Southwark Weekender - 30.8.18

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WEEKENDER

September 2018 www.weekender.co.uk

inside:

Totally Thames returns

Page 3

Bermondsey Street Festival

Pages 15-24

Swede smell of success

Page 38

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

WEEKENDER southwark

September 2018 www.weekender.co.uk

Bermondsey Street Festival returns for a day of dancing, dog-shows and design

Photo by Johan Persson

Village people

4 September 2018

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Pick of the

Month

Bananarama giveaway, Totally Thames festival, and a night marathon

By Laura Burgoine

COMPETITION: WIN A COPY CD/DVD OF BANANARAMA – LIVE AT THE LONDON EVENTIM HAMMERSMITH APOLLO

Editor: Laura Burgoine

They were the girl group that defined the ‘80s. After a near 30 year absence since their last performance, Sara, Keren and Siobhan reunited last year for what was remarkably Bananarama’s FIRST ever tour together.

Now fans are able to relive this spectacular with the live album/DVD release of their London Eventim Hammersmith Apollo Show, set for release on September 14th.

The trio wowed fans with an incredible set of trademark hits, including ‘Robert De Niro’s Waiting’,

T

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

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

The Weekender is owned and run by Chris Mullany and Kevin Quinn, who also publish London's only independent paid-for paper, the Southwark News.

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If you have a story, please get in touch.

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Abstract artist and Bermondsey local Vicky Paul is exhibiting her paintings at the Menier Gallery. The spiritual artist, Soul Plan Practitioner and Coach, and Holistic Healer is inspired

by Mother Nature and the energies around us. The Visible Light and Colour Exhibition at the Menier Gallery, 51 Southwark St, SE1 1RU, from 21 August to 1 September. www. paintingsinhospitals.org.uk

‘Cruel Summer’, ‘Love In The First Degree’ and ‘Venus’.

With an incredible 32 song reaching the Top 50 in the UK Singles Charts – a veritable pantheon of hits - Bananarama hold the Guinness World Record for being the girl band with the most chart entries in history.

We have five CD/DVD copies to give away. For your chance to win, email laura@weekender.co.uk by September 30 with your name, address, and phone number, and the subject line Bananarama.

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT Totally Thames festival returns to the riverside from September 1-30. The annual season of arts and culture, which launched in 2014, runs along the 42-mile stretch of the Thames for a whole month. On August 31, there’s a Thames river swim, or for those who prefer to keep their feet dry there’s daily tours of Brunel’s London.

Curator of the Brunel Museum Robert Hulse hosts a river cruise under three Brunel bridges to the launch ramps of Brunel’s monster ship, with colourful commentary on London’s riverside sights from the Houses of Parliament to the Tower of London. The tour finishes with a descent into Brunel’s cavernous tunnel. Full listings of events at: totallythames.org

DINE DIVINE

A heavenly immersive dining experience, based on the Greek myths of Dionysus, is taking over the Vaults.

Divine Proportions is serving up a performance, followed by a five course dinner. The menu takes inspiration from Greek and Mediterranean fare, including cocktails of milk and honey with masked merrymakers and magical creatures and an after party in the Underworld.

Tickets start from £30. Shows run from September 11 to January 12. www.thevaults.london/divineproportions

FREE YOGA FOR SOUTHWARK Isha Yoga has opened in Southwark and the charity regularly runs free lunchtime and evening classes. Check out the free workshop: Yoga for success on September 2 at 3:30pm, or free lunchtime classes running from 12:30pm-1:15pm: Yoga for health on September 6, Yoga for Peace on September 7, and Yoga for success on September 5. Isha Yoga Centre is at 1-2 Silex Street, SE1 0DW.

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ART FOR THE SOUL

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ON THE DOCK Turn water into wine at London’s first ever floating wine festival.

Wine over Water runs for two days, with 50 winemakers from all over the world represented at Vauxhall’s Tamesis Dock: the 1930s floating barge on Albert Embankment. Take part in blind

tasting competitions, and get up to speed on the latest wine trends. Tickets: £25 per person, includes 8 tasting samples and maritime themed nibbles. Two time slots available: 11am-2pm and 2:15pm-5pm. SE1 7TP. www.eventbrite.co.uk

RISE AND SHINE The Marathon night walk, Shine, is back in the city on September 22. The walking event, which raises money for cancer research charity Shine, will see people of all ages and abilities uniting to raise money for life-saving research.

Participants can choose to support one of 12 areas of scientific research or they can simply give their backing to Cancer Research UK’s overall work.

The half marathon option starts in Southwark Park at 7:30pm, while the full marathon starts in the same location at 9:20pm. The route will pass landmarks such as Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Royal Albert Hall, Buckingham Palace, Westminster, and the Shard.

To enter visit shinewalk.org

September 2018 5

Brixton Buzz

Gig guide

Saturday 1st Sept, SE17

On The 5th Day at Corsica Studios 5 Farrell Court, Elephant & Castle, SE17 1LB, 11pm-6am, £17.50 Promising their “deepest, darkest and heaviest” party yet, On The 5th Day’s banging bill includes Headless Horseman, Ancestral Voices, Sam KDC and Abstract Man, with a Metempsychosis (try saying that after a few beers) Records Showcase in Room 2.

Saturday 1st Sept, SW2

Pake at the White Horse 94 Brixton Hill, Brixton, SW2 1QN, 9pm3am, Free DJ Pake will apparently be “furiously joining the dots between dance music of all flavours as if lives depended on it,” whatever that means.

Sunday 2nd Sept, SW9

Grass Roots Live Music at Club 414 414 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LF, 10pm-3am, Free/donations Expect a night of live uplifting blues, reggae and ska in front of a busy, old school mixed Brixton crowd. It’s open till late and a big hit with locals.

Tuesday 4th Sept, SE5

Septabeat at Hootananny

95 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-3am, £7 There’s three acts on the bill at Le Hoot, with headliners Septabeat thumping the tubs like a man possessed, backed by some of the capital’s premier sessions players and innovators including Amané Suganame and Sam Bell, with vocals by Rachel D’Marcy.

Also on the bill is jazzy South London band Thidius fronted

by Isobel Risk, and Tom Driessler’s Midnight Project blending broken beats, synths and soulful indie vocals.

Jazz Jam at The Junction 171 Coldharbour Lane, SE5 9PA, 8pm11pm, Free The strummin’, tootin’ and percussin’ starts at 8pm and the musos will keeps on throwing shapes till close. With an accomplished house band featuring bar manager Luke Fowler on double bass, expect some top notch musicianship in an affordable, independent boozer.

Wednesday 5th Sept, SW4

Open Mic at Bread & Roses 68 Clapham Manor Street, SW4 6DZ, 8pm-11pm, Free Test out your talents in front of a friendly crowd at this regular open mic night. All musicians and spoken word artists welcome.

Sat

15th

Thursday 6th Sept, SW8

September

Parsimonious Monk at The Cavendish Arms 128 Hartington Road, SW8 2HJ, 8pm, Free Shuffle up Stockwell way and enjoy some old jazz, new jazz and all kinds of blue jazz in this friendly music venue/ bar.

Thursday 6th Sept, SE24

Live Music at Off The Cuff 301-303 Railton Road, Herne Hill, SE24 0JN, 8pm-11pm, £5 Lob in a fiver at the door and chance your luck with three new acts: Barb are a power trio mashing up shoegaze, grunge and passionate vocals, Glossii describe themselves as “one for the outcasts and the weirdos,” with a mix of Lush and My Chemical Romance, while the wonderfully named Light Emitting Dinosaurs have been described as “Kate Bush singing over Muse,” which will either be brilliant or beastly.

Friday 7th Sept, SE15

Dancehall Queen at The Bussey Building 133 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4ST, 10pm-4am, £6 Jamaica dancehall themed night, with platter selectors throwing down the likes of Shaggy, Mr Vegas, Spice, Sean Paul, Major Lazer, Stylo G and more.

Friday 7th Sept, SE24

I’m Not Working at The Florence 131-133 Dulwich Road, Herne Hill, SE24 0NG, 9pm-1am, Free Unnamed local resident DJs playing unspecified ‘best tunes’ on vinyl every Friday and Saturday in this gastropub that sports its own microbrewery.

Saturday 8th Sept, SW2

6 September 2018

Brasstermind at Blues Kitchen 40 Acre Lane, Brixton, SW2 5SP, 10pm2am, £10 With more brass on board than Chrissie Hynde’s pocket, Brasstermind will be bringing their ten-strong, all-parping mob of hornsmiths to perform New Orleans, soul and afrobeat brassinfused party tunes. Resident band The Beekays take over at 1am to deliver a set of classic funk, soul and Motown, with DJs betwixt the bands ‘til 3am.

the airfare or cavity searches, feel free to sing along to ditties from around the globe.

Monday 10th Sept, SE1

Che Lingo at Omeara 6 O’Meara Street, SE1 1TE, 7pm, £12

Saturday 8th Sept, SE15

Dusty Groove at Canavan’s Peckham Pool Club 188 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4NF, 10pm-4am, £7 Spain-spawned and Berlin residing Carlo will be looking to get the crowd rocking the floor at Peckham’s finest pool hall-cum-bar. Get there before 11pm and you can gorge yourself on £3 pints and £2 shots. Waheey!

Wednesday 12th Sept, SW2

Frontier Ruckus at The Windmill 22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton, SW2 5BZ, 8pm, £9.50 The wonderful Frontier Ruckus play a special gig at the Windmill that is sure to sell out swiftly. With a sound that blends bluegrass, folk-pop, heartbreaking harmonies, banjo and even a singing saw, the band have collected up rave reviews on their travels. “Their songs are full of rich, rural details: frozen lakes, swaying trees, highway lights glowing in the deep night. Add to the mix baleful brass and trembling percussion, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for Gothic Americana” enthused Rolling Stone magazine. It’s an essential gig for fans of alt-country and dark folk.

Friday 14th Sept, SW16

Streatham Soul Club at White Lion 234 Streatham High Road, SW16 1BB, 6pm-1am, Free The Streatham Soul Club will be celebrating their fourth year at the White Lion, with three days of music over the weekend. Get down and own the dancefloor.

Friday 14th Sept, SE11

Carmen Carr at Toulouse-Lautrec 140 Newington Butts, Kennington, SE11 4RN, 9.30pm, £15

Thursday 13th Sept SW2

Sunday 9th Sept, SW2

No Frills Sunday Session at The Windmill 22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton SW2 5BZ, 7pm, Free With the hard drinking No Frills Band at the helm, this jaunty, round-the-table session invites musicians of all abilities to join in with new and traditional songs.

Like a musical Whicker’s World without

grime.

A rapper/MC who started out playing youth clubs around Clapham Junction, Che Lingo has been amassing a growing following who can’t get enough of his heady blend of hip hop, jazz, 90s West Coast with a few nods to London

Jamaica Jazzzz at Effra Hall Tavern Kellett Road, Brixton, SW2 1EB, 9.30pm-11.15pm, Free One of the few traditional pubs left anywhere in the area, this locals’ boozer has regular live music nights throughout the week. Thursdays is always a busy night, with the house band mashing up jazz, ska and reggae in front of an appreciative crowd.

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September 2018 7

Carmen Carr and the Red Roosters serve up the authentic blues of the great Chicago legends, popular in the Jamaican dance halls of her youth. With the raw excitement of a rocking band led by the exceptional vocal talent of the ‘Blues woman from Kingston JA’, expect a lively night in this popular bohemian-styled bar/restaurant close to Kennington tube.

Friday 14th Sept, SW9

Belly Box at Cafe Cairo 88 Landor Road, SW9 9PE, 9pm-2am, £8 With a bill full of “bizarre walk about performances, funny sound effects, offensive sea creatures, puppet strip tease, and some curious vultures that want some belly box fun,” this is unlikely to prove a smash with the nu-Brixton auto-Instagramming cocktail crowd, but if you’re after a mad mash up of Glasto vibes, Boomtown madness and bizarre performance cabaret, this unusual night should be worth a visit. Expect DJs pummelling out a mix of hip hop, Drum & Bass, garage, Jungle and Funk, Balkan beats, eclectic swing and trippy psychedelia.

Friday 14th Sept, SW4

Forget it Fridays at Gigalum 8 Cavendish Road, Clapham Common, SW4 9DW, 7pm-midnight, Free Claimed to be “designed for the discerning musical palate,” Gigalum promises an evening of global beats and diverse sounds, with DJs Hilton Caswell and Ben Yong getting jiggy with the sliders. We’re not sure what an “Ibiza themed terrace” looks like, but this place has one.

Friday 14th Sept, SE1

Ummet Ozcan at Ministry of Sound 103 Gaunt Street, Elephant & Castle, SE1 6DP, 10.30pm-6am, £26

Brixton Buzz Thu

27th September

House Night at Gremio de Brixton St. Matthew’s Church, Effra Road, SW2 1JF, 9pm, Free Undesignated 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.

Friday 28th Sept, SW9

K-Trap at Electric Brixton

Town Hall Parade, Brixton, SW2 1RJ, 7pm-11pm, £16 Delivering defiant and hedonistic lyrics to a backdrop of languid electro beats and hazy resonant basslines, K Trap is a south London-based trap and drill artist fast making a name on the scene. Widely known for his decision to conceal his identity with a balaclava, the hype ripples turned into waves on the UK urban scene in 2017 with his independently released track “Paper Plans” showcasing a raw and individual style of rapping. A slick and striking video shot on the streets of East London helped push him into public attention, with K Trap releasing his debut mixtape, The Last Whip, in June 2017.

DJs manning the spinning t’ings, expect your auricles to oscillate in a pleasing manner to classics and some hidden gems.

Further at Portico Gallery 23A Knight’s Hill, West Norwood, SE27 0HS, 7.30pm-midnight, £7 There’s a night of sound and vision at the Portico Gallery as Further hauls in a heap of slide, oil and video projections. Markey Funk flys in from Jerusalem to present his take on heavy fuzz and psych wig-outs, with DJ Food presenting his AV ode to Boards of Canada. On the decks, The Karminsky Experience Inc. let rip with swinging library, soundtrack and beatnik grooves.

Tuesday 18th Sept, SW9

Saturday 15th Sept, SW9

Live Jazz at the Cable Bar & Café 8 Brixton Road, Oval, SW9 6BU, 8pm, Free Tuesdays sees live jazz/swing bands playing the small stage in this intimate cafe/bar by the Oval.

Wednesday 19th Sept, SW9

Wicked Wednesdays at Club 414 414 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LF, 10pm-3am, £3 This lively jam session remains the best

Garage Sessions at JAMM 261 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 6LH, 5pm-5am, £12 Jamm residents DJ Luck and MC Neat, Oxide don their overalls and get busy with another night of nowt but garage, spread across three arenas, including Jamm’s newly refurbished Beach & Terrace boasting an outdoor sound system, cocktail bar and street food.

Saturday 15th Sept, SW2

Soul Output at Effra Social 89 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm1am, Free It’s a USB-free zone as the Soul Output DJs haul their bulging bag of strictly vinyl boogie tunes into the portals of this former Tory club. Happily now cleansed of all unpleasant Eau d’Thatcher aromas, there’s plenty to like in this time vault venue, although anti-royalists may take exception to the portraits of ‘Er Majesty on the wall. With Soul Output

8 September 2018

Trans-Atlantic soul chart topping Kim Tibbs wheels in her jazz vibes, gospel chords, crisp horns, swinging bass lines and retro soul spirit into this excellent south London venue.

Friday 28th Sept, SW2

Saturday 15th Sept, SE27

Dutch/Turkish knob-twiddler and slider-shunter Ummet Ozcan plays his final show at the Ministry for 2018 and will be poised to showcase his own Oz Records imprint. Expect your lug’oles to reverberate to a throbbing earful of techno-influence trance and electronic dance till close.

Gig guide

place to be on a Wednesday night in Brixton, with a truly diverse mix of musicians and punters packing into Coldharbour Lane’s legendary late bar to an uplifting selection of jazz, soul, reggae, Afrobeat, funk and dance.

Friday 21st Sept, SE15

Interlude at Four Quarters 187 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4TP, 8pm1.30am, Free Amoss will be smashing the dance tunes

from their ‘Everything is Temporary’ album, with In-Reach.co.uk boss Hainesy on hosting duties and J:Code on the decks alongside DJ residents for a night of craft beer, arcade games and future beats.

Expect thumping drum and bass sonicness till close.

Friday 21st Sept, SW9

Rooftop 90s Party at Prince of Wales 469 Brixton Rd, SW9 8HH, 8pm-3am, £10 Concrete Music are primed to blast out retro tunes from the rooftop, the club room and their secret Karaoke hideaway at PoW. Expect an evening of 90’s Hip Hop, Old Skool Dance, House, UK Garage and R&B, with a dance floor swishing to the sound of flapping Ellesse, Asics, Moschino, Umbro, Vans, Reebok and Tommy Hilfiger clobber.

Saturday 22nd Sept, SE27

South London Jazz Orchestra at the Railway Tavern 7 Station Rise, Tulse Hill, SE27 9BW, 8pm2am, Free It’s the annual visit of the South London Jazz Orchestra who’ll be arriving mob handed to bring the big band sound to this splendid Tulse Hill boozer with a mahoosive garden.

Saturday 22nd Sept, SE11

Big Joanie at Duckie Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY, 9pm-2am, £6

Friday 21st Sept, SE27

Bam Bam Sound at Book & Record Exchange 20 Norwood High St, SE27 9NR, 8pm-1am, £3 DJ Shirley Feelgood from the legendary Sisters of Reggae rustles up a pleasing fare of soul and reggae in this splendid former pub that now doubles up as a record shop/ venue. Robot Riddims will be mixing 8-bit sound chips and bass into a tasty lo-fi stew, DJ Ringo will be spinning eclectic scratchy records from Jamaica with Bam Bam’s DJ Johnny Clash taking up the sonic slack.

Friday 28th Sept, SW9

SNTS at Phonox 418 Brixton Rd, Brixton, SW9 7AY, 9.30pm4am, £23 Dark and brooding bemasked Berlin techno purveyor SNTS brings his spinning wares to Brixton, backed by a thunderstorm of smoke and strobes. He’ll be joined on the night by rising stars Mor Elian & Object Blue.

Friday 28th Sept, SW11

Fridays 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 hip-thrusts to an uncomplicated amalgam of crowd-pleasing party classics, with house DJs spinning Hip-Hop to House, Disco to R&B.

Saturday 29th Sept, SW9

Britpop to Beyonce at Market House 443 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LN, 10pm-3am, £5 Brixton’s famous Offline Club throws down another swaggering, sweaty, fun packed mix of fist-in-the air party bangers. Expect your nether regions to vacillate wildly to a sonic feast of dance monsters, cheeky pop thumpers, drum’n’bass floorshakers and body-quivering anthems.

Saturday 29th Sept, SW4

Northern Soul DJs at Bread & Roses 68 Clapham Manor Street, Clapham, SW4 6DZ, 9pm-12.30am, Free The Shakeup gang don their baggy pants and slip their supplies of talc past security to sprinkle the finest Rare & Northern Soul all over the dancefloor at this Trade Union owned boozer.

Saturday 29th Sept, SW2

Saturday 22nd Sept, 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 in this retro chic bar stocked with lovely real ales.

Black feminist afropunk trio Big Joanie bring the noise to the wonderful Duckie night in Vauxhall. Describing themselves as, “the Ronettes, filtered through ‘80s DIY and riot grrrl with a sprinkling of dashikis,” expect to hear a potent mix of infectious, urgent grungy girl power, with their full-on cover of TLC’s “No Scrubs” a highlight.

Saturday 22nd Sept, SW4

Wednesday 26th Sept, SW2

Pandora’s Box at Fu Manchu 15 Lendal Terrace, Clapham, SW4 7UX, 5pm-3am, £5 This champagne-shifting bar features xclusivetouch DJs pumping out commercial anthems, Rnb, old skool & club classics, with free pizza slices “thrown out” at 1.30am.

Mind you don’t get a pepperoni one in your peeper.

Hip Hop at Pop Brixton 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ, 7pm11.45pm, Free An evening showcasing the aural output of Brighton-based label QM Records.

Normanton Street roll out a set of soul and hip hop, M.C, singer and producer Bobbie Johnson adds her conscious thought and social commentary, backed by Yakul and Chloe Bodur.

South London Punk Collective at the Hand In Hand 61 New Park Road, Streatham Hill, SW2 4LA, 8pm-11.30pm, Donation

Laid Bare at Upstairs at the Ritzy Brixton Oval, Brixton, SW2 1JG, 7.30pm, Free

A live music night curated by Rami Radi presenting talented musicians, singers and rappers from wonderful south London.

Thursday 27th Sept, SW16

Kim Tibbs at Hideaway 2 Empire Mews, Streatham, SW16 2BF, 8.30pm, £20

The South London Punk Collective bring their considerable noise to the Hand in Hand, with a bill including Plague UK, Proud City Fathers, Slow Faction and Stone Heroes.

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September 2018 9

10 September 2018

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Spotlight

Streatham Free Film Festival The Streatham Free Film Festival is back for its fourth season. Running from September 15-29, at different locations, the festival is hosting a wide range of free screenings carefully selected to reflect the diversity of Streatham. The team of volunteers behind the event engage with as many businesses, schools and individuals as possible to programme the event so that there is a film to appeal to all ages and tastes within the community. All screenings are free. Most are first come first served, while a few specific screenings require booking a spot through the website.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Launch event: Elvis That’s The Way it Is. It’s 1970 and Elvis returns from thirteen years of concentrating on movie roles to perform his run of shows in Las Vegas. The film follows Presley through rehearsals, relaxation and performance and is a stunning reminder of why he’s held as such a legend. Going off with a bang, the launch film has a party night attached with live music and DJs. Organisers are encouraging people to dress up as Elvis or in ‘70s costume.

There will be live entertainment from Streatham’s own Black Elvis. Saturday 15 September at the Hideaway.

Locally relevant film: Being Blacker. A chance to see the documentary about well-known local reggae record shop owner and music producer, Blacker Dread, his extended family, friends and the wider Brixton community. The film focuses on a tumultuous time in Blacker’s life: the death of his mother and the prospect of his first prison

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sentence. White Lion, Thursday 20 September.

in cinema. Friday 21 September at the Horse and Groom.

Comedy evening: Funny Cow. Three female comedians are getting the crowd warmed up before the screening of the 2017 film about a comedian who uses her troubled past as material for a stand-up routine as she tries to break into the comedy circuit by playing Northern England’s working men’s clubs. Sunday 23 September at 7pm at Streatham Space Project.

Foreign titles: Fantastic Woman, which won this year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Film, Pad Man an Indian comedy and Cinema Paradiso.

Music documentary: A Bunch of Kunst. The Sleaford Mod documentary screening ahead of their Roundhouse show.

For Children: The BFG, The Breadwinner, and more still to be announced.

Classics: A number of classics are being shown including Whatever Happened To Baby Jane which comes with a talk on ageing and queer representation

Competition: The festival continues its tradition of holding a 48hr film making competition.

Starting on Friday 14 September at 7:30pm, the festival provides filmmakers with a line of dialogue, a Streatham location, and a prop. You come back 48 hours later with a finished film under three minutes. Use phones, iPads or cameras and see your masterpiece screened on Thursday 27September at the pop up cinema screening, along with industry insiders’ feedback.

There’s also the return of the film quiz, which is a firm favourite for locals.

For full listings, please visit: www.freefilmfestivals.org/ filmfestival/streatham

September 2018 11

Theatre A NEW Alan Bennett play has been something to look forward since soon after he began writing plays, and awaiting Allelujah was no exception, writes Michael Holland...

Set in a geriatric ward in a local hospital that has served the community ‘from cradle to grave’, Allelujah opens with a lady with early dementia, isolated by a stark spotlight on a darkened stage, telling anyone who will listen that her daughter sold her house and put her into a home. ‘It was mine, she cries plaintively. Her fellow patients on the Dusty Springfield ward appear and they all sing a song, because that is what old people want to do, apparently, according to one of the ward nurses.

It is the Bethlehem Hospital, somewhere near the Yorkshire moors, a name that has its own history in ‘Bedlam’ and mental health, and although it has been running quite successfully there are ministerial moves to close it down and privatise. Bethlehem’s Chairman, one to never miss an opportunity, is always thinking of ways to up the hospital’s profile, but also has his own exit plan… Sister Gilchrist has been at Bethlehem for over 20 years. She has a sad back story and odd methods to keep the tight ship she keeps sailing smoothly. The way in which Sister Gilchrist ends the first half elicits a huge gasp from the audience, and much to talk about in the interval.

Allelujah is a lot of laughs, you can hear Bennett’s voice in every line, but always there, just beneath the

Bennett at his best

veneer of everyday life, is a sick and sad world. ‘There are gay clubs in Barnsley these days,’ one snidy work experience kid says with a sneer to an elderly patient.

The writer, now 84, pokes with a sharp stick at austerity cuts, Brexit, good people being sent back to their countries of origin, greed and the need to eternally ‘tick boxes’ . All the bad people in this are white.

Bennett and director Nick Hytner have drawn on the experience of age with Arlene Phillips choreographing the singing and dancing from a chorus line of octogenarians - who deservedly got the biggest clap at the end - and a cast of actors who fit nicely into their geriatric roles.

On the day that Cliff Richard fans sang his hit Congratulations to him

after he wins a court case against the BBC, so a choir of elderly angels sing it to a Killer Nurse. Then a brown man mocks England’s rich for their educational privilege and how ‘they think being English is a boast’. But then his speech to the audience tears away that overcoat of superiority to reveal the superciliousness and bigotry that crawls into all corners all over

the land.

Allelujah is one hell of a play.

Allelujah is on at the Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Fields Park, SE1 2SG, until 29 September at 7.45pm, and matinees at 2:30pm on Wednesday and Saturday.

Admission: £15- £65.

Phone: 0333 320 0051. www.bridgetheatre.co.uk

The good old days delusion An inspiring set by Anna Fleischle allows us to see into Johnny and Judy’s dream home to admire their modern 1950s decor like giants peering in at a doll’s house, writes Michael Holland...

Rock and roll plays on the radio as we watch Johnny get ready for work in the bedroom, while Judy, in full make up and heels, a dress straight out of Grease, half a dozen petticoats to make the skirt swirl, boils his egg and toasts his soldiers in the kitchen downstairs. While breakfasting they fawn over each other before Judy kisses him off to work and then, for the first shocker in Laura Wade’s Home, I’m Darling, she gets a laptop from the drawer to order more authentic 50s stuff on eBay to carry on with the ‘50s delusion we have been tricked into believing, and the one that Judy is obsessed with.

12 September 2018

Our ‘domestic goddess’ then proceeds to decant all her shopping from its modern packaging into old-fashioned containers: carton milk into bottles; loose (real) tea into a caddy, while telling her friend, Fran, that she could also be like her if she read How To Run A House Without Help - a publication from the 1940s, and Judy’s Bible. Fran, however, doesn’t mind the dressing up but she doesn’t want to cook and clean all day.

But this Doris Day - Rock Hudson film set she has created around her is starting to show cracks. A visit from her mother gives an insight to Judy’s obsession with the past. She is battling against everything her mother taught her about feminism while growing up in a commune and living on lentils. Mum hilariously rants about her own mother being “scared of yogurt!” She mocks her daughter’s mock-50s home

and lifestyle by saying, “How could you know about the 50s? You weren’t even around then! And the 50s didn’t even look like this Gingham Paradise - It was horrible!”

Later, whilst entertaining Johnny’s boss with devilled eggs and cheese straws, in an attempt to get her to give Johnny a promotion, wearing a billowing dress and fur wrap, Judy remarks: “people were much nicer to each other in the ‘50s” only to get the reply “as long as you weren’t black, gay or disabled.”

Wade’s writing is tremendous. She can make the whole atmosphere switch on a phrase or a gesture: When Johnny doesn’t put his fedora on to go out you know it is the beginning of the end.

A great cast ensure Home, I’m Darling is played as good as it can be, but Laura Wade has given the best lines to Katherine Parkinson’s Judy, who has not wasted one

single syllable.

In this mock-1950s home we soon discover that ‘nostalgia ain’t what it used to be’.

Additional tickets for sold out performances will be available via Friday Rush and Day Tickets.

Home, I’m Darling is on at The National Theatre, South Bank, SE1, until September 5 at 7.30pm and 2:30pm matinees.

Admission: £55.

Phone: 0207 452 3000. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

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Theatre

Who wants ham when you have spam?

Spamilton is brought to us

by Gerard Alessandrini, the writer-director who created the brilliant, perpetually evolving, micky-taking Forbidden Broadway(25 editions so far, writes Michael Holland...

Alessandrini is the maestro of the pastiche, the prince of parody, the master of extracting every subtle nuance from his cast, and I have been waiting with excited anticipation for this to open. But then, when it did, I sat there mouth ajar, looking round for an escape route while asking myself how I ever got stuck in this unfathomable mess. Fortunately, within ten minutes of the start I got it. When they did a mash up of Mamma Mia and the French musical, and called it Les Miserabba, I got it. When that was quickly followed by the Lion King and I, my blood pressure tumbled and I got it. I knew this was

another winner.

Spamilton literally cocks a snook at Hamilton; it sells itself as a parody of the multi-award winning blockbuster before taking pot shots at almost every other musical and musical theatre name. In fact, one of the stand outs of the show was Sophie-Louise Dann’s Liza Minnelli belting out, ‘Down with the rap Back with the tunes’. Excruciatingly brilliant.

The whole cast were stupendous.

The energy they built up on stage in this non-stop, 80 minute show was amazing, and they looked like they were having as much fun as the audience. Damian Humbley definitely was in his Queen Elizabeth cameo telling his ‘subjects’ how Hamilton had had a negative effect on the theatre world: ‘Straight is Back’ he mourned woefully, sending a shiver down most of this audience’s collective spine. My favourite, though, was

Julie Yammanee, a rocking and rolling fireball who can do comedy just as well as she can do steamy.

She even managed to cross her eyes for a Streisand impression!

What dedication.

But Julie’s exceptional performance was made even better by this fantastic troupe who all need to be mentioned in dispatches. Spamilton is laugh out loud fun; Gerard Alessandrini and his team have cornered this kind of work for themselves - It is the spitting image of musical theatre.

Amazingly it is all played out with just a piano accompaniment, robustly and quite brilliantly provided by Simon Beck.

Spamilton is on at Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, SE1 1RU until 8 September.

Admission: £45.

Phone: 020 7378 1713. www.menierchocolatefactory.com

Wrestling with death is enjoyable On another one of these stunning, sweltering days we’ve been having, it came as a welcome relief to enter the cool conditioning of the Olivier Theatre for Eugène Ionesco’s Exit the King, writes Hannah Kelly...

Though the play’s wintery, ice cold throne room took some acclimatising to, the opening scenes promised to be good with a brilliant entrance from Derek Griffiths who sets up the opening gags. Exit the King explores the inevitable approach of death played out in real time through the character of King Bérenger who has to accept his own death in ninety minutes.

Helped along by his first and second wife, doctor, servant and soldier, the throne room set with its gaping crack in the wall is almost all that remains

of a kingdom which has fallen into a great chasm; seemingly the product of climate change and poor kingship. Though the topic itself is bleak, the first hour is comedic, even pantomime in style. This tone, though enjoyable, was confusing at times, as the play always seemed to be on the brink of a greater severity and this created some tension in the performance.

Despite some woodenness on the part of some of the other characters in the initial half, Rhys Ifans took to the role marvelously and carries much of the excitement of the play. Flitting from madness to absurdity and then to childish despair, he works through the stages of denial, anger, bargaining and depression brilliantly. However, the real depth of the play began

to emerge only in the last twenty minutes. As the King finally begins to realise the gravitas of the situation, the tone changes and the pantomime fades away to a deeper philosophising.

Here the underlying questions of power, individuality, pride and death were addressed more directly in long soliloquies, which were powerful if not at times a little too long. In these moments the individual characters of King Bérenger and his first wife Marguerite begin to become a little hazy and it is unclear whether Bérenger begins to represent God and Marguerite death, or not. It is perhaps here that the play loses me a little, as the set disappears and Bérenger is led towards the end, the attempt at representing what death might be like is, though interesting, perhaps too much for the play itself.

Despite this, the play left my friend and I with many questions and much to talk about afterwards and that is often a sign of a success. The set design is fantastic and the performances on the whole were engaging. There are some good laughs and Marber’s handling of Ionesco’s wrestle with death was on the whole a well enjoyed hour and a half.

Exit the King is on at The National Theatre until October 6 at 7:30pm (Tuesday-Saturday) and 2pm matinees.

Admission: £15 - £50.

Phone: 0207 452 3000. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

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Brontës - the musical A NEW musical about the Brontës at Southwark Playhouse in September has announced its cast, writes Danny Wiser...

The rock musical, Wasted, will take place at the large space at the theatre from Thursday, 6 September until Saturday, 6 October.

Sheridan Smith’s understudy from hit musical Funny Girl, Natasha Barnes, could not contain her excitement when she spoke to the Weekender.

“Southwark Playhouse is on my bucket list. It is such an exciting venue. It is always somewhere that I loved,” Natasha said.

“I think whether you are a fan of musical, Brontës or rock it ticks a load of different boxes.”

Natasha has been cast as the role of Charlotte Brontë and it is a dream come true.

She said: “This is what I got into the business for and maybe somebody else will be doing their version of Charlotte Brontë in 20 years looking at my work.

“It is amazing, I have worked with different projects on the Brontës all of my life.”

The theatre and TV actress who has previously performed on ITV’s Doc Martin claims that for her acting is not about celebrity recognition.

Her love for the Brontës has been continuous and existed for many years before she did a radio play about them.

“It has never been about fame and notoriety.

“I want people to see the struggle of being born with such great talent is not just a recent phenomenon,” she said, citing examples of Marilyn Munroe and Amy Winehouse.

Working with director, Adam Lenson, on Wasted is another dream come true for Natasha.

“He is a total champion of new theatre. He is one of the foremost directors in musical theatre. He knows it has to change direction and evolve.”

Wasted is at Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, SE1 6BD, from September 6-October 6 at 7:30pm with 3pm matinees.

Admission: £25/£20 concession.

Phone: 020 7404 0234. www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

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Your guide to this year's Bermondsey Street festival Saturday 15 September news@weekender.co.uk /

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The village fete in the city returns for the annual Bermondsey Street festival. Bring your dogs (and their diamante collars) and head to the best dressed street in London for a day of fashion, festivities, artisan bakers, and candlestick makers.

TURN OVER FOR FULL GUIDE

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Saturday Saturday 15 15 September September The Best Bermondsey pooches are back for another year. Registration starts from 11.30am at Leathermarket Gardens.

Enter your canine companion in any of the following categories: The Lily Award for Best Pedigree bitch, the Eddie Award for Best Pedigree Boy, the Holly Award for best mash up and/or rescue, the Gus and Nelly award which is anything goes, fancy dress, best trick, best 6 legs.

The top two contenders from each class go through to Best in Show.

The winner will receive £75 towards a Holly & Lil dog collar of their choice, and there will be small prizes for all runners up.

Losing entrants will receive a ‘WE WOZ ROBBED’ rosette. There’s also a free pack of ByBenji treats for all entrants too and 10 percent off all collars, leads and harnesses at Holly & Lil. This year’s judges are cohosts of the BBC London weekly radio show the Barking Hour (on Thursdays 3pm4pm), which is the only radio show in Europe dedicated to dogs and their owners.

A dog’s life

GIRLS ALOUD

THE STALLS There’s a bit of a buzz around Bermondsey Street Bees. Not only were they winners of Best Honey in London in the 2017 National Honey Show, they also won Small Artisan Producer of the Year at the 2016 Great Taste Awards. Bermondsey Street honey is spun out by hand, cold-filtered and decanted into jars. Check out their raw, unprocessed honey at their stall.

THE TUNES Hitting the London Square stage at 2:30pm, 12 piece band Matuki are playing West African music fused with urban funk.

At 5:30pm, it’s over to They Say Jump for an unstoppable force of reggae and ska sounds.

Festival goers can immerse themselves in the vibrant, eclectic culture of Bermondsey Street by choreographing a series of performance moments on the street led by the Pomba Girls troupe of female performers.

The Pomba Girls will connect festival goers with the rhythm, colour and energy of Bermondsey Street with a music fuelled performance that circulates around different areas.

The route begins at 11.15am from the Southernmost end of the Street, continues from 12 noon at Whites Grounds along Tyers Gate. At 3pm- 3.45pm the Transform/Street Party Dress Up sees the Pomba Girls embrace the bold, eclectic street fashion scene of Bermondsey Street by partaking in a Street Party Dress Up session hosted at Black Swan Yard. From 4pm at Tanner and Co, Unleash brings high energy dance performances on the street together with a Pomba DJ set to get festival goers dancing.

THE FOOD The festival offers the finest food from the top of the Shard to the bottom of Bermondsey Street and Tower Bridge Road.

Get your Malaysian street food fix from Banana Leaf. Beers from the Bermondsey Beer Mile are on tap in Tanner Street Park.

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THE TRAVELLING CHILDREN’S SHOW Look out for JoJo fun with children’s activities, balloon modelling and more on the mound in Leathermarket Gardens. The stilt walker is around and about in Bermondsey Street, so say hello and grab a programme.

The professional, travelling children’s entertainers pride themselves on their ability to bring a whole lot of fun to any party or event.

Drawing from an exciting and expansive range of wacky party skills, they promise to dazzle anyone from 0 - 100+ years with smiles, zany fun and laughter.

PRINTS CHARMING Fine art photographer and mixed-media printmaker Chloe McCarrick is at Tyers Gate selling some of her work, and also offering hands on experiences making your own prints. From her London studio and darkroom, the artist creates bespoke, original and limited edition nature inspired prints and gifts.

There’s something for all budgets, from wearable pieces of art to bespoke works to adorn the home, and interior projects. Chloe embraces and develops innovative ways of reworking photographic images through collage and mixed-media print techniques, and by blending science, darkroom alchemy and art.

She offers a range of interactive drop in workshops showing people how to make cyanotypes in the sun and screen print their own tote bags.

Saturday 15 September

20 September 2018

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NEWS TRAVELS FAST Over half our online readers now access our journalism on their mobiles Call us on 020 7232 1639 to find out how to promote your local business online

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Rotherhithe 52 Culling Road, London, SE16 2TN Our other branch addresses are: 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 Mottingham 65 Mottingham Road, London SE16 2TN

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September 2018 21

INTRODUCING…THE COMMUNITY STAGE 11:30am- 12 noon: Kitsch in Sync London’s most fun loving a-cappella choir, Kitsch in Sync specialise in performing hit songs mainly from the ‘80s as you’ve never heard them before. Why? Because the majority of their songs are arranged specially by a ridiculously talented in-house music team.

KiS have performed at festivals, events and celebrations all over London. They sing all your favourite ‘80s,’90s and ‘00s songs. Enough said.

12 noon-1pm: Daisy Chute Edinburgh-born, half-American, hyphen-loving Daisy Chute is a folk songstress and multiinstrumentalist with a particular penchant for the banjo. Formerly of Decca’s platinum-selling classical group All Angels, she

is excited to be working on her début album of original songs with producer and songwriter Tim Baxter. A regular in the London music scene and an awardwinning singer and songwriter having just been awarded first place in the Coffee Music Project singer-songwriter competition, Daisy has been taught and mentored by rock royalty Sir Ray Davies, featured as a vocalist on Radiohead’s latest album A Moon Shaped Pool, and even got the thumbs up from Sir Paul McCartney after a performance at the Royal Albert Hall. One of Paul Sexton’s ‘top music tips’ for 2018, Daisy’s music has been compared to Simon and Garfunkel and Joni Mitchell (BBC Radio Kent).

1pm-1:30pm: Nikky Santilli Nikki Santilli brings everyone

together with her popular free dance lessons in vintage jazz.

Learn to mess around with the boogie back then swing to the live band.

1pm-2:30pm: Hot Jazz Rag / Le Hot Club de Londres Guitars and bass in the style of Django Reinhardt playing swing tunes, gypsy melodies, jazz standards and waltzes.

The likeable chaps often play with special guests. Come and listen to the seductive sounds of Le Hotclub de Londres, music that is joyous and soulful, timeless and modern.

2:30pm-4pm: Salsa Oracle 4pm-5pm: London Jazz Company Latin Band Here to bring Cuba, the Caribbean and South America to London, this group of talented musicians are bringing salsa,

bossa nova and a little ska to the festival crowd. They’re sure to get you moving in the last of the summer sunshine.

5pm-6pm: Cracked The Cracked are the hazy Balearic vibe of Ibiza set to the rich Latin sounds of South America, dropping funky African beats and harmonies against a backdrop of English pop on a sunny summer afternoon.

Expect infectious fusion dance that steps to upbeat rhythms, sumptuous brass and mouthwatering melodies.

This London based 8-piece embraces international musicians from as far and wide as Argentina and Australia, blending styles effortlessly to create an uplifting and Tropical/ Soca/Afrobeat, sound.

SONNET TO GO Team London Bridge is serving up a Poetry Takeaway from 12 noon until 4pm.

A talented team of poet chefs will carefully craft a free personalised poem for you, perform it and wrap it up to takeaway.

Everything is prepared fresh on the premises.

The Poetry Takeaway is the Worlds’ first mobile Poetry Emporium, serving high quality, personalised poetry to diners, written, performed and packaged up to takeaway.

Bermondsey Street Festival is on Saturday 15 September from 11am-6pm. bermondseystreetfestival.org.uk 22 September 2018

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Saturday September 15th 2018

You scream for ice cream I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream; in the case of the newest Creams outlet, this is quite literal. The ice-creamery has set up shop in the same building as London Bridge Experience. Now fright fans can run through the horror attraction, which last year beat Universal Studios to be crowned the world’s scariest attraction, and calm their nerves afterwards with a knickerbocker glory.

Creams has around 70 outlets across England, and they’re all about the customer experience.

This is the only Creams built on top of an attraction, however, and while they’re attracting tourists, the owners are focused on serving the local community.

The ice-cream parlour seats 74 people, and caters to children’s parties, as well as hen and stag dos, team building days, and corporate events.

The newly renovated space has a separate entrance, right next door to London Bridge Experience, which opened at the end of August.

There’s over 80 mouth-watering items on the menu, including sundaes, gelato, milkshakes, thickshakes, freakshakes, soda floats, bubble pop waffles, regular waffles, crepes, and cookie dough.

My colleague Tammy tried the white chocolate cookie dough utopia: a mix of hot, crunchy, and chewy white chocolate cookie

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dough with white chocolate shavings and white chocolate sauce.

For £4.95 it’s a very generous serving and while Tammy said it was incredible, she barely made it halfway through before going into a sugar coma.

Fans of gooey, under-baked cookies, fresh from the oven, can’t go past this one. I tried the Canadian crepe, which was also a generous portion for £4.65. The crepes were fresh and deliciously light, perfectly paired with strawberry slices and maple syrup with a scoop of vanilla soft serve on the side for good measure.

Opening up the menu is a bit like sky-diving into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. It’s easy to find yourself overwhelmed by the kaleidoscope of colours and candy toppings and flavours on offer. Combined with the scent of hot waffle cones as soon as you step into the shop, it makes picking a pudding a tall order. I’m intrigued about the latest dessert craze - bubble pop waffles, which is a sundae, in a bubbly waffle with gelato and all kinds of toppings.

And if you’re not in the mood for ice-cream, there’s also top notch coffee, cakes and old school puddings like sticky toffee heaven, and steamed strawberry jam pudding.

SE1 just got a whole lot sweeter.

Creams is at 2-4 Tooley Street, SE1 2SY, and open from 10am10pm every day. www.creamscafe.com

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September 2018 27

j OB S & eDU C AT ION

Get into the right secondary school Where to start and how the system works: The difficulties faced each year by parents and carers deciding which secondary school to apply to for their child remains the biggest problem in terms of education decisions.

You can’t expect to name a secondary school and assume that your child will automatically be offered a place. It is simply a case of listing the schools you prefer and awaiting the outcome of the allocation process.

In a highly competitive process it is vital that you get the order of preference right on your child’s primary to secondary transfer application. The biggest mistake you can make is to put just one school down. That might well be the only school you want for your child, but there are no guarantees that your child will be offered this school. To give your child the best chance possible, try to list up to six preferences on their application.

It is all too easy just to go by hearsay and reputations - visit the schools for yourself. A school that may never have been in your mind before could offer subjects or have specialist facilities that would meet your child’s talents more than the school that was originally top of your list.

There are all types of secondaries, from voluntary aided church schools to academies, foundation schools, free schools and independent secondaries.

And it is here where the admission criteria vary. It is important you fully understand the admission criteria and match those criteria to your own circumstances.

Some schools are heavily oversubscribed, with hundreds applying for just 120 – 240 places.

When you go to an open day, make sure you find out how many applications the school usually receives - this information will also be printed in the Starting Secondary school in Southwark 2019/2020 brochure and Secondary School in Lambeth 2019/20 booklet.

The more people who apply for a school for their children, the

28 September 2018

bigger the risk that you might not get in. Armed with this knowledge, you should be better placed to put your preferences down.

Do use all six preferences however, you need to be wary about only choosing schools which are heavily over-subscribed.

Put your first preference down, but also preferences into which you have a real chance of getting your child.

As the local paper, year on year we have seen parents and carers left in the worst possible situation. They have only picked over-subscribed schools and have got into none. They did not have a fall-back plan. So, from being in a position where they felt they had the luxury of choice, they were left feeling like they had no option but to accept the school they had been allocated automatically by the local authority.

Applying for secondary schools can be emotionally difficult. It is such a vital decision for your

child’s future. If your child is in Year 6 and currently attending one of Southwark’s or Lambeth’s primary schools, you will receive further information from your child’s headteacher.

You can apply online at: www.southwark.gov.uk/ schooladmissions or www.lambeth.gov.uk/ eadmissions. The online application process gets rid of the paperwork, and is available to use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The site allows users to save, continue or make changes to their form, right up until the closing date. Your details are safe and secure and you will be advised if you make a mistake. You can of course print a copy of your application to keep and can view the outcome online. The closing date to return forms is October 31, 2018.

Since so many of Southwark’s and Lambeth’s secondaries have

now become academies, it is vital to check how the admission criteria stand when the school is oversubscribed.

Children who have education, health and care plans are dealt with outside of the transfer process and parents and carers must contact the special educational needs and disabilities team for further advice.

Once you have made your preferences and submitted your online application by the closing date, your application will be processed. If you have successfully submitted your online application before the closing date, you will be able to view the results of your application on the eAdmissions website (www.eadmissions.org.uk) during the evening of 1 March 2019. You will also be sent an email after 5pm on 1 March 2019 which will contain information on what to do next.

If you are not successful with

any of your preferences then the school admissions team will allocate your child an alternative secondary school. This is likely to be the nearest Southwark or Lambeth school to your child’s home which has a vacancy.

However, you have the right to appeal for any schools at which you have been refused a place, as well as to put your child on waiting lists.

If you have been offered a secondary school place you have until 15 March 2019 to reject the offer of a place. If the school admissions team do not hear from you by this date, your offer will automatically be accepted and your child’s details forwarded to the allocated school.

If you do reject the offer and also provide details of any alternative arrangement you have made for your child’s education, your child’s place will be withdrawn and offered to the next child on the school’s waiting list.

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2018/19 Don’t miss our

Essential guide to Education

The Essential Gu ide to EducaTion

must-read annual

guide to admissions in Southwark News: September 20th and online

2018/2019

Advertisers: for more information please contact Nancy on 0207 232 1639 or e-mail nancy@southwarknews.co.uk 34 September 2018

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September 2018 35

Family Photos by Roy Reed

T

he 20th annual Streatham Common Kite Day is set on soar. London’s only free family-friendly kite festival combines world-class kite displays with the opportunity to fly your own, attracting thousands of people every year.

Let's go fly a kite

The event features kite flying by experts including father and son duo Team Spectrum, the Flying Fish: a husband and wife double act who recently became UK National Champions, and NASAman, whose kite helps lift him up into the sky but not quite into space.

Streatham Common Kite Day is not just for the experts. Bring a kite or buy one at the pop-up kite sho ps and fly it there over the Common.

Chair of the Friends of Streatham Common Mike Robinson said “it’s going to be our best event yet – we’ve got incredible kite displays, more food stalls and a bigger bar

and kite shop.”

“We’ve been drawing crowds to gaze in wonder at incredible feats of air acrobatics for nearly 20 years. And don’t forget that you can bring or buy a kite and fly one for yourself!”

Kite Day is the ideal family day-out with bouncy castles,

face painting, a range of food stands – highlights this year include a hog roast, award-winning Streatham fish specialist and deli Fish Tale, a bar run by Streatham’s own The Inkspot Brewery, and live music from local band Rapture Riders. There is also plenty of

room for picnics.

Streatham Common Kite Day is run entirely by the volunteer members of the Friends of Streatham Common charity, and the event is proudly supported by London estate agent Douglas & Gordon.

Any profits made at Kite

Day are invested in the conservation and maintenance of Streatham Common and the Rookery Gardens.

Streatham Common Kite Day is on Sunday 2 September from 11am-5pm For more information visit: streathamkiteday.org.uk

learn a lot. Not surprisingly, my young charge, Haydn, remembered all the poo facts, while I was disturbed by the news of Henry VIII having a minion to wipe his bum! A Chamberlain of the Chamber Pot, or some such title was conferred on this unlucky gentleman - Plus given acres of countryside as well, I imagine…

Stealing the show is our favourite baddie, Anthony Spargo, (A brilliant Captain Hook in Greenwich Theatre’s Peter Pan) who, along with his sidekick Neal Foster, quickchange their way through several centuries of horrible history in Barmy Britain, and making the once horrid Richard the Third into a rather nice gentleman - even though they did find his remains buried beneath a car park in Leicester. But if they say it in Horrible Histories, then it is undoubtably true.

Ultimately, both kids

and grown ups loved this illuminating and funny show.

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain is on at the Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7ES until September 1. Admission: £15.50 - £27.50.

Phone: 0330 333 4809. www.nimaxtheatres.com

Naughty but nice Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain (Part 4) tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the horrible truth, which

means they slipped in a few contemporary Barmy Brexit gags as well. And while I was debating whether current affairs actually counted as

history, the young girl next to me, no more than 10 years old, was in hysterics at the Michael Gove and Boris Johnson jokes, writes Michael Holland...

Having had big success with their live HH:BB Part 1-3 shows, a 4th was definitely going to happen, and like those that went before, it was a big received very warmly and loudly by this audience that I felt had an inordinate number of adults included in its number. It doesn’t take three grown ups to escort one child to the theatre, does it?

I can only assume that, like me, they borrow a kid as an excuse to go along…

But it is history, so everything is actual factual, and you can

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Last week, the NHS shone a spotlight on cancer

You are invited to our Annual General Meeting NHS Southwark CCG invites anyone with an interest in local healthcare services to attend their Annual General Meeting (AGM).

I

t was an opportunity to celebrate the progress and achievements made in cancer care since the birth of the NHS 70 years ago: from research and advances in technology, to the hard work and commitment of staff and volunteers.

We are fortunate to have the Cancer Centre at Guy’s based here in Southwark. The Centre opened in 2016 and provides outstanding cancer care in a friendly environment with state-ofthe-art facilities all under one roof.

Cancer is the biggest cause of premature and avoidable death in south east London. Late diagnosis is a major challenge; more than half of patients with colorectal, lung, or ovarian cancers aren’t diagnosed until their cancers have progressed to the later stages of the disease – when it becomes harder to treat.

National public health campaigns aim to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of various cancers early. An example is the current Blood in Pee campaign which alerts people to the early signs of bladder and kidney cancer. The message is: ‘don’t wait’, if you

The AGM is an opportunity to reflect on the past year and to look ahead to the priorities and challenges for the coming year.

The AGM is being held at 160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2HZ on Thursday 30 August 2018 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. If you would like to attend, please contact us at souccg.southwark-ccg@nhs.net or by calling 020 7525 7888 to register your place.

think something is wrong, see your GP immediately.

Screening also has a big part to play, because problems can be detected before symptoms start.

The NHS runs national screening programmes to spot the early

signs of breast, bowel and cervical cancer. Last year, less than half of people invited for bowel screening in Southwark took up the offer of screening – a simple test that you do at home and then pop in the post for testing.

Nine-out-of-ten bowel cancer patients will survive for more than five years if diagnosed early enough. So if you get a letter for this or any other screening please don’t ignore it. It could save your life.

Know where to go for NHS care Nobody wants to worry about being injured or becoming ill, but it is important to know your healthcare options – just to be safe.

By choosing the right place to go, you can receive advice and treatment more quickly – saving yourself time and allowing the emergency services and A&E departments to focus on those who need life-saving care.

People in Southwark have access to NHS guidance and support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are a number of healthcare options available, including: • Self-care – many health complaints such as coughs, colds and sore throats get better themselves with rest, relaxation and self-care. We recommend that

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you keep a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home, with basic items such as painkillers, anti-diarrhoea tablets and indigestion treatment.

Read more about what to include in your medicine cabinet at: www. southwarkccg.nhs.uk/your-health/ healthy/everyday-illnesses • Visit your local pharmacy – your pharmacist is a qualified healthcare professional who is trained in managing minor illness and can assess symptoms, offer advice and recommend over-thecounter medication. Find your local pharmacy at: www.southwarkccg. nhs.uk/your-health/health-servicesin-southwark • NHS 111 service – if you need medical help, but your condition is not life threatening, you can call NHS 111 for free – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. NHS 111 is

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staffed by fully trained advisors who can offer clinical advice, assessment and direction to the most appropriate local health service. You can also access NHS 111 online, at 111.nhs.uk • Evening and weekend appointments – Extra GP and nurse appointments are available from 8am-8pm, seven days a week, at two locations in Southwark: Lister Health Centre in Peckham and Spa Medical Centre in Bermondsey. To book an appointment, speak to your GP surgery or, if your surgery is closed, call the GP out-of-hours service on 020 8693 9066.

• Mental health support – if you are experiencing mental health distress and need to speak to someone urgently, you can call the 24-hour mental health support line for free on 0800 731 2864.

• Urgent care centres –There are urgent care centres located at both King’s College Hospital and Guy’s Hospital for urgent medical needs that are non-life threatening.

The Urgent Care Centre located at King’s College Hospital is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and the Guy’s Urgent Care Centre is open from 8am-8pm, seven days a week.

Do you live with any of these conditions?

• Breathlessness • Asthma • COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) • Heart Failure Clinical Effectiveness Southwark (CES) wants to find out what’s important to you when you see a doctor or nurse at your GP Practice.

So if you’re available on the afternoon of Thursday 13 September and want to find out more, please get in touch on souccg.clinicaleffectiveness@ nhs.net or 0207 5251667.

CES aims to tackle local health inequalities and strives to ‘make the right thing to do, the easy thing to do’, for GPs and nurses.

• Dial 999 – If there is a medical emergency or someone you know is in a life-threatening situation (e.g. chest pains, difficulty breathing) dial 999 or visit A&E.Remember, A&E services are likely to be very busy so should only be used in an emergency.

For more information about the local health services available in Southwark, please visit www.southwarkccg.nhs.uk/.

September 2018 37

7 Ways to Wellbeing - #3 Keep Learning!

Are you, or someone you care about, keen to learn more? About ways to improve health and wellbeing; computer skills; cooking skills; general life skills; opportunities to socialise? We can help – we offer a range of life skills classes and health improvement opportunities, including general exercise programmes, a specialist gym equipped for people with disabilities and social activities.

Aspire Wellbeing offers adults with short or long term physical disabilities, and individuals with learning disabilities, services and opportunities to improve your overall quality of life, and to gain and regain the skills and abilities that will enable you to live as full and healthy a life as possible.

To discuss how we can support you towards greater wellbeing, please call us on 020 8265 1125 or email health@aspirewellbeing.org

Aspire Wellbeing 1 Park Hall Road, West Dulwich, London SE21 8EH.

38 September 2018

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Health

F45 crosses the world to Brixton September sees the opening of a brand new F45 Fitness Studio in Brixton. The studio was conceived of, organised and funded on the other side of the world by one of the most up and coming Girl Bosses of Australia Yemi Penn.

Born and bred in Brixton, Yemi has taught over a thousand fitness classes in

the UK, Japan and even to the US Military. However when she recently visited London she knew she had to come back to support the local health and fitness movement on her home turf.

Already a huge success in Australia, F45 is the world’s fastest growing fitness franchise concepts with over 1,150 studios

across 36 countries.

Yemi is currently seeking government funding to help her run a community outreach programme which will start by offering a number of community classes during non-peak hours every day.

A signature session at F45 will include the Brixton workout, which is the sister workout of Brooklyn,

designed to showcase combat simulation with high intensity cardio moves structured to mimic the training of a fighter.

Elements of boxing, MMA, comat and self-defense will be on display.

F45 Brixton is located at 230 Brixton Road, London, SW9 6AH and opens on Saturday 8 September. f45training.com

Boutique fitness in Waterloo A new boutique fitness club in Waterloo is encouraging gymgoers to work their mind as well as their muscles.

Mindset offers a range of five bespoke group training classes, each designed to build the best version of you by promoting total fitness and wellbeing.

The facility opened in August and is made up of two large studio areas, a nutrition bar, designer showers and changing rooms, reception and a lounge area.

The concept has been designed and developed by personal trainer and director of Mindset, Darren Sealy. “Our training philosophy is based on the belief that no matter how physically fit and strong you are; your mental fitness is just as – if not even more important,” Darren said. “With the demands of life and other

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stressors seemingly increasing all the time – particularly with the long working hours associated with city working - it has never been more important to ensure people take the time to invest in their state of mind.”

The five classes have each been designed to improve overall mindset, and comprise of five main components: social, emotional, nutritional, physical and mental fitness.

Options include its ‘Reset’ class – a hybrid of yoga, meditation, core strength and calisthenics and ‘Asset’, which is a body sculpting session that has been designed exclusively for females.

Memberships are £120 per month or £20 per class pay as you go. Mindset is at 170 Westminster Bridge Road, SW1 7RW. For more information visit www.mindsetfit.co.uk

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September 2018 39

Food & Drink

Swede smell of success A friend called telling me that a new bar had opened in Bermondsey that was all about Swedish beer and cheese, so having a lot of family in that country - all with Bermondsey roots - I felt a need to check it out, writes Michael Holland...

London Calling Sweden is a cool place in a railway arch, as all the cool places seem to be these days, and it is right in there amongst the breweries and Bermondsey Beer Mile. Ali, the owner has a background of restaurants and coffee shops in his native Gothenburg but felt a need to branch out and become a part of the craft beer craze that has been sweeping England this past decade. He says, “when I came to London I was missing Swedish beer and food, so wanted to create a meeting place other than IKEA that represented Sweden, because, going by population, London is Sweden’s fifth largest city!”

Ali has brewing experience; he and his brother had a microbrewery on the island of Orust on the outskirts of Gothenburg, and he says that with so many different types of beer nowadays there is always one that will pair nicely with one of the many Swedish cheeses that he imports into London.

“The cheeses all originated in the monasteries from the 15th century,” he reveals. But he adds that the cheese is not the main ethos of London Calling Sweden but something to provide as a light, inexpensive snack to go with the Swedish beer, which is where Ali’s heart truly lies and what he likes to talk about.

Poppels is just one of the breweries Ali checked out in his home town and chose this one for his Bermondsey bar for their good environmental practises and organic beers.

“Plus, Poppels want to get into the English market, which gave me a chance to have a unique product here, and not a commercial product… It was an easy choice for me.”

And music is also a passion for Ali. He ran record shops back home and has a love for Motown, so you know you will always hear good music in London Calling Sweden.

In the few weeks he has been open, Ali has made his bar a venue place. He has built a stage for musicians to play on Friday nights and is introducing something new called, ‘Afterwork’. This will consist of a small plate of food,that could be something like chicken wings or pasta salad, given free

40 September 2018

London Call ing Sweden R

ailway Arch , 72 Enid Str eet SE16 3RA Phone: 020 www.london 7 231 3666 callingswede n.com

when you buy a drink between 5pm and 7pm on Fridays.

There are also plans to have a flea market on Sundays that Ali wants to involve the council and local residents in.

But back to the beer. The different Poppels I tasted each had their own distinctive flavour.

First I began with an American Pale Ale (5.4% abv), a lively brew with the bitterness of the hops perfectly overriding all else. Next was a Passion Pale Ale (5.2%). Again, this was full-bodied in taste as well as coming through as refreshingly light. And in agreement with Ali, all the beers went well with the excellent cheeses.

After enjoying several superb ales in pleasant surroundings,

Ali gave me a carry out so I could continue at home. And that is where I experienced the Double India Pale Ale, an amazing 8% abv beer that was everything I expected.

To sum up, in London Calling Sweden you can experience much of the best beer and cheese that fine nation has to offer, as well as good company, good service, table tennis, darts and big screen sports.

Bermondsey had links with Scandinavia for many, many years via the Surrey Docks and the timber trade; now new links have been forged. Skol.

London Calling Sweden is open Thursday-Friday from 5pm-11pm, Saturday 12pm10pm, and Sunday 12pm-5pm

the damage Cheese platter for two £12.00 American Pale Ale £5.50 Passion Ale £6.00 DIPA (btl) £3.00 Session IPA (btl) £3.00 TOTAL £29.50 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 Booking no

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September 2018 41

LAMBETH NORTH

Pearman Street, SE1

£999,950

• Two Double Bedrooms • • Period House • Roof Terrace • • 3/4 Bedrooms • Share ofGrade Freehold • • II Listed • EPC Rating C • • EPC–Rating –D

Alberta Street, SE17

£750,000

• Three Bedroom Freehold • • Four Bedrooms • Spacious Reception • • Through Reception • • Roof Terrace • Front and Rear Gardens • • EPC –Rating –D • EPC Rating D

WALWORTH

Boyson Road, SE17

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• Modern Development • Two Bedroom, Two Bathroom Apartment • 764 Square Feet • EPC Rating – B

Renfrew Road, SE11 • Refurbished One Bedroom Flat • Four BedroomFlat • Top Floor • Double Glazing Throughout • Share of Freehold • Lift • EPC Rating – D

LAMBETH NORTH

Lollard Street, SE11 £630,000 Webber Row, SE1

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• Three Double Bedrooms • Two Bedroom Flat • Period Mansion Block • Balcony • Chain Free • Views D • EPC Rating – C

KENNINGTON

£510,000

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The Cut, SE1 • Period Conversion • Two Bedrooms • Sought After Location • EPC Rating – C

OLD KENT ROAD

£465,000

Chaucer Drive, SE1

KENNINGTON

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• Second Floor Flat • One Bedroom Flat • Two Bedrooms • Double Glazing Throughout • Close to Burgess Park • Balcony C • EPC Rating – D

LAMBETH NORTH

Borrett Close, SE17

£700 PW £519 PW

Offered for rent is this superb three bedroom semi Set withinhouse the iconic Grade II Listed House detached located opposite the Bath Imperial WarLofts development is this stunning first floorto apartment Museum and offering excellent access Lambeth North which boasts high ceilings, brand new luxury kitchen and property is double in very bedroom good and Waterloo bathroom,stations. feature The flooring, large condition throughout boasts familydouble bathroom, two with en suite showerand room, a second bedroom en-suite bathrooms, gas central heating and a shared and mezzanine study area overlooking the reception. patio garden. EPC Rating - from C excellent storage and The property also benefits amenities including porter and Sainsbury’s next door.

£345,000

• One Bedroom Flat • Spacious Reception • Communal Heating and Hot Water • EPC Rating – E

LAMBETH NORTH

KENNINGTON

Bowling SE11 CoopersGreen Road Street SE1 £480 PW £550 PW

Cooper Close, SE1

• Four • ThreeDouble DoubleBedrooms Bedrooms • Double Glazing • EPC Rating -– CC

• Two Bedrooms • Balcony • Garden • EPC Rating – - CC

RIVERSIDE

Lambeth Road SE1 Old Town Hall SE16

£600,000

£450 PW

LAMBETH NORTH

Lambeth Road SE1 £550 PW Westminster Bridge Road SE1 £ 519PW

Set within the generous Iconic Lambeth Walkofpub conversion An extremely apartment over 800 sq is well proportioned three doublehigh bedroom ft, this upgraded with hardwood flooring, quality apartment. is inparking immaculate furnishings The and property with secure in Thecondition Perspective throughout andapartment boasts dual aspect reception Building. This comprises a sizeableroom, stylish kitchen and bathroom.

The location is excellent reception with kitchen, two double bedrooms (master being from both Lambeth Northcomfort and Waterloo with enmoments suite) separate guest bathroom, cooling, aEPC 24hrRating concierge Stations.

- C service and a location within a few minutes walk of Waterloo and Westminster. EPC Rating - B.

Albert Embankment SE11 • One Bedroom • Modern Development • EPC Rating - C

£375 PW

Morley Street SE1 £325 PW • One Bedroom Bedrooms • Opposite Southwark TubeTube Lambeth North • EPC Rating – - CC

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

42 September 2018

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September 2018 43

44 September 2018

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