Katie Beswick (@ElfinKate) got a proper northern experience down at the HUB, she tells you all about it.
It has now been four years since I migrated up from London to enjoy the cobble-stoned, back-t’-back, post-industrial landscape of Leeds. I must say my experience has never felt quite so northern as it did on Sunday 24th of February, when my afternoon at Slung Low’s headquarters, The Holbeck Underground Ballroom (or The HUB, as it’s known by Slung Low and their audience), included queuing to use an outdoor loo, huddling into a hot water bottle to replace heat lost to the stone-cold, and being affectionately greeted by total strangers. Yes, the stereotypical ‘North’ is alive, kicking, and asking its guests to wee in a (albeit impeccably dressed) shed.
15 Minutes Live is a regular performance event created by Slung Low. The event consists of a series of fifteen minute ‘plays for voices’ (that’s radio dramas, loosely speaking), performed and recorded live. The set up was truly lovely, with the central space – accessed through a velvet drape – adorned with a kitsch mish-mash of seating – sofas, kitchen chairs and bar-stools – and an array of assorted lampshades (which gave the impression Slung Low’s designers had raided the loft of every grandmother in Leeds); stewards handing out hot water bottles; free mugs of steamy tea and a stall in the covered entrance selling home cooked curry at bargain prices. Slung Low’s commitment to providing ‘pay what you decide’ entertainment also meant there was a deliciously mixed crowd, contributing to the genuine community feel of the event.
The plays themselves were a mixed lot; my penchant for council estate drama meant that I particularly enjoyed Judith Adam’s Sista Icarus; the fantastical story of a baby, a window cleaner and the Angel of the North set in a North Eastern tower block and beautifully performed by John Carter, Lisa Howard, Frances McNamee (special mention for being stand-out fabulous throughout, what a voice; what a versatile voice!) and Chris Price. I was less enamoured with Mark Hollander’s The Tragic and Unexpected Conflation of Ruben Fleischman; a story with far too many characters and (oooh I hate being mean, except when it’s true) not enough plot. The final play, Lullaby, a winning entry in Slung Low’s competition to commission a new writer, provided a strong finish – although again I wondered about the necessity of including such a large quantity of characters which – because the play was staged using only voices – made the story rather difficult to follow.
In a way though the performances themselves were the least memorable part of the afternoon. And I mean that as a compliment to Slung Low, who have managed to create a community spirit so inviting that, at points, it was standing room only in the cavernous warehouse. No mean feat on a sub-zero Sunday afternoon, which, let’s face it, the traditions of televised football, roast potatoes and a little sleep in front of a large fire were invented for .
All images courtesy of Ant Chippendale and are hosted here on the SlungLow site</a>