Eyeball to eyeball

There’s been lots of noise about having a Blog/Flickr Group meeting; we’ve had two before, with some success, but it seems like more people want to get involved now.

Let’s have a show of hands for the idea, and what dates you’d prefer and what form it should involve.

I’ll put mine up first for a Sunday afternoon/evening (not this coming weekend), venue(s) TBC.

Guns, Jesus, pizza, beer

Around 1,000 people marched through Camberwell from Peckham to Brixton as a protest against the recent spate of gun crimes in the area. Organised by local churches, the move wasn’t met with 100% approval:

“Jesus ain’t coming to Peckham,” said one [onlooker], who runs a community project for single mothers. “The churches all down Peckham Road are businesses, filling their coffers with black people’s money, the minister’s BMW parked outside. They’re using gun crime for a recruitment drive.” Her friend, another community worker, chimed in: “Why don’t the churches open their doors to young men, teach them skills, keep them out of prison, take our young girls to the STD clinics, instead of shoving Jesus down their throats?”

Fairly pertinent points, I think.

On a lighter — and completely unrelated — note, following recommendations in previous comments, I tried pizza from Firezza this week. Very nice, but could have been hotter. Still, the best delivery pizza I’ve tried yet.

The new Grove has opened, and first impressions are not positive from some readers. I’ll give it a try this week, and deliver the official Camberwell opinion. Ha ha.

Jazz cigarettes

I’m not a great fan of jazz, less so a fan of extended funk-jazz workouts (see: anything by Prince, 1993–2005). Chart-friendly pop-jazz is also not a particular passion of mine. So I’m surprised to find myself saying that I’ve just had an amazing night at the Sun & Doves, where chart-friendly pop-jazz star Jamie Cullum made a special appearance to play extended funk-jazz workouts at John Hoare’s monthly night.

I was lucky enough to get advanced notice of this ‘secret’ gig — I say ‘secret’, because the place was full — and got a good table at the front of the throng. The music varied; jazz, funk, electro, even some drum & bass touches. The musicians were obviously enjoying themselves, and the crowd did too. Lots of dancing, lots of fun. Rumps were shaken, booty’s bounced.

I didn’t take my camera, but there were plenty of others who did, so I’ll bring pictorial updates when they hit Flickr. My wife took her camera phone, so I’ll get some citizen journalism going, too.

Many congratulations to Mark for arranging such a fabulous night — a truly unmissable Camberwell event. I say that, because I was there; if I’d missed it, I’d probably say I’d heard it wasn’t great.

More tomorrow, when I’ve calmed down a little.

On-set report

No idea what it’s about, but there’s some filming going on in Gairloch Road as I write this. A small crew, and these are the elements I’ve seen so far:

  • A man in a leather jacket
  • A man in a fluorescent emergency services jacket
  • A man with a flower/some flowers
  • Some local boys
  • A woman in a car with the emergency lights on
  • Two cars having water poured over them

There doesn’t seem to be any dialogue. Perhaps an advert?

Hmmm… the man in the leather jacket just put on a balaclava and hit the man with the flowers, who was opening a lockup door. Crimewatch reconstruction?

The woman has also put on a balaclava, and another man has helped the victim to his feet. I’m curious — but not curious enough to go out and ask them what it’s all about.