Steeze

Steeze is a series of events in South East London, created with the admirable aim of bringing people together and creating unity through performance. The events feature poets and musicians predominantly young and based locally, and has been described as somewhere where artists “can truly learn from each other, and there’s no such thing as a mistake”. It’s certainly true that the atmosphere created at Steeze is very welcoming, and the first thing on people’s minds is acceptance rather than scepticism.

The commitment of a few young and entrepreneurial people to create Steeze is commendable, and their latest event was also influenced by some of the people behind Brainchild Festival. Brainchild Festival took place during the summer of this year, and it began as one girl’s brainchild; she saw the festival as an opportunity to create something positive with some money she’d inherited, as the rumour goes. The festival was devised as a “celebration of talent, original thinking and creativity” which claimed to be able to “validate the power of our minds”. http://brainchildfestival.co.uk/manifesto.html

One of the performers at the latest Steeze, a band called Nomad Soul, also performed at Brainchild Festival. I’d never seen or heard of the band before, but as I sat literally a metre away- the intimacy of Steeze is part of its attraction- and they began playing their song ‘Murmuration’, I was blown away by the level of energy and technical skill. Their infusion of jazz and electronic ambient music is mesmeric. Although it is reminiscent of other contemporary music in a similar style, Nomad Soul seemingly reached new heights with this outstanding performance. http://soundcloud.com/nomad-soul-collective/murmuration

It is important to mention the band Southpaw in relation to Steeze- because the organisers of the event also perform together in this 7-piece hip-hop, jazz outfit. Southpaw’s EP, entitled Out Of Oak can be found here- http://sthpw.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-oak- and demonstrates a strong level of originality and meaning through its four song progression. Out Of Oak claims to leave you “refreshed, rejuvenated, and reassured of a positive creative direction” and this positive attitude is reflected in their night Steeze.

The latest Steeze was their 10^th event, and the most recent have taken place at The Honor Oak pub in Forest Hill.  They happen on average every month, and the next one is on the 16^th of December. Here’s a link to their Facebook page so you can join the Steeze community, which i would highly recommend. http://www.facebook.com/Steeze.E.D?ref=ts&fref=ts. The page for their next event can also be found here- http://www.facebook.com/events/170784203063578/?fref=ts- and it’s definitely worth a visit! 

Kate Tempest's 'Brand New Ancients' Vs. Ben Drew's 'ill Manors'

Both Kate Tempest and Ben Drew believe they have a role to play in the extremely difficult task of portraying a young generation, angry and disillusioned. Kate Tempest is a 26 year old musician and poet. She was born and grew up in Brockley, not far from the theatre where I saw her perform her show Brand New Ancients, and in many ways this was her ‘coming home’ gig. She combined simple narrative, acapella rap, and atmospheric music to an unstoppable effect, telling the story of the ‘everyman’ in a way that it has never been told before.

Kate tells the story of everyday heroics, and how these age-old stories can help us make sense of our own lives. Towards the beginning of the show she says something along the lines of “everybody has a parable of a friend who could have gone somewhere but took too many drugs. Everybody has the parable of a drunken old man sitting on the bench in their local park”. She goes on to make the point that everyone has an important and interesting story to tell, whether or not this story is immediately assessable. This idea struck me, because one of the reasons I love London is the sheer quantity and diversity of people, each with a special story to tell.

Kate was described by the Guardian as having a “genuinely galvanising presence”. During the show you feel as if you’re watching something sacred. Kate’s messiah like quality leaves you speechless and feeling as if she has been put on this earth to tell her story (or perhaps, more importantly, the story of others.) I’m aware of the hyperbole in these statements, but they are hard to avoid when used in conjunction with this poet! I’ve even heard Kate Tempest referred to as a “21^st century Shakespeare”, and although this term has been applied to other artists before, with Kate it seems to be closer to the truth. 

 ‘ill manors’, the first film made by musician Ben Drew, A.K.A. Plan B, is a tale of survival on London streets. It tells the story of battling against drugs, gangs and violence, which is not new at all, and has in fact probably been overdone. The film is powerful, despite its tendency to slip into the clichéd story of fighting for respect on the streets. Drew interweaves different characters personal tales of hardship, using six songs from his latest album to narrate the story of particular characters.

Drew comes close to telling the story in a new way, by promising in the film’s opening sequence that he will be the sole ‘narrator’ of this struggle. However, apart a few songs, Plan B’s voice is not heard enough in the movie. If Drew expressed his own voice more, with characteristic insight and intelligence, he could have reached a new level of understanding about life on London streets that the film ultimately shrives for and fails.

Kate Tempest and Ben Drew both attempt to narrate the average Londoners disillusionment through spoken word. Brand New Ancients left me inspired, and the only criticism I had was that the show wasn’t being performed to school kids across London, so they could be sprinkled with her gold dust. ill Manors on the other hand left me relatively hopeless, because Drew depicts a world where hope is hard to come by.

Judge for your self...

Plan B – ill Manors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8GvLKTsTuI

Kate Tempest- Brand New Ancients http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1a8iFSXCHLw#!

Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival

Between the 13^th and the 23^rd of September 2012, something amazing happened in SE15. Well, I’m sure many amazing things happened, but the one in particular I’m talking about was a free film festival. The Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival is a community driven, completely volunteer run society which held 22 film events across SE15 within the space of ten days. All for free. This was the third year of the annual festival and each year it gets bigger and better.

The project was partly funded by the council, who gave a grant, but one of the many beautiful things about this enterprise is its demonstration that events can be marvellous, accessible and inspiring without costing a lot of money. Take the short film screening ‘Under the Arches’ for example, where short films were showcased underneath a railway arch in the heart of Nunhead. Once a screen and the projector were set up, it only took the generosity of one organisation, ‘Electric Pedals’ (www.electricpedals.com), to create an innovative film event. ‘Electric Pedals’ specialise in transforming bike peddling kinetic energy into electric energy. Sounds cool doesn’t it?

Electric Peddles in action at an event on Nunhead Green

Other events include the trademark outdoor screening in Nunhead Cemetery: films with a death theme are usually screened, such as the 1946 classic ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ in 2010, and this year the Ealing comedy ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’ was on show. Apart from the fact that the film is projected onto a large screen next to the ruined chapel, which is a spectacle to behold in itself, this particular event encourages the local council to transform a relatively unused public space into one bustling with life (don’t worry, I’m fully aware of the paradox).

'Kind Hearts and Coronets' at Nunhead cemetery

There are too many events to chronicle, and a full list can be found on their website www.freefilmfestivals.org, but one more thing I’d like to mention is the emphasis placed on young filmmakers in the community. The Free Film Festival runs ‘Make a film in a day’ workshops, where young people are encouraged to come in and experience the process of film making. Also the ‘SE15 Young Filmmakers Competition’ takes many entrants from people aged 11-25 who have made short films around the theme of ‘My SE15.’ The winner of the 2010 competition was a documentary about young fathers in Peckham (http://vimeo.com/31192736) and the winner of this year’s competition can be seen on Youtube here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_gSk7ufkNk.

Young filmmakers in action in Peckham

I admire the Free Film Festival and all that it stands for, so much so I was involved in the running of a New Cross and Deptford Free Film Festival earlier on in the year. Although my role in the end was minimal, due to other commitments, the festival went ahead and was a big success. This just proves that the Nunhead and Peckham Free Film Festival has inspired others, including people in Camberwell and Herne Hill who are starting to plan their own free film festival for 2013, and has gone either further in creating a model for how it can be done. Long live the Free Film Festivals!

Another picture from the Nunhead cemetery screening

Didn't bring a djembe

The Gypsy in the Field festival 2012 took place on the weekend of the 22^nd and 23^rd of September, and although there were many things about the weekend that I thoroughly enjoyed, the failure on my behalf to bring a djembe is unlikely to be forgotten. The festival is best described in these terms: one field, one stage, one campfire, 200 campers, no djembe.

The festival is the brainchild of the organisers of a night called ‘Gypsy’, which runs in various venues across London. I once performed at one such night at The Alexandra in Clapham. The idea to create a festival under the ‘Gypsy’ banner was inspired, and the first Gypsy in the Field Festival was a resounding success. The weekend sustained a particular vibe with a various assortment of Gypsy regulars (including Joe Inman himself) performing on the main stage. Other entertainment included a tent which played host to spoken word and stand up comedy.

The Joe Inman Project, the band in which I play drums, performed in the sunshine on the Saturday afternoon. We were probably the loudest performers all weekend: described by Gypsy as “blending infectiously melodic guitars with anthemic sing-along choruses” the band is constantly evolving, due to inevitable band dynamics. Our style fluctuates regularly, depending on Joe's writing, and it was the potential of a band split which meant we neglected travel logistics until the last minute. If it wasn’t for a desperate plea for a lift from London to Norwich on Facebook, Joe and the bassist would never have made it.

When the sun went down the focal point of the field became the great campfire in the middle, as people sat around (no cliché intended) and warmed themselves sufficiently, accompanied by cheery guitar sing-alongs. It was at this point the resonance of a missed djembe opportunity struck me hardest- my frustration at being unable to jam along on my beloved drum led me to extremes: attempting to use a battered tambourine as an African drum (not something I’d recommend). Eventually I accepted my mistake, and consoled myself with the belief that a lesson had been learnt. That lesson being that if you’re going to a typically friendly, small music festival, make sure to pack a djembe. 

Oh yeah, and did I mention I did this whole thing on one leg?

Me sporting the Gypsy in the Field t-shirt

The Movement Cafe

On the 28^th of July, the Movement Cafe opened to coincide with the start of Olympics. The cafe is funded by Cathedral Group, a development company who are behind the Movement Greenwich project. Their aim is to create a “vibrant, active new community in the heart of West Greenwich” including new affordable housing, student accommodation and an extension to the West Greenwich Community Centre. The majority of the work on the site is not due to start until after the Olympics so in the meantime in came a few shipping containers, some bright pots of paint and the vision of the artist Morag Myerscough.

Flowers grow for those that know

To bloom is to know your roots

To give the earth all it’s worth

Tend to the new shoots

The cafe under construction- the work of an amazing team led by Danny Elphick. 

Remarkably, the cafe was erected in just 16 days, in time to provide the thousands of visitors to Greenwich for the Olympics with coffee and food. The cafe is conveniently located directly outside the Royal Boroughs ‘front door’- the DLR station, and therefore the herds of visitors to the Greenwich equestrian centre are shepherded right past the cafe's entrance. My job at the cafe originally appeared simple- to serve the customers. But in actual fact my basic duties of making coffee and fulfilling the cafe logistics became secondary to a growing interest in wanting to help publicise the cafe and organise events.

And a horse on course its hooves

Drum beneath the earth

Where dreadnoughts sleeping seamen

Are weeping for the berth

The cafe plays host to spoken word events every Wednesday and live music every Thursday. On Wednesday the 29^th of August, a poetry collective called Liars League came in and performed a few short stories from their anthology of urban tales, entitled London Lies. One of these stories, written by Jim Minton, gruesomely and comically depicted the nightmare of an Olympic steward who encounters an escaped guard dog. On the eve of the 9^th of August, I accompanied emerging talent Poppy Trevelyan on percussion, and that night the wooden amphitheatre that makes up most of the cafe was full of people.

Poppy and I performing at the cafe. 

The cafe is hosting a film weekend on the 6^th and 7^th of October, showcasing short films as part of the London Short Film Festival. Other events currently being planned include an art showcase, organised by the young person’s art collective ENDMOR, and the possibility of a one day outdoor theatre (which would make full use of the cafe's wooden amphitheatre). All in all, the cafe is a vibrant, buzzing place. And whether or not the events appeal to you, come in, grab a coffee, and appreciate what surely must be one of the most beautiful cafes in London.

While the marshes sigh at night

When sky dives into the Thames

Greenwich and I will sleep again

And wake again as friends 

The finished cafe, which has words protruding the scaffolding that surrounds it.

The excerpts in bold come from a poem that Cathedral Group commissioned Lemn Sissay, the official Olympic poet, to write for the project. The poem consists of 13 stanzas but I have simply selected three of the stanzas that I found most powerful. Lemn Sissay’s words are part of the inspiration behind the cafe's impressive design. 

The entire poem by Lemn Sissay is painted onto the hoardings that run from the DLR station entrance to the cafe. 

Ugandan link

My African drumming has taken me to many places over the last few years, and last weekend it took me to Deptford Green School in New Cross. The school, currently a poorly maintained 70s building, played host to a project which was both inspiring and unique. For the last nine years, the secondary school has run an international exchange programme with a school based in the capital city of Uganda, Kampala. Students from the St Kizito School in Uganda come to London every other year, with students from Deptford Green visiting Uganda in the intervening years. This year, the visit of the Ugandans had an added incentive, due to the Olympic Games being held in London, and the project was titled the International Olympic Youth Conference. My role was simple; to organise the drumming section of the music group, comprised of both Ugandans and Londoners, who would perform on the final day of the conference.

When among Westerners not intrigued by African culture, I stand out due to my dedication to playing African drums and my desire to study Africa at university. However, when confronted with the Ugandans, I felt like another English kid whose technical drumming ability was no match for their instinctive and natural rhythm. Richard Dowden wrote in his book Africa that he "was yet to find an African community - or an African - which does not celebrate with music" and the Ugandan group I was privileged enough to meet were no exception. My formulaic Western rhythms were soon replaced by polyrhythmic Ugandan beats and I could not have been happier. One of the Ugandan drums had a small hole in the skin, which was dismissed ironically by one of the East-Africans as a "factory error". Their drums produced a rich, deep bass tone which complemented the sharper, powerful sound of my Ghanaian djembe.

My own pre-conceptions of the school, I’m sorry to admit, were not brilliant. But I was impressed by the willingness of the Deptford Green students to come into school in the middle of their summer holidays to contribute to the workshop. This sense of community in an inner-city comprehensive is not necessarily the norm, and Deptford Green has arguably managed to harness this enthusiasm in young people through their “we’re all in it together” approach. Located in New Cross, a relatively deprived area of London, the school does not immediately have a reputation for success. But perhaps it’s because Deptford Green does not inhabit an expensive new building, and does not have an amazing reputation, that the students are so behind the school: they are eager to work together with each other, and adults, to improve it.

There were many comparisons between the Deptford Green-St Kizito link and the relationship between my old school, The Charter School, and their link school in Ghana. Both London schools boast that they have maintained their African partner school for almost ten years, whereas other schools only manage to keep the communication up for three or four. I left Charter last year, and when I started the school was only five years old. Similarly to Deptford Green, it had a “we’re all in it together” approach because it was a new school, attempting to establish itself. However, recently I’ve heard it said that Charter has lost some of its togetherness and underdog mentality due to its desire to be branded as ‘outstanding’ by the Office of Standards in Education. Deptford Green is soon to move into a flash new building, 100 metres down the road. This begs the question; will Deptford Green maintain its natural grit and determination once it’s moved onto their brand spanking new site?

As well as our music performance there was some poetry reading, a native Ugandan song which included traditional dress, and some speeches from important people, such as the head teacher of Deptford Green and the Deputy Major of Lewisham. The Deputy Major emphasised the importance of such international union, and made a claim to support the project, whilst making it clear he could not promise any extra funding! Eventually the presentation closed, in true Olympic spirit, with gold medals being handed out to those young people who had made contributions to the conference. I was genuinely surprised when my name was read out and then followed by the words "highly gifted musician", but I collected my medal nonetheless and was slightly disappointed as I walked away from the school knowing that my role in that particular project was over, or is it?

My Olympic day out

The second day of the Olympics in London, the 29th of July, and rather than watching on TV from home as Team GB attempt to surpass their 47 medals in Beijing, I jumped on a train to the Olympic Park. An hour and a half later, and having passed through stations that were not on my journey plan, I arrived at West Ham, rather than my intended destination of Stratford. Nevertheless, as I left the station I was greeted by purple-clad volunteers all waving 'London 2012' foam fingers at me, which somewhat blocked my view of the impressive stadium looming before me.

Before long I had found an illustriousness foam finger myself, one which had been discarded and cast to the wet ground, neglected by one of the 'have-a-nice-day' volunteers. I carefully placed the item in my bag, sandwiched between my copy of the Metro and the Daily Telegraph (which came free with my chocolate bar.) There it quickly dried and was shortly being waved around contently as Tunisia took on Sweden in an enthralling handball match. One friend dismissed handball due to the fact that it was "just a foul in football" but any man or woman who fails to acknowledge the athleticism and skill involved in handball merely acknowledges their own naivety. Eventually Sweden triumphed, as did Spain in the next match against Serbia. Serbia had the muscular advantage but were outdone by quintessential Spanish bravado and skill. Next stop: McDonald's.

A rumoured  £50 million was forked out by the American burger giants to be the sole restaurant sponsor of the 2012 games, a deal which seemed justified as the queue for what is apparently the biggest McDonald's in Europe was the longest I encountered all day. After my meal (which unfortunately didn't include a mayo chicken because the biggest McDonald's in Europe didn't provide a full menu) I was off again, this time in search of some good quality basketball. Team GB vs. Russia unfortunately didn't comply. Even our own NBA All-Star Luol Deng was not much more than a spectator as Russia (ranked 11th in the world) slowly and painfully dismantled a GB team ranked 47rd. This put me in a bad mood, why did Team GB seem to be losing all the time?

However my mood was lifted somewhat when the Basketball arena became drenched in light blue and green as the national teams from Argentina and Lithuania bounced onto the court. Perhaps surprisingly, both these teams are ranked in the top five in the world, but their quality was evident as a fiercely contested game ended leaving Argentina with more points, and many Lithuanians despondent.

Yes, the sport was great. The spectacle of having people who can run faster, jump higher and be stronger than possibly anyone else in the world in one place is wonderful. But it was as I left the Basketball arena shortly after midnight and walked back towards the station that my love for the Olympic Park was most deeply felt. The stadiums, both temporary and permanent, were impressively lit up, exhibiting some wondeful architecture. Protruding from the aquatic centre was a giant, graceful sweep resembling a whales fin, and the stunning circular velodrome reflected the geometry of cycling. Another thing that struck me was the fact that it's easy to imagine the Olympic Park becoming just that after these games; a park! The venues are fabulously and thoughtfully laid out, allowing them to be both impressive yet not overpowering. Also the size of the park means that congestion was not an issue.

Having visited the Olympic Park once, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't very keen to go again. But now I know that if I cannot, and Paralympic  tickets sell out faster than expected, I'll be able to jump on a train to Stratford and wander through the park after these games, thereby enjoying the London 2012 legacy for many years to come.