Rock Out Against Racism

LOVE MUSIC HATE RACISM presents OLYMPUS MONS (fresh from Babyshambles UK tour support) + LONG WEEKEND (baggydelica (remember that?)) + NATIONS VIBRATIONS (roots rock reggae) + SOUND SYSTEM with local MCs on Saturday 28 Jan 006 within the hallowed rooms of the Hatcham Club, Queens Road, New Cross SE14 .

Doors 8pm-1am late bar. Entry £5 + £2 concessions Info 020 8314 1303 / 077 3094 4159

Planet of the Vampires

Tate Modern is showing a free season of Italian B Movies between now and the 10th February. Most enticing, for me at least, is the 1965 film Terrore nello Spazio ('Planet of the Vampires', although the correct translation is 'Terror in Space') showing on Wednesday 8 February 2006 at 6:30 pm. The blurb for this reads 'The crew members of two spaceships, drawn to an unexplored planet by a strange call for help, are overcome by a sudden urge to kill and start slaughtering each other. Those who survive the massacre return to normality, while the dead become zombies whose only aim is to exterminate the living. Everything stems from the planet’s original bodiless inhabitants, who can only survive if they take over the corpses of the dead and feed on human blood'. Sounds fun! This and the other films are showing in the Starr Auditorium at Tate Modern, Bankside SE1. Further details at Italian Kings of the B’s: Secret History of Italian Cinema 1949–81.

Atheistic Communistic Scorcher

South London Radical History Group are back with a talk by Terry Liddle on Dan Chatterton on Tuesday 24th January 2005. Chatterton is an almost forgotten 19th century figure, a Chartist,radical, atheist and class warrior who published his own paper ‘the Atheistic Communistic Scorcher'.

The following date (Thursday 23 February) promises a talk on the radical history of cycling.

Venue is 56a Infoshop, 56 Crampton Street, London SE17 (admission free).8 pm start. Nearest tube: Elephant & Castle. For more info email: mudlark@macunlimited.net

The Shortwave Set

Finally got round to listening to The Shortwave Set’s ‘The Debt Collection’ LP, released by Independiente last year. The trio are Deptford-based, playing their first gig at The Amersham Arms apparently and make what the sleevenotes describe as ‘wonky psychedelic hangover songs’. This involves a Lemonjelly-like eclectic mix of samples from charity shop records (e.g. Waikiki Beach Boys and Engelbert Humperdinck), but with ‘proper’ songs beautifully sung that put me in mind of Dubstar. Definitely worth checking out - the band start a residency at Soho Arts Club on Monday so that might be a good place to start.

Plough Monday in Greenwich

Yesterday was Plough Monday - in ye olden days the first day back to the plough after the festivities. Last night in Greenwich saw the Fowler Molly Troop doing a series of folk dances in the Undercover Market to mark the occasion; people dressed up like 'Oliver' extras with ribbons pinned to their clothes and the obligatory man in drag, all good fun.

Round the corner straight away afterwards to the Spanish Galleon for an excellent talk on 'British Cunning Folk' by Christina Oakley at South East London Folklore Society. Cunning men and women, sometimes known as white witches, were the people you went to for divination, healing or psychic assistance when you were having a bit of trouble with the evil eye, lost cows, love affairs etc. They flourished in Britain from as far back as records exist until the beginning of the 20th century when their roles were supplanted by a new wave of specialist healers, spiritualists and occultists.

Next time at SELFS looks good with Chris Woods on 'The Sacred Landscape of South East London'. Was Deptford the real centre of ancient London? What mysteries are buried under Brockley cross? All will be revealed on 13th February, 8 pm start at the Spanish Galleon, 48 Greenwich Church Street, SE10 (£2.50/£1.50 concessions).

June Brides at the Easycome

Top night out for my birthday last week at The Easycome Acoustic Club in the Ivy House, Peckham Rye. The main purpose was to see a rare reunion gig by 1980s indie darlings The June Brides, playing an acoustic set to mark the launch of a new retrospective double CD on Cherry Red, 'Every Conversation: the Story of The June Brides and Phil Wilson'. It was a great set, with their melodies lending themselves to an acoustic treatment, including my personal faves 'Every Conversation' and 'Sunday to Saturday'.

I was also amazed by the amount of talent on display at the open-mic session before the band played, particularly Trevor Moss of whom Skitser said 'His playing was
good but his voice was bloody amazing, either he's doing the best pastiche of Robert Johnson that a white, south-east London bloke could do or he's been down to the crossroads at Peckham Rye and Nunhead Lane and sold his soul'.

Trevor's band, Indigo Moss, are playing the Easycome Acoustic club on 18th January and will be worth checking out as will any Wednesday night in the Ivy House pub, Stuart Road, Peckham Rye, SE15 (£3/£2 concessions).

Radical Map Exhibition

Last year there was a great Festival of Mapping at 56a Info Shop in Walworth, featuring a range of weird, wonderful and generally swell maps, including a radical Southwark map and other treasures. Now there's a chance to see this material again, in a Radical Map Exhibition at Pogo Cafe, 76 Clarence Road, Hackney, E5 8HB. Worth crossing the river for, particularly if you are also partial to vegan food.