Local Culture Unplugged: Literature, Film & Music
With the magnetic pull of the sea, creatives have long since been drawn to the East Sussex coastline, from rock royalty and literary greats to Hollywood glamour. Check out where to go for film, music, and literature in the region to get your cultural fix.
Camber
Camber is forever being used as a backdrop for directors for film, tv and music. Hollywood glamour came with the arrival of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Hugh Bonneville to shoot Monuments Men. The sun shone for the four days they were here, and Camber and Rye put on a dazzling show. Georgina could be found doing a lot of dog walking on the beach that week!
Ralph Fiennes shot and directed The Invisible Woman with Kirsten Scott Thomas. Daniel Day Lewis in Nine was seen running through the dunes. In 1962, the beach was used for the D-Day landing scenes in the epic war movie The Longest Day, films Dunkirk. and Carry On’s Follow That Camel was shot here during 1967 when Camber Sands doubled for the Sahara Desert although filming had to be stopped several times because the dunes were covered in snow…
On TV, Camber Sands’ holiday resort was seen in an episode of The Inbetweeners but most recently the BBC adaptation of Mapp and Lucia based on local author E F Benson. Most famously, Camber Sands was the backdrop, behind Corinne Day’s photo shoot that first catapulted Kate Moss to stardom.
On the music scene, Camber Sands is mentioned in Europe Is Our Playground by Suede; Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) by Squeeze; Diamonds and Pearls by The Holloways, it was also used as a title to Fatboy Slim’s EP single Camber Sands.
Photo credit: Georgina Holt
Rye
Every summer, the Rye International Jazz Festival draws world-famous musicians to its historic streets for a vibrant celebration of all things blues, jazz and contemporary. The cosy George in Rye often hosts acoustic nights and keep an eye on The Standard Inn’s event pages for live performances when you are in town.
On the literary front both Henry James and E.F. Benson who wrote and resided at Lamb House, now owned by National Trust, you can walk its hallowed halls and soak up 300 years of history. For cinema in style, the £1.5 million restoration of the Grade-II listed Kino Digital Cinema screens a brilliant mix of blockbusters and art house films.
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Hastings
Hastings has an edgy and eclectic music scene, starting with its iconic underground live venue, The Crypt, for rock and punk to indie and metal. The White Rock Theatre has a regular roster of live music and The Piper is a finger-on-the-pulse grass roots music venue in St. Leonard’s and for unmissable annual festivals there’s Fat Tuesday (billing itself as “five days of Mardi Gras on the South Coast”), and the Hastings Reggae Festival. The Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition is an excellent annual event showcasing emerging pianists from around the world. The competition has been taking place in Hastings since 1908.
Hastings has two excellent independent cinemas The Electric Palace Theatre and the Kino-Teatr. It also has some great independent bookshops, The Hastings Bookshop and the Printed Matter Book and Record Shop.
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Bexhill
Designed by Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff, the modernist, 1935 opened, Grade-I listed De La Warr Pavilion hosts everything from world-touring bands, the BBC orchestra, art, cinema, film and comedy. It also hosts plenty of the Bexhill Festival of Music events every year.
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Don’t miss…
A 35-minute drive from Bexhill will find you at the wonderful Glyndebourne, check out its opera, classical concerts, Christmas specials and its world-class annual festival.
If you do make a day-trip to Glyndebourne, nearby Farleys House Gallery (home of the Surrealists) in the village of Muddles Green was the main shooting location for Kate Winslet’s new film Lee, in which Kate plays the life of Elizabeth “Lee” Miller, a Vogue model turned surrealist photographer and WWII correspondent.
Folkestone
Folkestone has a diverse music scene that ranges from classical to contemporary, and its cultural hub is called the Quarterhouse, keep an eye on the events page to see what’s happening. The annual Folkestone Festival is a great place for spotting emerging talent. There’s also Folkestone’s longest running grassroots music venue The Chambers, Leas Cliff Hall and the Harbour Arm for live bands, DJ sets.
Folkestone has a rich history with the silver screen with the Folkestone Film Club meeting every week with films regularly held at the twin-screen Silver Screen Cinema. For outdoor cinema there’s the Folkestone Harbour Screen at the Harbour Arm. Folkestone has a roll call of excellent authors in its literary history including H.G Wells, Charles Dickens, Mary Shelley and Samuel Beckett, and it hosts the annual Folkestone Book Festival. Don’t miss independent book shop and community hub The Folkestone Bookshop.
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