Farewell Tours from IndieGreats and Oscar-Winning Cinema at Exeter Phoenix

This spring Exeter Phoenix presents a new season packed full of great nights out and fun for all the family.

The city’s local arts hub, tucked away behind Gandy Street, offers a tantalizing and diverse selection of live music, independent cinema, contemporary art and performance this March and April.

Musically, the venue’s highlights include a farewell tour from indie folk band Stornoway, the last chance for fans to see them live before they call it a day, an energetic live set from Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes, Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier and Alabama 3.

Alongside a programme featuring some of the hottest films from this year’s Oscar’s (including Manchester By The Sea, Moonlight and The Salesman) the venue’s cinema, Studio 74, will be celebrating a second year of its ever-popular Japanese Touring Film Programme, bringing the best of Japanese film to the big screen. Visitors can enjoy delicious freshly made Japanese cuisine in the Café Bar throughout the season. More than your average trip to the movies, Studio 74 also offers some exclusive opportunities to get up close and personal with the directors behind some of the newest indie hit films with special Q&A sessions. Highlights include a live discussion with Robert Mullan, the director of Mad To Be Normal (starring David Tennant as radical 60s psychologist RDLaing), and a satellite Q&A hosted by Julian Clary with the director and cast of LGBT doc Who’s Gonna Love Me Now, followed by a performance from the London Gay Men’s Chorus.

Those looking to pick up a skill or two will be delighted at a range of brand newcourses alongside old favourites. Exeter Phoenix’s expert-led workshops span everything from Surrealist Self-portraiture to IllustratingLive Birds of Prey, and learning how to use key creative software, from Wordpress to Photoshop and InDesign. 

Eleanor Moreton takes over the gallery space with an exhibition of contemporary painting exploring psychoanalysis,repression and revolution.

Laugh Out Loud Comedy Festival rolls to a close with stand up from Canadian absurdist Tony Law in March, but the comedy continues through April as the Exeter Cabaret Show, featuring multi-award winning comedy troupe Slightly Fat Features, returns for a second high energy show of stunning circus skills and physical trickery. Other must-see performance in the art venue’s Spring season includes Samuel Beckett’s Endgame and a revolutionary film-cross-performance exploring the Budapest Uprising, in History History History.

Tickets are now on sale for all of the above and more, at exeterphoenix.org.uk