Interesting and mysterious, someone has a reason for asking in this thread what bands would you like to come to Folkestone..? Anyone care to chip in? Being at least vaguely realistic, I nominate The Magic Numbers, Super Furry Animals, David Devant and his Spirit Wife, Belle and Sebastian, and Suede... well vaguely realistic...

Tickets, concert tickets, gig tickets, more ticket info to go here

A little feature on the regeneration. What regeneration? Sounds like this article was written a few years ago, they even have a quote from the long departed The Quarter magazine... Nice to see anyway, hope to see some more progress to live up to the hype soon.

Anyone go to the Creative Quarter open day yesterday? Couldn't make it myself :-(

Walked past last night, it's not ready to reopen yet (looks like half the kitchen is in the dining room) but work is definitely underway... hopefully it will be open again soon.

The line up consists of Henning Wehn, Liam Mullone, Jim Smallman and a newcomer’s act.

Henning Wehn is the German Comedy Ambassador to the UK. He calmly and clinically debunks the idea that Germans do not have a sense of humour.

Henning does this by shamelessly exposing the British stereotypes of Germans and poking considerable fun at the German nation, its interesting past and current concerns. He can be controversial, but is always great fun. Come and laugh out loud.

Reviews

“It was great to see Henning at Jongleurs on Friday. He was absolutely hilarious. A very intelligent comedian who cleverly dissects his own jokes, and is able to laugh at himself. He plays an excellent character and has thought about every detail, even down to his clothes and choice of stopwatch! A funny, unique act. We will definitely see him again”

“It was a pleasure to see a new face at Jongleurs this weekend with the arrival on the circuit of popular German comic Henning Wehn. As Henning reaches the stage he immediately offsets the usual I-think-I'm-better-than-you German stereotype by being self-deprecating in both manner and appearance. He has a provocative line in international humour poking fun at both his country and himself with a killer gag about sectarianism and Jews. Joyful to watch, looking forward to having him back in a few weeks.”

Chortle May 2008

Liam Mullone launched his comedy career in October 2002, quickly winning the respect of promoters in and around London with an act that, according to veteran comic Bob Mills, is based around "not really understanding how the world works".

He reached the final stages of several major competitions and appeared on ITV's Take The Mike and the BBC New Talent Awards showcase on BBC Three. Just 10 months after first setting foot on a stage he was spotted by Avalon and joined their Comedy Network team for Autumn 2003. He is now performing all over the UK.

His act relies on his sharp, florid way with words and surreal flights of intellectual fancy that is belied by a faltering, perplexed style.

Reviews

“Stunning stuff, delivered with sincerity and style. Kept the whole room mesmerised. Didn't hear a single thing I'd heard before either. Now my fourth favourite comedian! (There's 50 is my chart so not bad)”

“An awesome act. Why has Liam never won a major competition? He certainly should be a big name, and stands out head and shoulders above most acts on the circuit. Intelligent material delivered in a wonderful, whimsical style. Unique.”

Chortle

“Makes a disparate crowd laugh together about life's absurdities”

Leicester Mercury

Jim Smallman is a full-time stand-up comedian based in Leicester. He has been performing to acclaim for the past 3 and a half years He was a Laughing Horse new act finalist in 2006, and Equity Comedian of the Year finalist in 2007. Has performed in front of 2000 people at the Leicester Comedy Festival Preview Show (very positive review of this on Chortle) and has performed the full spectrum of gigs - from packed student union, rowdy "stag and hen" filled venues to debuting his hour long show in 2007's Leicester Comedy Festival to a sold-out audience and very positive response.

Reviews

"Anarchic and matey in equal measures, Smallman boasts a masterful rapport with the audience and clearly takes much delight in pushing the comedy boundaries... his manic energy was easily picked up by the punters" Coventry Evening Telegraph

"An endearing and arresting onstage presence divulging finely crafted autobiographical anecdotes laced with deliciously dark humour. A welcome addition to any evening of quality stand-up. "

Anthony J Brown - Promoter

"I've worked with Jim Smallman for over three years and countless gigs, and he has never failed to enliven and invigorate each night whether doing one of his twisted sets or as an MC. He's the sort of act that audiences talk about and remember..."

Adnan Ahmed, Bottle Rocket Comedy

Update from Lone Star Comedy, rah they're moving back into the town centre! We can go, and we can walk home!

New Venue: We are delighted to announce that in January we will move the monthly show back to our spiritual home, the Lanterns in Folkestone Town Centre.

Located above Mustangs and the Folkestone Snooker Club (close to Wetherspoons) the Lanterns is being totally refurbished and will provide a superb new venue for the comedy club. We will be able to offer table service throughout the evening and food!

Other stuff:

Folkestone Foundation and Lonestar will be putting together a Comedy Festival in 2009 - watch out for details (we will send them to you!)

We will be putting together a number of one off events throughout 2009 at various venues – watch out for details (we will send them to you!)

Everyone's doing vouchers at the moment, Got a Pizza Express discount voucher here on this site, 20% off, Sunday - Thursday only though.

Excellent pub, good friendly atmosphere. Food was really great, tasty, good value, cheap and didn't take long to arive. Great choice in real ale and most pints were priced at about GBP2 cheapest I have seen in this area. Well recommend a visit.

Just seen a poster at work. Actually this was open ages ago, we went there for New Years once when Chambers cancelled. Some kind of relaunch then. There will be a DJ and live entertainment:

Opening Friday 14th November @ 18:00 – 23:00

with; DJ JDP spinning ALL your favourites, Jessica Mcgarry (our favourite) singing soul songs both new & old, plus others....

Saturday Night 15th November @ 18:00 – 23:00

With Dj Steve Hubbard and Dj Steve Marwood playing the best in all things house, warming you up for your big night out.

Sunday Soul Sessions 16th November @ 18:00 – 23:00

Feat. an easy listening Acousitc set by Mark Howard

"The Bar Below" is located underneath "The View" restaurant, The top of remembrance hill, Folkestone.

I was there when the Ramones played the Canterbury odean (now called the Marlowe theatre)and i have to say its one of those nights I'll never forget.I'm glad i found this site because i was a bit unsure of the date they played. Thanks

Just been to our first Literary Festival event of this year, Susie Dent, very good though there were a few technical issues. If you're going to David Starkey say, and think you might want to get a book signed by him, why not order it from Amazon and take it along? A massive 50% saving if you do! A little credit crunch tip for you, thank me when you see me...

The Woodville Halls seems to be undergoing a change for the better with a comedy club, high profile names, new seats, spanking new bar and on site cafe. I attended the comedy night which was set for an intimate atmosphere with the headline act Hattie Hayridge (previously on Red Dwarf as Holly the computer) and it was fantastic. I understand that the comedy is going to continue (hooray!) and that the Ministry of Sound might be visiting. Worth a visit these days!

always a lovely Roast no matter how many people in the group there are, beef georgeous

I was a founder member of Wilde Flowers along with my brother Hugh Hopper, Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers and later included Dave & Richard Sinclair. We were based in Canterbury and were the originators of the 'Canterbury Sound' which later spawned two successful bands: Soft Machine and Caravan. As Wilde Flowers we played many gigs in the mmid-sixties in Kent and Sussex and London and at Tofts we had a regular slot and it was one of our favourite venues especially as we supported a lot of big name artists - Brian

The Holloways play the LCH, get tickets here. Not yet sold out, no need for ebay (yet). Support from local acts Underground Heroes and Seven Storey Down, full press release to follow.

More dates nationally, at cosier venues than we get here, guess Folkestone doesn't have many places for bands to play:

Thu 30/10/08 Oxford Zodiac Find Tickets

Fri 31/10/08 Sheffield Leadmill Find Tickets

Sat 01/11/08 University of London Union

Mon 10/11/08 Southampton Joiners Arms Find Tickets

Fri 28/11/08 Leas Cliff Hall Find Tickets

Tue 02/12/08 Wolverhampton Civic Hall Find Tickets

Tickets, concert tickets, gig tickets, more ticket info to go here

Press release, as promised:

Built on a passion for music and a unique ambition, Hevy aspires to deliver live music events that showcase the greatest upcoming bands from Kent and across the UK. Founders James Dutton and Claire Baker (both 21 and from Canterbury) celebrate the company's first birthday this November by bringing The Holloways to the Leas Cliff Hall for a one-off event, with support from two of Kent's greatest upcomings bands: Underground Heroes and Seven Story Down.

Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone

Friday 28th November 2008

Doors 7:00pm

Tickets GBP14.50

Box Office 0844 847 1776

www.hevy.co.uk

www.leascliffhall.org.uk

THE HOLLOWAYS - Headlining

Even the dustiest and most-dated of indie dancefloors rocked with the trigger finger twangs of 'Generator', 'Dance Floor' and 'Two Left Feet' in 2007. Their prayers to your feet made sure that The Holloways were one of the year's main attractions, and now they're back with a new EP, 'Sinners & Winners'.

The Holloways first album 'So this is Great Britain?' garnered them a great deal of attention for their perfectly taut guitar-jangling ditties. Fans flocked to sold-out shows up and down the country. Festival favourites, this year saw them hit Get Loaded in the Park and Glastonbury with their gleeful stage performance. So for the infamous second album, the boys trundled off to the famous Sawmills Studio (the birthplace of classic albums from Supergrass, Muse and Oasis). And then suddenly it all stopped. Their record label TVT had gone bust. Yet the boys knew what they had to do and pulled out all the stops to complete their songs with imaginary money, plus found a new label. Finally, here we are with a finished EP, and a slew of promising tracks in the form of the album 'Tales From the Tarmac' to follow early next year,

"It was a real struggle when TVT went under," nods vocalist Alfie Jackson. "We weren't expecting it at all, but I think you have to adapt to what gets thrown at you, and it meant that we were all so personally entailed in what we had to do to get our tracks out. Our fans have been incredible."

Joyous, sentimental, yet bafflingly easy, The Holloways new tunes bring a sensibility of the strong melodies that have laid the tracks before them. Suddenly one of Agness Deyn's favourite bands are looking sharp and fresh, something confirmed by the EP. There's no questioning the band's identity with 'Sinners & Winners'; the band's radio-destined familiar harmonies and flippant lyrics puncture your ear. 'PSB's optimistic fiddle-riddled quirk lightens your day while the staggeringly beautiful choral combination of 'Forever' is a tranquil finale.

Live, the boys are a boisterous affair. The combined energy of Alfie Jackson (vocals / guitar / harmonica), Rob Skipper (vocals, guitar, fiddle), Bryn Fowler (bass/vocals) and Dave Danger (drums) is why the boys' create such an atmosphere of an Irish knees-up in the dingy gig venues of Britain. The only way to find out is to catch them yourself.

UNDERGROUND HEROES

Influenced by their heroes The Specials, The Jam and The Clash, they are the sound of booze-sodden, fag smoking, cheap drug taking, concrete Britain. Lyrically they are inspired by the day to day life they know - the fights, night life, friends, birds - and the identikit town they live in.

Otherwise known as brothers Aaron(19) and Joe Dollimore(17), George Penfold(21) and Jak Miller(19), Underground Heroes are the product of two rival local bands. Aaron and George met on the Kent circuit in early 2005 and hit it off immediately. They started writing together, working round George's shifts in the studio engineering for drum n' bass producers and Aaron's day job fitting double-glazing. Shortly afterward they were joined by Joe on the drums and Jak on the bass, and by 7/7 they'd christened their newly formed band. It was watching the footage on TV of paramedics and fire fighters rescuing victims of the terrorist attack on the London Underground while listening to The Libertines song 'Time for Heroes', that inspired their name.

After rehearsing for several months in the Dollimore's basement Underground Heroes played their first gig at the well respected local venue "The Beacon Court". It went well. They were invited back the following week to perform at a 'battle of the bands' competition, which they duly went on to win. More local gigs in and around the Medway towns followed including the legendary "Tap n Tin" where the likes of The Libertines, Gallows and The Charlatans have all performed.

By the summer of 2006 the Underground Heroes branched out from Kent, supporting The View on a toilet tour in Scotland, playing the smaller summer UK festivals and doing their first international gig - Ibiza Rocks Festival. By November the band got together their own tour, playing club NME'S up and down the country.

To date they've released two limited edition singles. James Endeacott's label 1965 Records, released the bands first outing on wax, the ska tinged "Stella The Mistress" and the follow up, 'Alright Darlin'?', a slice of spiky power pop punk produced by Paul Epworth, was released on Loog Records last August. Both singles sold out within a few weeks and garnered support from the likes of NME, XFM, Zane Lowe, Colin Murray and John Kennedy.

Since then the boys have shared stages with the likes of The View, Kasabian, Towers of London, Little Man Tate, The Cribs, The Metros, The Holloways, Kate Nash and Lily Allen, as well as playing Glastonbury in 2007 and 2008.

2008 had become the year Underground Heroes become overground heroes. They've begun work on their debut album, due for release later this year.

SEVEN STORY DOWN

One of the leading lights in the Kent Indie scene, Seven Story Down are a four piece Kent who play an exciting brand of alternative pop. Their self-released debut single 'Radio Song' reached 23 in the UK indie charts in July of 2006, helped significantly by an extensive touring schedule and plays by Radio One Djs, Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq.

The band are now consolidat1ng ideas for their debut album and are looking to further push themselves as songwriters and develop new and exciting music for 2009.

Please can you tell me if there are records of Josephine Butler's visit to Folkestone in her campaign against the Contagious Diseases Act on the last quarter of the 19thC

CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR

SATURDAY

22nd NOVEMBER 2008

10 a.m. to 3.30 p.m.

AT THE VILLAGE HALL

There is a wide range of stalls this year, perfect for buying unusual Christmas presents or cards from local producers or even a little something for yourself.

Pottery, ceramics painted glass, handmade creams and soaps, jewellery, cards, beadwork, turned wood and bags, knitted toys and knit wear, crochet items, quilted items, crafts and gifts bookmarks, angel and tarot cards, sugar craft and Christmas cup cakes etc.

Refreshments * Tombola

Admission: By Donation to Village Hall

Tel: 01303 211480 to book a stall or for further details if required

www.capelleferne.info

hi its chris here how come you dint give me a letter for this 3weeks of

Dear Gerald - I am desperate to get 2 tickets for Sandi Toksvig's gig on Nov 8 - they are sold out and the office say no refunds are given so NOONE will send theirs back. Any ideas?

Clare Baker

... the opening of a most glorious exhibition, titled Shed of Leaves, by artists from Folkestone based group, White Shed, who are gaining quite a reputation for diverse and interesting exhibitions. The works on show all have a literary theme or connection, including a mannequin inscribed with the cautionary words of a mother to her daughter and abstract canvases bearing the words of the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke. The exhibition has been put together to offer a visual feast during Folkestone's renowned and vibrant Literary Festival.

The exhibition Shed of Leaves runs 31 October to 13 November

10am – 5pm daily at The Neville Pundole Gallery

Exhibiting artists:

Deborah Crofts

Nicholette Goff

Sally Higgs

John Howard

Giles Illsley

Cheryl Papasian

Sharon Rouse

Mark Sutherland

Gillian White

As a semi-regular visitor to Folkestone from the US, I'd enjoy looking through a webcam now and again. The usual googling hasn't turned up anything. Can anyone recommend a Folkestone webcam?