The living is easy
Published by Peter | Filed under Events, General
Update: OK, yesterday’s lesson is that you shouldn’t post on a blog when you’ve had about five hours sleep a night for the last two weeks, and two bottles of cider just before. Camberwell Arts Festival is on Sunday, not Saturday. Other than that, the following is probably more or less right.
No update for a while, as my nephew has come to stay with me to do work experience (staying with me isn’t his work experience, coming to work with me is) and I’ve found myself with little spare time. Light updates for the near future also; more on that later.
So Summer is upon us and it’s time for Camberwell Arts Week. It all kicks off with Camberwell Live! in Lucas Gardens on Saturday, and there’s a full programme of all kinds of stuff until Sunday 24th (stretching the definition of a week, but that’s ’cause we’re bonkers!!1!).
Get out and support it as much as you can, because this is part of what makes us more than just another bland suburb, and why I get cross with stuck-up journalists who don’t bother to look beyond the obvious when they’re seeking out their goat’s cheese crostini.
In case there’s anyone here who doesn’t read SE5Forum.org, here’s an interesting snippet: the Council’s Licensing Committee are (finally) going to begin consultation on a ‘saturation policy’ — that is, if we have too many off-licenses in the area and are they contributing to the street drinking problem. I would say ‘yes’ and ‘yes’.
As mentioned earlier, there’ll be light updates only for the near future; my web-hosting package is coming to an end and I’ve decided to make a few changes, so I’ll be busy doing technical stuff in my spare time. Part of that will probably involve a redesign of the blog, unless I run out of time. Complain about it now, because everybody hates change; you’ll love it after a week or so, though.
Get out and enjoy the Summer. It’s beautiful.
We Are Bonkers. We should could gossip about that.
Camberwell Arts Festival used to be called Arts Week. It’s not now.
Has anyone had a thought of Camberwell Festival?
That makes me feel stupid. I looked at that website for about an hour without realising the name had changed.
That’s the problem.
What is our true identity and gathering a coherent a sense of place are hard things to pin down in Camberwell.
Camberwell Festival — where all the local organisations come together to celebrate their provenance, their existence, their uniqueness, their diversity under one umbrella in June/July. They all work together to make a whole that is bigger than the sum of the parts. They help each other, work in a spirit of cooperation, share markeintg and administrative budgets and burdens, perhaps even share offices, all to the benefit of each other and the wider community they serve.
Thanks to Tanera Dawkins for the idea
Hiya,
I’ve just checked the website and it says Camberwell Live! is on Sunday, not Saturday??
I will definitely be going along and will probably give the after party at the Funky Munky a go too.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Amanda
Next week is also Bike Week — the UK’s week long celebration of cycling. Our local groups Lambeth Cyclists and Southwark Cyclists have a full programme of events — see http://www.lambethcyclists.org.uk or http://www.southwarkcyclists.org.uk for further details.
Next week is busy. It’s also architecture week, so maybe we should wear black polo necks and severe glasses while cycling to the Camberwell Festival???
Hi, Camberwell College of Arts is holding its Foundation and Undergraduate Degree Shows next week. They are open to the public Tuesday 19 — Saturday 23 June, Tues-Fri 9am-8pm and Sat 11am-4pm.
I was cycling along Denmark Hill today and saw a girl on the pavement in a t-shirt which had the slogan over her breasts, “Never mind the bollocks.” I took heart.
@7pm.…Looks like a major accident (involving motorcycles?) on CNR just north of The Black Sheep, road cordoned off by Plod.
Anyone have an update?
Hi Merrick
saw london air ambulance dropping in there at 6 ish.
Drew
Seems strange that they had the air ambulance — surely by the time they’ve got up in the air, flown and got down again it would have been quicker to actually drive to Kings? Especially as there is an ambulance station on Vassall Road so it would be there in a very short time. Unless the person injured had an injury that required attention at a specialist unit elsewhere in the country — nothing on the BBC website currently, wait for the South London Press on Tuesday!
Dunno ’bout that Mumu…
If I was in an RTA anywhere in London at 6 on a Friday I’d want the casevac chopper for sure.
BTW– Peter I always find the term “two bottles of cider” strangely calming.
I mutter it when I’m frustrated with non-appearing builders, or disagreeable bank managers.
TOMORROW is Lucas Gardens do 12-8pm, not as they say in the offical programme. It will be big. I will be there.
What do people make of the art college show? I have been round there with my partner, 1 yr-old, 4 yr-old & a sister today.
Haven’t had a chance to see the shows unfortunately. Too many rearranging things going on at work preparing for summer barbecues and the smoking ban. And Forum stuff and Camberwell Arts too. Mental actually. Not enjoying much of it.
BUT we’re getting awnings and outdoor speakers and a covered, decked, all weather section done in the garden, should be a right little paradise ready for 1 July. It’ll be a no smoking area of course. Going to leave the smokers out in the cold.
I heard a very recent rumour there might be a very highly regarded American female vocalist coming to the Sun and Doves tomorrow (Sunday) night to do a few impromptu songs with Soul Immigrants — the rather accomplished band who are playing the Headhunters on Coldharbour Lane, our new electronica breakbeat funk soul new jazz non Jazz slot from about 8pm. In memory of Herbie Hancock and Richard Pryor. Apparently she’s been doing a show in London, staying in our bohemian neighbourhood and regularly frequenting The George Canning.
It’s not guaranteed, just possible. You know how these things are.
On the rumour front Sunday 8 July might be a night to put in your diaries too.
http://www.myspace.com/sunanddoves
Camberell Live: http://www.flickr.com/photos/se5forum/sets/72157600383170068/
With not so exclusive pic of the new toilet on the Green.
Wasn’t that a great afternoon. The baby was loving the African rhythms.
Sunday 8th July…
Is it worth me giving up my tickets for Genesis [sans Peter G remember!] at Twickenham?
Drew
The Peter G cited in the above post is not our own beloved Peter G, but the slightly better known prog rockist and soi-disant “inventor of world music” Mr Peter Gabriel.
Great afternoon, Alan. Our baby like the Congo sound, too. Charles Boyenga. Best Congolese act in the UK. Those dancers, boy!
The moves were a bit raunchy for the family crowd perhaps but no one was complaining.
There were exactly the right no. of attendees to give a great atmosphere without being overcrowded.
Made for a very child friendly concert and all the kids were getting into it.
It was like watching Hi 5 but with better tunes.
I took a walk through earlier, at about 1.30pm, and it was fairly empty around the stage, where an earnest band were playing rather dreary Indian/Central Asian music. Glad to hear it picked up later.
Quick disclaimer: My previous comment is not meant to imply that all Indian/Central Asian music is dreary. Thought I’d better get that in quickly before you, the politically correct mob, tear me to pieces.
Boyenga was flogging CDs. I would never buy a CD at a concert –it’s a bit like when you come back from holiday with a bottle of undrinkable liqueur.
I now wish I had got one though as I can’t explain what the musice was to the missus and I want her to see the impact it had on the baby.
Thanks for letting me know Dagmar…
This is “truly awful”, Peter, you are bickering with yourself. What sort of clique is that, a clique of one, click, claque, all that.
Anyway, the Congo vibe (Charles Boyenga Band) that my and Alan Dale’s babies jived to was brill. Their main guitarist was from Burkina Faso. How do they get to play like that?
We embraced the diversity, it was like being at a diversity university. There was a Chinese chap playing a Chinese fiddle, he was very, very good and dignified in front of some of the crowd’s bafflement. Somali women spontaneously broke into song and dance, and judging by their sense of sauciness, this was not something that the Islamic Courts would have licensed.
Who went to the Munky do after?
A couple of years back there was a tiny — and I mean stand still and touch the walls — african record shop in Church Street, run by two of the most appealing young ladies I have ever met.
If they were still in business I would be in there just now buying all tha congolese sounds I could lay hands on. And Burkina Faso…let me at it!
I’m a big fan of Zimbabwean ‘jit’ sound — plentifully supplied by said ladies — and several years ago, when the incredible Bhundu Boys inexplicably moved to Scotland [for the football?] they played regularly at our Student Union Bar.
It was indeed Dagmar a hot sweaty jumping cultural diversity university; we danced and laughed and danced some more. It was quite literally an epiphany; music before was like ‘that’, music after was like ‘this’.
I’m with you Drew … (BTW The Bhundu Boys moved to Hawick in the borders because that’s where their manager lived) … theirs is a tragic tales or AIDS related deaths and suicide .…
Some time ago when I lived in West Yorkshire I went to the Hebden Bridge Trades Club to see a Jit band called Virunga (which sounds more like a skin complaint than a band) I’d never heard of them before but it was one of the best gigs I have ever seen.
Are you aware of the incomparable ‘Tornados vs Dynamos’ by The Real Sounds of Africa? … without doubt the best football song ever recorded!
Re the aforementioned CNR accident on Friday — I went past on my bike shortly after it happened and there was a woamn lying in the road with an emergency blanket over her, A motorbike had parker up and a bus had stopped but it wasn’t at all clear what had happened.
That song by Kanda Bongo man from the then Zaire about Roger Milla the Italia 90 Cameroon footballer aged 45-ish, that was a good football song!
I saw the Real Sounds of Africa live in 1987. They wore football kits and kicked a ball around the stage. Best football song recorded is the Wheelbarrow Song. Simple, yet powerful; a sonic Methodist chapel of sound.
I think the best song about football (or, rather, a footballer) is Fio Maravilha by Jorge Ben (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fio_Maravilha). It’s in Portuguese, but if anyone’s interested, I’ll provide a translation.
dickdotcom — I do indeed have that recording.
apart from the astounding stamina required to play the jam behind the commentary, i’m afraid that like all novelty records you should hear it only once.
i used to play a hits from zimbabwe tape in my bookshop and that track .would empty the floor guaranteed.
the best football record ever is Ally’s Tartan Army by Andy Cameron 1978. anyone saying otherwise is a …
“Argentina here we come.” I had a Scottish ashtray with that slogan on it. How prescient that ashtray was.
Stumbled out of the buckle last night at 1am only to find that I’d missed a massive street party spilling out of the Hermit’s Cave.
What was that? Looked like students.
Probably was students, the Arts college was swarming last night.
If one were the paranoid type you’d think it was the regular monday “we know where alan dale is, and it ain’t in here” shindig.
I heard it rocks.
Seriously wasn’t it the PV for the degree show?
It’s years since I’ve been to one; my sister did both her BA and MFA at Glasgow and they were high points in the drunken liggers season.
We went to the art college show in the first day, lots of good stuff. The tied-up Escort Estate 1.6 GLX has not moved. Early on when it was there you could see the car alarm light flashing but that’s now no longer visible. The battery has made an intervention.
Where is it next Monday? Ok don’t tell me.
They were lucky this week — I was very close to gatecrashing.
I’ll get you next time Gadget. Next time.
Re Alan @ 35. That happens every year on the crossroads outside the Hermits. It’s students ending their lives at College. The police always find it interesting: there’s never any trouble but it always feels like things might get out of hand.
Nice one. I’ll put it in my Outlook for next year.
Lots of ladies in the Doves last night. Did you have an art event or something?
Off Topic — but does anyone know any sports club one can easily join in Camberwell? Preferably female
Hello Everybody
I’ve recently moved into the area and I’m in urgent need of finding an artists studio to paint in; I’m also closing an exhibition this week and will need to relocate one of my large artworks, hence my slight panic…
I was told this could be a good place to ask around… can anybody help?
ps — I’ve already tried red gate studios
Thanks P
Denmark Hill Studios is a good place to start at 47a Coldharbour Lane. Then Vanguard Court 36–8 Peckham Road.
Denmark Place, that shld b.
@Phillip — post 44
This is a longshot, but there is a building that houses an artists studio where Trafalgar Avenue meets Sumner Rd, SE15. It’s a new-build glass and steel affair and has a sculptors studion at ground floor level. You’ll be able to see in from the street. I don’t know if they have any other space available for rent.
Totally off-topic but -
Why I Love Camberwell (no. 25 in an occasional series)
I decided to give up on public transport and bought a 50cc piaggio scooter two weeks ago. I now ride it to work each day and what used to be over an hour’s journey now takes just under 25 minutes.
Straight up Walworth Road, along Borough High Street, across London Bridge and up to old Street. Excellent.
From Camberwell its easy to get anywhere in central London. Brilliant.
@ 42 Alan — the opening of TIDE — an exhibition of artworks by Jo Lewis. She makes paintings using the tides and water of the Thames to diffuse paint and pigments over paper. The paintings are rather beautiful and, incidentally, rather good value, and beautifully framed.
She made a two thirds page in the Times 2 yesterday, sold a few last night and had a corporate buyer from A BANK visiting today to look at acquiring some for the vaults.
Meanwhile the barbecue I ordered from the hire company we use turned out on delivery to be two domestic barbecues instead of the professional one we had all last summer and my day was thrown right out of kilter trying to find suitable substitutes we can actually cook on. Bloody hours spent on that. And still no barbecue. Still it’s been raining.
44 @ Philip. The studios in Peckham mentioned above are Acme: http://www.acme.org.uk/galleria.php they are in huge demand.
You should also try ASC studios: http://www.ascstudios.co.uk/company/index.htm
Good luck.
@ 43 Yaya. Flaxman Sports Centre. Women do go there honest. It’s on Carew Street off Denmark Road. And Camberwell Baths has a better equipped gym. Artichoke place. Near Funky Munky.
Jo Lewis’ TIDE: http://www.sunanddoves.co.uk/art/art-inside/
Camberwell Arts Festival:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/se5forum/570878816/
And you might be interested in this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/se5forum/sets/72157594205000061/
from last year
I liked the art. Reminded me of butterfly painting at school.
Well I’ve done it — I voted for Harriet Harman, Camberwell MP, to be deputy leader of the Labour Party.
I decided for Labour Party reasons — I think Harman will appeal to sections of the population that Brown and more crucailly Cameron cannot– and because she came over the best in the deputy leadership debate I attended but I hope that if she is elected it will bring benefits to the area, what do others think?
Le Cool magazine (moderate-to-extremely pretentious weekly email listings) has hyped Hatty Lee’s ‘Camberwell Nights’ exhibition, showing in the House Gallery in “up and coming Camberwell Church Street”:
http://lecool.com/London/current.html#event17725
Description of the exhibition:
http://www.house-gallery.co.uk/current/current.html
I like Peter Hain.
@Mumu — as a disillusioned former Labour voter, I’m not a huge fan of our Harriet; she’s very much a yes-man (woman? person?), having very rarely voted independently of the party, and came out strongly in favour of the most illiberal excesses of our current government.
http://tinyurl.com/2ctm54
Took a stroll along ‘up and coming Camberwell Church St’ last night at about quarter to eleven.
Really frustrating. Loads of pleasnt bars and restaurants but I got called a ‘c*nt’ by the tramp next to the cash machine and another vulnerable adult waved his cock in front of me on the way to urinating on a shop window whilst his mate abused the shopkeepers inside.
The guy at the cash machine was abusing everyone who used it. People were literally queueing up for abuse.
I just needed some bin bags. That’s a lot to put up with for a roll of bin bags.
I dont blame her for that — she has been in government as a minister for much of the last 10 years and so has to vote inline with the party (otherwise she would be sacked) — the advantage you get from having a government minister as your MP is that they perhaps have more influence behind the scenes. And they will promote the local area at a higher level.
My MP Kate Hoey is regularly described as a maverick and votes against the government (and is an excellent local MP I might add) but probably doesnt have a great deal of influence amongst the actual people who hold power (cabinet members etc).
(my prebious post was in response to Peter — I had not banked on Alan intervening in the meantime)
The films being projected on to various Camberwell buildings last night were interesting — http://www.camberwellarts.org.uk/beverly-carpenter
And yes Alan on my way home from Safa and the Dark Horse last night I saw such behaviour and thought ah gritty urban!
My thoughts were more akin to those of Patrick Bateman.
‘There’s a quarter. Go buy some gum.’
Alan
perhaps he wanted a good old Ribley SQ special?
@Mumu — post 53
My trade union balloted it’s membership on who to support but only after it had already nominated Peter Hain for the Deputy Prime Minister’s role. A case of asking the horse how it is going to get into the bolted stable, methinks. I watched the Question Time special on the election, where all the candidates were there to put their case and I have to say, I was underwhelmed by Harriet’s performance. I do question the argument that Harriet’s influence on Government has led to more investment in Camberwell & Peckham than neighbouring Vauxhall (where Kate Hoey is the MP). Do you have any evidence of this? My vote went (grudgingly) to John Cruddas, in the end. Both he and Harriet voted for the war and have been engaged in some serious (though amusing) back-peddling in recent weeks. Politics, eh!
bunbohue– I don’t understand the reference. Please explain.
Peter’s voting record website is good but it does show how little there is between the favourites.
Alan Johnson is odds on favourite. Harman is 6–1 second favourite. Cruddas is an outsider at 25–1.
Peter Hain is 180–1. Forget it!
Cruddas is the only candidate prepared to put GB’s big idea, PFI, under the microscope.
Shame, but then again deputy party leader would always be an ineffective substitute for an emasculated legislature, as a check ‘n’ balancing act.
Benn looks articulate but I can’t detect a moral compass. Harriet wouldn’t be a bad result — local girl!
Johnson used to be a postman so will probably win in order to assuage Labour Party members’ guilt about ripping off the workers and appeasing big business’ every whim, on an ongoing basis. He’s bland enough not to ruffle GB’s feathers.
Old Labour seems to be behind Cruddas.
I was also underwhelmed with the deputy leadership candidates, and after much thought voted for Harriet as the best of the lot. my reasons are similar to Mumu’s, also she is a woman who is not Hazel Blears. I watched QT to see if any of them would win my vote and settled for Harriet. Ideally I would have liked a vote on the leadership but that was already decided by the MP’s so much for including party members.
Alan, let’s all be glad that the tramps have the enormous grey plastic eyesore aka the Camberwell Green public loo in which to unzip their trousers now. You’d think they might think to relocate it to a less conspicious spot, though, wouldn’t you!
I’m afraid it’s only good for one splattering of blood and excrement then it gets shut down again and rebuilt.
The way these guys and gals shift cider they can’t keep holding it in for months at a time.
Their only option is to splash the feet of the folks who tolerate them.
I see the new loo is set to be plastered with advertising, so let’s hope that the revenue from that is invested in cleaning and maintaining it.
Any local business out there like to sponsor the glory hole in the new loo?
How about Kennedy’s Sausages?
Adshell provide the toilets free to the Council in return for the free advertising but I don’t think they provide the cleaning. This happens all over London so you get the same horrible toilet with adverts for bigmac’s or maybe it should be white lightning considering the location. The council has no capital outlay, it has to be in a conspicious spot so that you can see the adverts. Considering they provide the toilet free how much to they make out of it from advertising revenue, it must be worth it to them to make lots of profit.
@59 Mumu have a look here at Beverley Carpenter’s projections around Camberwell. They’re on tonight (Friday 21st) and tomorrow night too. Then they aren’t.
According to the latest Camberwell Quarterly, the Camberwell Society objected to the new toilet on grounds of its location — they suggested outside Father Red Cap.
It’s news to me that the toilets are provided free — very interesting!
The new toilet is a total misuse of public funds. ‘Throwing money down the drain’ could barely be more apt.
IMO
Have a look at this bit of old yeasty news:
http://www.se5forum.org/forum/index.php/topic,508.msg2725.html#new
So our inept member of Parliament has now three jobs.
So how is she to look after out interests when trying to hold down these positions?
Not that she ever did ‘Look after Camberwell’.
@ Margret Thatcher. It’s very easy to poach from the sidelines.
It would help Harriet Harman to know that there is so much concern about Camberwell among her constituents.
Perhaps you might make an effort and get around to telling her. Then she might think about doing something to help.
I would have voted for Harriet but have been swamped by stuff. I only opened the ballot papers at the weekend. Three days after voting closed.
Harriet fans may be interested in this:
http://tinyurl.com/yvhcnm
Mark Dodds said
“It would help Harriet Harman to know that there is so much concern about Camberwell among her constituents.
Perhaps you might make an effort and get around to telling her. Then she might think about doing something to help.
I would have voted for Harriet but have been swamped by stuff. I only opened the ballot papers at the weekend. Three days after voting closed.”
I have written to that woman a dozen times and she has never had the courtesy to reply.
She doesn’t live in her constituency and sends her kids to grammar schools. Typical Nu-Shite Labour, do as we say not what we do.
also on that woman…Harriet Harman is already lying shamelessly through her teeth. On the Today programme she blatantly denied saying that Labour should apologize for the Iraq catastrofuck, despite her saying it on taped record in front of Paxman.
Nice work Peter — love the new design, very clean
Margret obviously hasn’t found a way in life of feeling comfortable with himself.