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Mark Felgate is a man with unique talents. His startling abilities as a ventriloquist, combined with a wickedly daft sense of humour, have helped him become a sought after act on the stand-up comedy circuit. Performing without a dummy, Mark throws his voice to create side splitting routines on school life, freaking out drunks and pallbearers and [...]

M:E:E:T artists group, a ‘combination of Come Dine with Me TV programme and Make:Exchange:Evolve:Together’, is on this Friday. When relaunching the M:E:E:T in December, Deborah said: ‘As with the original concept of M:E:E:T, peer critique of work is the heart of this endeavour, so bring work/ideas that you would like to discuss…. or just yourself!’ Come M:E:E:T [...]

Rochford District Council would like to commission an artist to design and produce an artwork to go inside Rochford’s ‘glass bead’ as part of the county-wide Sparks Will Fly project. Rochford’s ‘glass bead’ will be presented at the annual Wild Woods Day event in Hockley on 2 June and feature in the finale of Sparks Will Fly [...]

Thomas Truax comes back to the Railway Hotel with his extraordinary show. Truax travels the world with his collection of self-made instruments, the instruments that look like they’ve come straight out of a Tim Burton movie. Here are some of the titles of his instruments: the Hornicator, Sister Spinster, Mother Superior, the Backbeater, the Stringaling, Mary [...]

Another film event from The White Bus brings you Black Swan , a film from 2010. 107mins / Certificate ‘15’ Tickets: £6.00 Bar opens 6pm / Film starts 7.30pm Nina, a ballerina in New York City, lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother, who exerts a suffocating control over her, and is completely consumed with dance. When artistic [...]

This Saturday, both  Son of Buff and Monkey Island play live at the Railway Hotel. MONKEY ISLAND will be promoting their new 10″ vinyl record release Defunctus Est- a double header with the Island’s mainman Pete Bennett’s The Dublo‘. It’s an 8-track album which is also downloadable. Birdsong by Monkey Island Local band SON OF BUFF, also playing that [...]

This ‘Valentines’ exhibition based on love and belonging is Miss Annabel Dee*’s and the artist Cherry Ann Hall ’s first solo exhibition. Cherry Ann Hall works under the pseudonym ‘EssexGirl’. Her paintings and prints will be shown in the gallery from Monday 6th February – Saturday 25th February. There will be a drinks reception held Saturday 11th February 12-4.30pm for the opportunity [...]

The year of the Dragon has started and there is a range of family-friendly events lined up in Southend town centre today, check out the programme below! The celebration will culminate in a colourful lantern parade starting in Royal Square at 4pm followed by a fabulous firecracker finale in York Road at 4.30pm. Dawn Jeakings, Manager of [...]

Local filmmakers are invited to participate in the 2012 SFF short film competition . Apply before 28 March . The competition highlights the creative talent across Southend, Rochford and Castle Point. Winning entrants will see their work presented at the Southend Film Festival which will take place over the first Bank Holiday Weekend in May 2012. Guidelines: Open to all individuals and [...]

Colchester band,  Singing Dig , are playing live at The Railway Hotel tomorrow. Singing Dog is: Gareth George – Guitar, Vocals / Patrick Auer – Drums / Duncan Boon – Bass They describe themselves as ‘ A blues-tinged melting pot, frothing with punk and metal, influenced by Lemmy, Jimi Hendrix and Maria Sharapova ‘. And say about their name: ‘ The name [...]

The new exhibition at White Wall Space will feature work by music photographer Dean Chalkley . Titled ‘Look Hear’, it will open from 7pm, followed by a live music event from ‘New Street Adventure’ and DJ sets upstairs at the Ship from 8.30 till 1am. Dean Chalkley grew up in Southend on Sea and started taking photographs in 1988: [...]

The Laughing Pod is offering a discount for their comedy night tonight – 2 for 1. CHRIS MAYO - Chris Mayo has been performing stand up on the UK comedy circuit since 2005. In 2008 he moved to North London, and can now be found performing most nights at venues across the country. As well as being regarding [...]

Next week will see the opening of exhibition by Katie Surridge selected by Grenville Davey for a onsite residency at TAP. London-based artist Katie Surridge spent one month in TAP’s Winch room making new work, and six runner up artists are exhibiting in the rest of the gallery. She has developed an ambitious installation, taking ownership of the Winch [...]

Members of the art classes held by Andrew Hall are exhibiting at the Studio XI until this Saturday. In total three groups meet for classes every week, from beginners to watercolour and oil painting. Watch the video interview with Andrew Hall to find out more: The gallery is open 10 am – 4pm STUDIO XI Gallery, 11 [...]

Traditionally, The Southend Carnival takes place in August but to avoid clashing with Olympic, they’re moving the dates this year. Check the 1955 film of the Carnival below… Chris Charles, the Southend Carnival Association’s chairman told Echo that they are hoping to attract more people, especially those that prefer the event being held outside school holidays. [...]

This Saturday, a gala at the Palace Theatre celebrates the theatre’s 100th birthday. The gala launches the Palace Theatre’s centenary year with local amateur and youth groups presenting a show which ‘takes the Palace back to its variety roots’. The Palace Theatre opened on Monday 21st October 1912. The Palace Theatre Club and Southend Theatres have worked together [...]

Find out more about the Southend Young Creatives and their show that ends tomorrow. The exhibition at Beecroft Art Gallery, a third exhibition by SYC, was something put together at last minute but includes fresh work by local artists that present themselves as Southend Young Creatives. As Peter Brenchley , one of three founders of the group beside Charlotte Hopson [...]

Last Friday Shorts is an evening of experimental film and video at TAP. Free entry. 7.30-8.30 Films with introduction: EDWIN ROSTRON: Visions of the Invertebrate is a collaboration between artist Edwin Rostron and musician Supreme Vagabond Craftsman. The film uses a hybrid process of hand-drawn animation, digitally coloured and assembled.  OLIVIA HUMPHREYS: Oneironauts – The Dream Travellers + [...]