Come along on Saturday 28 January 2012 to see them strut their stuff and give them support. As well as live dance and music performances, there’ll be creative writing readings, film screenings and an exhibition of the best photography and art from the Bright Young Things competition.

What’s more, under-18s can come into for free on the day to watch! If you’re interested in volunteering, or if you have any questions about the event, please email us at the Eden Project on brightyoungthings@edenproject.com or call us on 01726 811913.

Here’s a video of a previous Bright Young Things event to whet your appetite.

We asked our Pollinators Jenny Crowe and Dave Webb to belt out a few Christmas classics in our Mediterranean Biome and then we reversed the videos…to hilarious effect.

Play the videos below, and have a guess at what Jenny and Dave are singing. Then you can find out the answers by playing the subsequent videos.

Name that tune videos

Mystery song one

Mystery song two

Mystery song three

Mystery song four

!tcejorP nedE eht morf samtsirhC yppaH

This Friday we’re delighted to host post-rock duo Nordic Giants, as well as piano prodigy Samuel Osmond.

Hidden behind feathered masks and effortlessly changing between instruments, Nordic Giants perform live, original soundtracks to a backdrop of award winning short films.

They’re influenced by the likes of Sigur Ros, Massive Attack and Cinematic Orchestra and their music includes dreamy ambient swells, epic builds and huge moments of power.

Imagine the visual story telling of a cinema experience mixed with the raw energy and passion of a live gig, and you’ve hit the nail on the head! You can listen to their music at www.myspace.com/nordicgiants

Local piano prodigy Samuel Osmond is set to amaze us with his performance of Debussy and Rachmaninoff, amongst others. Sam is currently learning to read music and has only been playing the piano for two years, yet is able to recite extremely complex compositions from musical memory.

He learns the pieces, which take more experienced pianists years to master, in an incredibly short period of time, working out the notes by ear.

The gig takes place at the Eden Project Café in White River Place, St Austell. Tickets cost £5 (or £4 if you buy them in advance at the café). Doors open at 8pm, music starts and 9pm, and doors close at 11.15pm. We’ll be serving delicious Chick Pea & Pumpkin Curry served until 9.30pm.

Frog Instrument

If you’ve got lots of energy and love making lots of noise why not try our Frog Instrument? A beautifully crafted wooden percussion instrument made from the jack fruit tree, it’s hand carved in Vietnam and Thailand where the sustainable wood grows in abundance.

Djembe Drum

For those of you who really like to feel the beat we’ve got just the drum for you. The Djembe originated in West Africa, and has become popular the world over. To play this drum you ‘slap’ the top from the centre outwards or around the edge. The skin is tied on with a nylon cord so you can even alter the pitch to find your own unique sound.

Mini Panpipes

For smaller music makers, our Mini Panpipes are a wonderful introduction to woodwind instruments. First made by the Incas, panpipes were used to communicate with the gods by imitating the whistle of the wind. Whip them out on a blustery day and play them in your garden or the local park for the full experience!

Peruvian Flute

All you budding recorder players out there will love our Peruvian Flutes. Hand crafted from bamboo in a small family workshop, these flutes have a lovely earthy, woody sound. Originally from the mountains of Peru these intricate flutes are decorated with traditional South American motifs.

M’bira

Looking for something a little more unusual? Maybe our thumb pianos will strike a chord. These traditional African instruments made from hollowed out coconut shells and hand painted, sound just as beautiful as they look. Create rhythm and melody by lightly striking the keys with your thumbs.

This week’s tune: Watch Me Dance, by Roots Manuva

Roots are vital for the growth of all plants. They provide an anchor into the soil that allows the transportation of water and nutrients through a plant’s vascular system.

This one’s a brilliant Friday track. Roots Manuva is a UK hip-hop legend and massive fan of all things planty. Have a great weekend folks!

This week’s tune: Timber, by Coldcut and Hexstatic

An area of tropical forest the size of Eden’s Rainforest Biome is lost every 10 seconds around the world. These wonders of the world are chopped down to give us timber, paper, and the space to farm animals and cultivate crops – to feed a growing population that consumes more and more each year.

Deforestation is responsible for the release of a huge amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, too. Losing forests, these life support systems, also deprives the planet of its natural water purification plants and pharmacy cabinets.

We can do it differently. We must do it differently.

Legendary DJ duo Coldcut released this track on the Ninjatune Record label in 1998. The video, with genius work from Hexstatic, matches the audio perfectly and was considered pretty cutting edge at the time.

Chaired by journalist and co-founder of Instigate Debate, Mark Donne, your questions will be answered by a panel that includes oceanographer Simon Boxall, campaigner Chris Hines and musician and poet Dizraeli (above).

Young writers and film-makers have helped shaped this week’s debate through our associated Future Features competition. Andrea Michael submitted a winning written provocation, which will kickstart Thursday’s event, and Jessie Brickley created a two-minute film.

In it she draws attention to the prospect that, in 100 months’ time (from 1 August 2008), we could be beyond our climate’s ‘tipping point’ (ie at the point of no return). You can find out more about the 100 months countdown in this Guardian blog by Andrew Simms of the New Economics Foundation.

Watch Jessie’s film below to get you in the mood for Thursday’s debate.

Cypress Hill are a multi-million-record-selling hip hop crew, formed in 1989; although the content of their tracks is probably not for the faint hearted, most of their popular tunes will fill any dancefloor.

Have a great weekend, and hope to see you during the Plant Records slot in Mediterranean Biome on Saturday’s Eden Session.

Chris.

It’s sooo easy to enter – simply text the answer to our simple question on our competition page, by 5pm 31 August 2011.

All money raised from the prize draw will go to support Eden’s Rainforest Experience, our new project to raise awareness of the value of the world’s rainforests.

We’re currently fundraising to develop an exciting new treetop walkway and learning centre inside our Rainforest Biome, so that child and adult alike will leave Eden knowing how they can make positive changes to the way they live that will help conserve rainforests around the world.

This month we’ve original music events every Friday or Saturday and have some real hidden gems – from beautiful rock, to acoustic sunshine, to black folk, to Balkan swing. June gigs include Cornish band The Dolphins Fly, singer-songwriter Joe Francis and a night of Balkan Shanty Jazz.

During the day, we’ve lined up some Eden-style kids’ activities. The free Tot Rocks sessions introduce children up to the age of five to music in a fun and playful way – through musical games, singing, movement and hand percussion.

Aimed at parents and toddlers, Little Green Fingers combines story-telling with seed planting. All the seeds, soil and pots are provided for free.

Check out the full details on our Café events page – and see how you can get a free tea or coffee, plus gig discounts.