Your only
FREE
communi newspap ty er
Little brother to Brixtonblog.com
BRIXTONBugle THE
Edition 32 | May 2015 | FREE
www.brixtonblog.com | @brixtonblog
‘UNITED WE STAND’
Inside...
A WHOLE LOTTA LOVE: The Bugle catches up with Alabama 3’s Larry Love, aka Rob Spragg, to talk Brixton, Booze and, err, more Brixton Features, p 13
#GE 2015: Hear from all the candidates hoping to win your vote in this month’s general election. Elections, p 6-7
ARCHES ARTISTS: As the campaign to save the iconic Brixton arches businesses goes on, we meet the artists fighting for them Arts, p13
By Anna McKie Protesters took to the streets to show their anger at the increasing gentrification of Brixton - but also to declare their love of the area. Long-standing residents and communities feel they are being pushed out thanks to huge rent rises and an influx of wealthier people.
The “gathering to reclaim Brixton” on April 25 was as much about celebrating the character of Brixton as it was about highlighting the unwelcome changes. Residents spoke of the vibrancy that the multicultural community has and their fear that the area would become just another Shoreditch or Clapham. And what was clear was that the community would not take it lying
down: “We are going to stay and we are going to fight” protesters chanted. The Reclaim Brixton rally was largely peaceful, with several thousand gathering in a sunny Windrush Square chanting, waving placards and playing music. “It was amazing,” said Jose Cordoso from A&C Continental Deli. “It was quite emotional to see all these people coming together,
supporting each other and being able to express the community’s dissatisfaction with the way things are being run.” Only a few spots of trouble marred the day: one of Foxton’s windows was completely smashed and CS spray was used on a group of protesters at the police station. The organisers of the protest Cont. page 4
THE FUN OF THE SHARE: Brindisa’s mission is simple, to provide unbeatable authentic Spanish food. Our new food critic Nikki Griffiths Ibérico hams it up on Atlantic Road. Food, p17
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> more photos on Page 4 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
2 NEWS The Brixton Bugle & BrixtonBlog.com are edited in Brixton by Zoe Jewell and Tim Dickens. Both the website and newspaper are published by a not-for-profit community organisation. It’s run by a committed team of people from Brixton. Brixton Blog and Bugle 439a Coldharbour Lane Brixton SW9 8LN » Tel 020 3730 1312 » @brixtonblog » @brixton_bugle » www.brixtonblog.com ADVERTISING Jenny Shramenko 07811 878394 jenny@brixtonblog.com Circulation: 10,000 copies Readership: circa 15,000 DEPUTY EDITORS Keith Lewis Lindsay Faller Sub-editor: Jamila Omar Designer: Agnes Graves NEWS Anna McKie, News Editor newsdesk@brixtonblog.com FEATURES Katrin Magnussen features@brixtonblog.com ARTS & MUSIC Barney Evison Ruth Waters arts@brixtonblog.com FOOD Miss South food@brixtonblog.com SPORT Sandra Brobbey newsdesk@brixtonblog.com ISSUE 32 Writers: Bobbie Lakhera, Nikki Griffiths, Adam Marshall Cartoons / Illustrations: Kaylene Alder, Pam Williams Crossword: Josie Gardiner Columnists: Alison Alexander, Frankie Holah A massive thank you to everybody involved in making this issue, and the Blog & Bugle project, a success.
www.brixtonblog.com
May 2015
Multi-arts campaign launch is potent force A new multi-arts campaign to discuss and respond to the issues facing a rapidly changing Brixton has launched. Led by Brixton’s star rapper, Potent Whisper, the campaign aims to respond artistically to the changes in Brixton and to support community action that challenges its identity, such as the Brixton Community United campaign against Network Rail and the Save Cressingham Gardens campaign. On Saturday April 4, Our Brixton held a protest outside Foxtons to highlight the impact soaring house prices have had on the area. Demonstrators stood outside the estate agents holding banners that said “Social housing not social cleansing” and carried blankets and pillows, while Potent Whisper went inside and lay down underneath the adverts for million-pound houses in Brixton. The rapper said it was “to highlight the displacement and homelessness caused by high rents
Brixton rapper Potent Whisper inside Foxtons to highlight the displacement and homelessness caused by gentrification of the area and the regeneration of estates like Cressingham Gardens and the Guinness Trust.” “We’re here to be peaceful,” he said. “We just want to highlight the issues
that people in Brixton are facing.” Police arrived but made no arrests and did not break up the protest. Turn to page 9 for comment from Potent Whisper
Jam Master Jay mural torn down BY ANNA MCKIE
The mural of Jam Master Jay in Brixton Village has been removed and destroyed. The tribute to the member of RunDMC, who died in 2002, had been on the shutter of No.92, opposite Etta’s Seafood, for years but disappeared in April. Market traders said bits of it were found in one of the bins outside. Many said they were extremely sad to see it go as it was “an integral part of the market and community.” Stephen Toni-Allen, who works in
the market, said: “it’s really sad it’s not there. It was a work of art and part of the market’s heritage.” “People loved taking pictures of it. The shutter was old and might have needed replacing but I would have saved the mural if we’d been told.” The market manager told the Brixton Bugle that its tenant had complained that they were unable to use the shutter properly: “it would become stuck at times and would need two people to pull it up or down, which was a health and safety issue.” “Once the shutter was deemed unusable and left the unit unsecured,
as the landlord, management had an obligation to repair/replace the shutter to secure the shop for this licence holder.” “We tried to repair it but it wasn’t possible.”
Windmill gets grinding for Milling Monday Brixton Windmill is grinding again for the first time since 1934. This Bank Holiday weekend you can see how flour is being made in Lambeth’s last surviving windmill. Volunteers at Brixton Windmill have been refurbishing the historic building to get it grinding flour again, supported by donations from locals. On Bank Holiday Monday May 4 they’re opening it up for everyone to see their progress. The volunteers have been trained to operate the enormous millstones by a professional miller. The stones were
installed in 1902 and are now powered by electricity instead of steam or gas – a modern advance which is apparently producing high quality flour. On Monday the Brixton millers will demonstrate how the mill works, and how they will be packaging and labelling the flour which they hope to sell to the public soon to raise funds for the upkeep of the windmill. As if that isn’t enough flour-based fun for a Bank Holiday, Brixton Windmill is also holding the inaugural Great Brixton Windmill Bakeoff in Windmill Gardens! More info on their website.
Send us your BRIXTON news • www.brixtonblog.com • @brixtonblog •
Trainee Beth Collier holding 1.5Kg of freshly milled flour that she milled herself. Picture by Owen Llewellyn (Cygnus Imaging Ltd)
mauleverer mural destroyed
Work has begun on the Tuborg Building, destroying a section of the Mauleverer Road Mural. In 2013, a planning application to build nine private houses on the site was rejected, but in February 2014 the developers successfully appealed against the decision. Already large parts of the mural, created in the 1980s by artist Jane Gifford, have been removed. It features images from Brockwell Park, as well a Caribbean beach view which was requested by a resident who wanted to see it when he looked out the window.
brixton blues kitchen
The Columbo Group – owners of XOYO and The Old Queen’s Head – have announced they have bought the Electric Social and plan to open it as its third Blues Kitchen outpost. They hope to open the new venue on Acre Lane this autumn. In March Electric Social said it was closing after four years and held its final party at the end of the month. As with the previous two outposts, in Shoreditch and Camden, Brixton’s Blues Kitchen will offer Texan BBQ, live music seven nights a week and a huge selection of bourbon. Columbo Group founder Steve Ball, said: “Brixton is currently one of the most exciting areas of London for restaurants, bars and clubs so we’re thrilled to be opening our third Blues Kitchen site.”
herne hill may madness
On the first May Bank Holiday, Herne Hill Forum will be hosting a variety of “springtime fun” activities in the Station Square. On Sunday May 3, there will be live music throughout the day, a maypole, first aid training and demonstrations of the new community defibrillator. There will also be a free fish filleting course (email tricia@ hernehillforum.org.uk to sign up), giant games and much more. Attendees will hear the cries of the Herne Hill Town Crier and can enter the “Design A Traditional Town Crier Costume” and the “Herne Hill Coat of Arms” competitions.
May 2015
Found Festival in Brockwell
NEWS 3
Locked out of Six Somerleyton By Anna McKie
Volunteers at 6 Somerleyton Road say they have been locked out of the building. A number of those who have been working on the community hub say that for a few months they have found they are often unable to access various parts of it, and last week were locked out all together. Maria Santos, who organises Brixton Come Together, said “Last year Brixton Green invited us to be part of the centre to run activities for the community but the management here hasn’t worked out at all – it’s been very messy. “Instead of talking to us volunteers, they just changed the locks. We were given no notice at all. That’s no way to approach a community space.” Boyd Hill, who runs Watch This Space – a project that uses donated materials to create items for the community, said the locks on the tool shed he uses are often changed without his knowledge, as well as
Found Festival has relocated from east London to Brockwell Park and has now released its line up. The electronic dance festival will take place on June 13 from 11am to 9pm and tickets cost £35 plus a booking fee. Some of the acts performing across the festival’s five stages are Guy Gerber, Ellen Allein, Alan Fitzpatrick and Davide Squillace. Found Festival has taken place at Haggerston Park in Shoreditch for the past two years.
TRANSITION
TOWN FORUM
Transition Town Brixton is holding the Local Entrepreneur Forum on Tuesday June 2 at Brixton East. The afternoon will look at how to create a Community Supported Local Economy. There will be a buffet supper and then Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition movement, will introduce the Community of Dragons where five “transition enterprises” will pitch to everyone for investment and in-kind support. There will be an after-party with a special local brew. Tickets and the full programme are available at www.LambethLEF.eventbrite. co.uk.
www.brixtonblog.com
Harold’s longterm service with a smile at the Rec Harold Joseph is celebrating 25 years of work at Brixton Recreation Centre. On April 29, Joseph was awarded
£250 in vouchers for his service for quarter of a century at the Rec. Harold said “I have seen a lot of
the toilets. “The community deserves somewhere they can actually come and use, and that is not being facilitated right now.” However, Brixton Green, who runs the project, says there has been a misunderstanding and that no-one should feel they can’t use the space. Brad Carroll, director of Brixton Green, said: “Brixton is a very big and diverse community and some groups didn’t feel they had access to the building, so this year we are making sure everyone does. No-one is locked out, I have emailed those who think they are to say explain. “Everyone is welcome to hire the building out, but no one can have exclusive access.” “We had trouble managing in the past with the different projects in different areas treading on each other’s toes but we’ve worked that out now. So for the next year we have great stuff coming and will be able to continue to really help the community.”
children growing up and now visiting the centre with their own children. “There have been some positive changes to the centre since GLL have taken over the management of the building. I really enjoy my role at Brixton and I look forward being here for many years to come!” General Manager, Darren Pope said: “Harold is a great person to be around, he always puts a smile on everyone’s face. He is an excellent lifeguard and a great team player”.
We offer
Free local delivery Sales or Return with in a two-mile radius 10% of f ’s bufin lk es orde rslec Brixton t se tion eeaflotca ofFrcr l deslivinc beer eryluding wi the th Brin twBr ixtaon o-ew mier ley ra radiu nges
From left: Rugby star Ben Cohen with Arif Adam and Navah Bekhor from Diversity Role Models at the workshop at The Elmgreen School in Tulse Hill
Rugby’s Ben Cohen in Tulse Hill
to tackle homophobic bullying Former England Rugby international Ben Cohen visited The Elmgreen School in Tulse Hill to support leading anti-bullying charity Diversity Role Models (DRM). Year nine students at the school were participating in DRM’s workshops that tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. DRM’s work involves role models, teacher training and collaboration with individuals and
organisations to counter negative stereotypes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Ben Cohen, MBE, said: “We are very happy to be in a position to support Diversity Role Models. “They deliver a fantastic programme and we are really looking forward to seeing their work first hand. “We truly believe that working collaboratively with quality organisations like DRM can bring an end to bullying.”
Contact Tony Fab, 0207 724 7311/ 07956 221 545 House Of Bottles, 420 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LF
4 NEWS
www.brixtonblog.com
May 2015
RECLAIM BRIXTON IN PICTURES BANNERS, DRUMS, SPEECHES AND MORE...
“The extreme house prices are moving people out of Brixton. It is social cleansing and its breaking up communities.” Valerie Lindo
(Cont. from front page) had insisted they did not want any violence and most of the attendees for most of the afternoon were content to follow this. Of the six people arrested, none were from Brixton. What the day did do was bring together different campaigns and show just how widespread the problem is. The London Black Revs, a socialist activist group, who had also
organised a march through Brixton Village, waved banners that said “Black communities matter” and chanted “Whose streets? Our streets. Whose Brixton? Our Brixton.” Brixton Community United, the campaign to save the businesses under the railway arches, organised a human chain, made up of the shopkeepers and their supporters, around the threatened properties. They then marched to Windrush
Square, leaving their shops closed – “a sign of what’s to come” said Lorne Mash, from Mash & Sons fishmongers. Housing formed a key focus of the protest: campaigners from Cressingham Gardens and Loughborough Park Estate held aloft placards asking for “social housing, not social cleansing”. In a blog post about the day, Cllr Lib Peck said she found the
tone of the demo peaceful and community spirited but “rejected” that estate redevelopments, such as Cressingham, were social cleansing or gentrification. Peck also said the use of “reclaim” felt “inappropriate” as it did not recognise the positive change that has taken place in Brixton. However, most who attended said they were not against improvement in the area but did not want it at the
sake of pushing the community out. Valerie Lindo, who grew up in Brixton, said: “we don’t mind if the area gets built up but don’t push us out. The poor are being sold out.” “We need more affordable housing, the extreme house prices are moving people out of Brixton. It is social cleansing and its breaking up communities. Brixton is losing its originality, we don’t want it to turn into Wimbledon or Richmond.”
“We are going to stay and we are going to fight”
May 2015
www.brixtonblog.com
“It was quite emotional to see all these people coming together, supporting each other� Jose Cordoso, A&C Continental Deli
Pictures by: Agnes Graves, Zoe Jewell, Jamila Omar and Sam Lipscomb
NEWS 5
6 NEWS
www.brixtonblog.com
May 2015
Your General E
DULWICH AND WEST NORWOOD HELEN HAYES (LAB)
HOUSING Regulate the private
rented sector, ban letting agents from charging fees to tenants; introduce new three-year standard tenancies and limit rent increases. LOCAL BUSINESS Communities should have more power to protect affordable business space through the local planning system. More encouragement for local businesses than high street chains. ENVIRONMENT Low emissions for buses. Increased awareness of the effects of diesel engines is important as fumes damage air quality.
As election fever reaches its height, Anna McKi for election across Brixton’s three constituencies,
The five topics they were a housing, local business, educatio
RATHY ALAGARATNAM (UKIP)
Here is a selection of their responses, rea
HOUSING We need to control
Polling Stations are open on Thursday May 7 from 7am to
demand. Once we’re out of the EU, we can regain control of our borders so that British homes are for British people. LOCAL BUSINESS In terms of what new developments should be allowed – what shouldn’t be allowed? ie. payday loans, cash converters, betting shops, business that exploits people’s desperation. ENVIRONMENT Is there high pollution? What evidence is there backing this statement? There is an increase in traffic, eg. Brixton, but more can be done to encourage alternate means.
JAMES BARBER (LIB DEM)
ROBIN LAMBERT
relief is the obvious helping hand. Town centre managers to coordinate local high streets. Vitality and diversity in our shops. EDUCATION Local authorities that are successful at running schools should be able to open new schools. ENVIRONMENT Brixton High Level rail platforms to reopen connecting with East London Line and extending Victoria Line to Herne Hill.
HOUSING Give social residents a
VAUX ADRIAN HYYRYlAINEN-TRETT
(LIB DEM)
HOUSING Developers have to start
(IND)
LOCAL BUSINESS Business Rate
proper democratic choice whether to leave or stay eg. Cressingham Gardens in Tulse Hill and Guinness Trust tenants in Brixton. LOCAL BUSINESS Give motorists 30 minutes free parking to compete with out-of-town centre shopping sites. Give arches businesses the right to return after refurbishment. CULTURE No sell-off unless new libraries are given definite planning permission. Keep Minet Library.
GULNAR HASNAIN (GREEN)
LOCAL BUSINESS Should have access
to affordable premises so the high street is not warped by chains. New developments must provide positive social, environmental and economic benefits to the majority not just the few. ENVIRONMENT Electric buses, more electric car-charging points, the extension of the Mayor’s lowemission zone and segregated cycle lanes.
RESHAM KOTECHA (CONS)
HOUSING Make it easier for empty
commercial property to be converted into housing - adding to the housing supply. EDUCATION The Free Schools Policy has done a fantastic job. I, along with local Conservatives, successfully campaigned alongside local families for new schools to be opened. ENVIRONMENT I’d like to see the Boris Bike scheme extended so we can benefit in Dulwich & West Norwood. I’ll campaign for further solutions to pollution in south London.
RASHID NIX (GREEN)
STEVE NALLY
(TRADE UNIONIST & SOCIALIST COALITION)
HOUSING Luxury housing development must be halted, instead using the land to build thousands of council homes. If there’s not enough, take the land from private developers with compensation paid only on the basis of proven need. LOCAL BUSINESS Small, local firms should have business rates that are affordable, so they can pay a minimum wage of £10 an hour. LEISURE Reverse all the cuts and closures of the last 25 years. Money should be reinvested into areas like Lambeth so the community can have the resources it needs.
JAMES BELLIS (CONS)
HOUSING We need to get empty
homes and bring redundant brownfield land back into use, and support first-time buyers to get on the housing ladder through building new starter homes. EDUCATION Parents and teachers know best how to improve education. Lambeth has been far too reluctant to support them - doing its best to block new free schools and preventing a popular local primary school from expanding.
HOUSING We need to build social
housing, not ‘affordable’ housing. LEISURE Last year there was £125 billion in tax avoidance. Let’s stop that and use it for our libraries. ENVIRONMENT Make sure we have cleaner, greener buses along Brixton Road. Encourage more people to use public transport and to take up cycling.
ALSO STANDING in dulwich & West Norwood: Amadu Kanumansa All People’s Party
fulfilling the local council requirements of at least 35% social housing. We also need the rent to buy scheme for young people to get on housing ladder. LOCAL BUSINESS Tax incentives to develop and increase the number of apprenticeships which provide local job opportunities. EDUCATION The Lib Dem pupil premium policy has given a boost of £17,085,600 to schools in Vauxhall. Local schools require councils to be inventive and find ways to enlarge schools.
Also standing in Vauxhall: Waleed Salman Ghani The Whig Party; Louis Amadeus Dain Jensen Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol; Danny Lambert The Socialist Party of Great Britain; Ace Nnorom UKIP
May 2015
www.brixtonblog.com
NEWS 7
Election candidates STREATHAM
ie quizzes the parliamentary candidates standing giving you an exclusive insight into their politics.
asked to comment on were: ucation, leisure and environment.
AMNA AHMAD LOCAL BUSINESS I would support
o 10pm. Go to www.lambeth.gov.uk for more information.
small businesses by exempting them from EU legislation; improve transport so customers can access their services and review business rates. New developments only allowed with full consultation with local people and businesses. ENVIRONMENT Improving transport is critical to reducing current high pollution levels. I would work for a tube or CrossRail 2 station in Streatham.
X HALL KATE HOEY (LAB)
HOUSING We must build new
homes but not by knocking down perfectly good housing and destroying communities. Three-year tenancies must be the norm for tenants, with a ceiling on rent rises. LOCAL BUSINESS I do not want to see local firms overwhelmed by big chain stores. We need more flexibility on parking to support customers for our shops. LEISURE All local authority sports facilities should have free use for part of the day. I would like to see them run by community trusts rather than the big leisure operators.
MARK CHAPMAN (PIRATE PARTY)
LOCAL BUSINESS Land Value Tax is
a good way of supporting local businesses - you can have a lower rate of tax for them. Our policy of free Wi-Fi in public areas and ensuring a minimum level of broadband service would help. EDUCATION I’m supportive of the expansion of schools such as Archbishop Sumner, which have shown that they are currently over-subscribed. I would continue the Pupil Premium scheme which ensures schools focus on the most disadvantaged pupils. ENVIRONMENT Increase funding for cycling and create a “Making Space for Cycling” handbook.
(LAB)
HOUSING We need stable three-year
tenancies, a ceiling on excessive rent rises and a ban on rip-off letting agent fees. We need to drive up standards, tackle poor energy efficiency and crack down on rogue landlords. LOCAL BUSINESS I believe that we should have a greater say locally over the type of retail mix that’s on offer. I am insisting help be given to some of Brixton’s longest established businesses. EDUCATION I want to end the flawed Free Schools programme.
ARTIFICIAL BEAST
JONATHAN BARTLEY
(cannabis is safer than alcohol)
(GREEN)
HOUSING Our policy is to
decriminalise cannabis, and regulate and tax its sale – just like tobacco or alcohol, which are both not only more dangerous than cannabis but also addictive, unlike cannabis. This could raise over £1 billion every year, money which could be put towards home construction. LOCAL BUSINESS Currently, cannabis users are forced to rely on the black market. How much better would it be if they instead were supporting local businesses and contributing to our local economy?
HOUSING Remove the tax breaks
that buy-to-let investors get. LOCAL BUSINESS We would favour local trade by allowing local authorities to use their own purchasing power to favour local procurement to help the local economy. ENVIRONMENT We need hybrid electric buses through Brixton (not the second-rate retrofit buses which Labour is calling for) and extension of the Mayor’s lowemission zone.
KIM CADDY (CONS)
DEON GAYLE
(Workers revolutionary party)
LOCAL BUSINESS They must be
given grants where necessary, not to be paid back with huge interest rates. They must have their business rates reduced and funding needed for local councils must come from the government. CULTURE I think it’s disgraceful that so many local schools have been closed down. Academies are not the answer as they put control in the hand of the private companies that own them.
SIMON HARDY (LEFT UNIITY)
EDUCATION Academies and Free
Schools leave local schools isolated. Education should be student-centred, fun and emphasise creative thinking. CULTURE I’m completely opposed to the cultural cuts. The closure of libraries is an absolute scandal. ENVIRONMENT We need to encourage more people onto public transport by renationalising buses and trains and reducing ticket prices.
CHUKA UMUNNA
(LIB DEM)
ad the full version online at Brixton Blog.
ALSO STANDING IN Streatham: Bruce Anthony Machan UKIP Unjum Rohman Mirza TRADE UNIONIST & SOCIALIST COALITION
HOUSING Encourage longer,
family-friendly tenancies and give tenants more protection from unscrupulous landlords. LOCAL BUISNESS Back businesses with lower taxes, less red tape and better access to the finance they need to grow. EDUCATION Support school expansions to provide much needed places, and help parents and groups who want to set up free schools in the area.
8 your brixton
www.brixtonblog.com
May 2015
My Brixton >>>>>>>>>>>>>TOP FIVE
YOUR TWEETS Some of your #Brixton tweets:
Lunndon Eye @LunndonEye I recently walked through #Brixton in the rain. Didn’t dampen the spirit of the Guildford …
mista skee @mista_skee Taking it to the street #Brixton #bnw #blackandwhitephoto #streetphoto #buskers #rhythm #iphone6 #london pic. twitter.com/lqvXdW9XG1
Above: Ginger the Cat is the purrson in charge of Brixton Village. Below: Local heroes The Thirst gave us all a treat by busking in Windrush Square recently. Thanks to Jamila Omar for the pics
Thomas Blythe is a Brixtonite and general manager at Tonkotsu Soho, as well as being a freelance writer and restaurant consultant.
1/“BOURGUEST”Bridge:
Emblazoned upon the railway bridge that spans Brixton Road is this legend in vibrant colours welcoming all to Brixton. For years, I would look at it and, as I strolled home, wonder what the hell “BOURGUEST” meant. Was it Portuguese? Perhaps West Indian? Then about a year ago it dawned on me what it actually said. It is therefore a colourful daily reminder of what an idiot I can be, which I believe to be a healthy thing. So, thank you bridge.
2/ The Markets:
Stefano Carniel @steky89: #SaveBrixtonArches, an album of people who live and work in #Brixton - tinyurl. com/mwyoaf6 @BrixtonBlog
In recent years, the London press, and food press particularly, have eulogised about the regenerated Market Row and Brixton Village. Having lived in and around Brixton for 15 odd years, I’ve always felt Brixton is the sum of all of its market spaces including the vibrant, brilliant and resilient street markets in Electric Avenue and Brixton Station Road. The farmers’ market is a Sunday ritual for me. The markets in all their forms are Brixton’s beating heart, and long may they continue to thump away.
Join the conversation in #Brixton by Tweeting us @BrixtonBlog or @Brixton_Bugle
3/ A & C Continental Grocers:
HOW DO YOU READ YOURS?
AND THERE’S THE RUB... “You have a fine publication and I admire your reporting on issues like the Ritzy Cinema’s staff strike and the deplorable way Network Rail are treating the shops under the arches.”
Tweet us pics of your Bugle in odd places for a chance to win a Brixton Blog bag
Tony Austin, Brixton Shiatsu therapist. www.tonyaustin-shiatsu.co.uk
@brixtonblog
@brixtonblog. info@brixtonblog.com .t: 020 3730 1312
The
1 £5
cow foot in our tasty soup recipe
per session at afewee boxing club
by numbers
19 6 3,000 70
candidates quizzed in our general election special
people attended herne hill free film festival last year (starts may 1)
people arrested on recalim brxton march (all from outside our area) lambeth tigers football players that have gone on to youth clubs
My initial motive for shopping in this brilliant shop on Atlantic Road - one now sadly under threat from Network Rail - was the girl that used to work behind the counter, who would set my pulse racing if she served me. I never had the nerve to ask her out and she’s long gone, but the excellent cured meats and ingredients remain. I hope A&C continue regardless of the uncertainty surrounding the arches spaces. It’s a truly great food shop and one locals should continue to support and cherish.
4/ Market Row Wines:
Within the rejuvenated Market Row is this slightly ramshackle wine shop, run by the charmingly urbane and knowledgeable Dave Simpson. I pop in every other day or so to scoop up a bottle of something for under £20 invariably leading to discussions about the state of the nation, alternative uses for sandwich toasters and the delights held within Dombey Wholesale Meats with Dave. Brilliant value, a great selection of grape juice and he’s often got a bottle open for tasting. It’s a marvel.
5/ The Sound of Brixton in Summer:
We’re nearing spring proper, and soon those long Brixton summer days. Take a walk along Coldharbour Lane from Windrush Square, past the gorgeous Ritzy Cinema, the barbers shops and bars in the early afternoon and swing a left on to Atlantic Road and listen as you walk to the reggae and dub and gospel coming from the tiny little cubbyhole arches where the traders sell their CDs. It always imbues me with a sense of wellbeing and never fails to make me smile. A moment when all is well in the world. Twitter/Instagram: @thomasblythe
May 2015
BRIXTONBugle
COMMENT
www.brixtonblog.com
Brixton illustrated Pop brixton, by kaylene alder
editorial 9
This month’s Brixton Illustrated suggestion comes from Deb Nagan via Twitter. She says ‘...we’d love you to draw amaryllis blooming all over Brixton’. These lovely flowers are popping out of Pop Brixton - the new shipping container campus near Brixton Rec. Tweet or email your suggestions for Brixton’s best green spaces to @kpictures or info@kaylenealder.com and win a free print. Woot!
“It was quite emotional to see all these people coming together, supporting each other and being able to express the community’s dissatisfaction with the way things are being run”, Jose Cardoso from A&C deli told The Bugle as he discussed the Reclaim Brixton event last month. Emotional it was – reporting on the event in the morning, we were moved by the positivity and unity on show between the many different community groups that make up Brixton, from the campaign to stop evictions at Guinness Trust and Save Cressingham Gardens, to Save Brixton Cycles and Save Brixton Arches, as well as many Brixton residents who felt passionately enough about their area to come out in support for the day. Of course, the day also featured Foxtons’ windows being smashed - notably none of those arrested were from Lambeth. The challenge now is to capitalise on that unity to make sure our voices are heard in council decisions and against Network Rail and housing evictions. The campaigns named above are all doing incredible work in fighting their corner and need as many people shouting about that as they can get. Of course, this month is election month and on pages 6 and 7 we profile those seeking the more establishment route to political change – to become our MPs. We’ve questioned the candidates about a variety of local issues to make clear the choices in front of you in the ballot box on Thursday May 7. Elsewhere in the paper, Miss South is on hand to tutor you through making cow foot soup, we’ve printed the Foodbank’s latest shopping list, and the arts and culture pages are full to bursting. Most pertinently, Brixton’s artists and writers share their thoughts on Lambeth’s plans for the future of its cultural and leisure offerings. “I don’t support any of the cuts. Why should some libraries be sold off to fund others?”, says Lesley Hilling. Kelly Foster was disappointed that Lambeth isn’t investing in local archives and Stella Duffy stressed the importance of libraries as “community centres, places of engagement for the elderly and house-bound, wellbeing centres… core centres for community life.”
Let’s create the Brixton we want to see Brixton is changing. Fast. Social housing is being demolished and hundreds of families are being made homeless to make room for unaffordable “affordable” private property developments. Huge numbers of traders and businesses are being evicted. Rent prices in the area have tripled. Change is the basis of all history, but when a community is represented by individuals who place personal profit before the welfare of their people, when they steal and then sell our homes / businesses to the highest bidders, when an area is colonized and the very people who built Brixton are outcast, we find ourselves asking if this is the type of change we want. My name is Georgie, also known as rapper and playwrite Potent Whisper. I, like many of you, have become increasingly concerned for the future of Brixton and the welfare of those whom it houses. Earlier this year, I decided to launch a multi-arts community campaign - Our Brixton - that aims to use art to discuss, and respond to, the fast-changing face of Brixton. Historically, art has proven time and time again to be an incredibly powerful tool with which to create societal change and it has played a huge role in many resistances and revolutions, globally. In fact, it was the potential that I saw in
@brixtonblog
Georgie
aka Potent Whisper art to make a change to the world that had initially inspired me to dedicate my life to it and adopt it as my language and weapon. In addition to highlighting / responding to the rapid gentrification of Brixton using art, we are extremely interested in exploring art within the context of activism. On April 4 artists and community members headed to Foxtons estate agents with sleeping bags, bed sheets and pillows to stage a lie-in. The idea was to highlight the displacement and homelessness that comes from the ongoing evictions and soaring rent prices in the area. It was an empowering day for everyone involved, including residents from
info@brixtonblog.com
Cressingham Gardens, Guinness Trust and traders from the arches. Being an arts workshop facilitator, I often ask participants what their definition of an artist is. Of course I receive a thousand varying answers and rarely does anyone ever agree on a definition. However, the two most common answers I receive are “someone who tells a story” and “someone who creates”. Art is a vehicle for truth and allows us to bring ears to the unheard stories that are ever suffocated by the heavy cloud of bias that is the mainstream media. Art is free and without strings, it is the people’s media. Then, I find myself reflecting on the second response “someone who creates”. I make a conscious decision to recognize the power that I hold as an artist, I ask myself what I could and should create and I always come to the same collusion; that I need to create the world that I want to see. This is the purpose of the Our Brixton campaign. I will leave you with news that Our Brixton will soon be delivering free arts workshops for young people in Brixton. The workshops will run throughout May and will be held at the Rotunda hall at Cressingham Gardens. Contact us on Twitter @OurBrixton or email OurBrixton@gmail.com.
t: 020 3730 1312
10 Feature
www.brixtonblog.com
May 2015
Congratulations to B£ competition winners! We recently ran a competition in the Brixton Bugle to celebrate the arrival of very special edition B£ T-shirts, and the lucky winners were Natalija Gormalova and Dave Barnard congratulations! Here’s Dave’s daughter Lucy modelling his winning T-shirt. TheT-shirts were designed by Jude de Berker, co-founder of creative hub The Turpentine, and feature the artwork used on paper Brixton £s. Hand screen-printed in the UK, they are also a statement of our values: organic and ethically made, they are products with a positive social and a minimum environmental footprint.
B£ goes contactless -
Meet The Trader spotlight:
Ms Cupcake
be part of our pilot! It was 2011 the last time the B£ reinvented the way you can pay local, with the launch of the B£ e-currency (B£e) and ‘pay-by-text’ payments on your mobile. Recently we updated our online payment platform: go to brixtonpound. community-currency.org to check it out if you haven’t already! We’re now ready to make the next leap - into contactless B£ payments. Unsurprisingly it’s going to be pretty simple. By just walking into one of the 10 participating trail-blazing B£ businesses you’ll be able to pick up one of our new (and, frankly, banging) B£ contactless cards and link that to your B£ account. Then you’re ready to spend! Alternatively, you can link an existing contactless card you own (eg. an Oyster card or contactless bank card) to your B£ account, and use that to spend B£s! This won’t have any impact on that card’s other use at all, so you can carry on using it to get on the tube, or whatever, to your heart’s content. Does that sound like something you’d like to check out before it becomes widely available? Let us know and we’ll sort you out with a card! Give us a shout: brixtonpound.org/contactless Here’s where you’ll be able to spend your B£s with a contactless card:
If you too want to wear your Brixton heart on your Brixton sleeve in this beautiful spring weather, head to The Turpentine, 433 Coldharbour Lane, or brixtonpound.org (get a discount by paying in B£!) As the design used for the shirts is inspired by Southwyck House (The Barrier Block), the Block residents are entitled to a half-price discount (proof of address required). Additionally, 10% of every purchase will go straight into the Brixton Fund, our micro-grants scheme which will support local projects which increase employment opportunities, take action for social justice, or simply produce activities beneficial to the local community.
“You’re never going to get rich selling a handcrafted short-life product for £2.50, so this is not just a business for me – it’s my whole life, and we have a mission. Our customers can’t just go into Greggs or Patisserie Valerie – we cater for alcohol free, religious, allergic people – in that sense it’s a duty. And still, 5 years ago, before we even opened, we got a huge backlash – many people thought cupcakes were not compatible with Brixton.” Why did a bake-at-home mum open the UK’s first vegan bakery on Coldharbour Lane? Find out more about Ms Cupcake’s story on: brixtonpound.org/blog
Not a B£ user yet? Here’s a reason why you should be: #1 It sticks to Brixton Think of the Brixton as a leaky bucket. Money pours in, but there are large, corporate chain-shaped holes through which this money immediately leaks out. A local currency reinforces shopping at independent businesses, which are more likely to source local supplies, use nearby services, and employ local people. Money that sticks to Brixton, and makes it a better place to live and shop. To register for a free account, simply go to register.brixtonpound.org
Coming soon:
Become a director of the Brixton Pound London’s urban currency could only happen here. Brixton is peopled by dynamic, forward-thinking individuals who like to get up, stand up and create different ways to think and live. Come and be part of it. Over the past 5 years the Brixton Pound has: • provided a means of acting with your wallet to support local business • introduced innovative and fun ways to pay • given small independent business a strong collective identity • created a powerful voice for the unconventional right here, right now • put David Bowie on money! It’s a fresh approach to money, but we want to be more than just that. We believe that the Brixton Pound can be an anchor for positive and inclusive change in Brixton, celebrating the past while imagining a better future. The board of directors develops the strategy and supports the team to deliver it. Several long-standing directors are standing down to make way for a new group to help take us forward. If you are: • passionate about Brixton being and reflecting all that we are • pro-active, innovative and entrepreneurial We would like to hear from you. We are interested in people with range of skills, expertise and ideas, with the energy to make them happen. We want to create solutions to fundamental issues around business, money, opportunity and yes, regeneration. What would you want to do? How would you do it? To register your interest or find out more information, drop us a line via email or Twitter.
More on brixtonpound.org!
brixtonpound.org info@brixtonpound.org @brixtonpound
May 2015
www.brixtonblog.com
I R B
PE
FEATURES 11
N O XT
E L OP
at oach c , e i ood b tha m oxing clu n b sama afewee
By Bobbie Lakhera 26-year-old Samantha Moodie has ditched a career in retail to focus on her new future as a fitness instructor and sports coach. Having grown up always active herself, she now put her efforts into supporting other people to achieve fit and healthy lifestyles. “My brother was the main person who got me into sports, football and judo,” she says. “He’s older, so when I was young I just ran around after him! I played sports all through school but when I started working it was harder to fit in. It can be difficult when you come home from work tired or you have to be up early in the morning. “I was an assistant manager at work, but I decided to look at how I could have a career in fitness instead. I got a job with Fitness First in Balham and they gave me the opportunity to study also, so I have steadily been getting qualified while working too.” Sam met Bobby Miltiadous, head coach at Afewee Boxing Club,
on a night out with mutual friends and the pair quickly bonded over their shared interest in fitness. Bobby’s route into coaching has been fairly similar, with him quitting his office job to get properly stuck in to boxing. When they started following each other on social media it quickly became apparent how they could work together. Sam explains: “I was posting a lot of fitness videos and pictures on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. Bobby was keen on integrating some of the drills into Afewee’s set-up, so it led to me helping out. To box obviously you need overall fitness and I could help with that training. Working with Afewee means I can gain coaching skills too.” Perhaps it’s not too surprising that Sam would be drawn into the boxing ring. It turns out she is related to Herol ‘Bomber’ Graham, widely considered one of the best British boxers of recent times despite never winning a world title. His style of boxing is said to have influenced many who came after him, including Prince Naseem Hamed and Junior Witter. “I have gotten into the boxing side of things myself now. I have gone back and looked at my cousin’s old videos, seen what he was famous for. Keeping his hands down, moving quick and never getting touched! “That was his style, and for me it’s a great addition to what I do. Learning all the techniques helps with my own work. It’s great to incorporate the agility into workouts. It’s natural body movements. You’re light on your feet and you gain strength. That’s what fitness is about these days. “I’ve been with Afewee for six months and things have really picked up. In January you have everyone coming in as they want to
get fit, but people are sticking with the classes. I think it’s because it’s so varied. You’ve got agility, technique, circuits. Some people get keen on the boxing alone and they can pursue that.” Traditionally seen as male only, competitive female boxers are on the rise, bolstered by Brit Nicola Adams who was the first woman to win an Olympic boxing title when she took gold in the women’s flyweight at London 2012. Sam has seen this popularity grow in Brixton too. “I think it’s being able to look after yourself. You can hold your own. You’re working out with other strong women and guys so you get technique quickly and you feel powerful. That makes you feel confident, which is what fitness is about. And, you can have fun with it. Once you learn the moves you have a variety of different methods you can choose from to practise. It doesn’t get boring.” Afewee Boxing Club runs both adult and children’s classes at the Brixton Rec. “Kids can be shy when they first come in, but they are really open to learning. They were used to the guys, but it’s good for them to have a female coach! My nephew comes along now, he’s pretty natural! It’s good for them to learn about fitness young. “For me, it’s great meeting people with the same passion. It’s definitely not about the money! You see people progressing and you enjoy it. Fitness is the way forward. It’s about waking up and being happy. Not waking up and dragging your feet to work. It’s not worth it. “It’s funny really, Bobby and me just happened to meet one night and get chatting. A year ago I didn’t have a clue about teaching a fitness class, now I do eight a week in my job and the coaching with Afewee too.”
Top: Samantha Moodie with some of her eager pupils. Right: Taking some time out at the Rec. Above: Giving encouragement from the sidelines. Left: Samantha takes a hands-on approach to coaching
12 arts & culture Lambeth College - The Careers College
www.brixtonblog.com
OPEN EVENING Tuesday
Special focus on:
24+
ADVANCED LEARNING LOANS
Get the Loan Get on Course Get the Career
12 May 2015 th
5.00pm - 8.00pm
Brixton Centre 56 Brixton Hill London SW2 1QS
> Talk to our trained 24+ loan advisors > Receive advice on the next step that is right for you > Look around our facilities and find out about the redevelopment of our Brixton Centre
APPLY NOW
Further Education courses at level 3 or above: • Gives you the skills and knowledge that you need to develop professionally and increases your potential • Provides you with the qualification to progress your career further • Can vastly improve your chances of getting the job that you want Facts about repaying your loan: • You will not have to pay back your loan until you are earning over £21,000 a year • If you take out an Advanced Learning Loan to study an Access to Higher Education Diploma course, the Advanced Learning Loan will be written off once you c omplete your subsequent Higher Education course (HND, HNC, Degree) • If your income falls below £21,000, your loan repayments will stop automatically and will only start again when you are earning over £21,000 • Interest on the Advanced Learning Loan will be lower than for a loan from a bank
0207 501 5000 | www.lambethcollege.ac.uk
May 2015
www.brixtonblog.com
arts & culture 13
FROM LARRY
WITH LOVE ALABAMA 3’S ROB SPRAGG GIVES GOOD CHAT The Guardian deemed them the ‘best live band in the country’ and Irvine Welsh questioned “why are they not one of the biggest bands on the planet?” Rob Spragg, better known as Larry Love from Brixton band Alabama 3, talks to Features Editor Katrin Magnussen about funerals, celeb fans and hangovers. “I am hungover today,” announces a distinctly gravelly voice, before expanding; “I drunk whisky last night and thought I’d be OK if I stuck to just one thing but maybe I shouldn’t have drunk a litre...” The voice belongs to one of Brixton’s very own rock stars, Rob Spragg from Alabama 3, who’ve just been unveiled as a headline act at Leicester’s Simon Says Festival this July. “I never leave home without a packet of slim Rizlas, a bad conscience and a hangover,” Rob states. He gives good soundbite, but is first and foremost a prolific songwriter whose Woke Up This Morning has become synonymous with the TV series Sopranos as its theme tune. More recently, Rob and Alabama 3 contributed three songs to the crime caper, Hackney’s Finest, out now. This collaboration, says the singer, “started out in a field at a festival in Kent. It’s quite ironic really; Hackney Finest met Brixton’s Finest!” Originally from Wales, Rob has lived in Brixton for over 30 years and has a lot of (Larry) love for the area. “You can still party here all night long. I enjoy the Jamm and am a regular at the Queen’s Head. I also go to the Beehive which is a rotten old pisshead’s type of place, but I like it.” If you were to get a blue plaque commemorating you in the area, where would you like it, I ask. “There used to be Substation opposite of Red
Records, it was open 24 hours and I used to spend a lot of time there, I’d hang it there. That was when you could get fucked up in Brixton.” Rob’s home from home is Jamm, where Alabama 3 has a recording studio with a “rolling door policy” for disadvantaged youth off the street who have a thirst and talent for music. This won them an award from the Mayor of Lambeth two years ago. “There is a fresh pool of talent in Brixton, you can just walk down Electric Avenue in the daytime! At Jamm we put together ghetto youth and
70-year old pedal stool guitar players who look at each other with suspicion! Brixton is a collision of genres and cultures and forces you to confront anything racial and multicultural head on.” Rob and Alabama 3 are no strangers to cultural collisions, with the band seemingly the choice musical interlude at funerals. “We put the fun into funerals,” he laughs. “We played at Peter O’Toole’s wake and Bob Crow’s at Millwall Football Stadium. Last year we did 18 funerals and by the fifteenth I was quite depressed.” “ We also
played at Ronnie Biggs’ funeral,” he recalls.”In fact, we are a bit of a hit with the criminal fraternity: Bruce Reynolds, the mastermind of the Great Train Robbery, is the father of our harmonica player, Nick.” Alabama 3’s two-decade-long history seems peppered with good anecdotes and unexpected links, so it is no surprise to learn that the band also boasts a very varied celebrity fan base. Rob quickly reels off a list: “We have a lot of celebrity fans; Ray Winstone, Martina Cole, John Cooper Clark... Stephen King loves the band and has been on stage with us playing the harmonica. Lionel Richie also loves us and we once did a duet on Jools Holland’s TV show.” But despite their celeb fans, Rob and the band have never forgotten their deep Brixton connection. When they are not singing about the area (Exile on Coldharbour Lane) they often incorporate local flavours in their music, such as the distinctive vocals of local man Patrick, who most would recognise as ‘Patrick the Incense seller’ from outside Iceland. “Oh yeah, I’ve even had tramps off the street on tracks,” he exclaims with a laugh. “I am interested in all voices. We are not scared of lunatics! We are a narcotic, Marxist, situationist, Country & Western, Acid House band and WE define how you make music, not John/Paul/Ringo!” Rob is refreshingly candid, so it’s too tempting to ask about the imminent election. The singer splutters angrily. “I am not voting this year! It’s all the same fuckers just wearing different suits! I am not that political but I have a leftwing angle and Britain’s out of date with all this imperialism. UKIP is trying to make out Britain’s still an imperial power but they can go fuck themselves!” For tour dates and album news go to alabama3.co.uk Hackney’s Finest is available on DVD & On Demand: hackneymovie.com.
Brixton BID
brixton bid theme groups
If you are a Brixton BID member and you would like to attend our Marketing and Partnerships or Environment meeting, please email the BID team admin@brixtonbid.co.uk
For all the latest Brixton BID news follow us on Twitter @BrixtonBID
GEDD’S Hair & Beauty Salon
We are proud to announce after 2 months of refurbishment we are now open! To celebrate we are giving new customers a whopping *20% off on all Hair & Beauty services on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Recommend a friend and receive *£10 off any service above £30. 20% off for senior citizen and 10% off for students during the week. To receive our special offers QUOTE PINK AND PURPLE A: GEDD’S Hair & Beauty Salon 191 Stockwell Road London SW9 9 SJ T: 020 7737 4796 Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for our latest offers. (*Offers subject to availability and terms and conditions)
Brixton BID
Thought leadership in the digital age
This is a new era of comms, where your brand voice, what its saying and how you amplify it are vital to your future business. Are you a Brixton BID member business looking to grow your reputation and brand perception? Are you ahead of the digital curve or behind it? We’re inviting all BID levy payer company directors to a FREE Brand Amplifier™ Masterclass designed to help ambitious Brixton businesses excel at their Thought Leadership and hone their brand voice in a disrupted marketplace. 19 May 2015, 9:30 – 4:00* The Beehive Place 11 Beehive Place, Brixton, London SW9 7QR What to expect: You’ll hear inspiring talks from branding and communications experts, participate in cutting-edge digital marketing workshops and grow your strategic network of peers committed to nurturing a solid business ecosystem in Brixton through Thought Leadership. The Talks: • Nailing your Brand Story • 10 Points to (re)Building a Modern Business Strategy • Leading brand conversations that convert via social media • Creating Culture and Behaviours of an Emotionally Intelligent Business
The experts: Jonathan Lipitch, Brand Psychology Consultant and COO of Inspiring Interns Accredited leadership coach and professional psychologist specialising in organisational development of premier brands across the globe, Jonathan coaches C-suite executives on how to apply emotional intelligence to their business and brand strategy. A passionate mentor of ambitious graduates, he helps SMEs tap into the tremendous talent pool of interns and apprentices to boost their strategic growth plans. Patrick McAleenan, Storyteller and Journalist for the Telegraph, Metro. Balancing 3 careers as a freelance journalist, communications specialist and Personal Trainer, Patrick is a regular contributor to the Telegraph and Metro and was a Stonewall Awards 2014 Journalist of the Year nominee. With over 15 years of communications experience, Patrick has created communications and storytelling strategies for many leading brands including a period working for well-known entrepreneurs Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis. Follow him on Twitter at @ontheptrain.
Nick Pearce, Entrepreneur and Brand Strategy Consultant As a brand strategist who has co-founded two of his own businesses, Nick is a specialist in helping complex and ‘challenger’ businesses simplify their often over-complicated approach. A firm believer that creative thinking and a human approach is fundamental to business growth strategy irrespective of industry, he helps his businesses and his clients find new ways to disrupt the market, create opportunities and gain mindshare. Nick is co-founder of JPC brand strategy consultancy in Brixton and the Ugli Creative Campus in White City. Jeannette Whiting, Brand Amplifier PR and social media expert With 15 years’ experience as a PR and content marketing consultant in some of the wowrld’s most exciting media markets of New York, Paris and London, Jeannette helps brands and executives build compelling and consistent messages that engage media and their readers. She has trained several editions of Brand Amplifier graduates how to hone their messaging, project their voice, and start conversations that drive business on free social media platforms. Follow her on Twitter @ Jeannette_PV and @BrandAmplifier
Spaces are limited! For more details and to register go to: brandamplifier.co.uk and go to “The Amplifier” blog Or email: admin@brixtonbid.co.uk for a web link to the event registration page (Please note, lunch will not be provided during the midday break)
www.lucysjuices.com 0203 302 3131 404 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London, SW9 8LE
16 food and drink
www.brixtonblog.com
May 2015
By Miss South
RECIPE cow foot soup & meatballs (serves 4-6) For the broth 1 cow foot 4 pints water 1 onion 2 sticks celery 2 carrots 2 cloves garlic 1 scotch bonnet pepper salt and pepper For the meatballs 500g beef mince 75g breadcrumbs 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 50g parsley 50g thyme 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 egg salt and pepper For the soup 250g sweet potato/yam/potato/eddo/green banana, peeled and cubed 100g yellow split peas 100g okra, chopped in three parts fresh parsley to serve hot sauce to serve
I have long since had a conflict about cow foot. On the one hand I adore the rich beefy broth it makes when you simmer it slowly, but on the other, I don’t like the sticky gelatinous texture of the meat in it. Then I realised that there was nothing to stop
me using a cow foot for stock and adding something else to make the soup filling and meaty and so this version was born. I’ve made meatballs here with beef mince and added them along with sweet potato, carrot and split peas. You could add eddoes, cassava, potato, green banana or yam depending on what you have. Chop some parsley through it all and add some okra and you have the best soup you’ll eat this year. This is cow foot soup for those of a nervous disposition. I know it seems like a lot of ingredients but it’s actually a very simple recipe without anything too tricky. Start by buying your cow foot. I went to Dombey’s
in Market Row for mine and I asked them to cut it up for soup. They’ll know what you mean. It came clean and chopped and ready to use with a minimum of hassle. Place cow foot in a large pot and cover with the water. Add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic. Peel the onion and garlic but just chuck them all in whole as they are for flavouring. Bob the whole scotch bonnet in there for flavour and a bit of a kick. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 2 hours or until the meat falls off the bones. This doesn’t take as long you’d think. While the stock is simmering, make the meatballs. The best way to stop your meatballs falling apart when you cook them is to use chilled meat to make them and to refrigerate them for at least an hour afterwards. Put the cold beef mince in a large bowl and simply add all the garlic, spices and herbs, chopping the thyme and parsley well. Scatter in the breadcrumbs. I used shop-bought, but stale bread would work too. Use your hands to start to bring it all together, really working the meat and bread together. Add the beaten
egg and mix well until it is almost like a paste. Wet your hands and pinch off about 35g of the meat with your finger and thumb and just roll it together into a ball, preferably as smoothly as possibly. It all makes sense when you do it. Place each meatball on a plate and keep going until you have used all the mix. You’ll get about 20-25. Put in the fridge and leave to chill again for at least an hour. If you skip this step, they’ll collapse in the soup. When the stock is a rich yellowy-brown colour and the meat is coming off the bones, scoop the meat and bones out and discard. Remove the flavourings as well and add in the split peas and the chopped vegetables such as the yam or sweet potato. Turn the heat up and cook for about 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, gently add the meatballs and the okra and cook on a medium heat for another 25 minutes. Serve the soup in bowls with about 5 meatballs per person and a good helping of peas, vegetables and broth. Scatter some chopped parsley over it all and some hot sauce if you like a little kick. This soup is hearty and warming and filling and perfect for spring days that still have a slight chill in the air.
Foodbank shopping list
Foodie news
You can donate at Tesco in Brixton or drop items off at St Paul’s Church on Ferndale Road on Tuesdays between 10am and 1pm, Saturdays 10am to 1pm and Sundays 10am to 1pm.
Our fave Fish, Wings ‘n’ Tings is launching a new menu, so get down there for some fresh new summer flavours from Trinidadian chef Brian Danclair.
tinned fruit tinned rice pudding tinned veg (except sweetcorn of which there is a lot) fruit juice coffee jam
As we all know, Brixton is ever-changing but each month we bring you a round-up of what’s happening to keep you in the loop:
It’s not strictly Brixton but the Mazi Mas restaurant at Ovalhouse, dedicated to employing and supporting migrant women, won its crowdfunding campaign and is now busy with customers. The menu looks delish and you can book at mara@mazimas.co.uk Support the businesses under the Brixton arches this month – we can highly recommend the fennel sausages at A&C deli, the bean soup and falafel at Moroccan Café, all the fish at L.S. Mash & Sons and the juicy green olives at O Talho.
May 2015
www.brixtonblog.com
Food and drink 17
REVIEW the fun of the share: breaking bread at brindisa BY Nikki griffiths
Brindisa’s mission is simple: to provide unbeatable Spanish food. The verdict? Almost. Brindisa’s Food Rooms on Atlantic Road is a different and more casual take on their usual tapas kitchens found around central and east London. It’s part shop, part bar offering a simple menu in a cosy, romantic space under Brixton’s famous railway arches. Brindisa has made a good name for itself in sourcing top quality ingredients such as hams, cheeses, sausages and selected seafood. Their Brixton Food Rooms menu uses those ingredients in a simple form, quite rightly allowing them to bask in their own glory. The menu is split into several sections including charcuterie, hand-carved ham, cheeses and the largest section - llesques - a Spanish term for local bread rubbed with sweet tomato and then topped with their speciality ingredients and served with salad and aioli. My friend and I started out with the pan de coca - a Catalan bread similar to ciabatta, served with tomato and garlic. This was a simple yet delicious appetiser using some of the sweetest tomatoes I’ve ever tasted. We then sampled the Monte Enebro cheese bombas with orange blossom honey. Monte Enebro is a goat’s milk cheese made in Spain and these small spheres ooze as you eat them - delicious when you use the crisp shells to scoop up the remaining honey. OK - onto the ham - the real jewel in the crown. There are three handcarved hams to choose from - I’d strongly recommend paying the
extra and picking the Señorío Ibérico Bellota. This ham is carved from pigs which have been fed their whole lives on acorns, and it is delicious. It has a nutty, almost creamy depth to it and the taste is one I haven’t forgotten. The llesques are a great social food. You can pick them up and eat them with your fingers and are easy to share amongst large groups of friends - just like the Spanish do. We chose butifarra sausage and cod brandada with piquillo pepper sauce. The sausage was very good and was topped with lovely sweet roasted peppers and spring onions. Even the leaves served with the topped toasts were fresh and well-dressed. There was only one disappointment on the table and that was the cod llesque. To be brutally honest it tasted a lot like fish pie, in a blender, served on toast. It wasn’t necessarily bad, though for some reason its taste or presentation didn’t seem to be in keeping with the rest of the refined dishes we sampled. All in all, Brindisa’s Brixton Food Rooms is a great place to go for top quality ingredients, a nice atmosphere, and extremely friendly, professional staff. It’s in a great spot and has an excellent choice of Spanish wines and beers to boot. Dinner for two including drinks: £50
18 what’s on
www.brixtonblog.com
May 2015 some support and give them custom, perhaps combined with a swim at the Recreation Centre and followed with a falafel wrap at the Moroccan Café.
BRIXTON MUSIC NEWS Arts Co-Editor Barney Evison rounds up the latest music news from our corner of south London. Vote for Brixton venues in Time Out by May 17 Time Out London want to know Londoners’ favourite music venue - and there are plenty of Brixton spots in the running. The live leaderboard had Brixton Academy at number 3, Electric Brixton at 12 and The Windmill at 23 at the time of writing so get online and give the local venues you love a vote.
Lower Dens to play Windmill in sold out gig Lower Dens are playing at The Windmill on May 13. The brooding Baltimore indie rockers have just released a third album which is pleasing fans and critics alike with a more upbeat poppy sound.
FRI 1 @ brixton academy
There are still tickets left for Flying Lotus at the Academy, supported by an excellent line up of Shabazz Palaces and Kutmah. Doors are at 7pm and tickets can be bought through 02academybrixton.co.uk.
Get down to the monthly car boot sale in the car park outside the Lido to pick up a bargain and help raise funds for the Friends of Brockwell Park. And afterwards you can walk to the Herne Hill farmers’ market for cheese, crepes, brownies and more.
MON 11 @ the lido café
Start the week with an early morning Lido swim, especially if the weather is good, followed by a warming coffee in The Lido Café of course.
Manu Chao and La Roux support Reclaim Brixton Internationally renowned musicians Manu Chao and La Roux showed their support for the Reclaim Brixton protests on April 25. UK synth-popper La Roux tweeted a picture of the crowd, and world musician Manu Chao simply posted the message “SUPPORTING #RECLAIMBRIXTON” on social media. Brixton Academy to host acclaimed show by experimental choreographer Choreographer Hofesh Shechter is staging a London season on the dance, opera and rock stages of the city - his largest ever season of work in a single city. Brixton Academy is hosting his critically-acclaimed piece Political Mother on October 7 and 8.
SUN 10 @ brockwell park
Fat White Family & Eccentronic Research Council collaborate on Moonlandingz Local lads Fat White Family have teamed up with actress Maxine Peake’s Eccentronic Research Council to release ‘Moonlandingz’, a collaborative EP. The lead single ‘Sweet Saturn Mine’ is a spooky, dirty psychedelic trip into the world of stalker obsession...
SAT 2 @ Plan b
For ‘90s garage lovers, this is the night for you, as Supa Dupa Fly comes to Brixton featuring Oxide & Neutrino, Emily Rawson and Matchstick & Fearney from 9pm to 4am. It’s £6 advance tickets.
Public notice LICENSING ACT 2003 APPLICATION FOR GRANT OF PREMISES LICENSE Katayun SethNa has applied to the London Borough of Lambeth for the grant of a Premises Licence, in respect of the following premises: ALL THE QUAIL 112a Brixton Hill London SW2 1AH which would authorise the following licensable activities: Supply of alcohol Thursday to sunday between the hours of 1900 and 2300 The record of this application may be inspected during normal office hours at the Licensing Section, London Borough of Lambeth, 5th Floor, Blue Star House, 234244 Stockwell Road, London, SW9 9SP, or via the licensing authority's website, at www. lambeth.gov.uk/licensing A responsible authority or any other person may make representation to the licensing authority in respect of this application. Representations must be made in writing, either by post to the above address, or by email to licensing@lambeth.gov.uk and must be received no later than 19th May 2015. It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with a licensing application, and the maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction for that offence shall not exceed level 5 on the standard scale (£5,000).
TUES 12 @ the rec
Circa Waves announce biggest headline tour to date including gig at Academy Young Liverpudlian foursome Circa Waves released their hotly anticipated debut album ‘Young Chasers’ and have announced dates for their biggest UK tour yet. They’ll be stopping off at Brixton Academy on October 10.
SUN 3 @ upstairs at the RITZY
Feed Your Soul is an afternoon show at Upstairs at the Ritzy created for artists to share their original works. There will be all kinds of art on show, from poetry and theatre to comedy, dance and music. This month Fola, Eleni Mylona, Mel the Music and Shahanara Begum are featuring. 2-5pm, adults £6, children £3.
MON 4 @ whirled cinema
Bank Holiday Monday! Tonight at 8.30pm, the Whirled Cinema is screening ‘Drowned City’, a documentary by Peckham resident Faith Millin about those who partake in the dangerous, nightly battles broadcasting illegal radio around London. Buy tickets at whirledcinema.com.
TUES 5 @ brockwell park
Every Tuesday, 45-year-olds and over can pay just £2.50 (or £1 if you become a member) for the Silverfit session in Brockwell Park, starting
and ending with a coffee in the café at the top of the hill. 2pm-3.30pm.
WED 6 @ the dogstar
Looking for a fun way to get fit? The Dogstar is hosting Ravercise from 7.30pm tonight, a hit dance workout with energising drum & bass music on a low-lit club dance floor. There will be a warm-up, choreographed high-impact dance routines, stretching and a cool-down, ending in a freestyle dance. Book at dogstarbrixton.com.
THURS 7 @ the voting booth Election Day. Vote.
FRI 8 @ POW
DJ Yoda is playing at Brixton Boogaloo at The Prince of Wales tonight, with early bird entry costing £8.
SAT 9 @ the arches
The businesses in the arches in Brixton are still under threat, so why not take Saturday morning to show
critics choice:
pen to paper: contemporary drawing until thurs 16 @ knight webb gallery
Don’t miss this brilliant collective show on Atlantic Road. Exploring the ways in which artists use drawing as a creative art form in its own right and as a separate practice, distinct from their preferred medium of sculpture or painting, the show features enigmatic and intriguing drawings in charcoal, pencil and felt tip pen from ten artists including Lesley Hilling and Adjani Okpu-Egbe. Entry is free and all welcome.
If you don’t use the Rec Centre regularly, then make this the month you start. Tonight’s classes include circuits at 6.05pm, group cycle at 6.45pm and, if you’re not working today, then pop to hatha yoga at 12.15pm. Oh, and don’t forget to leave some feedback for the lovely Brixton Rec User Group in their box outside the changing rooms – they are collecting opinions in the buildup to a refurbishment of the centre.
WED 13 @ afawee
We’ve recommended this many a time before and we continue to love it – the Afewee boxing sessions for adults every Wednesday at 7pm. They work you hard, but it’s a lot of fun. £5, first session is free.
THURS 14 @ the windmill
Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires will be storming The Windmill with their Alabama rock ‘n’ roll from 9pm tonight. Get tickets at windmillbrixton.co.uk.
FRI 15 @brockwell park community greenhouses
Pre-school kids can join in on an interactive storytelling session at the Community Greenhouses between 10-10.20am or 11-11.20am this morning. Storyteller Helen Toze will be leading the workshops around the garden space. This was a popular event last month, so make sure to email education@brockwellgreenhouses. org.uk or call 07427685714 to book.
SAT MAY 16 @ POW
Summer’s here, folks. The Prince of Wales is opening its terrace tonight and celebrating with an opening party featuring Berlin DJ Sven Weisemann, the African-tinged sounds of Romare and the Glaswegian Mermaids. Tickets cost between £5-£15.50.
SUN MAY 17 @ salon
Feeling hungover? Brunch at Salon Brixton will restore you – currently featuring super seed porridge, warm banana bread with hazelnut ganache, three-cheese cornbread, poached eggs, smashed avocado on toast and more on the menu.
MON 18 @ st matthew’s estate tenants hall
Join yoga teacher Livi at her convenient late-night yoga classes in the St Matthew’s Estate Tenants Hall. This is Vinyasa Flow which is a 60-minute sequence combining standing postures, balancing, hip
May 2015
www.brixtonblog.com
what’s on 19
may RITZY ROUND-UP If the General Election has got you in a fervour about visiting a quiet room after spending ages deciding what option to go for, then I suggest a trip to your local picture house. Read on for this month’s Ritzy highlights and more gratingly tenuous metaphors.
Six months after its premiere at the Ritzy, Honeytrap (from May 8) is back on general release. Filmed right here in Brixton, this crowdfunded local project was lauded by critics at the London Film Festival and explores the hypermasculine gang world from a girl’s perspective. Head to the Brixton Blog for more info, including interviews with cast members and director Rebecca Johnson. From kickstarter to mega budget - Disney’s openers and backbends. The class starts at 8.45pm and costs £10 for a drop-in, though it’s discounted if you’re a St Matthew’s resident.
TUES 19 @ the dogstar
Grab a game controller at the Dogstar and take part in their Fifa gaming session – a night of competitive virtual sports and beer. What could be better? 7-10pm.
WEDS 20 @ whirled cinema
This week’s film at the Whirled Cinema is Pelomalo, about a young boy growing up on a housing project in Venezuela with his recently widowed mother. The film starts at 8.30pm and you need to go to whirledcinema.com to book or become a member.
THURS 21 @ brixton windmill
The bat walk is returning to the Brixton Windmill now the summer is here.
Tomorrowland (from May 22). It’s a glossy, effectsy, family sci-fi adventure about a teenage girl who finds a pin badge that allows her to glimpse a futuristic cityscape (the titular Tomorrowland probs). But can she escape her troubled, humdrum life to find her way there? Cynics may suggest that it’s a shallow theme park tie-in; but it’s helmed by Brad Bird who made The Incredibles and Ratatouille, so it might actually be rather good. Plus, my indepth research (thanks Wikipedia) reveals that George Clooney plays a ‘grizzled inventor’ reason enough to book a seat. In fact, look up the adjective ‘grizzled’ in any reputable dictionary, and you probably won’t find a picture of Gene Hackman’s Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle next to it. That would be daft.
Meet at the gates of Windmill Gardens at 9pm for a 9.10pm start. Intriguingly, Brixton Windmill assure attendees that ‘bat detection equipment will be provided’. Don’t forget to wear comfy shoes. Email info@brixtonwindmill. org.uk for more details.
FRI 22 @ the bCA
The fantastic photography exhibition on the black British experience at the Black Cultural Archives is still on this month, so if you haven’t been then give yourself a Friday treat and have a look. BCA is open from 10am-6pm today.
SAT 23 @ POW
We’re pretty excited about the disco night at The Prince of Wales tonight. Topping the bill is Horse Meat Disco and they’ll be followed by Italian duo Tiger & Woods as well as supporting DJs Love Glove, Dom Chung and the London Disco Society.
critics choice:
herne hill free film festival fri 1 - sun 31 @ various locations
Local film lovers unite for this year’s community-led and completely free film extravaganza in Herne Hill. A plethora of great films old and new including 1955 classic The Ladykillers and last year’s hit comedy, The Grand Budapest Hotel - will be screened on Station Square, at the Herne Hill Velodrome, in Brockwell Park and at Brockwell Lido. Last year’s festival attracted over 3,000 people from all over south London and this year looks set to be just as popular. Deck chairs and rustle-free snacks at the ready! Find out when screenings are taking place by visiting www. freefilmfestivals.org/whats-on/hernehill.html
But grizzled (not to mention Oscar-winning) he is in William Friedkin’s seminal 70s cop thriller The French Connection (May 15/16). Doyle is a shoot-first-ask-questionslater brand of New York City narc trying to foil a shady international drug smuggling ring. It’s smart, it’s tense and oooooooh that car chase. If you’re of a certain age, you’ll have fond nostalgic memories of Mel Gibson speeding around the dystopian outback in pursuit of a cop-killing biker outlaw in Mad Max. For those of us that were far too young first time around (*high five*), Tom Hardy takes the role of the eponymous nutter in a shiny new sequel, Mad Max: Fury Road (from May 15). Still set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the film’s director says it best
resembles a “western on wheels”. And 30 years since the last film in the series - Beyond Thunderdome - it’s effectively been three decades in the making. Beat that, Boyhood. But if Tom Hardy gallivanting around the desert with an iron mask doesn’t appeal (more fool you), then you can also catch small-tobig screen espionage thriller Spooks: The Greater Good (from May 8), battling a cappella groups in Pitch Perfect 2 (from May 15) or an innovative drama about deaf boarding school students in the entirely spoken-word free The Tribe (from May 15).
SUN 24 @ upstairs at the ritzy that there was ‘evidence of racial heritage in Finland and Lucy Levene Reggaeoke you say? London’s only karaoke night dedicated to reggae music will be at Upstairs at the Ritzy tonight from 7pm until midnight, with tickets costing £6. Sing the night away to classics from the likes of Barrington Levy and Beres Hammond.
MON 25 @ kaff bar
Bank Holiday number two and this time we recommend popping to Kaff bar for the best New Orleans-style grub in town. Breakfast waffles, jambalaya pancakes and the po-boys are especially recommended.
TUES 26 @ Tom vek
Multi-instrumentalist Tom Vek is playing Electric Brixton tonight accompanied by special guests. Go to electricbrixtonuk.com for more details.
WEDS 27 @ the rec
If you don’t use the Rec, is there a reason why? The Brixton Rec User Group are keen to hear what would improve the centre as it is refurbished, so make your voice heard by going to their meeting at 6pm tonight in the Conference Suite, Level 5.
THURS 28 @ THE BCA
If you work in Brixton, then get down to the lunchtime talk at the Black Cultural Archives at 1pm. Today’s topic is the Mangrove Nine, a group of black radicals who stood trial on charges arising from violent clashes between the police during a protest march. The Mangrove Nine were acquitted and forced the first judicial acknowledgement
hatred’ in the Met police.
FRI 29 @ photofusion
Photofusion launches its new exhibition tonight featuring work by four Photofusion members chosen from the recent exhibition SALON/14. The photographers include Emilia Moisio with her images of cultural
with her series The Spaghetti Tree exploring Italian communities.
SAT MAY 30 @ brixton food bank
The foodbank experienced a tragic rise in visitors last year. You can help by donating today and dropping off non-perishable food at Tesco or at St Paul’s Church between 10am-1pm.
20 Arts & culture
www.brixtonblog.com
May 2015
art
artfelt pleas on culture cuts Lambeth’s Culture 2020 proposals see a diminishing pot of money funding a diminishing collection of public cultural resources. If fulfilled the proposals would see two of our libraries closed, with a further three no longer being run by the council. The money spent on our parks would also dramatically downsize by almost 50 per cent, from £4.5 million spent in 2014/2015 to just £2.3 million proposed for 2017/18. We asked local artists, writers and leaders in the cultural life of our borough what they thought about the proposals.
Stella Duffy, author and co-director of the Fun Palaces campaign Dear Lambeth, please, support the libraries. Libraries can be so much – community centres, places of engagement for the elderly and house-bound, wellbeing centres, linked to GP surgeries AND to outdoor activities, core centres for community life. In a time of uncertainty, let’s protect and enhance what we have. Let’s not look back in 50 years and say ‘what a shame’. Treasure our libraries and enable the people to engage with them. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever. Adjani Okpu-Egbe, artist (pictured left) My daughter is almost five now and I have taken
her to the library every weekend since she was one and she absolutely loves it. Closing these facilities down is an attack on the future, an attack on the community and an attack on civilisation. Education is the most important investment in life, seconded only by the virtue of kindness, and the cuts in educational and recreational facilities are neither an investment nor a gesture of kindness. Adam Mars Jones, writer and teacher This seems to be a plan thought up by people who don’t actually know what a library is. It dresses up asset-stripping as custodianship and disenfranchises Lambeth people from culture while using the slogans of a bogus empowerment. It’s time to treat properly staffed libraries as the front-line services they are. Kelly Foster, historian and London Blue Badge Guide, member of Support Lambeth Archives I was disappointed that Culture 2020 missed the opportunity to invest in the Lambeth Archives, the borough archives, to create a modern archive service that inspires the public and contributes our national story. Culture 2020 overlooks the significant amount of time needed for the major logistical challenge of moving an archive collection. I’m working with Support Lambeth
Archives, a newly-organised group of users and depositors to Lambeth Archives to challenge the assumptions in Culture 2020 and champion our borough archives and its collections. Lambeth is rapidly changing and it’s vital that we invest in preserving our stories for future generations.
Lesley Hilling, artist and proud member of Brixton Housing Co-op I don’t support any of the cuts. Why should some libraries be sold off to fund the others? This is only a short-term solution. We need a council who will say NO to austerity. And it has been done. In 1921 Labour councillors in Poplar spent six weeks in prison defending their decision to withhold funds from the government until changes were made to the way council taxes were distributed. This brave stand by a few people changed thousands of people’s lives. How can we support a council that is prepared to sell out the residents of the Cressingham Estate, close our libraries and who allow local businesses to be driven out in favour of upmarket shops?
FILM
ryan at the ritzy
Heartthrob. Movie star. And now film director – the multi-talented and much loved Ryan Gosling paid a surprise(ish) visit to Brixton on April 9 to promote his directorial debut Lost River. Film writer Adam Marshall was there to lay eyes on him.
“There are a LOT of things I’d do for Ryan Gosling” was my response when asked by The Brixton Bugle’s Arts Editors if I could keep an evening free to report on his exclusive appearance at the Ritzy. And I wasn’t the only one. The usually laidback vibe of the Brixton picturehouse was for once usurped by a feverish – mostly female – crowd, jam-packed to the rafters of the cinema’s foyer and snaking out onto Windrush Square. Once the masses eventually found the way to their seats in the massive main screen, Lost River – which was simultaneously being broadcast in more than 50 cinemas around the UK – rolled. Gosling’s film was almost unanimously
panned by critics at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and, for the first hour or so, it was difficult to comprehend why. While there’s no doubt that his depiction of financial crisis in savaged industrial America has all the naivety of a debut feature, the first act established a genuinely intriguing rendering of the hollow death of the American Dream. He has clearly ‘borrowed’ liberally from directors he admires: vivid urban landscapes and solar flares from Terrence Malick; nightmarish tableaus and disturbing caricatures from David Lynch; effervescent neons and synth-drenched soundtrack from Nicolas Winding-Refn. But the odd bit of gentle celluloid plagiarism is far from unusual for first-timers. But the undeniable stylish flair (shot lushly and hauntingly by cinematographer Benoît Debie) which illuminates the struggles of the central family’s economic survival - a mother (played by Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks) performing in a ghoulish burlesque club, a son stripping copper from rows of derelict homes - is unable to mask the ludicrous mess of the second half. Lost River degenerates into a howler of a film that is confused, aimless and, the cardinal sin, boring. By the time we get to a titter-inducing scene in which Ben Mendelsohn’s sinister bank manager performs a lapdance for Hendricks (yes, really), the damage has already been done. What is supposed to be menacing, is unfortunately laughable, and any notions that the film’s sinister overtones
should be reinforced are way beyond repair. But let’s be honest – this audience wasn’t there to see the new Citizen Kane. They’d gone for a glimpse of Gos. And despite the flat reaction to his film, as he mounted the stage to take part in an audience Q&A, he was predictably greeted by a chorus of applause, whoops and piercing squeals. He was joined by one of Lost River’s stars, Matt Smith – yes the eleventh Doctor Who. Presumably used to going nowhere without being drowned in megafan fever himself, there was no doubt that the Ritzy’s adulation was all for the film’s director. The duo took questions from the baying audience - and were quick to please. Asked how the Ritzy compares to cinemas he’d visited around the world, Gosling confirmed that it’s “Hands down the best”. Practically dripping with cool, Gosling explained how the film reflected the deterioration of that romantic idea of the whole American Dream, and particularly towns like Detroit where Lost River was filmed. When asked about his cast, which also includes Atonement’s Saoirse Ronan, Scottish newcomer Iain De Caestecker and Gosling’s girlfriend Eva Mendes, he described them as the “dream team”. Smith – who explained that, when first approached for the film, he was just thrilled that Ryan knew his name – further popped the crowd by saying that he was “happy to be in my home town of Brixton”. The screening and
Far left: Matt Smith with Ryan Gosling. Above: Ryan gives the thumbs up to the Ritzy. Q&A were both broadcast by satellite to the 50-plus other cinemas around the UK, where film buffs not lucky enough to see Gosling in the flesh could enjoy him and the Doctor on the big screen instead. Lost River is on general cinema release now.
May 2014
www.brixtonblog.com
arts & culture 21
art
street art for arches
The Brixton Bugle arts team met PINS, the South London artist organising the artwork going up on the shutters of Brixton businesses to protest Network Rail’s plans to evict them, as well as creating one iconic piece himself.
Croydon-based artist PINS (above) has been painting the shutters of A & C Continental Deli for the last two years. When owner Jose Cardoso told him about the proposed Network Rail evictions, he immediately sprang into action, contacting friends and other artists to support the campaign to stop the evictions using “the power of art”. “It was a no-brainer,” he said, “it gives the artists exposure and it gives the shop owners exposure – and it’s all under one cause.” His idea was to get skilled street artists, both upcoming
locals and “oldschool graffitiheads”, to paint the shutters to publicise the campaign and show solidarity with the shops, some of which have been there for years, even decades. And it seems to be working. The artwork has been widely shared on Twitter with #SaveBrixtonArches and been covered in the Evening Standard and on local TV network
London Live. “I can see this developing into a bigger thing,” says PINS. An initial challenge was convincing the shop owners to let the artists paint their shutters. But as the project gains momentum, more are coming on board. PINS has been contacted by over 50 artists. “Street art is a growing subculture,” he says, “it has the power to inspire and engage with the
public. Brixton is a mix of different people and the art will touch them all in a different way.” The hope is that the artwork will highlight the individuality of these important shops at the heart of Brixton, in rebellion of what many see as Network Rail’s attempts to encourage more lucrative tenants such as chains and restaurants. “It’s just going to become sterile,” says PINS, “Faceless organisations just want to take people’s money and it’ll be a fake society.” This is the first time PINS has used his art to make a political point but it’s given him a taste for campaigning. He’s worked as a youth worker for eight years, and now wants to do more to make sure people properly respect and pay artists. The shutters were down at Reclaim Brixton on April 25, offering protesters, passers-by and press a clear view of this loud and proud, and very Brixton, show of solidarity.
22 columns
www.brixtonblog.com
GREEN F I NGERS
BY ALISON ALEXANDER, BROCKWELL COMMUNITY GREENHOUSES For gardeners, May is the height of optimism and expectation, yet excitement this year is tinged with apprehension. I am perennially amazed to see plants appear from the tiny specks of seed we’ve sown at the Greenhouses. As we nurture them, I’m impatient to know what the season will bring. Will there be sun and (preferably!) overnight rain for plentiful crops? Which will be the tastiest varieties? This year a bigger question casts a shadow over these small joys: what will become of Lambeth’s parks in the years to come?
The already squeezed Parks budget is expected to be cut dramatically, with some parks facing a possible 50 per cent cut. I am leaving the Greenhouses after three years enjoying the wonderment on visitors’ and volunteers’ faces as they revel in being surrounded by the green stuff. Whether they are learning about nature or seeing where their food comes from or just enjoying basking in the sun, the pleasure is plain to see. Now I wonder what the future holds.
May 2015
Will colleagues in the wider park still have jobs next time I come to visit? Will all the good work put into the restoration of Brockwell Park be maintained? At Streatham Rookery enthusiastic local people have banded together to take on the running of their park. They’ve raised money for staff salaries and residents are donating time to support them. I’ve worked with a terrifically talented group of volunteers over the past year to redesign the White Garden and parts of the Old English garden – completing in early summer, so do visit to see the results. Will more groups spring up like this? Will existing organisations extend their work to make sure inner city children still have access to nature and gardening? Will sufficient funds be available from the generous organisations already supporting these charitable groups when more of us are competing to receive it? www.brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk Email: garden@brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk Twitter: @GardenBrockwell
>>>join the tribe move more with frankie holah Last month I wrote a piece titled ‘Reclaim your Body’ – the message? To live healthfully and not chase the next fad or trend, to celebrate in your uniqueness whatever your shape or size, and to train and eat well, not because you hate your body but because you LOVE your body! This is something I feel very strongly about when it comes to female fitness and health; with so many mixed messages, unrealistic images in the media and weight loss pills flying about, so many people I speak to, simply feel lost in it all! As I am writing this, there is a report on the radio about a young girl who tragically died from taking too many diet pills. This upsets and angers me… Firstly, because people are creating these toxic & dangerous pills to sell and, secondly, because a young girl has become so insecure about her body at a young age that she felt she
had to take extreme measures which cost her, her life. Something needs to change and I want to effect positive change as directly as possible in the hope that it can make a difference to the way that women see and train their bodies… So, as I head into chapter two of my freelance PT life, I am excited to launch Frankie Holah’s Bootcamp. From the beginning of May in south London, you will be able to attend female-only sessions based around using your own bodyweight to help improve your fitness and health… Whatever your shape, size or fitness level, come and join the tribe, get empowered and reclaim your body!! Locations will include Brixton and Clapham with morning and evening sessions available – If you would like to come along, please register your interest by emailing frankie@frankieholah.com and keep an eye on my social media @frankieholah for confirmed days and times!!
Future Brixton May Update Granville Market – A new community market for Brixton The popular Brixton Night Market will have a new home on the corner of Coldharbour Lane and Somerleyton Road, in the old car park next to Carlton Mansions. The market will be re-named Granville Market, in respect of Mr Granville-Grossman who built Granville Arcade in 1937 and will have an emphasis on food. A variety of other goods will be on sale to shine a light on the cultural mix of Brixton. The community market, run by Tina and her team, will be open every weekend from Saturday May 9. The market will
bring local traders, DJ’s, musicians and artists to this iconic part of Brixton. For more info visit Granville Market Space on Facebook.
Pop Brixton to host a special volunteer day on 16 May Pop Brixton is set to open to the public at the end of May, but if you want a first look and would like to get involved in this exciting project then come along to a special family volunteer event on Saturday 16 May. People are needed to help with the garden space, situated in the centre of the site. The idea is that anyone can volunteer their time in the Pop garden, enjoy meeting people and improving their gardening know-how. Overseeing all things ‘growing’ is Bruno from Urban Growth. For more information go to www.popbrixton.org
Planning applications submitted for Your New Town Hall After more than a year of design development, technical studies and consultation with Lambeth residents and businesses, Muse Development is very excited to have submitted two planning applications, on behalf of Lambeth Council, for the Your New Town Hall project. The planning applications, for ‘The Triangle’ and ‘Olive Morris House’ sites facing onto Brixton Hill, will ultimately mean Lambeth Council can reduce its core office buildings from 14 to 2, saving taxpayers at least £4.5m a year.
Now the planning applications have been submitted, there will be a period of statutory consultation undertaken by Lambeth Council’s planning department. It is anticipated that the applications will be considered by councillors on the planning committee this summer. To read more about the project go to www.futurebrixton.org To view the planning applications in full you can visit the http://planning.lambeth.gov.uk/onlineapplications/. Using the following references: Triangle Site Full Application (Ref: 15/02276/FUL), Olive Morris House Full Application (Ref: 15/02264/ FUL) and Listed Building Application for the Town Hall (Ref: 15/02263/LB)
Loughborough Junction Masterplan workshop on Wednesday May 13 from 7.009.00pm at Marcus Lipton Youth Hub, Minet Rd, SW9 7UH. Go to www.facebook.com/LJMasterplan for more information.
Feedback from the ‘Meet the Architect’s’ event at Six Brixton in April On Tuesday 14 April almost 100 people came to Six Brixton on Somerleyton Road to meet the architects responsible for designing the new buildings as part of the community-led development at Somerleyton Road including Brixton based architects, Zac Monroe. Representatives from each company were on hand to introduce themselves to the community and listen to their ideas for the street.
People were able to see examples of each architect’s work on previous projects as well as up to date designs for the overall Somerleyton Road masterplan. Lots of positive feedback was received along with many imaginative ideas. There is still time to tell us what you think about the design of the new dwellings at Somelryton Road. Answer our online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ SomerleytonHousing. Read more about the project www.futurebrixton.org
visit futurebrixton.org • follow @futurebrixton LBL BrixtonBugle May v4 PRINT.indd 1
28/04/2015 16:41
24 sport
www.brixtonblog.com
May 2015
Year of the TIGERS
Life at Lambeth Tigers’ football factory BY SANDRA BROBBEY When Jamahl Jarrett’s fledgling career as a Millwall player was cut short by a torn tendon in 2010, he was determined to ensure that football remained a daily part of his life. During that year Jarrett joined forces with his friend David Marriott to re-establish Lambeth Tigers, a South London football team founded on Brixton’s Loughborough Estate.
The club, which was originally setup by Christopher Butler in 1995, went into hiatus after Butler died of cancer in 2001. Over the past four years Lambeth Tigers has built up a solid reputation as the football academy for football academies. More than 70 of its school-aged players have gone on to join the youth sides of clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Millwall. This year the club, whose efforts have been championed by Crystal Palace star Jason Puncheon, celebrated two tournament wins in the London FA Youth Cup. Brixton Bugle caught up with Jarrett (aged 26) and Lambeth Tigers Development Leader Riccardo Smith, following their recent cup winning exploits.
Here they discuss the club’s progress and its battle to keep things running on a shoestring budget. “I got injured at 16 and it was a serious leg injury so I decided to do my coaching badges. I also wanted to mentor to young players coming up in the area I grew up in”, said Jarrett. “I grew up around the Loughborough and Angell Town Estates. I’ve seen it all, from drugs to gun crime. When there’s nothing for kids to do or hang onto, they will get attracted to people who portray themselves as a ‘family’ to them or offer to give them drugs. Some end up in gangs or on the brink of joining one. “Sometimes it can be difficult for young players who have to deal with what goes on locally, with gang crime and those kinds of things. At Lambeth Tigers we advise them, mentor them and support them. “Children who come to Lambeth Tigers know they have to be focused and performing at school in order to train and play. When we started out
Left: Lambeth Tigers players in action against Thamesmead Right: Jamahl Jarrett, Co-Founder of Lambeth Tigers FC
Silverfit heroine gears up for Ironman Lanzarote While she has been dubbed a ‘Living Legend’ by Remember a Charity Week and a ‘Mad Gran’ by her own grandson, Eddie Brocklesby is best known for being Britain’s oldest, competing triathlete. Eddie’s recent efforts to encourage Lambeth’s older residents keep fit led to the launch of Silver Tuesdays. These weekly exercise
sessions held in Brockwell Park are led by a charity Eddie founded. Next month, the London-based triathlete, who recently celebrated her 72nd birthday, will take part in Ironman Lanzarote. The gruelling, physically draining event includes a course of swimming, cycling and running with a climb of
Metalwork frances.plowden@virgin.net
www.francesplowden.org
over 2,551 metres. Brixton Bugle caught up with Eddie ahead of the event. Here she gives us the lowdown on Ironman Lanzarote and Silverfit. “My training was going great until I slipped over in the changing rooms after a swimming session.Because I hurt my knee I’m temporarily restricted to cycling long distances on my exercise bike in my home.May 23 is the big day for the event and I’m still on track for that. “I am a little bit anxious and it’s quite normal to feel a bit nervous about the event because of my age, and the fact
we only had one team. Today we have nine sides and 150 players. “We’re all about nurturing children who might one day become professional football players. We don’t want them to reach Saturday league or football academy level and end up being released straightaway. “In the last four and a half years we have had more than 70 players move into the academies of professional clubs in London and other parts of the country. “We’re expanding every year and want to become a hub that develops professional players for the English game. While top flight football is awash with money thanks to a whopping £5.14bn Premier League TV deal, many grassroots clubs are struggling with funding and poor quality training facilities. Is money a major concern for Lambeth Tigers? The biggest issue for us isn’t the money”, says Jarrett’s colleague Riccardo Smith. “It’s about having a dedicated facility like an 11-a-side 3G pitch that we can use for training. At the minute we are based in a park
(Myatt’s Fields Park) with a six-a-side pitch that is open to anyone. “We’ve tried to get funding from many different organisations and we’ve had no luck with that whatsoever. Our main focus is finding somewhere that we can call our own home”, Smith added. “We rely on our small pool of contacts who believe in what we are trying to do to help keep things going. We have a few good contacts who run small businesses and want to give back to the community. Because Lambeth Tigers works with a lot of disadvantaged young people they see us as a worthy project”.
that it’s Ironman Lanzarote.The main challenge might be wind on the day. “If you face the wind when you are doing the uphill slot of the race that can be quite tough. But then you just get on with it as best you can. My current training routine involves doing 17 hours’ worth of training every week, which involves running and core strength training which is essential for me, plus cycling and lots of swimming. “I try and fit this in around my working week and what I do with Silverfit. Everything had been building nicely since we launched, especially with our Pilates and Nordic walking. We start walking football at Brockwell Park in June and that will be good. The big issue for us is ensuring that we are growing steadily and having the funds to develop our plans. We do need to pay our instructors
and pay for other things such as accommodation for our Pilates sessions. So it’s important for us to make sure we have sufficient funding We have a growing number of people attending the sessions we run in Burgess Park so we know what we are doing is effective.” We had two of our Silverfit ladies feature on ITV’s This Morning in a segment called Grumpy Old Women. They had a good chat about their ‘grumps’ with a group of celebrity guests. “It was great fun and they were really pleased with it. “To get funding can sometimes be extremely challenging even though we are providing a really good service that helps people keep fit as they get older. The number of people who have contacted us since we launched Silverfit has grown steadily and we now reach more than 100 older people across London”.