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GLASTONBURY

I’m going to be taking Pocket Money Loans to Glastonbury this summer, setting up a payday loan shop for kids in Shangri-La. If you’re going to be at the festival be sure to bring any unaccompanied kids along for an unholy baptism into the world of high interest consumer debt.

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EVENTS

Thomas the Tank, work in progress. Follow my Instagram for more half-baked updates of unfinished artwork. I’m going to be giving a short talk at a couple of events this month. Firstly on the 21st April at Rich Mix, London for The Finnish Institute’s evening on culture jamming and anti-advertising art, alongside Jani Leinonen, Sara Kärpänen and Mel Evans. Starts 18.30, with drinks afterwards. https://www.facebook.com/events/584254161736946/ Then on the 28th April I’ll be talking about my work at ‘Subverting the War Machine’ a meeting organised by the people behind last year’s anti-UKIP Cabaret about what we can actively do to resist militarism over the coming months including protesting/preventing the Red Arrows planned fly-by of the London Pride march this summer. Other speakers include Ruth Barnett, activist, author and Holocaust survivor, Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Bilal Ahmed journalist and migrant rights activist, and Gareth Hardy. https://www.facebook.com/events/1710626165821086/1716759788541057/

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2015

Thanks to everyone who helped, supported, clicked on, bought, visited or threw things at my work this year. And well done, of course, to the planet Earth itself, who successfully orbited the sun and helped make the entire thing possible. I have at least one and a half things planned for 2016 so you better go to bed early tonight and get some rest in preparation. Darren

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WAR

Last week I opened my studio/gallery/shop in Lewisham, south east London: WAR. I was primarily looking for a studio space and ended up finding this shop front, an old barbershop with a big front window in “the worst shopping centre in the country”, and figured I might as well do the front as a gallery and flog my comics while I’m at it. Then I realised I should get some other people who’s work I like so I started calling round and it’s now stocked with STRIKE! Magazine, Breakdown Press, Wobbly Rock and David Peter Kerr, with more to follow. Follow WAR on twitter / facebook

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ELCAF

I’m going to be doing a stall of my work at this weekend’s ELCAF festival, both days, at The Laundry, Hackney. Tickets available on the website. It’s going to be great.

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ACTION MAN: BATTLEFIELD CASUALTIES

For the last year I’ve been working with Veterans for Peace UK and the director Price James (Agile Films) on turning my Action Man: Battlefield Casualties toys into full blown toy adverts. The three short films for PTSD Action Man, Paralysed Action Man, and Dead Action Man will be released on the 23rd of June and we’ll be having a launch exhibition and screening at the Red Gallery in east London that night to celebrate. Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/922910557747669/ The show will run until the 2nd of July and I’ll be posting more details, photos and trailers in the next few weeks.

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SUNDAY

This Sunday the 29th March I’ll be doing a stall of my wares at the DIY Art Market in East London. I’ll also have copies of the new edition of ‘Join the Army’ for sale. More details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/689894394463499/

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POCKET MONEY LOANS

Today I opened the Pocket Money Loans shop in Finsbury Park I’ve been working on for the last few months or a year or something I’m not sure. I’ll be sat behind the counter giving out child loans for the next two weeks, Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm. It’s at the new Atom Gallery, 77 Stroud Green Road, N4 3EG. There’ll be a closing exhibition evening next Friday the 7th from 6pm. Here’s the facebook event. #PocketMoneyLoans #Children

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POCKET MONEY SOON

On Monday 27th October I’m going to be opening my very own payday loan shop just for kids, called Pocket Money Loans. Giving kids an advance on their pocket money at eye-watering interest rates. The shop itself will be at 77 Stroud Green Road, London N4 3EG. There’s a Facebook event with all the details, and if you’d like to come to the closing exhibition private view, the details for that are here. #PocketMoneyLoans

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JOIN THE ARMY EXHIBITION

This Saturday (29th March) from 6pm I’m putting on an exhibition in my soon-to-be-demolished home. You’re more than welcome. It’s simply going to be almost everything I’ve made over the last four years. I’m making hundreds of wine too. Here’s the FB event. But in case you’re allergic to Facebook the address is simply: 1-15 Leswin Place, Flat C, London N16 7NJ. Please feel free to spread the word!

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JOIN THE ARMY LAUNCH EXHIBITION

So the good news is I found a printer that wasn’t offended by the comic and it’s currently being made into a real thing right now. This is after it was rejected by another two separate printing companies for the same reason. As for the actual launch I’ve had to put it back to the 24th October but there will be an exhibition showing work from the comic in London, check the Facebook event for details. You can also pre-order the comic here. I’ve been in contact with a few ex-servicemen who have been (surprisingly?) enthusiastic about the book. Joe Glenton, (first British soldier to refuse to return to Afghanistan) and Ben Griffin, (ex-SAS resigned from service in Iraq after witnessing war crimes, and who now runs Veterans for Peace UK), have both expressed their support for the project and have been helping me promote it. It’s reassuring to know that the comic isn’t just a case of me ignorantly heckling from my ivory tower, and it makes sense to people who have actually been in the middle of it. If you have a bit of time I fully recommend you watch Joe being interviewed on BBC’s HardTalk and Ben addressing the Oxford Union as to why he would not fight for Queen & country. Actually brilliant. And there’s now a website for the comic! www.bethemeat.co.uk If you’re interested in that type of thing, I’m also selling army themed mugs over at my online shop. #BeTheMeat #Military

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PATRIOTIC PRINTER PROBLEM

The printers have refused to print my anti-army comic “having seen the content of your artwork”. This leaves me in a bit of a situation as they were the only printers I’ve been able to find who can print and fold an A5 20 page concertina booklet. I’m currently looking at French printers, as they’re less likely to refuse a job on the grounds that it insults the British Army. It is of course utterly maddening that a printer would refuse to print something they disagree with politically, but obviously I understand that legally and commercially they have right to decline whichever job they like. I do think however that this incident says something about the way people regard the army as an almost holy institution and therefore what I’m doing as a kind of blasphemy. For now I’ve decided to put back the launch of the comic until the 26th of September. Hopefully I’ll be able to sort something soon even if I have to fold each comic by hand. If you happen to know a large format printer that might be able to help me on this please email me: darren@spellingmistakescostlives.com or leave a message in the comments. Thanks. #Military #BeTheMeat

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KICKSTARTER

I finally finished the anti-army recruitment comic I’ve been working on for the last few months! The only problem now is I need some cash tokens to get it printed, so the internet told me to do one of them Kickstarters, and I did. And now I have done it. Really what I’m asking people to do is pre-order a copy before it exists and then I will spend that money on printing it into existence. It is a very back to front process but I think I understand what is going on. Anyway, here is the campaign page. Please spread the word to friends and pets. It costs £5 + p&p for a physical version and a bit more if you want something more. Thank! #BeTheMeat #Military

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EXHIBITION

I have some work in this upcoming group show at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art in Sunderland. I’ll be showing about a dozen prints as well as Baby’s First Baby and the Placebo/Nocebo’s. I’m very excited about this; some of the other artists in the show are big favourites of mine.

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