What's on this month in Somerset
PUBLISHED: 17:35 30 September 2019 | UPDATED: 15:51 09 October 2019
Bruton Decorative Antiques Fair comes to Haynes Motor Museum this month
Archant
Here's Somerset Life's top picks for shows, exhibitions and events in October
Throughout October
Decorative and functional ceramics from the past 400 years are on display at a new exhibition at Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury, which runs until 9 November. Somerset Slipware: The Art of the Potter explores how slipware ceramics developed in the county from the late 1600s onward. Among the more unusual ceramic items on display is a bacon toaster from 1761 and an 18th-century urinal. Vessels for drinking Somerset cider feature too, including the famous puzzle jugs and fuddling cups. The museum is open from 10am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday and entry costs £7.50 for adults and £3.50 for children, with under-5s free.
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Joe Brown, Octagon Theatre in Yeovil
Thursday, October 3
Much-loved musician Joe Brown visits the Octagon Theatre, Yeovil, on his UK tour to celebrate a staggering 60 years in the business (The Beatles supported him in his early days). Joe combines timeless classics, rockabilly, gospel, country, bluegrass, and rock & roll, all interwoven with his effervescent delivery and humorous reminiscences. Tickets are priced from £31, with the show beginning at 7.30pm.
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Jenny Bliss and Yair Avidor with Amphion Consort, Bishop's Palace in Wells
Friday, October 4
Amphion Consort will be performing a unique concert in the Undercroft of the Bishop's Palace in Wells as a coda to the RE-FORMATION exhibition taking place throughout the Palace and Gardens, and are joined by Jenny Bliss and Yair Avidor.
The group will perform sonatas by the 17th Century Rosicrucian Mystic and violin virtuoso Heinrich Biber including the Crucifixion and the Resurrection Sonatas from his collection of Mystery Sonatas. They will also perform work of the late Glastonbury-based composer Stanley Messenger and the premiere of a work by Jenny, which uses the positions of the planets and stars at the time of the concert encoded into musical notation, for a truly unique performance. From 7.30pm, tickets are £15.
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October 5, 12, 26
Somerset will be treated to three more eat:Festivals this month, in Nailsea town centre and Crown Glass Centre on October 5, Minehead's The Avenue, Old Hospital and The Beach Hotel on October 12 and Burnham town centre on October 26. These hugely popular foodie events are free and celebrate the great food producers local to each area, so expect fantastic food and drink, as well as cook schools, demos, music and much more. Each festival runs from approximately 10am-4pm.
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Top Dog Film Festival, Bath Komedia
Wednesday, October 9
A film festival celebrating the unbreakable bond between dogs and humans is coming to the UK for the first time, calling at the Komedia, Bath. The Top Dog Film Festival is a collection of canine-inspired short films from independent film-makers all over the world, featuring moving, uplifting and inspiring tales of our four-legged friends. Meet Henry the avalanche rescue dog, who saves lives in a ski resort with his handler Chris; witness the remarkable journey of Arthur, the Ecuadorian street dog adopted by a team of adventurers and many more stories of man's extraordinary best friend. From 7.30pm, with tickets £13.50 and £12 for concessions.
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Fairport Convention, Bridgwater Arts Centre
Wednesday, October 9
Fairport Convention, often credited with being the first English electric folk band, are to play at Bridgwater Arts Centre. Holders of a coveted BBC Lifetime Achievement Award, their ground-breaking album Liege & Lief was voted 'Most Influential Folk Album Of All Time' by Radio 2 listeners. The show begins at 8pm, and tickets are £25.
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Sunday, October 13
Get your taste buds at the ready: the free, family-friendly festival for foodies is returning to England's smallest city, celebrating the region's rich farming and food heritage. More than 150 stalls in the Artisan Market showcase the diversity of the county's produce. Taste your way around the world with everything from chai to mead, Moroccan nut butter to traditional Somerset cheddar. There is also an interactive Discovery Zone, the Bath & West Farm Yard and a food photography workshop. From 10.30am-4.30pm.
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Pushing Up the Daises Festival, Cheese & Grain in Frome
Sunday, October 13
Among writers, speakers, theatre and music over the three days of the South West's largest festival of death and dying, the Pushing up the Daisies Festival will host a death and funeral information market at Cheese & Grain. Talk to death professionals, probate experts, eco-coffin makers, RUH Bath, celebrant trainers and many more. From 9.30am.
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Al Murray - Landlord of Hope and Glory, Theatre Royal Bath
Sunday, October 13
Al Murray is bringing his 2019 nationwide tour to the Theatre Royal Bath in October.
The multi award-winning comedian is one of the most recognisable and successful comics in the UK, known particularly for his alter-ego, The Pub Landlord. For over 20 years he has filled arenas around the world, won numerous accolades including the Perrier Award and secured Olivier Award nominations for his sell-out West End runs. This show is bound to be popular so do book early. Tickers are £29.50, with the show starting at 7.30pm.
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Dark Skies Festival, Exmoor National Park
From October 14
A family astro-party, night mountain-biking, nocturnal wildlife walks and stargazing with delicious food are all on the agenda for Exmoor National Park's annual Dark Skies Festival. Now in its third year, the festival is going from strength to strength with this year's programme extended over three weeks instead of two, finishing on 3 November. Each event is ticketed individually, and many events are free.
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Ten Tonnes, Trinity Centre in Bristol
Wednesday, October 16
After touring with George Ezra, Tom Grennan, Rat Boy and Stereophonics, 22-year-old Ten Tonnes takes his own headline tour on the road, including one night at Bristol's Trinity Centre. Ezra's younger brother, real name Ethan Barnett, Ten Tonnes has consistently packed venues with his energised and uplifting live shows, and tickets for his Bristol show will be in high demand. The show begins at 7pm, with tickets £14.30.
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Rolling Stones: Havana Moon concert screening, Bath Forum
Wednesday, October 16
The Rolling Stones' iconic Havana Moon show is set for Bath Forum as an immersive concert screening. This huge, free concert gave many Cubans their first experience of live music from the West and remains the largest concert in Cuban history. This radical new immersive concert screening concept will enable audiences to experience legendary and iconic gigs as if they were in the audience. Standing and seated tickets start from £35. The show begins at 7.30pm with the film screening at 8.30pm.
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Lost Dog's Juliet and Romeo, Grand Pier in Weston-Super-Mare
Friday, October 18
This fantastic reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in the Regency Suite on Weston's Grand Pier is part of Theatre Orchard's Dance Dynamic Weston season. The lovers didn't die in a tragic misunderstanding and are now in their forties, haunted by the pressures of being the poster couple for romantic love and in therapy. With Lost Dog's blend of dance, theatre and comedy this stunning duet is a humorous and heartfelt look at love, loss, longevity and our cultural obsession with youth. From 7.30pm, tickets are £12.
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October 18-26
This year the Wells Festival of Literature features its best lineup yet, promising a heady mix of social commentators, historians, artists, entertainers, poets, novelists, well-known household names, and new voices on the brink of fame. All events take place at Cedars Hall, where you can meet author, broadcaster and parliamentarian Melvyn Bragg, scientist Adam Rutherford, historians Christopher Andrew and Diarmid McCullough and art critic Martin Kemp among others. The festival culminates in a music and poetic extravaganza from Roger McGough and his band LiTTLe MACHiNe. Tickets are £10 or £6 for students.
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Bruton Decorative Antiques Fair
October 18-20
Bruton Decorative Antiques Fair 2019 bounces back for the 4th edition with a theme of rustic to refined luxury antiques in the contemporary home. The luxurious and spacious venue of Haynes Motor Museum will be transformed to an interior design hub with curated and inspirational stands from more than 50 exhibitors. Public entrance £5.
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Sunday, October 20
The monthly Shepton Mallet Sunday Market is back, kicking off from 10am-3pm in the Market Place and featuring a variety of market stalls and shops as well as music and entertainment. There is an increasing focus on ethical and environmentally friendly produce at the market too, with the likes of The Naked Pantry and Chateau du Savon selling fantastic plastic-free goods. There is free parking all day in Great Ostry car park.
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Tibetan Monks from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery: The Power of Compassion, Strode Theatre
Monday, October 21, 7.30pm
Previously appearing at Glastonbury, Edinburgh Fringe and The Royal Opera House, the Tibetan Monks from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery's The Power of Compassion is a performance of masked dance and sacred chant.
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Gary Numan, Bristol's O2 Academy
Tuesday, October 22
Eighties Nuwave pioneer Gary Numan visits Bristol's O2 Academy on his (R)evolution 40th anniversary tour, celebrating 40 years since the release of his first solo album The Pleasure Principle. Tickets are priced £36.50, the show begins at 7pm. Under-15s must be accompanied by an adult.
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The Teacups, Ilminster Arts Centre
Friday, October 25
The joy, strength and sheer emotional range of the human voice is showcased at Ilminster Arts Centre with a performance by acclaimed UK acapella group The Teacups. The vocal quartet, who met in 2010 on the Newcastle University Folk & Traditional Music degree, focus on traditional folksongs from the UK and beyond. From 8pm, tickets are £14 (there is a pre-show supper at 7pm, which costs £15 and must be pre-booked).
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Combat Stress Centenary Raceday at Wincanton Racecourse
Sunday, October 27
Wincanton Racecourse will be supporting Combat Stress, a charity which for 100 years has been delivering specialist mental health treatment for veterans. Under 18s can attend for free on this day with a full-paying adult.
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Squeeze: Difford And Tilbrook Songbook Tour, Bath Forum
Wednesday, October 30
With special guests Heaven 17, Squeeze will perform at Bath Forum as part of their 27-date tour: Difford And Tilbrook Songbook Tour. Play their extensive list of hits as a band as well as rare gems from their back catalogue and solo careers, Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford aim to raise foods, funds and awareness for the Trussell Trust network of food banks.
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Contact Catherine.Courtenay@archant.co.uk or Elizabeth.Hartland@archant.co.uk to let us know about events happening in and around Somerset.
