interviews

As part of this archive project, we have undertaken a series of interviews with some of those that made '33' so special. Others will be added as they become available.

A glorious mash-up compiled from interviews with Fahim Qureshi, Jo Brand, and Caroline Wallace.

Interview with David Arnold, one of the world's leading film composers. His credits include scoring five James Bond movies and other major films including Independence Day, Stargate, and Godzilla. His work for TV includes Sherlock and Little Britain.

Born in Luton, David attended Luton Sixth Form College and became involved with the '33 Film & Video Group' alongside his friend, the film producer, director, and writer, Danny Cannon.

Interview with musician and producer Paul Jolly, who was a member of the Refleks Community Arts Group from the early 1970s.

In 1978, Paul helped establish Luton Community Arts Trust, the company that programmed and administered the '33 Arts Centre'.

Jo Brand in conversation with Spike Knowles about her early experiences of working in small regional venues at the start of her career and the additional pressures of being a female in what was then a male dominated profession.

Interview with Tim Powell, a founding member of the Refleks Community Arts Group, and the '33 Arts Centre'.

Tim was proactive in driving policy and programming at '33' whilst also being creatively involved in many in-house theatre and music productions for The Fabulous Random Band.

Liz Aldous is a versatile visual artist and specialist in sharing skills with the wider community. Liz had a long relationship working with '33' and is here speaking with friend and colleague Linda Farrell.

Interview with George Collin, the long standing chairperson of Luton Community Arts Trust Limited - the charitable organisation responsible for the management and administration of the '33 Arts Centre' from the mid 1970s.

George talks about the history of the Trust, as well as his own work as an award-winning animator.

Interview with Fahim Qureshi, a young user of '33’s' film, video, and photography facilities, and later a staff member of the centre’s creative workforce.

From his early beginnings at '33', Fahim has had a truly inspired career in arts administration - with senior arts development posts in Hackney, Luton, Birmingham, and Richmond.

Interview with Spike Knowles, an important member of the team at '33'.

Spike brought his drama training to help develop and administer a wide range of drama workshops, and was involved with writing, acting, and directing film projects alongside the '33 Film & Video Group'.

Interview with musician Mike Adcock, a pianist and accordionist, whose music embraces both composition and improvisation. He has released numerous recordings, touring extensively in the UK and Europe.

Mike has had a long association with '33' including working on music, drama, and film projects. He was also a member of '33's' in-house theatre group, The Fabulous Random Band.

Interview with Brian Desir, a leading and nationally recognised exponent of the martial arts discipline Wing Chun.

Brian was the first local activist who understood the value of '33' as a resource space for community activities outside of the art world. For many years he organised and undertook classes for Wing Chun students at the centre.

Interview with the legendary vocalist and performer, Maggie Nicols. Since the late '60s, Maggie has been at the forefront of contemporary improvisational music.

In 1977, with musician and composer Lindsay Cooper, she formed the remarkable Feminist Improvising Group. She has performed at major venues across the UK, Europe, and beyond, and featured on many iconic and highly regarded recordings.

In this interview, she discusses her early involvement with '33', focusing on music and the landscape of early UK community access venues.

Interview with dancer Perry Louis, founder of the iconic dance group JazzCotech. An important part of his amazing career, that has taken him around the world performing with with major artists, was his early involvement with the creative spaces at '33'.

Perry continues to perform both as a dancer and respected DJ. He is a wonderful example of a major artist that grew from the seeds of the UK community arts scene.

Interview with Jean Podesta, a founding member of the '33 Film & Video Group'.

As a director and producer, Jean was instrumental in creating a wide range of community-based video workshops at '33', as well as working on independent productions for Channel 4 TV, including the highly regarded scratch movie Death Valley Days. Jean was also involved with the widespread development of the UK video workshop movement.

Interview with Caroline Wallace who was, for many years, the administrator and exhibitions organiser for '33', alongside undertaking various other roles and responsibilities within the centre.

Her career after leaving '33' has involved many arts administration posts within local authorities and Luton Culture, leading to her current position with Arts Council England.

Interview with Sue Smith, who was instrumental in launching the influential and highly successful SNAP project at '33'.  

SNAP (Social Needs Awareness Project) was a highly influential initiative using art (mainly photography) to help at-risk young people to both develop their own creative skills, and to seek additional help and support through other established agencies.

Interview with photographer Hugh Byrne about his work at '33' and his observations regarding the current local arts scene.

Hugh's early (pre-Photoshop) photomontage work was an essential part of the launch of the successful SNAP project. Some of Hugh's images accompany the interview.

Interview with Leila Morton about her early involvement with '33', including co-founding the WANDS (Women Against Nuclear Dumping) dance group and the impact of her experience at '33' on her subsequent career.

Interview with musician, music producer and filmmaker, Steve Spon.

Spon was an important figure in the creative projects at '33'. His work in developing the recording facilities at the centre brought together diverse communities and varied genres to produce amazing workshop and commercial outputs - both for the fledgling '33 Records', and for other inspiring independent outlets.

Alongside this, Spon was internationally known for his work with UK Decay, Click Click, and Karma Sutra.

Interview with Linda 'Muddie' Farrell, who was active with the Refleks Community Arts Group in the early '70s, and a founding member (and later director) of '33'.

The interview provides an insight into the early days of community arts provision, administrating a diverse team, and the issues facing women undertaking a difficult management role in the 1970s.

Interview with poet and writer Lee Nelson.

Lee was artistically involved with '33' in the early days and has gone on to become a respected poet, producer, and compere of both local and national gigs, including the iconic poetry and spoken word series 'Utter! Lutonia'.

Interview with Stephen Whiting and Andrew Kingston, talking about '33' and their own amazing contribution to the creative life of Luton and beyond. 

Apart from their musical backgrounds with bands like The Knockouts and Thrilled Skinny, the pair are responsible for the creation of the iconic and much-loved Clod Magazine, which is fast approaching its 40th year of publication.