RUARRI JOSEPH LAUNCHES NEW ALBUM

Cornish singer songwriter Ruarri Joseph is back with his eagerly anticipated second album, entitled Both Sides of the Coin. The album will be launched at the Princess Pavilion in Falmouth on 6 Feb 09 and heralds a return to form for the artist. Back in 2006, after he unexpectedly landed a major record deal with Atlantic, Ruarri shot into the limelight with a selection of songs originally recorded as demos at home. His album, Tales of Grime and Grit, gave him a couple of hit singles, a headline UK tour and slots on stages at Glastonbury, Bestival and Boardmasters.

But Ruarri's career stalled unexpectedly when the record company demanded more music in the same vein as the demos he had recorded so long ago - some songs had been written more than eight years before they made it into the public eye. Ruarri knew his writing had changed a lot since then. After struggling to write songs that weren't really right, he decided to leave Atlantic and work on songs he really believed in. A result of both the decision to try songwriting on his own terms and the fact that many of his close family had a turbulent start to the year, Both Sides Of The Coin really does look at both sides of life - both the sunny and the darker aspects.

With a busy few months of gigs and support slots with artists like Donavon Frankenreiter under his belt and attention and support from the likes of Rob Da Bank, Janice Long, and Dermot O Leary, it looks like 2009 is going to be a good year for Ruarri Joseph.

Dont miss him at Falmouth Princess Pavilion on 6 Feb. Tickets are £8.00 in advance and are available from www.seetickets.com 0871 2200260 or from the Princess Pavilion Box office 01326 211222 – subject to booking fee.

www.myspace.com/ruarrijoseph

ATTLA x SOUP CUSTOM KICKS XMAS PARTY TONIGHT

Tonight is the Custom Kicks Christmas party at Attla Snowboards in Truro. The "Custom kicks" project is a colloboration between Vans, Eastpak, Attla and The Soup Gallery and sees some of the South-West's finest artists customising Vans shoes and Eastpak bags. This is the first time that Vans have ever commissioned a project such as this and every shoe is strictly limited to one of its kind.

With late night shopping until 9pm and a live instore set from DJ Dilla as he spins a mix of the finest jazz/funk/reggae/hip hop and soul the event should get everyone into a festive mood! If you can't make it, make sure you check out our exclusive Attla x Soup custom sneaks competition in this month's issue of 247 Magazine to try your luck at winning some of this super rare product!

www.attlasnowboards.com
www.thesoupgallery.co.uk

Out of the Jungle...

Simon Webbe, (ex-Blue boy band and I’m a celebrity contestant 2008) is fresh out of the Jungle and will be taking to the decks at Bristol’s very own Panache nightclub on Sat 20 Dec.

This will be his first DJ set coming out the Jungle which is also Panache’s Christmas party.

Simon will be spinning some club anthems and urban grooves to get the Christmas spirit going and Alize, the exotic Fruit based spirit, is offering the first 100 people through the doors a free Alize cocktail to get the party started.

More info here

BREAKIN' CONVENTION: Get involved in an International Festival of Hip Hop Dance Theatre

Calling all b-boys, hip hoppers, and street dancers! Breakin' Convention is an annual convention of all things hip hop that began in 2004. The festival showcases dance companies and artists from around the world, giving a passionate audience the unique opportunity to witness the incredible diversity of Hip Hop Dance Theatre. There is also a focus on education, with a comprehensive workshop programme led by artists from around the world; graff commissions; graff jams; DJ demos and freestyling; film screenings and lecture demonstrations. From 22 - 23 May 2009, every corner of the Theatre Royal in Plymouth will be taken over by graff artists, DJs, MCs, freestylers, and break dancers.

Three top international hip hop acts will also perform at The Theatre Royal as part of the festival, which tours round a select few venues in the UK, Plymouth being the only city in the South West of the UK where the tour stops. Acts on the tour include VII Gems Rock Dance Division which will feature an exclusive UK performance from "the epitome of the b-boy" and hip hop dance pioneer Ken Swift. French artist Salah brings his crowd-pleasing mix of hip hop dance, mime and clowning to the stage too, and b-boy crew Myosung come all the way from South Korea (the best b-boying nation in the world) to take part.

As well as being a super hip event showcasing all this international talent, there's also a chance for local people to get involved, and submissions are now open for local and regional acts to perform on the Theatre Royal Stage! If you think you have something interesting to say through your work then you could be performing at Breakin' Convention. If you use hip hop or funk style dance techniques in exciting new ways, then get in touch with the team and you could be taking to the stage as part of the festival. If you're a young person just starting out or you're a seasoned professional, the organisers want to hear from you!

To get involved, download an application form at www.breakinconvention.com or call 020 7841 0304 for more info.

SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 31 JAN 2009. Keep checking www.breakinconvention.com for updates.

See http://www.theatreroyal.com/content.asp?CategoryID=968 for more on the event.

Dance Academy pair lose appeal

The Plymouth two who were jailed for permitting drug dealing at the Dance Academy, Plymouth have lost the first round of their appeal. Tom Costelloe and Manoucehr Bahmanzadeh claimed their trial in July was unfair and they said undercover police officers should not have been allowed to testify anonymously from behind a screen.

Read the full story here

SASH! IS COMING TO CORNWALL!

Global superstar DJ Sash! is appearing at the Corn Exchange in Camborne on 17th December as headline act for Cornwall College’s Student Union Christmas celebrations and 80th birthday party.

With ten years of international success under his belt and over 17 million CDs sold around the world, Sash is famous for hits like 'Encore Une Fois' and 'Ecuador' and is finally heading to Cornwall. Steven Powell from the College’s Student Union said, “This year is a very special one for Cornwall College, celebrating its 80th year of providing excellence in education in Cornwall. We had to celebrate in style.”

Tickets are also available to the general public on the door at £10, Cornwall College students pay a discount £7 if they purchase tickets from their campus before the event and free student transport is also available from around the region. For more details check out the Cornwall College Student Union website at www.cornwallstudents.org

IF I COULD CHANGE THE WORLD…

If you were given the opportunity to change the world, what would you do? Cornwall based digital TV channel Chew TV is running a competition asking young people in the county to answer that question by making a short film.

The top ten films will then be picked, and made into reality as part of the Ideas That Can Change The World project. So whether it’s saving energy by switching off your TV or whether it’s about doing something positive for your community, if you’ve got an idea that could change the world for the better, make your short film (it can be a mobile phone or an all singing, all dancing three minute blockbuster) clip and upload it to chewtv.com by 5 Jan.