For ten years, Fléda club at Štefanikova st. has been the centre of alternative culture in Brno, hosting both promising local bands and globally known artists. It has an uncertain future now, due to a controversial public notice.

The local council of Královo Pole quarter gave a clear order to the owners of Fléda: “All clubs and pubs located between 18 Štefánikova st. and 28 Štefánikova st. must turn off music at 10 p.m.” Reason? Complaints of people living around the venue.

Although it may seem to be reasonable, the notice raised several issues:

• Why don’t the order apply to all clubs in Královo Pole, just to Fléda?
• Why didn’t the council give Fléda a chance to isolate the building? The owners already invested around €100,000 to solve the problem, further repairs were planned.
• Why didn’t the complaining residents let officers measure the levels of noise in their apartments? Also, some of the complaints were filed when Fléda was closed.
• The owners of Fléda also claim that before the neighbouring apartment house was bought by Jan Kratochvíl, noone complained. Kratochvíl sits in the council and has voted in favor of the notice Mr. Kratochvíl later disputed that, but there is no record of the poll. He claims that the town should buy the building hosting Fléda and repair it. Isn’t that a conflict of interest?
• The notice does not apply to nearby casinos attracting gamblers all night long – even in the Kartochvíl’s building.
• Also, the institutions of local government are schizophrenic: Fléda is often praised by the town council for attracting tourists to Brno and being one of the private venues that nourish the cultural life. On the other hand, it faces both financial and operational problems due to the Královo Pole council.
• Finally: the notice is actually not so clear. Fléda is oficially registered as a cinema, so a new notice or a court decision may be needed to solve the problem.

The case will evolve on. A petition will be launched in the forthcoming days. It is also possible that Fléda could move to another building. That would be a pity anyway, as the “Fledermaus cabaret” at Štefánikova st. has been hosting various cultural institutions since early 20th century.

Bonjour! Aïe! Salut! – Just like every spring, Bonjour Brno festival will let you taste French culture and lifestyle without leaving Brno.

The festival is organised by Alliance française.

I especially like these events:

• Gourmet weeek in La Bouchée (33 Údolní st.) from March 30 to April 6.
• Concert of IMG at Fléda (24 Štefánikova st.) on Saturday, April 14.
• Concert of Yann-Fañch Kemener & Aldo Ripoche (two excellent artists of Brittany) at University of technology (1 Antonínská st.) on Tuesday, April 17.
• Dance evening “Fest-noz” at Design Museum (14 Husova st.) on Wednesday, April 18.
• Screening of Jean Cocteau’s Orphée at Cinema Art (19 Cihlářská st.) on March 30.
• Pétanque tournament at Lužánky park (Lidická st.) on Saturday, April 15, at 11 a.m. – including a tasting of Ricard pastis.

Again, the website does not contain an English version. If you want to learn more, try machine-translating the French one.

Check out the price of tickets (free admission is marked as “vstup volný”) – and buy them in advance at the venues or at the stand in the first floor of Dům pánů z Lipé (86/17 Náměstí Svobody sq.).

One of the most distinct trip-hop artists, Manchester-based duo Lamb will perform a concert at Fléda club (24 Štefánikova st.) on Sunday, February 5.

Lamb are famous for blending trip hop with jazz and elements of drum and bass. Wikipedia

Lamb consists of Andy Barlow and Lou Rhodes. The duo was active from 1996 to 2004; they reunited for the new album 5 and a tour in 2009.

On Sunday, Lamb will be supported by The Ramona Flowers and Jay Leighton. The concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets cost CZK 550(pre-sale)/599.

Janáček's Theatre (source: Wikimedia Commons)

From 2012 on, the quality of life in Brno may be going down.

The municipal budget of Brno got hit hard not only by the ongoing finance/debt crisis but also by a new rule, enforced by finance minister Miroslav Kalousek. The new system of wealth redistribution gives more public money to the so far underfinanced small Czech towns, while it cuts the donations to the so far overfinanced large cities. This means that the municipal budgets of Brno will be some 900,000,000 CZK (€35M) tighter in the future years.

While the town council does not even seem to try to save some money on huge infrastructure projects (like the new railway station), it has given a clear order to the directors of town-owned companies focused on culture and leisure time: find a way in which you can save 20 % of your budgets every year.

So, from the state of not really thinking much about money (no offense), many institutions instantly switched into a state of a saving shitstorm. And this could have bad consequences to the quality of life in Brno:

• Janáček’s Opera was supposed to close for seven months, which would actually mean the very end of this famous institution. After a huge protests of artists, fans of opera and some public personas (including former president Václav Havel), and also after a negative foreign press coverage, the town coucil is looking for a way how to save the opera. It is likely it will be joined with some other institution.
• Zoological garden is going to fire 20 percent of its employees
• Cinema Scala is going to close down. The town-owned space will be rented to another institution, probably to the owners of Fléda club.
• The price of public transport tickets and coupons will rise. Not only because the budget cuts, but also due to the VAT increase (14 percent, the highest level in the central Europe).

The cuts should not affect most of alternative clubs, festivals and events, as the council has not been cuddling them with donations. Surprisingly, this is becoming their advantage.

David Dorůžka, one of the most prominent Czech jazz guitarists (source: Wikipedia Commons)

Michael Formanek Quartet, Dmitry Baevsky Quartet featuring Joe Cohn, The Stoner featuring David Dorůžka… and many more great jazz bands and musicians are going to perform in Brno between April 13 and April 21.

The 10th season of Jazzfest Brno starts next Wednesday and takes place mostly at Fléda and Semilasso clubs.

Schedule

April 13, 8:00 pm @ Fléda

Paradox (FRA)

Michael Formanek Quartet featuring Craig Taborn, Gerald Cleaver and Tim Berne (USA)

April 14, 7:30 pm @ Brno City Theater

Dmitry Baevsky Quartet featuring Joe Cohn (RUS/USA/CZ/SK)
Carla Cook Quartet featuring Darryl Ivey, Kenny Davis and Willard Dyson (USA)
Mju:z
Jam session

April 15, 8:00 pm @ HaDivadlo

Face of the Bass (CZ)
Limbo Electro Acoustic (CZ)

April 16, 8:00 pm @ Semilasso

Štefan “Pišta“ Bartuš JazzBrothers featuring Andy Middleton (SK/USA)
The Stoner featuring David Dorůžka (SWE/CZ)
Jam Session

April 17, 8:00 pm @ Semilasso

Will Bernard Trio (USA)
Mike Stern Band featuring Dave Weckl, Tom Kennedy and Bob Malach (USA)
Jam Session

April 18, 8:00 pm @ Fléda

Zuzana Lapčíková Quintet (CZ/SK)
Elena Sonenshine (CZ)

April 19, 8:00 pm @ Husův sbor

Tomáš Liška Trio featuring Daniele Di Bonaventura and David Dorůžka (ITA/CZ)
Vertigo Quintet and Dorota Barová (CZ/SK)

April 20, 8:00 pm @ Fléda

Robert Balzar Trio (CZ)
Dan Weiss Trio (USA)
Jam Session

April 21, 8:00 pm @ Semilasso

Vincenc Kummer Celebrates 70
JAZZFESTBRNO 2011 Celebrates 10

The festival has nice English-language website; tickets may be bought online, although it is not a “PayPal joyride”.

Bonjour Brno 2011 official poster

Brno Now picks:

• Gourmand week in La Bouchée restaurant (33 Údolní st.), presenting French cuisine and wines between 3/29 and 4/3.
• Pétanque tournament at Lužánky park (50 Lidická st.) on Saturday, 4/3 at 11 a.m. The traditional degustation of Ricard pastis included!
• Festival of French films in cinema Art. Check out the schedule for original French titles and screening times. French audio, Czech subtitles.
• Concerts of jazz band Paradox and electro performer Vitalic at Fléda club (24 Štefánikova st.) on 4/13 and 4/15 respectively.

The Young Gods

Swiss post-industrial band The Young Gods is going to perform at Fléda club (24 Štefánikova st.) on Tuesday, February 15.

The band’s lineup has generally consisted of a vocalist, a sampler operator and a drummer. Their instrumentation often includes sampled electric guitars, drums, keyboards, and other samples. The lyrics are depicted in English, French and German. #

Tickets cost CZK 400 each.

Christmas decorations at Masarykova st.

Three of the most popular clubs in Brno, i.e. Two Faces, Fléda, and Mersey open after 8 p.m. on the Christmas Eve (December 24). The admission charge is rather symbolic (around CZK 50).

Also, several pubs, like Modrá růže at Moravské náměstí sq. offer beer to anyone who doesn’t want to go to bed early on the Christmas Eve.

It is going to be much more expensive to spend the New Year’s Eve (December 31) downtown – most clubs ask for CZK 100-500 as the entrance fee.

If you are not into parties, you may call for a reservation to your favorite restaurant – each year, more and more venues offer special “New Year’s Eve menu”.

Every year, there are thousands of people celebrating at the central square all night long. The new, penis-shaped clock will be covered in a special protecting sleeve, instantly nicknamed “a condom”.

Both on December 24 and December 31, standard tram and bus lines go only until 6 p.m. You have to use the night bus lines then – but do not worry, all parts of the town are covered and you pay the usual fare.

On January 1 at 6 p.m., there will be a firework show above the Špilberk castle. I hope you will get up before that time.

Merry Christmas and happy 2011, folks!

The Drain by Vojta Švejda and Jan Kalivoda

It will take place at Fléda, 24 Štefánikova st. from the 28th till the 29th of November.

The initiator of the festival is the New Web NGO and REPT o.s.

Check out the programme.

Brno Party University, 10/2010

Two of Brno Now readers will be given two tickets (worth CZK 100 each) for free. Just send me a message to kasparek@brnonow.com answering a simple question: why is the November 17 so important day in the Czech republic? (I also need your full name to send it to organisers in the case you are among the first two.)

11/15, 10.40 a.m.: Thank you folks, the competition is over. The right answers were: 1/ ani-nazi students’ protests in 1939, 2/ the Velvet revolution in 1989.

The lineup will include DJ Maztah (the most booked party DJ in the Czech republic), Dew Town Dogz, Sukowach, DJ Dummy and DJ High Selecta. Party starts at 8:30 p.m. at it won’t be over until 5 a.m. next morning.

As the event commemorates the role of students in the 1989 Velvet revolution, 10 percent of the money made on tickets will be send to Amnesty International.

Since 2005, Brno has been hosting “New New” festival, presenting “unusual music and film”, as well as other arts.

This year, New New! launches on November 9 and ends on November 20. Among other events, you may enjoy these parties:

• Concert of Fuckhead (A), In Skatebored We Noize (IT) and RBNX (SK) in the House of Arts on November 12.
• Workshops of drummer Seijiro Murayama (JP) in the House of Arts on November 17 (2 p.m.) and November 18 (6 p.m.).
• Concert of Jon Hopkins (UK), S.C.U.M. (UK), FETT (GER), BIOS (SK) and B4 (CZ) at Fléda on November 19.

For detailed schedule, check out the official website of New New! – sadly, in Czech only.

Source: Brno Party University Facebook page

“The largest student party in Brno” starts in Fléda club (24 Štefánikova st.) on Wednesday, October 27, at 8 p.m.

There’ll be two concerts (Overhype, Vehykl), five DJs (Ekop, DJane Jeaniss, Dummy, 2T, Majky) and hundreds of students looking for fun and new friends.

The genres will vary from rock to nu-metal, hip hop and house.

Tickets are avaible for CZK 100 and beer will cost only CZK 20 (€0.80).

See details and Facebook page (both in Czech only).