URN

The Hand and Heart pub
Nottingham is a brilliant city for many reasons. One of which is its caves. In case you had not heard, Nottingham has an extensive sandstone cave network. More importantly, did you know that you can go to a perfectly ordinary looking pub such as the Hand and Heart on Derby Road and find yourself quenching your thirst inside a man-made 200-year-old cave? Nothing like a bit of cave exploration before heading into town, right?

In fact that is exactly what happened to us some weeks ago when we first ventured out in search of cider and stumbled upon this beautiful old pub, located on Derby Road just past the Ropewalk. Freshers, if you have not made it to the Ropewalk yet, get a bus into town and get off on Canning Circus (the top of the hill) and after a little walk you'll find it. Anyway, last night we ventured out to the Hand and Heart for their free music nights on Tuesday and have taken a few snaps to see if we can tempt you along.

Simon Wilson, the Entertainment Editor for the Nottingham Post, has previously described the lack of national recognition for Nottingham’s home grown music as something that could not be more of an embarrassment for the city. However this could be all about to change, as the Guardian reported in a feature on Nottingham music last Friday (http://bit.ly/rpcXCS). With Nottingham sporting one of the best live music scenes in the country – coming in third behind Manchester and Newcastle and beating London which only ranked fifth, it seems Nottingham’s reputation can only grow.

For new students (or even old ones who have yet to explore the smorgasbord of live venues our city has to offer) there is plenty to discover. The Capital FM Arena is the largest venue, playing host to household names and high ticket prices with both Bob Dylan and Tinie Tempah (though unfortunately not together) appearing in the coming weeks. There are also many smaller venues such as the Maze on Mansfield Road where you can see ‘Glastonbudget’ auditions this Tuesday (Europe’s premier tribute act festival held in Leicestershire) and Oxjam on October 12th – Oxfam’s month long music festival whose proceeds go to support the charity.

We've got Gemma coming in to the show this Sunday to give us some extra info about Africa week. It's a really great initiative set up by student volunteers (see info below) and there are a wide variety of events going on in and around Campus/Lenton/Nottingham. Get involved! From film screenings and pub quizzes, workshops and charity stalls, to music and football events, there's something for all interests and it's set to be an exciting week of culture!

Our music theme this week will be AFRICA! so tune in to get you in the mood...

See http://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/news/article/6001/2562/ for details of events.

"Africa Week is running from Monday 7th - Sunday 13th March, the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight. The week was set up several years ago by some students volunteering for Working in Tandem. Working in Tandem continues to organise this week every year to celebrate the diverse cultures of Africa as well as raising awareness of development issues, and hopefully to raise some money in the process. Many African societies and charities, inside and outside the university are working together to bring you a week of African culture."Africa Week! 7th - 13th March 2011

The Operas that are being performed at the Theatre Royal are:

- The Merry Widow Tuesday 16 November & Thursday 18 November 7.30pm
"A joyous evening of fun and romance is in store, with glorious music, sumptuous period costumes and dazzling choreography.

This new production, set in 1905, infuses Parisian sensuality with Viennese sophistication as the young, beautiful and exceptionally wealthy widow, Hanna Glawari seeks a new husband who will love her for herself and not her fortune.

With a glittering cast and creative team, this timeless classic will be a treat."

- The Turn of the Screw Wednesday 17 November 7.30pm
"Britten's edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller is based on a chilling Henry James ghost story, recently televised by the BBC.

A governess fights to protect two children from malignant spirits, but are the spirits real or is the governess unstable? And what evil occurred before her arrival?

Britten's hauntingly atmospheric music winds up the tension to breaking point, and this 1920s-set production will grip from first note to last."

- The Adventures of Pinocchio Friday 19 November 7pm & Saturday 20 November 2.30pm
"The irresistible story of the wooden boy who longs to be real is brought bursting to life in this musical tale for all the family.

Tate Modern has been forced to close the giant Turbine Hall's sunflower seeds commission to public access because the surge of interest has created 'dangerous levels of dust.' Visitors can now look but not touch the exbition, the opposite to what was intended by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.

The exhibition opened on Tuesday 12th October; 14,000 visitors flocked to see the work and began to canoodle and build 'seedcastles' as if it were an indoor beach. Many stole pieces as souvenirs (next stop - ebay?)

Yesterday site-officials cordoned off the area while curators held talks with the artist over the damage being caused to the seeds, which were all individually crafted, painted and fired. Another worry is that the seeds wouldn’t last the 6 months.

A Tate spokeswoman issued this explanation: "Although porcelain is very robust, the enthusiastic interaction of visitors has resulted in a greater than expected level of dust in the Turbine Hall. Tate has been advised that this dust could be damaging to health following repeated inhalation over a long period of time."

It was then decided to close public access to the artwork permanently.