Open Air Poetry Night in Southwark

SOUTHWARK MYSTERIES
in association with Bankside Open Spaces Trust
presents Red Cross Bards

6.30 to 8.30pm on Tuesday July 4th 2006
Red Cross Garden, Redcross Way, London SE1
Tube: Borough or London Bridge Bus: 133, 35, 40 and many more

A summer¹s evening of inspirational poetry and song in Red Cross Garden - hosted by John Constable (aka John Crow, author of The Southwark Mysteries) with guest poets Liza Hayden, Niall McDevitt, Christopher Twigg - and YOU!

Red Cross Cottages were built by Octavia Hill to improve the lives of the poor in what were then London¹s most deprived and violent slums. The cottages form a stunning backdrop to these beautiful Victorian gardens in the heart of the city. The gardens were recently restored by BOST, complete with pond and fountain. Southwark poet John Constable will perform his own work inspired by the history of the area, along with leading exponents of visionary poetry and song. Audience members will also be invited to perform a short poem of their own.

Together we'll reclaim the Red Cross of St George, celebrating south London¹s multicultural heritage. (* The last half-hour of the performance may overlap slightly with the first half-hour of the World Cup semi-final. If so, for those who honour the Muse but need their fussball fix, we'll feature a short poetic commentary on ze game, before decamping to one of the many local big screen pubs to watch the rest of the match.)

all welcome : free entry: free refreshments Funded by Borough and Bankside Community Fund

So farewell then....

This sad bit of news just came through from Ian of the band 23Frames.....

The inevitable occured this week when we finally received the letter - "Redevelopment of the Old Seager Distillery" We have to be out by September.

We knew it was coming but it still feels like such a shock,especially when there is stilll so much going on there. There are four bands and two painters who share our studio (The Polling Station) and we'll all be without anywhere to work this Autumn.

Displaced, as will Temporary Contempoary, The Mash Potato gallery & many, many other groups of artists, muscians, acrobats etc. What a shame. Dunno when exactly they plan to bulldoze the building, but I hope at least some of it is protected. Luxuary Apartments all round, then.

Will Deptford even exist in 10 years time?

That question is up to us all to answer.

Listings

Guilfin, the excellent alternative listings site is back and starting from scratch.

Be sure to be part of it.

Camberwell Degree Show

Lots of good stuff at the Camberwell College of Arts Summer Show, on all this week ('Felt Window', Juleigh Gordon-Orr's human hair and glass piece, is in the third floor painting studio).

I also checked out the Goldsmiths degree show a couple of weeks ago, I didn't think it was as strong but it was worth a visit just to go out on the terrace of the new Ben Pimlott building in New Cross. Yes you get to stand outside next to that scribble sculpture with fanastic views across London.

Nick Nicely

For some time we've been trying to track down an early 1980s psychedelic track called Hilly Fields (1892)by Nick Nicely. In an interview at the time he explained: "Hilly Fields is a large park in South London, close to where I live. It's a beautiful place. And the area where I live still retains a lot of the atmosphere of the 1890s - all late Victorian houses, really wonderful. All the songs I wrote are situated in this part of London, Brockley. And Hilly Fields... I used to go there a lot in various stages of high, stoned, tripping, and that's where the song comes from. It's about someone who goes to hilly Fields and then disappears.... and that someone could very well be me, tripping out".

Now comes the news that on 18th July 2006 there will be a gathering of Nicely enthusiasts at Hilly Fields, possibly even an appearance by the man himself. Further details here

Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice passed in various ways in South London. I went to Burgess Park, where Christopher Jones launched his new booklet ' I saw a tiger running wild... on the trail of Burgess Park' (published by Past Tense) accompanied by reading, incense and people in animal masks. It all took place on the bridge in the park that once spanned the now filled in canal.

On Lambeth Bridge, the Tribe of Avalon Summer Solstice ritual ended with offerings of flower petals on the waters of Goddess Tamesa, deity of the River Thames.

Others stayed up (or got up very early) to see the sun rise in Hilly Fields.

....we love bears....

29.06.06 [that's this Thursday] SUPERBOMPERS the new project from Need New Body/HIM's Tookie Sherman & agaskodo teliverek, hungarian duo presenting angular energetic rock epics
in conjunction with the bearspace private view for the exhibition Kounosuke Kawakami - Mindustrial Evolution. another perfect time to get your compilation 03

£3 voluntary contribution starting at 7.45

Bear Space, 154 Deptford High St London SE8 9PQ

Happy Birthday to Glue

The Glue Rooms are always good but this month is extra special (this is via Disinformation who gave a mind-melting show at Corsica Studio's under the Elephant a couple of years ago...)

Disinformation vs. Strange Attractor perform "CircuitBlasting" at The Glue Rooms (3rd Birthday Party),Amersham Arms, 388 New Cross Road, London, Wed 28 June2006, 7 to 11pm (bar till 12), £3, nearest BR and tubeNew Cross.

Full line-up also includes Bela Emerson,Led Bib, Sudden Infant, Temperatures, Complete Idiot,Uniform, DJ Tendraw & The Gypsies Dog, DJ Body Damage,DJ Possibly Sick, and (Disinformation remixer and Wireguitarist) Bruce Gilbert.

DJ Tendraw also gave an ace performance at the Seager Distillary at the end of May as part of a DIY response to the 'Made in Deptford' party. It was mostly to the indifference of the bastards with expensive haircuts, though.

Psychic Experiment

Throughout June and July you can take part in a parapsychology experiment investigating psychic ability and beliefs about luck and the paranormal. David Luke is inviting voluteers to give up 20-30mins of their time in SE London as part of his PhD project. The researcher will come to you in SE London, or you can come to Goldsmiths in New Cross. Volunteers will also be entered into a draw for a cash prize. For further information call or text 07727 681832 or email David.Luke@northampton.ac.uk.

Balata in Brockley

Next Thursday at the fantastic Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley there's a benefit git for children in the Balata refugee camp in Palestine. Artists/musicians performing includeDavid Rovics,Attila the Stockbroker, Strawberry Thieves Socialist Choir, Doc Jazz and Zaid Tayem.

Date and Time: Thursday 29 June at 7.30 pm. Location: Rivoli Ballroom, 350 Brockley Road, London SE4 2BY. Tickets: in advance £10 (unwaged £7), at the door £12(unwaged £10). For tickets and further information email strawberrythief@btinternet.com or call 07723 015926.

Solstice Party

There's a party tomorrow night at the Beaconsfield gallery in Vauxhall- no less than the Mother of all Parties for the summer solstice. Details are Saturday 24 June 2006, 8pm - 3am, with live music, experimental electronica, performance, film, eclectic DJ¹s including Spring Heel Jack, Daniel Figgis, Fallen Leaves, Susannah Hewlett, Fairlights, DJ Tendraw & The Gypsies Dog, Dr Valentine & Suzywan, Sanda
Kolar, Howard Jacques, Northern Roses, Annie Davey. Admission: £6 (£4 concessions).

I can't make it personally, but I can vouch for it being a cool place with nice people. You can hear it live on Resonance 104.4 fm, though I suspect that may be a poor substitute. Beaconsfield is at 22 Newport Street, Vauxhall, London, SE11 6AY (020 7582 6465).

Wicker Man in New Cross

Tomorrow night (Thursday 15th June) sees a showing of The Wicker Man at Cafe Crema. £6 gets you a meal and lots of Christopher Lee and Britt Eckland. Films start: 8.00pm. Doors open 7.30.

Cafe Crema are hosting an 'I love London' film festival next month, with a selection of iconic London films.

I Hear a New World

I hear a new world (I hear a new world)
Calling me (calling me)
I hear a new world (I hear a new world)
Calling me (calling me)
How can I tell them (how can I tell them)
What's in store for me? (what's in store for me?)

A world that is, for one night at SELFS and for the duration of this newsletter, free of the world cup is in store, I promise you.

This month's SELFS has it all, a musical genius, songs inspired from beyond the grave, drugs, dabbling in the occult and a tragic ending. I'm dead excited (as ever). Details on John Repesh's talk about Joe Meek are below.

12th June: John Repsch – The Music, Magic and Madness of Joe MeekJoe Meek is the cult British composer who dabbled in the occult and wrote amazing and sometimes chart-topping songs about séances, satellites and aliens.

Writer and environmentalist John Repsch wrote the biography of Joe Meek in 1989. Bizarre and fascinating though Meek's life story was, Repsch had to publish it himself.

The book has since spawned a BBC 2 'Arena' documentary, an avalanche of CDs and is scheduled to be made into a film this year starring Rhys Ifans.

SELFS meets every second Monday of the month upstairs at The Spanish Galleon, 48 Greenwich Church Street, SE10 9BL. Talks start at 8.00pm and costs £2.50 / £1.50 concessions.

Greenwich Mainline & DLR: Turn left from the main exit, walk about 5-10 minutes, the Galleon is on your right, at the cross-roads. Cutty Sark DLR:

Turn left from the station, right when you get to the road, the Spanish Galleon is across the road. Buses: 177, 180, 188, 199, 286, 386.

Contact: scott@selfs.org.uk or clare@selfs.org.uk

Boppity Bopp

Lucky Soul + Autokat + Wolf Gang DJs playing out twisted rock n roll, retro grooves and bleak disco…

Friday 2nd June Doors: 8pm – 12.15am (bands finish 11pmish) Price: £3 Venue: The Montague Arms, 289 Queens Road, New Cross, SE15 2PA ()

Nearest Tube: New Cross Gate

Nearest BR: Queens Rd, Peckham