Catalyst

Likewise to motorists. Nearly got run over by some twat in a Highways Agency flatbed van today. He jumped a red light while I was crossing at the green man signal.

One of the hacks at the South London Press just tweeted that Southwark, New Cross, Downham, Clapham and Woolwich fire stations are all to close. Peckham retained but goes from two to one engine. With all the these fire stations and cop shops closing it'll be interesting if there's another massive riot.

Quite possibly down to 'The Man'. Hope to see it back in action again soon.

Far as I know there's club nights on at the Bussey every weekend. While I agree it's got some way to go it's definitely primed to become a lot more lively. Maybe in todays terms Dalston is a better comparison than Shoreditch (soundsystems shoehorned into random venues). Certainly that thing in Canavan's on Friday reinforced my feeling. A last minute party pulled together in 24hrs and promoted through social media and word of mouth pulls in 200 people on what's meant to the quietest weekend of the year? There's plenty of demand out there and I fully expect to see another club venue opening this year. Although Peckham Palais seems to have shut down again which I can't understand as all the things I went to there last year were packed. Video of Zed Bias playing there last September.

Canavans/JFK's. Going to see a Detroit DJ play there tonight.

Peckham is undergoing the sort of changes that happened in Shoreditch/Hoxton in the mid-90's (getting younger, whiter and hipper). The train link is only going to accelerate that. Plenty of creatives are being priced out of the east end and see Peckham as an attractive alternative. Frank's is going to be an even bigger road block this summer. The industrial units around Copeland Road are prime candidates to open another performance space/night club/venue and the council have already granted one off licenses for events around there. If the council are committed to growing the night-time economy, as they've indicated they are, it will be a pretty fun place (for a while).

Looking at other middle class baby farms around London (Stoke Newington, Clapham, Wandsworth) I just see ED falling behind. It aspires to play in that league but has neither the footfall nor the wealth to maintain it. Maybe Green & Blue will make way for another charity shop on LL.

^ what he said.

His last appearance in a US Open final was over in time for last orders at the Old Nun's Head. Looking for a pub showing it tonight myself.

EDT (and the Antic chain generally) & Great Exhibition have massively upped their game in that regards lately. Draft House hasn't lived up to it's potential imo. A great wine AND beer selection would be something genuinely different. Mr Lawrence in Brockley is the only place around here that really knows what it's doing in that regard.

So it looks like Blue and his owner have gone to ground. Every dog owner I know that uses the Rye is on the look out for him. Whatever happened to Monty? The dog that attacked Woody.

Depressing. Could have done with ramping up the lolz.

So that would be Peckham, yeah?

lol

At this stage that article is pure speculation. Although having sat opposite her in a pub for a few hours early last year she certainly looked like a candidate to drink herself to death.

Deptford didn't take off because it never had the right kind of housing stock in the first place. Having good transport links will never change that. Just take a walk around Bermondsey or Elephant. Improving transport links in an area with a load of family sized Victorian houses is a totally different matter though.

Any excuse to post this.

Bless up all a dem ED sufferers.

For the people who are suggesting a shop that tells music I'd suggest reading Graham Jones 'Last Shop Standing'. You'd have to be bonkers to open a physical record shop in this day and age.

I assume you're bringing this up as there's a shortage of parking outside your own gaff. So stick a load of road cones outside your place to ensure parking when you need it. If some ponce starts giving you agro dish out a load of abuse. That's your solution right there. Cheers.

My brother and I cycled to school along a 60 mile an hour road from the age of 6. That was a couple of years after one of the neighbour's kids was killed on the same road. Life's dangerous. Deal with it. I was at a meeting recently about proposals to build a skate park in Telegraph Hill (just on from Nunhead) and one of the parents told me he'd never let his kids travel the half mile to use the skate ramp in Peckham Rye. Either on the bus or on foot. He had to drive them everywhere. I was astounded he let them skate in the first place. Well done on creating a generation of nancified kids.

You may already have noticed that East Dulwich isn't that hip.

Personally I'm glad the full-on paddywhackery is fairly limited. Line dancing is massive in Ireland so I don't think it's all that odd it was on the agenda. In previous years I've have enjoyed watching camogie and hurling matches. Don't think that happened this time though.

*Raises fist in salute towards general direction of Goose Green*

The Villager? What sort of div name is that? Christ almighty.