An evening of experimental expanded vocal performances as part of Brunswick Club’s current Calling Calling project. 

Calling Calling is a gathering of voices, with a programme that explores collaborative vocal ecologies through non-traditional voice and expanded vocal techniques. 

MAGGIE NICOLS, b.1948, is an iconoclastic Scottish free-jazz and improvising vocalist, dancer, and performer, based in Wales.

Maggie has been an active participant in the European improvisational community since joining John Stevens' legendary Spontaneous Music Ensemble in the late ’60s. Whilst a member of Keith Tippett’s magnificent fifty piece band “Centipede” in the 70s, Maggie met Julie Tippett with whom she formed a duo. 

As a co-founder of the remarkable Feminist Improvising Group with Lindsay Cooper, she has worked to further women in improvised music, dancing and other creative arts not only by example but through workshops and extensive collaborating. Maggie has worked regularly over the years with pianist Irene Schweizer and formidable bassist Joelle Leandre, including tours and three recordings as the trio Les Diaboliques.

In 2020, she released her debut solo album entitled Creative Contradiction: Poetry, Story, Song & Sound on Cafe Oto's Takuroku label and followed it up with a 2nd solo album Are You Ready? in 2022.

HANNAH SILVA is a British writer and performer working in sound poetry, radio, and experimental non-fiction. 

Silva’s live virtuosic vocal performances explore form, voice and language, layering up vocal sounds and poetry, creating potent sonic pieces of meaning and sense. Their record Talk in a bit was included in The Wire's Top 25 Albums of 2018. 

They have written numerous plays for BBC Radio, including recent radio play An Artificially Intelligent Guide to Love was written using text generated by a machine-learning algorithm and starred Fiona Shaw. 

Hannah’s debut poetry collection Forms of Protest was Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes. Their most recent collection My Child, the Algorithm, a memoir about queer single parenting and love, was published by Footnote Press in July 2023.

JO HELLIER is an artist, choreographer, vocalist and performer making experimental work across live art, dance and music. Their practice uses improvisation, somatic movement practices and extended vocal technique to amplify awareness in body and imagination. From this place they create multi-disciplinary performance works that are discordant, abstract and fun. Her work explores queer ecologies and ways to expand and transform relationships between human and nature.

Jo’s currently collaborating on an Opera called Skunk without K is Sun, making a new vocal dance piece called Bog and performing with musicians Wojciech Rusin and Yas Clarke.

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The Brunswick Club is an expanded collective of Bristol artist-led collectives working across experimental practices.

QWAK club is a carefully curated night from The Cube Microplex, bringing eclectic avant garde sounds, visuals and performance together with a fun and inclusive atmosphere. All ticket/door revenue goes to the artists and towards the upkeep of The Cube.

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This event is made possible with funding from West of England Visual Arts Alliance (WEVAA) and Arts Council England.