Vandal Factory

The Seeds and the Tools

Political theatre, direct action and community projects!
Henry and Natalie talk about a community project with young people exploring food and injustice. We reflect on the fight against the Far Right showing up in the local area. Problem Patterns introduce their banging punk song. Henry reports back from Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he chatted to theatre-maker Peyvand Sadeghian about her show DUALدوگانه, featuring drag, animation, and an Anglo-Persian pop soundtrack.

Black Lodge Press: Anarchist Artwork Is Fun

CJ runs Black Lodge Press, creating radgey, spikey, angry, cheeky and bold artwork for posters, stickers, t-shirts and baby clothes. CJ talks about discovering street level Anarchist culture, getting into zine-making and gig-going, joining anti-austerity protests and what it means to create angry art.
https://blacklodgepress.bigcartel.com/
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Search ‘Vandal Factory Playlist’ on Spotify!

Defiantly Compassionate

It's been a tough old month at Vandal Factory HQ. Henry and Natalie celebrate the life of a dearly departed friend and talk about the latest wave of violence affecting the Freedom Theatre in Palestine. But we also play a new track by Fold, talk about the actors and writers strikes in America and chat with Libra part of Middle Child/Milk Presents' show: MODESTHow to support the Freedom Theatre:https://www.therevolutionspromise.com/take-action

Thrown back into the fray

Dani from Faintest Idea talks about their new ska-punk masterpiece. Performance poet Hannah Davies reads from her new collection Dolls. Plus we discuss student activism, current issues and Henry performs a classic poem that he's updated. It's all good fun for you lovely Raptors.

Dance Like A Feminist

We chat and dance with Bolshee CIC about the Dancefloor Project, about making nights out safe for everyone. Henry and Nat also discuss Dougald Hine's book At Work In The Ruins. What happens when there's no future to build towards? How do we make meaningful art and change in the wake of climate breakdown...and how do we keep dancing?Plus we play tracks from The Bricks, Gaptooth and R.E.M. and Henry reads a classic protest poet from his back catalogue!

Pay Up!

Henry and Natalie speak to workers on strike on February 1st, marching and rallying in Leeds City Centre. Workers, and young people, speak from the heart about why they are fighting for better working conditions that will benefit us all.Henry and Natalie return to the Studio to interview Natalie Davies and Rachel Flint from People Poetry - a group that meet weekly with Space2 to write and share poetry.This episode dives into solidarity and building accessible, welcoming, warm and political spaces to change the world...one poem at a time.Find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (please).Search ‘Vandal Factory Playlist’ on Spotify for all previous stated "banging tunes."

Common Altuism

Fresh from the Seacroft Climate Forum, Henry and Nat ask how do we build nourishing, powerful and political spaces to connect and build community? The pair interview Evie Manning, Co-Artistic Director of Common Wealth Theatre, and Nathan Stephen-Griffith from functional power-pop band MARTHA. Evie talks about the company and their new show (You Are Here As A Witness) and Nathan discusses the new album (Please Don't Take Me Back) and being the Millennial Housemartins.We have bangers, poems and really, really funny jokes.Find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (please).Search ‘Vandal Factory Playlist’ on Spotify for all previous stated "banging tunes."

A sort of ’Best of’ - cuts from the factory floor

A few of our favourite moments, chats, provocations and poems from the first 10 episodes of the Vandal Factory show! Check out the full episodes for the meatier morsals.Find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (please).Search ‘Vandal Factory Playlist’ on Spotify for all previous stated "banging tunes"

It’s getting hot in here / And I am dead inside

Anti-Fascism, envriomentalism and community activism! Sharon Bailey talks about the Battle of Stockton, when in 1933 fascist Blackshirts were beaten back by the working class movement. The campaign talks about celebration and resistence in the 21st century. Hetty from Pigfoot Theatre chats about their new show, Hot In Here, touring to Leeds on October 28th. It uses dance, real-life stories, and music to share the action taking place internationally against climate injustice, and the UK’s place within it. The show is powered by the first energy-harvesting dancefloor in live theatre. Nat worries she might be dead inside...is she?!Find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (please).Search ‘Vandal Factory Playlist’ on Spotify for all previous stated "banging tunes"

AWWOOOOOOO!!!

Henry and Natalie return from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (#EdFringe) - with strong opinions (as always!). We met and recorded an interview with SHEWOLVES (awooo) a company (and play) about female friendship and solidarity. We talk about the difficulty in defining community/participatory/outreach arts work using François Matarasso. Henry Does His Own Thing (aka reads a poem) and we play banging tunes.Find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (please).Search ‘Vandal Factory Playlist’ on Spotify for all previous stated "banging tunes."