The culture clubbing of South East London.

Beyond genre, gender, generation and other generalisations lives the supernatural human animal that sings, dances and creates. It’s probably why there is so much magick in our story telling. Think symbiotic eco system more than robotic ego

Moderner life may be rubbisher but still there are pockets of timeless to be found. Especially around Planet Earth’s deliciously diverse “Normal Island”.

Sure there’s the whole Hostile Environment safari that the fash coup twats heat the haters with, but TheZineUK documentary is amidst a palpable and consistent Fertile Environment, courtesy of DIY’s bombastic poptastic art party - exploding BombPop positivity, for balance.

The biggest adventure in space is in the living globe’s deep oceans.

If visiting aliens had any chronological concept, they’d probably head here, to the planet’s time keeping location (The Zone of Time, Greenwich)

In dayes of olde, Earth beamed ancient homing signals from Stonehenge and The Giant’s Causeway then, in more recent centuries, nautically timed the world from the meridian line.

It doesn’t matter whether you come to or come from the locality, London’s lower east side is a look and a sound for the DIY-chic freak confusion of fusion of multi-tasking-multi-culture that gave birth to Uniqulture.

Just when you thought you knew what punk, opera, pop, “urban” (rural?) and classic music LOOKED like, along comes reality pointing out that your ears can’t see and your eyes can’t hear.

The Playing Class

Friends and strangers as friends - diverse as a Star Wars bar scene, you can hear their arena-sonic visions in quirky grassroots music venues amidst lively communities high in students.

Like a futuristic steampunk rebel base in a historic nautical setting. The city’s S.E. postcodes often feel and sound like an intergalactic movie score when Jazz cats don’t live far from The Deptford Mice. who are centre cross river from The Isle Of Dogs now known as Docklands after kicking the dockers out, instead of Doglands. The Catford Cat laffs at this.

0 0 0 postcard28.jpg — Planet Water dimension #SELondon

The Mercury Prize nominated album ‘Dark Matter’, by Moses Boyd is some introduction!

The musician is from nearby Catford, home to The Giant Cat! Does that make him a mewsician? That means that our poptastic fave, Michelle O Faith, is, also!

Nowadays the recognisable antenna of The Peace Dome at the Zone Of Time ensure rapid assimilation for visiting humanoids, guided to the emergence pad that is better known globally as The 02.

The non-flying saucer

Built by aliens at North Greenwich, The 02 saves the fuss of abduction bureacracy: “Observe humans at leisure, entering of their own free will.”

Some great events have happened there, too. Win win. Fun additional public transport (cable car AND river)? Another bonus.

Then, there’s the fairy’s gateway in London’s oldest royal park - Greenwich SE10, the stargate (London Eye, Waterloo SE1) and then there’s Hilly Fields astronomically correct stone circle near Vulcan Road (SE4 where lots of people still wear their hats to cover their ears!).

Vulcans, Klingons and humans dance together at Brockley Max Festival.

So what if some people are from another world?

As long as they live and let live, then they’re our neighbours.

Even the Earthlings.

It’s not surprising that South East London is a regular sci fi location, a stronghold of protest or the birthplace of uniqulture (new year, 2009, literally the lifestyle of unique culture)

New Cross Road’s tragic fire and The Battle Of Lewisham (seeya, nazitwats, off ye feck) are as much a part of this parallel dimension as the alumni of Goldsmiths.

A local motto “You Can’t Kill The Spirit” stays in the NXD (New Cross Deptford) air like a defiant guardian angel. There’s an NXDFFF (New Cross and Deptford Free Film Festival) too!

Moon Moon Moon.

Off the New Cross Road, Comet Street is where the Moon Faeries landed to be near Paradise/Pop Of The Tops club (for early Bloc Party, Art Brut etc gigs) in the naughties.

Musical supernature from these (2003-2004) tuesday nights was so cosmic that there were National Film Theatre screenings, Harry Potter stars endorsements, an NME album of the year and much more ensuing from from 2004’s “New Cross Scene”. A Music Tourist Board, for instance..

By 2005, Artful Festival celebrated any excuse to party, City Showcase Rocklands began in 2006 and the outdoor Rocklands Stage at People’s Day Festival began, too.

In May 2007 the punky “24 Hour Concrete Glastonbury” sprawled across anywhere that could open and revel in the SE8 and SE14 postcodes.

In 2008 RAR! club united 14+ music fans with a monthly punk and grime club that started with Pendulum (2008) and ended with Tinie Tempah (2010) while he was No.1 in the charts.

Here is Kae Tempest with a Jazzman John cameo from 2008’s Today Deptford community weekend of independence.

The Moonshot Centre at NXD’s Fordham Park, inspired Rocklands, “where Lover’s Rock meets Rocker’s Love” and is, of course on the Reggae Map Of New Cross which was a keen topic of conversation at Discussion Festival No.9 (April 2021).

How did I come to Platform 7’s digital lounge of Tuesday table hopping? Some years ago popping into a nearby cafe called Moonbow Jakes because it had the word moon in the title. Kismet and Karma reality nibbles.

Completely round the bend (of the River Thames - as seen on Eastenders BBC TVcredits) is a cross breeding wealth of artists, community, performance education, studios, venues and events.

Visually Cuba on Thames with art and working class budgets, the uniqulture quarter- a history of slavery and abolition/future of gentrification -v- communication - weaves gold and grrrr into the wider culture.

While mainstream media hunts for non-typical topical stories, they’re told every day, here. It’s best when London’s Lower East Side develops at it’s own pace in it’s own way. Then freshly inclusive ideas can explode freely without the cliche of clique.

Have you heard of the amazing and hard working DIY phenomenom, Nova Twins? The grime-punked and self stage-styled due are their own, beloved, one band scene.

Superb that their ground shifting 2020 debut album, ‘Who Are The Girls?’ has got an increasing number of people asking exactly that.

Desmond’s and Trotter’s Independent Traders blend it like Peckham and while the north bank of the River Thames has Westminster/Pestmonster, #SELondon has The Ministry Of Sound (home at one time or aother to Featured Artists Coalition, Music Venue Trust) and the Arts hearted South Bank.

We don’t know how this tapestry weaves but just focusing on the borough of Lewisham alone is a Haight Astbury’s worth of fertile Arts and Hearts environment.

A short walk from Deptford Fun City, TheZineUK formed at ArtBeat Amersham Arms monthly gig and music world socials.

The manager, Andy Palmer, is a cool musician in his own right, I saw him do a show at The Hospital Club and was pretty much blown away. Considering that his kind heart has helped so much, I’m truly glad that TheZineUK are back there often as this venue is on the interdependent events trail of the newer wave music industrial (r)Evolution.

It also inspired all the above. More to follow though.