Author Archives: Ben Howard

Five local artists join Colchester Castle Summer Series line-up

Five artists from Colchester and across Essex will perform alongside some of the biggest names [...]

Secret Island Festival returns to Mersea Island for its biggest weekend yet

What began as a one-day festival just weeks after lockdown has grown into one of [...]

Geoff Lawrence exhibition to open at The Foresters Arms

For decades, Geoff Lawrence has photographed musicians, strangers and everyday life. Ahead of his latest [...]

MickFest at Colchester Arts Centre to celebrate Hippy Mick

MickFest returns to Colchester Arts Centre on Saturday 1st August, celebrating Mick Newman – better [...]

A shared artistic journey goes on show at The Minories

Ceramic artist Caroline Rhys-Lewis and abstract painter Johnny Rhys-Lewis will be exhibiting together at The [...]

Final Queen Mixes Drag, Circus and Horror

If Priscilla Queen of the Desert and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre sound like an unlikely [...]

James Domestic Thinks You Might Like Poetry After All

If the word “poetry” makes you think of classrooms, Shakespeare and lessons you’d rather forget, [...]

Alice Keys’ Rocket Fan Heads to Colchester

Following sold-out performances in London, Rocket Fan will be at Coda as part of the [...]

Our Country’s Good – Richard Bland Interview

Richard Bland has lived with Our Country’s Good for a long time. He first studied Timberlake Wertenbaker’s [...]

Meet William Dorsey Swann in The Real Black Swann

In 2024, Colchester Fringe audiences voted The Real Black Swann Best International Show. This month, [...]

Chris Allard Returns to Colchester Arts Centre with Dreamweavers

Chris Allard has played everywhere from Ronnie Scott’s and the Royal Albert Hall to the [...]

A Year and a Day is coming to Colchester

Every time Nathan falls asleep, he wakes up a year and a day into the [...]

How Leon the Poet Found His Way Back to Himself

“Born into the Petri dish of fundamentalist belief and waterboarded with fear and religious dogma.” [...]

Adam Larter Pokes Fun at Our Obsession with the 90s

The 1990s have become big business. Theatre shows, reunion tours and television programmes all promise [...]

Stephen Smith Brings Edgar Allan Poe to Life Alone on Stage

One actor. Two Edgar Allan Poe classics. That’s the idea behind One Man Poe, Stephen [...]

Paul Richards Heads to Offgridland

Flight. Mode. “The two most wonderful words,” according to writer and performer Paul Richards. They’re [...]

Choir Brings Rocking the Folly! to The Minories

Rock Choir’s Rocking the Folly! brings singers from 10 choirs across Essex and Suffolk together [...]

Karen Hall Mixes Bach, Clowning and Comedy

“I made this show because classical music is dying and I happen to love it.” [...]

Kate-Lois Elliott Takes on the Tradwife Trend

A fertility-fuelled identity crisis and a week spent scrolling through TikTok might not sound like [...]

Porteous on Change, Songwriting and Keeping Music Human

Every time I’ve watched Colchester artist Porteous perform, one thing has stood out. Whether he’s [...]

About the author:
Ben Howard is a writer, DJ and founder of Keep Colchester Cool. Since launching the platform in 2009, he has documented Colchester's gigs, theatre, exhibitions and grassroots creativity through interviews, reviews and event listings. Alongside running the site, he leads Ben Howard Communications, providing PR, content writing and marketing support for businesses, venues and cultural organisations. He also DJs regularly and continues to champion the people, places and events that make Colchester's cultural scene unique.