Five of the best things to do in and around Luton in the next seven days

From a night of top DJs to an evening with a classic comedy character, there's lots going on...
A Day in The Lives of Frankie Abbott comes to the Hat Factory this weekA Day in The Lives of Frankie Abbott comes to the Hat Factory this week
A Day in The Lives of Frankie Abbott comes to the Hat Factory this week

1 MUSICThe Big Love Project, Venue 360, Gipsy Lane, June 10Some of the biggest and best-loved names in Luton’s dance music scene are coming together for an event raising money for the British Heart Foundation. he DJs involved were fundamental in the dance music movement which swept through the town in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and were well-known through their work for London nightclubs, pirate radio stations and on their own record releases. Leon Smith, who is helping organise the event, said: “These guys inspired a generation. Looking back now, it was much more than just the music. The scene broke down many social barriers and from what I remember kids of all backgrounds, beliefs and ethnicity were united in sharing the dancefloors all over Luton every weekend.The evening will showcase dance music from 1989 to the present day. It will feature DJs Bruce B, CK Francis, Fingaz, Johnny G and Stumpi. All proceeds go to the British Heart Foundation to support its research work in understanding and reducing deaths caused by the UK’s single biggest killer.Tickets cost £10.Details: thebigloveproject.eventbrite.co.uk

2 MUSICCaritas Harmony, Grove Theatre, Dunstable, June 11The award-winning ladies’ choir will perform a Summer Serenade which will include a piece entitled Dunstable Downs, written especially for the choir by local composer Chris Hazell. The choir are led by experienced and exacting musical director Margaret Blenkin, and will be joined by young tenor Thomas Elwin as supporting artist for the concert, which will be compered by TV and radio presenter Adrian Mills. Now in its 14th year, the choir has raised more than £140,000 for charities throughout Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, with this concert is in support of the Mayor of Dunstable’s chosen charities. The evening starts at 6pm and promises something for a wide range of tastes.Details: www.grovetheatre.co.uk

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3 MUSICKast off Kinks, Grove Theatre, Dunstable, June 9They’re not your usual tribute band. The Kast off Kinks are former members of the legendary band, back together playing great music and reliving the good times while keeping alive the songs alive that made The Kinks the all-conquering pop-rock act they were. This line-up features Mick Avory, the original drummer on all the classic hits from 1964 to 1984, John Dalton, who played bass and sang vocals with the Kinks in the 1960s and ‘70s) and Ian Gibbons, who was a keyboardist and vocalist with the Kinks in the 1980s and ‘90s and still plays with Ray Davies. They are joined by Dave Clarke on guitar and vocals – he’s played with the Beach Boys and Noel Redding. Expect all the hits including You Really Got Me, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Sunny Afternoon, Lola, Days, Waterloo Sunset, Come Dancing, All Day and All of the Night and much more.Details: www.grovetheatre.co.uk

4 COMEDYA Day in The Lives of Frankie Abbott, Hat Factory, Luton, June 8Discover what happens when a fantasist with a fading memory recalls events from years ago. Frankie Abbott, now in a care home, is helped by Marion, one of the carers to remember. The fun starts as the mother-smothered, big talking buffoon reverts to a past littered with guns, girls and gangsters. David Barry played the hapless Frankie Abbott in the 1960s and 1970s sitcoms Please Sir! and The Fenn Street Gang and has now written this bittersweet comedy which follows what has happened to Frankie 40 years on. This will be the first time that David has put on the leather jacket to play Frankie in more than 40 years. Marie Kelly plays Marion, the carer. The play was well received at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016 and was among comedian Arthur Smith’s top four shows to attend. The play is 50 minutes long and will be followed by a Q&A with David and Marie.Details: www.lutonculture.com

5 THEATREThe Dream/ Symphonic Variations/ Marguerite and Armand – Live screening from the Royal Opera House, Grove Theatre, Dunstable, June 7This gorgeous mixed programme demonstrates the great creative vision of Frederick Ashton, founder choreographer of the Royal Ballet.Details: grovetheatre.co.uk

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