Live music and visual art collide at Towner Lates as Towner Eastbourne launches a new series of after-hours cultural events.

Towner’s commissions and public programme curator Emily Medd said: “Combining live music, exhibitions, film, drop-in workshops, food and drink, the series offers audiences an eclectic after-hours take on the gallery. Launching on Friday, March 27 from 6pm to 10pm, Towner Lates invites visitors to experience one of the south-east’s leading art galleries in a brand-new way.

“Headlining the evening is Brighton-based duo Insides, delivering their immersive, atmospheric sound in Towner’s Studio 1, with projected visuals created especially for the performance. Support comes from Hastings-born singer-songwriter Laura Fell performing songs with her band from her latest EP, brought to life through spellbinding live arrangements.

“Throughout the building, Sussex-based artists and facilitators Toad Lickers Collective will activate spaces with site-specific installations and drop-in workshops. Visitors can take part in nostalgic creative activities like slime and paper fortune teller making, inspired by themes of future nostalgia, folklore and cultural memory.

“In Towner Cinema, a curated playlist of artist moving-image works will screen throughout the evening, presented by Devonshire Collective’s Volta Artists’ Moving Image. Featured artists include Frances Young, Renee Vaughan Sutherland and Emily Hawes, offering a variety of experimental film and sound experiences.

“With a Towner Lates ticket, visitors can also explore Towner’s exhibitions Impressions in Watercolour: J.M.W. Turner and his Contemporaries, Poppy Jones: Frozen Sun, and The Ravilious Collection, open late as part of the event.

“Towner’s top-floor restaurant and bar Light will offer a specially devised express menu for the evening, along with cocktails and small bites. Flicker, the ground-floor café, will be running a bottle & can bar celebrating local breweries and craft soft-drink makers while serving street-food style snacks.”

Advance tickets for Towner Lates are available for £5, with tickets on the door priced at £10. For full programme details and to book, visit townereastbourne.org.uk/whats-on/towner-lates.

Emily added: “It's a real joy to launch Towner Lates and weave live music more fully into our visual arts programme. I'm particularly excited to welcome legendary musicians Insides to Eastbourne, alongside handing over spaces to Toad Lickers Collective for a packed programme of activities and installations. With exhibitions, artist film and delicious food from Light, Towner Lates will offer a truly immersive after-hours experience.”

Towner Eastbourne has been collecting and exhibiting contemporary art for more than 100 years and now welcomes nearly 200,000 visitors each year.

“Located where the coast meets the South Downs, Towner presents exhibitions of national and international significance and delivers an inclusive public programme of exhibitions, live events, film and learning in collaboration with artists, communities and partners.

“Towner’s collection of almost 5,000 works is renowned for its modern British art, including the largest and most significant body of work by Eric Ravilious, alongside a growing collection of international contemporary art by artists including Alicja Kwade, Clare Woods, Jodie Carey and Nathan Coley. Towner was Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020 and hosted Turner Prize 2023.”