sale.

Read the first three pages of Hungarian Dances
Check out Jessica's entertaining classical music blog

Old Needlemaker's Cafe, 7.30 for 8pm, £3.50, booking recommended here

A tasty friendly against our old rivals, Ryman League outfit Horsham, whose cup heroics so stirred the country last year. Star of the show on that historic run was British Deaf international Lee Farrell, who spent two years on Lewes' books. Lewes have started their run of six friendlies rather well, with a 4-0 stroll against t Francis Rangers, a highly creditable 1-1 draw against a strong Brighton and Hove Albion side, and a 2-0 win at Burgess Hill. The latest news is the signing of classy midfielder Michael Standing, a Shoreham lad who used to be a BHA trainee and moved to Aston Villa at the same time as the rather-more-subsequently-successful Gareth Barry.

Check out MOTD highlights of their 1-1 draw with Swansea last year, and Farrell's goal in their 4-1 win over Maidenhead.

A Brighton busking band in the style of Tragic Roundabout and Los Albertos. Pavarotty are a duo comprising Des Lawson on guitar and Pat Popov ('the Bernard Bresslaw of jazz') on clarinet. This duo take you through their wacky world of music, ranging from 20s swing classics to a gypsy-jazz version of the Mr Benn theme tune. It's carry on up the klezmer time, then: so Brighton, darling, but entertaining nonetheless.

Check out their myspace site

Pelham Arms, 8pm, free

The first of a two-part dramatisation of the life of revolutionary thinker Tom Paine, who lived in Lewes from 1768 to 1774, on Radio 4. The piece was commissioned by Sir Richard Attenborough, adapted from a script by Trevor Griffiths, and starts Jonathan Pryce as Paine. Next year, of course, marks the 2ooth anniversary of his death, to be marked by an international festival in Lewes. Print by satirical contemporary cartoonist James Gillray.

Read Trevor Griffiths in New Humanist Magazine on the production

BBC Radio 4, 2.30-4pm

A 500-strong assortment of vehicles, 'from pre-war motorbikes to kit cars' featuring a Rolls Royce with a Spitfire engine. There's a beer tent, the chance to get a ride on a 4x4, and a Wild West Shootout, for those that way inclined. And bouncy castles, birds of prey, face-painting, a dog show and a Punch and Judy show. Last year, 2000 mud guards were put to good use. Check out the website for more details.

Upper Lodge Farm, Broyle Estate, Ringmer, 10am-5pm, £6 adults, £4 kids and OAPs

Lucas, Spielberg and Ford get together again to bring the dashing palaeontologist out of retirement for what is hopefully his last adventure. This time we're in the throes of the Cold War, and some Russian agents have snuck into Nevada to try and harness the power of a crash-landed extra-terrestrial which can help the Kremlin gain world supremacy. Indie, of course, has different ideas, proving age hasn't withered him, nor custom stale his infite appetite for hanging onto ropes tied to the back of speeding vehicles. Harrison Ford, now 64, went on a fish and vegetable diet and through a three-hour daily gym routine for several months before shooting began; he insisted on doing all his own stunts.

Lewes Cinema, All Saints, 5pm, £5

A Russian-made biopic about the early years of Ghengis Khan's career as a land-grabbing warrior in the plains of Central Asia. Sergei Bodrov directs a well-researched, historically accurate, beautifully filmed mini-epic. 'You can almost smell the yurts and yak dung', writes Time Out's Tom Huddleston, whilst complaining that 'understanding of his motivation remains sketchy'. Total Film, on the other hand, call it 'a Mongolian Braveheart'.

Lewes Cinema, All Saints, 8pm, £5

Seven local musician-fans perform their set of Bob Dylan covers with a difference. Don't expect to hear nasally challenged imitations of the old maestro's songs: expect instead eclectically styled versions, reworked to suit the musicians in question, who take turns to step to the mic. Whisper it quietly, but it's been said that it's better than the real thing.

Anchor Inn, Barcombe Mills, 7.30 for 8pm, £8

Another chance to see Lewes' female morris team, who practice the North-Western form of the dance, wooden clogs and all. The Brighton Morris men are there in support. Harveys' Brewery tap will be selling their usual range of local beers, including bottled Lewes Castle, a bitter-sweet brew with a creamy head, recently voted 'Best Standard Dark Ale' in the World Beer Awards.

John Harvey Tavern, 8pm

2008 marks the 80th anniversary of the publication of Virginia Woolf's novel, a semi-autiobiographical paean to her intimate friend, Vita Sackville-West. Biographer Lyndall Gordon examines the nature of the relationship between the two women, after which there is a screening of the 1992 film based on the novel, starring Tilda Swinton as Orlando and Quentin Crisp as Elizabeth I. Jimmy Somerville, incidentally, appears in cameo as an angel.

Charleston Farmhouse, Firle, 7.30 pm, £16 ticket includes both events and a glass of wine. This is a Gay Outing event in conjunction with Brighton Pride.

A collection of figurative landscape paintings culled from the artist's travels in Ireland and Scotland, but never forgetting the romantic flame the artist carries for his native Wales. You might remember Martin from an exhibition he put on in the much-missed Thebes Gallery back in 2006.

Hop (formerly Star) Gallery, Castle Ditch Lane, open 10am-6pm daily, free

Another chance to see the Rudes' 2008 offering, a satirical tale about an evil property developer. This group practice the Italian art of commedia dell'arte, miming theatre with painted faces and daft hats. Something for everyone here: comedy for the kids, tragedy for the adults, and tragi-comedy for the teens.

Firle Cricket Ground, 7.30pm, tickets from 01323 501260 or here

Every month there's a theme to the market which fills the pedestrian precinct with local and organic goodies, cooked and raw: this time round it's optimistically called 'The Sunny Day' Market. Among other things, the winner of the tallest sunflower competition will be announced. Unlikely to beat, we imagine, the world record, a towering 25'5".

Pedestrian Precinct, 9am-1pm

A friendly against last season's Conference South rivals, FA Cup heroes Havant and Waterlooville. We beat then 4-0 at the Pan last season, but a hell of a lot of troubled water has passed under the bridge since then. Lewes fans might be forgiven for accidentally cheering on the wrong team, since four of last year's champions have since changed allegiance: Paul Booth, Gary Holloway, Ian Simpemba and Jay Conroy. Havant are favourites to win the Conference South this season, and we're favourites to go down, so it should be a close encounter, and a big crowd. Next up: it's the real thing.

Dripping Pan, 3pm, £5 adults, £2 pensioners, 14-16, kids free

A strange double bill this one. Jason Ringenberg was the lead singer of the cult 80s cowpunk band Jason and the Scorchers, who claimed they had 'their roots in country, their hearts in rock, and their heads in the gutter'. The band split up and Jason has carried on alone - in two different guises. In the first gig tonight, aimed at kids of all ages, he will be 'Farmer Jason', singing such sonmgs as A Guitar Pickin’ Chicken and The Tractor Goes Chug Chug Chug; the second in his more familiar role as a 100mph crowd-rouser, thrashing his electric guitar and holding onto his hat. All this in a marquee set in the misddle of nowhere on the banks of the Ouse. Plenty of parking: punters going to the second gig are invited to arrive an hour early and go for a row on the river.

The Anchor, Barcombe Mills. Farmer Jason, 5.30pm- kids £3, adults free. Jason Ringenberg, 8.30pm, adults £10, kids negotiable. Please ring Mike Lance in advance for tickets on 0787 907 6677.

'Look at my last gift to you; blood and sweetbread, nothing new.' This exhibition, enttled Shadows on the Downs, celebrates the work of two artists, painter Harold Mockford and poet Pam Hughes. The pair explore 'themes of life, death, light and dark inthe context of the Sussex landscape'. Mockford, of course, infuses a mystic quality into his moody landscapes, while Hughes writes about loss and alienation. The exhibition includes a number of Mockford works borrowed from private collectors.

Hop Gallery, Castle Ditch Lane, 10am-5pm daily

Not just any old flower show: the Glynde version, celebrating its 140th year. There are the usual accompaniments to such an event - a hog roast, a raffle, an auction, an ice cream van, and a group of African dancers. And there's always the Trevor to retire to if things get too hectic.

Recreation Ground, Glynde, 2pm

The Lewes-based purveyor of alternative punk and goth sounds takes you back to the 70's in a night he calls, imaginatively enough, Life on Mars (and more).

A hard-gigging purveyor of 'Medway Blues, Kris woke up this morning - in Kent. The blurb on his website does a good job of describing his music: ‘It may well fall into the category of blues, for those who like to pigeonhole things, but more than that, it is a truly human record,’ it reads. ‘You see the Mississippi isn’t the only river, or the only delta. Cotton isn’t the only crop. For that matter Chicago isn’t the only urban space. The late, great Eddie ‘Son’ House once said that there is only one kind of blues, that that occurs between a man and a woman. While this is debatable, it is certainly true that the blues has always contained universal truths.’ ‘Kris Dollimore,’ it continues, ‘isn’t from Missisippi, Chicago, Detroit, Georgia, Tennessee, or even Texas. But the haunting drive of his country blues, driven by the insistent stomp of his left foot is no less ‘authentic’. This music is real.' Ignore at your peril.

On Saturday Lewes kicked off their Conference campaign against Kidderminster; three days later and its the first home tie in the Rooks' history in a national league. It's ironic, then, that tonight's visitors have only had to drive thirty minutes down the A23 to get here. Crawley will fancy their chances against their new-look neighbours, but Lewes manager Kevin Keehan seems to have bought wisely over the summer, and his side, a classic blend of youth and experience, will be hoping to create a shock. In national league terms, this is a real local derby: expect a sizeable four-figure crowd including quite a large away following. And remember: the last result between these two teams was a well-earned 3-2 away victory by Lewes in the FA Cup, two seasons back.

Dripping Pan, 3pm, £12 adults, £6 14-16 and pensioners, £3 kids

Protesters from various different groups complaining against the gamut of new developments being built around town, in what is being called 'The New Battle of Lewes' got together on July 20th for an evening of 'jazz, cocktails and protest', the Slagg Lounge Party, which we previewed in the last edition of this mag. Brighton jazz band Indigo Blue, hired to play a few sets between the development stuff, could hardly believe their eyes as organiser Dave Burke put in a performance worthy of a Comedy Store headliner to introduce the piece, Dom Ramos delivered a lengthy satirical overview of the history of Lewes with a cushion up his jumper, and, to cap it all, several members of the audience got involved in a mock fist fight. Or at last we think it was mock. The evening served its purpose of helping to weld together various groups with different-but-essentially-the-same axes to grind, and to highlight the point that local demonstrations needn't be po-faced.