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BRIXTON BUGLE YOUR FREE
No 73 | JUNE 2019
Published monthly in and for Brixton
ISSN 2397-852X
COMMUNITY PAPER
Go ahead for big changes in market as its owners buy Sports Direct site
MARKET: MORE FOOD AND DRINK By Alan Slingsby
MIGUEL’S GYM FIGHTER CHAMPION OF ENGLAND
Kheron Gilpin is the latest fighter from Miguel’s Gym in Brixton to become a champion. He won the England Amateur Boxing Association cruiserweight title in April. He talks to the Bugle on PAGE 24
Lambeth council’s planning committee has unanimously agreed applications for major changes in the operation of Brixton Village and Market Row. The main effects will be to allow later opening and changes in the current balance of traders in the two covered market areas – allowing up to half of all premises to become food and/or drink establishments, but setting this proportion as the maximum allowed. Lambeth planning officer Michael Cassidy told the committee that “there won’t be changes overnight”. Hondo has confirmed that it has purchased the Pope’s Road site adjoining Brixton Village that is now occupied by Sports Direct and Flannels. The planning application does not apply to this site. Brixton Village’s 83 units are currently split 70% shops (58 units) and 29% restaurants and cafés (24 units); one unit is classed as a drinking establishment. In Market Row, the 53 units are split 66% shops (35 units), 32% restaurants and cafés (17 units); one unit is classed as a hot food takeaway. The planning permission would limit non-retail use to a maximum of 50% of floor area – preventing restaurants, cafés and bars from taking over all of the larger units and confining retailers to the smaller ones. Linked applications for the two areas from managers Hondo Enterprises had sought
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READING AND WRITING
Meet the author of Queenie 19
YES, IT IS
Funny, sexy, wise
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Fireball sessions at Pop
HERE I AM …
Women priests in focus
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2 NEWS brixtonblog.com 2019 JUNE
BRIXTON BUGLE brixtonblog.com Proudly edited in Brixton Both website and newspaper are published by a not-for-profit community organisation run by a committed team of people from Brixton @brixtonblog brixtonblog.com
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Jenny Shramenko 07811 878394 jenny@brixtonblog.com Circulation 12,500 copies Readership: circa 15,000 EDITOR Linda Quinn linda@brixtonblog.com NEWS EDITOR Anna McKie newsdesk@brixtonblog.com ARTS Leslie Manasseh arts@brixtonblog.com MUSIC Dave Randall music@brixtonblog.com FOOD Nick Buglione food@brixtonblog.com SPORT Sandra Brobbey sport@brixtonblog.com ISSUE 73 Contributors Gargie Ahmad Pam Douglas Eva Goudouneix Nick Jeyarajah Abby Jones Leslie Manasseh Fergus Matheson Jamila Omar Gemma Pasha Dave Randall Simone Richardson Neila Romdane Sally Stapleton Delores William Sub-editor: Jamila Omar Production: Alan Slingsby Distribution: Philip King A massive thank you to everybody involved in making this issue, and the Blog & Bugle project, a success If you would like to be a Bugle stockist please email distribution@brixtonblog.com
More food and drink in market ☛☛ from page 1 “blanket permission” for all ground floor units and linked first floor units to have “flexible” use. Hondo said that at least half of existing units would remain class A1 (shops) with no more than half of the units becoming class A3 (food and drink). The planning committee also agreed a draft management plan that will see major changes to the markets, some of which are already under way, including free wi-fi, air conditioning and heating, increased security through CCTV and more staff, free toilets and cash points. The markets’ power supply, described as “rickety” by Cassidy, will be upgraded. There will also be a new website for the markets. The management plan goes into detail about ways to reduce noise and nuisance as people leave the markets that will now be open daily to the public from 6am to midnight. They will remain open for cleaning only until 1am. Addressing the committee, Oliver Sheppard, a board director of planning agency DP9 that is handling the applications on behalf of Hondo, said that there would be “continuous communication” on the plans with “traders, shoppers, visitors and other stakeholders”.
He said that more food and drink establishments would be “entirely in accord with the cultural diversity of the markets” and would increase footfall. Sheppard told the committee that extensive market research showed existing traders had seen “a marked decline” in trade and footfall in the markets over the past three years. A key reason was the number of vacant units in the vicinity of the markets. Railway arches on Atlantic and Brixton Station Roads boarded up for years are only now seeing the return of traders. Respondents to a survey of local traders had said that food and drink establishments could increase footfall. “The feeling is that food and drink will lead to people spending more time in the markets and will increase the footfall throughout both the days and the evenings,” said Sheppard. Hondo’s Alistair Maddox said that “I want to make it absolutely clear that our priority for the market is to protect its unique character as a centre for the Brixton community and a beacon for visitors from across our city.” He promised that “extra weight” would be given to applications for premises in the markets that could show “strong links to the borough and, in particular, Brixton”.
Two of the three traders to have opened in the markets this year were in this category. Maddox pledged that vacant units will be advertised in the market first “to ensure that local people have the best chance of approaching us about the space”. In discussion on the applications, Green party councillor Becca Thackray, who seconded committee chair councillor Chair Wilcox’s move to agree permission for the Market Row application, said that Hondo had “proved itself in the past year” and that she was confident that its vision was right for Brixton. She particularly approved of Hondo’s plans to use existing windows to regulate temperatures, meaning that outside burners will not be used for heating. “We’ve got natural use of things. I think that’s a real plus,” she said. Earlier this year Stafford Geohagen, owner of Healthy Eaters which is sited between Market Row and Electric Avenue, took the registered owners of the markets – the Amsterdam-based company AG Market Row B.V. – to court to get his lease renewed. Hondo Enterprises says it is a partner of Angelo Gordon, the giant New York based hedge fund, whose Amsterdambased subsidiaries are the registered owners of Market Row and Brixton Village.
Green light for £9.25m school expansion plan Plans to transform a derelict site in Brixton into a new £9.25 million expansion of Sudbourne primary school, have been given the go-ahead by Lambeth council planning. The scheme will provide an additional 360 pupil places with the creation of a split site school. The site on Mandrell Road will be the new location for juniors, with infants remaining at the existing school on Sudbourne and Hayter Roads. The development, designed by HLM Architects, wraps around the site to create a central courtyard playground. A rooftop all-weather pitch maximises use of the urban site.
“Lambeth council identified the need for Sudbourne primary to expand to provide suitable accommodation to meet both modern standards and the projected demand for additional school places,” said HLM’s Luke Riggall. “HLM was determined to come up with a design that reflects the school’s responsive learning approaches and provide a stimulating facility.” Cllr Jennifer Brathwaite deputy council leader (children and young people), said: “Sudbourne primary is very much a local, community school and the designers have worked very closely and effectively with the school.”
Lido bookings row sees resignations from club committee A row over the use of Brockwell Lido by a swimming club – Brockwell Swimmers – has seen the secretary of the club and the organiser of one of its sections resign. The chair of Brockwell Swimmers, Tim Sutton, launched an online petition seeking support for a demand that the operators of the Lido, Fusion Lifestyle, accept bookings for water polo and relay events from the club, saying that it had been banned. But club secretary Alison Hicks and water polo
organiser Jason DaPonte resigned, saying that Fusion was not refusing to accept bookings from the club, but from Tim Sutton. The Brockwell Swimmers water polo players will now take part in sessions organised by a club based at Tooting Lido. Tim Sutton has for some time been at odds with Fusion and the complex management arrangements set up when it took over the lido from Lambeth council, which still owns the freehold. It re-opened
after four years of work organised by Fusion. Sutton said he understood the frustration of Hicks and DaPonte, but said Brockwell Swimmers faced losing half its members and jeopardising its entire future. “Obviously we would like the water polo players to stay with Brockwell Swimmers, but whatever they decide we wish them well,” he said. In a statement, Fusion said it was disappointed by, and denied, comments made by Sutton.
“Fusion does have an agreement with Brockwell Swimmers in terms of booking and using the Lido, which we welcome and which we are happy to continue,” it said. “Unfortunately, at present, Brockwell Swimmers appears unable to fulfil that agreement. We are aware that there are live issues that need to be resolved in their constitution so we will assist where we can to support and to ensure that proper booking requests are accommodated; Brockwell Swimmers members currently
have live bookings and social events at the lido. “Since we invested in and renovated the Lido, we have worked continuously with Brockwell Lido Users [part of the management arrangements] and other clubs and groups to increase availability and use of the pool. “We are committed to continuing this objective and we welcome interest from all swimmers and groups within the community, including the Brockwell Swimmers members.”
JUNE 2019 brixtonblog.com NEWS 3
How an artist fell foul of the housing crisis
Want to get into advertising? Then this may be for you By Fergus Matheson Brixton’s School of Communication Arts 2.0 (SCA), based in St Matthew’s church, has launched its scholarship competition for this year. Means-based scholarships are awarded through the school’s charity partners and are designed to widen diversity in the creative sector. Applicants must produce a two-minute video. The winner will have their entire £16.5k fees paid for. The competition this year, called Teach them a Lesson, is to make a campaign that revolves around anger that the government has axed the Career Development Loan.
Fergus Matheson reports on the case of Morgan Paton, a Brixton man caught up in the housing crisis and the rules and regulations it has engendered, and facing eviction from his home of more than 40 years
Duty to investigate “Lambeth Council is committed to preventing housing fraud and we have a duty to investigate wherever concerns are raised. “In this case, we obtained a possession order relating to this property after we were able to prove that the tenant was not using the property as her only or principal home and had no intention of returning. “We presented very strong evidence linking the tenant to the Norfolk area. She was, for example, recorded on the electoral register there and liable for council tax there for a number of years. “The court accepted this and found in our favour.” As well as the mental and emotional stress, Morgan has
sunk more than £30,000 of savings into a futile legal struggle, putting a massive strain on his personal finances. He has set up a GoFundMe appeal to help that has so far raised more than £2,000.
World-renowned
Notice of eviction On 1 April this year he was served a notice of eviction and appealed for an extension, which was granted. This means he is now waiting to find out when the bailiff will arrive. His mother says she contacted the council to let it know she would be going away. Morgan contacted his local MP, Helen Hayes, to see if she could help and she made representations on his behalf. The family also petitioned the council, asking to purchase the property under right-to-buy legislation, or to change the tenancy into Morgan’s name. These two options were rejected by the council because of the court rulings confirming that the tenancy agreement had been breached. Lambeth council’s funding from central government has been cut by 56% since 2010, putting even more pressure on the borough to provide housings. Rooms in the property next door to Morgan’s have rents of twice that of his council home – so it is easy to see how his and his life could be affected by being forced to rent privately. House prices in London remain beyond the reach of people with ordinary incomes, pushing them further out of the city. Morgan hopes that he will be able to stay. If not, South London will have lost another valuable resident. morganico.blogspot.co.uk
BLOG & BUGLE SUMMER ART SHOW
A big thank you to all the local artists who have submitted work for our summer art show. We’re delighted with the range and quality of the entries, which reveal how much artistic talent and enthusiasm are out there in the community. The selection panel is getting to work to draw up a shortlist of pieces that we want to look at before we decide on the works which have made it into the show. If you’ve made it to the shortlist, we will get in touch with you directly to explain the next steps. The next issue of the Bugle will publicise all the works in the final list and we’re planning to hold an exhibition in July.
Inclusive bookshop is now a permanent fixture in Brixton A shop selling inclusive books for children has opened in Brixton Village after raising nearly £50,000 with a crowdfunding campaign. Round Table Books’ permanent shop follows the success of a pop-up in Brixton last year that stocked only inclusive titles. #ReadTheOnePercent. the campaign’s title, was a reference to a report by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education that found only 1% of more than 9,000 children’s books published in the UK in 2017 had a BAME main character. Khadija Osman (above) joins the bookshop from the Forbidden Planet London megastore and will work with Moon Lane Ink, a community company, to run the store.
Khadija said: “I am extremely proud to be bringing more inclusion and opportunity to the community with Round Table Books. “I hope Brixton is excited to have us as a permanent fixture because I’m beyond excited to be a new part of their literary line-up.” The official launch is on Friday 7 June and the weekend of 8-9 June will see family fun time at the shop with face painting and balloons. AA Round Table Books Brixton Village, 97 Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Lane SW9 8PS. Opening times: Wednesday to Friday 11am to 7pm; Saturday and Sunday 10am to 6pm AA bookshop@roundtablebooks. co.uk
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Morgan Paton’s name might be unfamiliar, but chances are you have seen some of his work. The Stockwell war memorial, a Peckham Rye totem pole, the Peace Tree sculpture at the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth, and other murals around London are just a few examples of things Morgan – known locally as “Morganico” – helped to create or created himself. Since 1978 he has lived at his Brixton address as an “authorised occupant” with his mother as the main tenant. He told the Bugle that not a month’s rent had been missed. But the council is set to evict him after winning three court cases in six months against Morgan’s attempts to prevent this. A council spokesperson said: “We have 29,000 people on our waiting list. It is vital that we ensure those council homes we have are available for the people who genuinely need them.
foster?
The SCA is world-renowned for its course and has over 100 industry connections who are involved in everything from the sponsoring of scholarships to sending staff to mentor students. Students’ work is showcased at the school’s end of year “Portfolio Day” when affiliated agencies are invited to view the work. Almost all students get placements soon after finishing the course and 80% get employment with a Top 100 agency within six months of leaving. SCA students Charles Olafare and Josie Finlay are running the scholarship competition this year. Both of them were working before they came to the SCA, Charles in media and marketing, and Josie in publishing. They said that it was creativity that they struggled to find and have high praise for time they have already spent on the course. Charles said the course is very “hands on” and that “every week we learn something different”. I asked what advice would they give to anyone looking to apply? “Do things that people want to get involved in.” Josie said, “Something personal. Something original.” “Ever watch an ad and think ‘I could do that.’? Then this is the course for you.” Charles said, Jodie added that anyone who is interested, who would like advice or who needs help should not hesitate to get in touch. The deadline for applications is 1 July. AA www.schoolcommunicationarts.com
Pop in for a chat and join us for a coffee at San Marino Cafe. The fostering team will be holding walk in information sessions every Wednesday from 10.00am to 12.00pm.
Call us: 020 7926 8710 or online: lambeth.gov.uk/fosteringandadoption Location: San Marino Café, 413 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 7DG
4 NEWS brixtonblog.com 2019 JUNE
Young carers celebrate completing arts project
Peck questioned on new violence reduction role
By Gargie Ahmad Up to a third of young carers are looking after someone suffering from mental health problems – yet the mental health and wellbeing of the young carers themselves often goes unsupported. Mental Health The Arts, a creative arts academy for young people with experience of mental health problems, was piloted locally, sponsored by Lambeth Made. The organisation was set up by young carer, social
By Sally Stapleton Former Lambeth council leader Lib Peck, appointed to lead the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) in January, answered London Assembly Members’ questions about her new role last month. The VRU was launched in response to a rise in violent crime in London. Last year police recorded 137 homicides, 15,000 knife crime offences, 2,500 gun crime offences and 85,000 domestic abuse offences. Peck ran the Violence Against Women and Girls Programme in Lambeth and, through this, she says, she became aware of the inter-relationship between several different forms of violence. She said she had worked with politicians of all parties and made use of Metropolitan Police data. “That’s the kind of approach that I would want to adopt here,” she said. Peck said that tackling violent crime was “complicated enough” in Lambeth, and that it will be “even more complicated” across the 32 boroughs she is now responsible for. But she is “not at all complacent”, and she would work with politicians and organisations London-wide, to make the most effective use of the VRU’s £6.8 million budget. Peck also announced a likely trip to Glasgow, which uses an approach that has been credited for halving the homicide rate since 2005.
Friends raise funds to remember Ruskin The Friends of Ruskin Park are crowdfunding to raise money for events and celebrations this summer to mark the bicentenary of John Ruskin’s birth. The charity run and led by local people says that, while hundreds of people enjoy the park every day, they may know little about the remarkable man after whom it is named. Ruskin (1819 –1900) believed in a fair and just society, the education of women, the ethics of work and alternatives to a profit-driven society. He was an artist and art critic, writer, philanthropist and forthright social reformer. The park, close to where he lived, was created in 1907 to perpetuate his memory and values. If the crowdfunding is successful, a programme will include guided walks, poetry workshops, talks and an exhibition at Carnegie library. Extra funds raised would go towards a permanent John Ruskin trail in the park. AA www.crowdfunder.co.uk/johnruskin200
entrepreneur, and mental health research ambassador Angela Awuah. It provided six young carers with nutrition education, life coaching, cognitive behavioural therapy and art workshops over six weeks. Family, friends and supporters attended the first graduation ceremony in Brixton’s Lambeth town hall (left) and heard from the young carers what they had learned. AA You can find out more on Twitter by following @mh_thearts
300 pack hall to give warm welcome to refugee family By Nick Jeyarajah More than 300 people turned up to a Herne Hill Welcomes Refugees (HHWR) meeting in May, giving a rapturous welcome to a refugee family who had finally been settled among them after a long and painstaking process. Flown out of appalling and dangerous conditions in Lebanon, an Iraqi family arrived in December 2018 and are settling in well, making many friends in the area. Two years ago a small group of residents who had heard about the government’s community sponsorship scheme for vulnerable refugee families decided to apply. This mushroomed into the Herne Hill Welcomes Refugees group which has befriended the family and helped them settle in. A year later, after a challenging and complex application process, the group heard that its application had been approved by the Home Office and that they would be matched with a refugee family to be settled in Herne Hill. To obtain official approval, the group had to show that it
had members with experience of working with vulnerable people; accommodation had to be found, and a minimum of £9,000 raised to support the refugees’ needs not covered by benefits. Finally, the group needed the approval of
Lambeth council. Mayor Ibrahim Dogus along with councillors Jim Dickson and Becca Thackray were in the audience. The group now feel it has the experience to start the process of welcoming a second family.
Local MP Helen Hayes was warmly welcomed as a committed and long-term supporter of HHWR. This initiative, she said, represented the very best of humanity and made her especially proud of the community she represented.
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Are you OK? Brixton charity wants to know Brixton mental health charity Mosaic Clubhouse based on Effra Road marked Mental Health Awareness Week in May by asking passers-by: are you OK? Mosaic members and staff, who are also celebrating 25 years of the charity, decorated railings with an eye-catching
display and handed out leaflets telling people about the services on offer. More than 500 clubhouse members – who all live with mental illness – run the centre alongside 24 staff. Its services include support in finding education and employment – as well as
a café, information hub and evening sanctuary. For anyone experiencing mental ill health, Mosaic runs its free Info Hub from 9am to 5pm Monday on weekdays. offering a sympathetic ear or a referral and signposting to partner agencies. AA www.mosaic-clubhouse.org
JUNE 2019 brixtonblog.com COMMUNITY 5
BRIXTON LEGAL Each month, local solicitor Pam Douglas takes a common legal issue and explains it for readers
Dealing with redundancy With so many stories circulating in the media about companies closing down or cutting jobs due to the prevailing tough economic conditions, many of us are now facing the real and worrying prospect of redundancy. Years ago, it was not uncommon to hear of people receiving hefty pay-outs following the loss of their jobs, often enabling them to start their own businesses, pay off their mortgages or enjoy expensive indulgences such as new cars or luxury holidays. Many of those employees benefited from strong trade union backing and/or generous contractual terms, often including pay-outs of up to one month’s salary per completed year of service. Understandably, many even opted for voluntary redundancy, due to the potential opportunities the cash windfall presented. These days, though, more and more private sector redundancy payments are calculated in line with statutory minimum guidelines, which are not very generous. It is also less common, in many industries, to stay with the same employer for more than a few years, which obviously limits a likely redundancy or severance award. Added to this, one must have clocked up a minimum of two years’ service to be legally entitled to any compensation at all. Currently, statutory minimum guidelines state that an employee aged 40, with 10 years’ service, earning £30,000 per year, would be entitled to about £5,250. Here’s how they work it out: AA Half a week’s pay for each full year worked when you are aged under 22 AA One week’s pay for each full year worked when you are aged between 22 and 41 AA One and a half weeks’ pay for each full year worked when you are aged 41 or older. In calculating statutory entitlement, weekly pay is capped at £525 and maximum service is
capped at 20 years, meaning that the most an employee could be entitled to is £15,750 – that would apply to somebody in their 60s with 20 years’ service. With uncertainty on the horizon, and the cost of living to consider, a £5,000 pay-out is likely to seem like a drop in the ocean and might only cover a few months’ rent or mortgage payments. If you are facing redundancy, it is important to plan ahead and not to panic. I have put together a few key tips to help you through it: You should discuss all the options (including potential alternative roles) with your employer who is legally obliged to follow certain procedures before finalising a decision. Failure to do so may leave them open to a tribunal claim for unfair dismissal. Do also look closely at your paper employment contract, as you may be entitled to more than the statutory minimum levels outlined above. This is particularly likely if you hold a professional, managerial or executive position, but everyone should check, as many employment contracts are sloppily copied and pasted, so they could easily contain errors or omissions that work in your favour. If you are a member of a trade union, don’t forget to speak to your union representative who may be able to help you negotiate better terms or even keep your job. Finally, it is imperative that you speak to a specialist employment lawyer who can guide you through the process and ensure that your rights are upheld and work to ensure that you get the best outcome. Some larger employers will contribute to the cost of legal advice, so it is certainly worth asking. You might also find that you are eligible for free legal advice and representation under the legal expenses cover that comes as standard with many home and vehicle insurance policies. Good luck.
Volunteers at work on the Brockwell Park greens
Sylvan Bowls Club seeks help to revive greens for a final summer By Catherine Wiltshire Brockwell Park’s Sylvan Bowls club is appealing for help to keep its playing surfaces trim and watered throughout the summer. But this is likely to be the last summer that bowls is played in the park. Lambeth council has turned down the club’s application for support and there is a “to let” sign up on the pavilion. The council did agreed that the club could use the greens for one more summer – if it could maintain them.
Club member Heather Bouchier Hayes said: “The cost of upkeep of a bowling green is daunting and the volunteers who are attempting to keep it usable for one last summer need support. “Our current concern is finding enough volunteers to water regularly throughout the summer. “The bowling green is in need of repair and as Lambeth council no longer has the resources to maintain it, a sustainable solution must be found to ensure the survival of the club.” According to the club, the
council is considering letting the space to a mini-golf company to generating income. The green was established in 1906 and local people played through both world wars when other parts of Brockwell Park were used to grow vegetables. The club is run by a group of 15 community minded individuals who have partnered with many good causes over the years. Bowling takes place every Sunday until September from 2 to 6pm. Why not turn up and have a go? Or volunteer to help.
Brixton woman on big walk before Big Lunch Carole Wright from Brixton (pictured) will be one of two organisers this year for The Big Lunch project in England. She and colleague Laura Graham from Northampton are leading a two-week community walk across the nation due to end on 2 June. During their 17-day journey walkers will visit communities and meet people to celebrate the positive impact of collaborative projects and neighbourhood activities – inviting everyone to share food, make friends and have fun together through The Big Lunch weekend of 1 and 2 June. Organised by the Eden Project
Community space training appeal By Fergus Matheson
and funded in part by the National Lottery, the Big Lunch was launched in 2009 as an experiment to encourage people to have lunch with their neighbours on one Sunday in June. By 2017 there were more than 90,000 organised events with an estimated 9.3 million people taking part. The Bugle would love to hear from you if you’re having a community lunch. Mail newsdesk@brixtonblog.com to get in touch. AA To organise a Big Lunch, visit edenprojectcommunities.com/ stuff-to-do/organise-big-lunch
The community space project OurSpace has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help train 21 people from Angell Town, Tulse Hill and central Brixton on how to provide community and start up business support. OurSpace has been funded by the National Lottery for a year, but still needs to raise funds – catering, supplies and a mobile creche are some of the things it wants to buy. The deadline to meet their campaign target of £4,525 is 22 May. You can donate at bit.ly/ourspacecrowd. AA For more information get in touch with Stephanie Gamauf at info@ ourspaceprojects.com.
Green space awards open for nominations The community green space charity Groundwork has opened applications for its awards to community groups and individuals in a celebration of unsung local heroes across the UK.
More than 60 groups have won awards since they were launched in 2017. Groundwork encourages community involvement by creating and maintaining green spaces in urban areas. It has run
workshops at the Brixton Pound Café and in the Loughborough Farm Café on how to tackle food waste. AA Visit www.groundwork.org.uk to nominate and find out more. Closing date Sunday 30 June.
6 COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE brixtonblog.com
Power for the people – renewable and solar
Neila Romdane on a project to put pallets from Brixton market to good use Dennis Boateng set up InUse ReUse to make furniture out of pallets from Brixton market – putting them to good use and preventing them from becoming needless landfill. “Why we exist is wholly based on encouraging a circular economy, where pallets and wood waste are being recycled, upcycled or reused,” he says. “Our three-tier system enables pallets and wood waste either to be sent to a recycling plant, upcycled and converted into beautifully designed furniture, or re-used, with pallets being sent back to suppliers.” Supported by the Brixton Business Improvement District (BID), Dennis started informally in 2017 with a project that just sent pallets back to suppliers. Two years on, he has a pilot contract with Lambeth council and become a resident at the Re-makery project to ramp up furniture production. He is also working on a project with Veolia and Urban Growth to convert pallets into benches and a seating area for Slade Gardens adventure playground in Stockwell. “In 2018 I enrolled myself on an incubator programme run by Hatch Enterprise which was a local programme supporting locally based entrepreneurs,” says Dennis. “The eight-week programme had a pitch day when the winner would
2019 JUNE
By Éva Goudouneix
Isn’t it good, Brixton waste wood? be awarded funding. I didn’t win, but the help and support I received has been priceless.” Through Hatch he learnt about Talent Works, run by University of the Arts London, that offers starts-ups, non-profits and social enterprises the opportunity to have marketing materials created by students. “Hatch then recommend me to apply for the Red Academy community partner project that enables start-ups to get apps, digital marketing or websites created. “We are discussing with Red Academy students the development
of an app that enables consumers to customise their furniture and gives businesses the option to upload images of pallets and wood waste to arrange collection,” says Dennis. “With the Slade Gardens project in the pipeline, InUse ReUse now aims to recycle pallet wood for local schools’ tables and benches, shops’ and offices’ fittings or to create furniture for low-income households. The recycling enterprise has diverted more than 3,000 pallets back to suppliers and sent over 3.6 tonnes of wood waste to a recycling plant. It has so far managed to upcycle about 60 pallets this year and worked on a mini-project collecting malt bags from breweries and converting them into pillows and cushions. Watch them closely and next time you sit in one of our beautiful South London parks, look to see if the bench is an InUse- ReUse build!
Lambeth Community Solar (LCS), a new community benefit society set up to create solar energy projects in schools and community buildings, is a leader in the fight against climate change. By creating renewable electricity, LCS will lower the carbon footprint of the borough at the same time as improving the financial resilience of its schools and community. As we move towards a smarter, cleaner and decentralised energy system, we believe community projects like ours will be vital to ensure that the system becomes more equitable, inclusive and affordable. Solar electricity we generate will be used mainly to power schools, with the rest sold to the national grid. The profit earned from the sale of electricity will be shared between investors and the local community via a community fund. The community will benefit from reduced bills for schools, solar work experience and educational activities and workshops related to energy literacy – paid for by the
community fund. LCS is supported by Repowering London, and the model is based on successful projects it has delivered in Brixton, Homerton, Vauxhall and North Kensington. The first solar project is with Elmgreen school in West Norwood for a total 100 kW of solar panels on the school’s roofs. In September LCS will launch the community share offer to raise funds for the installation costs. This ethical investment will offer an average annual 3% return on investors’ money, while paying back the original investment across the life of the project. You can pledge support for the project by visiting www. repowering.org.uk/lcs LCS also needs enthusiastic volunteers to join the team and bring this project to life. There is much more to be done to make Lambeth a greener borough, and we need your help to install more panels on new schools and buildings. AA Register your interest at www.repowering.org.uk/lcs AA To join us, contact Dave or Eva on 020 3674 7519 or email info@repowering.org.uk.
Need start-up help? Try your local library
Spring/Summer programme is here... make your own ANYTHING!
Sign up as a member to get project support, heavily discounted workshops and a programme of regular events. Sign up: bit.ly/rbl-membership Events: remakery.eventbrite.com Discounts available for those on minimum wage and living locally, thanks to continued support from our funders.
The Blooming Lambeth Awards are now open for nominations. So now is the time to nominate yourself, a friend, a neighbour, a community garden, a school, a GP surgery, a food entrepreneur, a food innovator. The deadline for entries is 1 June, so go to www.incredibleediblelambeth.org now to see where your nomination fits best. There are seven categories (below) and prizes of £100 and £50 to be won. AA Best Community Garden Anywhere AA The Ivor Picardo award for most productive vegetable garden AA Best School Garden AA Against the Odds AA Best Community Gardener AA Innovation in Sustainable Food AA Garden in Bloom
The Start-ups in London Libraries (SILL) programme has appointed project coordinator Rachel Samuels to help aspiring entrepreneurs from all walks of life turn their business ideas into reality. Based in Brixton library, the programme will run in all the borough’s libraries to deliver grass roots business support. “Whether you have always wanted to start a business, or have just taken your first steps into entrepreneurship, we will give you the skills, information and know-how you need to build a viable business,” says Samuels. “We can help those who are interested in protecting (IP) intellectual material; and can support people with one-to-one coaching and mentoring to take them from a business idea to having a registered and operational business. As well as providing space for events. we can assist with raising visibility with our users, if needed. The first two workshops on 21 and 29 May are sold out already. But you can still register your interest. AA Contact Rsamuels1@lambeth.gov.uk or phone 07944 733172.
Learn how to get your business off the ground Business Launchpad, a youth enterprise organisation based at International House in Brixton, is throwing a Crowd Cash “productive party” at Pop Brixton on 23 May from 6 to 9pm. It will offer the chance to learn how to crowdfund a
business idea at the same time as enjoying fun, food and live music. Founders, funders, business support organisations, and some of the UK’s top crowdfunding experts will be there to explain how to get a business off the ground.
There are some free tickets, book at: bit.ly/blpcrowdcash Crowdfunder this year partnered Business Launchpad, Crowdfund 360 and 3Space – that runs International House for Lambeth council – to give a boost to youth-led ventures.
JUNE 2019 brixtonblog.com CREATIVE BRIXTON 7
ARTS
Are you in one of these wonderful photos? Leslie Manasseh visits an exhibition starring Brixton people over two turbulent decades Photographer Chris SteelePerkins lived in Brixton for many years from the 1970s. His pictures record the life of the community from 1973 to 1995, but are focussed for the most part on the early years. These largely black and white photos are a series of intimate portraits of local people going about their daily lives. Moments in time capture the major social and political events affecting Brixton during turbulent decades, but also how ordinary people lived their lives. These are photos rich in contemporary detail showing local people, young and old, at play, at rest and at worship.
They reflect some serious issues of the day alongside pleasures and passions, and show that Brixton had as much energy, diversity and exuberance in the 1970s as it does today. Much of the enjoyment of this show is to be found in the detail. For anyone who lived in Brixton at the time, the exhibition is a treasure trove of scenes and activities they will remember. For those who did not, it’s a fascinating window on the life and times of the community as it was some 40 years ago. There are also some significant moments and themes. The police appear in a number of photos playing
©CHRIS STEELE-PERKINS / MAGNUM PHOTOS
different roles; Margaret Thatcher is glimpsed in the market before she was prime minister; and many pictures reveal the importance of religion in the life of
the community. One of the aims of the show is to try to identify the people in the photos. So if you were in Brixton between 1973 and 1995, go along and
see if you can recognise anyone. If you weren’t, go along anyway and enjoy the view. AAThe show, open Monday to Saturday, 10.30am to
5.30pm runs until 29 June in Photofusion, 3Space, International House, 6 Canterbury Crescent, SW9 7QD. Entry is free and access is via Brixton Rec.
The Untold Season YOUNG ASSOCIATE ARTIST SHOWCASE
S T S I T R A D E T ALEN T Y L E C R E I F X Y SI B S Y A L P W E SIX N
6–22 JUNE Tickets from just £5
OVALHOUSE.COM 020 7582 7680
8 ARTS brixtonblog.com 2019 JUNE ANOTHER FUNNY TURN BLOCK 336
LAURA-DOE’S VAUDEVILLE OF THE VULVA BREAD AND ROSES THEATRE
Breathing walls and twisting shadows
Funny, sexy, wise Ever confused a Volvo with a vulva? A G-string with a G-spot? Dripping with tongue-in-cheek humour, Laura-Doe’s canny characters and unusually vocal velvet vulvae promise some clarity on the fertile topic of female genitalia and to lead us “giggling and gasping into a deeper appreciation of this much maligned and misunderstood body part”. Vaudeville of the Vulva is a series of light-hearted sketches designed to inform and entertain; to lift taboos; and to use comedy and song to speak about, understand and appreciate the female body. Written and performed by comedian, singer/songwriter and sex educator Laura-Doe, expect it to be funny, sexy and wise. But don’t expect any nudity. The show runs from 4 to 8 June at 7.15pm in the Bread and Roses Theatre, 68 Clapham Manor Street, SW4 6DZ. Tickets £12/£10. AAMore at http://bit.ly/BRT-VotV
Opening on 17 May, Block 336 on Brixton Road will present Another Funny Turn, the first UK solo exhibition of work by artist duo Sarah Cockings and Harriet Fleuriot. They revisit their confused teenage selves to find ways to survive their thirties and have constructed a sound and video installation where “rocks judder, bushes smirk, shadows twist and walls breathe”, in what promises to be a challenging journey through “a disorientating wilderness of dramatic rehearsal driven by catastrophic thinking”. Cockings and Fleuriot work collaboratively across performance, video, sound and sculpture. Their first joint project – the short film Plasma Visit was selected for Bloomberg New Contemporaries in 2017. The exhibition runs until 14 June in Block 336, 336 Brixton Road, SW9 7AA, Opening hours: Thursday – Saturday 12 – 6 pm. AAFurther information www.block336.com
C OUNTRY MUSIC OMNIBUS THEATRE
Life choices Leslie Manasseh talks to director, Scott Le Crass about his play about the 20 -year history of a crime
Clapham’s Omnibus Theatre will shortly be the stage for Country Music, a play written by Simon Stephens, which opens with a crime in Gravesend in 1983 and takes the audience through the next 20 years as the consequences unfold. “It’s an expansive play about redemption and relationships and how a single event can shape a life,” says director Scott Le Crass. He was drawn to the humanity of a story about one man trying to
make amends for something he has done, but also to a simple narrative touching upon and illuminating deeper and more complex issues. As a story about a man who has committed a crime and been through the institutions of disadvantage – the care and prison system – “it highlights that, although we are products of our circumstances, people can change and exercise choice and control”. The central character is man who loses all power over his life but ultimately regains it, and is able to repair the damage he has caused. Le Crass also places the play in a wider context of people who are not often heard – whether it be the working class or one of many groups on the margins of society.
Scene from a video trailer for the play available on the theatre website He believes that working people are too often represented in a one-dimensional “doom and gloom” way and that this play acts as a counterweight – offering a more rounded portrayal which is also about hope and change. As a director, Le Crass wants to strip back the drama to its essential elements. He talked about the challenge of this approach and
of the need to find an “emotional drive” and “dramatic tension” which can power the narrative and engage the audience even when there are moments of stillness on stage. I asked him why Bugle readers should go to see his play. He answered “Because we all know a Jamie; we all know about trying to make amends and maybe it will
encourage people to reflect upon their own lives and the choices they have made” Good reasons to go. AACountry Music runs from 29 May to 24 June at The Omnibus Theatre, 1 Clapham Common, SW4 0QW. Tickets £16/£13. For further information go to www.omnibus-clapham.org or call 020 7498 4699.
Films, food and a house in Brixton – that’s Georgia’s dream Simone Richardson meets Brixton filmmaker Georgia Goggin
LAURA RADFORD
Georgia Goggin, a film producer and director from Brixton, has been named by Film London as one of 25 innovative film makers with potential within the industry. Known as “Lodestars” list members are selected from more than 700 people who have worked with Film London Brixton was Georgia’s first choice when she moved to London from Leeds in 2012. “It’s the first place I lived in London and I’ve been here since. I can’t imagine living anywhere else,” she says.
Georgia has been interested in films since she was a teenager and is now gaining recognition for her skills in producing and directing. “I started making my own films while I was at school, then I did a film degree at Leeds Uni. I actually spent more time in Leeds putting on plays than making films, but I guess I got enough transferable skills to break into film anyway.” She is currently producing her debut feature, Pretty Red Dress, written and directed by fellow Lodestar Dionne Edwards, supported by the BFI and Sundance Institute. It follows five shorts with Dionne, including the award-winning We Love Moses. Georgia is also the producer of
The Uncertain Kingdom, an upcoming anthology of shorts about the UK in 2019. She recently directed Sorry Fi Disturb Yuh, a spoken-word film featuring Russeni Fisher. “Film London were the first funders to back We Love Moses,” says Georgia. “That film opened so many doors, gave us a year of travelling to festivals, introduced us to our agents and manager and led to us making our feature.” Georgia says to have made three films in the next five years would make her “very, very happy”. “In five years’ time, I’d like to still be telling my stories and having a house and food at the same time, that’s the dream really.”
JUNE 2019 brixtonblog.com CREATIVE BRIXTON 9
MUSIC
There is an alternative If Eurovision is not your thing, catch one of Esa Williams’ six-hour sets at Phonox, says Dave Randall
It may not be the highlight of every music lover’s year, but the annual Eurovision Song Contest is certainly big. Nearly 200 million viewers from around the world tune in to see singers and their songs battle it out for the top spot. But this year Palestinian LGBTQ campaigners and groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign are asking artists and audiences to boycott the final which takes place in Israel on 18 May. They say the Israeli government will use the event to distract people from, or “pink-wash”, their apartheid policies and decades long oppression of Palestinians. Activists have been calling on the international community to boycott Israeli institutions, including a cultural boycott, ever since Palestinian civil society voted for the tactic in 2005. Calls for a cultural boycott will remind music fans of a certain age of one of the defining political campaigns of the late twentieth century: the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. In the 1980s Britain’s Conservative government supported the apartheid regime and prime minister Margaret Thatcher dismissed the liberation struggle’s incarcerated leader Nelson Mandela as a terrorist.
Esa Williams: South African afro-house, synth-pop, kwaito and ‘bubblegum’ all feature in his epic six hour sets
But many other Britons, including our favourite musicians, rallied to support his cause. Local resident and former member of The Specials Jerry Dammers penned the hugely influential anti-apartheid anthem Free Nelson Mandela. He also helped organise an Artists Against Apartheid UK tour which, in June 1986, culminated in a gig on Clapham Common attended by an astonishing 250,000 people. This month, exactly
25 years after the fall of apartheid and election of Mandela, South Africa went to the polls again for a general election. The African National Congress (ANC) looks likely to secure another mandate, but its popularity has been on the wane for several years. Significant numbers of people did not register to vote and others are switching their support to more militant new parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). DJ Esa Williams, who
currently has the Saturday night residency at Brixton’s Phonox, was born and raised in Cape Town, so I asked him for his views on his home country. He told me he agrees with those who feel the ANC has done too little to help poor, unemployed and working class voters. “It’s a backlash for promises made that weren’t kept,” he says. “A lot of the young people are losing hope. Especially in my community in Cape Town I’m seeing increasing anger and disappointment.” Despite the ongoing challenges faced by the country, Esa remains proud to be considered a cultural ambassador for South Africa. South African afro-house, synth-pop, kwaito and the US funk inspired genre “bubblegum” that swept South Africa in the 1980s all feature in his epic six hour Phonox sets. He’s also compiling an album of global dance-floorfillers for Soundway records, called Amandla: Music To The People – a twist on the famous anti-apartheid slogan Amandla: Power To The People. The first single comes out on 31 May and features Esa’s remix of South African icon Penny Penny Nkovani’s 2001 kwaito house track Shilungu. The full album follows in July and Esa can be found behind the decks at Phonox every Saturday night. If you’re looking for a politically principled and musically masterful alternative to the Eurovision Song Contest on 18 May, Esa’s got the party. Dave Randall is a musician and author of Sound System: The Political Power of Music.
Marcia Carr, club DJ, radio presenter and producer of London station Rinse FM is also creator and director of the all-vinyl female DJ squad Girlz B Like. “From way back, since I was about six years old, I have always been interested in music – from playing around with my parents’ gram with a built in record player and buying records with what little pocket money I used to get,” she says. “My parents would play a lot of
reggae as well as US R&B which I would hear being played. especially at weekends.” Marcia remembers her first record buys – Natalie Cole, Roy Ayers and Tiena Muriel. It was my pleasure to watch her
BRIXTON
Brixton Hi-Five … where we hi-five local musical movers and shakers. We ask five questions to get to know the people who play regularly or contribute in other ways to Brixton’s live music scene. This month it’s the turn of Idris Rahman
HI-FIVE
What do you do and where do you do it? I’d describe myself firstly as a sax player, but I also play clarinet, bass and a few other instruments as well as sing. I’ve run the Brixton-based band Soothsayers with Robin Hopcraft for the last couple of decades, and we now have a great youth project called Youthsayers, also based in Brixton. I’ve recently played with Anoushka Shankar, my partner Julia Biel, my sister Zoe Rahman, and with two fairly new improvised jazz bands Wildflower and Ill Considered.
Favourite memories of playing in Brixton? We’ve been playing a regular Soothsayers set with our smaller five-piece band at The Effra in Kellett Road for probably nearly 15 years now, and there are so many memories associated with that – the place has a special vibe that is so rare in London. Also the Lambeth Country Show, which we’ve performed at several times with Soothsayers – always a great vibe and amazing to have a family friendly free festival on your doorstep where you can witness some of the greats in reggae music doing their thing.
What are you listening to at the moment?
First Brixton, then the world Marcia Carr interviewed young women DJs at an International Women’s day event in Brixton’s Pure Vinyl. Simone Richardson turns the tables
NADJIB LE FLEURIER © SISTERS PUBLISHING
ask young women DJs why they chose their three oldest memorable first-bought records that were then shared on the player. Marcia’s current focus is building her brand of 2 Decks and a Mixer (Facebook: @2DecksAndAMixer). Behind raising her profile in commercial radio is a desire to “take music to a global network of new listeners”. The power of good music brings people together, she says – “which I see as a good thing and it can lift one’s heart and also help all those who are hurting.” Marcia is back at Pure Vinyl on 24 May (7-11pm). You can listen live to her monthly show on www.Rinse. fm – next on Wednesday 22 May from 12pm to 2pm.
I’m listening to a lot of Hariprasad Chaurasia at the moment – Indian bamboo flute playing at it’s finest. I’m kind of obsessed with his sound, and I’m slowly learning something about Indian music, which is still fairly mysterious to me.
Favourite album of all time and why? Coltrane by Coltrane, if I have to narrow it down to one. This record meant a lot to me when I was a teenager – I still love the simplicity of the tunes and modal harmonies, the expansiveness of the drumming, the openness of the forms, and the absolute fire of all four musicians going deep into the uncharted territory that produced some of the most soulful, raw and passionate music of the 20th century.
Where can we hear you next? Soothsayers and Youthsayers are playing a double-bill at Gerry Lyseight’s vibey Mambista night at the Portico Gallery in West Norwood on 7 June. You can also catch Soothsayers at various festivals this summer including Womad and Beat Herder. As for records, Soothsayers’ label Wah Wah 45s is releasing a remixed version of last year’s Tradition album on 25 June, (look out for a couple of singles in the run-up), and Ill Considered and Wildflower both have new albums coming soon...
10 WINDRUSH DAY brixtonblog.com
2019 JUNE
22 June each year is Windrush Day – the official government-sanctioned and funded celebration of the contribution to Britain of the Windrush generation and their descendants, who are also honoured in Brixton by the public square that bears their name. On this page we look at local celebrations and at two men who show that the Windrush generation was far from the first to serve and to suffer in Britain
WINDRUSH EVENTS
22 June, Windrush Day, marks the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks on the Thames estuary, bringing workers from the Caribbean islands as a response to labour shortages in the UK. The ship carried 492 passengers – many of them children. A programme of local events as part of the Lambeth Readers and Writers Festival will discuss how Caribbean men and women built their lives in Britain and how their contributions to the community have assisted the development of a more inclusive society.
African, Caribbean and British Roots: Who Do You Think You Are? Saturday 25 May 2pm Brixton Library Family historian Paul Crooks (author of Ancestors) traced his enslaved forebears back six generations to Ami Djaba, who lived in the Krobo Mountain of Ghana. His acclaimed novel and appearance on Who Do You Think You Are? inspired a generation to explore Black and British ancestry and gather information to make their family trees. Paul was told that it would be impossible to trace records of his African ancestors enslaved on plantations in Jamaica. No-one had tried because such records “did not exist”. Undeterred, he embarked on a journey of discovery that led from suburban North London to Jamaica and the Gold Coast of Africa – an effort that brought him international recognition for his breakthroughs in African Caribbean genealogy research. Paul will talk interactively about his journey and how he traced his roots. AA See www.paulcrooks.info AA Booking ancestrybl.eventbrite.co.uk
Exhibition: Harry Jacobs, Photographer to the Windrush Generation Weekdays 9am to 6pm Lambeth Town Hall Harry Jacobs was the photographer of choice for Caribbean families coming to Brixton from the 1950s. His portraits with their distinctive backdrop decorated thousands of South London mantelpieces. This free exhibition of his work documents the experiences of an entire generation.
Black Cultural Archives, Windrush Square Saturday and Sunday 22-23 June Visit the Black Cultural Archives to celebrate Windrush and the Windrush generations. Events will take place over the weekend and beyond, including an exclusive exhibition celebrating the Windrush Generation with portraits by award- winning photographer Robert Golden, archive video and audio in digital format for the first time. AA Visit: blackculturalarchives.org
Winston Nzinga – Windrush storytelling 22-23 June, Brixton library Old time stories come back again. Come and join in the fun at Brixton library. Play a drum, a shaker or bell. Listen and sing along with Winston Nzinga recounting Caribbean folk stories with music and song from the Windrush Generation. A lively, interactive storytime, where you will hear and be entertained by traditional tales. Ages 5 years and above.
A tale of two airmen Before the Windrush Generation came the often overlooked Caribbeans and Africans who fought for Britain in the two wars. Delores William and (below) Alan Slingsby look at accounts of two who flew for the RAF People from the West Indies who fought for Britain were promised much, jobs, housing and more, only to see that denied them. Many, like Ulric Cross, felt stung. He left England and concentrated on African and Caribbean independence. I went along to the screening of a film about him – Hero – which is being shown on Saturday 18 May at the BFI on the South Bank. The story focuses on Cross, a trailblazer
who made his mark on history as a navigator in World War II. He went on to become one of the RAF’s most decorated West Indian airmen. He became a central figure in the independence struggles of both Africa and the Caribbean. His varied career include becoming the Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to the UK, legal advisor to a number of the then newly-independent African countries, and rising to positions as High Court and later Appeal Court judge in his home country of Trinidad. This film is wonderfully shot, merging real Pathé newsreel footage with the dramatic action. If you are a history buff but your knowledge of ideas like Pan Africa and The United States of Africa is lacking, then this is your film. It’s long but beautifully shot, with great performances and it is also historically fascinating.
Delores William (left) with Hero director Frances Anne Solommon
From fighting the Nazis to fighting for freedom A former Brixton teacher, David Horsley, has researched and published the story of a remarkable and often overlooked figure in British Caribbean history. Billy Strachan was an RAF pilot, a qualified barrister and an author. He was also an active member of the Communist party which, David speculates, may account for him joining the many other inspiring Caribbeans who are, so far, ignored or overlooked by conventional histories of Britain in the 20th century. Born to a relatively well-off Black family in Jamaica, he sold his possessions to pay his way to London to fight for Britain in the Second World War. He became an RAF pilot, despite a serious crash in training. He also survived
33 bombing missions over Germany – an unusually high number. Only one in four bomber crew members went through the war without being killed or captured. After the war Billy Strachan returned to Jamaica where he encountered the prejudice and injustice that faced all non-whites there.
He returned to Britain in 1947 to fight politically for justice and liberation. But he also took care, with his wife, of three sons and studied law in what little spare time he had, qualifying as a barrister in 1959. He welcomed and advised many of the Windrush generation immigrants
David Horsley (right) with colleagues Dennis and Constance Benjamin from the Caribbean Labour Solidarity Organisation
He died in April 1998. David Horsley, who taught in Brixton and developed his interest in Caribbean history through a teacher exchange with Jamaica, based his brief life of Strachan on conversations with family members and people who knew him, as well as a long recorded interview that is held by the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth. There is only one known appearance of him on film. It is available via YouTube at https://youtu.be/A2VyKtfByXk in a newsreel which also has footage of Somerleyton Road, Brixton market and Coldharbour Lane in the fifties. He appears at about 3.50 minutes. AA To obtain a copy of David Horsley’s pamphlet, email him at ukdavid.d@gmail.com. It costs £2, £3 if posted.
Help to discover the powerful past Adrian Stone’s interest in his family began when his mother became seriously ill. He realised he knew little about his background and, like many other Black Britons of Caribbean origin, knew nothing of his ancestors’ journey from Africa to the Caribbean to Britain. Born and raised in Bristol in a predominantly Jamaican community, his interest became a spiritual quest as he delved deeper and found out more about his own identity. Stone’s journey from Bristol through London, Jamaica, Scotland and America ended with a woman from the Igbo tribe in Nigeria named Ebo Venus (his five times great grandmother) who came to Lanark and Kellits plantation in Clarendon, Jamaica via a slave ship in the 1790s. In a recent BBC Radio London interview, he explained how it was music that brought
him to London and his determination to trace his past turned him from music producer to genealogist. “I didn’t realise what you could find,” he says of a journey that traced his ancestors’ enslavement to only five generations away. He says it is important to speak to the elders as the danger is their stories will pass away with them. “The past is powerful, that’s where we get our legacy from. It’s where we get our
WORKSHOPS
purpose from and can measure our success.” Stone says: “If I can do this, you can do it too”. Drawing upon his own personal experience of tracing his ancestry and desire to share his passion for genealogy he has launched a series of workshops – Tracing Your Windrush Roots – designed to help participants develop an awareness of the resources that can be used to identify their AfricanCaribbean ancestry.
Adrian Stone, will run three workshops at Lambeth College to help the African-Caribbean community trace Windrush roots. They will take place at the college’s Clapham site. Saturday 22 June – to mark the 71st Windrush anniversary Saturday 7 September and Saturday 26 October – for Black History Month. AA Tickets can be purchased from www.tracingwindrushroots.eventbrite.co.uk AA Contact/enquiries: ownhistory@hotmail.com
JUNE 2019 brixtonblog.com OPINION 11
BRIXTON BUGLE
COMMENT
Big up Brixton
As Windrush day approaches, it’s natural to think about the history and achievements of the men and women remembered in the name of the centrepiece of Brixton – Windrush Square. Just a quick look through this issue of the Bugle demonstrates the depth and range of what they did – and do – in Britain. Ulric Cross and Billy Strachan both flew for the RAF in the Second World War. Cross went on to a prominent legal career in Africa and the Caribbean. Strachan also became a lawyer by studying by himself while he worked for a living and to overthrow a system he believed enslaved everybody. One has a film made about him, the other has been rescued from obscurity by a Brixton teacher’s determination that he would not be forgotten. How many people who walk past LionVibes in Brixton Village know that the small shop there is just a small part of possibly the oldest and most established organisation selling vinyl online around the world. And as politicians and journalists wring their hands – quite rightly – about the disappearance of services and space for young people, consider how two brothers from Railton Road have created, by their own efforts and without state, local authority or other outside funding, a gym that not only turns out champion boxers regularly and often but also serves as powerful community resource. We could go on – Afewee, Dwaynamics, the Brixton Soup Kitchen, not to mention the Brixton Immortals, last year’s invincible UK domino champions. There are plenty more. The point is that the Windrush Generation and its descendants, so many of whom have lived in Brixton, have created a community, institutions and culture that the rest of Britain would do well to study and emulate. If you have a complaint about the Brixton Bugle, see bit.ly/BBB_complaints for how to pursue it Regulated by IMPRESS: The independent monitor for the press 16–18 New Bridge Street EC4V 6AG 020 3325 4288 complaints@impress.press www.impress.press
Support for Extinction Rebellion is exploding Extinction Rebellion is gaining support at an incredible rate in Lambeth. In the wake of a triumphant two-week protest that turned many of London’s most iconic landmarks into traffic-free festivals of resistance to climate change, XR’s local group attracted so many people that they couldn’t all fit into the room booked for only their second meeting. More than 75 people of all ages attended the high-spirited meeting of Extinction Rebellion Lambeth – started a few weeks ago by just a dozen local activists – at Effra Social. “The meeting was amazing! The room was packed and the atmosphere was electric,” said XR Lambeth group facilitator Bells Davidson. “People had to spill out into the corridor and overflow into the Effra garden as we split into smaller groups for discussion and feedback on what XR Lambeth members would like to plan next. “The International Rebellion has brought together many people and offered some hope and group support to individuals who are facing the reality of the climate breakdown that is happening globally now and that scientists predict will accelerate. It’s incredibly inspiring to see how many people are committed to bringing about real environmental change under the banner of Extinction Rebellion.” The Lambeth group has seen its Facebook group grow to more than 300 members over the course of the International Rebellion in central London “We’re struggling to keep up with the sheer number of people who want to join,” said group member Bess Herbert.
The meeting opened with a moment of pure joy as it was announced that the UK Parliament had agreed to XR’s number one demand and become the first in the world to declare a climate emergency. “Everyone erupted into cheers and clapping. I had to wipe away tears,” said group member Steve Tooze. “It was perfect timing to get such incredible news to set the scene for the rest of the meeting.” There was an initial introduction to the many newcomers of XR’s strategy of non-violent mass civil disobedience and its three key aims, to demand the government AA Declares a climate emergency AA Creates a radical plan to lower carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 AA Forms a Citizen’s Assembly to lead the transformation of our society. Splitting into six smaller groups – several in the pub’s front garden to accommodate the large turn-out – the group discussed and agreed a series of exciting plans for the next stage of the International Rebellion. These ranged from guerrilla gardening – creating green oases of trees and plants around the Borough – to road blockadescum-music and art festivals to force Lambeth council to urgently follow up its own climate emergency declaration with a concrete plan to become carbon neutral by 2025. “There was a lot of energy in the room and a desire to get on with things and make change happen fast,” said Steve, a 55-year-old dad of two from Herne Hill. ‘There was also a lot of fear that if we lose momentum then it will be too late to make the world climate safe for our
children and grand-children. “So, we’ll be arranging for everyone to get non-violent direction action training as soon as possible, so that we are all ready to bring the energy, love and positivity that happened at Waterloo Bridge, Oxford Circus, Marble Arch and Parliament Square to Lambeth.” One of the key decisions was to reach out to Lambeth’s BAME communities and leaders and get them more involved in XR. “We live in a very diverse borough and XR needs to truly represent that diversity,” said Roxanne, one of the people attending an XR meeting for the first time. With membership numbers still climbing fast, XR Lambeth moved their latest meeting (8 May) to a bigger room – the lower hall at Brixton Community Base on Talma Road – to accommodate the large numbers who wanted to attend. The group used the meeting to set up smaller action groups of 10 to 15 people, including political engagement, science & policy, art & regeneration, families, and youth. “Each group has begun making plans for the next stage of the rebellion,” said co-ordinator George Deacon. “We’ve got some amazing ideas for actions in Lambeth. The next couple of months will be an exciting time to join us.” The next meeting of XR Lambeth will take place at Cressingham Gardens community hall between 7 and 9pm on Wednesday 22 May. Full details will be posted on the Extinction Rebellion Lambeth Facebook page soon. XR LAMBETH
Brixton BID is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening Brixton’s diverse business culture. We represent more than 650 levy‑paying businesses in the local area and work to develop new and exciting opportunities for Brixton. Local business voted in November 2018 for the BID to continue its work for another five years.
For the record … Michael Smith, Director of the Brixton Business Improvement District, on music, memories and the importance of protecting our local economy
For as long as most of us can remember, Brixton has been the place to shop for vinyl records. Reggae, rare groove, ska, garage, rockers. You name it and Brixton had it. We had vinyl music specialists prepared to sell you vintage vinyl or to it from you. Some people can still recall buying or simply browsing records at Desmond’s Hip City - Railton Road in the 70s and pristine dub plates from Blacker Dread – Coldharbour Lane. DJs and music lovers were responsible for record sales back then. Now, superfans reportedly account for more than 71% of the 4.2 million vinyl records sold in the UK in 2018. Without these superfans, who today are prepared to pay more than £50 for a “rare mint” 10" 45rpm selection, some very famous vinyl stores ‘good for browsing records’ and the purchasing of the odd selection faded away in the 90s and early 2000. Record shops in and out of Brixton come to mind, Dub Vendor on Lavender Hill, and Our Price and Red Records on Brixton High Street. The vinyl market in Brixton is healthy, vibrant and very visible. Lion Vibes, Pure Vinyl, Supertone, Universal Roots, Container Records and Soul Proprietors, a little out of town on Elm Park, all appear to have gotten the mix between browsing and sales right. Vinyl enthusiasts and superfans are not just leaving these stores with rare dub plates but also with knowledge gained from music specialists that could not be had online.
Live music
Like vinyl record shops, Brixton was also famous for live music venues. But with the imminent closure of Club 414 in May, Brixton will lose another live music venue to add to a
trail of fading memories. Few people will now be able to imagine Brixton Town Hall as a live music venue. The Coach and Horses, The Fridge, The Atlantic, all gone as live music venues. Where in Brixton will young musicians of the future get their chance to perform? These venues opened doors for performers some of whom later became famous: Courtney Pine, Linton Kwesi Johnson, The Alabama 3 … to name but a few. Big ticket venues such as the O2 Academy and the Electric are still pulling crowds. And while venues like the Effra Hall Tavern and Hootananny do sterling work, small bands and new and upcoming performers are running out of local places to perform.
Local is vital
The concept of local is vital for organisations like Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). They operate locally and focus on adding value to local economies. Preventing the decline of local economies and the demise of local businesses is important to BIDs. We see threats in the closure of local newspapers and the demise of High Streets. We campaign and support better deals for local business rate payers. Our levy collected from local businesses is used to provide additional security for local businesses, public realm development and improvements and destination planning. Liveable neighbourhood and clean air projects are important to BIDs. We see the benefit in them for local businesses. The Brixton BID is in full support of opportunities such as the Greater London Authority’s Cleaner Heat Cashback scheme for businesses (http://bit.ly/GLA-CHC). And we are driving our Brixton BID Zipvan project offering better rates for local businesses and access to an electric Zipvan. Our local campaign to assist the removal of graffiti from walls and shutters is in full swing. Please report graffiti affecting your business – email graffiti@lambeth.gov.uk or call 020 7926 9000. Visit our website for more information on the Brixton Bid and to see some of the other things we do. For the record, Brixton will never get over saying goodbye to the iconic 414.
While sellers of vinyl in Brixton o gone – from Desmond’s Hip City Dread– it remains a major centr for non-digital music and the cu
Our Price Records used to stand opposite Brixton Tube station
Music was always his passion Brixton resident and vinyl lover Nick Lucas launched Soul Proprietors in July 2017, funded by a redundancy payment. Nick, who has worked in sales in different parts of the country, decided to settle in Brixton over 10 years ago.
He says music has always been his passion: “I spent about four years in and out of charity shops, antique shops and car boot sales and was surprised at the gems I discovered.” There were records worth hundreds going for just a
A sense of community for everyone to enjoy Claudia Wilson moved her Pure Vinyl Records into the Ferndale Road shop it now occupies as part of the Squire & Partners redevelopment in September 2017. It had been in the Reliance Arcade since 2015 – very much part of the community. And Claudia strives to create a sense of community in Pure Vinyl by providing a free and social space for everyone to enjoy. Born and raised on Brixton, she played behind the decks at Mango Landin’– now a block of flats on Brixton Water Lane. After it closed, she set up a Saturday stall outside a record store owned by her friend Simon in Brixton Village, selling records and playing music to help him
Recalling her start as a vinyl seller, she says: “Getting Reliance was an achievement. That place was my sanctuary”. It was, she says, a heartwrenching decision, to move to her new shop. But it means she can display a wider selection of her favourite records and, with other members of the community, host events. “I pride myself on my records – the records I have in this shop are my own selection,” she says. Her speciality? Finding 7” soul records. ■■ Pure Vinyl Records The Department Store, 246 Ferndale Road, SW9 8FR ■■ 020 3598 5272 ■■ facebook.com/purevinyllondon
when he was ill. For two years, she was doing what she loved. Unhappy in her full-time job, and following words of wisdom from her mother, Claudia packed it in to set up her shop in the Reliance Arcade. She has never looked back.
Based in Brixton – and one of the first in the world LionVibes in Brixton Village began life as a local market stall. Since 1997 it has been an online shop, selling across the globe – one of the world’s oldest and most established retailers of reggae vinyl. Today there are two websites – one for new music and the other for vintage. Prices for vintage records range from £2 to £750. In 2016 Lion Vibes opened a retail shop in Brixton Village in the former
premises of another vinyl vendor – Music Temple. Owner Matt Downs, whose home town is Brixton, spent five years selling records from the stall and then began to visit Jamaica to record music for his LionVibes label.
He says LionVibes at 98 Brixton Village, is near the historic sites of Alton Ellis’ All Tone record shop, Desmond’s Hip City – part of Jamaican entrepreneur Lee Gopthal’s Muzic City chain – Joe’s Record Shack, and the Soferno B label and sound system. ■■ LionVibes Record Shop, 98 Granville Arcade, Brixton Village, SW9 8PS ■■ 07459 221925 ■■ lionvibes.com
Reggae, garage and jungle fly out of the door
over the years have come and y to Red Records and Blacker re of the growing market ultures that embrace it
jungle fly out the door.” he says. Record Store Day on 13 April this year came at a bit of a lull point in the year. “Winter and summer are good but spring would otherwise be a bit flat,” says Jack. “It’s very popular and by far our biggest day of the year, and the extra income helps us survive, as it’s not the most lucrative market. “We use Record Store Day as an excuse to host a record label market.
a shop.” Nick also puts on live appearances, including one by Skinnyman last year ■■ Soul Proprietors 64 Elm Park, SW2 2UB ■■ 07532 492196 ■■ soul-proprietors.business. site
This year was our biggest yet, we had 20 tables hosted by some of our favourite record labels and an area dedicated to second-hand digging, and DJs in the event space and the shop until late. “We’ll be back next year with another big party on the day!” [18 April]. ■■ Container Records Pop Brixton, SW9 8PQ ■■ 07977 300074 ■■ containerrecords.com
It began with a sound system Supertone Records at 110 Acre Lane began life as a sound system in 1969 and played all over the country. In 1984 owner Wally B opened the shop to sell reggae along with soul, calypso and soca and is now known all over the world for its stocks of reggae music and is visited regularly by top names in the genre. Supertone also reissues vintage reggae on its own label, letting a new generation listen to historic tracks that might otherwise disappear. Its Brixton shop contains many thousands of now-deleted 7” reggae singles. Alex Caramellino from Italy works on reissues. Arriving in London 10 years ago he got a job with Supertone working on the mail order department and creating a website. Since 2012 he has run his own label, Jah Fingers Music from Brixton. ■■ Supertone Records 110 Acre Lane, SW2 5RA ■■ 020 7737 7761 ■■supertonerecords.co.uk
n couple of quid. Eventually, I was able to pay rent with the money earned selling rare records that I procured for next to nothing from unexpected places. “It got to the point where I had too much of a good thing, so the next step was opening
There is a rich history of playing, recording and listening to music in Brixton and all of that history, bands, DJs, labels, parties, records, is channelled through the local customers, says Container Records’ Jack Christie. “The demand for certain sounds definitely shapes our stock. You couldn’t get away with not selling reggae in Brixton, of course, and it being South London, sounds like UK garage and
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Universal Roots Records is in the former Reliance Arcade premises of Claudia Wilson’s Pure Vinyl and, like other Brixton vinyl shops, has its own label. As well as vinyl, proprietor Markie Lyrics (above) sells merchandise including Howl at the Moon Sound System Sauce. ■■ Universal Roots Records 33-35 Reliance Arcade, 451 Brixton Road, SW9 8JZ ■■ 020 7326 1783 ■■ facebook.com/UniversalRootsRecords CONNECT WITH US
BRIXTON BID Room 3C, Floor 3 International House Canterbury Crescent London SW9 7QD
020 3417 7373 BrixtonBID BrixtonBID brixtonbid.co.uk
This is what radical on toast tastes like The Brixton Pound Café is London’s first and only pay-what-you-can community café. We use surplus produce to create a delicious, affordable veggie & vegan menu for everyone regardless of situation, and provide a relaxed and inclusive environment for locals looking for an alternative to expensive, less accessible establishments in the area. We’re recognised by The Mayor of London as an Urban Food Hero for the urgent work we do reducing food waste and improving community cohesion, and have recently won the Good Food For All award at Sustain’s 2019 Urban Food Awards.
We are committed to:
What else do we do?
- Reducing food waste in Lambeth by saving 60kg of fresh surplus produce from landfill every week with the help of City Harvest
We make pickles, jams, sauerkraut and kombucha in-house, all of which promote a diversified diet and good gut health.
- Tackling income inequality with our pay-what-you-can menu, using suggested donations and positive customer interaction to encourage fair and non-judgemental distribution of resources - Engag ing some of the most sociallyisolated members of our community throug h operating with a zero-tolerance policy on bigotry and ensuring we accommodate and reflect the multitude of voices using the space.
We run supper clubs in the evenings which showcase some of the amazing ingredients thrown away by producers and consumers alike. Brixton Pound Café is a truly radical social enterprise, designed to reflect the multitude of voices using the space and embody the ethics and values on which the organisation was built. We host a wide range of public events both in the Café and in our Studio, such as pay-what-you-can reiki, beginners knitting, guitar lessons, film screenings, life drawing and children’s art clubs.
Get in touch with Sean on kitchen@brixtonpound.org for more info or drop into the café.
Space hire is subsidised on a sliding scale, providing affordable opportunities for grassroots projects as well as corporate clients. We host meetings and gatherings organised local groups promoting mental health and wellbeing, LGBTQ+ socials, BAME employment support and environmental activism. Want to get involved? The project operates with a small core of committed staff (paid at London Living Wage) and is supported by a pool talented volunteers on the Work Training Programme, including individuals in employment looking to make a meaningful contribution, those who are underemployed or looking for a career change, and individuals with Autism, learning disabilities and mental health issues.
JUNE 2019 brixtonblog.com FOOD & DRINK 15
FOOD & DRINK REVIEW: SEVEN
Mixing it up
The heat is on Seven at Brixton’s Hot Passion
Abby Jones gets intimate with Seven at Brixton’s summer cocktails Seven at Brixton has been around for a while in Market Row and has stood the test of time. It has happy hour every week night, a good spread of authentic tapas sharing plates and, the most desirable aspect of any Brixton Village bar or restaurant, its very own toilet. We popped in on a Thursday evening at 7pm and saw the place fill up within an hour. We sat by the bar, stocked with all the cocktail goodies you could desire, as well as an exciting spread of Spanish spirits. The “unfinished” walls need no decoration; the heavy wooden floors and subdued lighting give the place a snugly ramshackle feel and make obvious the rainbow spread of books that make up the front of the bar. The only other colour comes on trays of tantalising cocktails, and the bright reds and greens of the tapas. Seven changes its cocktail menu to suit the season. This summer’s new list provides yet another refreshing twist on the classics. I started off with a “Rose Sour” that went down a little too easily. Gin, rose, peach, egg white and lemon – what’s not to like? “Cashew in the Rye” sees the meeting of a cashew-infused whiskey with Earl Grey sake, served with burnt thyme. Nutty, smoky and herby – yum yum. The winner however, was the “Hot Passion”, which is like a liquefied Solero [ice cream]. The Seven team riff reassuringly well on classic combos – their creations are interesting twists rather than utterly bizarre inventions. Also on the menu, a Mai Tai, often a cocktail damaged by memories of bad attempts from gastro-pubs, but this one is the real thing. It takes you right out of Brixton and straight to the beach. There’s also a chili twist on a Negroni, a ginger beer basil mojito, a black grape
DIY COCKTAIL
Seven’s happy hour and a new summer cocktail menu are good news. Ultimately, in our humble view, the best cocktails are made behind a bar by someone else but apprentice mixologists can stoke their cocktail passions with this spicy, sultry creation.
INGREDIENTS
NN 2 shots Stolichnaya vodka (to taste) NN 0.5 shot Red chilli syrup (buy online or easy to make your own by adding red chillis to sugar and water, cook to dissolve and syrup gains red tinge) NN 1 shot fresh apple juice NN 1 shot passionfruit NN Red chilli for garnish
METHOD
22 Shake all ingredients over ice 22 Serve in martini glass 22 Garnish with red chilli sevenatbrixton.com
margarita and a blood orange spritz. The menu caters for all cocktail likes and serves as perfect company to the hot and salty Spanish grub. If cocktails aren’t your thing, the wine list has some Spanish beauties, they have a fabulous sherry list (the Spanish know how to make
it), and the beer selection holds some Spanish easy drinkers and a couple of token crafties. The tapas menu has a nice mix of veggie, seafood and meat options. The Spanish classics are kept safe from unnecessary change and there’s the addition of a vegan sharing platter. Portions are generous and the whole menu is designed for social sharing, meaning you can dabble in and out of flavours. Tapas are served till 10.30pm.
When the plates come over, you can feel the heat; spicy and smoky. A sharing platter is a good base with some fresh bread and oil, patatas bravas, two well selected Spanish cheeses and some salty pickles. Alongside that we enjoyed chorizo with cider, prawns with chili and tomato, some noncommittal aubergine, fat green olives with orange peel, and spicy paella arancina. We ended (of course) on churros with a chocolate dip, crowning the meal with sugary Spanish style. The menu can be moulded any which way and will give you a good spread of flavours whatever you choose. Seven fills you up, has a brilliant happy hour and you know you’ll never run out of cucumber water. It’s the perfect spot to share plates, chats and each other’s cocktails. It’s not expensive, wears a friendly face and keeps on modestly serving good food with great cocktails. It’s one of our favourite places to kick start a local evening.
Happy hour Monday– Thursday 5-8pm, £6 for any cocktail, £3 beers and £15 house wine. Brunch until 1pm weekdays, 3pm weekends. Bottomless brunch: Saturday and Sunday.
Unit 7, Market Row, SW9 8LB | 020 7998 3309 | sevenatbrixton.com | @sevenatbrixton
16 FOOD & DRINK brixtonblog.com
2019 JUNE
INTERVIEW: BEAST OF BRIXTON
Fantastic beasts and where to find them Nick Buglione talks toasties with Beast of Brixton Time passes quickly. Has it really been four years since James Duke-Evans and Will Nelson moved into what used to be Upstairs to launch Beast of Brixton – two townhouse floors of cocktail parties, sparkly get-togethers and ever-popular Sunday roasts (and hangover cures). Well now they have moved downstairs to launch a “beastly” all-day café where once was Opus. So armed with two junior journos (my daughters) we went down to sample their toasties and find out more. As my friend Jake “floating office” Pollard will tell you, they do “a
mean” kimchee toastie and “damn good” coffee although daughter#2 is instantly attracted to the range of Korean fizzy drinks. Will’s mother in law is Korean, hence the influences, and it’s her homemade kimchi that populates the signature toastie. It’s a homely, wood-panelled room (shortly to be extended further) and pavement terrace with hanging plants, low level reggae and arty walls – that is going to host all sorts of things come the evening. By the day it’s all about toasties, brunchy sarnies and coffee. We tuck in while chatting to Jimmy. Kimcheese toastie, more traditional ham, cheese and
spring onion, and for me, a classic (untoastied) BLT. They use a blend of mozzarella, cheddar and gruyère so it’s all nicely stringy. Jake is right, if there is a better toastie in SW2, I am yet to discover it. Mates since uni, Jimmy (former head of hotel security) and Will (former graphic designer) seem genuinely interested in Beast being a local hub that local groups can feel at home in and where hot-desking Brixton laptoppers can plug into the free wi-fi. Fuelled by coffee. Jimmy explains the coffee: “We went to coffee school which was brilliant. Our Beast Espresso from Alchemy is 75% Guatemala Red Bourbon Honey from Finca San
Sebastian and 25% El Salvador Red Bourbon Honey from Finca Las Mercedes. It has chocolate, honey and pecan notes and its 100% direct trade.” And they have pretty ambitious plans from everything from more toastie inventions (including a banoffee toastie) to wine tastings, “We’re about to expand our wine list from three to about 25 bottles, from some exciting suppliers. We’ll be hosting regular wine and gin tastings, with nice food pairings.” Alongside croissants, pain au chocolat, as well as our toasties there is a pesto chicken and cheese with sun-dried tomato. Vegans can try the aubergine and houmous sarnie, and they do an interesting tuna wasabi mayo. They also have non-dairy milk options. All very modern. “We’re experimenting with our next wave of sandwiches during the day, but at night we’ll soon also be serving raclette from the grill, as well as charcuterie, cheese and plant-based boards to share while you enjoy a cosy bottle of wine with friends. We want to be able to look after you right through the day via a decadent cheese toastie.” Will cheerfully admits: “We’ve become a bit obsessed with cheese.” Daughter #2 has become a bit obsessed by the prospect of a banoffee toastie.
Daughter #1 wonders why Brixton? Jimmy explains, “I was born in Lambeth and we’ve always gone out in Brixton. It’s an exciting place. Back in the early noughties there were plenty of well-spent nights. “It took us so long to save for the business that we were excited to be able to afford a Brixton site. “We thought we’d been priced out already but we were lucky – we could have ended up as The Beast Of Bracknell.” Beast is literally the nearest thing to my house so it’s a no-brainer for the Bugliones. Daughter #1 is planning to come here and do her homework, Mrs B will undoubtedly be booking in for the wine tastings and daughter #2 wants to spend her pocket money on Korean fizz. Keep your eyes on Beast of Brixton, things are looking interesting. Café: Monday–Saturday 8am–6pm, Sunday 9am–5pm, Bar: Friday and Saturday 5pm–2am, Sunday roasts: 12pm–6pm
89 Acre Lane, SW2 5TN | 07514 753063 | thebeastofbrixton.co.uk | @beastofbrixton
Brixton Village Unit 24, Brixton Village Market, Coldharbour Lane SW9 8PR Heart and musical soul of Brixton Village - still serving great pizza and surprise gigs to south London
featured at the Agile Rabbit in the village wednesday 22 May DJ TOM PYCRAFT friday 31 may HEIDI VOEGEL sings jazz & soul
BRIXTON VILLAGE MARKET LATES curated by local DJ’s the Handson Family
Herne Hill 214 - 216 Railton Road SE24 OJT (opposite Herne Hill station) Our spacious restaurant and live music venue on the pedestrian market place offers a more extensive menu for passing park life and music lovers friday 24 may New Crusaders friday 31 may Dave DeRose Agile Experiments wednesday 29 May DJ Tom Pycraft
FUTURE JAZZ NOW brought to you by Gordon Wedderburn GW Jazz
saturday 25 may Rosie Taylor + Guest Selector + DJ Casper Sutton Jones saturday 1 june Benet McLean Quartet saturday 8 june Soft Power info@theagilerabbit.london
0203 940 2700
friday 17 may Stephanie Sounds sings live with DJ support from Handson Family. saturday 25 may Barrie Sharpe & Lascelle Lascelles—funk & soul thursday 6 june Brazilian DJ, D.Vyzor — Latin B Boy inspired tracks. friday 7 june Petite Deejay —blend of Deep, Soulful, Afro and SA House saturday 8 june Vanessa Freeman & Bembe Segue DJ Sound Clash sunday 9 june South London Music Service — surprising artists collective of 3 thursday 13 june Mr Higgs & Mr Parker – every 2nd and 4th Thursday south London DJs spinning Soul, Funk, Jazz Funk, Breaks, Beats and Boogie. friday 14 june Colourful Radio DJ Pete Mello is joined by guest Colin Masters saturday 15 june 2-10.30pm Mums The Word Alldayer —boogie, soul, jazz, house and hip hop with Mums crew Duchy, Amazon, Deb Joy, The Sweeney & more! thursday 20 june Latin Thursdays, Cuban DJ Green Papi plays jazz, funk, r&b, hip hop, dancehall and afro-beat alongside Cuban timba, salsa and urban Latin. friday 21 june DJ Blondezilla —West African funk, Afrobeat, 1970s KenyanCongolese fusion, Somalian pop, Senegalese Sabar music and beyond saturday 22 june WINDRUSH DAY Caribbean celebration thursday 27 june Mr Higgs & Mr Parker – every 2nd and 4th Thursday friday 28 june Brixton born & raised rapper/producer Ty returns with his selections.
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JUNE 2019 brixtonblog.com FOOD & DRINK 17 REVIEW: FRANCO MANCA
Memory lane Nick Buglione retreads his inner Neopolitan at Franco Manca Franco Manca, in retrospect, was a perfect storm. The renaissance of Brixton and its “village”, our couple of years as the “most exciting place to eat in London”, a better understanding of authentic Neapolitan pizza and the (middle-class, metropolitan?) sourdough revolution all combined to kick off what is now a nationwide chain of
over 50 pizzerias. From Market Row to Westfield at a pace Wahaca founder Thomasina Miers would be proud of – and (rather bafflingly to this correspondent) pretty much Brixton’s longest queue most nights of the week. For those who think Brixton was invented in the early noughties, the story
Franco Manca founder Giuseppe Mascoli in Brixton in 2013 actually started way back in the early 80s. 1983 … Maggie Thatcher was in her heyday, Phil Collins wasn’t hurrying his love, England were rubbish at football, I was probably trying to look like Phil Oakey, Flashdance was the movie de jour and a guy called Franco opened a pizzeria and coffee bar in a pretty downbeat Brixton. Mid to late 80s, daytimes, if you weren’t in (now sadly departed) Phoenix Café, you were hanging out at Franco’s,
self-consciously smoking softpack Camels, discovering sophisticated, sexy coffee and waiting for the world to walk by. Before mobiles and social media, you just met at Franco’s and took it from there. So, bizarrely, tonight I am sitting in exactly the same seat as 30-odd years ago. Long extended across the “road”, Franco Manca at some point lost Franco, kept the name (It’s Italian for Franco is missing) and the rest is history. Despite global domination, Brixton Franco Manca is still, as it was, a friendly, bustling, busy place cooking pizzas properly – slow rise sourdough baked and blistered (by Italian pizzaiolos) at an intense, wood-fired 450 degrees. This is about as far removed from Dominos as one can get and has extended from Franco’s more traditional toppings to a cosmopolitan world of (quasi) merguez, aubergine, ’nduja, chorizo et al and a daily specials board. After a lovely pizza bread with salt and rosemary, we shared three pizzas – from
quite a streamlined menu of six pizzas plus specials. Chorizo, a “white” pizza bianco with caramelised red onion, roasted courgettes and sun-dried tomatoes, and Alfonso’s No.7 – spicy lamb sausage, tomatoes, roasted aubergine and wild garlic pesto (they have been foraging). The bases are what they should be, coming out steaming from the oven, moist and just crispy. Our favourite was the chorizo, although we all found the Alfonso’s a bit disappointing – I’d have voted for a bit more of a blast on the sausage. Sourdough bases were perfect, maybe I am just a bit
3-4 Market Row, SW9 8LD | 020 7738 3021 | francomanca.co.uk/restaurants/brixton | @FrancoMancaPizz
less esoteric when it comes to toppings? We washed things down with a nicely-priced Montepulciano from the all-Italian wine list, and I like the fact that you can sit down, have a pizza and a glass of wine for less than a tenner. What has always surprised me is quite how insanely popular it is. It’s a nice place doing nice pizzas, but I wouldn’t stand outside hard-wired to my Instagram for upwards of 45 minutes to have one and I obviously missed the hysteria express to sourdough central. But then I often find myself in a confused minority of just me.
18 WHAT’S ON brixtonblog.com
2019 JUNE
WHAT’S ON
Insight into the lives of women priests Jim Grover, whose photographs capture the spiritual and the secular essence of South London life, has another exhibition of his work on show. His Windrush: Portrait of a Generation last year broke attendance records with 13,000 visitors to the Oxo Gallery on the South
Bank and also appeared at St John’s Angell Town in Brixton and St John the Divine on Vassall Road. It has toured since and will be shown at the end of the year at the re-opening of the Fairfield Halls in Croydon. The Oxo will also host Here I Am from 22 May until 2 June. The exhibition,
commissioned by the Bishop of Southwark, celebrates the 25th anniversary of the admission of women to Church of England priesthood. It follows 12 of them and, as in his Windrush exhibition, Jim recorded in-depth interviews with each of his subjects that will be available
‘He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted’ Isaiah 61:1 The Revd Helen Harknett
‘Caring as much as I can’ The Revd Mary Seller at the gallery. His work to create Here I Am took eight months. Subjects were chosen to represent both the diversity of the women photographed and the places where they work in the Diocese of Southwark – from leafy Surrey to a prison. “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to spend time with the 12 women who are the subject of this exhibition and to learn about their ministries and how they have answered God’s calling in
their lives,” said Jim. The Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, the Bishop of Southwark, said: “I have very much enjoyed Jim’s previous exhibitions and the insight that they have given into people’s lives. “I am so pleased that he has worked with us on this. I hope that as people visit this new exhibition they too will be able to give thanks for the work of all our priests but especially at this 25th anniversary for the contribution of our
women priests. “Southwark Diocese has always been a great supporter of the ordination of women as priests and bishops, and this exhibition gives an insight into their varied work in our communities.” A resident of Clapham, Jim’s earlier exhibitions include 48 Hours on Clapham High Street, that captured the vast range of people and events on a busy local street, and Of Things Not Seen, a year in the life of a London priest.
Here I Am | Gallery, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, SE1 9PH | 2 May – 2 June | 11am – 6pm. Free.
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JUNE 2019 brixtonblog.com WHAT’S ON 19
WHAT’S ON
Writers and readers festival in Brixton Lambeth Libraries Readers and Writers Festival, now well under way, is celebrating 15 years with a great mix of events, talks and readings. This year’s highlights include awardwinning adult and children’s authors, locally produced drama, poetry to listen to and engage with and music with literary links. Earlier in the month, award-winning writer Will Eaves kicked off the festival, discussing his book on Alan Turing and Radio 4’s Jenni Murray spoke about her favourite women from history. There’s much to choose from, so we have picked out the Brixton highlights. Download a full brochure of events at www.lambeth.gov.uk/readersandwriters or pick up details at your local library.
COMMON GROUND Friday 31 May, 7pm Brixton Library Sixteenfeet Productions invite you to an evening mapping Brixton’s recent past and present through memories, experience and place. Devised by Lambeth Elders and Brixton Youth Theatre. AA Contact info@sixteenfeet. co.uk or 07958 448690 to reserve a ticket. Find out more at www.sixteenfeet.co.uk
independence and carving your own path. For fans of Fleabag and Dear White People. AA Limited places: Booking essential at Eventbrite Queenie
DAYGLO: THE POLY STYRENE STORY Wednesday 12 June, 7pm Brixton Library Poly Styrene, singer, songwriter, artist, free-thinker, post-modern style pioneer and lifelong spiritual seeker, was a punk icon. Her story has been pieced together by her daughter, singer-songwriter Celeste Bell, and writer/artist Zoë Howe. From growing up mixed-race in Brixton in the 1960s, to being at the forefront of the emerging punk scene with X-Ray Spex in the 1970s, to finding faith with the Hare Krishna movement, to balancing single motherhood with a solo music career and often debilitating mental health issues – Poly’s exceptional life, up to her untimely passing in 2011 is honestly and openly explored. Join Celeste and Zoe in conversation. AAFree, booking Eventbrite: Dayglo
GREETINGS FROM BRIXTON 15-30 June, Brixton Library
Douglas Parker is an EthiopianBritish documentary Candice photographer who Carty-Williams graduated from the online New York Institute of Photography in PROSE, POETRY & DEBATE: QUEER London. Since 1980 he has been documenting WRITING FROM EUROPE Brixton street life and now has one of the largest image archives of Brixton. Douglas Thursday 6 June, 7pm Brixton Library With Europe facing political and social says: “Shooting street photography is a way upheaval, LGBT+ writers discuss what for me to better understand people, society and these trends mean for queer people and humanity. The purpose of street photography queer writers and writing, and to launch the isn’t to make good pictures – it is to have a European Literature Network’s magazine, deeper appreciation, understanding, and love The Queer Riveter. Author and Riveter editor, for humanity. The good street photographer is West Camel will be joined by writer and the one that loves humanity”. Polari Literary Salon founder, Paul Burston, WILDLIFE IN THE CITY STORYTIME & Icelandic crime writer Lilja Sigurðardóttir, CRAFT WITH LUCY REYNOLDS and Polish poet and author, Jacek Dehnel. AA Free booking Eventbrite: Queer Writing from Tuesday 28 May, 2.30pm Brixton Library Europe Join Herne Hill children’s author, Lucy Reynolds and illustrator Jenna Herman, for an interactive reading of their book Hedgehogs QUEENIE WITH Don’t Live in the City! Then make your own CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS prickly creations and learn how you can help Tuesday, 11 June, 7pm Brixton Library this special little creature. Join Candice Carty-Williams (inset) to discuss Hedgehogs Don’t Live in the City! Is the the “buzziest” book of 2019. Queenie is a much-awaited second title from publishing darkly comic and unflinchingly raw depiction duo, Doodles & Scribbles, a sequel to the of a young woman trying to navigate her ever-popular Parrots Don’t Live in the City! way in the world, Queenie is about identity, AA For ages three to eight.
MEET TOP US AUTHOR AT THE LIBRARY US author Tayari Jones (right) – whose novel An American Marriage has been shortlisted for the prestigious UK-based Women’s Prize for Fiction – will conduct a question and answer session and book signing at Brixton Library on Sunday 2 June from 2pm. An American Marriage is about a Black American couple, Celestial and Roy, whose lives are thrown into chaos when Roy is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Its fans include Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama.
Fireball Sessions at Pop It’s well worth a visit to Pop Brixton to see and hear Joshua McKenzie, says Simone Richardson Once a month Joshua McKenzie plays drums at a jam session where he invites other instrumentalists to get up and tune in to whatever happens. He began playing drums when he was about six. “I grew up in a Pentecostal church and music and the drums were a large part of the energy of
that environment,” he says. “I couldn’t wait to get behind a kit and once I did, I couldn’t stop.” He grew up in Hackney, but his wife Mpho is from Brixton and they have lived here with their children for 15 years. He has great memories of Brixton, from playing jam sessions like Wicked Wednesday to gigs at the Academy with Wretch32 and Tinie Tempah. “One of my favourite gigs was playing at Brixton Electric with Floetry a couple of years ago and I also played there with my
wife singing, which was fun. “I’ve played all over London and the world, with lots of different musicians, but I’m currently focusing on my own music and gigs, so look out for them.” Apart from his monthly Fireball Sessions in Pop Brixton, Joshua is getting ready to release an album. Follow him for updates – Insta: @official_mcknasty; FB: McKNasty Music. The next free Fireball Sessions at Pop from 8 to 11.30pm are on Thursdays 6 June, 11 July and 1 August.
Plays by young people to tell their stories in a new way WAKE UP TO TAI CHI
Friends of Brixton Library has been awarded a London Community Foundation grant to run free Tai Chi in Windrush Square/ Brixton Library, starting Saturday 15 June, from 9.30-10.30am. Wake Up to Tai Chi is a year-long series of free one-hour sessions hosted by Brixton Library. Led by a professional tutor, the sessions will gently guide participants through Tai Chi’s beneficial exercise to help you on the road to fitness.
June sees Ovalhouse theatre – soon to move to Brixton – become a stage for a group of young artists to relate untold or unheard stories. Six new plays explore age-old issues such as mental health, gender and sexuality, murder and revenge, urban regeneration, faith and identity, relationships and rejection. We are promised bold and challenging narratives which enable under-represented voices to tell their stories in new and creative ways. The season consists of three double bills which run from Thursday to Saturday. The Moment Before an Explosion by Sera Mustafa
and Firecracker by Helena Morais use very different situations to explore love and death. Manny by Emmanuel Simon and The Lost Ones by Amina Koroma find different ways to tell stories of the struggle against adversity. I AM by Saffia Kavaz and Red Pitch by Tyrell Williams explore sexuality and coming out, loss and regeneration. The season runs from 6 to 22 June at Ovalhouse, 52-54 Kennington Oval, SE11 5SW. Tickets for each play are £5 in advance or £8 for the double bill. AA For further information go to www.ovalhouse.com or call 020 7582 7680.
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Jamila Omar rounds up a selection of gigs and more in Brixton and nearby FRI 17 @ HOOTANANNY
FRUIT PALACE presents Rowdy Crowd, whose HIP HOP HORNS combine the best beats, boldest brass and biggest bounce, breathing new life into favourite hip hop classics. With support from Quinn, Oulton, The High Breed, Subculture and Luis Brito. 9pm–3am. Free before 10pm. Early Bird £3. £5 OTD.
SAT 18 @ PRINCE OF WALES
The Sounds of The World ROOFTOP FESTIVAL brings together an array of talents from Brazil (DJ Eggs Legs), the UK (Gentleman George), Spain (Juan Zelada), Kenya (papa), France and more. The terraces get a facelift including carnival-style production, props, installations and visuals. 4pm–3am. £8–£10.
SUN 19 @ THE WINDMILL
Audio visual electronic group EMU return to the Windmill for their third performance. Featuring Martha Skye, Aga Ujma, Felix Stock, Geordie Greep (Black Midi), Kit Mosely, Felix Bayley Higgins, Cam Cajm and GG Skips. With support from Aja Ujma and jb glazer. 7pm. £3.
MON 20 @ OLD DISPENSARY
SUN 26 @ CORSICA STUDIOS
WED 5 @ QUEENS HEAD
EGLO RECORDS celebrate their tenth birthday in this Elephant & Castle venue with a two-room secret lineup of their signed artists, family and friends. 10pm–6am. £15.
Musicians from all over London play a mixture of genres on stage at WICKED WEDNESDAY JAM. Join Aurora Dawn Aka (Alabama 3), Laura Ibanez (Brixton Gypsy Jam) and James Lawrence (Ronnie Scott’s Ruby Sings Jam) in this weekly event calling all musicians, singers, MCs, the local musical community and beyond. 10pm–3am. £3.
MON 27 @ ELM PARK TAVERN Hosted by everyone’s favourite bartender Josh, this PUB QUIZ gives you a chance to use your brain and all of its randomly stored snippets of info to win loads of great prizes such as a bottle of wine, free drinks rounds and, of course, the mega cash pot. Book a table through hello@elmparktavern.co.uk. 8pm start, £2 per person.
TUE 28 @ EFFRA HALL TAVERN Local legends THE SOOTHSAYERS combine original Afrobeat and reggae-influenced grooves in a glorious blend of Afro Caribbean fusion. Get down early as this promises to be a popular draw. 9pm–11.30pm. Free.
WED 29 @ OFF THE CUFF Herne Hill’s Off The Cuff Bar presents a night of LIVE MUSIC from local singers and songwriters each and every Wednesday. Well worth a look. 8pm. Free.
Hank Dog’s wonderful Monday night JAM SESSION takes place in this traditional, old school Irish pub in Camberwell, with sensible bar prices to boot. Musicians gather by the sofa near the front of the pub in a welcoming and laid-back atmosphere. Highly recommended. 8.30pm–1am. Free.
THUR 30 @ THE WHITE LION
TUE 21 @ THE JUNCTION
FRI 31 @ PRINCE OF WALES
With an accomplished house band featuring bar manager Luke Fowler getting dextrous on the DOUBLE BASS, expect some topnotch musicianship in this affordable, independent Loughbotough Junction boozer. 7.30–11pm. Free.
WED 22 @ ELECTRIC BRIXTON
Swedish vocalist and songwriter Zara Larsson crafts soulful ELECTRO-POP that falls somewhere between Rihanna, Lorde and Robyn. She first caught the public’s eyes and ears in 2008 as the winner of the popular Swedish talent show Talang Sverige. 7-11pm. £25.
THUR 23 @ MARKET HOUSE
South London stand up, cos the GROOVE is back upstairs at Market House. The BEspoke crew (Chidi Ubani and Chima Anya) bring you a night of Motown, hip-hop, soul, electronic, funk, disco and RnB to get you grooving and moving. 10pm–3am. Free.
FRI 24 @ BARRIO
Amble to Acre Lane where the Barrio All Star DJs roll out a mix of TROPICAL SOUL, Latin licks, disco and party anthems to kick off your weekend in lively fashion. 8pm– 2.30am. Free.
SAT 25 @ POP BRIXTON
Invoking the spirit of block party culture, come-as-you-are feelgood all-dayer NO LONG TING returns for what promises to be a musical family affair of the highest order. Midday-11pm. Free.
Sashay up to Streatham where South London dub music legend Dennis Bovell is joined by Dub Natty Sessions to serve up a fine mix of REGGAE AND DUB at this friendly and intimate venue. 6pm–midnight. Price tbc.
Supa Dupa Fly has become the necessity in many HIP HOP & RnB lovers’ diaries, celebrating the culture from the 90s to the present day, selling out events all over London over the past seven years. They’re now bringing a hot new monthly party to Brixton. 9pm–4am. £5–£10.
SAT 1 @ BRIXTON JAMM
THUR 6 @ DOGSTAR Each and every Thursday, resident DJ Afrochick and guests play all your favourites throughout the night at the AFTERSCHOOL CLUB, to an up-for-it party crowd. One of the best free nights in Brixton. 10pm–2am. Free.
FRI 7 @ HOOTANANNY Taking in the FESTIVAL SOUNDS of the Balkans, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa, Kumpania Algazarra’s vibrant sound makes for unforgettable celebrations alongside Intaya’s space-age Afro-Latin electronica. DJ LuDec’s eclectic bass sounds will be keeping things going before and after. 9pm–3am. Free before 10pm. £3 Early Bird. £5 OTD.
SAT 8 @ BUSSEY BUILDING Performing live at the ever-popular South London Soul Train, THE BIG SMOKE FAMILY have dedicated themselves to the funky sounds of New Orleans with a unique blend of horns, street beats, scratching and original compositions. With three more floors hosting DJs playing anything from rare groove to disco, be sure to bring your best dance moves. 10pm–5am. From £7.
SUN 9 @ CLUB 414 A weekly Sunday night that looks set to encourage and inspire LOCAL GRASSROOTS talent. UB40 trumpeter Patrick Anthony leads the experienced house band, with resident DJs and Caribbean food available too. 10pm–3am. Free.
Enjoy a fabulous Kitsuné day & night SUMMER PARTY at Jamm. For this special occasion they are welcoming Swedish duo Genius of Time with their dreamy Nordic house, as well as a rare B2B of Nachtbraker and Hidden Spheres, two highly skilled underground DJs. £8–£20. 4pm–4am.
MON 10 @ EFFRA SOCIAL
SUN 2 @ BLUES KITCHEN
TUE 11 @ O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY
Come nurse your souls with the SUNDAY RITUAL of BBQ and booze. Wind down the weekend as James Riley provides the soundtrack with a mixture of soothing blues and country. 8pm–midnight. Free.
MON 3 @ CHIP SHOP BRIXTON Mobile Mondays sees DJs selecting a mix of classic funk, disco and soul, epic hip hop cuts and unshazamable obscurities all on VINYL (mostly 45s). Hosting the night is Misbehaviour whose musical mix is influenced by life on both sides of the pond. 7pm–midnight. Free.
Comedy improvisation show Duck Duck Goose host their IMPROV JAM plus guests in the Effra Social’s Churchill Lounge every Monday. You can watch or join in! 7.30pm. Free.
FEMINIST PUNK band Bikini Kill are regrouping for a special set of London shows, their first UK shows in 23 years. Credited as instigators of the Riot Grrrl movement, they left a lasting impact across the music scene thanks to their fiery punk anthems and dedication to making female voices heard. 7pm. £40.90.
WED 12 @ BLUES KITCHEN The Brixton BLUES JAM – an exciting night of live music led by James Riley every Wednesday – soak up the atmosphere and a sensible number of cheap cocktails.
TUE 4 @ TRINITY ARMS
THUR 13 @ EFFRA HALL TAVERN
Test your knowledge to win a £25 bar tab at this weekly PUB QUIZ, held every Tuesday. 8–10pm. Free.
This long-running JAZZ JAM SESSION is still going strong at this much-loved Brixton boozer after many years. 9pm–midnight. Free.
SOOTHSAYERS AND YOUTHSAYERS LIVE DOUBLE BILL Mambista – the lineal descendent of Brixton’s legendary Mambo Inn nights – has just one more event before its summer break – and it’s a big one. There’s a double bill on 7 June with Brixton favourites Soothsayers and Youthsayers playing live – plus host and DJ Gerry Lyseight – at the
Portico Gallery in West Norwood. Doors: 8pm to late. Advance tickets £8 from porticogallery.org.uk. £10 on the door. AA Sample here: youtu.be/e1gZXxa4wNo AA Brixton Hi-5 – page 9
2019 JUNE
Marcus Lipton hosts second health event The second annual Summer of Health event takes place at the Marcus Lipton Centre on 1 June from 2 to 8.30pm. This year’s theme “great health, great wealth” builds on the importance of looking after your body to improve mental as well as physical health. Entry is free and there will be a range of healthy nutritious vegan food. Activities range from children’s five-a-side to workouts with a fitness and training expert. Summer of Health is organised by Kitwana, a community activist and vegan for 32 years. The day is free but seminars and health therapies taught by experienced practitioners will have a small cost. Tickets from Eventbrite, see http://bit.ly/ML-SoH2. The business area includes health and wellness, skin care, fibroid support services, womb healing, jewellery and crystal product ranges, cakes and detox teas, massage and seminars.
Marcus Lipton Summer of Health 1 June 2 – 8.30pm ML Community Enterprise Marcus Lipton Minet Road SW9 7UH
DISCOVER LOCAL HISTORY ON FOOT Lambeth Local History Forum organises walks that promote an interest in the heritage of the borough.
SPRING HISTORY – BROCKWELL PARK Sunday 19 May 2pm Meet Clocktower by Brockwell Hall. Led by Peter Bradley, Friends of Brockwell Park.
BRIXTON MARKET HERITAGE WALK Saturday 8 June 2.30pm
A 75-minute walk taking in the street markets, covered arcades and high street of Brixton. £3 per person (including a book of the walk).
BRIXTON WINDMILL HERITAGE WALK Sunday 9 June 12.50pm A one and a half hour walk with a Blue Badge guide covering 19th and 20th century developments including prison, waterworks, trams and telegraphy. £6, concessions £4, children free. Visit www.lambethlocalhistoryforum.org.uk
Exhibition and auction for dementia project
Launched in 2018, The Great Grey is a creative project for people with dementia and their carers. It provides regular workshops at the Hart Club – a gallery and project space championing neurodiversity in the arts. After a successful year, it is fundraising to ensure that the workshops continue and to support research into the kinds of creative work that are most effective for people with dementia. Several London artists have donated a piece work for the auction. The Great Grey exhibition and auction launches on Thursday 23 May from 7 to 10pm during the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Action Week – #DAW2019. It is at The Hart Club, 95 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7HR Open Thursday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm. You can visit in person or bid online at: www.hartclub.org The exhibition ends on 16 June.
JUNE 2019 brixtonblog.com WHAT’S ON 21
Poly Styrene – punk, pioneer and artist
What’s on at Whirled Marty Monday 20 – Wednesday 22 May | 8pm Sunday May 26 | 6pm His extended family are all getting married, but Marty (Ernest Borgnine) remains a stay-at-home bachelor in his mid-30s. On the verge of accepting a quiet life with his mother in the Bronx, New York, he visits the Stardust Ballroom and tries not to ruin what could be his last chance at finding love. Charming, sensitive and whip smart, Delbert Mann’s 1955 production is a rare case of a film on social outsiders that refuses to pander or condescend. The film won four Oscars – Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Acting – and was the first film to win the Cannes festival Palme D’Or. Girl Monday 27 – Wednesday 29 | 8pm Sunday 2 June | 6pm Girl, writer-director Lukas Dhont’s feature debut, is a coming-of-age tale about identity and becoming who you are meant to be, based on real-life experiences. 15-year-old Lara is determined to become a professional ballerina, but the usual frustrations and challenges of adolescence are heightened as her body does not bend so easily to the strict ballet discipline because she was born a boy. Adolescent frustrations and impatience are heightened as she prepares for gender reassignment surgery. The film won Camera d’Or for best first feature and Queer Palm at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Foxtrot Monday 3 – Wednesday 5 June | 8pm Sunday 9 June | 6pm Lebanese filmmaker Samuel Maoz conjures up an intelligent dark comedy that inspects
Blistering whites and deep shadows: Soy Cuba the bitter absurdities of war. Four young soldiers at a desolate checkpoint try to burn away hours of boredom between cars arriving for inspection or a camel walking by. At home, the parents of one of the boys are devastated by news of his supposed sudden death, though the circumstances surrounding this take several unexpected twists. Sky and Ground Thursday 6 June | 8pm Once the siege of Aleppo began in earnest, 27-year-old Abdullhah Sheikh Nabi, known as Guevara for his charisma, convictions, and leadership, has no choice but to lead his family out of the war-torn country. They leave all they knew behind in Syria and hopes of a better future. Sky and Ground follows the family as they attempt to cross seven countries on foot on their way to safety in Berlin. The film by Talya Tibbon and Joshua Bennett is the diary of a precarious journey
and a courageous family. It is is part of “A Place In The World: Moving Worlds film programme for Refugee Week” Director Q&A after the screening Soy Cuba Monday 10 – Wednesday 12 June | 8pm Sunday 16 | 6pm A lost classic rescued from obscurity by Coppola, Scorsese and David Bailey, Soy Cuba is a frenetic exhibition of the power of visual storytelling. Director Mikhail Kalatazov’s neglected masterpiece tells four stories, portraying the catalysts, the rise, and the success of the 1959 Cuban revolution. The politics may have dated. The film has not. Beginning with an unbroken tracking shot that critic Roger Ebert said was “one of the most astonishing I have ever seen,” Sergey Urusevsky’s unparalleled cinematography touches every second of this film in blistering whites and deep shadows.
Whirled Cinema | 259 Hardess Street, SE24 0HN | 020 7737 6153 | www.whirledcinema.com
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WHAT’S ON JUNE T H E P R I N C E O F WA L E S
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Identity! A Poly Styrene Retrospective at Brixton‘s 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning will be the first showing of the personal and artistic archive of Marianne “Poly Styrene” Elliot-Said, the lead singer of the punk band X Ray Spex. It includes original works, writings, and photography. Curated by Mattie Loyce and Poly Styrene’s daughter Celeste Bell, the exhibition explores her complex legacy and her work as an interdisciplinary artist. It highlights her experiences as a woman in music history, a woman in punk, being mixed
race Black British, and someone living with mental health difficulties. The programme will include a book talk on the-new biography Dayglo delivered by co-authors Celeste Bell and Zoe Howe; a preview of a new documentary in production I Am A Cliché; a Poly Styrene weekender with an art lab led by Youth of Killing Joke; a panel exploring her legacy; and a music gig curated by DIY diaspora punk festival Decolonise Fest. Exhibition ends 17 June. AA For information email mattie@198.org.uk
Knife crime play Justice is a new play about knife crime and being young in today’s London. It focuses on Michael, a young black man who has just finished his first year of college. His summer is about football, video games and parties – and pretending results day is not looming.
One night will change that, and leave Michael wondering what justice is if the system cannot provide it. The play runs from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 May at the Blue Elephant Theatre, 59a Bethwin Road, SE5 0XT. Tickets £12/£10. AA blueelephanttheatre.co.uk
CARNIVAL SOUND SUMMER ROOFTOP PARTY
THURS 6TH
GOSPELOKE
FRI
7TH
BRIXTON FUNK & SOUL ROOFTOP PARTY WITH THE NEXTMEN
SAT
8TH
BYDAY BYNIGHT: SUMMER ROOFTOP PARTY WIH FINNEBASSEN + ELLIOT ADAMSON
THURS 13TH
MUSICAL BINGO
SUN
14TH
KEVIN & PERRY’S 90S ROOFTOP RAVE
FRI
15TH
UP ON THE ROOF WITH... NICKY SIANO
SUN
16TH
REGGAE & RAVER TOTS ROOFTOP PARTY
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21ST
A DISCO ODYSSEY: RAYKO & NICK THE RECORD
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TBA
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THANK U NEXT - SUMMER ROOFTOP PARTY
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SOUL STRIPPED - ROOFTOP SESSIONS
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SUPA DUPA FLY
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UP ON THE ROOF'S MID-SUMMER HOUSE PARTY WITH TODD TERRY
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BLOOP
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22 WHAT’S ON EXTRA
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SOUTH LONDON BOTANICAL INSTITUTE … Chelsea fringe open evening Thursday 23 May 6 – 8pm An open garden evening with the chance to see Into the Light, a floral installation by SLBI gardeners made entirely of found, foraged and discarded natural forms. Music from the South London Folk Orchestra and botanical bites and booze. AA Donations appreciated. No booking necessary
Half Term activity – printing with fruit and veg Tuesday 28 May 2 – 4pm For four-and-over children and a carer. Artist Maude will be showing you how to create art with what you eat. £5 refundable deposit . Booking essential. Vegan Gardening Wednesday 5 June 7 pm Horticultural writer Matt Appleby talks about his
motivations for vegan gardening, gives practical tips and shares highlights from his recent book, The Super Organic Gardener: Everything you need to know about a vegan garden. Book available for purchase and signing. Booking essential £10. Open garden squares Sunday 9 June 2 – 5pm Garden and house open with plant sales and the SLBI garden café. AA www.opensquares.org for ticket details. Wonderful Weeds, Brixton Hill Wednesday 12 June 7pm A walk with Roy Vickery exploring weeds on the Roupell Park Estate, Brixton Hill. Meet outside the Quaker Meeting House in Redlands Way, SW2 3LU. Donations welcome.
SLBI, 323 Norwood Road, SE24 9AQ | www.slbi.org.uk | 020 8674 5787
BROCKWELL GREENHOUSES … Herne Hill Film Festival SUNDAY 19 MAY 7.30pm The festival will show 70s sci-fi cult classic Silent Running, with Bruce Dern as a botanist trying to save the Earth’s plants from destruction. Free, but donations are welcomed for the Maudsley Charity. Drinks and snacks. No booking, but first come, first seated/served. Evening gigs SUNDAY 16 JUNE 6 – 9pm, Tsvey Kipperim, the stunning breakaway duo from the larger group Don Kipper made up of clarinetist Daniel Gouly and accordionist Josh Middleton play klezmer music. AA Tickets: brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk. Natural dyeing Seasonal Dyeing – Thursday 23 May 6.to 8.30pm, Covers preparing the dye fibre, preparing and dyeing with natural dye baths and keeping records of dye experiments. Also gathering and storing natural dyestuffs which are in season. For more
detail and to book visit the website. Beekeeping at Brockwell There are three new hives full of bees in the apiary. To find out more try a beekeeping taster course run by Petros or David on 18 May or 22 June. July date to be confirmed. You need to book. Cob oven pizzas Join the greenhouses for cob oven pizzas on 16 June, 14 July, 18 August, 22 September and 19 October (Harvest). AA Book at http://bit.ly/BPCG-pizza. Therapeutic gardening Better FRIDAYS Therapeutic Gardening runs until October. Shared lunch at 1pm then gentle gardening from 1.30 to 3.30 tea and biscuit break. To find out more, contact Cathy Graham on edu.assistant@brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk , or call 07834 343664 or drop into the greenhouses and chat with Cathy.
brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk
2019 JUNE
GARDENING GEMMA PASHA
When you need a frond A shady garden is not the end of the wold – it’s an opportunity to create a fern garden or stumpery I know from experience and speaking to my clients, that a shady garden is seen as a problem area with little or no chance of anything prospering there. But this does not have to be the case. No, not at all. Especially for people living in London houses, where gardens are sandwiched together. Our neighbours’ high walls, tall trees and whopping great extensions can put our garden in the shade. And then we despair! Despair not! As a lover of ferns I am delighted to have a massive tree hanging over the end of my garden, as I have created my fern garden. In the height of the summer, dappled shade, dewy spring mornings and thinning canopy in the autumn provide perfect conditions for a wide range of plants. Ferns are thought to be the oldest plant on the planet and come in countless varieties. I plant a selection around the exposed tree root in my shady corner and they thrive. The way they unfurl, frond by frond is a natural wonder and the styles and shades of green are endless. So don’t think that ferns
are boring by any means. Another fantastic variety is the hosta. They can throw up flowers and come in all shapes and sizes. Just beware – slugs love a hosta. If you want to, you can add some of colour – vinca minor is a shade-loving ground cover – or a daylily to add in flash of colour. If you are feeling extremely confident and adventurous, then why not create a “stumpery”. A very traditional Victorian garden feature, the stumpery is back in fashion. It’s a garden feature similar to a rockery but made from parts of dead trees. These can take the form of whole stumps, logs, pieces of bark or even worked timber such as railway sleepers or floorboards. You can plant your shade-loving plants in the wooden structure. If you want to see some amazing stumpery gardens check out RHS Wisley in Surrey or the National Trust’s Igtham Mote in Kent. 66 Or if you would like me to create a shady garden, then please get in touch on 07826 551353, I am Gemma, The Gardening Girl.
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JUNE 2019
Hill Mead HERALD Weeds out and compost in as Year 1 create a garden As part of our “Green Fingers” topic this term, Year 1 started a very exciting project at the Moorlands Nature Garden Allotment. The school has its own plot in this fantastic natural space and Year 1 children have already started transforming it into a productive herb and vegetable garden. They are developing gardening skills such as using tools, weeding, preparing the soil for planting. Classroom-based learning includes what plants need to grow, and plotting out their own allotment designs. It is very exciting for children from an urban area to have this amazing opportunity to experience outdoor learning, and they are embracing it with enthusiasm and dedication.
Daeshawn, 1Blue “I really like seeing the plants because I haven’t seen many of them before.”
Zephyr, 1 Red “We worked hard to take the weeds out so we have space to put the plants in.”
Amira K, 1 Blue “I liked putting the compost on the soil and mixing it in.”
Has anyone seen these burglars? Reception year children have been making wanted posters to find the burglars from our story What the Ladybird Heard. KIARA: “I have been making wanted pictures because if we put them up around the school, whoever sees them is going to tell us where the burglars are.” KYRAN: “We made these so we can find the bad men.”
Rapunzel’s real story Inspired by our Year 5 project with the Unicorn Theatre, Philip Pullman’s Grimm Tales, Monica wrote a fantastic version of a traditional tale … enjoy the beginning of it You’ve all heard the fairy tale Rapunzel. Well, I’m Rapunzel. They planned me out to be the bad witch, but really I’m a sweet old woman. This is the real story: One summer morning I open my garden door, all of a sudden I was in a good mood. I could smell my beautiful daffodils and other flowers. I walked past my potato and carrot patches and made sure they were all growing fine. But as I was walking towards the lettuce patch I just knew something was wrong! Guess what I was right something was wrong MY LETTUCE! I really like my lettuce and had no idea why somebody would steal it. I didn’t want to call the police because it could have been a wild animal, plus I could not be bothered making a scene over a few bits of lettuce – for my neighbours to call me lettuce lady.
(They are mean like that. I often hear them teasing other villagers.) Instead, I wandered around my garden trying to find the biggest bush to hide in near my lettuce patch. By the time I finally found the perfect bush it was becoming late. The birds were no longer tweeting in the trees. All of a sudden I heard footsteps …
The happy people who do not know what is about to happen In Year 3, we have been learning about the Romans. We have begun to read a book called Escape from Pompeii and we have written descriptions of Pompeii before the great volcano eruption in 79AD: By Tammra Along the streets of Pompeii, people buy freshly made bread. People eat their bread as the birds sit on the trees singing at their nests. Markets sell fresh fish while people look up at the beautiful
sky of Pompeii. Under the sky, the lovely city lies with Mount Vesuvius, the protector of the city. Down the cobbled streets, the smell of fresh fish and freshly made bread go around the town and through the open doors of Pompeii.
By Benjamin Down below, the bakery sells freshly made bread for the townspeople of Pompeii. Through the windows people shout down to the people on the cobbled streets. Fishermen pick up pots and place them on their boats. Tradesmen shout to trade their goods. Beneath the docks fish leap up and down. While fish are in the bags, they wiggle with all their might trying to get out. Doors of houses are left open because people aren’t worried
about burglars. People buy tunics to keep themselves warm and that is their everyday clothing. Fish are taken to the shops beside the docks so the townspeople can take some home and eat with their family. Mount Vesuvius creates an enormous shadow, blocking out the sun. But what people didn’t know about the Lazy Protector was that it was a defender. It defended itself and it was about to erupt …
BRIXTON
Bugle SPORT
UK-USA DOMINO TOURNAMENT
Brixton Immortals domino club host a UK vs USA match and welcome party to launch an international domino series at the club’s venue at 297-299 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8RP on 23 May. Two tournament games will be played on 24 and 25 May at the Phoenix Community Centre at 66 Westow Street, Crystal Palace, SE19 3AF. AA More information from Jermaine Wright: 07984 693831.
IN A DIFFERENT STATE OF MIND BRIXTON SABRE VETERANS IN ACTION Two Brixton Sabre Club veteran members represented their countries in the Home Nations Challenge fencing competition in Cardiff. Marc Lepere represented Ireland and Ceri Thomas made his international debut for Wales. More than 50 veteran fencers – all aged 40 and above took
part. Ceri’s Welsh sabre team took silver, losing out to England for gold. “Veterans’ fencing demonstrates that fencing – and especially sabre – is a sport for all ages,” says Ceri, pictured in action on the left above. “Younger fencers may have the edge in speed, but never
discount the guile and cunning that older fencers bring to the sport.” Founded last year, Brixton Sabre welcomes anyone over 16 who would like to try the fastest and most exciting style of fencing at its Tuesday night sessions in Brixton Rec. AA Details at brixtonsabre.com
Young fencers on European journey More than 180 young Londoners from more than 10 fencing clubs took part in the inaugural city stage of the Imperium Fencing Trophy (IFT) organised by Brixton Fencing Club (BFC) and IFT. BFC also did well at the recent national fencing championships, with James Frewin taking first place in the men’s epee.
The IFT is a junior British-European epee competition with three stages: City of London Cup, National British Cup and European Cup. It was established by Imperium and its CEO Dmitry Leus, a former European champion and a patron of BFC. The competition’s mission is to popularise and develop fencing among
Transplantee Martin’s three hour marathon Brixton local Martin Belzunce ran the London Marathon for Kidney Research UK in a remarkable time of 3:00:20. Martin, originally from Argentina, suffers from chronic kidney disease and had a kidney transplant less than three years ago. He was keen to raise awareness of the importance of organ donations and of staying physically active as well as fund raising for research. You can help him raise the last few pounds needed to beat his target by donating at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MartinBelzunce. Martin came to London in 2015 to work at King’s College hospital and is now a research engineer at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore. His mother come from Argentina to donate one of her kidneys for him. “I ran for Kidney Research UK I also wanted to show the huge impact that a transplant can have and in that way promote organ donation. “The training paid off and I could run the London Marathon in 3:00:20 and finished super happy and excited.”
young people in Britain. Competitors in four age groups at the city stage at Whitgft School in Croydon came from clubs including Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Central London. Dmitry Leus said at the event: “We are delighted to play a role in bringing the sport to local children. I have a strong belief in the role sport can play in
a young person’s life. “Children’s sports is an important contribution to the future for all of us and this is why we at Imperium Investments focus some of our charitable efforts in this direction.” The next, national, stage of the tournament will take place in September. The final, European, stage will be in November.
Dulwich are off to an exciting start Dulwich 206-7 (50) tied with Chipstead Coulsdon & Walcountians 206-9 (50) Dulwich cricket club’s season in the Surrey championship started with a new sponsor, AJ Fordham Sports and, in the spirit of change, the club fielded six first team debutants in their division 2 match away to Chipstead Coulsdon & Walcountians. Dulwich took two wickets in the last three balls with the scores level to secure a tie in a thrilling finish Put in to bat, Dulwich skipper Ed Stolle and newcomer Alex Leyshon had little trouble in adding 76 in 19 overs for the first wicket. But was followed by a collapse. Debutant Elliot Miles joined Matt Marfani on 91-4 in the 22nd over. They added 61 in 17 overs for the
fifth wicket. Kamran Munawar later hit an unbeaten 23 off 25 balls in company with fifth newcomer Simon Harwood to lift the score to 206-7 after 50 overs. At the end of the match, Chipstead needed six off Miles in the 50th over. They could only manage five. Both sides took ten points from a match that they will both feel they should have won. Dulwich will entertain Old Rutlishians, who are back in division 2 after dominating the third division last year, for their first home match of the season on Saturday 18 May at its ground off Burbage Road in Herne Hill.
Alan Slingsby meets Brixton-based amateur boxing champion Kheron Gilpin Kheron Gilpin, who trains at Miguel’s Gym in Brixton, became the English cruiserweight (86 kilos) champion in April. He joins a long list of winners trained by a gym that is rooted on local culture. Kheron’s route to a top spot in amateur boxing has not been smooth. He first boxed in 2007. “Then I stopped for about 10 years” after an operation and “getting in with the wrong sort of people”. In fact, at one point he was banned from Miguel’s – he’d been smoking, was messing around and showing off to girls. He recalls one of his first visits: “We came in a bit macho, aggressive, boisterous, and not very mindful of others.” The group took turns with a punch bag. When it was his turn, he was as ferocious as he could be. “I’m hitting this bag as though it’s offended my family or something. “The caretaker came up and saw me and touched me on the shoulder. He said: ‘Follow me. Get in the ring’. “At first I thought: ‘Here’s somebody going to complain we’ve done something wrong’. But he put me in that ring and gave me a circuit. He said: ‘Very good’. “And just getting that feedback from a male figure – ‘this is good, well done’ – for being aggressive and expressing myself – was unusual. But I liked it, so I kept on coming back.” Then he was banned, but “One day I came back and everyone was like: ’Here he is again’.” But Kheron was now “in a different state of mind”, even though it took him a while to convince people he was serious. But not that long. “I became team captain in a matter of months,” he says. “I came with that attitude: Reach one, teach one. Leading by example, Creating that team spirit. That sense of belonging. He found Miguel’s “a very nurturing environment”. It allowed him to “tap into my greatness, my potential”. That is something he had been talking to young people about
in one of his other roles – as a motivational speaker. “I thought ‘why not explore my potential to be a boxer?’ trying everything I speak about and putting it to the test. And that’s what I did.” Now he has brought a national championship to Brixton and Miguel’s. Kheron, who trains five days a week, three to six hours a day, says that “Right now there’s a massive buzz at Miguel’s.” At last year’s Haringey Box Cup amateur tournament, the club was second out of 83 boxing clubs from all over Europe. Kheron, who was born in Jamaica and has family in Brixton, says: “I don’t live in Brixton, but I’m a Brixtonian. I just love Brixton. Brixton has that vibe, that cultural vibe that I can identify with. That vibe is electric.”
DEDICATION Places like Miguel’s don’t just happen. They are based on many years of dedication, hard work and experience. It was founded 20 years ago by brothers John and Steve Simms. They named it Miguel’s after their father, who made sure that, growing up on Railton Road in the tough 1960s, boxing kept them out of trouble. “If we were playing out, he would just say to us: ‘No. You’re at the gym’,” recalls Steve. “We’d just cry, wouldn’t we,” he says to John. “We’d come back with our bags and a packet of chips. That was his way of keeping us out of trouble.” The brothers have worked with many top professionals, from 90s WBO heavyweight champion Henry Akinwande to current contenders Dillian Whyte and Isaac Chamberlain. “One year we had seven champions,” recalls Steve. Kheron is Miguel’s first national Amateur Boxing Association champion. Unfunded by state or charity, the immensely friendly and diverse gym with its many women and “white-collar” boxers relies on volunteers young and old to meet the needs and ambitions of its many users.