RIP Colin Jerwood - SE London punk legend

Colin Jerwood, lead singer with South London anarcho-punk band Conflict, has died.  At their 1980s peak they were very influential in the punk scene and famously once played a huge gig at Brixton Academy in 1987 ('The gathering of the 5000') which ended with 52 arrests and fighting with the police in the streets outside.

I believe that Colin was born in 1962 in Nettleton Road in New Cross, but was living in the Coldharbour Estate in  Eltham in the early days of the band and as an anarchist punk having to deal with violent racist skinheads. The band played out across South London and beyond - I saw them in mid-1980s at Thames Poly and at the Old Kent Road ambulance station squat - and put on a regular punk night in the crypt of St Pauls Church in Deptford. Later in the 1980s Colin was involved with putting on acid house parties at the Harp Club in New Cross, and in 1994 at the same location (now called the Venue) recorded their live album 'Conflict in the Venue'. Through their Mortarhate record label they put out stuff by other punk bands including New Cross favourites Hagar the Womb.

Conflict announce the start of 'The Centre' on Mondays at St Pauls Church SE8 (think this must have been late 1985/early 1986)

1986 gig at the Crypt with Potential Threat, Unknown Colours, Mentacide and Under the Gun

Colin played one of his last gigs with Conflict at the New Cross Inn in November 2024

According to Mark Wallis from Liberty (another SE London anarcho-punk band) "In the early days, Colin was an anarchist living on an estate in Eltham [the estate] with John and Paco, surrounded by NF skinheads

Chumbawamba, Levellers and more: New Cross Venue 1991

I have posted previously about the Venue in New Cross Road, closed since Covid but in the early 1990s one of the top live music places in London, particularly for up and coming indie bands. This selection of references from Sounds music paper from January to March 1991 shows just how busy it was. There were gigs every Friday and Saturday and sometimes on other nights in the week. Bands finished by 11 pm but there was a club afterwards until 2 am (known on Saturday night as Awesome), with coaches back to Trafalgar Square afterwards, from where you could get a night bus to most parts of London. 

Sounds 5 January 1991:

The Levellers reviewed- 'It seems that the tribes of the rainbow have gathered here tonight. Every shape, style, colour and form of youthful life'. Just don't call them Crusty.

Chumbawamba, Thatcher on Acid

Subhumans, Long Tall Texans, The Hinnies, The Cropdusters, Chumba

Anarcho-punk band The Subhumans played two consecutive nights at the Venue - reunion gigs which Sounds in 1991 described as a 'nostalgia trip... might be your last chance to get down to timeless classics'. Not quite - I saw them twice at the New Cross Inn in 2024!

Sounds 19 January 1991:

Melvins, Steel Pole Bath Tub, Ocean Colour Scene, Fieldmice, Heavenly, The Orchids, Easy, Close Lobsters, Afgan Wigs.

Ocean Colour Scene

Sounds 26 January 1991:

Dr Phibes and the House of Wax Equations

The Fieldmice, Heavenly, The Orchids - I might have been at that one, definitely saw Heavenly there at least once

Sounds 2 February 1991

American bands The Melvins make their UK debut at the Venue in 1991, supported by Steel Pole Bath Tub

Chumba's gig on 12 Jan 1991  reviewed-  'The entire Venue is bathed in a sea of punks dancing'.  'Outside the roads are clogged with the prospective audience'. I think I went to this one, I remember the queue stretching down to New Cross station.

Easy, Close Lobsters

Sounds 9 February 1991:

Carter USM and Billy Bragg to play 'Stop the War in the Gulf' CND Benefit

Leatherface, Sleep, Working with Tomatoes

Sounds 16 February 1991:

Bleach, Basti, Suncarriage

Perfect Disaster, Bleach, The Darkside, Catherine Wheel, Chapter House

This issue Sounds featured a chart of the most requested records at the Venue - Carter USM, Nirvana, Cud, Throwing Muses, Orange Juice etc.

Sounds 23 March 1991:

Half Man Half Biscuit supported by 'Levellers 5' (not to be confused with The Levellers, a different band who had to change their name as the latter went massive)

East Village, Jesse Garron and the Desperados, Shack, Guana Batz, Long Tall Texans, Rattlers, Green on Red (great American 'paisley underground' band).

'Despite its out of the way location, the Venue in New Cross has proved itself a welcome addition to the London gig circuit and has become a comfortable, popular place to frequent - as proved by the full house for tonight's first birthday celebrations'. Headliners 'Lush are the brightest stars of the future'. Support bands  are Moose and another who tread 'their well worn 60s groove'. Whatever did become of Blur? The following year Lush were supported by Pulp at the Venue.

Sounds 30 March 1991

Front Line Assembly, Solar Enemy, Ganz Heit

See previous posts

New Cross Venue Flyers 1900-95

Spiritualized at the Venue 1991

More New Cross Venue Memories (including Lush)

Venue Flyers (including Sebadoh and Belly)

More Venue Flyers

New Cross Venue, Christmas 1990 (and other 90s flyers)

Some more flyers from the New Cross Venue in the 1990s, when the place was a key indie venue.

December 1990 - A Certain Ratio, Band of Holy Joy and Teenage Fanclub (with the Pastels and BMX Bandits) on consecutive nights. According to someone who was at the latter, Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream joined Teenage Fanclub on stage for an encore version of  'Get Back'.

Teengage Fanclub at the Venue Christmas Party, 21 December 1990 -
'bands finish 11 pm, club till 2 am, coach after club to Traflagar Square'

May 1990 with bands including Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry, Soho and The Oyster Band:

November 1991, including Therapy, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Pastels/Heavenly and Spiritualized (think I was those last two).

February 1992: Meteors, Godfathers, Planet Gong with Here & Now:

June 1992 - Pulp supporting Boo Radleys:

March 1993 - including Goats Don't Shave, Gang of Four and Dodgy:

May 1993 - Sheep on Drugs, The Lunachicks etc.:

October 1994 - Gary Clail, African Headcharge, Dreadzone, Ultramarine:

December 1994: Sleeper, Loop Guru, Shed Seven:

January 1995: Test Dept, King Kurt - also an early example of a tribute band 'English Rose' (Jam covers) which were to become the main acts at the Venue later in the 1990s.

May 1995 - Pale Saints, Cardiacs, Sidi Bou Said (a great South London band):

 See more Venue flyers and stories here

Death by Dancing: New Cross (1940) and Bermondsey (1903)

A couple of tragic tales of death by dancing, hopefully those going out on New Year's Eve can avoid such dangers.  The first relates to the New Cross Palais de Danse - still going today as the Venue in New Cross Road - the second occured at a Christmas party in Bermondsey.

'Witness 'jitterbugs' at inquest on girl who fell' - Manchester Evening News, Friday 24 May 1940:

Giving evidence at an inquest at Lewisham to-day, a young man stepped from the witness-box to give an exhibition of the “jitterbug dance” to the coroner, Dr. W. H. Whitehouse. A verdict of accidental death was recorded on Virginia Guidotti (19), Wickham Road, Brockley, London, who died in hospital. She had fallen while dancing the “jitterbug,” at New Cross Palais de Danse. Henry George Cox, of Park Hill Road. Deptford, said they danced the “jitterbug,” in which he explained they did “ all kinds of fantastic and funny things.” He then stepped on to the coroner’s bench and, locking his hands, went through various movements of the dance. At one stage, he said, the girl fell backwards on the floor and he fell on her.

The Coroner: It is peculiar. It sounds to me very vulgar.

Cox said that after the fall he suggested that the girl should have a glass of water and she said that she would be all right. Evidence was given that the management of the Palais de Danse had made efforts to stop the dance being performed.

'The Fatal Thirteen - Death from excessive dancing'-  South London Press, 3 January 1903:

Dr Waldo held an inquest at the Southwark Coroner's Court on Wednesday on the body of Mary Ann Cocklin, aged 35 years, the wife of a Bermondsey labourer. John Cocklin, the husband, stated that he and the deceased went to a Christmas party at the house of a relative on Christmas Day, and kept on dancing until after midnight. Deceased then lay down to rest, but awoke in a fright, screaming that three men were after her.

Dr Waldo: Had she been drinking any spirits?

Witness: No, sir, only port wine. We had nothing but port wine, any of us.

Dr Waldo: What happened when she came to herself again?

Witness: She went down stairs and resumed dancing to the music of an automated piano organ we had in the house. I next heard she was very ill, and that she had again gone to rest, but had turned giddy and fallen down the stairs.

Dr Waldo: How many?

Witness: The fatal 13.

Susan Poore, a neighbour, stated that she heard the deceased fall. She was taken to Guys Hospital, where she died the same day. The medical evidence showed that death was due to fracture of the thigh caused by the fall, which was the result of giddiness produced by dancing. A verdict was returned accordingly'.

Spiritualized at the Venue: 'Trendy Spot' in New Cross, 1991

Came across this in archive of LSE student magazine, The Beaver, 9 December 1991. 'Baby Lemonade' reviews a gig at the New Cross Venue by Spiritualized - 'a band for the post rave 90s' no less'.  The bands at the Venue at this time were only part of the night out, as the author notes: 'The night wasn't over there though. The post show club featured sounds as diverse as New Model Army and the Shamen. Trendy spot it must be too, as at one point I found myself dancing on the heels of Mikki from Lush'  (see previous post on Lush at The Venue).

The gig was on Friday 29 November 1991 - see flyer below (more Venue flyers here)

Yesterday is Now History - materials from a Lewisham archive

I went to the opening of a fantastic exhibition today at 310 NX Road Gallery, New Cross SE14 6AF:

'Yesterday is Now History, curated by artist Eleanor Davies and anthropologist/historian Sophie Parker, is a celebration of the everyday objects that we frequently take for granted, or think of as rubbish. These often overlooked objects tell a story of the subtle cultural shifts that underlie historical change. 



The exhibition explores the history of Lewisham from the days of the foreign cattle market, the battle of Lewisham in 1977, the millennium, to the ongoing protest to save Lewisham’s hospital. The unlikely objects brought together in this exhibition prompt a discussion about the nature of archives, and their purpose and meaning in a society driven by mass consumption'.

Most of the material in the exhibition is drawn from the archive of Lewisham Local History Society, stored downstairs in New Cross Learning.

The exhibition is only open  

for a few days  -10- 4pm Thursday to Monday 23 June, but get along if you are at all interested in the history of the area, or more generally in the nature of archives and material culture.

The exhibition features some original paper and plastic bags from local shops - as they note, these 'transient objects' that survived their expected fate of being thrown away powerfully 'evoke specific moments in time '

W.G. Ward, 407a New Cross Road - 'High Class Confectioners and Tobacconist'

Princess 2 Hour Dry Cleaning, 26 Loampit Hill SE13 and 50 Broadway, Deptford
'We give green shield stamps' (1970s?)

There is also a display of 'entertainement ephemera',  flyers and posters for local cinemas, nightclubs and sporting events.

'A Grand Dance' on a Monday night with the Silver Star Band at the New Cross Palais de Danse 1927
 (later the Harp Club, now The Venue)

The Kerry Blues Showband at the Harp Club (1969?) - the Harp Club was then an Irish dancehall, now the Venue

Metrogas Amateur Sports Association swimming at Laurie Grove Baths in 1927 with instruction from Mr and Mrs Cyril Walker (the former baths are now art studios at Goldsmiths)

The exhibition also includes some material related to political movements, including original newspaper articles related to the anti-National Front 'Battle of Lewisham' (1977), the 1981 New Cross Fire and the recent campaign to Save Lewisham Hospital.

More New Cross Venue Memories

Over at the great Irish blog Cedar House Revolution, I came across some more recollections of the Venue in New Cross (see previous posts on this subject, especially comments here).

Damian O’Broin recalls that he  'spent the summer of 1990 – and the one before it – working on building sites in London' and that he went to see the band 'Kitchens of Distinction, on a Summer’s night at a little place called The Venue... The Venue was in New Cross, which was pretty much the complete opposite end of London to us. I remember almost nothing about the gig itself. I do remember trooping around the roads of New Cross looking for The Venue. And I remember dancing to Sympathy for the Devil and Fool’s Gold at the club after the gig. It’s strange the details you remember. I think it was a good gig. I have no idea how we all got home'.

In the comments Eamonn from Cork writes:

'The Venue was a great spot which I went to many weekends between 1989-1992 because I was living just over the road in first Brixton and then Peckham and then New Cross itself on Jerningham Road.

It wasn’t a little place though, it was a huge barn of a spot which had originally been an Irish club called The Harp Club. In 1988 when it was still the Harp it had hosted some very full-on acid house nights. My abiding memory of the place is the strawberry smoke which would gust forth in huge quantities, the thorough search you got on the way in and the fact that they only served drink in plastic glasses. And that the club night afterwards was often better than the gigs. Though I saw rising indie hopefuls The Would Bes play very well there.

The Venue ended up being owned by the gang who owned The Swan in Stockwell, South London’s version of The National in Kilburn, and from 1990 onwards had more of an Irish orientation though it still leaned towards the rock side of things. I saw Paul Cleary and The Fleadh Cowboys there and also Dave Fanning DJing and being rather puzzled when people kept asking him to play The Wolfe Tones. There were also several excellent pubs nearby, notably The Amersham Arms which ran acoustic gigs and where I saw Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick be brilliant, The Wishing Well [think he means the Dewdrop Inn], on the same street Clifton Rise as The Venue which was a Crusty hang-out, the Goldsmiths Tavern which had a fine indie night Totally Wired and was full of students from the art college of the same name and The Marquis of Granby, which was the home pub for the Sligo village where I come from and not trendy at all. But welcoming'.

Also at Lush site Light from a Dead Star, Guy Marshall recalls seeing the band there on October 12 1991:

'This was the first proper Lush gig I went to, Steve was still in the band. Set list was: Stray; Bitter; Breeze; Laura; God's Gift; Scarlet; Ocean; Nothing Natural; For Love; Covert; De-Luxe; Second Sight; Downer; Baby Talk; Monochrome; Sweetness & Light. I have a tape of this gig, brings back memories of how nervous(!) I was being on the edge of the mosh pit and that Lush was the band for me! Perfect set list. First time meeting Miki, Steve, Chris and Emma. Miki changed my friend's ticket to SLUSH.

Other memories: Stood next to Boris Williams - drummer with The Cure - during support band Shelleyann Orphan's set. He was "going out" with Caroline Crawley of the band. I was totally dumb struck for a while (luckily my friend plucked up the courage to say Hi!) then we had a quick chat and he signed a Lush flyer & my Boys Don't Cry T-Shirt which I happened to be wearing at the time. Also saw guitarist from Curve Debbie Smith. Probably other "Indie" stars I didn't recognise. Someone in the crowd had Tom and Jerry hand puppets(??) which Miki is heard asking about'

Lush ticket from The Venue - signed by all the band.

There's actually film of a whole Lush set at the Venue earlier in March 1991 on youtube

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