What a double bill in Ipswich last night!  The Outlaws were rocking a packed Milestone and Earl Soham Brewery's new venture The Brewery Tap at the Tolly Brewery did open and was serving a good selection of beers including, not surprisingly, Wychwood Hobgoblin.  (Until very recently landlord Jeremy Moss was head brewer at Wychwood.)  more Ipswich here

Now there's a novelette, The Little Shop of Horrors running at the mo' at the Ipswich Wolsey has got an online game.

The Ipswich Fibromyalgia Support Group are have their first ever fundraising sale right now in Bramford Village Hall.

 charming little voice; she never runs out of licks for that fiddle and Hank's no slouch either at laid back vocals or thoughtful plank spanking.  They're on at the Ipswich Manor Ballroom this Friday ... can't wait!  (Hooping to HC here.)

Earl Soham Brewery now have a brewery tap ... in their quirky way it's some 30 miles from the brewery.

With her daughter Frances Framlingham town councillor Gwen Gibbs completed Sunday's 5km Race for Life in Ipswich on crutches!  You can still sponsor her.

we 16 ap 08

1912  Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly the English Channel

April's pics as prints, mugs and t-shirts at photoboxgallery.com/NearTheCoast

sa 12 ap 08

1961  Russian Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space

To say BBC Radio Suffolk is hard to find is not an overstatement.  To say the recording area is tiny would be an overstatement, we've been in smaller demo studios ... but not too many.  To add to the fun last night the floor was covered in cables and kit and the engineer was recording the session from an outside broadcast van in the garage.

Inevitably The Outlaws were not entirely at ease outside their natural environment (sweating and heaving pubs) but the bit of playback we heard (on a pair of LS3as, what a brilliant little speaker) sounded fine and as we left Dave the engineer maintained you do get biscuits at the BBC if your on Lesley's Sofa (didn't seem to be Simon or Nick's experience).  More pics here and the broadcast date when known.

we 9 ap 08

1961  King Zog of Albania died in exile

... and it was the drawing room door it lay inconveniently close to.

th 3 ap 08

1882  Jesse James was shot in the back by a member of his own gang

It came seventeen years ago – and to this day, it has shown no intention of going away …  starts tonight until Saturday at The Wolsey ... didn't it lie inconveniently close to the stairs?

fr 28 mr 08

1912  Both boats sunk in the University Boat Race

French band Lo'Jo at the Wolsey this Sunday.

Probably one of the best live bands in the world right now  The Independent

mo 10 mr 08

1956  Peter Twiss became the first man to fly at more than 1000mph

Police Direct tell us that the Orwell Bridge is closed, presumably because of the weather.

1:45pm  The bridge has been open again since shortly after midday but because of the wind could close again around three this afternoon.

tu 12 fe 08

1809  Charles Darwin born

This would have been a chance to compare and contrast but Swansea City Opera's production of The Magic Flute at The Wolsey tonight is sold out!

sa 26 ja 08

1871  The Rugby Football Union founded

As Lesley the Librarian left at the end of a great night she told Ogz the band's accordionist that Orkestra del Sol are brilliant.  She's not wrong, in fact when the sell out 300 audience started doing the polka (most having

just learnt thedance) we feared for the floor!  Without doubt Edinburgh band Orkestra del Sol know their musical chops, Marcus Britton on sousaphone never runs out of puff and occasionally sounds like an inevitably slightly less agile cross between Bernie Edwards and Willie Weeks, but with Calypso Collapso, the Clockwork Violinist and El Presidente the band have to be actors as well.  The only disappointment of the evening was when just 94% of the audience joined the conga line.  Discouraging because as signees of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol the UK is committed to 96.43% conga line outreach and engagement by August 2008 but then, maybe it doesn't apply to Scots, either way we loved Miss Olga's hat ... actually, we love Miss Olga.  

fr 11 ja 08

1973  The Open University awarded its first degrees

th 22 no 07

1946  The Biro pen went on sale

St Mary's at the Quay looks pretty damn dramatic amidst the massive development of Ipswich docks.  It's equally dramatic inside for The Ebony Box where a minimalist cast make up for their numbers with a high energy performance that often looks spectacular from simple effects.  The show runs until Sunday and we do have to point out that Milly Jupp was playing a male character when she gave her nose some attention ... gender stereotyping we call it!

tu 6 no 07

1942  The Church of England ended its rule obliging women to wear hats in church

Red Rose Chain were excellent in Rendlesham Forest and from tomorrow you can see them under a roof in a new play celebrating how Thomas Clarkson (buried near Ipswich) pursued abolition of the slave trade.

fr 21 se 07

1936  Frank Hornby, the inventor of Meccano, died

We know that Ipswich used to have trolley buses but didn't know it once had an underground?  Discuss it here on our new bulletin board.

th 20 se 07

1967  The QE2 was launched at Clydebank

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