Events

SLOW FOOD DATING

We at the Grain Barge don't believe in speed dating - we don't think 3 minutes is long enough to decide whether you like someone or not.

But also that going out for a whole meal on a first date is a bad choice, especially if you're really enjoying the food - if you don't get on, are you supposed to pretend you don't want any dessert, even though the tiramisu is calling out to you?

So we've come up with SLOW FOOD DATING: a 5 course meal, with 5 different people - a different man or woman for each course (depending on which way you are inclined).

It will take place in our Hold Bar - a private room away from prying eyes - on the first Thursday of the month. Tickets will be Ł25, which will include a glass of Santo Isidro wine.

The food will be 5 courses cooked by our head chef to his usual amazing standard. It will be a set menu - there will be no choice of what you get, unless you tell us of any dietary requirements in advance.

After the meal there will be a chance to mingle with the whole group upstairs in the main bar and make further arrangements to see each other again should you hit it off, but no pressure, no judging people and no ticking boxes.

If you are interested, email the team or call 0117 929 9347, and let us know your age, sex, sexual orientation, and if you have any dietary requirements, and we will be in touch soon with available dates.

QUIZ

Every Monday from 8pm

Ł1 per person, maximum 6 players per team

First prize is a choice between a) all the entry money or b) 12 bottles of
Bristol Beer Factory Ale.

Second place gets either b) or a) (whichever the winners don't choose).

Last place wins a little tiny bottle of Schweppes bitter lemon.

It's a good old fashioned pub quiz - with some twists. Our quizmonger, Paul, is to pub quizzes what Heston Blumenthal is to fish and chips. You can expect a few current affairs questions in the opening round to lull you into a false sense of security before the rounds take a more eclectic feel.

Yes, there are questions on all sorts of general knowledge topics - but there are no sports rounds or geography rounds. Instead we have "Famous Alan" rounds or "Round" rounds. Sometimes the rounds have a theme which is announced, other times it isn't, and you have to deduce what the theme is, and sometimes there are last-question rug-pulls to throw you off balance.

And if you don't like Alans, worry not! Each round is only 4 questions long, so it'll soon be on to something else. If you have your own favourite questions - we can include them - one of the later rounds is made up of questions you write! Each team is given a couple of slips to write their own questions on (and the answers please!), which are checked, and the best 4 or 8 read out in their own "wiki"-round.

When he is not being a quizmonger, Paul is a documentary comedian - either talking about misuse of the word Literally as the "Literally Tsar", or Grotto Superstar - tales of a department store Santa. By day he also has a
proper grown-up job. Really.

www.parryphernalia.com And on twitter: @parryphernalia

POETRY NIGHT Wed 2nd May

Behold! Behold! Hammer & Tongue's May line-up is a bloody cracker! We're bringing you excellent poets from ALL OVER the shop mate... Where else will you see GERRY POTTER, AMY McALLISTER and AGATHA NAGUAL all on one stage?

From Manchester (via Liverpool)... GERRY POTTER. We are so unbelieveably excited to be bringing Gerry to Bristol, his former on stage alter-ego CHLOE POEMS was one of the reasons I started getting up on stage myself, do not miss this.

Gerry is currently touring his new book of autobiographcal theatre verse The Men Pomes, follow up to the successful Planet Young and Planet Middle Age. A favourite son of both Manchester and his home town Liverpool, Gerry has also been wowing audiences nationally with domestic-fantastic free verse. Gerry has a reputation for putting his Scouse voice on the line a soaring sing-song accent, strong on poetry and strong on the causes of poetry. Creator and destroyer of the infamous gingham diva Chloe Poems. Gerrys new work is very different to his alter ego though no less passionate. Performance meets theatre meets poetry and rythm creating a blistering soundscape of experience and entertainment. Gerry is also an acomplished actor playwrite and workshop leader.

From London (via Ireland)... AMY McALLISTER

We were bowled over by Amy when we saw her reach the finals of the Hammer & Tongue national slam final in London, so we demanded that she come down here and do her thing for YOU. She a right successful actress aswell so get to see her before she wins a Golden Globe or summat!

'This Irish poet had a deceptively underwhelming stage presence; her visceral, earthy and fluent performance was one of the highlights of my evening.' (Farrago)

And kicking things off in spectacular fashions is Bristol very own... AGATHA NAGUAL

Have a bloody look at this little bit of Agatha lovelyiness. Oooooooh... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY7jemOyxC4

Tickets available from www.wegottickets.com