In 2008 I was asked to perform in Brighton’ s Bom-Banes Cafe. From 2008-2017 I performed many shows at Bom-Banes, incorporating my stories, artwork and sounds.
Bom-Banes Cafe is run by Jane Bom-Bane. Here she is:
Here is Jane talking about Bom-Banes Cafe:
Here are a few of the flyers I made:
These were memorable shows. Like they don’t say about the sixties: If you can’t remember it, you weren’t there.
My spoken word adventures began in 1999 at the now legendary arts cinema Brighton Cinematheque on Middle Street where Mel Absolon organised cabarets consisting of short films and performances.
These were eclectic, exciting events. I performed wearing an oversized top hat with holes for eyes and mouth in the spirit of DaDa and Cabaret Voltaire.
I remember one evening a virtual fireplace which filled the cinema screen behind me as I performed suddenly being replaced with the words ‘Not for public screening’. ‘Oh,’ I remember saying, ‘it’s gone out.’
Brighton Cinematheque was a fantastic phenomenon where, in exchange for a pound or for nothing at all, you could see a Kenneth Anger movie, a John Waters double bill or work by local artists such as ourselves. Here is a great article about it… Memories of Brighton Cinematheque: https://www.lazaruscorporation.co.uk/articles/cinematheque-changing-reels
It was during this time that my top hat shrank to a more manageable size and grew an eye.