CHATSlab: ClerknWell ARTslab goes to Chats Palace: John Hegley, Lorraine Bowen, Bob Karper, Lovell + More

About this event

ClerknWell ARTSlab hops over to Hackney’s famous Chats Palace – just for one day – as these heroes of poetry, music and magic celebrate 50 years of Chats Palace Arts Centre. This afternoon’s superChats: John Hegley – ‘scandalously talented’ poet, singer and potato advocate. Lorraine Bowen – started in the 80s in See You In Vegas playing bass guitar, through the 90s organising Women Performance Evenings, the 2000s performing in cabarets with John Hegley and eccentric acts and now post BGT coming back to Chats for a roost. Ian Saville – Performers of the Indian Rope trick made a boy assistant disappear. Houdini made an elephant disappear. David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear. But Ian Saville has the much more ambitious goal of making International Capitalism and exploitation disappear. True, he hasn’t quite succeeded, but he keeps trying, and at the very least, he has made a lot of people laugh, and got some of them to think. A funny, magical, thought-provoking and topical celebration of Socialism. Lovell – glorious lofi acoustic melodic grunge with razor-sharp charm. Bob Karper – mixes true stories with documentary film, song, elements of live art and a variety of musical instruments, illustrating the idea that when examined closely, the everyday ordinary world reveals drama, art, tragedy, farce, magnificence. Fran Isherwood – a poet with a comedic bent (bit like Housemaid’s Knee) known for flinging herself about on the London poetry circuit. Diego Brown & the Good Fairy – the original twisted folk, and hosts of ClerknWell ARTSlab. Never knowingly over-prepared. Bar open from 1pm, show from 2pm.