Cabaret Thirty

Kirsten Savage, Mabh Savage, Freya Creaton, Billy Humphries, Samantha Crossfield, Lewis King, Alicia Fernandez Photo Richard Wilcocks

Richard Wilcocks writes:

This time, it came right. A year ago, when I first gathered in a crop of young upstarts from far and near, the evening was a long, rather straggly thing. Sure, the talent and the enthusiasm was there, but the timing was out, with no interval and what should have been a second half marked by people sneaking out for toilet breaks. I also felt the need, back then, to provide flapjacks and chocolate cake, for reasons which seemed good at the time. On Friday 17 March 2016, each act was well-timed in advance by the performers, we had an interval and those plagued by hunger (not many) or in need of a drink were able to visit the HEART café. No flapjacks on the tables, just vases of daffodils and feedback forms.

In addition, sensitive to being told off last year for not saying enough when introducing the acts, I agreed on some salient snippets in advance. We all now know that Kirsten Savage, for example, not only owns a bunny called Tyrion, but that she was wearing a wig: the lovely waist-length hair she had last year is now gone, sheared off to raise money for the Macmillan Nurses. We also know that Lewis King is one half of a comedy act, and pretty amusing when appearing solo. All of the ones who were in the same room in March 2016 have, in my firm opinion as a temporary impresario, firmed up, progressed and developed. As all of them have already indicated that they want to step forward again next year, I am imagining that we are in for a really superb gala evening in 2018. And then there’s the terrific newcomers, all of whom are invited to take part in the next LitFest!

Jade Verbick writes:

It’s always exciting to see a showcase of the incredible talent possessed by young people. With a mixture of music, short stories, and poetry, Cabaret Thirty contained a wide variety of talents. At times I found myself laughing, crying, awed by the immense skill that this group of young people possess. While everyone who participated was incredible in their own right, there are a few acts that stuck out for me. 

Alicia Fernandez recited poetry about, among other things, planets, radios, and Doc Martens. Her poems were short, beautiful, and resonated with me. The feeling conveyed in her work was honest and relatable, and I would love to hear more from her. Another incredible act was Freya Creaton. Her music was incredibly catchy, with her beautiful voice and excellent guitar skills. Her songs stuck with me long after the cabaret came to an end. Lastly, Lewis King’s short stories were very entertaining. Filled with humour and suspense, both of his stories were refreshing. I would love to hear more. I cannot wait to see where this group will go in the future.

Tamsin Scott writes:

If there’s one way to be reminded of your procrastination, it is to attend an open mic night for people under 30. Not only did I feel inspired to pick up every hobby I can think of, but I was astonished by the talent that young people have. As a 20 year old myself, I’m constantly in awe of how much people can accomplish in such a short amount of time. However, what shocked me most about Cabaret Thirty was the absolute variety of the talent. 

There were a number of singers, but all of them stood out for different reasons. Whether it was Billy Humphries’ songs that made me inexplicably nostalgic for a summer I had a few years ago, or Kirsten and Mabh Savage’s extraordinary vocals that filled the whole room with a kind of bubbling excitement, there was something for everyone. I never found myself bored, and after every act I found myself not wanting them to leave the stage. I was also struck by the emotion behind Samantha Crossfield’s short story, which although set on a tube took the audience places far beyond. The idea of a mother’s love for her child is something so tender, and Croswell managed to capture that within only 5 minutes. Working at Headingley LitFest has inspired me to no end, and seeing young people perform so beautifully has made me pick up a pen for the first time in years.

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Sally Bavage adds:It was delightful to see Freya Creaton  perform her own songs to her guitar: she was one of the original poets from the Own Your Words group at the poetry workshops financed by local councillors at Ralph Thoresby school for the past four years. Four of her supporters from the school came along too, and some hope to perform in next year's Cabaret 30.  Freya was clear that she would never have got into singing her own rather elegiac songs if it hadn't been for the start the poetry work at school had given her.  A lovely route to progression, thanks to the sponsors of our extensive community programme.

Also

It was great that a couple of Leeds university students, Tamsin Scott and Jade Verbick, were able to come along as  volunteers to help with the event.  Good to see them at an event with the artists and audience in their age group!

Audience Comments

Awesometacular.  Fantabulosical.  Brilligular.  Wonderpendous.  So good I had to invent my own adjectives.

Better, much better, than I anticipated.  Lovely atmosphere and talented entertainment.  Hope to return next year.

The event was superb and a great way to spend my Friday evening.  I hope to attend and take part next year.

Excellent evening, incredibly talented artists.  Very comfortable, beautiful atmosphere.

A fascinating evening of music and poetry.  The venue has a nice warm intimate feeling.

Hello!  This evening was awesome!! Very fun and well-paced.  I think everyone should be able to take something away from this event.

A diverse range of performances, very enjoyable!  The venue is great and the atmosphere is welcoming and warm.  Good mix of music and spoken word.

Good variety of performances and friendly venue.  Impose time limit on performances.

A wonderful opportunity for younger artists to share their voice in a friendly atmosphere!  A fun variety.

The music was great.  Stand-up comedy would have been a good thing to have, but I have no talents so my criterion is not to be taken seriously.  Keep Freya and Kirsten for the next one.

Really important showcase and opportunity for young artists to perform.

I'm really grateful for this sort of event – it's crucial to promote local young talent!  It's been a delightful and inspiring evening  :)

Enjoyed it very much, very good performances by all and a good mix of different styles and artforms.

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Some people's performances could benefit from the use of the microphone.

Amit Dhand: Streets of Darkness #crimefiction

Emily Gibbons writes:

Amit Dhand with interviewer James Nash

Headingley LitFest had another brilliant and insightful event with local pharmacist Amit Dhand, who was promoting his novel, Streets of Darkness. The book has been hailed as ‘Luther meets The Wire’, with its dark subject matter and dramatic style. Dhand was in conversation with James Nash, another local talent, and the dynamic between the two was engaging and humorous, hugely contributing to the friendly atmosphere at the event. It was lovely to see such a local turn out, as the majority of the attendees knew Dhand from his pharmacy and so had a personal investment in the work.

Dhand spoke a lot about the publishing industry itself, and the importance of editing. As he said, ‘writing is rewriting’, and for each novel he writes he ‘burns’ around 60,000-70,000 words in order to make it the best it can be. Whether you’re a student, poet, or novelist yourself, the importance of editing cannot be underestimated, and as Dhand said, you can’t control what happens to your work once it is submitted into the world of publishing.

The most interesting discussion at the event was about how the book is situated within current debates of diversity. Dhand observed the lack of well-written Asian characters in media, and his book aims to fill this gap by writing about real situations and complex characters, and not resorting to tropes or racist stereotypes. He also said he actively tries to include characters from all walks of life in his books, which is reflected in Streets of Darkness, and particularly in the upcoming television adaption and subsequent novels in the series. The evening concluded with a reading of the prologue of Girl Zero, the next DI Harry Virdee book, and a room full of people about to embark on a new crime adventure.

Lucy Radnedge writes:

In stark contrast to the dark nature of his novel Streets of Darkness, Amit Dhand is Headingley’s very own charming Pharmacist, a husband and father. He began writing comedy, not surprising as his witty temperament shone through, and then moved into crime fiction. Greatly amusing the fellow audience and myself, Amit shared that his love for crime narratives sparked when he used to sneak downstairs as a young teen to watch scary movies his parents had banned him from watching. 

Despite being advised by several editors that three separate narratives was too much too handle, his passion to succeed never ceased because for Amit one narrative was just not enough! His ten years of hard work, writing and rewriting has certainly paid off as Headingley’s residents and I relished seeing our local pharmacist reach the bookstore charts.

Sally Bavage adds:
LitFest was pleased once again to have support from three lovely Leeds University students: Emily Gibbons, Lucy Radnedge and Tricia Ramsey.  They were a great help at a packed event.

Audience Comments

Excellent interview with AAD.  James Nash sympathetic and allowed Amit to be himself.  Some interviewers don't.  Amit v honest, funny and interesting.

Great event.  Very lovely chap.  Entertaining evening and look forward to reading the book.

Excellent presentation from a creative writer at the heart of our community. More of the same!

A very engaging speaker (although I arrived late and had to sit at the back, so didn't hear everything despite my new hearing aids).  He seems to have really enjoyed becoming a writer, although it has been hard work.  One certainly felt one would like to read more of his words.

A wonderful evening – fascinating and absorbing.  Will definitely follow this writer. 

Deep and honest impression of the writing of this book and interesting comments from the audience.

How very refreshing to listen to a writer with feet so firmly on the ground. I also very much liked the lack of 'political correctness' and as a resident of Bradford look forward to a lift in the national view of the city.

Can't wait to read this book.  Very interesting evening and very funny.

Very interesting talk, great to hear a local author at the start of what is going to be an exciting career as a writer.

A wonderful event, a compelling talk.

Dev Patel as Harry Virdee?  A A Dhand absolutely charming and thoughtful.  Great insight into his way of writing – formulaic perhaps – but effective!

Good show.  Enjoyed listening to someone who is treading a different path.

Excellent event, very well hosted.  Refreshing to come to an event and not just hear about the book 'Streets of Darkness' but be entertained.

Really inspiring, refreshing and enjoyable.  Thank you!

Very enjoyable event – added to an already very enjoyable book.

Great set up,  interesting night and good host.

Great event – well managed via chairs, questions and a writer who could also talk well about writing.

Very interesting talk

A terrific evening with a wonderful author/speaker (who I knew nothing about before, and don't even use his pharmacy).  Good interviewer and excellent audience.

Very interesting and enjoyable.  Nice man!  Thank you. And James (Ed: Nash, interviewer) did well too!

Really interesting and informative evening – thought the interviewer also did an excellent job.

Very good.  Interesting questions from the poet James Nash and witty humorous responses from Amit Dhand.  The local pharmacist angle was an extra bonus!

Excellent and insightful talk

Excellent talk.  Giving a good insight into the art of writing.  Presented in a humorous way.

Good to see a very local writer.  Conversation concept good.

Very interesting/articulate/informative.  Look forward to next book.

Excellent!  Very enjoyable.

Well done!  Refreshing open and helpfully informative about writing and publishing.  Clear and confident about himself as citizen and crime writer.  The local detail (Bradford and Leeds) was fascinating, lent the issues addressed (the discipline of writing, the question of identity) were immediate and very involving.

Really interesting and well presented.  Very enjoyable, well done.  The seating arrangement could have been better perhaps – have them (Ed: speakers) central rather than to the side.

Bought the book at the chemist!  Loved it and looking forward to reading the rest.  Thanks for the opportunity to meet the author (or I could pop to the chemist's!)

Very enlightening and good to hear opinions from the author on political correctness!

Most interesting interview – Amit comes across as a very pleasant and down-to-earth character – hope he continues to do well

Good comfortable venue.  Seemed very organised with lots of staff and started on time.  Nice balance of time for interview and time for audience questions.  Refreshments would have been nice, also microphones.

Amit is an excellent speaker – he had our attention all the way through.  Very entertaining evening.  Brilliant book!  Fascinating read.  Looking forward to the next book and another evening here!

The author talked interestingly and need no prompting.  In my opinion the second man on stage was unnecessary and almost interrupted the author's thought direction.

The speaker needs to stand up whilst speaking and to have a microphone.  Very large people should be dissuaded from a seat in the front row.

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