We Don't Believe in Christmas But....

Saturday 4th December: Nerve 17 Launches at The Bluecoat!

Lest we forget that there is the launch of the latest issue of your favourite magazine tomorrow afternoon! We'll be seeing you there from 4pm at the very central location of The Bluecoat in the Hub. There's so much going on and you can pick up the issue in physical form as well!

Click the cover to read online!

The Nerve Centre.

Liverpool: 'City of Radicals' 1911 - 2011.

Saturday 4th December @ the Bluecoat 4.30-8pm

Nerve 1911 Calendar/2011: City of Radicals Launch 

Liverpool, ‘City of Radicals’ 1911 - 2011:

In 1911 society was in ferment, a series of city-wide strikes shook Liverpool and radical artists rubbed shoulders with inspirational workers' leaders. 

NERVE's 2011 calendar celebrates this centenary through images and significant dates. Come along and find out more about how the Bluecoat and others will be marking next year as 'Liverpool, City of Radicals'. Saturday 4th Dec 2010 The Bluecoat, School Lane.


 

Events will include:

4.30pm: Bed-In
A series of readings and performances under the theme ‘People Not Profit’, taking in
events from Liverpool’s radical past.

6.00pm: The Liverpool Socialist Singers bring their own form of radicalism to the
proceedings.

6.15pm:  Bread and Gruel (‘Blind’ Scouse). Get a taste of 1911.

6.30pm: ‘Have Your Say’.

How can you join the celebrations of Liverpool’s past in 2011? This is an opportunity
to put forward your ideas and get involved.

For more details see: www.catalystmedia.org.uk, or ring 0151 709 9948

Nerve Magazine
96 Bold Street
Liverpool
L1 4HY
0151-709 9948
www.catalystmedia.org.uk

The Nerve Centre.  

Details: Calendar Launch at The Bluecoat.

Further details of the launch day have emerged from the void of the launch of Nerve's Calendar Launch at the Bluecoat:

http://www.catalystmedia.org.uk/images/1911_calendar_launch.pdf

More details as they appear!

The Nerve Centre.

News: 1911 Calendar Launch at Bluecoat Dec 4th!

It's a been a while since the last post here, but it's not because we're not working, far from it! Plans are being laid for the future of the Nerve Centre via many meetings, consultations etc and when the news drops, this blog will have it! 

For now, some news for the people involved with Nerve, and the loyal readers awaiting the next issue. On December 4th, at 6pm in the probably crisp evening, there will be a launch party for the 1911 Near to Revolution Calendar. No doubt there'll be the usual Nerve personages present, plus the chance to meet many more new people in the ever larger Nerve circle. 

In 1911 society was in ferment, a series of city-wide strikes shook Liverpool and radical artists rubbed shoulders with inspirational workers' leaders. Nerve's 2011 calendar celebrates this centenary through images and significant dates. Come along and see how Nerve, The Bluecoat and others will be marking next year as 'Liverpool, City of Radicals'!

Remember, December 4th, Bluecoat, 6pm...see you there!

The Nerve Centre

The Nerve Centre Interview: Anton Dolders

Lydiate based artist Anton Dolders may be familiar to you if you were at the Nerve stall during The Bold Street Festival a few weeks ago. The reason for that is simple - he was doing his artistry and sketching the view of the day as the public walked past and looked on. I looked at the pieces he did and couldn’t fail to be impressed. For such a seemingly modest person, his work is excellent and well worth the effort of seeing. I caught up with him recently and discussed his work and other such juicy topics.

You did some live drawing at The Bold Street festival, just in front of the Nerve Stall. How did it go?

I drew the architecture looking from Bold Street towards St Lukes. It was difficult once the festival became crowded so I drew whatever views were visible through the revelers; mainly the architecture higher up and returned to drawing at street level when the people had dissipated later in the day. In retrospect, I should have included more people in the picture but I started with rigid detail for the architecture and I would have needed a slightly looser approach for capturing the motion and flow of the crowd.  It’s too late now! It was good though, I enjoyed myself!

Did you go to the Nerve Centre and what did you think of the things that went on there?

Well, to be honest I didn’t go at all! The first look I got  of inside the Nerve Centre was when you showed me the images on your camera at the Egg! (We met at The Egg on the open night of TwentyTen and as artists do, started a conversation.) I saw the photo’s you took of the Nerve Centre, and I guess you did it justice as it looked so good. The closest I got to actually seeing it was putting my head against the window and peering inside once when I walked past, unfortunately!

What do you think are the good points of spaces such as The Nerve Centre?

(Thinks) Well, it’s social, creative and I guess if you have the space The Nerve Center seemed to have from the photo’s I saw, you can do a lot and get people involved. It looks as though it has a free and easy atmosphere. That suits me.

How did you first hear of Nerve?

Well, people talk about it at events and I’ve heard of it frequently in conversation. To be honest, I never experienced the physical manifestation of it yet but I’m sure I will soon!

Anton currently is showing work at EggSpace, in the cool surrounds of Egg Café, and Madelainartz Gallery, conveniently located in Clayton Square. The pieces at EggSpace, Optical Synapse (top) and Receptor (bottom), are digital photographs, pregnant with wonder and mysterious enough to get one thinking of the possibilities.

Why did you choose the shots you chose for EggSpace's Twenty Ten exhibition?

 
The Egg is pretty hip and on the ball and the work I entered felt right for this thought inspiring setting 

Do you have a routine for creating your work or do you “work as it comes”, so to speak?

I used to devote say, five or six hours in a day to creating, be it painting or drawing. But these days it’s less since I’ve started treating art as a more commercial venture. The sheer amount of Admin and socialising required squeezes the time for creativity. I remember the days when I had painting shifts; I was dead organised. The shifts were: 10am -12, then lunch/dinner  1pm -4/5pm. Then in winter the natural light runs out. In summer there is an extra shift, 7 till late. I'll get back into that soon. 

What is your usual discipline of art? 

 

I study landscapes; cityscapes; people and water and I portray them in pencil, pastel, charcoal or oil. They are actually my favourite media but I use others such as acrylic paint and building tools. I work in traditionally picturesque style and extreme contemporary. People remark that my more modern work is not at all similar to the landscapes and architectural studies and I say "Yes, they are; one influences the other. Work such as "Optical Synapse" and  "Receptor" also portray structures and characters and are certainly dependent upon light for their illumination. Does that mean anything? There are layers of land supporting people and they are just conveyed in a more exhuberent manner than in the carefully controlled picture type pictures.

Do you have any favourite pieces of your work? 

 

I enjoy working on most pieces of work but the technique I like the most is that of drawing with one pencil, usually a 2B on cartridge paper: a line drawing with both marks and empty spaces considered whilst capturing perspective, form and detail.

Talk us through your pencil drawing of St Lukes at Madalainartz. How long did it take to complete and what is the best location for sketching in your opinion?

 

My drawing of St. Lukes which currently hangs in Clayton Square Gallery was drawn from Renshaw Street and took approximately seven hours. I had to return for a second day to finish it because I had to talk to a lot of people whilst I was there. The best location for working on any picture is the one which gives you the most appealing viewpoint. It helps if it is slightly off to the side and spacious so you can just spread out with your stuff. Fields are good, especially under the cover of a tree as this helps prevent the page from being too glary.

 

As an artist, Anton also has part share in the R Gallery at Southport with many local artists, and is there regularly doing his craft for all to see.

What’s the story behind the R Gallery?

 

I entered into the group who exhibit at R Gallery after it was all well in progress. I already knew a few of them as I had previously exhibited with them and they invited me to come and look at the New R Gallery as its location changed about six months ago. Its now on London Street in Southport.

What are the aims of the R Gallery artistically speaking?

 

R Gallery's aims  to promote art work by a variety of artists from all walks of life. We each staff the gallery for one day a week although some of us seem to do more of a day than others. There is a Help For Heroes art auction and exhibition on the 31st October starting at 4pm.

What is the scene in Southport like for arts?

 

The Southport art scene is pretty good. There are a number of exhibitions appearing and plenty of decent artists working and living in Southport. I am not one of them as I dwell approximately nine miles from there but I do frequent the town and have done since childhood. I have always liked its openness, colors, leafiness and coastal; seaside characteristics. Its a great  place to practice art and the architecture is excellent, numerous Art Deco designs and forms. Southport does inspire me.

How does it compare with the ever growing Liverpool scene?

 

Yeah, Liverpool has a large art scene. London's is bigger. Hanging fees is Liverpool and Southport are far more reasonable though so I prefer it up this end of the country. Plus I am from here. I think the size of a scene is relative to the size of an area.

So, it seems that an artists life is ever busy, and the scene is ever growing. Certainly, this writer sees it every time a new show pops up, or a new gallery appears. But, artist or not, Christmas is coming faster than the famous Bullet Train. So, I asked Anton a seasonal question...

Finally, it’s coming close to Christmas now. What would you request from Art Santa and will you be creating any Wintry scenes in your art?

 

I am building a prints browser. I could pretend Santa brought it. A few pints would probably help there!

If you want to see Anton's work, head on down to any of the location mentioned above! But, I'm sure you'll come across a piece eventually as Anton is ever active at his art.Thanks to Anton for an illuminating chat, despite the technical problems and delays from life's random adventures we got there in the end! 

Sebastian Gahan.

News: Mashemon Reviewed in Local Music Magazine!

After a dry spot recently whilst we're working on the future of the Nerve Centre, here's some Nerve friend related news! Most of you were probably there at the Nerve benefit gig held last month, and a review of it has been published in Issue 6 of the local music magazine BidoLito! Read on and remember the evening...

 

Those of you who have committed the requisite good deed to hold Mashemon’s album Disposal Music in your paws will know it’s a good listen, and those who paid the requisite sum to enter this benefit gig for Catalyst Media’s Nerve Magazine saw a performance more than worthy of the good deed first committed to possess their music.  The normally sedate surrounds of Next To Nowhere, the subterranean social centre underneath Bold Street’s News From Nowhere, was packed with people young and old, regular and less familiar, sober or not so sober who gave the space an atmosphere all of its own, and a magic as infectious as the most catching disease you can stomach to think of as you read this!

Lights were dimmed, music was played and after hours of anticipation and rumour, Mashemon appeared on stage in some pretty dapper looking suits guitars in hand and ready to assault the crowds with their intelligent music and sharp yet beautiful lyrics. The majority of the set was drawn from their aforementioned good-deeds obtained album and the crowd were surrounding the band at every moment during the set, revelling in the activist fuelled melodies of band components Rocky and Ronny. The dynamic sound of their set filled the area with their polished anarchist energy and one of the best things about the set was their use of multi-media. The animated films playing on the screen just behind them were fascinating to watch and really added a cinematic dimension to the performance that was appreciated especially by this reviewer. 

One of Mashemon’s best qualities is the fact that they are brilliant performers, innovative and making the whole thing as natural as eating cereal for breakfast. The duo are as convincing on the stage as off the stage, and have a gift for translating the urgent, intellectual energy of their recorded output easily in the live format.  There was definitely a hint of magic in their performance and songs such as religion questioning Brick, with its killer opening statement of “God is watching… worked for seven days, ain’t done much since” is up there with the best opening couplets and like the rest of their songs has a very definite message to be discovered in its hyper intelligent language. Similarly, Facts, concerns itself with war, “The patriot walks a path of war/There might be Christ on every corner/ But he ain’t got nothing ain’t been done before”, yet  in a tonal juxtaposition has an almost joyous feel with its use of keyboards and the riffs that come out like screams of electricity. Magic!

There is much that one could say about Mashemon, but in doing that we’d be missing the point that there is a lot to recommend in this excellent local band that have made the perfect middle ground between grassroots artists and accessible music with vital messages that will be understood by many. In short, a good night! More of this and I’ll definitely to going Mashemon’s way!  

Review by Sebastian Gahan.