Home secretary

the local line-up for your diary ―

By Holly O'Mahony

FoLkLore, tArot AnD mytH expLoreD

Do you believe in the power of tarot cards to look into the future? Illustrator Sophy Hollington and author David Keenan (This Is Memorial Device) certainly do. The pair have combined their skills to create their own 30-card, linocut tarot deck and instruction booklet. The deck is in keeping with tarot’s folkloric roots, and inspired by David’s novella To Run Wild In It, but reimagines the cultural phenomenon as a ‘glam-punk portal into the now’.

Curious? Hear the pair discuss their new deck in a talk at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD. November 24, 7pm - 8pm. Admission: £15.

www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/ lectures-talks/2022/november/sophy-hollingtondavid-keenan-in-conversation-folklore-tarotand-myth/

A coming oF Age story WitH A DiFFerence

In her autobiographical one-woman show Things I Can Laugh About Now, theatre maker Shakira Newton tells a coming of age story with a difference. In it, she explores what it means to grow up as part of “every minority under the sun” through humour, honesty and fine-tuned storytelling. With strong language and themes of suicide, mental health and domestic abuse explored, this show comes with a trigger warning and is suitable for those aged 14+.

Brixton House, 385 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8GL. November 1 - 11, 7:45pm - 8:45pm. Admission: £17+.

www.brixtonhouse.co.uk/shows/housematesreturn-things-i-can-laugh-about-now/

cArnivAL comes to Brixton

Who said the spirit of carnival belonged to summer? Or to Notting Hill for that matter? Brixton Winter Carnival returns to SW2 nightclub Electric Brixton, presented by BBC 1xtra DJs Shabba Party and Rampage Sound. Expect mega sound systems, live acts including grime artist D DOUBLE E, carnival dancers and plenty of feathery costumes – come wearing your own to fully embrace the spirit.

Electric Brixton, Town Hall Parade London SW2 1RJ. November 4, 11:30pm - 5am. Admission: £10.30. www.electricbrixton.uk.com/ events/brixton-winter-carnival-d-double-e-more/

 ©Chris Saunders

nAture versus nurture

Months after his new show For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy played at the Royal Court Theatre, rising theatremaker Ryan Calais Cameron’s touring show Human Nurture comes to Theatre Peckham. The urgent, moving play explores the different paths two best friends take when one is adopted from the care system and the other is left behind. Roger is black, Harry is white, but they share the same tastes in just about everything. When Roger is rehomed, the ‘brothers’ find themselves growing up at opposite ends of Britain’s social spectrum. How different will this make them? A reunion years later is a chance for them – and us – to find out. An exploration of race, class, allyship and male vulnerability.

Theatre Peckham, 221 Havil Street, London SE5 7SB. November 3 - 5, 2:30pm & 7:30pm. Admission: £6 - £15. www.theatrepeckham.co.uk/

tomorroW’s tALent

See the stars of tomorrow perform today as The Level-Up Project takes over Pop Brixton. Singers, rappers, poets, dancers and musicians aged 5-18 will be taking to the stage, performing works they’ve been perfecting over the last six weeks as part of a training programme. Turn up and show your support for south-west London’s emerging talent.

Pop Brixton, 49 Brixton Station Road, London SW9 8PQ. October 29, 1:30pm - 4:30pm. Admission: FREE. www.popbrixton.org/event/level-up-live

tHe rest is History - Live!

If you’ve been completely enthralled listening to historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook raise the dead in their hit podcast The Rest is History, then take this opportunity to see them interrogate the past in the flesh as they record an episode live at Clapham Grand. On the agenda is the nature of ‘greatness’ itself, why the west no longer has civil wars and whether Richard Nixon was more of a Caligula or a Claudius.

The Clapham Grand, 21 - 25 St John's Hill, London SW11 1TT. November 13, 1:30pm. Admission: £33.80. www.claphamgrand.com/

Welcome to Brixton Dreamland

BRIXTON BID

Follow Brixi, Bowie and Pumpkin on their Electric Adventures through Brixton Dreamland this year. The mischievous foxes have fallen through a portal and landed in a dreamscape where apples are as large as cars, flower clouds float through Brixton Village and the elves workshop has lots of gifts filling up the tables.

Filled with magical moments for the whole family to enjoy, head to Brixton to find the perfect festive gifts, enjoy delicious meals with family and friends as well as live performances. And make sure to visit the eye-catching Winter Windows at local architects firm Squire and Partners, who work with school children to create fantastical window displays launching in November.

This festive season head down to Brixton House Theatre, where you can join Alice on a new adventure designed by multi-award-winning company Poltergeist. Weaving rap music together with the sights and sounds of Brixton into a hundred-mile-an-hour Christmas adventure, directed by Jack Bradfield this December.

Search for the perfect gifts at Morleys Department Store, Diverse and in our markets. Taste delicious global cuisines along Coldharbour and Atlantic Road, or head for drinks at Pop, Three Eight Four, Satay Bar, The White Horse, and many more! While your in town, why not catch a gig at Hootananny, Electric Brixton and POW, you can even be immersed in the world of cabaret at The Courtesan.

Whatever you are looking for, Brixton is waiting for you. Stay up to date with events this season by following @brixtonbid.

Image Credits:

Main: Foxes from Brixton BID’s Electric Adventure illustrated by Jellyfish Pictures;

Bottom left: Image Designed by Guy J Sanders, Illustrated by Israel Kujore;

Bottom right: photograph by Gareth Gardner.