Featured Events in Barrow-in-Furness in May 2025 (June Updated)

Burning Bridges The explosive story of an artist who knew no limits Burning Bridges tells the explosive story of an artist who challenged boundaries and pushed to the most extreme edges of creativity. From the 1960s to the early 2000s, Paul Burwell was at the forefront of avant garde music and art in the UK. A founder member of the London Musician’s Collective and the Bow Gamelan Ensemble, Burwell and his collaborators played with the elements to blur the distinction between magick and art. But while many of his friends found creative success and fame, Burwell headed up-river literally and metaphorically on his own ‘heart of darkness’ journey, abandoning London for a new tribe in the post-industrial north, sinking further into his own vision and ultimately challenging death itself. Through rediscovered archive footage, sketchbooks, diaries and photographs, along with interviews with his friends and family, Burning Bridges is the story of an artist who knew no limits . Reviews “A riveting account of Burwell’s intense and uncompromising life.” Julian Cowley, The Wire. “His blazing work and terrible demise are reanimated in this brilliant portrait of an almost-extinct British bohemia.” Films of the Year 2024, Prospect Magazine “A truly extraordinary piece of work.” Richard Williams “Always on the edge, the film grinds a wild and hard path to Paul’s eventual isolation and tragic death.” Tim Etchells, Forced Entertainment Timings: Wednesday 7 May 2025. 7pm doors. 7.30pm film starts. Access information for the screening: If you have any access requirements please email glenn@fonfestival.org Advance visits to Piel View House: If this is your first time to the venue and you are nervous about attending you can arrange to come and see the venue prior to the event to get used to it. If you would like to arrange a visit and meet some of our staff please contact: glenn@fonfestival.org. Information Source: Full of Noises | eventbrite

Booze & Brush Event Date: 03.05.25 Location: Barrow-in-Furness Come join us for a night of fun at our Booze & Brush event! Get your creative juices flowing while sipping on your favourite drinks. No experience necessary - this is just for fun and we will guide you through creating your own masterpiece. Whether you're a seasoned artist or just looking for a good time, this event is perfect for everyone. Grab your friends and unleash your inner Picasso at Booze & Brush! Information Source: eventbrite

Lt Col Paddy Blair Brief Welcome to the Lt Col Paddy Blair Brief! Join us for an exciting in-person event where WO2 Edgar Irwin will share insights and updates on the life of one of Britains Rogue Heroes. This is a great opportunity to learn from a seasoned expert in a relaxed and interactive setting. Whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned professional, this event is sure to provide valuable information and networking opportunities. Don't miss out on this chance to connect with like-minded individuals and expand your knowledge. See you there! Information Source: eventbrite

Welcome to Amped for Awareness – A Gig Night Fundraiser for Mind in Furness ! Join us on Friday 16th May 2025 at Barrow Underground Music Society (BUMS) from 7pm 'til late for a high-energy night of live music in support of Mental Health Awareness Week . We’re bringing you five incredible local bands , each bringing their unique sound and serious talent to the stage — all in aid of charity. Every single penny from ticket sales goes directly to Mind in Furness , helping to fund vital mental health services in our community. About our performers: Cee-Jay Cee-Jay is a local artist known for their upbeat performances at community events. They have captivated audiences at local festivals like Furness Pride and the Barrow Christmas Lights Switch-On, showcasing their dynamic vocal range and stage presence. Brass and Blaise Hailing from Cumbria, Brass & Blaise are taking the genre to a whole other level! This duo blends Trip Hop beats with soulful jazz and puts it together to make songs that stick in your head and lyrics you’ll never forget. Sylanna Sylanna is a compelling singer-songwriter and pianist whose musical journey began in the heart of Cumbria. Her artistic vision blends technical piano proficiency with thoughtful lyricism, creating music that resonates with both emotional depth and musical sophistication. Juno and the Moons Juno and the Moons are a 90s grunge scene influenced, heavy rock band from Furness whose tracks have been likened to Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana and Black Sabbath. These youngsters rock hard! Their songs are full of energy and (pre) teen angst and they're talented way beyond their years. Mark Pratt Mark Pratt is lyrically striking, impressively energetic and always completely genuine. Channeling a wide range of artists to create his own unique sound inspiring comparisons to Johnny Cash, Tim Buckley and Elvis. His passionate, gritty and heartfelt performances are unforgettable and intriguing. Further information: This event is 18+. Alcohol is available at the bar. We have staggered our ticket pricing to be as accessible as possible: Standard tickets Reduced fee tickets – For those on low incomes (self-determining) Solidarity tickets – For those able to give a little extra to support the cause For any other questions including venue access, get in touch: community@mindinfurness.org.uk Whether you're here for the music, the message, or both — your presence makes a difference. Let’s come together to raise the volume and awareness. Let’s get loud for mental health! Information Source: Mind in Furness | eventbrite

Join us on Walney Island to mark the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s 200th anniversary. Sea Like a Mirror is inspired by the profound legacy of its life-saving work and the special status its volunteer crews occupy in the collective consciousness of our island nation. At the heart of the programme is a newly commissioned artwork White Horses by Ivan Morison, a new 16mm film screened within a unique, custom-made tent and accompanied by an original score from composer Chris Hope. Made in close collaboration with RNLI volunteers and those who hold a deep connection to the water, the work reflects on six coastal towns around England. The tent will be located at the Field of the Old Manor Farm, Mawflat Lane, south of Biggar Village, Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA14 3YG . You can book to view White Horses at the following times (children 14 and under should be accompanied by an adult): Friday 23 May 18:00-20:00 – Creatives’ screening incl. Q&A with Ivan Morison and refreshments Saturday 24 May 13:00-14:00 – Community Screening 16:00-17:00 – Community Screening Sunday 25 May 12:00-13:00 – Community Screening 15:30-16:30 – Community Screening Sea Like a Mirror is free to attend; booking is highly recommended as the tent has limited capacity. We encourage you to combine your trip to South Walney with a visit to the Queens Arms at Biggar Village, or a walk along the fabulous beach nearby at Thorney Nook. Please travel sustainably . Bikes can be left close to the tent at your own risk. You can take a bus to the Roundhouse and walk the 30 minutes down Biggar Bank Road if you are able. If you need to drive, please consider sharing vehicles so that the limited parking spaces in the field are not over-subscribed. About White Horses Produced through a series of visits to lifeboat stations and seaside towns around the coastline, White Horses explores the sea’s innate duality as a place of wonder and peril, and the myriad roles it plays for coastal communities. This travelling work, housed within a unique, custom-made sculptural tent will be installed by the sea, immersing audiences in the stories of RNLI crew and local people from around our coastline. Within this structure, White Horses will be screened using 16mm projection presenting a multifaceted portrait of the sea and the nation’s coastal towns, bringing together six diverse locations, each linked by the lifeboat station at the centre of their community. In Barrow-in-Furness, White Horses will be accompanied by two local projects, John Hall’s Tin Ships – a fleet of tin ships, designed and crafted using recycled materials by pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School – and Maddi Nicholson’s Above and Beyond – featuring placards celebrating Peggy Braithwaite, the UK’s first female principal lighthouse keeper. In memory of Peggy, an unsung local heroine, Barrow’s community of knitters will also create woollen hats to celebrate her legacy. Art Gene will sell these to raise money for the RNLI. Sea Like a Mirror is a partnership project led by Cement Fields, with Art Gene, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, North East Lincolnshire Council & East Marsh United, and Super Culture. Delivered in collaboration with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and supported with public funding from Arts Council England. Information Source: Art Gene | eventbrite

M aggie Nicols & Dan Johnson Tuesday 27 May 2025, 7pm " From the very first sounds we made, the connection was profound and the music came through us almost effortlessly. It just keeps getting better...” - Maggie Nicols The legendary Maggie Nicols arrives at Piel View House with Dan Johnson. The two improvisers come from different generations yet share a fearless approach to collaboration based in radical communality and deep-listening. Maggie's voice, piano and tapdance meet Dan's gong drones and percussive patter with profound results. The duo met for the first time on stage at St Georges in Bristol and the formation spawned a live recording ' Contact' released on 16 May 2025 available HERE. Also on the bill - jazz duo Jilly Jarman & Geoff Bartholomew. Maggie Nicols Maggie Nicols is a legendary Scottish vocalist, dancer, and performer. Since the 1960s she has been a key figure in the free improv scene, including as part of John Steven’s Spontaneous Music Ensemble which she joined in 1968, Keith Tippett's fifty piece band Centipede (along with Julie Tippetts, Zoot Money, Phil Minton, RobertWyatt, Dudu Pukwana and Alan Skidmore), and as a founder of the Feminist Improvising Group with Lindsay Cooper and influential trio Les Diaboliques with Irene Schweizer and Joelle Leandre, along with countless other groups and collaborations around the world. A committed feminist, much of her work has sought to amplify women in improvised music, dancing and other creative arts, not least through running workshops such as those at Oval House Theatre in the 1970s, and Contradictions, a women's workshop performance group that began in 1980. Dan Johnson Dan Johnson is a percussionist working in improvised sound and expanded composition. Undermining conventional notions of drumming, his experimental work is manifested across a wide range of projects; from eight-hour solo improvisations responding to instructions provided by the audience, to invite-only performances in rail tunnels, lifts and public toilets, to non-hierarchical group improvisation project Ecstatic Drum Beats. Running through this multifaceted output are consistent concerns with balancing chance and control, exposing performer-audience relationships, and the demands of discipline and physical endurance. Deeply rooted in Bristol’s DIY scene, where among his innumerable collaborations he was a mainstay of Dali de Saint Paul’s sprawling power-improv vehicle EP/64, Dan has brought the same spirit of openness to live and recorded work with artists like Moor Mother, Ximena Alarcon, Valentina Magaletti, Rattle, Yama Warashi, GNOD and Surgeon. www.tbceditions.bandcamp.com Jilly Jarman & Geoff Bartholomew We are delighted to add Jilly and Geoff to the bill. The jazz duo join Maggie Nicols & Dan in what will be a intimate evening of musical wonder!.Jilly and Geoff have been playing jazz together for about 15 years but started consciously pursuing improvisation together during lockdown. More info here: jillyjarman.co.uk Information Source: Full of Noises | eventbrite

Maggie Nicols & Dan Johnson Tuesday 27 May 2025, 7pm From the very first sounds we made, the connection was profound and the music came through us almost effortlessly. It just keeps getting better...” - Maggie Nicols The legendary Maggie Nicols arrives at Piel View House with Dan Johnson. The two improvisers come from different generations yet share a fearless approach to collaboration based in radical communality and deep-listening. Maggie's voice, piano and tapdance meet Dan's gong drones and percussive patter with profound results. The duo met for the first time on stage at St Georges in Bristol and the formation spawned a live recording 'Contact' released on 16 May 2025 available HERE. Also on the bill - jazz duo Jilly & Geoff. Maggie Nicols Maggie Nicols is a legendary Scottish vocalist, dancer, and performer. Since the 1960s she has been a key figure in the free improv scene, including as part of John Steven’s Spontaneous Music Ensemble which she joined in 1968, Keith Tippett's fifty piece band Centipede (along with Julie Tippetts, Zoot Money, Phil Minton, RobertWyatt, Dudu Pukwana and Alan Skidmore), and as a founder of the Feminist Improvising Group with Lindsay Cooper and influential trio Les Diaboliques with Irene Schweizer and Joelle Leandre, along with countless other groups and collaborations around the world. A committed feminist, much of her work has sought to amplify women in improvised music, dancing and other creative arts, not least through running workshops such as those at Oval House Theatre in the 1970s, and Contradictions, a women's workshop performance group that began in 1980. Dan Johnson Dan Johnson is a percussionist working in improvised sound and expanded composition. Undermining conventional notions of drumming, his experimental work is manifested across a wide range of projects; from eight-hour solo improvisations responding to instructions provided by the audience, to invite-only performances in rail tunnels, lifts and public toilets, to non-hierarchical group improvisation project Ecstatic Drum Beats. Running through this multifaceted output are consistent concerns with balancing chance and control, exposing performer-audience relationships, and the demands of discipline and physical endurance. Deeply rooted in Bristol’s DIY scene, where among his innumerable collaborations he was a mainstay of Dali de Saint Paul’s sprawling power-improv vehicle EP/64, Dan has brought the same spirit of openness to live and recorded work with artists like Moor Mother, Ximena Alarcon, Valentina Magaletti, Rattle, Yama Warashi, GNOD and Surgeon. www.tbceditions.bandcamp.com Jilly & Geoff We are delighted to add Jilly and Geoff to the bill. The jazz duo join Maggie Nicols & Dan in what will be a intimate evening of musical wonder!.Jilly and Geoff have been playing jazz together for about 15 years but started consciously pursuing improvisation together during lockdown. More info here: jillyjarman.co.uk Information Source: Full of Noises | eventbrite

Maggie Nicols & Dan Johnson Tuesday 27 May 2025, 7pm From the very first sounds we made, the connection was profound and the music came through us almost effortlessly. It just keeps getting better...” - Maggie Nicols The legendary Maggie Nicols arrives at Piel View House with Dan Johnson. The two improvisers come from different generations yet share a fearless approach to collaboration based in radical communality and deep-listening. Maggie's voice, piano and tapdance meet Dan's gong drones and percussive patter with profound results. The duo met for the first time on stage at St Georges in Bristol and the formation spawned a live recording 'Contact' released on 16 May 2025 available HERE. Also on the bill - jazz duo Jilly Jarman & Geoff Bartholomew. Maggie Nicols Maggie Nicols is a legendary Scottish vocalist, dancer, and performer. Since the 1960s she has been a key figure in the free improv scene, including as part of John Steven’s Spontaneous Music Ensemble which she joined in 1968, Keith Tippett's fifty piece band Centipede (along with Julie Tippetts, Zoot Money, Phil Minton, RobertWyatt, Dudu Pukwana and Alan Skidmore), and as a founder of the Feminist Improvising Group with Lindsay Cooper and influential trio Les Diaboliques with Irene Schweizer and Joelle Leandre, along with countless other groups and collaborations around the world. A committed feminist, much of her work has sought to amplify women in improvised music, dancing and other creative arts, not least through running workshops such as those at Oval House Theatre in the 1970s, and Contradictions, a women's workshop performance group that began in 1980. Dan Johnson Dan Johnson is a percussionist working in improvised sound and expanded composition. Undermining conventional notions of drumming, his experimental work is manifested across a wide range of projects; from eight-hour solo improvisations responding to instructions provided by the audience, to invite-only performances in rail tunnels, lifts and public toilets, to non-hierarchical group improvisation project Ecstatic Drum Beats. Running through this multifaceted output are consistent concerns with balancing chance and control, exposing performer-audience relationships, and the demands of discipline and physical endurance. Deeply rooted in Bristol’s DIY scene, where among his innumerable collaborations he was a mainstay of Dali de Saint Paul’s sprawling power-improv vehicle EP/64, Dan has brought the same spirit of openness to live and recorded work with artists like Moor Mother, Ximena Alarcon, Valentina Magaletti, Rattle, Yama Warashi, GNOD and Surgeon. www.tbceditions.bandcamp.com Jilly Jarman & Geoff Bartholomew We are delighted to add Jilly and Geoff to the bill. The jazz duo join Maggie Nicols & Dan in what will be a intimate evening of musical wonder!.Jilly and Geoff have been playing jazz together for about 15 years but started consciously pursuing improvisation together during lockdown. More info here: jillyjarman.co.uk Information Source: Full of Noises | eventbrite