Club Abstract

Towner, Carlisle Road, Eastbourne, Saturday, September 19, 8.30pm, £8 advance/£10 on the door, www.townereastbourne.org.uk/

TO mark Towner’s celebration of former curator and radical abstract artist William Gear, the art gallery has joined forces with music promoters Melting Vinyl to create a one-off club night.

Club Abstract will feature live music, DJs and interactive events.

Sussex abstract artist Alexander Johnson will discuss his decision to explore abstraction, and Gear’s own graphical influences.

Catalyst Club founder, and the force behind the Odditorium podcast David Bramwell, will give a series of microtalks and abstract ponderings.

Brighton electronic music producer and artist VCOADSR, aka Phil Bilsby will play live sets in the gallery and main room, as well as offering the chance to play a modular synth.

University of Chichester dance graduates Matt Brown and Amy Toner will perform their own choreography inspired by Gear’s work.

And DJ CPOP will provide a mix of electronica, funk, punk and abstract beats during the night.

Brighton Art Fair

Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, Church Street, Thursday, September 24, (private view 6pm to 8.30pm, £10), Friday, September 25, to Sunday, September 27, 11am to 5pm, £6.50, www.brightonartfair.co.uk

WORKS by more than 100 contemporary artists from across the world will go on display in the 12th Brighton Art Fair.

The exhibition ranges from paintings and sculptures, to prints and photographs, with a healthy selection from the Sussex scene, including life artist Jake Spicer, selections from Lewes’s Chalk Gallery and Jane Sampson from Inkspot Press.

As part of the fair the exhibiting artists have been asked to decorate an A5 manilla envelope. The results will be sold at the fair in aid of children's hospice Chestnut Tree House.

Chiddingly Festival

Across Chiddingly, Thursday, September 24, to Sunday, October 4, various times and prices, chiddinglyfestival.co.uk/

WITH national touring comedians and cabaret stars alongside homegrown talent, Chiddingly Festival is so much more than just a village get together.

Highlights from this year’s programme include singer Barb Jungr, performing the songs of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen at Chiddingly Village Hall on Sunday, September 27, comedian Jo Brand revealing some work in progress at the same venue on Saturday, September 26, from 8pm, and 2012 International Sandor Vegh String Quartet Competition winners The Benyounes Quartet performing a programme of Haydn, Ravel and Mendelssohn on Sunday, October 4, at Chiddingly Church.

Southdowns Folk Festival

Alexandra Theatre, Regis Centre, Bognor, and Hotham Park, Bognor, Friday, September 25, to Sunday, September 27, various times and prices, www.southdownsfolkfest.co.uk

REVIVED in 2013 by Roger Nash, the Southdowns Folk Festival takes its inspiration from an event which used to take place in the 1980s. Last year’s event saw 25,000 folk-lovers descend on the town for three days.

This year headliners are the critically acclaimed trio Show Of Hands on Sunday night, while Scottish Trad Music Award-winners Breabach top the opening night, and Northern Ireland’s Craobh Rua head up Saturday night.

Also on the line-up at the theatre are The Broonzies, Yorkshire duo O’Hooley And Tidow, Pilgrims’ Way and 2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winners for best group The Young ‘Uns.

Meanwhile Hotham Park will host sets by 2014 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners for best duo Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin, singer-songwriter Luke Jackson, Dorset’s Ninebarrow, Brighton’s own Hatful Of Rain and a Sussex Young Folk Competition on the bandstand.

There are further live shows at the William Hardwicke pub in High Street, plus a food fayre.