SOUTH LONDON SOUNDS DJ, Brixton Buzz/Urban75 founder, drummer and Dulwich Hamlet die-hard Mike Urban shares his selection of south London sounds Sun 1st Mar, SE8 Hip Hop Open Mic Night at the Bird’s Nest 32 Deptford Church St, Deptford, SE8 4RZ, 8pm-11pm, free It’s a hip hop Open Mic Night at the splendid Bird’s Nest boozer featuring guest Kropz performing all new material, ably backed by the Legendary Open Mic Cypher with Oliver Sudden and Downstroke on host duties.
Mon 2nd Mar, SW2 Brixton Bookjam at Hootananny 95 Effra Road, SW2 1DF, 8pm-11pm, free Always brilliant, thought-provoking and eclectic, Bookjam returns to the Hoot for another free night of book readings from award winning poets, authors and wordsmiths. Themed on a “journey through time in Mar… past, present and future,” the bill includes Lenny Hayden, Mark Hill and Rosanna Amaka.
Tues 3rd Mar, SE1 Milkshake Rave at Ministry of Sound 103 Gaunt Street, Elephant & Castle, SE1 6DP, 10pm-4am, £5 A midweek, go crazy b*tshit rave for thirsty students with resident DJs spinning hip hop, grime, drill, garage and club bangers across four floors. Drinks are priced at a grant-friendly £3 each and there’s the usual onslaught of CO2 cannons and lasers at this megabrand club.
Tues 3rd Mar, SW9 Steve & Ben Somers Band at Cable Bar & Cafe 8 Brixton Road, Oval, SW9 6B, 7.30pm-10.30pm, free This charming little café/bar by the Oval hosts jazzy/blues bands every week on its bijou stage. Tonight, father and son combo Steve & Ben Somers saddle up to whipcrack out a set of original and traditional Cowboy Jazz, Cajun Country, Western swing and Americana tunes.
Weds 4th Mar, SW9 Mungo’s Hi-Fi at Phonox 418 Brixton Road, SW9
10 URBAN FOX
7AY, 9pm-2am, £7 World famous Glaswegian selectors, Mungo’s Hi-Fi shimmy down to South London, packing an arsenal of bass heavy dubs ranging from Roots to Steppas and Dancehall to Dub Reggae. Expect undergarment-dislodging bass and plenty of bouncy ska and dancey beats.
Weds 4th Mar, SW4 Mary Gold at The Two Brewers 114 Clapham High Street, SW4 7UJ, 8pm-2am, £4 Serving Clapham’s gay community for over 30 years, there’s cabaret on every night at the Two Brewers. Tonight’s shindig features Caerdydd’s very own Mary Golds on stage at midnight, with DJ Demon rolling out dance tunes till close. Get there early for the quiz session with Sum Ting Wong & Tia Kofi.
Thurs 5th Mar, SW2 Cecil Reuben Reggae Thursdays at Hootananny 95 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-2am £3 He’s been at it for over a decade, and Cecil Reuben is once again the host with the most at this evening of top notch live reggae and DJs at the Hoot. Acts include Zeena Banks, Action Fire and Daniel Roswell.
Thurs 5th Mar, SW2 Jamaica Jazzzz at Effra Hall Tavern 38 Kellett Road, Brixton, SW2 1EB, 9.30pm-11.15pm, Free One of the last ungentrified pubs left in Brixton, this locals’ boozer has regular free live music nights throughout the week. Thursdays is always a busy night, with the house band mixing up jazz, ska and reggae in front of an appreciative crowd.
Thurs 5th Mar, SW2 Winston Surfshirt at Electric Brixton Town Hall Parade, Brixton Hill, SW2 1RJ, 7.30pm-11pm, £17 Sydney-based Winston Surfshirt have been making mighty big waves with their spliff-friendly blend of
Read more at brixtonbuzz.com soul, funk, jazz and hip-hop, gaining a glowing endorsement from none other than Reginald Kenneth Dwight.
Fri 6th Mar, SE27 Mambista at Portico Gallery 23A Knight’s Hill, West Norwood, SE27 0HS, 8pm-midnight, £10 Mambista celebrates Ghana’s Independence Day with the Yung Afrika Pioneers playing highlife from Ghana and Nigeria, backed by trusty DJ Gerry Lyseight spinning his own special selection of music from around the world.
Fri 6th Mar, SW9 Bang City at Prince of Wales 469 Brixton Rd, SW9 8HH, 10pm-3am, £5 Get on down for a night on nonstop bangers, with Afrochick & Elijah Collins playing a party blend of Afrobeat, Dancehall, Garage, Hip Hop, House & RnB.
Fri 6th Mar, SE15 Eloisa at Peckham Audio Unit 1, 133A Rye Lane, SE15 4BQ, 9pm-3am, £11 Eloisa’s launch night celebrates the freshly minted ‘New Beginnings’ EP by Simon Splice, with special guests Urbandawn, Charli Brix and SOFi MARi keeping the rafter-rattling drum and bass pumping all night.
Fri 6th Mar, SE24 Farm Boy at Off The Cuff 301-303 Railton Road, Herne Hill, SE24 0JN, 8pm-11pm, £5 Their bio reads like it was written under the effects of industrial grade scrumpy, but Farm Boy’s bouncy indie tracks suggest they’re worth a listen and might be a bit of a laugh. Support comes from pyscho/disco outfit Multiples, who have just two posts on their Instagram page. Don’t promote too hard, boys!
Fri 6th Mar, SW2 Brixton Buzz party night at the Effra Social 89 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF, 9pm-1am, Free It’s a no-holds celebration of ale-cascading, arm-flapping, roar-along pop anthems at this hugely popular night set in a former Conserva-spit! club. Expect anything from The Cure to Katy Perry to Green Day.
Sat 7th Mar, SW2 Funky House at Gremio de Brixton St. Matthew’s Church, Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1JF, 9pm-3am, £5 DJ Yvette Lindquist spins funky vocal house and Latin beats accompanied by a sax player in this jam-packed venue underneath St Matthew’s Church in the heart of Brixton.
Saturday 7th Mar, SW2 Alan Weekes Quartet at
the Effra Hall Tavern Kellett Road, Brixton, SW2 1EB, 9.30pm, free Known for his soulful rhythmic grooves and snappy solos in a variety of genres such as jazz, blues, reggae, ska, pop and opera, Alan Weekes provides a great musical start to the weekend.
Sun 8th Mar, SW2 Pure Vinyl at Upstairs at the Ritzy Brixton Oval, Brixton, SW2 1JG, 7.30pm-11.30pm, free/donations Hosted by the lovely Claudia Wilson of Brixton’s Pure Vinyl record store, this free event features London based jazz collective KOMA, a six piece who come up through the Tomorrow’s Warriors Artist Development programme, with Paul Bay (citizensound) on the decks.
Sun 8th Mar, SW2 No Frills Sunday Session at The Windmill 22 Blenheim Gardens, Brixton SW2 5BZ, 7pm, Free With the ale-infusing No Frills Band at the helm, this jaunty, round-the-table, candle-lit session invites musicians of all abilities to join in with new and traditional songs from all around the world.
Sun 8th Mar, SW9 Jazz Genesis at Market House 443 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LN, 2.30pm-6.30pm, free Join Saxophonist Tashomi Balfour and friends for live afternoon jazz sessions exploring music with, “heart, reverence and ease conjuring up emotions and memories.”
Mon 9th Mar, SE11 Paul Scarto at Toulouse-Lautrec 140 Newington Butts, Kennington, SE11 4RN, 7.30pm-10.30pm, free Ivory thumping, super-pro Paul packs a powerful set of tonsils so expect big tunes from Motown to soul to contemporary hits at this free Monday night show.
Tues 10th Mar, SW12 Bird Sounds at The Bedford 77 Bedford Hill, Balham, SW12 9HD, 8pm, £5.50 An all-female bill of rising singer/ songwriters, featuring London RnB artist M.I., who has performed with the likes of Will Young, Sampa The Great and Kelis. Drawing inspiration from artists such as SZA, Nicki Minaj, NAO and Kehlan, IVYxM is a young RnB artist with attitude, while sultry-voiced Faye Meana draws on the potent emotions of intense relationships.
Tues 10th Mar, SW2 School Ground Sounds at Hootananny Continues on page 10
