Wednesday 18 July 2012

Tell me a story

I am so excited about my most recent discovery that I have been itching to share it since Monday when I experienced it for myself.

The life-changing experience of which I speak is Spark London: A true storytelling event.



The premise of the night is very simple- anyone is allowed to go up in front of the audience and share a story which must be 1) true 2) about themselves 3) relate to the theme of the week and 4) be no longer than 5 minutes long.

I was a little sceptical about the prospect of hearing people tell their stories. I don't like people and I don't like strangers trying to talk to me so I thought it might not be for me. However, my feelings on leaving the venue could not have been more different. To be it simply- it was wonderful.

I think it was a fluke when I went, but over half of the story-tellers were Americans, which definitely made it feel a lot cooler. It was like being in the back room of club in New York where everyone should still be allowed to smoke indoors and click instead of clap. Not that I have ever been to a club like that in New York you, but various TV programmes and films have assured me of their existence. And it wasn’t that wanky.

One woman just had the best New York accent I have ever heard in real life. She was from Queens and wore a baseball cap with NY on. It was truly amazing. Say "coffee" or "New York" in one of those stereotypical NY accents, then double it and you will have this woman. She told a funny story about being a former catalogue model and having her breasts manhandled by a black transvestite called Laquesha. However, by far the best thing she said, in fact the best bit of the whole night, was when she explained she was from Queens (hence the accent) and said, "To put it in perspective- it's like Luton".

It was brilliant to see the range of people overcoming their embarrassment or, in some cases, rearing to get on stage in front of everyone, to tell something that happened to them. Many were very funny, a few were heartfelt and some just bizarre, but for some reason because they were all true people the audience, myself included, were completely captivated.

When we first walked, in the compere for the evening went through the audience and asked people if they had a story to tell. Most people shook their heads frantically; mouths clamped and avoided her gaze. But, during the break people were hounding her to try and get their 5 minute slot on the stage. "This is what happens," announced the compere coming back in the second half, "Everyone really does have a story to tell".

Coincidentally the nights are a New York phenomenon, but Spark is currently the only night of its kind (so they say) in London. I went to the Upstairs bar at the Ritzy in Brixton, which is a regular night (every third Monday of the month), and just takes donations. Or there is a night at the Canal Cafe in Little Venice every first Monday of the month, but that seems to cost £8. Too much me thinks. Not that I'm biased or anything.

If you are up at the Edinburgh Fringe you can go and see their show with professional storytellers. I would wait for the open-mic though because it makes it so much more interesting. There really was something oddly comforting about hearing the truth.


Friday 13 July 2012

Do you remember what summer feels like?

I am going to jump on the bandwagon here, but what the hell is up with the weather? It's gone batshit crazy that's what.

Are you having trouble remembering what summer feels like? Even with my pretty low sun tolerance I am having withdrawal symptoms. So, as a result, I am looking for things which remind me of summer or at least give me an opportunity when I can pretend it is July.

A perfect antidote to my SAD is Oxjam Brixton's "Beat the Blue" Summer Launch Party at Brixton Clubhouse. If you didn’t get that- it’s in Brixton. The club night, to be held on Friday 20th July from 7pm, promises to showcase an array of local reggae acts. I am imagining a rum in one hand and summery sounds to lull be into the belief that I am on a Caribbean island rather than round the corner from a KFC.



So they've got DJ Zinc Fence bringing his awesome Catch a Fire night and Cpanel DJs Balofo and Nomic and (what I am most excited about) The London City Reggae Choir. I have never seen a reggae choir and cannot help but be a little intrigued.

The Brixton Clubhouse is a cool little club with terrace outside and a slightly odd wicker fence separating the terrace from the street. It's just around the corner from the station so if you get lost you are really are stupid and don't deserve to go to a fun night such as this.

A ticket costs £5 in advance from here or it's £7 on the door. The money is going towards Brixton Oxjam Takeover concerts in October.

Oxjam is a month long festival organised by Oxfam that takes place up and down the country to use local musical talent to raise money to fight global poverty and raise awareness. There are loads of events happening up and down the country and all over London. I just know about the Brixton ones because I live in Brixton and I am helping them spread the word. I am good like that. I know I know, I am growing more slappable by the second.

If you would like to see my awful attempt to dance to reggae music (it involves a lot of swaying and intermittent hip shaking) let me know and we can live in a tiny summer microcosm for the night.

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Vive la Revolution!

When I get an email with the title "URGENT CALL TO ARMS", I am not surprised or put off opening it. As your typical lazy lefty (not saying that all left-wingers are lazy just that I am one of the lazy ones. No hatemail please) I sign up for so much stuff on the internet and am frequently asked to join protests, sign petitions and generally cause a ruckus. However the above mentioned email was different. It was alerting me to this weekend's 5th annual Bastille Day on the Southbank.

As France's sixth biggest city, London is hosting its 5th annual version of the French national holiday known there as, La FĂȘte Nationale. The all-day festival will celebrate the country’s food, art and all things Français.

*NOTE: I volunteered last night at the Southwark Playhouse, who are hosting a few of the events, and all their fridges are packed with different French cheeses. It was a beautiful sight.*

In France, the annual festival marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in 1789. It is still celebrated in France was as a symbol for the rest of the French revolution and the fall of the monarchy. I could go into more detail, but quite frankly it is not that interesting and involves a lot of sectors of government, names and dates that have no place on this blog. If you care to learn more click here for a good rundown of events. Or better yet read Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, which is a wildly dramatic version of the revolution without the boring bits.

Back in London, most of the day’s events are happening in and around Borough Market. There will be extra French stalls at the market as well as more unusual events popping up throughout the day such as the Waiter's Race. I am still a little confused about this one. It seems that Waiters from the Bankside restaurants are quite literally going to race one another. Possibly while holding crockery. I think it may be one of those things that has to be seen to be believed.

There are also events like hatmaking and talks about perfume, games of boules, Absinthe tasting, films, cycling, football and art workshops. But from 6pm there will be live music and dancing to take you through to midnight. I am hoping a lot of Edith Piaf impersonators and accordions but I feel they will be slightly better than that.

All the events are free and more details and timings can be found on their website here.

The initial email I received it turned out was a less "Call to Arms!" and more for a request I use my arms to help them put up lights around Borough Market on Friday night. So the least you can do is come and admire my handywork while pilfering all the cheese you can stuff in your beret.

*NOTE: Berets and fancy dress optional.*

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Get quizzical for charity

In my last post I casually mentioned how I was volunteering for

everything under the sun (or at least South of the river). Didn't it make you sit up and take a good look at your life and want to be a better person? No? Humph. Self-righteousness is obviously not for you then.

If you do fancy helping out a charity without the time commitment, with a guaranteed dash of fun, why not come to the Sounds Familiar Music Quiz in aid of Oxjam Brixton takeover. Sounds Familiar is a regular music quiz that pops up all over London and has agreed to host a night next Wednesday 11th July at the Dogstar in Brixton. The admission price will go towards funding Oxjam Brixton’s one day festival in October.

In effect, the quiz is a fundraiser for a future fundraiser. I don't get it, but I trust Oxfam and know you have to spend money to make money. But you need to have some money first. I could totally be on the Apprentice.

The Sounds Familiar Music quiz is "London's best and most raucous music quiz", according to Time Out. See, it isn’t just me. Real reviewing types rate it.

The idea of the quiz is not only to test your music knowledge with rounds like, Mum & Dad’s School Reunion, Soul Weekender, You’ll Never Hear From Me Again, Round of Relaxation, Mash It Up and Name That Tune, but encourage its quizees to get up and dance and have a "rare tear" as my Glaswegian Uncle would say.

If you needed more convincing the quiz is so popular that it is taken on the festival circuit as can be witnessed in this clip at Glastonbury last year. I think we can all agree this is something pretty special.

There are actually quite good prizes for the winning teams including 2 tickets for Sneaky Sound System at Electric Brixton, 2 tickets for The Black Seeds at Electric Brixton and 2 tickets for Sham 69 at Electric Brixton. As well as some CDs (some better than others).

The only thing that makes me hesitate from signing up is the "Pile of Shit" round, which is supposed to feature the worst records the compere can think of. I fear this round would feature a lot of my most cherished songs (Chumbawamba anyone?). Despite this I shall brave the outing and practice my "Oh God! Who ever listened to this pile of monkey crap" while secretly crying inside.

Tickets are only £5 per person (or £30 per 6 person team. Obviously) and can be bought here. You can turn up and pay £5 but to make sure you get a place tis best to book in advance. The quiz starts at 7ish and runs until the last song is sung and the last table danced upon. So it is written so let it be done.

You will be thrilled to know that I am accepting team mates to add to my knowledge of 80s Pop, Enya and the Spice Girls. If you think you have what it takes to join the winning team I will be holding interviews on Monday 9th. No time wasters please.

If you want to know about more about Oxjam Brixton takeover check out their website and you can still get involved.