Day four, digging the hole

There seem to have been, this year, a proliferation of new spaces for work.  Although venues are closing at a rate that would make Dr Beeching proud, new places for performances - especially spoken word - and the longevity of others seems to be consolidating the scene.  So alongside Embryo and First Draft, I've discovered Bad Language, and more recent events Evidently and Mon Mon, and I've had a great time at all of these.  I think the difference is that these night encourage conversation and socialising in a way going to watch someone's play doesn't, unless you have half-an-hour to wait around after the play has finished.

(btw I could real off a whole list of others, if I could remember their names.  The scratch night that is held at Sale Waterside; the poetry gig I dropped into at Taurus.  And then there's Newk, which is the finest night of its type in the region.)

However, my day four highlight manages all of this while bucking the trend for taking away our roofs.  It feels like it's been there for so much longer, but it is only this year that the Korova Arts Café opened in Preston, and it has already, as far as I'm concerned, established itself as the go-to place for enabling work, relaxing, and decent coffee.

http://www.projectkorova.co.uk/

Some people seem to think that Preston is too far; I would only point out that it's quicker than travelling from Greenwich to the City, or Richmond to the west end.  But then, for some people Huddersfield and Bolton are too far.  And the last train home from Preston is later than my last train home from Manchester; what's going on there?

I like Preston.  It's not the greatest city in the world.  But the bus station is thrilling, the Oxfam bookshop is a money drain, the Conti is somewhere I need to pay more attention to in 2014.  And then there's Korova.

Sam Buist has achieved something remarkable in managing to get this off the ground.  Alongside other venue operations I sometimes wish it was easier and swifter to pin down to definite projects, but what is happening is interesting and always worth investigating.  With their Hatch, Klectic and Experimental projects there's real scope for engaging with work and I suspect I will be spending much more time bobbing up and down over the coming year.  You should to!