Dr. Who on the South Bank

Good to see the new series of Dr. Who kicking off with some South London locations, with the good Dr. and assistant rushing across Westminster Bridge to see off an alien intelligence controlling killer showroom dummies from its lair under the London Eye. All this no doubt a knowing nod to the ancient battles between a previous incarnation of the Doctor and the daleks on the South Bank, when they too walked (or rather wheeled) Westminster Bridge - this was way back in 1964's 'Dalek Invasion of Earth' apparently. Same shot of the Bridge from the South side figures in the closing scene of 'Queen of the Damned' (2002) by the way, with the Vampire Lestat also crossing the river there - go easy up there. By the way anyone know where Billie Piper's flat was supposed to be in Saturday's episode?

Loco-ation, loco-ation, loco-ation

The next LIVE IN ROCKLANDS at Amersham Arms is on April 13th, a Wednesday, and features such thrash starlets as Johnny Panic ("passion, sincerity and downright tunefullness", read what you will from them having an XFM single of the week), Corporation:Blend ("best glam/punk vocals since early manics" and who are Transpontine to argue with that from the Daily Star), Korova (who have the best description here, they play “suitably distorted catchy songs" while "the guitar player repeatedly runs at his bass player as if to impale her, only to have the crap kicked out of him") and Electric Lady Band, who don't have a url to link to but we're told "the electric lady herself plays guitar".

388 New Cross Rd, Amersham Road entrance, Rocklands SE14 - 8pm-midnight. £5/(£3 concessions)

Telegraph Hill Park re-opens

Telegraph Hill Park in Pepys Road re-opened today after a long closure for landscaping and general tarting up. Lots of new play equipment, a working toilet and two ponds are among the attractions - no ducks as yet, but I did spot a bat as the sun went down. Official opening with music is on June 11th.

Exploding Cinema back in New Cross

Latest communique has been received from the Exploding Cinema crew:

"We're back! Along with Springtime, little lambs and all manner of frisky animals the Exploding Cinema returns! With a host of gems mined from the homeground underground - films, videos, performance - we're starting our new season on Saturday April 16th at The Hatcham Social Club Hall 369 Queens Road, New Cross London SE14(New Cross Gate Tube + Queens Road Peckham BR, Buses: 36, 53, 171) Doors open at 8pm, entrance £4.

Addicts vs. The Witches

An interesting story of witchcraft and football appeared on the BBC website in January. Two teams, Yeovil Town and south-east London's own Charlton Athletic met at the end of January on the level playing field of a football match (something I neither like nor understand). However Yeovil had a supernatural advantage.

A witch (or wiccan says the story, though witches and wiccans are two different things), and Yeovil supporter, Raquel Bailey, and friends, had cast a bad luck spell, called the "cross-legged spell" on Charlton Athletic and their manager Alan Curbishley. This took place at a stone circle at Ham Hill, Somerset.

This sinster working had the intention of, Bailey hoped that, in her own words, "something funny" happen to the team's legs when they approach the goalmouth. "The spell is not evil, it's merely to help Yeovil in Saturday's FA cup game against Charlton," she said, thinking that doing something to footballer's legs as they start a footmatch match isn't, in some way, malicious.

And the result? Proof again that south-east London is magical as Charlton beat Yeovil 3-2, with one commentator saying of the match: "Charlton have struggled against lesser teams in cup matches but they finally broke their jinx to deny Yeovil a possible giantkilling but not before they were given a few frights on the way. "

Beware South-east London medicine. It is strong.

Perforations at Bubblegum

Perforations Poster
Originally uploaded by skitster.

Tomorrow sees a night of Film, Video, Performance and Music at Bubblegum, 46 Deptford Broadway, SE8. It's 8pm t0 1am, £2.50 entry, which has got to be worth it just to see what 'Flying Wolves' are all about.

contact details and directions from the Bubblegum website.

Spring Equinox @ Brockley Stone Circle

Thanks to everyone who came and made it magic.

Six String (Paradise Regained)

I got locked out last Tuesday night, having lost the key on the very same day I decide to leave the flat without my mobile. I knew that someone would be home around ten-ish so I stayed in New Cross and went to the Six String Bar, formerly the Paradise Bar, and listened to a couple of solo bods. Katy Carr, who was on 2nd, played folk-ish stuff either accapella or on a keyboard and she was jolly good.

She even gave me a hug when I joined her email list, which doesn’t happen too often, I’m please to say. Certainly didn't happen when I joined 'Richard of Hume's' or The Gluerooms email list, anyway. So I checked out her website, where album tracks can be found and I was quite so keen but not to fret. T'was a nice night.

There's a "bloody great" Friday planned this Friday, March 25th, when XXIV Records (who ever they are) and our good, mad friends at Rocklands present a solo-show by Gemma Ray Ritual plus support and guest DJs at the Paradise, I mean Six String. GMR is worth checking out if you like your tunes a bit blue-sy and folk-sy. I've only heard the band but I'm sure the solo set will shimmer.

It's free before 8pm, £3/£2 after. £2 a pint, the Para, Six-String Bar is at 460 New Cross Road, SE14 6TJ

South London Radical History Group - coming soon

Upcoming events from South London Radical History Group (all free as the air).

Tuesday April 26th 2005, 7.30 pm at the Pullens Centre, 184 Crampton Street, SE17- Brixton Prison Blues - the history of Brixton Prison and some of its illustrious inhabitants.

Tuesday May 10th 2005, 7:30 pm, meet at 56a Crampton St for a 'Wild Walworth' history walk.

Tuesday June 7th 2005, 7.30 pm at the Pullens Centre, 184 Crampton Street, SE17- The Battle of the Beanfield - Andy Worthington (author of 'Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion') on the 20th anniversary of this notorious police trashing of would-be Stonehenge festival-goers.

Map of Crampton Street here

Fresh Films

More film, lucky old Lewisham, despite having no cinema there are plenty of people willing to put on films, as listings on Transpontine have shown. If experimental stuff isn't your bag then Fresh Films at Cafe Crema are offering up some fantastic films for children at their Children's Film Cafe .

They're starting with the Tim Burton-esque film of Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach from 1pm this Saturday, 19th March. More exciting to me, and something I suggest you should borrow a child for, is the showing of Miyazaki's heart-breakingly good anime Spirited Away. This will probably be the dubbed version but go see it if you can anyway. Alan Parker's Bugsy Malone is showing on 9th April, a film that must still look like great fun to innocent eyes.

Another exciting inclusion is a film I have not seen yet, the 1957 fantasy The Singing Ringing Tree. £3.00 per film - tickets can be bought in advance from the café. Babies and small children are welcome - Free tickets for under 5's.

The café will operate a non smoking policy for these screenings. Breastfeeding welcome. your baby can sit on your lap. Safe storage for buggies and changing area provided. Time: Doors at 1.00pm, films start at 2.00pm.

Adults are well serviced too, with a double bill of the 1981 UK two-tone/ska film 'Dance Craze' and the classic Jamaican reggae film 'The Harder They Come' appearing on the 29th March and the Bob Dylan biopic 'Don't Look Back' showing on the 12th April. I'm going to try and see 'The Harder the Come' before the proposed remake spoils it for me.

Doors at 7.00pm, films start at 8.00pm. Normal cafe opening hours are weekdays 9.30-6.00. The Cafe is fully licensed; serving vegetarian food, Fair Trade tea and espresso/ hot chocolate and fabulous cake. For more information call the café on 020 8320 2317 or visit their website. Here's a map.

My Eyes My Eyes

New Cross is just getting too busy. As well as the promising Angular night at the Venue, 'My Eyes My Eyes'are holding a short film/performance event this friday (March 18th) at the Hatcham Social Club. As well as DIY short films there will be live performances from Liz Bentley with 'Dennis'; LepkeB premieres his dazzling 60s girl-group tribute; Duncan Reekie delivers his latest rant and a short and totally memorable slice of 'Grief Lite' for your discerning delectation. Doors 8pm til midnight.

Angular at the Venue

Pinch me. Proper bands are getting let back into the basement of The Venue, Clifton Rise, New Cross this Friday (18th March, 9-until late) for another round of punk and new wave raving courtesy of Angular Records.

This month, X-FM rated Neils Children join Richard Sanderson rated Wet Dog (a bit like The Slits, apparently) and (following the tradition, started last month, of bands I’ve not heard of that are named after accessories, see Mitten) Good Shoes, who get describe as “a stripped down basic Strokes” here.

DJ’s are from local heroes The Vichy Government and The (lovely) Swear. It’s £3. Have a very good reason if you’re not going.

Towards a South East London Top 20

Thanks to everyone who came to my Sounds of SE14 talk at the Telegraph Hill Centre last night - it was a surprize to have a full house on a Saturday night. For the uninitiated it was a mixture of me playing and talking about music linked to New Cross (with a bit of Deptford and Brockley thrown in). Here's twenty tracks I played - not necessarily the all time South East London top twenty but a sample of different times and scenes.

- Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine – The Only living boy in new cross (1992)
- Robert Wyatt – Red Flag (song written in New Cross, 1889)
- Marie Lloyd – Coster's wedding (1904) - 'Queen of the Music Hall' lived in Lewisham Way.
- Fats Waller – The Joint is Jumpin (played at New Cross Empire, 1938)
- Goons – You gotta go owww (Spike Milligan lived in Lewisham and performed in Deptford)
- Bonzo Dog Band – Canyons of your mind (met at Goldsmiths, New Cross)
- Velvet Underground – Venus in Furs (John Cale went to Goldsmiths)
- Squeeze - Up the Junction (Greenwich band, early gigs in Deptford)
- Kate Bush – Hounds of Love (lived in Brockley, played at Royal Albert before it was the Paradise Bar)
- Chords – Maybe Tomorrow (Deptford/SE London mod revivalists)
- Alternative TV – Action Time Vision (Mark Perry from Deptford)
- Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing (lived on Crossfields Estate, song about a Deptford pub)
- This Heat – SPQR (late 70s, lived in Speedwell House squat in Deptford)
- Homosexuals – My Night Out (as above)
- Johnny Osbourne – 13 Dead and Nothing Said
- Linton Kwesi Johnson- New Crass Massacre (previous two both about New Cross fire)
- Test Department – Roman war song
- Band of Holy Joy – Mad Dot (previous two both started out in Nettledon Road, New Cross).
- June Brides – Every Conversation (Lewisham band, played a lot in New X)
- Blur – Song 2 (met at Goldsmiths)
- Placebo – Nancy Boy (met in Deptford, Brian Molko lived in Drakefell Road)
- Steve Harley- Judy Teen (lived in New X, went to Edmund Waller school)
- Violets – Laxteen (current Angular favourites).

All other suggestions welcome!

Michael Stipe in Old Kent Road?

Check out this video for REM's 'Aftermath' and see how many South London locations you can spot - definitely the Elephant and Castle, Old Kent Rd, and the London Eye, possibly the Heygate Estate. However it's all studio trickery - the band weren't really there:

http://www.musicbrigade.com/?movie=01KS023830