The Fire Gathering Festival

Next we stop off at The Fire Gathering Festival from 16th-18th May to relax in the sunshine :) Situated on an idyllic farm midway between Brighton and London, this not-for-profit festival is packed with eclectic entertainment; live music, workshops, cabaret, DJ's, circus and comedy.

The site is studded with site-wide art installations and nature trails. Organisers ensure there’s minimum impact on the stunning surrounding countryside – other than the footprints of nature-loving festival-goers.

They're be plenty of live bands on offer, check out their wares here! Ska, punk, dub, acoustic, the choice is endless. Revel in the cornucopia of lush soundscapes and layered harmonies provided by Jim Noir, and his Gnome. Battle with the melodic Little Fish, or get entranced by the psychedelic lounge rock of 12 Stone Toddler.

Acts already confirmed include cult ska collective Los Albertos, regular performers Turning Green, Digitonal, Duologue, Octavcat, John Callaghan, Timothy Victor’s Folk Orchestra, John Crampton, Opaque, Jude Cowan and Mr Finn.

There'll be oddity and illusion with Third Heaven Cabaret and Jonathan Kay and his Nomadic Academy of Fools. And if you fancy having a go yourself check out the workshops in poi, belly-dancing, juggling, hula hoops and latin dance. And of course, you'll be able to buy some fabulous, eco-friendly Curious Tales T-shirts!

Tickets are £65 for three days. For more information and directions on how to get there click here.

Ethical Expo 2008!

Curious Tales heads across the water this month on our first adventure! Hooray! We will be exploring ethical festivals in the South of England!

The first port of call is Bristol, where we will be exhibiting at the first ever Ethical Expo, on the 9th and 10th May 2008. It should be a fantastic event, supported by Oxfam, The Fair Trade Foundation and Christian Aid, and designed to coincide with World Fair Trade Day.

Head along to Castle Park to sample the delights of over 60 major exhibitors. Get lost in the Eat, Live and Wear Zones, look out for our T-shirts in the ethical fashion show, and take notes at seminars and workshops throughout the day, all while slurping ice-cream in the glorious sunshine (here's hoping!)

Its free in, and on from 10am-6pm each day. Please register at their website to ensure entry and to be kept up to date with ethical info.

Hope to see you there! For directions click here.

And that's not at, then we're heading to...?

Kyron and the Strangels, puppets and clones...

Check out the brilliant new video for Kyron and The Strangels! The song is You, you, you. Kyron battles with hundreds of smiling and slightly worried versions of himself, who are dancing, playing music and gradually surrounding him on every side. Will he drown in a sea of clones? With a puppet on accordion who is making him dance, he's gonna get a rope, and tie it to a tree, on this moonlit night...

If you missed their hilarious video for Walking the Dog check it out below. Featuring a eco friendly set, made completely from cardboard, Kyron paces the streets with his cardboard dog catching glimpses of the characters who live within the houses. Marvel at the bands dexterity as they play their cardboard instruments, admire Kryon's pink plaid suit and thrill at the buxom troupe of can-can dancers... ;)



The live show is fantastic! Catch them on 19th April at The Rotterdam, or 1st May at The Empire, Belfast. Expect tonnes of energy, along with top hats, megaphones, sequins, golden clouds and some more great visuals courtesy of Stephen Mullan.

Listen to the tunes, or keep up to date with where they're playing here!

Simon Dale's gorgeous affordable eco home

This gorgeous eco family home in Wales looks as though it was built by a troupe of fairies! It is a mass of organic curves, dug into the hillside, with a grass turf roof that blends in to the surroundings beautifully. The structure was woven from oak posts collected from the forest site. Straw bales staked together with hazel twigs made up the walls, while the windows were misfit units rescued from a local double glazing supplier.

Amazingly it cost only £3000 and took about 4 months to build, using just a chainsaw, hammer and chisel. Solar panels provide electricity for lighting and a computer. Inside there is a wood burning stove which heats the house, a compost toilet and fridge which uses cold air to keep the food chilled. Water is fed in by gravity from a nearby spring.

It took Simon Dale and his father in law about 1000-1500 hours to construct, and neither of them had any previous building experience. The kids had a ball in the woods during construction, collecting slugs, acorns and insects, splashing in puddles and getting covered in mud. Their mum, however was hankering after clean toilets and coffee shops!

I think this house looks amazing. I would love to live in something like this! I'm sure the kids absolutely adore it. And after all, they were the whole reason behind it!
The Dale's wanted to be full time parents while their children were young. Building this house allowed them to live off a much smaller income, without the worry of a mortgage. They were also very aware of the cocktail of chemicals present in traditional building materials, and wanted to live as naturally as possible.

For more information on their new sustainable building projects, check them out here.