Top Picks
February Top Picks
Don't let the cold weather keep you indoors. Here are 15 events to get you out and about this February.
Chase away those wintry blues by dancing the night away to a jump and jive band, or enjoy a dinner and wine tasting evening with a special someone. There is plenty of live music happening this month, along with a host of other events across Cornwall to keep you feeling upbeat. Also keep a look out for our spring guide coming soon, featuring loads of great events throughout March, April and May, including the Easter period.
There is still time to complete our readership survey for your chance to win tickets to an event of your choice.*
1. Cheap Date Dance Company: Dirty Words
Fri 1st & Thurs 7th February, 2019
Various venues across Cornwall
A music and dance duet with dancer, Grace Clayton (Grace Clayton Dance, Cheap Date) and multi-instrumentalist, Seamas Carey (Kneehigh, Wildworks). A crash landing of self-expression, communication, action and reaction through live music, dance, theatre and digital media.
This visual monologue questions the physical, verbal, facial, tonal, nuanced way we talk to the world. An exploration and debate of music and movement that rebounds, vibrates, clashes, reacts and challenges each other in the same space, just as our words do. Exploring the filth, fun and aftertaste of our everyday interactions. The work is a 60-minute humorous, intellectual, visceral experience that leaves you contemplating your own individual modes and forms of communication.
2. Friday Night Live
Fri 1st February, 2019
St Petroc’s Church, Bodmin
Join intoBodmin for a great big fundraising musical extravaganza gala at St Petroc’s Church! A musical feast of Big Band, Jazz and Classical favourites. Showcasing some of Cornwall’s finest musicians and featuring special guests: musician, composer and producer, Rory Simmons, operatic and concert performer, Cheryl Brendish, violinist, Phil Montgomery-Smith, Big Bang Brass and the CMST Big Band.
3. Falmouth Soul Sensation
Sat 2nd February, 2019
Acorn Penzance, Penzance
The Falmouth Soul Sensation are Cornwall’s own 12-piece danceband, who have been playing the best of classic 60’s soul music for over 10 years. Expect music from Aretha, Sam and Dave, Otis, Dusty, Wilson Pickett and many others! The band regularly plays to packed audiences all over Cornwall, and over the last year has played at Falmouth Carnival, Looe Saves the Day, Little Big Festival and Penryn Fayre. The members include experienced musicians with many years of playing as well as talented youngsters from local schools and colleges. Either dance the night away, or just sit back in the balcony and enjoy!
4. Opening Weekend: Invisible Worlds – Ocean
Sat 2nd — Sun 3rd February, 2019
Eden Project, Par
Explore the beauty and diversity of invisible ocean life through stunning imagery, film and soundscape. Join The Eden Project for the opening weekend celebrations to enjoy ocean-themed activities for all ages – including workshops and talks, craft and orgami fun and family shows. Plus, the chance to get up close to incredible life sized inflatable models!
5. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Concerts
Sun 3rd – Fri 15th February, 2019
Various venues across Cornwall
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra are back in Cornwall for a residency and offering a selection of Ensembles (wind, brass, strings) as well as Tea Dances and Dementia friendly events. They are keen to build on relationships with venues that they’ve been to before as well as move into new areas.
6. St Ives Feast Day 2019
Mon 4th February, 2019
Various locations across St Ives
The St Ives Feast is an ancient tradition that celebrates the anniversary of the consecration of the Parish Church of St Eia in 1434 and offers a rare chance to watch the game of Hurling the Silver Ball, a centuries’ old form of rugby.
Taking place in one of Cornwall’s most popular seaside towns, watching the hurling is an intriguing insight into one of Cornwall’s most ancient traditions. Take a ring side seat near the beach and cheer for your favourite participant, some of whom dive into the chilly sea to escape with the ball.
7. Anna Boghiguian Exhibition
Fri 8th February — Mon 6th May, 2019
Tate St Ives, St Ives
Anna Boghiguian takes her inspiration from her deep interest in history, philosophy and continuous travels around the world. Her work comments on the human condition through the perspectives of global trade, mass migration, colonialism and war.
This exhibition features large-scale installations of cut-out paper figures, alongside paintings, collages and books, as well as components of the artist’s studio brought to St Ives. While addressing current global concerns, the exhibition resonates with the local context of St Ives as an artists’ community, and Cornwall’s industrial history.
Image Credit: Anna Boghiguian, Promenade dans l’inconscient 2016 (A Walk in the Unconscious 2016), detail. Photograph © Renato Ghiazza
8. Scratch Electric Final Showcase
Sat 9th February, 2019
Burrell Theatre, Truro
With 40 musicians on stage, this unique orchestra of massed electric guitars showcases the works of young and emerging guitarists (aged 9-25yrs) from across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly who have created new music with professional support. This final concert brings together groups from dBs Music, Pool, Cornwall College St Austell and Livewire Youth Music Project, Saltash who will perform their own exciting music along with a new piece inspired by Jimi Hendrix.
9. Scratchworks Theatre: WOMANS (like Romans but with a ‘W’)
Sat 9th February, 2019
AMATA, Penryn
It’s 46BC, Ancient Rome. Our hero, Leta has been declared a traitor by the Roman Senate. She is given a punishment worse than death ‘Damnatio Memoriae’ – to be erased from history. Whilst noble Gladiators and infamous Emperors around her are becoming legends, her name will be scratched out and forgotten forever. But with the help from some mischievous muses, she decides to rebel against the Republic.
Join Leta’s determined journey to reclaim her place in the history books, from crashing the Colosseum to bargaining with Brutus, she will go to the ends of the empire to make her mark. A feast for the eyes and the ears with physical comedy, clowning and original music, WOMANS is a raucous tale of the first female resistance.
10. Claude Bourbon
Thu 14th & Sun 17th February, 2019
Various venues across Cornwall
Claude Bourbon weaves his songs through the audience as if on a journey through life, taking in different flavours of Europe and beyond. His Spanish medieval blues evolved into Gypsy, Eastern European, with a splash of Paco de Lucia, Delta Blues and more – holding audience attention as if under a musical spell.
It is very hard to describe the almost endless amalgam of different influences in Claude’s playing, all melting into each other, as he moves from classical openings, across a whole continent of cultural roots: from the Balearics to the Balkans, and then across to the Mississippi Delta – and shoehorned into all that is music that would not have been out of place in the courts of emperors and kings.
11. Dinner & Wine Tasting
Fri 15th February, 2019
Bodmin Jail, Bodmin
Join Bodmin Jail’s expert vintner who will guide you through a selection of wines to accompany their delicious 4-course, Valentine inspired cuisine.
Starters
Crispy scallop and prawn arancini with fresh tomato salsa.
Sun dried tomato and basil falafel with avocado mousse and a mini potato croquette.
Asparagus wrapped in Parma ham served with free range poached egg and hollandaise sauce.
Butternut squash and sweet potato soup.
Mains
Breast of guinea fowl stuffed with ricotta spinach, served on roasted vegetables, and with a Madeira sauce.
Roasted fillet of hake with fennel carrot fondant, wilted greens and potato galette.
Medallions of beef tenderloin with rich shallot and redcurrant sauce, horseradish mash and braised red cabbage.
Smoky paprika goats cheese and beetroot tart, with rocket, green beans, and saffron new potatoes.
Desserts
Cheese and biscuits slate.
Caramel eclair with expresso creme patisserie.
Dark chocolate torte with creme fraiche.
Trio of mini desserts – Passion fruit coconut pannacotta, Chocolate mousse, Lemon curd meringue.
To Finish
Coffee and truffles
12. Company B
Sat 16th February, 2019
The Seahorse, Pentewan, St Austell
Back by popular demand, Company ‘B’ are one rowdy, energetic and vibrant seven-piece jump-jive band that bring an era of musical vintage bang up to date with show stoppin’ performances. Join The Seahorse for what will be a fun party night and shake your tail feathers!
13. Mawgan Daffodil Festival 2019
Sat 16th — Mon 18th February, 2019
St Mawgan-in-Meneage Church, Helston
The Mawgan Daffodil Festivals celebrates the wonderful industry that surrounds us in West Cornwall, and the delightful and varied daffodil, by decking this beautiful church with thousands of daffodils of every variety available at the time. Give all your senses a treat and come and enjoy the sight and smell of thousands of daffodils, view displays of equipment used over 50 years ago, listen to music from local musicians and admire displays of paintings, photographs and other crafts with a daffodil theme.
14. The Rowan Tree & Guests
Sat 23rd February, 2019
The Old Library, Bodmin
Familiar, undiscovered and original folk tunes and songs. Cornish folk band The Rowan Tree was formed for the 2017 Pan Celtic festival by siblings Tom Fosten on guitar, drums and mandriola and Laura Garcia on flute, accordion and piano. The pair are joined by Cornish musician Richard Trethewey on fiddle, cittern and vocals and Neal Jolly on bass and whistles. Encompassing traditional music predominantly from Cornwall and original pieces with a Celtic feel, The Rowan Tree presents a unique and engaging sound.
15. Blackheart Orchestra
Sun 24th February, 2019
Acorn Penzance, Penzance
The pioneering duo of The Blackheart Orchestra blend musical styles, seamlessly sidestepping boundaries to create music huge enough to fill a cathedral. Well known for producing music beyond all easily marketed genres, their multi-instrumental sonic landscapes have always been too unpredictable for pop, too adventurous for the mainstream and too plain weird for folk. Often mistaken for an eight-piece band on first listen, their stage has been described as a ‘musical spaceship’ or ‘laboratory’ where they are to be found continuously changing from electric and acoustic guitars, bowed guitar, piano, organ, bass and electronic percussion to vintage synthesisers, omnichord and melodica in a complex, choreographed weave of musical moods and textures. One moment their sound is minimal and molecular, the next a mountain-like wall of sound with vast symphonic climaxes.