South London Sounds: Brixton Buzz music listings

SOUTH LONDON SOUNDS

DJ, Brixton Buzz/Urban75 founder, drummer and Dulwich Hamlet die-hard Mike Urban shares his selection of south London sounds

Sun 1st Mar, SE8 Hip Hop Open Mic Night at the Bird’s Nest 32 Deptford Church St, Deptford, SE8 4RZ, 8pm-11pm, free It’s a hip hop Open Mic Night at the splendid Bird’s Nest boozer featuring guest Kropz performing all new material, ably backed by the Legendary Open Mic Cypher with Oliver Sudden and Downstroke on host duties.

Mon 2nd Mar, SW2 Brixton Bookjam at Hootananny 95 Effra Road, SW2 1DF, 8pm-11pm, free Always brilliant, thought-provoking and eclectic, Bookjam returns to the Hoot for another free night of book readings from award winning poets, authors and wordsmiths. Themed on a “journey through time in Mar… past, present and future,” the bill includes Lenny Hayden, Mark Hill and Rosanna Amaka.

Tues 3rd Mar, SE1 Milkshake Rave at Ministry of Sound 103 Gaunt Street, Elephant & Castle, SE1 6DP, 10pm-4am, £5 A midweek, go crazy b*tshit rave for thirsty students with resident DJs spinning hip hop, grime, drill, garage and club bangers across four floors. Drinks are priced at a grant-friendly £3 each and there’s the usual onslaught of CO2 cannons and lasers at this megabrand club.

Tues 3rd Mar, SW9 Steve & Ben Somers Band at Cable Bar & Cafe 8 Brixton Road, Oval, SW9 6B, 7.30pm-10.30pm, free This charming little café/bar by the Oval hosts jazzy/blues bands every week on its bijou stage. Tonight, father and son combo Steve & Ben Somers saddle up to whipcrack out a set of original and traditional Cowboy Jazz, Cajun Country, Western swing and Americana tunes.

Weds 4th Mar, SW9 Mungo’s Hi-Fi at Phonox 418 Brixton Road, SW9 7AY, 9pm-2am, £7 World famous Glaswegian selectors, Mungo’s Hi-Fi shimmy down to South London, packing an arsenal of bass heavy dubs ranging from Roots to Steppas and Dancehall to Dub Reggae. Expect undergarment-dislodging bass and plenty of bouncy ska and dancey beats.

Weds 4th Mar, SW4 Mary Gold at The Two Brewers 114 Clapham High Street, SW4 7UJ, 8pm-2am, £4 Serving Clapham’s gay community for over 30 years, there’s cabaret on every night at the Two Brewers. Tonight’s shindig features Caerdydd’s very own Mary Golds on stage at midnight, with DJ Demon rolling out dance tunes till close. Get there early for the quiz session with Sum Ting Wong & Tia Kofi.

Thurs 5th Mar, SW2 Cecil Reuben Reggae Thursdays at Hootananny 95 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-2am £3 He’s been at it for over a decade, and Cecil Reuben is once again the host with the most at this evening of top notch live reggae and DJs at the Hoot. Acts include Zeena Banks, Action Fire and Daniel Roswell.

Thurs 5th Mar, SW2 Jamaica Jazzzz at Effra Hall Tavern 38 Kellett Road, Brixton, SW2 1EB, 9.30pm-11.15pm, Free One of the last ungentrified pubs left in Brixton, this locals’ boozer has regular free live music nights throughout the week. Thursdays is always a busy night, with the house band mixing up jazz, ska and reggae in front of an appreciative crowd.

Thurs 5th Mar, SW2 Winston Surfshirt at Electric Brixton Town Hall Parade, Brixton Hill, SW2 1RJ, 7.30pm-11pm, £17 Sydney-based Winston Surfshirt have been making mighty big waves with their spliff-friendly blend of

Fri 6th Mar, SE27 Mambista at Portico Gallery 23A Knight’s Hill, West Norwood, SE27 0HS, 8pm-midnight, £10 Mambista celebrates Ghana’s Independence Day with the Yung Afrika Pioneers playing highlife from Ghana and Nigeria, backed by trusty DJ Gerry Lyseight spinning his own special selection of music from around the world.

Fri 6th Mar, SW9 Bang City at Prince of Wales 469 Brixton Rd, SW9 8HH, 10pm-3am, £5 Get on down for a night on nonstop bangers, with Afrochick & Elijah Collins playing a party blend of Afrobeat, Dancehall, Garage, Hip Hop, House & RnB.

Fri 6th Mar, SE15 Eloisa at Peckham Audio Unit 1, 133A Rye Lane, SE15 4BQ, 9pm-3am, £11 Eloisa’s launch night celebrates the freshly minted ‘New Beginnings’ EP by Simon Splice, with special guests Urbandawn, Charli Brix and SOFi MARi keeping the rafter-rattling drum and bass pumping all night.

Fri 6th Mar, SE24 Farm Boy at Off The Cuff 301-303 Railton Road, Herne Hill, SE24 0JN, 8pm-11pm, £5 Their bio reads like it was written under the effects of industrial grade scrumpy, but Farm Boy’s bouncy indie tracks suggest they’re worth a listen and might be a bit of a laugh. Support comes from pyscho/disco outfit Multiples, who have just two posts on their Instagram page. Don’t promote too hard, boys!

Fri 6th Mar, SW2 Brixton Buzz party night at the Effra Social 89 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-1am, Free It’s a no-holds celebration of ale-cascading, arm-flapping, roar-along pop anthems at this hugely popular night set in a former Conserva-spit! club. Expect anything from The Cure to Katy Perry to Green Day.

Sat 7th Mar, SW2 Funky House at Gremio de Brixton St. Matthew’s Church, Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1JF, 9pm-3am, £5 DJ Yvette Lindquist spins funky vocal house and Latin beats accompanied by a sax player in this jam-packed venue underneath St Matthew’s Church in the heart of Brixton.

Saturday 7th Mar, SW2 Alan Weekes Quartet at the Effra Hall Tavern Kellett Road, Brixton, SW2 1EB, 9.30pm, free Known for his soulful rhythmic grooves and snappy solos in a variety of genres such as jazz, blues, reggae, ska, pop and opera, Alan Weekes provides a great musical start to the weekend.

Sun 8th Mar, SW2 Pure Vinyl at Upstairs at the Ritzy Brixton Oval, Brixton, SW2 1JG, 7.30pm-11.30pm, free/donations Hosted by the lovely Claudia Wilson of Brixton’s Pure Vinyl record store, this free event features London based jazz collective KOMA, a six piece who come up through the Tomorrow’s Warriors Artist Development programme, with Paul Bay (citizensound) on the decks.

Sun 8th Mar, SW2 No Frills Sunday Session at The Windmill 22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton SW2 5BZ, 7pm, Free With the ale-infusing No Frills Band at the helm, this jaunty, round-the-table, candle-lit session invites musicians of all abilities to join in with new and traditional songs from all around the world.

Sun 8th Mar, SW9 Jazz Genesis at Market House 443 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LN, 2.30pm-6.30pm, free Join Saxophonist Tashomi Balfour and friends for live afternoon jazz sessions exploring music with, “heart, reverence and ease conjuring up emotions and memories.”

Mon 9th Mar, SE11 Paul Scarto at Toulouse-Lautrec 140 Newington Butts, Kennington, SE11 4RN, 7.30pm-10.30pm, free Ivory thumping, super-pro Paul packs a powerful set of tonsils so expect big tunes from Motown to soul to contemporary hits at this free Monday night show.

Tues 10th Mar, SW12 Bird Sounds at The Bedford 77 Bedford Hill, Balham, SW12 9HD, 8pm, £5.50 An all-female bill of rising singer/ songwriters, featuring London RnB artist M.I., who has performed with the likes of Will Young, Sampa The Great and Kelis. Drawing inspiration from artists such as SZA, Nicki Minaj, NAO and Kehlan, IVYxM is a young RnB artist with attitude, while sultry-voiced Faye Meana draws on the potent emotions of intense relationships.

THE SOUL OF LIVE MUSIC IN THE HEART OF SOUTH LONDON HIDEAWAY

James Brown Band leader and P Funk-a-teer, Fred Wesley returns with his GENERATIONS project. Fred on T-Bone with Leonardo Corradi on Hammond and groove machine Tony Match on drums rip up the rulebook and explode the grooves of Jimmy Smith to make this an unmissable funk experience! GENERATIONS featuring FRED WESLEY

SATURDAY 14th MARCH

Former lead male vocalist of the legendary Incognito, Tony Momrelle has enjoyed an internationally successful solo career since 2015. Following the release of his latest album, ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’, he returns for two nights of his signature sound: refined, authentic, contemporary UK soul. TONY MOMRELLE

F R I D A Y 2 7 t h & S A T U R D A Y 2 8 t h M A R C H

KYM MAZELLE FRIDAY 20th MARCH

ADELAIDE MACKENZIE SATURDAY 21st MARCH

TIPPA IRIE AND SPECIAL GUESTS SATURDAY 11th APRIL

FOR OUR FULL EVENT LISTINGS, TICKET BOOKINGS AND OUR GREAT OPTIONS FOR HOSTING PRIVATE EVENTS AND PARTIES, PLEASE VISIT:

www.hideawaylive.co.uk 020 8835 7070 Hideaway, 2 Empire Mews, Streatham, London SW16 2BF

Winston Surfshirt at Electric Brixton

95 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 7pm-11pm, free Local youth music charity School Ground Sounds celebrate their fifth birthday with this special gig at Hootananny, showcasing sets from some of the talented young artists who have been involved in their projects.

Weds 11th Mar, SE5 Jazz Jam at The Junction 171 Coldharbour Lane, SE5 9PA, 8pm-11pm, free Bass playing whizz and beer dispensing boss Luke handpicks some of the best musicians in London for an explosive night of hard bop and drummerchallenging perplexing time signatures.

Thurs 12th Mar, SW16 Open Mic at Rebel Inn 78A Streatham High Road, SW16 1BS, 8.30pm, free Bring your talent - limited, misunderstood or colossal - along to the Rebel Inn for a friendly open mic session. Sign up at 8.30pm to have a spin, and there’s full backline provided, including drums, keyboard and guitars.

Thurs 12th Mar, SW9 Live Music Thursdays at the Dogstar 389 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LQ, 8pm-2am, free Loop pedal equipped Sean strums jazz, pop and upbeat anthems in this legendary Brixton boozer till 11pm, with DJs prodding the sliders till 2am.

Fri 13th Mar, SW9 Jungle Splash Reunion at Brixton Jamm 261 Brixton Road, SW9 2LH, 10pm-5am, £11 There’s nowt but Jungle, DnB and Garage going on in Jamm’s two rooms, with a veritable battery of DJs unshackling woofer exciting bangers, including Potential Badboy, Mrs Magoo, Ragga Twins, Funsta and MC Dredlark.

Fri 13th Mar, SW2 And What? LDN at Hootananny Brixton 95 Effra Rd, SW2 1DF, 10pm-3am, £6 And What? LDN celebrate the digital launch of their first album with a line-up including neo-soul/electronica artist Harleighblu, freestyling

Bird Sounds

Jungle Splash

And What? LDN

Fattima Mahdi, DJ Gonan, Calaida & Joel Deep, plus And What? resident DJs soundtracking the night.

Fri 13th Mar, SE15 Love Come Down at CLF Art Cafe Block A, Bussey Building, 133 Rye Lane, SE15 4ST, £10 Six hours of ‘incandescent disco, house and gospel,’ accompanied by the lovely perpetual spin of a colossal mirror ball.

Fri 13th Mar, SW9 Revellious at Cafe Cairo 88 Landor Road, SW9 9PE, 9pm-2am, £5 Promising diverse cultures, genres and eras from “1920’s-2020’s and beyond,” Cafe Cairo hosts ‘Swing & Bass’ founder Fizzy Gillespie and Ghetto Funk and Glitch dispenser, Skank Spinatra, while host Ilisid carts in his merry mix of funky basslines and psychedelic swing.

Sat 14th Mar, SW2 No Strings Attached at Barrio 30 Acre Lane, Brixton, SW2 5SG, 8pm-2.30am, free A platoon of Barrio DJs employ a shoe-shuffling broadside of Latin, disco, party anthems and throwback classics to this on-trend, cocktailshunting, mini-chain venue.

Sat 14th Mar, SE15 Dusty Groove at Canavan’s Peckham Pool Club 188 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4NF, 9pm-4am, £7 Electronica dabbling duo Kassian will be manhandling the decks at Peckham’s finest pool hall-cum-bar, backed by potentiometer-calibrating resident Janix percolating deep and groovy vibes. Get there before 11pm and you can satiate yourself on £3 pints and £2 shots. Waheey!

Sat 14th Mar, SW9 Queen Bitch Valentine’s Break Up Party at the Dogstar 389 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LQ, 10pm-4am, £5 Fresh from their sold-out Bowie charity show, the Queen Bitch crew bring their LGBTQ+ friendly club back to the Dogstar for another packed-out night of inclusiveness, fun, hedonism, boozing and partying. DJs Jizzy Rascal and Editor will be hurling out party-sized disco bangers, indie-slammers, arms in the air singalongs and chartbusting blockbusters from the 70s to today, with videos, lasers, confetti cannons and balloon drops.

Sat 14th Mar, SW9 Bashy Beats at Queens Head 144 Stockwell Rd, Stockwell, SW9 9TQ, 8pm-2am, free A night of reggae, hip hop, dancehall and DnB, as local selectors Bashy Beats team up with the crew from the Green Gathering’s fabulous 99% Bar. Good vibes guaranteed.

Sun 15th Mar, SE1 Folk Music at the Spit and Sawdust 21 Bartholomew St, London SE1 4A, 8pm-11pm, free Every Sunday is Folk Sunday at this extremely well-stocked, ontrend, friendly craft beer pub.

Sun 15th Mar, SW16 100% Reggae at White Lion 234 Streatham High Road, SW16 1BB, 8pm-midnight, £5 Like skanking time travellers, a quintet of DJs will take you on a musical journey covering five decades of beautiful reggae music, covering lovers rock, roots and revival, with a touch of modern vocals.

Tues 17th Mar, SE15 St Patrick’s Party with Jameson at Four Quarters 187 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4TP, 8pm-2am, free There’s a ‘super-fun’ St Paddy’s Day Party lined up at Four Quarters with DJs on the main floor and a karaoke party in the basement offering prizes, giveaways and other fiddly diddly nonsense.

Weds 18th Mar, SE1 Rikette at Gladstone Arms 64 Lant Street, Borough, SE1 1QN, 8pm-11pm, free Brixton-born singer Riketté Genesis fuses jazz and soul at this splendid craft beer bar with Anglo-Indian food.

Weds 18th Mar, SE17 Gypsy Tales at Corsica Studios 5 Farrell Court, Elephant & Castle, SE17 1LB, 112-m-3am, £15 Gypsy Tales returns to Corsica Studios, with resident DJs Leopold Jenisch and Gypsy Daniel banging out the grooves, along with tune-shufflers Elliot Schooling, Calabasa and Wittgenstein.

Thurs 19th Mar, SE11 Live Music at Brown Derby 336 Kennington Park Road, Oval SE11 4PP, 8pm, Free Unnamed ‘live jazz and blues artists’ will be manhandling the music into this unpretentious, 1920s-themed boozer right next to Oval tube station.

Thurs 19th Mar, SW9 Live Jazz at the Prince of Wales 469 Brixton Rd, SW9 8HH, 11pm-3am, £5 Popular with locals and musicians, the Prince is a perfect stop for night owls with an insatiable thirst for beer. Live jazz by house band Kavuma & The Banger Factory keeping the floor moving ‘til close.

Thurs 19th Mar, SW9 Lord Finesse at Chip Shop Brixton 378 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8LF, 8pm-midnight, £25 Best known as the leader of the D.I.T.C. crew, legendary Bronx rapper and hip-hop record producer Lord Finesse will be squeezing into Brixton’s Chip Shop for a guaranteed sell-out event.

Tues 17th Mar, SW2 It’s Always Sunny on St Paddy’s Day at The Windmill 22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton, SW2 5BZ, 7pm, £5 The Windmill’s St Paddy’s Day parties are the stuff of legend, featuring an “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia-style” talent show, live covers of Irish artists performed by members of various bands, an Irish Dancing Competition plus live sets from Great Dad and Birthday Girl.

Fri 20th Mar, SW9 SW-Whine at JAMM 261 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 6LH, 10pm-4am, £6 It’s a new “one-stop-romping-shop for all your Bashment x Afrobeats x Reggaeton ingredients.”

c i nem a Military Wives, Onwards, Toni Morrison: Pieces Of Me, and more! p l u s, an exc i ti n g program of special s creening & q&as .

f o o d compoun d co ffe e f ü s é p a t t y m a n dau n ’ s del i local, independant f o o d v endo r s , serving a range of delicious cuisine’s. e v e n t s c a t f o r d m e w s c omedy c l u b , th u rsd ay 5 m arc h . c a t f o r d m e w s m o vie qu i z tuesday 10 & 24 march. st patrick’s day céilí saturday 14th march.

d r i n k 2 cocktails for £10 every day, 5pm - 7pm. 20% off s ele c ted wi n e o n w e d n e d a y s . c a t f o r d b r e w s s c r a t c h I P A

S o u t h L o n d o n ’ s N e w P l a c e T o B e . . . .

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f ind u s unde r t h e bi g b l ac k c at ! catford shopping centre , 32 winslade way, se6 4ju

www.catford-mews.co.uk @catfordmews

SW4 9DW, 8pm-midnight, free This lot aren’t so perky when it comes to giving out details about their nights, so all we know is that there’s DJs playing some sort of music from 8pm.

Fri 20th Mar, SW16 DJ at Pratts & Payne 103 Streatham High Road, SW16 1HJ, 9pm-2am, Free Named after the two most memorable landmarks from Streathams past; the now destroyed Pratts department store and Luncheon Voucher-accepting Madame Cynthia Payne, Pratts & Payne hosts live bands and DJs every Friday night.

Sat 21st Mar, SE5 More Life! at the Old Dispensary 325 Camberwell New Road, SE5 0FT, 8pm-12.20am, free A new monthly night taking place in our favourite Camberwell pub, More Life! is a strictly vinyl-only kind of affair, playing ska and reggae. The night marks the return of much-missed DJ Nanker Phelge from Brixton’s Time Tunnel club, plus Zinc Fence (Catch A Fire, Brixton) and Glen T Ramjam Radio (Love TKO).

Sat 21st Mar, SW16 Adelaide Mackenzie at Hideaway 2 Empire Mews, Streatham, SW16 2BF, 9pm, £17.50 Born in the UK to Jamaican parents, Adelaide Mackenzie draws on reggae, gospel and soul roots, and she’s shuffling into Streatham to promote her recently launched, critically acclaimed, second album, ‘Simply Me.’

Sat 21st Mar, SW9 Burlesque at Courtesan 69-73 Atlantic Road, Brixton SW9 8PU, 10pm, Free Tucked away in Atlantic Road, Courtesan’s striking interior recalls a backstreet Shanghai bar from the 1920s. Serving as a dim sum restaurant during the day, the venue transforms into an artistic speakeasy at night, hosting cabaret, live music, and a club night, with Giddy Heights your exotic entertainer for the night.

Sun 22nd Mar, SW2 Kvelertak at Electric Brixton Town Hall Parade, Brixton Hill, SW2 1RJ, 7pm-11pm, £18.50 Norwegian black metal merchants Kvelertak bring their considerable noise and energy to Brixton for a punky heavy metal party.

Mon 23rd Mar, SE1 Desire Magic Mondays at Union Club 66 Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, SE1 7TP, 11.59pm-9am, £6 Send your pyjamas to bed and head for London’s wildest, shuteye-shunning weekly afterparty, powered by Jefferson Souza and weekly guests throwing down a bouncy breakfast of tech house and techno through Tuesday morning.

Weds 25th Mar, SE15 Karaoke at Canavan’s Peckham Pool Club 188 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4NF, 8pm-4am, £3 Every Wednesday night is karaoke night, with Danny Borges caressing the decks and unleashing the caterwauling backing tracks. Sing yourself stupid, dance yourself daft or just get busy in the pool hall.

Weds 25th Mar, SW2 Basement Blues at Blues Kitchen 40 Acre Lane, Brixton, SW2 5SP, 9pm-midnight, free Fill your gullets with five quid cocktails and kick back to the sounds of USinspired, electric blues player, Niall Kelly.

Thurs 26th Mar, SE15 Open Mic Night at The Joiners Arms 35 Denmark Hill, Camberwell, SE5 8RS, 7pm-midnight, free Sign up from 7.30pm for this open mic night in the back room of this old school traditional hostelry with affordable (i.e. non-Brixton) bar prices. £1 entry fee with free sweets and booze promised.

Thurs 26th Mar, SW9 Off Wax at Pop Brixton 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ, 4pm-10.30pm, free Off Wax host a free party at Pop Brixton, with DJs and selectors thrusting out a panoply of Jazz, HipHop and Disco rear-end activators.

Thurs 26th Mar, SW8 Indie Bands at the Cavendish Arms 128 Hartington Road, SW8 2HJ, 8pm, £5 Indie club legends How Does It Feel

To Be Loved hook up with Tugboat Captain for another triple bill of live music in the quirky environs of the Cavendish Arms. Headliners Breakup Haircut whisk up an infectious mix of power pop, indie pop and punk pop, Finish Flag play hazy bedroom lo fi pop and th’sheridans meld a DIY fusion of anti-folk, indie pop and high kicks.

Fri 27th Mar, SW2 Pop Party Night at the Effra Social 89 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-1am, free It’s the biggest pop party in town as well-oiled DJs rev up the decks with floor-crunching party anthems and arm-waving bangers till 1am, backed by amusingly odd dance visuals. Expect dancefloor mayhem to a fun soundtrack of Cyndi Lauper, Beyonce, Bon Jovi, A-Ha, Fleetwood Mac, Cher, Dolly, Whitney, Queen, Bowie, Madonna and more.

Fri 27th Mar, SW11 Friday Night at the Clapham Grand 21-25 St John’s Hill, Clapham, SW11 1TT, 9pm-2am, £10 Get ready to sweep, strut and sashay in the direction of the dancefloor and jiggle your vertebrae to an uncomplicated amalgam of crowd-pleasing party classics, with resident DJs spinning Hip-Hop to House, Disco to R&B.

Fri 27th Mar, SW4 Five Points Gang at Bread & Roses 68 Clapham Manor Street, SW4 6DZ, 9pm-11pm, free Five Points Gang blend original material with classic blues standards at this free night in the UK’s only trade union owned boozer.

Fri 27th Mar, SW8 Grime Originals at Fire Arch 39, Parry Street, Vauxhall, SW8 1RT, 10pm-4am, £11.50 There’s grime, grime and even more grime on offer at this grime-tastic celebration of all things grime-esque, headed up by grime star, Wiley.

Sat 28th Mar, SW2 Chopstick Dubplate at Hootananny 95 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-3am, £8 International collective Chopstick Dubplate bring a shedload of reggae and jungle to the Hoot, with acts including Natty Campbell, Daddy Freddy, Ragga Twins, Friendly Fire Band & Myki Tuff and Jago.

Sat 28th Mar, SE27 The Cracked at Railway Tavern 7 Station Rise, Tulse Hill, SE27 9BW, 9pm-2.30am, free The Cracked shunt in a set of high energy original material covering Tropical, Soca, Latin Afro, Afrobeat, Upbeat, Cosmic Disco and Balearic Beats in this splendid Tulse Hill boozer, with DJs till close.

Sat 28th Mar, SW8 Shuffle 7th Birthday at Lightbox 6a South Lambeth Place, Vauxhall, SW8 1SP, 10pm-6am, £22 Shuffle celebrates seven years of existence with a night of house music from Kydus, Brett Gould, Paul Gardner, Joe Bonner and Mark Smedley.

Sat 28th Mar, SE11 Cabaret and DJs at Duckie Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY, 9pm-4am, £8 Hosted by the effervescent Amy Lamé, this packed night mashes up indie/pop dance with weird and wonderful cabaret acts. Taking to the stage tonight is Vijay Patel and Melody Sproats.

Sun 29th Mar, SW4 Sunday Sessions at Venn Street Records 78 Venn Street, Clapham, SW4 0BD, 9.30pm-midnight, free Weekly resident band Rosie and The Tricks hurl out a banging set of poppy live music, with drink deals looking to keep you lubricated till close.

Mon 30th Mar, SE5 Folk Jam at The Old Dispensary 325 Camberwell New Road, SE5 0TF, 8pm-1am, free This traditional Camberwell rub-a-dub is the perfect setting for a spirited but laid back folk jam where anyone can join in with the band and sing, strum, rattle or parp to their heart’s content. Popular with students who appreciate live music (and the cheap bar prices, natch), the vibes are always friendly and welcoming - we love this place.

Femme fatales with food Around Town F ollowing the success of a Game of Thrones spoof murder mystery comes The Vault’s new immersive Bond -themed dining show Live and Let Dine, putting the women of the spy genre centre stage Everyone knows who the international man of mystery is. So, The Vaults with their new Bond- inspired immersive dining show are shining a light, on the women operating in the shadows.

With each new James Bond film release, comes the renewed realisation of the franchise’s rich history of decades old sexism.

Spoofing the popular franchise and its misogynistic pitfalls, whilst drawing parallels with everyday sexism, guests are invited to dine with some of the top agents of MI6 with Jen der Paygap and Naomi Nzno; a far cry from Pussy Galore.

MI6 hosts a funeral beneath the winding tunnels of Waterloo, as audience members mourn the death of Jimmy Bon, who has been MIA for 6 months, lost in service to Queen and country; presumably dead. Now it’s time for a new oo7 to take on Britain’s most deadly role.

Guests will have to keep their wits about them, this is no ordinary funeral - a good agent knows, no matter how many martinis deep, they are never safe!

They will need to pick a side and work together in cracking codes and solving the mystery behind Jimmy Bon’s disappearance, no easy feat with the suspect list as long as the women he’s wronged along the way.

Be prepared to be wined, dined and of course interrogated, as you fall into the world of Jimmy Bon and the spy genre, through its often over looked female lens. April 7-May 31 at 7:30pm. Phone: 02074019603. www.thevaults.london

the zero waste land

The Brixton Pound Surplus Canteen has just opened in Loughborough Junction, offering pay-what-you-can meals using food saved from landfill. Manager Sean Parker lifts the lid on south London’s most innovative new eating space.

by ara ummings

How did you get started with the Brixton Pound Surplus Canteen?

I used to manage the Montpelier in Peckham before I moved to Hastings for a year. Coming back to Brixton with no job. I walked into this really nondescript little cafe and thought - what is this?! It was the Brixton Pound Cafe. They had a pay-as-you-feel option for food and I thought: That’s really interesting… I got an opportunity learning to cook with their amazing chef. She was running it as a co-op; it was a bit wild, and loads of fun. When she left, I took on her job and that’s how it all started.

How would you sum up the new canteen?

A surplus food project, where you pay what you can, that’s tackling income inequality, food waste and social isolation in the area with vegan food, in a social environment, provided by a range of demographics and abilities. The content of the project literally changes every day.

Why Loughborough Junction?

This area is a food desert - there’s one cafe, two takeaways and two supermarkets. That’s not enough for how many people live here when you’ve got four wards (Herne Hill, Brixton, Camberwell and Loughborough Junction) all

converging on this point. There are a lot of young families, disability services, creatives and artists, commuters - by having a pay-what-you-can model, we’re making the canteen as accessible as possible for everyone. If you’ve forgotten your wallet, it doesn’t matter: you can drop in some money next time. Or if you can’t afford it, it doesn’t matter, maybe you can just help us out with the washing up for twenty minutes. It’s looking at all these alternatives to cold hard cash that might incite conversation, debate, choice - you don’t have those in a normal cafe, where you can’t choose how much you pay for something. We have people coming in who don’t have any money and that is absolutely fine. That’s why we’re here.

I come from a working class background and understand poverty shaming. ‘If you don’t have the money, you can’t have the thing’ is generally the rule in the world. What we’re saying here is: it doesn’t matter. If you’ve got the money, hopefully you might support someone else having a cup of tea, but it’s not like we’re telling people how to act. You don’t have to justify anything.

Where does the surplus food come from?

We use City Harvest - they aggregate from farms and growing projects across the south. Some of it’s rejected by supermarkets for being too big,

too small, too wobbly, too dirty. It’s organic, and all really good quality and fresh. As soon as the van opens, I jump in the back with the driver and my brain will start racing. I’m always thinking about pickles, making crisps, making ferments or sauerkraut… We’ll take it, then go from there.

How do you decide what to make?

We cook vegan food as a base, with nuts, dairy and/or gluten sides and toppings. So we might do a dhal, or curry and rice, or a delicious gazpacho with toppings like toasted pine nuts, whipped feta, or bread. We want the base of the meal to be very accessible, and not too spicy so that kids can eat it. Simple food, rather than restaurant food, that looks really nice, tastes really nice and is really healthy. The creativity is the sides, and cooking something different every day. Normally I work it out with the volunteers, which is really exciting.

What would be your dream donation?

I can tell you one donation that we’ve had that was amazing: a tray of pink Napa cabbages. They’re the long, obular cabbages that are traditionally used to make kimchi. And we had pink ones! We made ten kilos of pink kimchi and this amazing pink cabbage broth with shaved cucumber and sour cream. Oh my god, it was so good.

Why change from ‘cafe’ to ‘canteen’?

After we left Atlantic Road, I thought about the connotations of the word ‘cafe’ and commercial, corporate cafe culture - posh coffees, everyone on laptops. I think it had an effect on the way that people were using the space. They’d come in but not really partake in any social interactions; we wanted to bring people in for a quick meal, chat or cup of tea. ‘Canteen’ is actually more related to the canon of social eating. There used to be canteens all across the country after World War One and Two, with really low-cost meals by volunteer chefs that would be distributed for almost nothing. In the ‘50s, they were feeding tens of thousands of people every day. Isn’t that incredible? I think about that a lot in terms of what we do here.

What’s next for the project?

Wait for nicer weather and put some chairs outside! We also run a grocery market stall so that we can provide groceries for people on a donation basis. Eventually, when it’s warmer, we’ll have someone out there wearing a coat and shouting about it!

Peachy Goat TUPI

by Cara Cummings

Just when you thought Brixton couldn’t get any more delicious, hit Filipino restaurant Sarap has put down roots in Market Row following a run of sold out, glowingly reviewed pop-ups across London. Praise be, because now their infamous Lechon Liempo - slow-roasted pork belly stuffed with lemongrass, ginger, chilli, coconut vinegar and soy sauce - is on our doorsteps. 14D Market Row, Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LD

Brand new plant-based bistro Peachy Goat has opened in Herne Hill. Run by three childhood friends, expect warm hospitality and a menu inspired by British gastro classics - plus fresh pasta - all ethically sourced and environmentally sound. 16 Half Moon Lane, SE24 9HU

Elephant Park is fast becoming one of the capital’s most exciting culinary hotspots - so no surprise that critics’ favourite Bobo Social has bagged a spot onsite after leaving central London. Its famous burgers are back - including the signature Peanut Butter sensation - along with a cocktail list that will quickly make you forget it’s a school night… 23 Sayer Street, London SE17 1FY

Around the corner, meanwhile, Urban Fox favourite TUPI has unveiled a new spring menu packed with yet more fresh twists on South American classics. Go for the grilled prawns and gremolata, stay for the tuna ceviche with in-house made kimchi. 2 Castle Square, Elephant Road, SE17 1EN

Love Levan in Peckham? Of course you do. So all hail the opening of Larry’s, a new sibling spot right next door. We hear a more relaxed, all-day and NYC-inspired eatery is on the cards with lox and latkes for breakfast, meatball melts at lunch and 'nduja soaked focaccia, devilled crab, cabbage with clams and pig’s head pappardelle for dinner. Oh - and the wine list changes daily. We’ll fight you for a table. Unit 5, 12-16 Blenheim Grove, London, SE15 4QL

Looking for a special meal a little further afield? London Stock, newly opened in Wandsworth’s Ram Quarter, is wowing punters with an innovative menu that pairs British fine dining with Asian cooking techniques. A seven-course tasting menu - a steal at just £45 - promises killer twists on quail, wild seabass, pork belly and ‘Barley’, a dessert featuring malt and miso soufflé and Sambrook’s Imperial stout ice cream. Not to be missed. 2 Bubbling Well Square, SW18 1UQ