Joseph Coelho
Literature
Shoreham Wordfest
The West Sussex coastal town’s annual celebration of the written word features workshops, panels, open mics, live music, one-woman plays and appearances by former Green MP Caroline Lucas, best-selling author Kate Mosse, comedian Murray Lachlan Young, former Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho and Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville among others.
Across Shoreham, September 30-October 20, various times and prices, shorehamwordfest.com
Theatre
Art
Brighton comedian Seann Walsh heads up the national tour of Yasmina Reza’s three-hander about an expensive white painting. Joining him in Eastbourne are Chris Harper from Call the Midwife and Corrie, and Aden Gillett from The House of Eliott and The Crown.
Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, October 1-5, 7.45pm, 2.30pm matinees Wed and Sat, from £23.50, eastbournetheatres.co.uk
Dance
Jasmin Vardimon Company – Now
The internationally renowned dance company is marking its 25th anniversary with a show exploring both the present and the continuous movement of time.
Connaught Theatre, Worthing, Tuesday, October 1, 7.30pm, from £18, wtm.uk
Literature
An Audience with Lucy Worsley on Jane Austen
One of the BBC’s most popular historians turns her attention onto Hampshire’s much-loved novelist, exploring how much her own home life, and that of her contemporaries, influenced classics such as Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Persuasion.
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, Friday, October 4, 5.30pm, from £27, dlwp.com
Exhibition
Drawing the Unspeakable
As he steps down as chair of Towner – a role he’s held for the past decade – broadcaster David Dimbleby is joining his daughter Liza to guest-curate his first exhibition. Drawing the Unspeakable will feature 100 drawn works, taken from the gallery’s collection alongside pieces from the British Museum, Bethlem Museum of the Mind and Ben Uri Gallery. Works by David Bomberg, Barbara Hepworth, Madge Gill, Eric Ravilious and James Gillray among others will be accompanied by a written dialogue between David and his daughter, taking in both their relationship and their viewpoints as a journalist and an artist.
Towner Eastbourne, October 5-April 27, Tues to Sun, 10am-5pm, free, townereastbourne.org.uk
Music
Leo Sayer - Still Feel Like Dancing?
Shoreham’s most famous musical export is coming home to perform a retrospective from his long career, to coincide with the publication of his autobiography Just A Boy.
Assembly Hall, Worthing, Saturday, October 5, 7.30pm, from £37, wtm.uk
Music
Oysterband and June Tabor
Having spent 45 years on the road, Canterbury’s The Oysterband is playing a final farewell tour, entitled A Long Long Goodbye, taking in some of their favourite venues. Expect to hear from their extensive back catalogue, leaning towards their two album-length collaborations with fellow folkie June Tabor.
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, Saturday, October 5, doors 7.30pm, £30.50, dlwp.com
Talk
John Nichol’s The Unknown Warrior
Former RAF Tornado navigator John Nichol and his pilot John Peters were tortured and paraded in front of the world’s media in 1991 after their plane was shot down during the Iraq War. He has since become a best-selling author – and is promoting his latest book with his first theatre tour. The Unknown Warrior traces the journey of the anonymous body taken from Northern France to be buried ‘among the kings’ in Westminster Abbey to represent the missing fallen from the so-called Great War.
Also at Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne on Thursday, October 24 and The Hawth, Crawley on Tuesday, October 29.
Pavilion Theatre, Worthing, Sunday, October 6, 3.30pm, from £28, wtm.uk
Music
Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson’s 45-year music career has encompassed new wave, jazz, jump blues and classical. But this latest tour is taking another leftfield twist, as he performs a greatest hits set with his nine-piece band, alongside a set of music hall songs originally made famous a century ago by forgotten star Max Champion.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Sunday, October 6, doors 7pm, from £36.50, brightondome.org
Musical
Come What May
Strictly Come Dancing’s AJ Pritchard is joined by his brother Curtis in this one-night-only celebration of movie musicals.
Theatre Royal Brighton, Monday, October 7, 7.30pm, £34.38, atgtickets.com/theatre-royal-brighton
Theatre
Gwyneth Goes Skiing
What happens when the worlds of Hollywood wellness entrepreneur and actress Gwyneth Paltrow and a retired optometrist from Utah literally collide on a ski slope? The ensuing 2013 court case is celebrated in this new musical by Linus Karp and Joseph Martin, featuring songs by Leland, fresh from Edinburgh Fringe.
The Old Market, Hove, October 7-8, doors 6.45pm, £20, £18 concessions, theoldmarket.com
Music
Fairground Attraction
It’s hard to think of another band from the 1980s like Fairground Attraction, whose flame burned so brightly with the number one hit Perfect and its triple-platinum-selling album First of A Million Kisses, only to disappear in acrimony on the first day of recording sessions for its follow-up. Now the band, based around singer Eddi Reader and songwriter Mark Nevin, has finally reconvened to record and promote their first album in 35 years: Beautiful Happening.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Tuesday, October 8, from £39, brightondome.org
Music
Joan as Police Woman
Joan Wasser’s three-decade career has seen her work with the likes of Lou Reed, Rufus Wainwright, Damon Albarn, John Cale, Anohni and most notably the late Jeff Buckley. This tour is in support of Lemons, Limes and Orchids, her first release since 2021, which sees her lean into her jazz and electronic influences.
St George’s Church, Brighton, Thursday, October 10, doors 7pm, £28 in advance, meltingvinyl.co.uk
Theatre
David Walliams’ Awful Auntie
Who would have thought the reprobates behind Little Britain would become so respectable – Matt Lucas on the Great British Bake Off, and David Walliams as a best-selling children’s author? This tour by Birmingham Stage Company tells David’s tale of Stella, heir to Saxby Hall, and her fateful encounter with her Aunt Alberta.
Theatre Royal Brighton, October 10-12, various times, from £13, atgtickets.com/theatre-royal-brighton
Comedy
Sh!t-faced Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Never mind forgetting their lines or missing their cue – with this touring show there is a very real chance that the single blind-drunk cast member might fall off the stage, drop off to sleep midway through a speech, or just stop proceedings to lead a singalong. Having launched 14 years ago, Sh!t-faced Shakespeare is a chance to see the Bard’s work performed by a professional cast, one of whom has stayed a little too long at the bar. Perhaps not unlike some of Shakespeare’s original players?
The Capitol, Horsham, Thursday, October 10, 7.30pm, £25.50, thecapitolhorsham.com
Music
Kerry Ellis: Queen of the West End
Having made her name on the London musical stage, and enjoyed a second career touring the world with Queen guitarist Brian May, Kerry Ellis is telling the story behind her 20-year career in a new memoir. This show will mix stories from her life with performances of her favourite songs.
Also at Worthing Pavilion Theatre on Friday, October 11, and Eastbourne’s Royal Hippodrome on Sunday, November 10.
The Hawth, Crawley, Thursday, October 10, 7.30pm, £33.50, parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/the-hawth
Music
Crowded House
New Zealand’s biggest musical export has become a family band – with songwriter and frontman Neil Finn now backed by his sons Elroy and Liam, alongside long-time Crowded House collaborators Nick Seymour and production legend Mitchell Froom. This Brighton show supports the reunited band’s latest critically acclaimed album Gravity Stairs, which harks back to the band’s 1990s glory days.
Brighton Centre, Saturday, October 12, doors 6.30pm, see website for prices, brightoncentre.co.uk
Music
Instrumentalist of the World
A trio of top young artists, Grammy-nominated saxophonist Amy Dickson, guitarist Plinio Fernandes and violinist Laure Chan, named the BBC Music Magazine Rising Star, perform with the BBC Concert Orchestra to launch the inaugural 2025 Instrumentalist of the World competition.
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, Saturday, October 12, 7pm, from £19, dlwp.com
Family
Hedgerows and Harvest Weekend
To coincide with harvest time, the open-air museum focuses on an oft-forgotten and neglected wildlife habitat - the hedgerow - and explores the plants and insects that rely on them to survive.
Weald and Downland Living Museum, Singleton, near Chichester, October 12-13, 10am-5pm, from £15.50, £7.50 children, wealddown.co.uk
Music
The Tiger Lillies
A trio once seen never forgotten, the face-painted Tiger Lillies are exploring the meaningless and absurdity of existence on this latest tour – something which has long provided inspiration to frontman Martyn Jacques’ twisted Weimar cabaret-style songs.
Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, Saturday, October 12, 7.30pm, £27.50, brightondome.org
Theatre
Dear Evan Hansen
The Tony, Olivier and Grammy Award-winning musical, with music by the composers behind The Greatest Showman, makes its Brighton debut. It follows the titular Evan, an anxious high school kid who makes the mistake of not telling the whole truth about his relationship to another schoolmate. And gradually his lie grows to epic proportions.
Theatre Royal Brighton, October 15-19, 7.30pm, 2.30pm matinees Thurs and Sat, from £13, atgtickets.com/theatre-royal-brighton
Theatre
Dial M for Mayhem
This new farce follows a group of travelling actors bringing the classic thriller Dial M for Murder to the Highlands and islands of Scotland in the early 1990s.
Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, October 15-19, 7.45pm, 2.30pm matinees Wed and Sat, from £23.50, eastbournetheatres.co.uk
Theatre
Talawa Firsts: A Double Bill
Bougie Lanre’s Boulangerie is an existential poetry talk show based around Kareem Parkins-Brown's experiences in the hospitality industry. Meanwhile Love in Gravitational Waves, by Testament, takes aim at modern dating culture.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, October 15-16, 7.30pm, £16, £12.50 concessions, brightondome.org
Talk
Sir Ranulph Fiennes: Mad, Bad and Dangerous
Having circumnavigated the globe from pole to pole, been the first to cross both the Arctic and Antarctic on foot and become the oldest Briton to scale Mount Everest (on his third attempt) the world’s greatest living explorer is taking a very different tour of the country to share his stories and inspirations.
Assembly Hall, Worthing, Friday, October 18, 7.30pm, from £34, wtm.uk
Theatre
Black is the Color of my Voice
Inspired by the life of Nina Simone, and soundtracked by live versions of some of her songs, this play by Apphia Campbell follows the story of a jazz singer and civil rights activist, played by Nicholle Cherrie, who is seeking redemption after the untimely death of her father.
Pavilion Theatre, Worthing, Friday, October 18, 7.30pm, from £16, wtm.uk
Theatre
Shock Horror: A Ghost Story
An early Halloween treat taking inspiration from classic ghost stories and horror cinema. Alex Moran plays Herbert, who grew up in the Metropol cinema – where endless late-night horror movies were his window to the world. And now he is back in the abandoned cinema to try to uncover what really happened in his past.
Connaught Theatre, Worthing, October 18-19, 7.30pm, from £16, wtm.uk
Music
Paul Weller
Returning once more to the venue where The Jam played their final show, former frontman Paul Weller performs tracks from 66 – his 17th solo album and 28th collection released across his 47-year career. Anyone who has seen Paul before can expect an uncompromising mix of old favourites and new music from a musician who has always followed his own artistic path.
Brighton Centre, Saturday, October 19, doors 6.30pm, visit website for prices, brightoncentre.co.uk
Music
Caravan Palace
French electropop band Caravan Palace come to Brighton as part of a six-date UK tour to promote latest album Gangbusters Melody Club. The band’s sound blends jazz, swing, pop, hip-hop and dance to make for an exhilarating live experience.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Tuesday, October 22, doors 7pm, from £35.75, brightondome.org
Music
The Vaccines
It can’t possibly be 13 years since the release of What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? the band’s career-making debut album. But now on their sixth album the energy hasn’t let up, with Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations taking inspiration from American rock, but boasting an underlying theme of loss and disillusionment – not least with the departure of longtime guitarist Freddie Cowan.
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, Tuesday, October 22, doors 7pm, £31, dlwp.com
Literature
Petworth Literary Festival
Within its small, complicated tangle of streets located deep within the South Downs, Petworth punches well above its weight with its annual literary festival. The packed bill for 2024 includes Pam Ayres, David Baddiel, Robert Harris, Kate Mosse, Polly Toynbee, Clare Balding, Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera, John Suchet, Louise Minchin, Adrian Chiles, David Hepworth and a certain Dame Judi...
Plus, as a warm-up, look out for the Petworth Proms – a collaboration between the Petworth Festival and National Trust in Petworth House from October 18-20.
Across Petworth, October 23-November 3, various times and prices, box office opens on Wednesday, September 25, petworthfestival.org.uk
Nish Kumar and Kiell Smith-Bynoe
Comedy
Comedy Festival
Stand-up superstars line up alongside the latest new talent in this long-awaited return of the Brighton Comedy Festival. Among the highlights of the four-day programme are the latest shows from Fern Brady, Nish Kumar, Maisie Adam, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and a new improv show led by Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe. Plus look out for refugee comedy collective No Direction Home, poet Rob Auton, Phil Kay’s children’s show Gimme Your Left Shoe and interactive installations by the city’s own cartoonists Modern Toss.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre, October 24-27, various times and prices, brightondome.org
Music
John Grant
One of the finest songwriters of the 21st century returns with his latest album The Art of the Lie. Collaborating with producer Ivor Guest it sees John combine his love of classic 1980s synthesisers with his signature songwriting style – which can be both graphically dark and harrowing, but also downright hilarious in just one turn of phrase.
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, Saturday, October 26, doors 7pm, from £28.50, dlwp.com
Family
Characters from History
Discover a castle under siege in Arundel and experience life in the 12th century, with the chance to meet crusaders, knights, a falconer and archers, as well as hear tall tales from a storyteller and medieval tunes from wandering musicians Myal and Peg.
Arundel Castle, October 30-31, 10am-5pm, from £15, £7 children, arundelcastle.org
Music
Public Service Broadcasting
Since 2010 bandleader J Willgoose has taken the idea of soundtracking vintage news dialogue and audio documentary clips and run with it – creating EPs based around World War II public information films and the sinking of the Titanic, and whole albums inspired by the race into space, the decline of the UK coal mining industry, the centenary of the BBC, and now, on their latest release, the story of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart’s last flight.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Wednesday, October 30, doors 7pm, £37.75, brightondome.org
Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells
Composer Mike Oldfield’s long-term collaborator Robin Smith conducts a live performance of the full album which launched Richard Branson’s Virgin label more than 50 years ago, alongside selections from Mike’s extensive back catalogue.
White Rock Theatre, Hastings, Wednesday, October 30, 7.30pm, from £27.20, whiterocktheatre.org.uk
Family
Luna Loves Library Day: The Musical
A stage version of former Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho’s picture book collaboration with illustrator Fiona Lumbers follows a young girl’s adventures among the library shelves – with music and lyrics by David Gibb. Suitable for three to 11-year-olds.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, October 30-31, 1pm and 3.30pm, £12, £8 children, brightondome.org
Music
Bernard Butler
The Suede co-founder turned respected producer returns with his first solo album for 25 years – Good Grief, having seen his 2022 collaboration with Jessie Buckley get nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.
The Old Market, Hove, Wednesday, October 30, doors 6.45pm, £25, theoldmarket.com
