Ted Lasso at the Rivoli

Finally catching up with Ted Lasso, and pleased to spot a scene filmed at the Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park.  In series one there's an episode based around an AFC Richmond charity gala and guess they needed somewhere with red velvet walls and chandeliers like many before them.

Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) gets a round in

Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) and Keeley (Juno Temple)

Anthony Stewart Head (will always be Giles from Buffy for me)

See the many previous posts about the Rivoli - featuring Kylie, Lana del Ray, Elton John, Oasis, Rihanna, Idris Elba, Florence and the Machine and many more

 

'Close to Me' - Christopher Eccleston and Connie Nielsen in the Rivoli

Channel 4 drama 'Close to Me' is the latest to make use of the Rivoli Ballroom as a location. In the story a fundraising event for refugees in Hastings actually takes place in Brockley Road SE4.  Sometime Dr Who Christopher Eccleston and Danish actor Connie Nielsen - sometime Queen Hipployta in the DC universe - tread the boards and wander through the side bars alongside the dancefloor.

See previous posts about the Rivoli - featuring Kylie, Lana del Ray and many more

Greentea Peng at Rivoli Ballroom

Greentea Peng is the latest singer to have graced the legendary Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park, recording a performance of her song Hu Man for the 'Later... with Jools Holland' show on BBC. She's following in the footsteps of other Rivoli artists like.... Florence Welch, Oasis, Elton John, Tina Turner, Kylie, Idris Elba, well everybody really (just check some of them out here).

Greentea Peng (Aria Wells) grew up in Bermondsey and I think may now live in the Brockley area, so this was home SE London ground.

Music Monday: High Flying Birds video in Crofton Park & Lordship Lane

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' 'Wandering Star' single has a Christmas-themed video that sees a Santa coming to the aid of a desperate shoplifter.  The shop used in the video is actually Jay's Budgens in Crofton Park (400 Brockley Road SE4, by the Brockley Jack pub).

In the video Santa and the shoplifter are chased by a security guard and escape on to a nearby housing estate. There isn't actually such an estate next to Budgens, this scene was filmed a couple of miles away on Southwark's Lordship Lane Estate. Norman Court, which is opposite the estate on Lordship Lane SE22, can be seen as Santa runs down the alley

Budgens, December 2019 - the shop front isn't actually shown in the video

The Boy who Stole Time - book launch at Crofton Books

'The Boy who stole time' is a new  young people's fantasy novel by Ladywell-based author Mark Bowsher (publicity says 'for fans of Neil Gaiman and Philip Pulman'). A book launch and reading is taking place on Sunday 28th October, 3 pm, at Crofton Books, 375 Brockley Road SE4 2AG. That's the excellent value second hand bookshop inside Crofton Park Library.

United Kingdom: David Oyelowo & Rosamund Pike in the Rivoli

'United Kingdom' is a new movie starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike, based on the true-life interracial romance between Seretse Khama (first president of Botswana) and his wife Ruth Williams. The couple first met in London in the 1940s, and the film seems to have used the Rivoli Ballroom as a location for some of their courting scenes

See previous posts on the star-studded Rivoli Ballroom

'Superhumans' Paralympics Trailer filmed at Rivoli Ballroom

Channel 4 are the latest to make use of the Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park, filming part of the uplifting 'We're the Superhumans' trailer for the Rio Paralympics there.

While Wheelchair Ballroom Dancing is competitive it does not actually feature in the Paralympics but the three minute film includes dancers, musicians and as well as athletes.

See previous posts on the star-studded Rivoli Ballroom

Alison Goldfrapp & Idris Elba at the Rivoli

Yet more Rivoli Ballroom action.  Alison Goldfrapp held her 50th birthday party at the Crofton Park ballroom this week. Not too many photos around of this private event, but seemingly there were plenty of balloons...

photo by @misshoney333

Brockley Central noticed that the Rivoli also features briefly in the video for Dance Off by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - yes that is Idris Elba in SE4.

 

Elton John was spotted using the facilities at the Rose (previously the Hobgoblin) in New Cross Road this week. 

Elton in The Rose - full story at Newsshopper

 Been a while since he was spotted in the Rivoli, but he did shoot the  video for his 1983 song 'I guess that's why they call it the blues' there.

 



Elton John in Rivoli Ballroom

See previous posts at the Rivoli here - there's a lot!

The end of the (old) Brockley Jack

The Brockley Jack in around 1868
(source: Lewisham Heritage)

The current Brockley Jack pub dates back to 1898 and replaced an older building demolished not long before. The pub had actually only been known by that name since 1863 - prior to that it was called The Castle. It is described in Walter Besant's London South of the Thames (published 1912, but written in the 1890s):

'on the west side of the road is the Brockley Jack public-house. It was named after Jack Cade and was formerly frequented by Dick Turpin and other highway- men, and is a good specimen of the English wayside tavern of the last century. The taproom and the whole architecture of the place with its old buildings are curious, and the sign nailed to the stump of an old elm in the yard is painted on a mammoth's bone which was dug up in the railway cutting behind the house. The Croydon Canal was acquired by the Croydon Railway in 1836, and it was in deepening this that the bones, of which the sign is one, were found. The old farm south of this inn will soon be built over, and houses are already appearing in the lane to Honor Oak, but most of the ground is still pasture' (Jack Cade was a leader of the 1450 Kentish uprising).

The demolition of the old building was opposed by some, as indicated by this report from th Illustrated London News, 16 October 1897:

'The Jack Inn, Brockley: The vandal is generally more inclined to spare a public-house than he is to spare a church; but it is the old Jack Inn at Brockley, in Kent, that is now marked down for demolition. Many a cyclist following the course of the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway from London Bridge will miss the welcome which the inn continued to give from the old world; but the growth of suburban London is imperious in its demands. Brockley is within the Parliamentary borough of Deptford; but the little boundaries and isolations of London are rapidly disappearing in that direction, and much beside the Jack Inn will disappear ere long in front of London's immense army of occupation'

Judging by the number of paintings made of the old pub, it was something of an iconic building.

A painting dated 1898 and sigend G.C.,  held by  Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre

The pub painted in 1897 by Philip Norman
(from Museum of London)

The Brockley Jack around 1885 (Lewisham Heritage)

The Brockley Jack befire 1880  by Mr Corcoran (Lewisham Heritage)

The Old Brockley Jack - Arthur  Harding Norwood (1897)

photo of old pub from Pub History

The new pub, pictured in around 1905

Lucky Man at the Rivoli

Stan Lee's Lucky Man is the latest TV/film production to feature the Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park as a location. For the purposes of the Sky One show, it is transformed into the Pleasure Palace pole dancing club visited by detective James Nesbitt.

The whole show foregrounds London, Nesbitt always seems to be driving across a bridge and Bermondsey Street and Southwark Park are due to feature in the series among other Transpontine settings.

See previous posts about the Rivoli here - there's a lot!

The Kooples at the Rivoli Ballroom

French clothing line The Kooples is the latest to take advantage of the splendour of Crofton Park's Rivoli Ballroom for a film shoot. Their latest advert features a glamorous couple meeting up amidst a northern soul dancefloor.

For loads more at the Rivoli, including Lana del Ray, Jimmy Page, Oasis, Florence and the Machine etc. see the Transpontine round up.

Oasis in the Rivoli Ballroom (2005) and at the Venue (1994)

Yet more in the ongoing 'here come's everybody' saga of the Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park . Here's late period Oasis (2005) at a photo shoot in the Rivoli. The photos were taken by Zed Nelson for Mojo, who mentions that despite the venue being used so often for shoots it is actually quite a tricky place to take photographs:  “The Rivoli Ballroom was such a massive space...It looked beautiful, but lighting it was a nightmare. It meant a really slow shutter speed, which in turn meant the band had to stand really still. But controlling Oasis is hard enough at the best of times. It’s like going into a zoo and having to tame the silverback gorillas.”

photos above © Zed Nelson

And here's Liam just down the road in the band's early days - in the Venue, New Cross, where Oasis played on 13 May 1994. 'In Oasis: The Truth' (2013), original Oasis drummer Tony McCarroll recalls the New Cross gig 'After another barnstormer we were met in the dressing room by a pack of music journalists. Few people could have had any doubts about who the hottest act in town was. There was now a real intensity surrounding the band. Each gig was more and more frenzied'. Immediately after the gig the band headed across town where they bumped into Prince. Sadly there is no record of the artist formerly known as ever being spotted in New Cross.

Liam in the Venue 1994 - found the picture on Twitter,
looks like it was snapped from a book

I've previously posted a flyer for this gig here - on that Friday night they were supported by Cast and Shed Seven. Oasis had released Supersonic a month before and were on their way.

Oasis at the Venue in 1994, photo  © Paul Slattery

From the excellent  Manchester District Music Archive

Noah and the Whale at the Rivoli

Latest in the never ending saga of the Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park - Noah and the Whale performing their new song Lifetime in a new promotional film featured in the the Telegraph.

Music Monday: Si Cliff

Brockley based singer/songwriter Si Cliff is launching his debut album 'Memories' this week in New Cross. Si, who studied music at Goldsmiths, recorded most of the album at home - the tracks are largely based around his voice and acoustic guitar, but also feature cello, violin, double bass, flute, drum kit, piano, soprano choir with additional guitars, ukuleles, banjo and other instruments. Two of the tracks were recorded live at the Albany Theatre in Deptford with a horn section and full band, and the gig on Wednesday 20th February at the Amersham Arms will be with a full band and a choir.

There is lots more information on http://www.sicliff.co.uk

Here's a short film about the making of the album and featuring Si wandering the green and lovely streets of Crofton Park, as well as on One Tree Hill and (I think) Blythe Hill Fields. You can pick up a copy of the CD for £5 at the Amersham Arms gig on Wednesday - music starts at 8:30 pm, with support including Tom Morley and Steffan Davies.

Lana Del Rey in the Rivoli Ballroom

American singer Lana Del Rey is the latest artist to make use of the Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park. The video for her new single Burning Desire sees her join the long line of performers pouting in front of the famous red curtains in Brockley.

Others on the Rivoli roll call include:

Jimmy Page and Gary Clark Jr (in 2012)

Florence & The Machine (in 2012 and 2009)

Rumer (2012)

Kings of Leon (2010)

Rihanna (2010)
White Stripes (2007)

The Beautiful South (1989)

Tina Turner (1985)

Night of a Thousand Stars/Club Montepulciano

Plus these fashion shoots:

Brian Worley (2012)

Elle (2011)

(to see all Transpontine posts on the Rivoli click here)

 

Jimmy Page at the Rivoli

Back in November 2012, there was a bit of a flurry on Twitter after somebody reported bumping into Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame in Brockley, who said he was doing a photo shoot at the Rivoli Ballroom.

The results of that photoshoot have seen the light of day this week. Seems it was a fashion shoot  for  menswear designer John Varvatos, also featuring contemporary US blues musician Gary Clark Jr. The photos by Danny Clnch don't really give show much of the interior of the Rivoli, they could really have been taken anywhere.

The short film released at the same time does show more of the area, with Clark performing in the Ballroom and Jimmy Page driving through the mean streets of South London to arrive there.

From the video here's Clark inside the Rivoli:

Jimmy Page on Brockley Road...

...and Page entering the Ballroom

Florence back at the Rivoli

Back in July 2009, the launch party for Florence and the Machine's debut album took place at the Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park. Last night Florence returned to the Rivoli for a special concert for BBC Radio 2.

As Brockley Central reports, during the course of the gig Florence sings the praises of Brockley Cemetery: 'It's so wonderful to be home - and here of all places... It is such a pleasure to be back at the Rivoli Ballrooms and also just to be back in Brockley. I actually spent quite a large bit of time here at one point, 'cause I was having music lessons here and I used to hang out in the graveyard. And actually, strangely a small bit of inspiration came from that graveyard 'cause I did used to do handstands and hang out there. And if anyone knows the lyrics to Only For a Night - a small portion of it comes from Brockley Cemetery. That and other cemeteries across England...  But we've been home not for that long and actually driving through South London, just kind of... it's been really... South London, yes!'.