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April 2018 www.weekender.co.uk

inside:

Underbelly festival back in town Page 4

Field Day moves to Herne Hill

Page 6

Easter holiday family fun

Pages 25-27

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Cinema ● Theatre ● Comedy ● Arts ● Music ● Food & Drink

WEEKENDER southwark

April 2018 www.weekender.co.uk

Welcome to the jungle!

New rainforest adventure at Aquarium

2 April 2018

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Pick of the

Month

Get mindful, Vaulty Towers, and London’s first Prosecco bar

By Laura Burgoine

25TH MELTDOWN Tickets to Robert Smith’s Meltdown are already going like hotcakes. For the festival’s 25th anniversary year, the lead singer, guitarist, lyricist and songwriter of the Cure curates a who’s who of some of the most influential artists of the last 40 years of alternative popular music, including the Psychedelic Furs, the Church, Placebo, the Libertines, Manic Street Preachers, Nine Inch Nails, My Bloody Valentine, and many more. Meltdown is at the Southbank Centre from 15–24 June.

Keeping it local

T

HE WEEKENDER is an independent newspaper, covering Lambeth, Southwark and Greenwich.

We cover all things arts, entertainment, culture and news.

The Weekender is owned and run

by Chris Mullany (left) and Kevin Quinn, who also publish London's only independent paid-for paper, the Southwark News.

A dedicated team work tirelessly to cover as much of what is going on as possible and strive to ensure that a community-led, independent newspaper can survive and excel in a market dominated by national and multinational media groups.

If you have a story, please get in touch.

The Weekender is published by Southwark Newspaper Ltd - an independent newspaper publisher, based in Bermondsey, south London.

Managing Directors: Chris Mullany & Kevin Quinn

GLASS HALF FULL For a grown-up Easter treat, you can’t beat Il Gusto’s premium liqueurs and spirits, artisan vinegars and oils. Decanted into the bottle shape and size of your choice, all products bear a personalised message.

Easter Bunny with Chocolate Cream liqueur (created from a traditional Italian recipe): £12.40 for 200ml.

Chocolate Cream with Old Calvados in a 2-in-1 eggshaped bottles: £37.25 for 500ml. Order at: www.ilgusto.uk.com

Group Editor: Anthony Phillips Editor: Laura Burgoine Reporters: Michael Holland; Chiara Giordano; Nicky Sweetland Advertising Manager: Tammy Jukes Advertising Team: Nancy Simpson; Michelle Garratt; Catherine Dillon; Katie Boyd

SOUTH LONDON, SO HOT RIGHT NOW During the last TimeOut Love London Awards, north London dominated the votes – and this must be remedied! The big celebration of small businesses returns with votes open from March 6-April 10, across 13 categories, including: the most loved local restaurant, bar or pub, LGBTQ hangout, cultural spot and others. Voted for entirely by Londoners, the winners will be revealed on 2 May. Cast your votes, and put Southwark and Lambeth on the map: timeout.com/lovelondon

Design Manager: Dan Martin Design Team: Ann Gravesen; Gravesen Takako Laird Published every month at: Unit A302, Tower Bridge Business Complex, Clement’s Road, SE16 4DG. Printed by Newbury News Ltd. News:

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BACHARACH’S BACK

GETTING HYGGE WITH IT A new independent coffee lounge and event space has opened in Brixton. Created with the Chartwell Cancer Trust, House of Hygge is a destination dedicated to the Scandi art of slowing down. There’s free wifi, great coffee, beverages, and snacks, as well as yoga and wellbeing events. The charity café directly supports and funds the Chartwell Cancer Trust, and is currently raising funds to cover the full cost of the Virtual Conferencing System linking Kings College, Guy’s, St Thomas’s and The Princess Royal University Hospitals for the oncology teams.

41 Acre Lane, Brixton, SW2 5TN. Phone: 0207 274 2374. www.hohlondon.com

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The legendary Burt Bacharach is performing live with a full symphonic orchestra at Royal Festival Hall.

In his first London performance in two years, the musician is bringing to life some of his most iconic hits, including Alfie, Anyone Who Had A Heart, The Look Of Love, That’s What Friends Are For, and I Say A Little Prayer.

July 6 and 7 at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX. Tickets: £40-£100. www.ticketmaster.co.uk

April 2018 3

SPOTLIGHT

By Laura Burgoine

From mop ballet to cabaret - Underbelly keeps on growing Underbelly Festival is back for its tenth year on the Southbank with cutting edge stand-up, circus, cabaret, variety, and mop ballet, writes Laura Burgoine...

Festival programmer Matt Keeler runs the Weekender through this year’s antics.

Underbelly is such a key fixture on the London calendar now. How do you keep making it bigger and better each year?

We are beyond excited to be returning to the Southbank for what will be our tenth year of shows and sunshine! What’s amazing for us is that as we’ve grown every year so too has our fantastic programme of shows.

The key to this success is always asking ourselves how we can offer our audiences more. And the most fundamental way we can do that is by ensuring that we bring together a programme of the very best of acts from every genre.

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From Comedy to cabaret, from circus to burlesque, from music to dance, from immersive club nights to shows for the whole family, and every combination of these genres you can possibly imagine – we find something for everyone.

Can you list some highlights/ must-sees for this year’s Underbelly?

This year our programme is packed full of returning Underbelly Festival legends alongside hotnew talents who are setting the London, national and international performance circuits alight. Don’t miss Ruby Wax, Stephen K Amos, Nina Conti, Sara Pascoe or if you are looking for more of a mixture, we have the Comedy Store taking residency and bringing us the best of the circuit. As ever we are bringing the best cabaret and burlesque shows, with House of Burlesque at the festival again for late night partying, as well as Frisky & Mannish making their glorious return to performing

together. I could keep going and going - this is just a few examples from over 130 shows at the festival this year.

Best shows for kids? Best shows for comedy-lovers?

Circus shows to look out for?

Kids and Family shows have always been a big part of our offering. Whether it’s the stage adaptation of the monster hit book Aliens Love Underpants. You child more in a partying mood? We’ve got Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall. Fancy some stand-up comedy but can’t get a babysitter?

Try Screaming With Laughter, the original daytime comedy club where your baby can come too.

There’s Shows for kids of all ages and all interests and from all over the world.

I’ve already mentioned some of our great comedy acts but here’s some more: James Acaster, Katy Brand, Josie Long, Ed Gamble, Limmy.

The list goes on.

This year marks 250 years since the birth of Circus at Astley’s in Waterloo.

Underbelly has played a big role in the revival of circus.

What’s exciting about this year’s circus acts?

During our time on the Southbank, Circus has played an increasingly large role in our festival offering. This year, what’s especially exciting for us is that we are presenting four different circus shows from four different continents. In this very special anniversary year we are so thrilled to present circus companies that show the entire breadth of the art form. From Circus Abyssinia, fresh from a mind-blowing Royal Variety performance, who kickoff Underbelly Festival in style with their high-flying antics, to Australia’s Circa who use no apparatus but push the human body to its absolute limits, all the way though to Circolumbia from South America who use very traditional apparatus in

very inventive ways. SOAP from Germany use apparatus too – but it’s far from traditional. They use bathtubs filled with water and believe me, it’s one not to miss.

Underbelly Festival favourites Black Cat Cabaret will be returning this year also and weaving their show with circus flare. As at Astley’s all those years ago, we are continuing to push the boundaries of what circus is and what circus can be.

We’re so proud that we can present these large and high profile circus groups, who without our support and partnership, would not be able to tour internationally and be seen by a London audience at such an affordable price point, in such an exciting location on the doorstep of where circus was born.

Underbelly is at the Belvedere Road Coach Park, SE1 8XX, from April 6-September 30.

Phone: 0844 545 8252. www.underbelly.co.uk

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April 2018 5

MUSIC

By Laura Burgoine

Field Day moving to Brockwell Park F

ield Day has a new home this summer at Brockwell Park. One of the UK’s leading festivals, it continues to bring boundarypushing music to the masses; during its 11 years at Victoria Park the festival saw Aphex Twin, PJ Harvey, Caribou, Skepta, Patti Smith and the Pixies grace its stages.

This summer is no exception.

Field Day co-founder Marcus

Weedon said the team is delighted to be moving south of the river. “We look forward to working with Lambeth Council, residents, local businesses and stakeholder groups to ensure the event in Brockwell Park is a huge success and lay the foundation for what we hope is our home for many years to come.”

South London jazz group Ezra Collective are playing at this year’s event.

Drummer and band leader Femi

Koleoso talks to the Weekender.

music. Can’t wait.

Where are you guys from?

So myself and TJ are from Enfield, North London, Dylan and James are from South East London and Joe is from Oxford.

How would you describe your sound? You’ve got Jazz, hip hop, and afrobeat; who are your musical influences?

Just a cocktail of all the things we love. Much like London, a mixture of everything Musical influences range from Sun Ra to Skepta, Fela Kuti to Freddie Hubbard and everything in between.

You’ve got an EP out, been

What will you be performing for Field Day? We’re going to be squeezing every single banger possible in the time we have. It’s going to be straight AfroJazz dance

touring, playing at Ronnie Scotts –what’s up next for the band?

Just to stay together, stay happy and continue to learn together.

If we can get those things right, the albums, singles, tours and festivals will follow.

Field Day is on June 1and 2 at Brockwell Park, Norwood Road, SE24 9BJ. Tickets on sale now: £50.45-90.95. fielddayfestivals.com

First ever Brixton Disco Festival

G

et your skates on; the spirit of Studio 54 is set to explode in Brixton. The inaugural Brixton Disco Festival is launching with an all-dayand-night celebration of 40 years of disco.

With live acts and DJs at Electric Brixton, a rooftop party at local hotspot POW, a Windrush Square Roller Disco, documentary screening at the Ritzy Cinema, record fair and more, it promises to be the ultimate celebration of all things disco.

Songstress Jocelyn Brown joins

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headliner Joey Negro, Studio 54 DJ Nicky Siano, Low Life, and Crazy P Soundsystem at the extravaganza.

The Love’s Gonna Get You singer tells festival goers they should be ready to “have a great time and rejoice at the fact Brixton is still here!”

She’s looking forward to performing with the headline act. “We don’t get a chance to hang out but Joey Negro and myself have worked in the studio together,” she said.

The American born performer has been living in London since

the ‘90s, and says both the US and the UK share a love for RnB, soul, jazz and funk.

“Britain’s appreciation for this music is fantastic, well appreciated by those of us that have been pioneers of our music,” she said. “Brixton takes the combination of Caribbean and soul to the true heights upon which it’s supposed to.”

Jocelyn’s personal disco and ‘70s favourites include Earth Wind and Fire, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, Donna Summer, James Brown, Ashford and Simpson. “There is a

longer list than just this,” she joked.

But the songs that sum up disco, guaranteed to get the performer dancing are: “the September song

by Earth Wind and Fire, Love to Love You Baby by Donna Summer, and James Brown’s Get Up.” The Brixton Disco Festival is on Saturday 28 April from 2pm - 4am. Admission: £35

+£3.50 (90 percent of tickets are already sold). For more info visit: brixtondiscofestival.com

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Brixton Buzz

Sunday 1st Apr, SE17

Gig guide

Fuzzwalker at The Joiners Arms

Rhythm Section Bank Holiday at Corsica Studios 5 Farrell Court, Elephant & Castle, SE17 1LB, 9pm-6am, £15 There’s two rooms, four decks, two rotary mixers, two red neon lights and a crateload of fresh vinyl coming up for this Bank Holiday special featuring Dan Kye, Neue Grafik, Bradley Zero and more.

Sat

35 Denmark Hill, Camberwell, SE5 8RS, 8pm-1am, Free

14th April

Sunday 1st Apr, SW9

TDO x POP at Pop Brixton 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ, 3pmmidnight, Free The Doctor’s Orders crew are throwing an Easter bank holiday nine hour party in the opinion-dividing Pop Brixton venue.

Resident DJs will be joined by guests Kidkanevil and Mr Play, rummaging through craft beer-spilling sets of HipHop, Soul, Disco and Garage.

Forced Fun at Four Quarters 187 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4TP, 9pm1am, Free An evening of ‘nightcore club donk bass’ awaits at this friendly, retro arcade game-laden bar. Platter rotators include Chema Diaz, Evil Daddy and DJ Animebby.

Hip Hop Zoo at Fu Manchu 15 Lendal Terrace, Clapham, SW4 7UX, 9pm-3am, £tbc Promising “a feast of Hip Hop & Classics, immersive activities, performances, ring masters & special guests,” Hip Hop Zoo looks to provide an “electrifying burlesque ambience and an untamed atmosphere.” Anyone curious to see what “Hip Hop crossed with a Zoo” looks like is invited to scurry over Clapham-way and get feral.

Soul Hi-Fi at White Horse 94 Brixton Hill, Brixton, SW2 1QN, 6pm10.30pm, Free Kick back after a hard weekend’s partying with a selection of soulful vinylbased Motown, funk and reggae.

Saturday 14th Apr, SW16

Shakatak at Hideaway 2 Empire Mews, Streatham, SW16 2BF, 9pm, £18

Monday 2nd Apr, SE5

Open Mic at The Junction 171 Coldharbour Lane, SE5 9PA, 8pm11pm, Free Now offering live music every night of the week, the Junction is a great addition to a pub-starved neighbourhood. On Mondays there’s a splendidly laid back open mic night, where folks are invited to strut on stage and see if their talent impresses or depresses.

Wednesday 4th Apr, SW2

Errol Linton at Effra Hall Tavern Kellett Road, Brixton, SW2 1EB, 9pm11.30pm, Free

We love a band with a bold mission statement, and Fuzzwalker don’t disappoint, being created from a “united, insatiable desire to create something bigger than anything comparable, past or present.” If that wasn’t enough, support act Deadbeat Delta claim to be the originators of ‘loft rock’; a genre created in an attic and honed in a converted cow shed in rural Hampshire. TwoBob’s indie disco plays all night in this excellent boozer with drinks deals and “a fairly steady pool table.”

Mambista kicks off with an all-comers Salsa dance class from 7pm - 8pm, followed by London-based band Alvorada, playing lively Brazilian Choro music originating from Rio de Janeiro.

Keeping things moving is DJ Gerry Lyseight who’ll be spinning Latin, African and Jazz.

Friday 6th Apr, SE15

One of the few traditional pubs left around a depressingly gentrified Brixton, this locals’ boozer has regular live music nights throughout the week. On Wednesday, harmonica wizard Errol Linton mashes up rural roots, ska and blues in front of an appreciative crowd.

Thursday 5th Apr, SE27

Crisis Benefit at The Railway Tavern 7 Station Rise, Tulse Hill, SE27 9BW, 7pm11pm, £4/£8 Singer/songwriters and poets/spoken word artists take to the stage in this Tulse Hill pub in support of the Crisis homeless charity. Taking place in the venue’s sizeable back room, there’s urban photography on display, plus a full bill of entertainment all night. It’s all for a worthy cause and the staff are lovely here too!

Mambista at Portico Gallery 23A Knight’s Hill, West Norwood, SE27 0HS, 7pm-midnight, £10

Disco In The House at The Bussey Building 133 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4ST, 10pm5am, £9 Memory Box returns to room 1 at the Bussey Building to pay homage to the era of glitter balls, stack heels, star shaped sunglasses and all things D-IS-C-O. Expect the full range of disco sounds from today’s modern trippy disco twisters to disco’s heyday with tunes from Giorgio Moroder, Hamilton Bohannon, Donna Summer and Chic.

88 Landor Road, SW9 9PE, 6pm-1am, £5 Come We Grow marks a creative approach to environmentalism, with musicians, MCs, performers and activists coming together for a night of Gong and Therapeutic percussion, belly dancing lessons and DJs playing disco to deep, tech and jackin house, garage and techno. Styled like a mix of hippy commune and Glastonbury 1980s dance tent, Cafe Cairo is a million miles from the lad-choked, hipster-braying bars opening up around town and is all the better for it. A real hidden gem.

Saturday 7th Apr, SW9

Britpop to Beyonce at the Dogstar 389 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LQ, 10pm-4am, £5

Friday 6th Apr, SW2

Brixton Surf City at Effra Social 89 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-1am, Free His quiff shakes faster than a fidget spinner in a hurricane as DJ Frank Jones and his partner in arms Big Bad Bal set the old-school rockabilly, punk and new wave tunes spinning without the assistance of shiny indestructible CDs or anything with a USB port attached - it’s nowt but glorious vinyl all night.

The Shipping Forecast at The Old Dispensary 325 Camberwell New Road, Camberwell, SE5 0TF, 8pm, Free A night of electronica, house and techno in this splendid, no-nonsense Camberwell boozer.

Saturday 7th Apr, SW9

Saturday 7th Apr, SW9

Saturday 7th Apr, SE5

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69-73 Atlantic Road, Brixton, SW9 8PU, 9pm-11.30pm, Free The extraordinary Vicky Butterfly returns to Courtesan promising “poetic and retro-futuristic performances evoking influences from the Pre-Raphaelites and French literature to Surrealism and more.” Expect a night of cocktails, candlelit performance and smooth grooves.

Sunday 8th Apr, SW2

No Frills Sunday Session at The Windmill 22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton SW2 5BZ, 7pm, Free Hosted by Brixton’s No Frills Band, this jaunty, round-the-table drinking, strumming and singing session invites musicians of all abilities to join in with new and traditional songs. Like a musical Whicker’s World without the airfare, pat downs and unexpected probes, expect to hear an earful of sounds from around the globe.

Wednesday 11th Apr, SW4

Brixton’s famous Offline Club brings the noise to the upstairs ballroom at the Dogstar, throwing down a swaggering, sweaty, fun packed mix of fist-in-the air party bangers. Now one of the biggest nights in this legendary Brixton venue, expect your nether regions to vacillate wildly to a sonic feast of dance monsters, cheeky pop thumpers, drum’n’bass floorshakers and bootyquivering anthems, with Dolly and Cyndi guaranteed.

Come We Grow at Cafe Cairo

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Thursday 12th Apr, SE15

Friday 13th Apr, SW4

Sunday 1st Apr, SW2

Friday Apr 6th, SE27

front of a friendly crowd at this regular open mic night. All musicians and spoken word artists welcome, but don’t be surprised if your love song to Maggie Thatcher gets a chilly response.

Open Mic at Bread & Roses 68 Clapham Manor Street, SW4 6DZ, 8pm11pm, Free Owned by the Battersea and Wandsworth Trades Union Council, this is a great place for Tory-free boozing and socialising. Test out your talents in

With a career spanning more than three decades and a back catalogue packed with groove classics including ‘Night Birds’ and ‘Down On The Street’, Shakatak are still getting floors moving with their infectious jazz funk and rare groove shuffles.

Saturday 14th Apr, SW2

Dojo at Hootananny 95 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-3am, £7 An international collective of jazz and reggae musicians, Dojo look to celebrate the rich heritage of African, European, and American music. British roots reggae masters Royal Sounds will be promoting their debut album “Burning Inspiration,” with sultry neo-soul singer Bahia and dub roots reggae act Numesa bringing up the support. Fruit Palace DJs keep t’ings moving, playing good times reggae, hip hop, bass and jungle.

Sunday 15th Apr, SW9

Grass Roots Live Music at Club 414 414 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LF, 10pm-3am, Free/donations Hosted by UB40 trumpet-player Patrick Anthony, backed by a talented house band, you can expect a night of uplifting blues, reggae and ska in front of a busy,

Dojo at Hootananny

Burlesque Cabaret at Courtesan

BrixtonBuzz.COM April 2018 9

old school mixed Brixton crowd. It’s open till late and a big hit with locals.

Sunday 15th Apr, SW9

Joe Goddard at Phonox 418 Brixton Rd, Brixton, SW9 7AY, 4pm10pm, £15 Following the release of his second solo LP in April, Hot Chip and 2 Bears synthwizard Joe Goddard is shimmying back into the Phonox. Bridging the indie and dance spheres and bagging a Grammy nomination for his The Chemical Brothers ‘Wide Open’ remix, Joe knows how to get the leather burning on the dancefloor.

Brixton Buzz

Gig guide

Brixton Disco Festival at Electric Brixton

Sat

28th April

Town Hall Parade, Brixton, SW2 1RJ, 8pm-4am, £18

Wednesday 18th Apr, SW9

Good To Go at JAMM 261 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 6LH, 7pmmidnight, £10 Hip hop/rap gang Good To Go bring Ambush, Berna and Baseman to Jamm to perform their biggest songs with Selecta Suave on the decks and proceedings hosted by Radar Radio’s Monikah Lee.

Friday 20th Apr, SW2

House Night at Gremio de Brixton St. Matthew’s Church, Effra Road, SW2 1JF, 9pm, Free Unspecified DJs accompanied by a real, living saxophonist spin Housey /Latin House music in this tapas restaurant/ bar lurking in the crypt of St Matthew’s Church, a short saunter from the centre of Brixton.

Pop Party at Upstairs at Market House 443 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LN, 10pm-3am, £5 There’s going to be another jam-packed night upstairs at the Market House as DJ Editor and Jizzy Rascal pump out their trademark category-catapulting selections of dance zingers and pop tunes to keep the floor bouncing like an extra-springy Slinky on roller skates.

Hyde Park Brass at Blues Kitchen 40 Acre Lane, Brixton, SW2 5SP, 9pm-2am, £7 All-parpin’ big brass party starters Hyde Park Brass head to Brixton to bang out a set of soul and funk covers, from Chaka Khan to Michael Jackson to big brassy bottom shunters. They’re on at 10.30pm followed by house band, The Atlantic Soul Orchestra throwing down the best of Stax and Atlantic Soul with DJ Eli spinning vintage dance tunes betwixt the bands.

Friday 27th Apr, SE1

Last Night In Paris at Omeara 6 O’Meara Street, SE1 1TE, 7.30pm, £10

Centred around Windrush Square and celebrating over 40 years of Disco, this one day festival serves up live music, DJs, screenings, talks, food and drink with the Electric Brixton, POW Rooftop & Club, The Ritzy Picturehouse & The Black Cultural Archives all taking part, with a Roller Disco in Windrush Square. The event is headlined by a night at the Electric Brixton, with a full live band performance from disco diva Jocelyn Brown, plus another ‘special guest headliner.’ DJs include the Crazy P Soundsystem, Nick The Record and Deep Into Soul.

Friday 20th Apr, SE11

DJ night at the Brown Derby 336 Kennington Park Road, Oval SE11 4PP, 9pm-midnight, Free Taking its name and style cues from a chain of LA diners from the 1920s, the Brown Derby is a welcoming retro bar right next to Oval tube station with DJs spinning selections of ska, northern soul and rock and roll.

Saturday 21st Apr, SE11

Duckie at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY, 9pm-2am, £6 Taking to the stage at one of the most provocative and fun cabaret nights in London is

Glaswegian writer and poet, Derek McCluckie and performance artist Lasana Shabazz, backed by the Readers’ Wives DJs on the ones and twos.

Saturday 21st Apr, SW11

Saturdays at the Clapham Grand 21-25 St John’s Hill, Clapham, SW11 1TT, 10pm-3am, £10 Get ready to sweep, strut and sashay in the direction of the dancefloor and bust out your finest twerking hip-thrusts to an uncomplicated amalgam of crowdpleasing party classics, with house DJs spinning Hip-Hop to House, Disco to R&B.

Sunday 22nd Apr, SW2

Sunday Jam at the Hand In Hand 61 New Park Road, Streatham Hill, SW2 4LA, 7.30pm, Free Great new regular jam session hosted by local musician Ese sees some great musicians take to the stage in this affordable venue.

Sunday 22nd Apr, SW4

Tech Brazilian Party at Gigalum 8 Cavendish Road, Clapham Common, SW4 9DW, 4pm-midnight, Free No less than eight hours of house and tech house music is in store at this lively bar by the Common.

DJs include R&K, Fabio Luigi, MagJack Flaviano and MassiveFlow.

Tuesday 24th Apr, SW9

Duckie at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern

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Friday 27th Apr, SW9

Friday 27th Apr, SW2

Wednesday 18th Apr, SE15

Karaoke at Canavan’s Peckham Pool Club 188 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4NF, 9pm, Free We’re not usually fans of hearing drunk people destroy much loved songs, but Canavan’s is such a fabulously unpretentious Peckham late night watering hole that we’d be prepared to give it a go. We’d have to go for the 5 shots for £13 offer before taking to the mic, mind.

Reflective indie-bedroom melancholia from headliner Ellie Bleach, with support from Sheffield’s sequencing space disco purveyors Circa 2000 and moody Floydesque WAIST.

Live Jazz at the Cable Bar & Café 8 Brixton Rd, Oval, SW9 6BU, 8pm, Free We’re not exactly sure what band will be filling the stage at this intimate cafe/bar by the Oval, but we’re sure the jazzy sounds are going to be skillfully dispensed in ample qualities. Grab yourself a beer

and enjoy the good vibes.

Wednesday 25th Apr, SW9

Wicked Wednesdays at Club 414 414 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LF, 10pm-3am, Free This new weekly Wednesday night jam session has proved hugely popular with the Brixton late night crowd, packing out the legendary 414 Club with a friendly and diverse crowd. Hosted by Aurora Dawn (Alabama 3) and Laura Ibáñez (Brixton Gypsy Jam), the band serves up a mix of jazz, soul, reggae, folk, Afrobeat, funk and dance. It’s very much a locals affair, with many familiar faces on the stage and in the crowd. Get involved!

Thursday 26th Apr, SW9

Laid Bare at Upstairs at the Ritzy Brixton Oval, Brixton, SW2 1JG, 7.30pm, Free A live music night curated by Rami Radi presenting musicians, singers and rappers from wonderful sunny south London.

Thursday 26th Apr, SE24

Ellie Bleach at Off The Cuff 301-303 Railton Road, Herne Hill, SE24 0JN, 8pm-11pm, Free

This self-contained UK DIY hip-hop/ R’n’B collective assign fluid roles where anyone can sing, rap, write, produce or create visuals, with the Guardian noting that they’ve been “called the UK’s answer to Odd Future (but only in a good way).”

Saturday 28th Apr, SW16

Polar Bears Can Dance at Pratts & Payne 103 Streatham High Road, SW16 1HJ, 9pm-2am, Free DJs every Saturday night, serving up soul, disco, funk and reggae.

Sunday 29th Apr, SE27

Out Of The Wood at Book & Record Exchange 20 Norwood High St, SE27 9NR, 2pm-6pm, Free In celebration of the 100th Out of the Wood show from a lovely bunch of music obsessives, The Book and Record Bar will be hosting a spectacular two record back-to-back mash-up extravaganza from 2pm. Free entry, fully licensed bar and a pumping sound system.

Monday 30th Apr, SW9,

Open Mic at Queens Head 144 Stockwell Rd, SW9 9TQ, 8-10pm, Free The Queens Head is no longer the dark and nefarious drugpit that spawned some of London’s most exciting new bands - the Fat White Family and Shame - but it’s growing into a worthy alternative independent boozer. They certainly know how to look after acts on their Open Mic nights, promising a £10 meal and free drink, while punters can enjoy ale and cider at just £3 all night.

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MUSIC

On the record A

new book traces the history of the UK’s record shops, including Peckham’s longheld place as London’s reggae hotspot. Journalist and self-proclaimed ‘music obsessive’ Garth Cartwright started researching his book,

Going for a Song: a Chronicle of the UK Record Shop, in 2009, writes Katherine Johnston...

“When the financial crash saw big high street music retailers go bust, it seemed like the end of the record shop era,” Garth told the Weekender. “The book is a story of how music got sold and how certain key shops came to define music throughout the 20th Century.”

“And now, with the vinyl revival, new record shops are opening in places like Peckham, which has long been a centre for reggae records from the Caribbean that you can’t get anywhere else.”

Garth has not been able to find a definitive ‘first’ record shop in Southwark but has collected record sleeves from as early as the 1920s from resident record traders. Throughout the early 1900s, he explained, many records were sold in shops retailing other goods, like bicycle shops or electrical stores, and in the gramophone sections of department stores, like Rye Lane’s Jones and Higgins.

In Southwark, the famous A1 Records on Walworth Road, opened in the 1920s and continued

trading until the mid-1990s.

A1 was a lamp shop with the record bar tucked out back – older Southwark residents still recall how A1 had a record stall at East Street Market every Saturday.

Garth said: “John Peel would catch the train from Victoria to Peckham every week to buy records to play on his Radio 1 show. This demonstrates just how influential a small, independent record shop could be when it was run by people who knew what they were doing.”

“New releases from Jamaica would land at Heathrow on Friday ready to be sold on Saturday morning – a tradition still kept alive by Rat Records in Camberwell who continue to put out their new tunes on Saturdays. The DJ would play the new records and people would stick their hands up and shout with joy if they wanted to buy it.”

One of the most successful shops to come from Peckham was Dub Vendor, set up by duo John MacGillivray and Chris Lane in 1980.

Mr Cartwright said: “Chris Lane, who is still based in Southwark in Bermondsey, told me how their Peckham shop moved to Ladbroke Grove after being broken into and having all its equipment stolen.

“Dub Vendor went on to be the world’s foremost reggae shop and their in-house label Fashion

Records launched many careers, including Smiley Culture who had hits with ‘Cockney Translation’ and ‘Police Officer’”.

Nowadays Camberwell’s Rat Records has a queue half way round the street every Saturday while in Peckham places like Rye Wax, Lorenzo’s Record Shack and Maestro are all bringing vinyl back.

dbk dasjkh ashk sajksahds

“What I didn’t know when I started writing it, was that the story of the UK’s, and Southwark’s record stores, would have a happy ending,” Garth said.

Going For A Song: A Chronicle of the UK Record Shop is published by Flood Gallery Press on March 22.

Sounds like spring

Now in its 27th year, the Ministry of Sound is gearing up for spring, writes Laura Burgoine...

AWOL is playing Easter Sunday (April 1), and the rest of the month sees the Gallery host four events including Tritonal presents 10 Years of Enhanced Music, Hernan Cattaneo and Nick Warren, R3hab and Markus Schulz, while Bugged Out! returns with Julio Bashmore, polysexual night Glitterbox returns with Purple Disco Machine and Together presents Dillon Francis on the 7th as well as Tom Zanetti, who headlines for a Sleepin is Cheatin show on the 21st.

Glitterbox, Hannah Wants, Back to 95, Dillon Francis, and AWOL are all selling out so get in quick.

Tickets: club.ministryofsound. com/listings/

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April 2018 13

Theatre

By Michael Holland

Twenty years on from one of America’s biggest political scandals A

This new production delves into one of America’s biggest political scandals, involving Lewinsky and President Clinton, with the five main female protagonists (The First Lady, a secretary, a daughter, a confident, an intern) battling it out on stage with their own versions of what happened.

Joshua McTaggart, Artistic Director at the Bunker, spoke to the Weekender, explaining why, twenty years after the event, this new play is premiering here and not the US. “The writer is a huge fan of British theatre and we have had many a discussion about how British audiences are more excited by political thrillers on stage than American audiences. Also, in New

York, it can take a long time to get a play programmed, whereas in London we take more risks on new work,” Joshua said.

I wanted to know why Joshua brought it to The Bunker. “I have spent a lot of my adult life in the US and always been fascinated

by its history; the Clinton administration is held by many in such high esteem, but this play forces us to reassess that period with the lens of #MeToo movement and how we talk about this particular abuse of power.”

The play is based on “the

memoirs of both Bill and Hillary Clinton, the Ken Starr report, Monica Lewinsky’s interviews, as well as testimonies in the Paula Jones deposition,” Joshua said.

“Kevin has written a piece that is very much about bringing to the forefront the stories of the

Photo by Helen Murray

s Monica Lewinsky comes out in the media attaching herself to the #MeToo movement she throws the talk radio world into disarray: ‘Does an adult consenting to ‘sexual relations’ qualify for the same sympathy afforded to non-consenting victims of Weinstein and his ilk just because Bill Clinton was a powerful, older man?’ asks the LBC presenter. Perhaps the question can be better answered in Kevin Armento’s play on the subject, Devil with the Blue Dress.

five different women who found themselves at the centre of this scandal.”

“The play provides space for debate, discussion, and disagreement, and I can’t wait to have those conversations both in the rehearsal room and with audiences after the show.”

The director went on to praise his “talented all-female creative team.” “They continue to challenge me and make sure that our collaboration will create something unique and brave in all its elements,” Joshua said.

“This year marks 20 years since Monica Lewinsky was thrown into the public limelight through the Ken Starr investigation, and this piece really allows us to properly hold the heroes of our past to the standards of today. I think what Kevin has created is a beautiful, balanced, and brave play, and I can’t wait to share it with London audiences at the Bunker.”

Devil with the Blue Dress is on at The Bunker, 53A Southwark Street, SE1 1RU from March 29 - April 28. Admission: £19.50 (Standard), £15.00 (Conc), £12.00 (Previews).

Ten £10 tickets are available at each performance for under 30s.

Phone: 0207 234 0486. www.bunkertheatre.com

Bunker’s Devil With The Blue Dress , Emma Handy, Daniella Isaacs, Flora Montgomery, Kirsty Philipps and Dawn Hope

Y

es, we all hold doctors in great esteem, and rightly so, but my admiration oddly goes up for someone who studies neuroscience in Connecticut before dropping the medical studies and travelling to London to do a Masters in Choreography via six months in Copenhagen, and followed by six years in Asia. Now based in New York, the person I have placed on the Going For It Big Time pedestal is Kate Marsh, founder of the allfemale creative collective, I AM. From the moment Kate first graduated she has always created and produced her own work. She says she “saw a niche for [her] specific aesthetic” so combined performance art

14 April 2018

within the dance. As the work grew she tells me “it made sense to establish a movement and platform dedicated to elevating the female artist perspective.”

Hence the founding of I AM. Kate Marsh is more than a dancer. “I use my body as my medium of expression but I don’t think “dance” totally covers what I invest myself in as an artist. I guess more accurately I consider myself a performance artist because my art comes alive through the exchange of energy with a live audience. I also would say I am an entrepreneur because I have strived to create a sustainable company that helps me and others achieve specific creative goals.”

I for one won’t be pigeon-holing her. Especially as her current show An Evening Of Meat “has been influenced by a variety of

contexts, cultures, sociopolitical currents, and audiences.” It is a show first devised in London that has toured the globe and come back full circle. As guests eat a six course dinner, they are confronted with performers struggling to reach the vertical position. The dancers explore various aspects of the on-all-fours position, such as vulnerability, strength, stability, sensuality, power, domestication, and unbridled wildness.

I asked Kate where the idea came from: “My work tends to be unconventional and initially I felt in order to develop a wider audience, I needed to offer them an anchoring format which felt familiar - in this way, the audience would feel more open to experimentation with the art and entertainment side of the experience. I was extremely surprised to see how amazing the

Photo by Elizabeth Cryan

Eat, meat and dancing feet

response was…The dining aspect brings something special and complimentary to our work.”

The evolution of An Evening of Meat over eight years means it has changed a lot, Kate says.

“This new London version will be by far the most intricate and

powerful manifestation of the piece that we have ever done.”

An Evening of Meat is on The Vaults from 27 March - 22 April.

Admission: £30 - £60.

Phone: 0207 401 9603. www. thevaults.london

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April 2018 15

16 April 2018

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ARTS &

ENTERTAINMENTS

By Laura Burgoine

India's first recording artist G

o back in time with a new play inspired by the true story of India’s first recording artist. Director Mukul Ahmed talks to the Weekender about the Datia Incident.

Jump back to 1902; Fred Gaisberg is traveling across India capturing the exotic sounds of the east, to be played on his miraculous new machine: the gramophone. He wants to record the beautiful voice of Gauhar Jaan, a young courtesan famed for both her musical prowess and her arrogance. Gaisberg meets several travellers on his journey who recount the famous Datia Incident where the Maharaja and Gauhar Jaan engaged in a fierce battle of egos, the outcome of which threatens Gaisberg’s mission.

“It’s an interesting story; Indian people know about Gauhar Jaan as the first vocalist but we wanted

to bring it to British audiences,” Mukul told the Weekender.

Other singers at the time were afraid of recording their voices, he said. “She took a risk. Male singers were afraid of the machine; they were superstitious about it swallowing their voice, and others thought if people could record their voices they could copy them and steal their trade,” he said.

The other main change Gauhar triggered was creating what we now know as singles or individual tracks. “Indian classical music was sung for six to eight hours; she compressed it because the length of records meant they could only record a few minutes,” Mukul said.

“There’s the genius; she’s the first one who actually compressed the length of her songs to two minutes and maintained the musical integrity.”

Throughout her life, Gauhar “gave voice to oppressed Indian

female performers” in an industry extremely dominated by male performers. “It opened doors for female singers, dancers, people started recording, and gaining financial security,” Mukul said.

The singer didn’t talk about being a feminist but “she did it through her work,” the director said. “She gave a voice to other women performers, then male performers started recording,” he said. She also sang in English. The “very local Indian story” is also a global one, Mukul said.

“She was the first superstar - she’s very famous in India.

Her face was on matchboxes in Austria, when King George visited India she performed in front of him. Both her parents were European and her mother, who was also an accomplished musician, converted to Islam.

Her colourful story captured my imagination.”

Iconic and pioneering, Gauhar died penniless after her lover stole her money. “She helped to make music democratised and reached normal households,” Mukul said.

“Her story is tragedy, victory, and legacy. She gave women power and dignity.”

An accompanying exhibition is also running at the Omnibus during the month of April and will allow visitors the opportunity to delve deeper into the life of Gauhar Jaan.

Gauhar Jaan: The Datia Incident is at Omnibus Theatre, 1 Clapham Common Northside, SW4 0QW, from April 10-29 at 7:30pm (and 4pm Sundays). Admission: £15/£12 concession.

Phone: 0207 622 4105. www.omnibus-clapham.org

Jeremy Irons reads T. S. Eliot at Southwark Cathedral Catch Academy Awardwinning actor Jeremy Irons live in the flesh as he performs a reading of T. S. Eliot’s Four Quarters in Southwark Cathedral.

The Faber Members event celebrates the release of The Poems of T. S. Eliot read

by Jeremy Irons. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4, this perceptive reading illuminates the work of the iconic poet in all its complexity.

Originally published in 1943, Four Quartets contains some of the most musical and unforgettable passages in twentieth-century poetry. Its

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four parts, Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages, and Little Gidding present a rigorous meditation on the spiritual, philosophical and personal themes which preoccupied T. S. Eliot.

Jeremy Irons is also a Golden Globe, Emmy, Tony, and Screen Actors Guild award winner, as well as the recipient of an Honorary César Award.

His film highlights include The French Lieutenant’s Woman, The Mission, Dead Ringers, Damage, M. Butterfly and Lolita.

He performs this reading in the atmospheric Southwark Cathedral: the oldest Gothic

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church in London. Bishop Lancelot Andrewes, who is buried in the Cathedral, was described

by T. S. Eliot as ‘the first great preacher of the English Catholic Church’ and inspired Eliot’s poem ‘The Journey of the Magi’.

The Poems of T. S. Eliot Read

by Jeremy Irons will be available on CD and download. There will be cash bar at the event and CDs will be on sale.

Jeremy Irons is reading Four Quarters at Southwark Cathedral, SE1 9DA, on Monday 9 April at 7:30pm.

Admission: £12/ £10 concession. www.faber.co.uk/

April 2018 17

18 April 2018

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books

Spying in the Napoleonic wars

T

om Williams used to write books for business, covering everything from the gambling industry to new developments in printing technology. Now he writes about love and adventure in the 19th century, which is not nearly as well paid, but much more fun. Endeavour Media are publishing his books about James Burke, a spy for Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Tom shares with us a taster of James Burke’s life and escapades.

James Burke was a real person.

He was born in 1771 and, lacking the money he needed to buy a

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commission in the British Army, he went off and fought for the French. Britain and France weren’t at war at the time, so this was seen as a perfectly respectable thing to do. This changed when hostilities broke out between the two countries and in 1793 he found himself fighting against his own king in Sainte Domingue, on what we now call the island of Haiti.

Burke’s regiment, made up mainly of British subjects, surrendered en masse and simply changed their uniforms and kept on fighting, but on the opposite side. Burke, however, seems to have been detached from his regiment and used for intelligence work. It’s not at all clear what he did next (he was a spy, after all) but he turns up again in Argentina preparing the way for the British invasion of 1806.

The British invasion of Buenos Aires is one of those incidents that have got forgotten about over the past 200 years – possibly

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because, after initial success, it all went horribly wrong. It could have given Britain a valuable foothold in South America, but we were forced into ignominious retreat.

(Twice, actually, but only once in my book). The operation was, as we say nowadays, intelligence led and James Burke was certainly important in planning the attack, which is a key moment in the first Burke book, Burke in the Land of Silver. His adventures definitely weren’t confined to Argentina, though, or to purely military matters. He crossed the Andes to explore what are now Chile, Peru, and Bolivia. He seduced a princess (or, more likely, she seduced him) in Brazil and, back in Europe, he had an affair with the Queen of Spain. People got around more at the beginning of the 19th century than we give them credit for.

We know that Burke remained on the Army List and his peculiar pattern of promotion and movement between regiments suggests that he continued to work mainly in intelligence. Sadly, we don’t know

exactly where he was or what he was doing, so in the later James Burke books I use my imagination, putting this real character in actual historical situations, but giving him completely fictional adventures.

The first of the stories which is more imagination than reality as

far as Burke goes is Burke and the Bedouin. Unlike his adventures in the Land of Silver, what Burke does in Egypt is a product of my imagination but the events around him are very definitely real. Burke’s activities do go some way to explain some of the unanswered questions of history.

When Napoleon invaded Egypt, why did he not order the invasion

fleet out to sea once his troops were safely landed? Was there, as some people have suggested, an order given for the ships to sail which somehow failed to reach the admiral? Perhaps James Burke was there and it was his doing that the French fleet waited in an exposed anchorage until Nelson annihilated them at the Battle of the Nile. We will never know the truth of that strategic failure, which doomed Napoleon’s attempt to capture Egypt for France, but perhaps James Burke was responsible for it.

James Burke is an ideal subject for a historical author – a shadowy character who lived in the margins of real historical events. I hope you enjoy reading about him as much as I’ve enjoyed writing him.

Tom Williams’ James Burke series is available to buy for Kindle, priced at £2.99 each.

Endeavour Press is a leading independent digital publisher, specialising in Crime/Thrillers, Romance, Historical Fiction and History.

To find out more about Endeavour Press, its books and promotions, sign up to the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/vsAN1 www.endeavourpress.com

April 2018 19

20 April 2018

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April 2018 21

family

By Anthony Phillips

Tower visit

Photo: IWM

The Tower Bridge Experience is holding family activity day where visitors can learn all about the iconic landmark in April.

The day, which is suitable for all ages, but most appropriate for ages 6 to 10 years, is included in the ticket entry, on Saturday, April 21 from 10am to 4pm. There will also be autism friendly early opening with timed entry slots at 9am, 9.15am and 9.30am.

Tickets cost: adults £9.80, children aged 5 to 15 £4.20, family tickets from £15.30 and under 5s are free. www.towerbridge.org.uk/

Your story

Make your own Easter eggs

You can create your own mini documentary based on the collections of the Imperial War Museum.

Youngsters can decide which stories from the museum are important and need to be shared with the wider world in the Documentary Challenge on Friday, March 30, and Tuesday and Wednesday, April 10 and 11, at 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm.

You can also meet and evacuee who will answer questions and share their experiences, on Thursday and Friday, April 5 and 5, from 11am to 1pm. www.iwm.org.uk

More rabbit than Sainsbury’s Children’s classic Watership Down is being screened at the BFI to mark its 40th anniversary.

The 1978 animated movie, featuring the voices of John Hurt and Richard Briers, tells the story of a group of rabbits looking for a new home.

It’s on at 1.40pm on Monday, April 2. There

will also be Easter holiday workshops in the foyer, suitable for children aged 8 to 12. The filmmaking workshops include Funny Little Bunnies animating, and heroes and villains.

Tickets cost £35 a child, siblings £20. See the website for more details. www.bfi.org.uk

You can make your own truffles and Easter eggs at Brixton’s Chocolate Museum.

Family Easter truffle making is happening on April 4 and 10, where you can make lollies, truffles and get creative with special decorations. At the end you can take home your Easter creations.

Family Easter egg making is on April 5, 6, 12 and 13.

Workshops cost £12. The Chocolate Museum is 187 Ferndale Road, SW9 8BA. thechocolatemuseum.co.uk/

Circus comes to town

Family magic show Nunhead’s The Ivy House pub will be holding a magic show for Easter.

The Family Easter Comedy Magic Show is from 1pm to 3pm and 4pm to 6pm on Easter Monday, April 2.

Tickets to the show at the Stuart Road pub cost £8 per child, and £10 for adults. Family tickets for 4 people cost £30 and for 5 cost £36. www.ivyhousenunhead.com/

22 April 2018

Zippos Circus will be celebrating 250 years of circus with its Legacy tour in Brockwell Park from April 12 to 17.

Equestrians, acrobats and clowns will pay homage to impresario Philip Astley, who invented circus in 1768.

Tickets for the 2 hour show start from £9 for adults and £7.50 for children. Children under 2 go free if they don’t occupy a seat. www.zippos.co.uk/

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Aspire Wellbeing Supported Fitness Classes Aspire’s gym classes are specifically designed for people who wish to improve their health and wellbeing through exercise but who aren’t able, for a variety of reasons, to attend a mainstream fitness class.

For example, many people with learning disabilities find that attending a general, local class can be too challenging. Wendy Yates, one of our specially trained instructors at Aspire, observed: “We identified that there isn’t a lot of suitable exercise opportunities for people with learning disabilities. The environment and pace of a normal class can be quite fast moving, and we believed that this wasn’t appropriate for them, so we tailored a class for their individual needs.”

However, the classes need to be appropriately challenging and physically beneficial. Therefore, Aspire’s fitness classes are very similar to other circuit classes, in that there’s a warm up session followed by supported individual work on

Aspire’s eight, low impact circuit stations. These are designed to focus on balance, strength and cardio. We ensure there is balance and variety in how each individual undertakes their ‘circuit’, to ensure that they have a balanced, all-round work out to suit everyone.

We have classes that are designed specifically for adults over the age of 16 with a learning disability.

Attendees should be able to mobilise with or without assistance and be able to participate in a group activity with the appropriate level of support.

If you, or someone you know, would like to attend Aspire’s fitness classes, please contact Wendy or Elvis on: 0208 265 3479. You, or they, are welcome to come along for an informal chat and to observe a class before committing to regular attendance.

For further information about Aspire Wellbeing, and the range of services we offer, please visit www.aspirewellbeing.org

Aspire Wellbeing 1 Park Hall Road, West Dulwich, London SE12 8EH.

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April 2018 23

Your local pharmacy can help you and your family stay well over the Bank Holiday weekend

M

Be prepared for Bank Holidays

any common illnesses such as coughs or colds can be best and most easily treated by visiting your local pharmacy where you can seek help without having to make an appointment.

Your pharmacist can offer advice on how to look after yourself at home with rest and over-thecounter treatments.

There are a number of pharmacies open in Southwark over the Bank Holiday weekend including Easter Monday: Tesco Pharmacy, Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, Redriff Road, Rotherhithe, SE16 2LL: Good Friday (30 March) open 8:00am to 8:00pm; Easter Sunday (1 April) closed, Easter Monday (2 April) open 9:00am to 6:00pm Lloyds Pharmacy, Sainsburys store, 80 Dog Kennel Hill, Dulwich, SE22 8BB: Good Friday (30 March) open 10:00am to 4:00pm; Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) open 10:00am to 4:00pm Lloyds Pharmacy, 43-45 Northcross Road, East Dulwich, SE22 9ET: Good Friday (30 March) open 10:00am to 4:00pm; Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) closed Superdrug Pharmacy, Unit 4 Butterfly Walk, Camberwell Green, SE5 8RW: Good Friday (30 March) open 9:00am to 7:00pm, Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) closed Morrisons Pharmacy, Aylesham Centre, Rye Lane,

Easter is early this year - and not far away!

Remember that your GP surgery will be closed on Bank Holidays, so it’s wise to make sure you have your health needs covered.

Peckham, SE15 5EW: Good Friday (30 March) open 10:00am to 4:00pm; Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) open 10:00am to 4:00pm Superdrug Pharmacy, 339 Elephant and Castle, Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, SE1 6TB: Good Friday (30 March) open 9:00am to 6:00pm; Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) closed Superdrug Pharmacy, 371375 Walworth Road, Walworth, SE17 2AL: Good Friday (30 March) open 9:00am to 6:00pm; Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) closed Brockwell Park Pharmacy, 7 Half Moon Lane, Dulwich, SE24 9JU: Good Friday (30 March)

open 10:00am to 4:00pm; Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) open 10:00am to 4:00pm Asda Pharmacy, Asda Superstore, 464 - 504 Old Kent Road, Southwark, SE1 5AG: Good Friday (30 March) open 9:00am to 6:00pm; Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) open 9:00am to 6:00pm Boots the Chemist, Uni1 1113, Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, Redriff Road, SE16 7LL: Good Friday (30 March) open 9:00am to 7:00pm, Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) open 11:00am to 5:00pm Boots the Chemist, 289-291 Walworth Road, SE17 2TG: Good Friday (30 March) open

11:00am to 5:00pm; Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) open 11:00am to 5:00pm Boots the Chemist, 333-334 Elephant and Castle, Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, SE1 6TB: Good Friday (30 March) open 10:00am to 5:00pm; Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) open 10:00am to 5:00pm Boots the Chemist, 20 Rye Lane, SE15 5BS: Good Friday (30 March) open 9:00am to 7:00pm; Easter Sunday (1 April) closed; Easter Monday (2 April) open 11:00am to 5:00pm For further information, visit www.nhs.uk/staywell

If you take prescribed medication regularly, make sure you have enough supplies to last over the holiday time and get requests for repeat prescriptions into your GP as soon as possible. It’s also a good idea to check your medicine cabinet to make sure it is well stocked and buy anything you need before the holiday period.

If you need help with a short term illness or complaint over Easter, your local pharmacy can help.

Some pharmacies will be open on Bank Holidays, but please check opening hours as many will be closed.

If you need urgent medical advice, call NHS 111.

Extra GP and nurse appointments in Southwark, 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week GPs and nurses in Southwark want to raise awareness of the availability of extra GP and nurse appointments in the borough.

Available from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week, from two locations in the north and south

of the borough, these extra appointments are for most of the normal things people see their GP or nurse for.

The service is called the Extended Primary Care Service and is provided at Lister Health Centre in Peckham and Spa Medical

Centre in Bermondsey. This is not a walk-in service; patients are offered an appointment at one of the centres by contacting their own GP surgery. When their surgery is closed, patients should call the out of hours GP service, SELDOC on 020 8693 9066.

Sharing your care record to get you faster, safer, more effective support and treatment Health and care organisations across south east London have worked together to improve your care by connecting two successful electronic care record systems.

Previously two separate

24 April 2018

systems offered a secure way of sharing information electronically between local staff involved in your care.

This meant that not everyone used the same system and information could only be shared in pockets of south east

London. For example, those living in Southwark but receiving treatment from Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Foundation Trust – your records would not be immediately available to the staff looking after you or making the referral.

Now, the two systems have been linked together – connecting up some 15,000 care professionals across six boroughs to benefit approximately 2 million people.

Only relevant information about you is securely and instantly

shared between the staff who need it.

You can still express your views around how your information is shared and with who, by speaking to the person caring for you or your GP.

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Easter treats

By Anthony Phillips

urs a s o n i D in the Wild

Price: There are a range of prices. Peak time tickets cost: adult £29.50, child (aged 3 to 15) £26 and family (2 adults and 2 children) £23.75.

Where: West Parkside, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 0BE

What is it?: Enter a time machine and travel back 67 million years to the Cretaceous plains, where you can visit TimeBase 67, a research base where scientists are studying dinosaurs. Inside you can see prehistoric creatures in cages, watch babies hatching, touch

dinosaur poo and see a dino autopsy, and watch them in their habitat through giant ‘windows’.

What did we think?: In short it was fantastic! From start, when you enter the time machine (a juddering room like a mini cinema with a screen at the front)

you’re led by guides. As soon as you enter, you put on your 3D glasses, and the room starts to shake, you’re know you’re in for a good ride.

As you arrive at your destination, the shutters on the screen lift and you’re confronted with a vista of the Cretaceous

era plains 67 million years ago.

The 3D CGI is great. The ‘time machine’ sprouts wheels, and off you go, driving amongst the huge beasts to TimeBase 67.

Inside the research base you get to explore what the scientists have found, from huge dino teeth, a gigantic heart in a tube and even feel mounds of dino poo (through plastic gloves, you mums and dads will be relieved to know).

You then get taken to a dinosaur autopsy, which may seem grim initially, but it’s all done in good humour, and isn’t graphic.

You also visit the incubator room, where you can see different dinosaur eggs and a room where small animatronic dinos are being fed and looked after.

Finally you get to visit the viewing platform, where you get a panoramic view of the prehistoric world outside, watching the giants stride and fly through their world, and the excitement continues (I won’t put any spoilers in here!)

The whole experience is fun, informative and fast paced. In fact, my only criticism is that I’d have liked to have spent more time in each room. The guides are fantastic; full of energy and really entertaining. Each part of the tour is really well thought-out and looks great.

There are parts that some young children may find a bit scary (the experience is recommended for 5 and above), but the youngsters who at one point ran for their parents soon had their attention diverted by the next part of the visit.

For me and my budding palaeontologists, our trip back in time in Dinosaurs in the Wild was an excellent adventure.

Ghana's history at Black Cultural Archives The Black Cultural Archives’ newly acquired collection: the Adamah Papers reveals historical narratives of the Anlɔ-Eʋe people in Ghana, dating back as far as 1885.

The collection gives insight into Ghana’s history, British occupation, the various methods used to resist colonialism and many generations of family history.

The Brixton museum’s latest exhibition Family Ties: The Adamah Papers, follows a British-Ghanaian family’s journey in which they rediscover their rich heritage and

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connection to royalty.

London spoken-word artist, Yao ‘Tugg.S.T.A.R’ Togobo entrusted BCA with the responsibility of preserving the papers. BCA is the UK’s only dedicated national repository for the history and heritage of people of African descent in Britain.

The Family Ties exhibition reveals the story of a Ghanaian King Togbui Adamah II, an AnlɔEʋe who ruled the Some people from 1915 until 1963. Three rooms have been transformed to present an incredibly detailed snapshot of everyday life in Ghana.

The exhibition captures the narratives displayed in traditional archives and those woven into the cloths, family legacies, oral stories and legends handed down over generations. This intimate and spiritually-powerful exhibition incorporates archive documents, textile, objects, photographs, film, oral history and uses the language of the Anlɔ-Eʋe people.

Family Ties is open now at Black Cultural Archives, 1 Windrush Square, SW2 1EF. Admission: free.

Phone: 020 757 8500. www.blackculturalarchives.org

April 2018 25

Easter treats

By Laura Burgoine

V

enture into the heart of the Amazon at SEA LIFE London’s most interactive experience yet.

In the heart of the rainforest

“I’ve been free diving with basking sharks in the UK; they’re more intimidated by us than we are of them. Cerebrally you know this is a benign, gentle creature. But with predator sharks –like blue and mako, you have to understand the behaviour to look out for, and know to get out of the water at the right time.”

As part of the aquarium’s new

display, there’s a glass dome people can put their head into with a 360 degree virtual reality camera. “Your head is inside the display and you have cockroaches and tarantulas crawling over you,” Andy said.

The video footage for the experience wasn’t filmed as far afield as visitors might expect. The Amazon rainforest was recreated

on a green screen in Southwark.

“I’d love to say we went trekking through the jungle but it was all shot on a green screen in a studio in Camberwell,” Andy said.

The adventurer also has a new television series, Beyond Bionic, currently available on BBC iPlayer.

“We just finished filming last week; the idea is to show how exceptional

Rainforest Adventure is at SEA LIFE London, County Hall, Riverside Building, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB from March 24.

The exhibition is included in general admission to the aquarium: £26 adults, £21 children. www.visitsealife.com/london

(c)ZSLLondonZoo

The Rainforest Adventure, which opens at the Southbank aquarium at the end of March, boasts the UK’s largest population of Piranhas, with over 300 of the captivating, carnivorous fish, and the world’s largest species of spider.

The Amazonian adventure begins in the Rainforest Ranger’s hut, where visitors will be guided by TV adventurer Andy Torbet from BBC’s The One Show, and Coast. Andy talks to the Weekender about racing ostriches, and the wonder of nature.

“The exhibition is quite immersive and you feel like you’re in the Amazon with all the poster boy animals of the rainforest,” Andy said.

“You’ve got crocodiles, piranhas, and the biggest spider in the world, which tip to tip is 30 cm. I’ve handled one -not that big- and it’s an impressive beast. They’re less scary the bigger they get because those are like mammals rather than spiders,” he said.

The underwater explorer, technical diver, skydiver, climber, kayaker and extreme adventurer said he doesn’t really get scared when he takes on these feats. “There’s animals you need to be cautious of. I’ve been stalked by polar bears, I’ve dived with sharks. You have to respect these animals but the ones I’m more wary of are the ones you can’t do a great deal about. Like the very small animals, which you’ll see in the Rainforest Adventure. The Assassin bug stabs its prey and to humans it can transmit Chagas disease.

Mosquitoes are more dangerous than sharks because they carry malaria.”

nature is,” Andy said. “We take the top superheroes of nature, and put me against them to show how amazing they are. Using physics, and technology, we test how much technology a human needs to harness to come close to these animals.”

As part of the BBC series Andy raced an ostrich (the fastest creature on two legs) while he was wearing a jetpack; even with technology on his side he couldn’t beat the bird that runs at 44 miles an hour. The show also sees him race a Mako shark (which can swim at 60 knots underwater), try to climb up a glass building like a gecko, and free fall sky dive like a peregrine falcon. “Possibly the most impressive creature was the Pompei worm, a little worm that lives in volcanoes and everyone thinks that sounds a bit dull but actually it’s a visually amazing stunt,” Andy said.

“The volcano is 650 degrees Celsius, it harnesses a layer of mucus over its skin which allows bacteria to grow and it becomes an insulator.”

Andy describes himself as a control freak more than an adrenaline junkie.

“I’m not particularly brave,” he said.

“With wild life there’s always that element of the unknown, but the more we can learn about behaviour, you develop an appreciation of how amazing they are.”

The owers p r e p u S Trail

Superheroes at London Zoo It’s not just men and women in tights who have superpowers, and ZSL London Zoo is out to show that the animal world has some amazing skills.

The zoo is holding a Superhero Takeover through Easter and into April, where kids can go on a trail around the zoo learning about animals with super powers.

You can find out why lemurs let off stink bombs, how the axolotl regrows its limbs, try to camouflage like a tiger and pit

26 April 2018

yourself against one of the world’s strongest species, the leafcutter ant.

Children will receive a special comic book to guide them through the adventure, before getting to the Superhero HQ to take part in some games, such as changing capes to hide from predators, floating like a butterfly and catching insects in your own web.

The Superpowers Trail runs from March 30 to Sunday, April 15. www.zsl.org

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April 2018 27

Bite-sized bulletin

By Laura Burgoine

Tacos el Pastor

MARS BAR

Southbank restaurant Skylon’s new afternoon tea is out of this world. Inspired by the solar system, Gravi-Tea lands at Royal Festival Hall hotspot on March 19. The high tea features Jupiter cake, rocks of the universe, cosmos mini choux, galaxy macaroons, and galactic cupcakes. Bringing you back to earth, there’s an elegant selection of sandwiches including smoked salmon, avocado crème fraîche, cucumber and dill, grilled chicken Caesar, romaine lettuce and parmesan, and artichoke and egg mayonnaise with mustard cress.

Skylon has created a signature StarDust cocktail for the occasion, made from Tanqueray with lemon sherbet, pineapple and tarragon syrup, green chartreuse and prosecco.

Gravi-tea runs from Monday to Friday (2pm4pm) and costs £25 pp + drinks. SE1 8XX. Phone: 020 7654 7800. www.skylon-restaurant.co.uk

Global flavours making waves locally GONE FISHING

Fish Wings and Tings chef Brian Danclair learned to cook from his grandmother who fed “anyone and everyone” in Port au Spain, Trinidad. Trained in French Provencal cooking, Brian moved to Washington DC at age 19 where he worked under some of the world’s top chefs.

He developed his trademark technique: Nouvelle Caribbean, a blend of the techniques he learned

PUTTING THE EGG IN REGGAE

applied to his native Caribbean flavours.

The Brixton Village hotspot’s menu reimagines regional and street food from the Caribbean with reggae wings, prawns, codfish, roti, curries, and plenty more. It even gets the seal of approval from actor and Streatham local David Harewood who says “Brian is a true innovator of Caribbean cuisine.”

3 Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PR. Phone: 07411 642 264. www. fishwingsandtings.com

SE1-FOOD The latest street food pop-up to go permanent is Bob’s Lobster Wine Bar and Kitchen, opening up this spring/summer as part of the London Bridge station revamp. The menu is still under wraps, but you can expect the signature lobster and crab rolls.

Unit Su 59, London Bridge Station, St Thomas Street, SE1 3QX SHAKE IT UP AT AMIGOS It’s all freshly made food at Amigos Burguesa and Shakes. The American style eatery uses Mexican spices, while the signature dish is the gourmet burger. The menu also features pizza (pizza dough is freshly made every morning), and peri peri chicken (in lemon and herb, medium, extra hot or jerk) with Jamaican rice and peas.

The vegetarian burger and vegetarian pizza are very popular, while the kids menu is perfect for students. Home delivery available.

16 Acre Lane, SW2 5SG. www.just-eat.co.uk CAJUN CUISINE IN BRIXTON The Cajun BBQ restaurant and late night bar is

Liven up your Easter with a bottomless reggae roast in Vauxhall. Cottons Rum Shacks is giving the classic Sunday roast a Caribbean twist from Friday 30 March – Monday 2 April), with the launch of their Bottomless Reggae Roast menu, including roast jerk chicken with plantain wedges

proving a hit since opening in Brixton –following on from established Blues Kitchens in Camden and Shoreditch. Tuck into Buffalo wings, Cajun popcorn squid, and chorizo gumbo, as well as a range of burgers, wings, and salads. There’s a creole bean burger for vegans, and sides like mac n cheese, corn bread, and Doritos corn. And check out the burger of the month (for March they’ve put their own twist on Easter with the Bunny Boiler).

40 Acre Lane, SW2 5SP. Phone: 020 7274 0591. www.theblueskitchen.com

and callaloo fritters, and Caribbean pot roast beef with parsnip and sweet potato puree and Yorkshire pudding.

For dessert there’s rum-filled Jamaican fruit-cake with peanut punch reduction; and soursop cheesecake with pina colada and grilled mango. www.cottons-restaurant.co.uk

STRAWBERRY FIELDS Elephant and Castle’s community-based urban food market Mercato Metropolitano has added another innovative element to its Italian soul.

The Farmbus is a London double decker bus that has been converted to become a pickyour-own farm and plant shop. The top deck is dedicated to growing strawberries with the first crop of strawberries expected in May –just in time for Wimbledon and Pimms season.

Using state of the art growing systems and a climate-controlled environment to produce delicious fruits and fresh herbs, Farmbus has been designed by its creators, Rootlabs, as a unique system to facilitate growing sustainable produce all year round.

Check out the Farmbus at Mercato Metropolitano now. On March 22 the market’s glorious new garden opens.

42 Newington Causeway, SE1 6DR. www.mercatometropolitano.co.uk DINING HALL It’s pizza and sharing dishes from a wood fired oven, from breakfast to bedtime, in Brixton.

Since opening last August, Canova Hall has been serving up pasta (handmade daily), pizzas, and bombolini donuts. Takeaway pizzas are available every day until close. And to quench your thirst, there’s Brixton Brewery beer and bottomless brunches.

250 Ferndale Road, SW9 8BQ. Phone: 020 7733 8356. www.canovahall.com TACO TIME The guys behind Tacos el Pastor are opening a tortilleria on Bermondsey’s Druid Street. The SE1 taco factory and bar is the brainchild of Sam and James Hart, and Crispin Somerville; chefs will be making fresh tortillas from scratch daily. The menu promises corn tacos, fresh salsas, cheeses from Gringa Dairy, and Mexican beers. Along with the 26-seater taco bar, the tortilleria will do takeaway.

Opening in April at 106 Druid Street, SE1 2HH. www.tacoselpastor.co.uk

28 April 2018

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April 2018 29

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FOOD & drink

By Michael Holland

ses Coach and Hor

the damage

oad Clapham Park R SW4 7EX 8 6308 Phone: 0207 49 .uk

Five Points Pils £5.30 Vodka and Red Bull £9.45 Nduja Pizza £10.50 Calzone £10.00 Salad £8.50 Negroni x 2 £16.00 Old Fashioned x 2 £16.00 Doughnuts £4.50

ubs.co www.frontierp

Time to de-stress

T

he Coach and Horses is the kind of pub that knows its customers and makes sure they get what they want. Hence, providing as much live sport as can be physically shown at any one time, a strong selection of craft ales, and a chef who knows how to make good pizza.

Michelle and myself arrived for a late afternoon/early evening meal,

and found ourselves faced with an array of good London-brewed beers to choose from. After a bit of dithering I went for the Five Points Pils, a cloudy drink with a taste that was much better than it looked.

My companion, not one for the ale, had a large Vodka and Red Bull!

“It’s been a long week, Moosh,” she whispered out the side of her mouth as way of explanation.

The food menu was much easier for me to work with as it just had

Going Green I at Arthur Hooper's

one starter, a few pizzas, three salads and one dessert. Simples. I opted for the Nduja, a spicy salami, fennel and tomato pizza, served with rocket. The salami, I felt, was a little overcooked but all the ingredients came together nicely to create an interesting pizza.

Michelle, on the other hand, went a little off piste when the vodka kicked in and ordered Calzone: a giant pasty filled with mushroom, tomato, mascarpone, spinach

'll be up front: vegan cuisine isn't my cup of tea (after all, I prefer mine with milk).

However, after hearing top Borough eatery Arthur Hooper's had launched a new dedicated menu I decided it was time to give in and embrace the green shoots of change, writes Joey Millar...

Overlooking Borough Market, Arthur Hooper's is still in its salad days having opened only last year. However the experienced staff and chefs at the restaurant are anything but green and have put together a new vegan menu – alongside their usual, varied offerings – using products often sourced just across the road.

That is apt: after all, the restaurant's namesake Arthur Hooper was a fruit-seller in Borough Market back in the Victorian Era. Rest assured, however, that these days Arthur Hooper (the restaurant, not the man – he's long gone, despite all that fruit and veg) serves up a very modern mix of European cuisine, from tapas style dishes to hearty set menus (two courses for £15, three for £18). As well as all this, the restaurant has also opened a new private dining rooms for parties and groups, suitably named the

Arthur Hooper's 8 Stoney Street SE1 9AA 0207 940 0169 ArthurHoopers.co.uk

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and mozzarella. It didn’t look like a thing of beauty but it certainly tasted delicious.

We also had a goat’s cheese salad as a side dish that was chock full of courgette, avocado, mushrooms and pine kernels. It was fresh and had a lot of flavours going on. Unfortunately for me Michelle had taken all the avocado for herself but what she left was still good. She blamed the avocado fetish on being stressed out, so I said having Red Bull doesn’t help.

I wish I’d kept my mouth shut as she ordered two Old Fashioneds and made me have one.

I’m more of a beer and pizza man so this whisky-based cocktail took a little getting used to with all the cheese and mushrooms I was devouring, but I got there in the end. Which is a good job because when Michelle went up to order the Three Doughnuts with Melted Nutella dessert, she also called on two Negronis! Yikes, she was certainly out to de-stress!

'Fruit & Veg' room.

As I walked through Borough Market, where traders were slowly becoming outnumbered by revellers, it was impossible not to think of how it must have looked during Arthur's time. So much had changed (after all, he lived in a bizarre period in which Millwall had yet to evolve into Lions and were still nicknamed Rovers) but a lot, I thought as I accidentally brought my foot down into a puddle of greyish water dumped in front of a fishfood stall, would still be familiar to him even today.

At this point I could describe for you each dish in detail (that's probably what my editor wants, too, but they have long since accepted most of my word cou nt will be taken up with historical rambling) but what good would that really do? Sure, I could say the samphire and almond salad was the perfectly fresh opening dish, or I could describe the frigiteeli peppers as being big and tasty enough to pass for a meal all in itself. I could say the sauteed new potatoes literally make me exclaim with joy as they were brought over while the crispy artichokes instead resulted in a satisfied silence.

Really, though, the best thing is to not just take my word for it – after all, I'm the standard of food reviewer who uses the same vegan/green pun twice in the opening two paragraphs – but

TOTAL £81.25 Food (1-5) 0 0 0 Ambience (1-5) 0 0 0 0 Value (1-5) 0 0 0 0 0 Disabled access YES Disabled toilet YES Booking NO

To my surprise the chocolate covered doughnuts were absolutely superb; they were so much of a guilty pleasure I expect to be up in front of a high court judge very soon to be put into chains.

Michelle ended up totally chilled by the time we left, and I had a big smile on my face, so we obviously enjoyed ourselves. With the World Cup coming up in the summer, the Coach & Horses is going to be very busy with people wanting feeding and watering. I expect there to be a lot more happy faces.

to try it out for yourself. Because take it from me: anyone who isn't lucky enough to experience Arthur Hooper's new vegan menu should be green with envy (I'm sorry). And with vegan desert and wine options available too, you really have no excuse not to turnip.

the damage Olives £3.50 Peppered almonds £4 Saphire and almond salad £8 Harissa butter beans, brocolli and nigella seeds £7 Crispy artichokes, courgettes and Brussel tops, chilli aioli £9 Roasted onion squash, lentils, turnip tops, roasted peppers £14.5 Frigitelli peppers with sea salt £5 Sauteed rosemary new potatoes £4

TOTAL £55.00 Food (1-5) 0 0 0 0 Ambience (1-5) 0 0 0 0 Value (1-5) 0 0 0 0 Disabled access yes Disabled toilet yes

April 2018 31

FOOD & drink

By Michael Holland

Paladar 4-5 London Rd,Z London SE1 6J 0207 186 5555 .com www.paladarlondon

Monday-Friday: m; 0p 11.30am to 11:0 midnight to pm 30 5. : ay Saturd

Paladar is a palace of pleasure A

rriba, Arriba! Ándale, Ándale! I came over all Speedy Gonzalez after dining at Paladar, the restaurant that fuses all the best from Latin America: the music, the wines, the decor, and - most importantly - the cuisines.

I suppose my knowledge of this type of food came from two weeks holidaying in Oaxaca, Mexico, and eating at Argentinean restaurants in London on the odd occasion. But not being a big fan of cheesey fried beans or huge steaks I was not buzzing with enthusiasm before Nina and I visited this new place in SE1. That quickly changed soon after we arrived and were greeted by Yalain, the Cuban FOH; then enticed into some excellent starters and wines by Ecuadorian sommelier Rafael, who told us about the Colombian chef who does great things in the kitchen; and then we chatted with the director Charles who told us he lives ‘by the Tesco in the Old Kent Road’! What? It turned out that this Englishman is the glue to this union of foodies. Anyway, by now I was well and truly converted and ready to samba and rumba, and even cha-cha-cha for some of the lovely food I was being told about.

I say told because there was nothing on the menu that I could recognise. It was only when Rafael talked us through his suggestions that I could build up a picture of what was involved. We decided to go truly native and try dishes we had never

32 April 2018

had before, so first up was Cassava Fritters and Empanadas filled with slow-cooked beef brisket. Both came with dips that made you go Hmm! The fritters had a tamarind sauce, the empanadas paired with a corianderchilli concoction that had a lot of bite.

Those dishes were a good sign of what was to come, as were our opening drinks: Moradito - a tequilabased cocktail that was so easy on the palate it should’ve come with a danger warning, and Syrah - a fullbodied Mexican red. All proposed by Rafael.

The plates then kept coming. The Tuna Tartare was not just a beautiful thing to look at but was a festival of flavours, a triumph of textures, and as many superlatives as you want to add yourself. If it had kissed me I would not wash for a week. The tuna

was my favourite dish of the night, just beating the Grilled Octopus, which must have been the understudy for Monster of the Deep, with its big, sturdy tentacles that looked like they could grab you and drag you down to murky depths.

For side orders we had Palm Hearts with Jalapeño Pickle, that were amazing, and Roast Aubergine with Black Sauce that did not look appetising. How wrong was I? And while the plates kept coming so did Rafael, suggesting wines from Peru and Chile and Argentina, and it was hard to refuse if you didn’t know how to say no in Ecuadorian…

Finally, after about two hours, food and drink stopped arriving.

The dessert menu came instead.

I Googled how to say, ‘I’m from Bermondsey, get me out of here!’ in

Portuguese, but before an answer came Nina ordered a dessert that I can only describe as nachos with cottage cheese - but with the most wonderful poached fruit and physalis jam, plus a bread pudding made with sweet potato and coconut. Her rash action confirmed to me that she was loco. Especially when she also called on sweet wines to accompany those desserts.

Eventually it all came to a satisfying end, chatting to Charles and checking out the bodega next door where you can buy Latin American wines, coffee and chocolate, or reserve the large table with the view into the open kitchen.

Unbelievably, the Paladar menu is completely gluten-free, which some equate with free of taste, but I can assure you that your palate will think it is headlining at the Rio Carnival. In fact, Paladar translates as Palate.

Where else can you have cassava crisps, tempura breadfruit or soursop mousse, paired with some fantastic wines from the region? This team have united to bring their passion and experience to London and we are very lucky to have them in Southwark.

Yes, it does seem like a lot of money for dinner but I blame Rafael for wanting to show off the best that Latin America has to offer. Conversely, you can sit at the bar with a Brazilian beer and a couple of snacks and listen to samba for much less. Plus, there is a set lunch menu (Two Courses with a glass of wine: £15.50; Three

courses with a glass of wine: £18.50).

Paladar is a place that needs to be experienced.

the damage Syrah £7.00 Moradito £9.00 Empanadas £6.50 Cassava Fritters £6.00 Tuna Tartare £10.50 Grilled Octopus £18.00 Roast Aubergine £9.00 Palm Hearts £7.50 Sauvignoin Blanc £9.20 Semillon £9.10 Paoched Guava £7.00 Bread Pudding £6.70 Zuccardi Tardio £4.30 Valdivieso Semillon £5.80

TOTAL £115.60

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Charming French home for ÂŁ122,000

Beautiful 4-bedroom house, with garden on to the river, just an hour and a half’s drive from the ferry.

Located in the picturesque town of Fresnay-sur-Sarthe, along a quiet cobbled lane, the house looks out on to a medieval castle and fields of horses. Set over three floors, it has a spacious living room and kitchen, back courtyard and outhouse, and a private garage.

Perfect as a bolthole from busy London across the Channel to Caen, or just two hours on the train from Paris.

Inquiries to: fresnayhouse@gmail.com

F.A Albin & Sons 52 Culling Road, London Se16 2TN Our other branch addresses are: Elham 65 Mottingham Road, London SE9 4QZ Welling 4 Welling Way, Welling, Kent, DA16 2RJ Sidcup 163 Station Road, Sidcup, DA15 7AA Deptford 164 Deptford High Street, London, SE8 3DP East London 378 Barking Road, Plaistow, E13 8HL Walworth 88 Brandon Street, London, SE17 1ND

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April 2018 33

WATERLOO

Pearman Street, SE1

£1,050,000

• Period Conversion • Two Bedrooms • Two Roof Terraces • EPC Rating – C

Lower Marsh, SE1

£885,000

• Two Bedrooms, Two Bathrooms • Excellent Conditions • 915 SQFT • EPC Rating – C

WALWORTH

Boyson Road, SE17

LAMBETH NORTH

WATERLOO

£543,000

• Two Bedrooms • Balcony • Private Development • EPC Rating – B

Oswin Street , SE11

• One Bedroom Flat • Period Conversion • Ideal For First Time Buyers • EPC Rating – C

BERMONDSEY

£585,000

• Two Bedroom Flat • Balcony • Views • EPC Rating – C

ELEPHANT & CASTLE

Morley Street, SE1

KENNINGTON

Wincott Street, SE11 • Two Bedroom Flat • Balcony • Private Development • EPC Rating – C

KENNINGTON

£425,000

Newburn Street , SE11

WATERLOO

£550,000

Morley Street , SE1

WALWORTH

KENNINGTON

Bowling Green Street, SE11

£700 pw

• Four Double Bedrooms • Double Glazing • EPC Rating – C

£519 PW

Set within the iconic Grade II Listed Bath House Lofts development is this stunning first floor apartment which boasts high ceilings, brand new luxury kitchen and bathroom, feature flooring, large double bedroom with en suite shower room, a second double bedroom and mezzanine study area overlooking the reception.

The property also benefits from excellent storage and amenities including porter and Sainsbury’s next door.

Mina Road, London, SE17

£375 pw

• Two Bedrooms • Period Conversion • EPC Rating – C

WATERLOO

Old Town Hall SE16

£375,000

• One Bedroom Flat • Double Glazing Throughout • Balcony • EPC Rating – D

• Four BedroomFlat • Double Glazing Throughout • Lift • EPC Rating – D

WATERLOO

£550,000

BOROUGH

Westminster Bridge Road SE1 £ 519PW

An extremely generous apartment of over 800 sq ft, upgraded with hardwood flooring, high quality furnishings and with secure parking in The Perspective Building. This apartment comprises a sizeable reception with kitchen, two double bedrooms (master with en suite) separate guest bathroom, comfort cooling, a 24hr concierge service and a location within a few minutes walk of Waterloo and Westminster. EPC Rating - B.

Baylis Road SE1 • Two Bedrooms • Close To Waterloo Station • EPC Rating – E

£350 PW

Long Lane SE1 • Two Double Bedrooms • Close To Borough Station • EPC Rating – C

£325 PW

Waterloo Branch, 42 Kennington Road, Waterloo, London, SE1 7BL T: 020 7928 2406 E: kennington@reedsrains.co.uk

34 April 2018

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36 April 2018

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February 2018 3

4 February 2018

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