June Boom - Week Three: 15th - 21st June

As June Boom reaches its third week, Exeter's month-long celebration of arts, culture and creativity shows no signs of slowing down. With another packed programme of performances, exhibitions, festivals and unique experiences taking place across the city, there's still plenty to discover.

Belinda Dillon, Arts Writer, Editor and Co-Producer of June Boom, shares her highlights and must-see events for the week ahead.

Another week, another mini-festival! Reclaim (Barnfield Theatre, 17th - 20th June) is a lively programme of work centred around women artists and theatre makers, women-led companies, and stories driven by women. Immerse yourself in locally sourced female greatness, including: the utterly brilliant In Bed With My Brother’s Rage Room (Friday 19th, 2pm); a chance to catch fresh work in progress at Scratch Night (Wednesday 17th, 7pm); an extract from Beyond Face’s new piece Aunting (Thursday 18th, 6.30pm); AK Golding’s anarchic coal-mining cabaret Into the Pit (Thursday 18th, 8pm); and The Dame Show, a riotous new theatre piece dressed up as a TV game show, where the grand prize is… women’s health (Friday 19th, 6.30pm). There’s also workshops, mentoring sessions and networking opps galore.  

The Comedy Festival might be over for another year, but there’s still plenty of laughs to be had. Derek Mitchell is the undisputed Instagram king of character-driven sketch comedy. Catch him IRL for Double Dutch:Two (Exeter Phoenix, 17th June), his new show about living between cultures, marrying into Dutchness and trying to find meaning in the mess of modern life.  

If you’re feeling the need to get your glamour on, then have sequins at the ready because Miss Demeanour is back for another round of Drag Bingo (Corn Exchange, 19th June). Dust off those stilettos, rally your dazzle squad, and prepare for a night of singing, dancing, and screaming ‘BINGO!’ in the most outrageous way imaginable. Dress Code: Utterly Fabulous Darling!   

Live music fans are spoilt for choice again this week! At Exeter Phoenix, it’s Danger! Danger! as Detroit legends Electric Six (18th June ) bring their high-voltage energy to the stage; singer-songwriter Mark Travis returns with his new show, Coldplay Acoustic (20th June), featuring unplugged versions of the band’s hits alongside a handful of Mark’s original music; and undisputed kings of the avant/jazz rock scene Soft Machine (21st June) are back with 13 brand new tracks. At Bands & Beers (19th - 20th June), you can sample beers and ciders while watching some of the best new local bands – and all the music is free! On the Saturday night, DJs are on the decks to keep the party going. 

Folk music fans are in for a treat on 18th June when Exeter Library hosts Queer Folk – an organisation that researches queer music and champions LGBTQIA+ musicians. Featuring a set from George Sansome and Sophie Crawford, there’s also the chance to experience the joyous sounds of queer shanty group Seaweed in the Fruit Locker.  

Live improvisation more your scene? Then the Molten Jazz Project (12 Bar Music & Social, 19th June) will deliver. Expect a night of instinctive playing, strong musical personalities, and a band that leans fully into the moment. On 20th June Austel (singer-songwriter Annie Rew Shaw) brings her haunting melodies to 12 Bar, this time with her full band, for an intimate, folk-tinged evening that’s sure to delight. Fancy something altogether heavier? Then head across town to Exeter Cavern for US metalcore Boundaries (20th June). 

Bomba also has a lively programme of live music and DJs: Bristol-based multi-instrumentalist Lawi Anywar (18th June) draws on his East African heritage to infuse his raw rock music with culture, identity, and connection; Ibiza Party (19th June) is a vinyl-only trance and house night; and on 20th June, LA-based DJ and producer Nox Vahn brings a three-hour set of progressive house and melodic techno. 

For a different musical experience, Formula 5: Music of art and animation (Cygnet Theatre, 20th June) features scores from films like Howl's Moving Castle and Fantasia, classical works tied to visual art, and a new collaboration between composer Alfie Pugh and artist Hannah Wilson. The centrepiece of the show is a new arrangement of Mussorgsky's Pictures From An Exhibition.

Literature fans! This is also Independent Bookshop Week (until 20 June), and Bookbag in McCoy’s Arcade is hosting a free drop-in children’s event, and a new festival called Echoes, with events including a bookclub, author talks, poetry and film. And… they sell books! Plus, they have £5 National Book Tokens to give away to the first 50 people who visit. Check out the website for full details. 

A regular feature on the city’s vibrant literary scene, Campfire (The Mermaid, 17th June) is a lovely salon-style gathering where attendees are invited to perform 10-minute pieces in any form of creative writing, inspired this month by the prompt “It snowed on Midsommer…” Might the deliberate choice of the Scandinavian spelling inspire a Nordic slant to your writing for the night? Any questions or if you would like to read on the night please email campfireexeter@gmail.com 

Fancy getting hands-on creative? Join Inky Fingers for a Protest Poster Workshop (Positive Light Projects, 16th June), where you’ll be supported to create a series of 50 printed Protest Posters, with up to four colours, using the RISO process – similar to screen printing and photocopying, all in one machine! At Double Elephant Print Workshop, join Lynn Bailey for Introduction to Wood Engraving (20th June), where you’ll be guided through engraving, tool handling and printing both by hand and with presses. 

There’s plenty going on down on the Quayside this week. As well as the Quayside Farmers’ Market on the Piazza (20 June), for those interested in the environment and maritime heritage, there’s Sustainable Seas (Canal Basin, 20th June), a free event which brings together water-based conservation organisations, practitioners of traditional maritime crafts, historic vessels, plus music and talks.  

And on Sunday 21st June it’s all aboard for the annual Dragon Boat Festival on Exeter Quay. Hosted by Devon Air Ambulance Trust, the event draws crowds for a day of spirited racing, where teams of up to 17 people paddle 200-metre sprint heats. A major fundraiser for the charity’s critical care operations, it features a lively atmosphere with food, family-friendly entertainment, and onshore spectating.  

What a cavalcade of cultural delights – get out and enjoy it all!